Here comes one of those posts that falls into the ‘not really news in any sense’ category.
But just for the record, the BBC has published the shortlist for its Sports Personality of the Year Awards and Lewis Hamilton is on it.
No great surprises there – for it to be a real shocker, it would have needed the Beeb or the bookies to buy into the anti-Hamilton backlash and deliver a big fat Swiss-dwelling snub.
But that was never likely to happen, was it? Young Lewis is the bookmakers’ favourite. And this morning the sun rose, and the autumn leaves dropped from the trees, and the birds sang at daybreak.
What else do you need to know? Well, if boxer Ricky Hatton beats Floyd Mayweather in what is shaping up to be a massive grudge match in their Las Vegas bout the evening before the awards, he will be a good outside bet for doing a Kimi and relegating the Boy Wonder to runner-up spot.
The programme will be broadcast from the Birmingham NEC at 7pm GMT on Sunday December 9 on BBC One with coverage also on Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website. It will be presented by Adrian Chiles, Gary Lineker and Sue Barker.
The result is, of course, decided by public vote during the programme and a sheaf of other awards will be handed out to deserving sportsmen and women.
Here’s our handy guide to the shortlist:
- Joe Calzaghe – super-middleweight boxing champion and a bit of a hero here at Brits on Pole
- Lewis Hamilton – some kind of racing driver, we believe?
- Ricky Hatton – light welterweight/welterweight boxing champion, a hard man to beat
- Andy Murray – the great hope of British tennis: surely not his year yet?
- Christine Ohuruogu – runner and 400m world title-holder, drug-free and ready to be the face of the Olympics
- Paula Radcliffe – iconic distance runner and multiple marathon winner with nothing left to prove
- Jason Robinson – a last hurrah for this member of England’s rugby World Cup runner-up side
- Justin Rose – winner of golf’s European Order of Merit title, coming good at last after some bad years
- James Toseland – two-time winner of the World Superbikes Championship, looking for deserved recognition
- Jonny Wilkinson – iconic English rugby player, to be found at fly-half (or in the treatment room)
Get more details on the shortlisted people and on the event itself here.