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Brady Makes Being A Superstar Look Easy

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The Associated Press

Published: December 22, 2007

Tom Brady arrives at Gillette Stadium before the sun comes up.

As always, there is work to be done, and no time to waste.

Yes, he is the superstar quarterback with the golden arm and the sharp football mind. Yes, he is in position to break Peyton Manning's single season record of 49 touchdown passes. And yes, he is the main reason the New England Patriots are challenging the 1972 Miami Dolphins' status as the only team to go undefeated for an entire Super Bowl season.

This, however, is what teammates see and respect:

"When you see him here at 6:15 in the morning, lifting weights, watching film and working out, I think that's not a sign of a guy that's getting a big head," safety Rodney Harrison said.

And that is why Brady was both flattered at being selected The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, and determined to spread the honor around.

"I play in a team sport," Brady said. "Everybody I play with is responsible for what each of us accomplishes as individuals and for what we all accomplish as a team."

Brady received 51 votes from members of The AP, 18 more than runner-up Roger Federer, who won his fifth straight Wimbledon and fourth straight U.S. Open tennis tournament in 2007. They were followed by Tiger Woods, Manning, Barry Bonds and Josh Beckett.

Brady, who grew up in the San Francisco area, is the first football player to win the award since quarterback Joe Montana of the 49ers in 1989 and 1990.

"You look at Joe Montana, who was one of my role models growing up, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods," Brady said. "They're all great role models for children and adults with how they handle themselves every time they step out in public. It's flattering to be mentioned in their company."

Armstrong won the award four consecutive years before Woods broke that streak last year, winning it for the fourth time.

Ochoa Repeats As Female Athlete Of Year
Lorena Ochoa didn't have a blueprint for becoming the best in the world, and she certainly didn't have a role model. Mexico had yet to produce anything resembling a world-class golfer, and Ochoa did not look like one at age 12.

So it was surprising when she told her coach she wanted to be No. 1.

"At that time, with the way I was playing, and being in Guadalajara, it was a little bit crazy to think that way," Ochoa said toward the end of a historic season. "But I did it. It took me a long time, but I did it."

It might have seemed like a long time from when she was 12, but she took only five years on the LPGA Tour to establish her reign.

She replaced Annika Sorenstam at No. 1 in the women's world ranking. She captured her first major at the Women's British Open, making history as the first female to win a professional event at St. Andrews. And she capped off the year with a fearless shot that defines her style, becoming the first LPGA Tour player to top $4 million in one season.

Maybe it wasn't such a crazy dream.

Such was her dominance that for the second straight year, Ochoa was the overwhelming choice as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. It was the fifth straight year a golfer has captured the Female Athlete award, the longest streak of any sport.

Ochoa received 71 votes from members of The Associated Press, equal to the combined total of the next seven athletes on the list.

She joined Sorenstam, Kathy Whitworth, Mickey Wright and Babe Zaharias as the only golfers to win the award in consecutive years.

"Being compared with such exceptional players makes me feel honored," Ochoa said in an e-mail. "My main goal is to maintain myself as the No. 1. Therefore, I can promise to keep improving."

Justine Henin, who won her third straight French Open tennis title, was second with 17 votes. Rounding out the top five were New York Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe, Tennessee basketball player Candace Parker and Allyson Felix, the second woman to win three gold medals at the World Track and Field Championships.

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