"As I go, I go with just a few words left to say, a few words I want to address to Colts fans everywhere - thank you from the bottom of my heart...I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback."
- From Peyton Manning's parting remarks to the Indianapolis Colts.
Peyton's conduct during today's farewell press conference is an object lesson in staying classy.
As I watched Manning's emotional address, and I listened to the sincere message of thanks he sent to his former boss, his teammates, the Colts organization, and to millions of fans across the country, I realized that loyalty is not dead in sports. It's just not always a two-way street.
During his comments, Peyton talked about respect, reflection, and gratitude, all of which are among the thoughtful traits he brings to the sport of football. He also reminded us of the value of maintaining perspective, and he specifically mentioned the importance of remembering the victims of recent tornado devastation in Indiana and the midwest.
There may not be crying in baseball, but after seeing Peyton deliver his final words as a Colt today, there's definitely crying in football and not too many dry eyes in the house.
Yesterday I witnessed one of the more surreal moments I can recall in recent professional sports history. Rafael Nadal, the #2 ranked tennis player in the world and defending US Open champion, suffered severe and incapacitating leg cramps during a press conference. After several uncomfortable moments of quiet wincing and squirming, Nadal eventually slid out of his chair, under the desk, and on to the floor.
As I watched the bizarre event unfold and saw Nadal grimace in sheer agony, several thoughts crossed my mind. First, why doesn't he say something? (Like, "it's okay everyone, just a leg cramp."). Second, why doesn't someone approach to offer help? This goes on for 2 excruciating minutes! (Don't his manager and agent attend his press conferences?)
Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning - this is exactly the tactic President Obama should employ this week in his upcoming "jobs" speech. Let's face it, there really are no easy (and readily acceptable) solutions to the job crisis or someone would already have implemented them. So, instead of sitting behind the Oval Office desk and pretending he has new information or viable ideas to reverse our economic slump, he should just feign an absolutely debilitating leg cramp.
As the President slowly loses his focus and then writhes in imaginary anguish, we will all be so distracted and concerned that we will simply forget about the horrid condition of the nation's economy. We'll all feel an overwhelming flood of sympathy for our tortured Commander-in-Chief, and his approval ratings will rise correspondingly. In the unlikely event that the positive impact of this Presidential collapse is short-lived, the White House can simply re-ignite our sympathies next year by having the President throw up during a United Nations address or maybe tear an ACL during the State of the Union address.
