Monday, December 27, 2010

Quarterbacks With Class

Monday December 27th, 2010 - Somewhere At Sea

   One of the downsides of being on cruise ships is not getting to stay in touch with what’s going on back home. Internet is beyond slow and ridiculously expensive, and I only check important emails. Things that can wait, do. Television is limited too. There are only a few channels, most of them Spanish. There’s no ESPN, and that’s hell for sports fans like me.

   There is a Spanish version, but I couldn’t care less about Venezuela’s chances in the big soccer game next week. We do get local stations from Denver of all places, and there is a Fox and CBS station so I can get NFL football on Sundays. That’s been a total life saver.

   Fortunately, I’ve gotten to enjoy quite a few Green Bay Packer games this season. Last week I missed it because the Denver Broncos game was on, and I had to sit through that even though the team is terrible and they’re way out of the playoff run. I had no choice.

   I love football and actually enjoyed the Broncos game because Tim Tebow got his shot to start a game at home. There’s something intangible about that guy that’s magnetic, and I find myself cheering for him to succeed. I know he’s a big God squad guy, but he keeps it under control and handles himself very well. He’s an underdog, but keeps overcoming.

   Even though he broke all kinds of records in college, most people said he’d be horrible in the pros. Nobody thought he’d be drafted at all much less in the first round but he was. Then people said he’d never be a starter, and now he is. I was happy for his team’s win.

   Normally, God squad athletes repulse me. They thank God when hey win, but who’s to blame when they lose or blow an important play? Something about Tim Tebow earns my total respect. I like the guy when he’s interviewed, and I thought he played a super game on Sunday and deserved to win. Those kind of stories are what sports and life are about.

   Another one is Aaron Rodgers of my beloved Packers. That guy had it about as difficult as anyone in history coming out of college into the pros. First, he dropped like lead in the draft order and wasn’t drafted until late in the first round. He was projected to be up at the very top but it didn’t work out that way. He never bitched, and that showed a lot of class.

  Then he got to Green Bay and had to play behind Brett Favre for a couple of seasons and that probably wasn’t a lot of fun either. When the whole Favre powder keg did explode, it could have gotten extremely ugly but it didn’t. Rodgers showed up and didn’t put himself in the line of fire and just went about his work. Now, he’s one of the top QBs in the NFL.

   How can a fan not cheer for a guy like that? Favre had the fans by the tail, but he blew it with his selfishness. Hopefully Rodgers will keep doing what he’s doing, because the way I see it Favre is ancient history. He was great in his day, but it ended poorly. He’s history.

   Aaron Rodgers is the man now, and I’m proud to cheer for him. He’s a great player and a classy person. Tim Tebow is too. Hopefully not all of the nice guys have to finish last.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

1 comment:

Ruthie Ruhnke said...

you are not missing anything ... Chicago is cold and annoying as usual. :)