As the whole world anticipates the kickoff to Sunday's
Super Bowl, I have to ask myself if my Indiana fishing buddies, the majority of
them fans of the Indianapolis Colts, feel the same way. Super Sunday is the biggest gambling day of the
year. The office pool, strip cards, and that phone call to the brother in law who
"knows a guy" will give them
reasons not to miss the game, but do they really want to watch? Do they really want to witness
their ex quarterback, a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer, show off his
talents on what is arguably the biggest stage in the world? Their guy, the one
who should be leading their Colts to their second World Championship, not the
Denver Broncos. In March, 2012, the Indianapolis Colts, not feeling lucky, took
a gamble and released Peyton Manning on speculation he would never play at a
championship level ever again. Well, they lost.
It's kind of like a boat I owned. I bought it brand new and
it was everything I hoped it to be. I caught my first Musky and my biggest
Musky in that boat. It gave me many years of flawless service. The one problem
I had with the boat is that it was great for day in and day out fishing , but
it couldn't compete with the bigger boats, in the big tournaments. Sure, I won a
few outings and even one big tourney with it but most of the time it came
up short. Then one summer evening, after fishing all day, my luck ran out. I fired up the engine and went to shift it in
reverse and got nothing. Put it back in forward and also nothing. A gear box
full of neutral. After tearing it down, an inspection proved it needed a new
output shaft and gears. The good news was the parts were still available, the bad
news was the cost exceeded $1000.00. I opted to weld up the old parts and have them machined. I did a
really good job and I with a little luck it would work just fine, but for how long? Long
story short, I sold the boat at a discounted price, with full discloser of the
"possible problems." I didn't want to let it go, but I did. I had
mixed feelings about its future. I wanted the boat to go on and continue to
service the new owner for years. On the other hand, since I let it go for next
to nothing, a part of me wanted it to
blow up on the first trip out. One thing is for sure, it will always have a
place in my heart.
So, how do you guys/gals feel? Is there a place for Peyton
in your heart? Do you want him to go out and win a tourney for his new owner or
do you want to see him blow up? The
competition will be tough and he may or
may not win but I doubt he will implode. People say he has something to prove
but I don't see it that way. I think he already has. The fact that in a time
span of little over two and a half years he has rehabbed from not one but two
neck surgeries and led a new team with a
new offense to the Super Bowl is more impressive than anything any other
athlete has ever done. To my Indiana friends, I leave you with my condolences. I
hope you can remember the good times and let go of all the things you think you
have lost. Who knows, on Sunday, maybe you'll
have a little luck. Maybe you'll win a square or two, beat the bookie
out of a few bucks, or have the winning
number in the "How many times he yells Omaha" pool. Then, if the
Broncos win and Manning is named MVP, at least the money might help to soften
the blow. They say it's better to be lucky than good, and if I were you guys, I
wouldn't worry, you have Luck on your side. At least for now, until he is eligible for free agency.
Signed, Class of '79 D.D. Eisenhower
H.S. "Fighting Cardinals" official tackling dummy,
Jim Welsh.
Well said man of wisdom
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