01.29.07 2:04 PM CST
• Sports
• Gary Cole
No sports team gets more attention in its home city from the media than the Bears. The news of the world takes a backseat to the Bears with one of our daily newspapers wrapping each day’s edition inside six, eight or even 12 pages of Bear info. There are Bear updates on some radio stations every half hour and, of course, the sports talk shows engage in endless speculation over Rex Grossman’s decision making, Benson or Jones from the backfield and whether Urlacher is as good as Butkus and Singletary.
Even though I am a life-long Chicagoan, I’ve yet to catch Bear mania. Perhaps its all those years of frustration and mismanagement since 1985 when the Bears of Sweetness and the Fridge were truly loveable. Or maybe it’s my natural resistance to all the Bear hype. However, if I’m really honest with myself, I know the reason I’m tepid on the Bears is because I’m a die-hard Peyton Manning fan.
My fascination with Peyton started in 1996, the first of the two years that we selected him for our Playboy Preseason All-America football team. In all the years I’ve been involved with the Playboy All-America tradition, we’ve never had a player more enthusiastic about making our team, about being with us for our special awards weekend, about being around the other gifted players from schools around the country. He was pleasant, polite and fascinated by the history of the Playboy team. And with good reason: his father, Archie, was a Playboy All-America back in 1970. (His brother, Eli, would be a Playboy All-America in 2002 and 2003).
Peyton’s leadership qualities were in evidence throughout the weekend. Some guys are born leaders and he's one of them.
Even though I am a life-long Chicagoan, I’ve yet to catch Bear mania. Perhaps its all those years of frustration and mismanagement since 1985 when the Bears of Sweetness and the Fridge were truly loveable. Or maybe it’s my natural resistance to all the Bear hype. However, if I’m really honest with myself, I know the reason I’m tepid on the Bears is because I’m a die-hard Peyton Manning fan.
My fascination with Peyton started in 1996, the first of the two years that we selected him for our Playboy Preseason All-America football team. In all the years I’ve been involved with the Playboy All-America tradition, we’ve never had a player more enthusiastic about making our team, about being with us for our special awards weekend, about being around the other gifted players from schools around the country. He was pleasant, polite and fascinated by the history of the Playboy team. And with good reason: his father, Archie, was a Playboy All-America back in 1970. (His brother, Eli, would be a Playboy All-America in 2002 and 2003).
Peyton’s leadership qualities were in evidence throughout the weekend. Some guys are born leaders and he's one of them.
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Colts SUCK!