The first snow of 2010 has been eventful. I got extra hours at work, so I guess that's a plus.
(I'm trying to find something to write about, I got nothing really.)
A little over a decade ago, my little brother Dylan and I were watching football on Sunday's like most kids in America do. And one day, a team played like most gamers did in Madden NFL Football. Dylan fell in love with the St. Louis Rams. With a powerful offensive nucleus of running back Marshall Faulk, a dual threat in the backfield with the running game and the passing game, he came to the Rams through trade before the 1999 season; Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, wide receivers crucial to the air attack known as The Greatest Show On Turf. Issac was the veteran and Torry was the rookie; Orlando Pace and Adam Timmerman anchored the offensive line as Pro Bowl caliber lineman; The defense wasn't bad either, with notable Pro Bowl players such as Kevin Carter, Grant Wistrom, London Fletcher, Billy Jenkins, Todd Lyght, Dexter McCleon and Dre' Bly.
But the most important piece of the puzzle was Kurt Warner, with his improbable comeback Hall of Fame career story. You know it and I know it, so I won't go through with copy/pasting the wiki file here. What I will do is tell you the impact he had in my little brothers and my life. He was living proof that anything can happen at anytime. That a player without a high draft profile pedigree can be an amazing player. That just cause a player is a 65 on Madden doesn't mean he can't be more.
To watch Kurt Warner in his prime was like watching a strategist perform a calculated plan down field. Should I do the obvious and bomb one down field for an instant touchdown to Az-Zahir Hakim or should I march down field with a strong rushing attack and short passes to Ricky Proehl. With as many offensive weapons as The Greatest Show On Turf had, you have to commend Kurt for using all of them to effectiveness while spreading the ball around for everyone to share. He was both the player's quarterback; someone who understood the tools around them without becoming distant and cold; and the fan's quarterback; a player whom doesn't alienate their fan base by being pompous and synonymous with mass market money making, he connects in both story and in person. Somebody that everyone can look up to as a player and a person.
Friday, he announced his retirement from the professional game of football. He will be missed, because there will never be another player quite like him.
I think when I go home to see Dylan, I'll share a moment with him about that 1999 year. That year, they were the greatest show in sports.
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