Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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and Finally . . . H Feud For ThoughT manning up QUICK: WHO WON SUPER BOWL XLVI? CAN'T REMEMBER? GIVEN THE DENVER BRONCOS' OFF-SEASON HOOPLA, YOU'RE EXCUSED FOR BEING FORGETFUL. by "Malibu" Kelly Hayes ere in Aspen, football fans have been consumed with the off-season comings and goings of our quarterbacks. We lost a Tebow, but we gained a Manning. If you're a Broncos fan, acquiring a future Hall of Fame quarterback makes all the sense in the world. But if you're a Tim Tebow fan… maybe not so much. On January 8, in what has been dubbed the Miracle at Mile High, Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to defeat the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers and send many in the crowd of 75,970 into a Tebow-ing frenzy. The pass also gave him 316 passing yards for the game, a number that con- veniently (miraculously?) coincided with his favorite biblical verse, John 3:16. That may not matter much to folks in the J-Bar, but it was surely noted in churches throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. However, 73 days later, Tebow was gone, traded to the Sodom and Gomorrah of modern-day America, New York City. And for only a pair of late-round draft picks and a couple million dollars. Tim, we hardly knew ye. Many Aspenites were excited to cheer for Tebow, who in just two seasons transcended his role of quar- terback to become something of a deity to those who admire his skills and religious convictions. Yet Tebow seemed more excited about becoming a Jet. He used the word "excited" 316 times in his introductory press conference in New York. (Okay, only 44 times, but you get the idea.) Ah, but for fans who bleed orange and blue, salva- tion awaits. Peyton Manning, perhaps the only man with the star power to banish Tebow and his follow- ers from the Garden of Elway, changed steeds, going from the Colts to the Broncos. Manning is a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, a Super Bowl champion, and one of the most accomplished athletes to play any sport. And he keeps his religious beliefs to him- self. True, he is coming off a severe neck injury that forced him to sit out the 2011 season, but if the doc- tors can be trusted, he is ready to get back to deftly dissecting opposing defenses. Religiosity aside, the elements of this drama are so compelling that it's difficult to take sides. In today's sports world, blockbuster stories generally involve questions of character—the New Orleans Saints' boun- ties, Tiger Woods's indiscretions, Brett Favre's sexting, steroids in baseball, gun possessions, etc. But this tale of two quarterbacks involves men of unquestionably high character. Each is a pillar of his sport and, with- out question, wishes nothing but the best for the other. So when the football season kicks off in September, I would like to think that here in Aspen we have not one, but two quarterbacks to root for: our own num- ber 18, Peyton Manning, and the Jets' number 15, Tim Tebow. ap 172 aspenpeaK-Magazine.coM Amazingly Aspen! illustration by daniel o'leary