By Jake Hamar (Twitter: @ktikjake)
I won’t lie.
I have a man crush on Peyton Manning.
His talents on the gridiron have kept me captivated as a football fan for almost 20 years. The way he reinvigorated the Indianapolis Colts, and made them a marquee franchise is worthy of a Hall of Fame nod in itself. But the fact that he has thrown almost 72,000 yards and 539 touchdowns makes him truly legendary. With the Denver Broncos victory in Super Bowl 50 over Carolina, it was a perfect way to end a career.
And that’s how it should be.
Peyton Manning should not come back. Yes, if he gets offered $14-15 million a year from the Los Angeles Rams, he has to look at that. But with reward there comes risk. If he does come back, he will face some of the toughest defenses in the NFL, including two in his home division. Last thing he needs is to have Michael Bennett or Thomas Davis coming at him like a freight train and dropping him like Ivan Drago did with Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. Even though Peyton was able to manage the clock well, especially in the Pittsburgh and New England playoff games, he looked really slow, even tripping a few times. Even though Manning was the sentimental story coming out of the Super Bowl, it was guys like Von Miller, Malik Jackson and DeMarcus Ware that carried that team to a championship.
In kind, Peyton needs to stick to making Papa John’s money.
As much as I love football and Peyton Manning, I love music even more. And even though I have some vitriol towards the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I’m always curious to see who gets inducted. In my opinion, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are made up of elitist rock music critics who exercise their “high and mighty” voting power to elect their favorites into the hallowed halls of Cleveland. The fact that they kept Black Sabbath and Rush (who have since been elected) out of the Hall for years tells you all you need to know about these snobby self-righteous buffoons.
However, this year, I got to give them some kudos for voting in a nearly perfect class of inductees. In July, Cheap Trick, Steve Miller Band, Chicago, Deep Purple, NWA and Bert Berns will be become part of the rock and roll elite. If anybody is more deserving of a nomination, it’s these six acts.
Cheap Trick is perhaps one of rock and roll’s most underrated bands. Yes, they had hits like “Surrender”, “I Want You To Want Me” and “The Flame”, but their track record of putting out quality records out for the last 40 years speaks volumes about what a lasting impact they have made on the history of pop music. No matter how much time goes by, you’ll always hear a Cheap Trick song on the radio, and that is definitely a beautiful thing.
And the recent induction of Deep Purple? They should have been inducted like, say, 20 years ago. They, along with Led Zeppelin, were the innovators of heavy metal music. Where would music be without Deep Purple? Would we have bands like Metallica or Iron Maiden? They were clearly influenced by groups like Deep Purple. Clearly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame got a lot of heat for leaving them out for so long, and deservedly so.
Another question is, why wasn’t the Steve Miller Band ever inducted before? I’m sorry, no offense to people like Elvis Costello, Talking Heads or R.E.M., but if you can induct those acts, why not Steve Miller? He was one of the best selling acts of the 1970’s, and made such great albums as “Book of Dreams”, “The Joker”, and “Fly Like an Eagle.” It’s definitely a relief to know that an act that has stood the test of time like Steve Miller is finally getting the kudos that he so richly deserves.
So, for once, I’ll give the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some props.
But make no mistake. They are still blowhards.
Everybody seems to be caught up in the circus that is the Presidential election.
I’m not.
Whether it be the circumstances, or the quality of candidates, for some reason, I just don’t care. It seems very WWE-esque to me. If this was professional wrestling, this would be a battle royal of “who blames who.” Trump accusing the others of not having a good-enough plan to turn this country around, or the constant criticism of Bernie Sanders as a “socialist” who wants to become the real life version of Robin Hood. It’s all just media sensationalism for which I can see right through.
Maybe I’m just simple.
When I go home, I like to chill for a bit, turn on the MLB Network, watch “Intentional Talk” with Kevin Millar and Chris Rose and eat a sandwich. I also like to scour CBS Sports.com, Fox Sports.com, Idaho Statesman and ESPN.com for the latest sports stories that I can use for my show the next day. I also like to dig into a nice book on my Kindle, preferrably about sports, rock music, or pro wrestling. The backstage stories about music and wrestling are so interesting, it beats anything that a reality show can present.
Should I care more about current events?
Up until a few weeks ago, it just occurred to me that Barack Obama was finishing his term as U.S. President. It’s that case of being rather oblivious to the world around me, that made me wonder, “Am I a bad American for not caring?” I love my country, and want it to be the best it can be, but at the same token, this election has become so bizarre, and there is so much distrust towards politicians, that I just don’t care anymore. I figure politicians are going to do what they are going to do, and look at us as peons. There is a major disconnect between our elected officials and the general public. I guess it’s always been that way, but in the age of social media, it’s just that more prevalent.
Other than sports and Netflix, I disconnect myself from the world. I’m kind of like a hermit, except I shower and shave regularly, and hang out with people. I just recently went on to CNN.com the other day, and was amazed to find out what’s going on in our world. Maybe as the political election heats up, maybe I’ll be more interested in what happens, but until that point, I’ll keep my mind focused on spring training, Boise State basketball/football and the NHL playoffs.
Being oblivious is bliss.
Follow me on Twitter @ktikjake
