After living in Michigan City and rooting for Chicago teams for eight years, I should have known better than to let the Colts break my heart. Year after year, they get to the playoffs, then forget how to play the stupid game. Why did any of us think this year would be any different? I hope this isn't remembered as the game Mike Vanderjagt lost. True, he missed the field goal that could have sent the game into overtime. But he wouldn't have been in that position if Pittsburgh hadn't outplayed Indianapolis for the whole game. (Sports-as-metaphor-for-life alert!) But focusing on that one person and that one play makes the whole, complex enterprise easier to grasp and argue about in bars, which explains a lot of other things, too, including why Republicans hate Bill Clinton so much and Democrats wouldn't say anything nice about George Bush if he found a cure for cancer. (So, what's he got against people with heart disease, huh?!?)
Vanderjagt showed a lot more class in post-game interviews than quarterback Peyton Manning. He just stood there and took it, saying there were no excuses, he just missed the kick. Manning couldn't resist complaining about the lack of protection. Someone's got some fences to mend -- if he wants any protection next year.
