Super Bowl Update

The wheel turns, times passes, things change, people get famous and then they get less famous.

I've been "hailing" the Washington Redskins since I was a kid, sitting in our living room in Greensboro, North Carolina,  watching football with my Dad. Back then, the 'Skins were the only remotely Southern team, so I, along with a whole generation of southerners, got stuck with being Redskins fans for life.

Yesterday brought the news that the arguably perennially dysfunctional Washington Redskins front office had released running back Clinton Portis. This action may, possibly, make football sense, but I, for one, will miss him.

Why?

Not only was Clinton Portis the second leading rusher in franchise history, he was one of the few mega-good professional football players who consistently dared to appear seriously goofy. If you follow the NFL at all, I'm sure you remember the get-ups Mr. Portis wore to his mid-decade press conferences, back when he was still The Man among NFL running backs.

For example . . .

Clinton Portis a.k.a Choo Choo, the dance instructor.

Here's Mr. Portis'  alter-ego, Choo-choo the Dance Instructor, whom he introduced at a 2007 press conference. Choo Choo, according to dcist.com, a website about Washington, had . . .

. . . come to town to teach the Redskins how to relax, have fun, and of course — perfect their endzone dances. Previous students include Santana Moss and Antwaan Randel El. Choo Choo's next student: Clinton Portis. Said Choo Choo, "It took 196 yards to give me hope that I can teach the boy how to dance. I'm going to teach that boy. Choo Choo. Choo Choo, right here. I hope he gets in the end zone. I'm going to teach him. I'm going to teach him, man, I'm going to teach." He also gave updates on beloved characters from the past (they're still around; Southeast Jerome is up in heaven), and refused for most of the presser to break character or speak on Clinton's behalf.

Mr. Portis was cut for financial reasons -- the Redskins would owe him $8.3 million if he took to the field for them next season. And, the reality is, at 29 and having been injured a lot, Portis may be at the beginning of the end of his career. There's also talk that Portis is relieved to be leaving.

Whatever is really behind the Clinton Portis/Washington Redskins divorce, Portis has, as always, played it pretty cool. Reports the Washington Posts' Cindy Boren:

Portis was philosophical about the transitory nature of NFL jobs. "No one is irreplaceable...Enjoy as much as you can and when it's time for you to move on, be ready." Whether it's Keiland Williams or Ryan Torain, "another back is gonna come along and steal the hearts of fans."

Wow, is that a great curtain speech or what. Especially for an NFL player who shares a body with Choo Choo the dance instructor.

Yesterday also saw this news posted as well on CNN's website:

Palin's intensity in Iowa fading, says poll

By: CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

(CNN) – As Sarah Palin mulls a presidential bid, the former Alaska governor is getting mixed news from Iowa, the state that traditionally kicks off the presidential primary season.
A newly released poll from the Des Moines Register suggests Palin is still liked by many GOP voters in the state, but perhaps not to the degree she once was. 

The former Republican vice presidential nominee's favorability rating has slipped 6 points in the last year and a half among likely GOP caucus-goers in the state, a number that, while within the poll's sampling error, may suggest the excitement around Palin is beginning to dissipate as other likely presidential candidates have spent significantly more time there over the last 15 months. . . . And in another sign the intensity around Palin is fading in the Hawkeye State, support among GOP voters who say they view Palin "very favorably" has dropped 9 points, from 27 to 18 percent.

young Sarah Palin

It's long been hard to figure out which Ms. Palin wants to be more: President of the United States or a rich celebrity. A lot of her energy expenditure over the past couple of years points toward rich celebrity:

• her attempt to trademark her name; 
• her reality TV show; 
• her sprawling, mega-publicized book tours to promote herself and her two books, Going Rogue and America by Heart.