Our guest for this week’s show was Joey Harrington, a NFL quarterback, late of the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, now with the Atlanta Falcons. He went from back-up to starter last season, after the team’s first-string quarterback, Michael Vick, had some difficulties with his pets.

I introduced him to the live audience with a joke: I said that in high school, I always dreamed of being pals with the jocks, the quarterbacks and starting centers, but never was… but now, as Joey had contacted us, asked to be on the show, and even flown to Chicago at his own expense to do it, I felt the moment had finally arrived. And of course, it’s true… in high school and after, I tended to hang out with the brainy, theatrical types, like me. I was proud of the few friends I had outside my own clique (and perhaps they were proud of having friends like me) but for the most part, the world of the Big Jocks was alien to me, and it seemed like a distant and wonderful planet.

All this by way of saying: Joey Harrington, Big Jock, was charming, funny, pleasant, personable, easy-going and kind. He had none — None! — of the attitude you might expect from a guy who’s been lionized and cheered and feted practically his whole life, and is now a member of one of the true remaining aristocracies in the world: the realm of high level pro athletes. Mo Rocca mocked me a bit when I had the same gushy reaction to Chris Paul, another mensch-athlete, but I think I was reacting not so much to the defiance of expectations created by the media, about how elite athletes behave, but with a guilty awareness of how I would behave if I was handsome, six-four, and could throw a football through a tire sixty yards down field. I would be insufferable. I would be a monster of ego. (Or, sure, fine: I would be more of one than I am now.) Thus, it impresses me no end when these guys refuse that temptation and instead carry themselves with kindness and grace. All the rest of us have an incentive to act kindly towards others, so we get treated that way in return. Somebody in Joey’s or Chris’ position will always have people eager to do their bidding, to flatter them, to look out for them… look at the sycophants who tend to Barry Bonds, despite his notoriously abusive behavior. Joey acts this way not because he has to, but because he chooses to, and I admire that.

Enough kvelling. We had a great time with him on the show, and an even better time with him in the bar afterwards… wish I could play for you his John Madden imitation, or relate to you his thoughts about how the athletes really are affected by, and come to represent, the cities they play for. (Short version: lighten up, Detroit.) But from now on, I’m rooting for the Falcons.. or whoever is lucky enough to have Joey playing for them. Hope you enjoy the segment, on this weekend’s show.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.