Happy Hour 01/29: What Will Edge Do This Week?

With the explosion of empty calorie hype that is tomorrow's Super Bowl media day, a thought occurred to me over lunch earlier today: How do you think Edgerrin James feels this week?

Why was I thinking of an Arizona Cardinals running back over tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich? Well, I really don't know, other than maybe an article or two about Chicago's arrival in Miami got me thinking about The Big Game. Either that, or maybe the red of the tomato soup got me thinking about the red in the Cardinals' uniforms.

That's something I can think about over tomorrow's lunch, I suppose.

(It's also possible that I was thinking of blood while reading this ludicrous column by USA Today's Jon Saraceno. The '07 Chicago Bears aren't the '85 Bears? Wow, I'm glad he clarified that for me. I was hoping to see The Fridge talking to the media horde tomorrow. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to remind me that I wouldn't. I also realized today that I'm 33 years old, not 11. Holy $#!+, am I that old? I'm totally putting down my G.I. Joe action figures and going out to buy beer and rent a car tonight. Again, I'm thankful for the enlightenment. Am I digressing?)

But this week, Edgerrin James gets to watch his former team play for a championship. That has to make him grind his gold fronts just a bit, especially when he can read plenty of articles about how the Colts took such a brilliant chance in replacing him with the tandem of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.

He could be getting ready to entertain his old teammates visiting his home state this week. Who would be a better tour guide? Edge went to the "U," after all. He knows South Beach! Would you like another mojito, Peyton?

Or he could be spending some of the $11.5 million signing bonus he received from the Cardinals to somehow distract himself from the anguish he might be experiencing. It can't be a good feeling to watch most of the guys with whom you spent the first seven years of your NFL career getting all the attention that comes with playing in the Super Bowl. And then, of course, there's the adulation that would come with winning the game.

I know sports are full of stories like this, the poor schmoes one year removed from championship glory. Don Mattingly (unofficially) retired before the Yankees won the 1996 World Series. Adrian Dantley was traded to Dallas three months before the Pistons won the 1989 NBA title. Hell, Edge can just talk to his old buddy, Peyton Manning, who watched his Tennessee Volunteers win the national championship the year after he graduated. And those are just the few I can immediately recall from memory.

Maybe I'm kind of a sap, but I feel for these guys. And if the Colts end up winning on Sunday, while they're taking turns hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy in the air, I'll be thinking about Edgerrin James, and what must be going through his mind.