I don't dislike the Patriots as strongly as a lot of people do, but I am pretty sick of Bill Belichick, and there's no question that if there were any justice in the world, San Diego would be playing this weekend, and not New England. So given that, I'm planning to root for Indy on Sunday, which has me thinking about the possibility that Peyton Manning might actually win something this year. He's already phenomenally popular, obviously, and probably the best quarterback in the NFL. But Jesus: if he wins a Super Bowl, I think the over/under on Number of Minutes Before He's Crowned the Best Player of Sports in the History of All Sports has to be somewhere around "three."

Which is where my mind was wandering as I read this note about John Elway denying that he has any interest in the Allard seat out in Colorado. That article, plus the Peyton Manning line of thought that I was already on, prompted a bit of an epiphany (hardly an earth-shattering one, I know, but new to me): twenty years from now, Peyton Manning will be an elected official. I'd put money on it. He's funny, he's personable, he's obviously intelligent, and he's already mastered the art of looking silly while participating in water sports. If he ran today, he might win. Add a Super Bowl ring and a few years of pseudo-policy experience (The President's Council on Physical Fitness, for instance), and he's a mortal lock. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Senator from the great state of Indiana... Peyton Manning. Mark my words.