You have to pick something to salute the regular season excellence of Peyton Manning's Colts. The consistency of this franchise, and Manning as its leader, is beyond amazing. During an era when the idiotic is seen as triumphant, the Colts simply grab their hard hats and lunch pails and go to work. They prepare and execute better than anyone, and that turns into wins. Go figure.

9. Kelvin Sampson Fired

That this was entirely predictable doesn't make the middle of February 2008 any less memorable. Sampson was a purveyor of arrogance and selective morality at Oklahoma, and there was no reason to believe he would leave all of that in Norman when he brought his act to Bloomington. An internal audit of phone records revealed three-way phone calls between recruits, assistant coach and unrepentant dipshit Rob Senderoff, and Sampson. This violated NCAA sanctions that were imposed upon Sampson when he was at OU. He was escorted to the Monroe County Line with a check for $750,000 to cover his moving expenses.

8. Lucas Oil Stadium Opens

The Colts went from a franchise that was even money to bolt for Los Angeles to one that opened a new retractable roof stadium against the Chicago Bears in September 2008. There were some nervous moments as opening night came. No one was quite sure if everything would work properly, but thanks to Mike Fox and his crew, everything went off without a hitch—other than the Colts' game plan. The Bears beat the Colts as Peyton Manning was coming off two knee surgeries and looked like he had spent the previous four months in a POW camp. There were whispers that the Colts might not be comfortable in their new digs. Those whispers have fallen silent.

7. IU Goes to NCAA Finals

In 2002, everyone briefly forgot that Mike Davis was a poor coach, totally unprepared for the job of running the Indiana University basketball program. Indiana rode a monstrous shooting night against Kent State and missed foul shots by Duke to a date in Atlanta where they dispatched Kelvin Sampson and Oklahoma in the semifinals before losing to Maryland. Davis said some troubling things during the tournament run about not having any idea what his game plan would be and that he let God drive the strategy. I could never tell whether Davis was being coy or an over-matched simpleton. I'm still not sure.

6. Colts Lose Chance for Perfect Season

This is a little fresh in my mind, but holy hell, what a wild response by the fans. People claimed to burn their Colts jerseys, return their Colts license plates, and vowed never to attend another Colts game after the Colts pulled Peyton Manning and many of the frontline players with just over five minutes remaining in a game the Colts led by five. An hour later, the Jets were 29-15 winners, and the dreams of a perfect season were over. The Colts underestimated the fervor with which the 67,000 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium would respond to the benchings. As Manning stood on the sideline with his helmet still on, the crowd became the first group to boo (loudly) a 14-0 team in any sport (I assume). Every time the offense came onto the field sans Manning, Clark, and Wayne, the crowd was not shy in voicing their collective displeasure.

5. Indy Car and CART Merge

One thing was sure when Tony George created the Indy Racing League—two open-wheel racing series were not going to to survive. Both CART and Indy Car made a valiant run at being the survivor, but in the end, the series with the equivalent of the sport's Super Bowl was able to outlast the other. The die was cast when Roger Penske left CART in favor of George's series. Little did we know that George would be forced out as the head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Car within a couple of years. Following George's departure, the series inked a major sponsorship deal with IZOD that should breathe new life into Indy Car. The momentum certainly seemed to be moving in the right direction last May.

4. Pacers Make It to NBA Finals

So early in the decade, it's almost impossible to believe that it was less than ten years ago that Reggie, Mark, Rik, the Davis Boys, Jeff Foster, and Austin Croshere made it to the NBA Finals against the LA Lakers. The nights of the three home games with all of the world's attention on the team we had grown to love over the previous decade were thrilling. In the end, Kobe and Shaq were just too much, but for one glorious season that seems so long ago, the Pacers were the darlings in the Indianapolis sports scene.

3. The Brawl

On one cold night in Detroit five years ago, a proud franchise unraveled. It hasn't been fully reconfigured yet. Ben Wallace committed a hard foul against Ron Artest, and there was some posturing. As the on-court penalties were being sorted out, Artest lay down on the scorer's table. A drunken fan tossed a plastic cup at Artest, and all hell broke loose. Artest went after the wrong guy, and Stephen Jackson followed him. Both threw punches, and fans took to the court. Jermaine O'Neal button-holed some poor dork with a punch the guy undoubtedly still feels. Suspensions ensued, and the Pacers have still not recovered. This is likely the saddest event in Indianapolis sports history. So many have worked so hard and spent so much to build and now rebuild that franchise, and in one night irresponsibility took a flamethrower to it.

2. Colts Win Super Bowl

There was just no chance the Colts were going to lose that game to the Bears even after Devin Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown. If memory serves, the Colts won 29-17. The monkey was off the backs of Tony Dungy, Bill Polian, and Peyton Manning, and the city of Indianapolis finally had a major league championship. Time will tell if that season will be the only visit Manning makes, but if so, that was one sweet night.

1. Bob Knight Fired

This was the day that Indiana University Basketball ceased to matter in this decade. Irrelevance is not a word that I ever thought would describe IU Hoops, but when Knight responded to that dumbass who greeted Knight with, "Hi, Knight!" he violated Miles Brand's zero tolerance policy—whatever the hell that was. No question that Knight had stopped working at recruiting and he had hired assistant coaches who didn't have any clue what they were doing, including the man who would replace him. In the end, Knight's arrogance authored his undoing. He believed it didn't matter who the players or assistants were because he was so incredibly brilliant that he could win with anyone on the court or on the bench. Hopefully, there is reconciliation between Knight and the university he brought to athletic prominence. The amount of marketing might Knight brought to IU is incalculable, and it would be great to see him honored in the Assembly Hall.

His teams were filled with precision motion offense and tenacious man-to-man defense. Bob Knight garnered three NCAA Championship banners. It would be great to give those of us who were enthralled by that success a chance to thank him for what he did and how he did it. I would hate to think that the last time Knight stood in Assembly Hall, it was to answer questions about some punk who felt somehow demeaned.

Who knows what is going to be in store for the state of Indiana during the teens? Whatever the future brings, 1070 The Fan will bring it to you—and enjoy the hell out of doing it.

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Manning has authored the most consistent run of regular season excellence in the history of the NFL and arguably in pro sports.  He has been the constant, the face of the Colts franchise, and unquestionably its best player.  His work ethic sets the example, tone, and culture for the Colts and the City of Indianapolis.  

During the Raiders game last weekend, former NY Giants QB and current CBS Analyst Phil Simms said about JaMarcus Russell, "When your quarterback is not the hardest working player on the team, you have a problem."  The Colts do not have a problem.  Neither does the city.  

Indianapolis existed for decades as a city without a personality.  Like Louisville, it came alive for one weekend in May and then went back to sleep and evaporated for the America's collective cultural consciousness.  Then, Bill Polian drafted Manning instead of Ryan Leaf with the number one overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft.  

From that day forward, the city embraced and emulated Manning.  He works hard, so kids work hard—dads work hard, moms work hard, and everyone else works hard.  That is the reason that folding the tent with 5:36 left in the third quarter against the Jets a couple of weeks ago was so hard to swallow.  In the minds of people in Indianapolis, the Colts embody their work ethic.  To turn their backs on a chance to prove to everyone that the Colts are the best team in NFL history, meant that the city was doing the same.  The Colts are Indy, and Indy is the Colts.  They are now we, and Manning is now us.  

That's value.  What other players in the history of the NFL have been so intrinsically linked to a city, and have raised the image of a city?  The list is but one name long.  Jim Brown.  An argument could be made for Walter Payton, but Chicago is probably as well-defined by Ernie Banks and Michael Jordan.  Indianapolis has Reggie Miller, but as much as he is loved in Indianapolis, he's not THE GUY.  Culturally, the case could be made that Elvis did the same for Memphis.  

Manning has done all of this without much fanfare around town.  He's rarely seen out and about, so either he is a pretty laid back and quiet guy, or he does his social business as celebrities should - in a controlled environment away from cameras and prying eyes.  TMZ hasn't had a story about Manning, and they likely never will.  

This award is about accomplishments on the field, and Manning had no peer there this year.  In the games Manning played throughout, the Colts were 14-0.  He left the 15th game with a lead, and in the 16th he made it look easy only using Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne to move the ball down the field.  When Manning came out of those games, the Colts folded.   

There were questions about how the loss of future Hall of Fame WR Marvin Harrison would affect Manning this season.  Then, after the collapse of WR Anthony Gonzalez's knee, he had to work with Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon.  Didn't make any difference.  Manning went to work with what he had, and put up stupendous statistics, and led the Colts to seven fourth quarter come from behind wins.  

2009 was Manning's second best statistical season.  To go through all the numbers would do nothing but eat space, but there is one that is unreal.  Manning dropped back to throw 581 times this season.  He was able to throw 571 passes.  His sack rate of 1.7% is crazy low.  It speaks to the quality of the offensive line and work that the receivers do to get open, but the timing of that clock inside Manning's head that tells him when to get rid of the ball is not exactly a Casio.  It has Swiss precision.  

Indiana has been a basketball state since Johnny Wooden laced up whatever passed for basketball shoes in the 1920s for Martinsville High School.  Today?  Throughout the Manning era, more and more of the best athletes have decided to play football instead of work at basketball year-round. 

That is the true value of Peyton Manning.  He has made the people in his city notice his public behavior and emulate it.  Indianapolis is a better place for Manning being here.  How many athletes can you say that about?

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