Peyton Manning will play in Super Bowl 50.  I hope that he wins.  The Panthers are great, but I hope that the gods of football intervene and make Denver a champion.  It's all about Manning for me today.

A few years ago, I remember reading a Bart Starr biography.  It took me back to the late 1960s, when this kid from Cuba fell in love with football watching #15 Starr hand off to Taylor or pass to McGee.  I loved Starr and remember reading that many wanted him to run for governor in Wisconsin and then in his native Alabama.  He didn't, and that's a shame.

We know of Jack Kemp's political success after putting down the football.  Jim Bunning won 224 games and became a U.S. senator from Kentucky.  Dave Bing went from the NBA to mayor of Detroit, Bill Bradley from the NBA to the U.S. Senate, Alan Page from the NFL to associate supreme court justice in Minnesota, J.C. Watts from the Oklahoma Sooners to the U.S. House.

Down here in Texas, Roger Staubach and Nolan Ryan were encouraged to run for governor.  I was convinced that Ryan would!

Why not Peyton Manning?

Peyton's life is evidence of a great role model for all.

In the NFL, Manning turned the Colts from a joke to one of the best teams in the league.  On the field, his quiet leadership got the job done.  He earned the respect of the fans, players, and coaches.

Off the field, he was a charm.  After all, who else could advertise pizza and insurance?

Manning will take the field today in another Super Bowl.  I am hoping for a Denver victory so that Manning can hold a trophy after his last game.

And maybe he can celebrate an election night victory a few years later.  The country could use a nice guy like Manning, who can get the job done and bring people together.

Sorry, Panthers fans.  I want you to lose not because you humiliated the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.  This is really about my affection for Manning and not that game.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.