THE INSIDE STORI - BY MARY STORI

What a great guy! 

You'll have to indulge me......especially faithful reader Robbie who will be understandably cheering for the Lions this Sunday.  New Year's day will conclude NFL's regular season.  The Packers will play the Lions for the 2nd time this year.  Reflection is typical for the season.......though like all Packer fans, we hope our team will have a repeat Super Bowl win, but if not....really it's okay.  This remarkable team has provide us all with such a fabulous, exciting season, always exemplifing good sportsmanship and for that we are grateful.  


Paulette, another faithful reader of this blog shared the following missive....it was written by Jen Lada, a sports anchor at Fox 6 in Milwaukee, WI.  Truly, this says it all.....

 "Save Me a Spot" 

This job affords me some incredible opportunities. Being a member of the FOX  6 Sports team means I've been able to witness and report on events and 
 people that many can only admire from a distance. I never take these 
 situations for granted and sincerely appreciate being involved in whatever 
capacity each permits. 

 Monday marked just the most recent case as I had the unparalleled privilege 
to be a part of Aaron Rodgers charity event to benefit the MACC Fund, a  charity towards eradicating childhood cancer and blood disorders. 
 
 Scattered throughout the crowd of rabid Packers aficionados, were the 
 people who I consider the event's real MVPs. They are the families who've 
 been forced to deal with one of life's toughest sentences - the loss of a 
 child. 

 Those who sprung for the tickets were not disappointed. In a world where 
 many athletes regurgitate canned and rehearsed responses, the Packers 
 quarterback was refreshingly candid. Aaron addressed a number of topics 
 with in-depth, honest reaction - even some that if reprinted and mass 
 distributed might raise some eyebrows. 

 Aaron stressed the importance of availability and accountability. In his 
 opinion, it is a player's responsibility to attend all of the team 
 activities as they are all intended to better the team as a whole. And 
 then, similarly, he addressed the importance of taking the heat/criticism 
 when one falls short of expectations and duties. 

 He is never nervous to take the field. Aaron is supremely confident in the 
 preparation he's put in during the week leading up to Sunday's match 
 up. The way the 2009 season ended was disappointing but his self-confidence 
 was not affected by the outcome. One of the toughest realizations was that 
 that combination of players would never take the field together again. He 
 likened the team to a family and admitted that conflict can and does 
 occasionally exist but they try to handle such situations with maturity and 
 civility. 
 
 He talked music and his love for tunes at a young age revealing that his 
 mom used to sing and play lullabies and country music when he was a child. 
 Aaron's record label Suspended Sunrise is a product of this passion but 
 also a contingency plan for life after football. His favorite song is Ben 
 Harper's 'Forever' and he's envious of John Mayer's guitar skills though 
 not his tabloid reputation. He appreciated my affinity for Keith Urban but 
 gave the audience a thumbs-down when I mentioned fellow country crooner 
 Kenny Chesney. 

 His favorite book is The Bible and he tries to read it every day not just 
 when life's challenges and struggles surface. 


 His favorite movie is The Princess Bride which he admits he's caught flack 
 for but says he and his childhood friends can recite every line from the 
 film and it is simply a great story. 
 
 Rodgers' answers to questions on this night were certainly admirable. And I 
 honestly didn't think I could respect Aaron more. But I was wrong. 
 
 My friend, the father of that young girl who passed away named Cheri, was 
 there that night. He was one of several attendees brought up on stage where 
 he caught a football thrown by the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. 
 
 He asked Aaron to sign the football he'd caught. He wondered if he'd make 
 it out to his daughter Cheri. It isn't shocking that Rodgers obliged. What 
 caught me off guard was the dedication he made. It wasn't until after Aaron 
 left that I first saw the autograph... and the simple yet sweet message 
 that brought tears to this father's eyes: 
 
 "To Cheri the angel. Save me a spot. - Aaron Rodgers" 
 
 I hope that Packers fans realize how lucky they are to have such an 
 upstanding young man leading their team on the field every weekend. I hope 
 they appreciate the challenges that were thrust upon him and acknowledge 
 the maturity with which he handled them. I hope they stand behind the kid 
 and respect him not only for his incredible talent but for his intelligence 
 and honesty, poise and compassion. 

 My job has afforded me the chance to watch Aaron Rodgers play football for 
 the last few seasons. But I am truly thankful for the opportunity to see 
 the other side of this impressive young man. And pass on some of what I 
 witnessed to you.