A "Real" Sports Hero in Action
Dec 26, 2007 12:40:42 GMT -5
Post by franko on Dec 26, 2007 12:40:42 GMT -5
MVP of Nice
Marcia C. SmithSAN DIEGO - A week before Christmas, LaDainian Tomlinson had a day off to rest, sleep in or forget about scoring touchdowns.
But the Chargers' Pro Bowl running back and the league's reigning Most Valuable Player rose before the sun did to carry out another page from his personal playbook.
Last Tuesday, he drove from his Poway home to Children's Hospital and opened vans loaded with the gifts he bought with his own money. Then he slipped on a red and white velvet Santa cap, not his lightning-bolted helmet with the smoky visor that hides his eyes, and at 6:45 a.m., Tomlinson began making rounds.
Not even his Chargers' handlers knew that Tomlinson had planned this hospital call in which he ducked his smiling head behind curtains in the pediatric ward and started friendships with "Hello, I'm LaDainian."
There were no cameras tailing him; no publicity types spinning this appearance into an image-building promotion. This was just Tomlinson, a future NFL Hall of Famer with the iron body but the most gentle of hearts, giving away his own time and money, wearing plain clothes and calling his own generous play for the right reasons.
In a sports year known for athletes who have been naughty, Tomlinson scores as the MVP of nice, tucking gifts beneath his arm the way he would a Wilson and handing off his love to children.
Sets of Matchbox cars, Barbie dolls, video games, towers of Legos and BMX-style bicycles became his favorite carries; the children's' reactions, his most memorable emotional rushes.
He had handshakes for tired mothers who'd been bedside for dozens of days, holding vigil for babies smaller than one of his cleats. He had high-fives for nurses, football speak for fathers and encouragement for the children who fought through coughs, fatigue and medicinal hazes to match his dimpled grin, clap for him, giggle with him or whisper, "Thank you, L.T."
It was Tomlinson who thanked them in return. His time – he had set aside all morning and early afternoon for this – was theirs. But their joy was his reward.
the rest – worth reading
