Microkhan by Brendan I. Koerner

R.I.P. Barrel Man

December 9th, 2009 · 2 Comments

BarrelMan
We’re diehard Indianapolis Colts fans, and thus tend to hate the Denver Broncos with a fiery passion normally reserved for plague rats, ex post facto laws, and Jean-Bédel Bokassa. But we’re eternally fascinated by sports fans who undergo tremendous physical discomfort in the name of supporting their side—there is something beautifully transcendent about the practice, which strikes us an American-fried version of sadhu asceticism.

And so tonight we’ll pour a little Coors Banquet on the curb in honor of Tim McKernan, who suffered through many a chilly Mile High winter clad in little more than an orange barrel. We can only imagine that he went to meet his Maker with his spirit at peace—though perhaps he was also a little grumpy over the Broncos’ mediocre run D.

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2 Comments so far ↓

  • Mouse

    I had no idea you were a Colts fan. I love your blog even more now.

  • Brendan I. Koerner

    @Mouse: Yeah, ridiculously huge Colts fan, despite having no familial connections to either Baltimore or Indy. It all stems from a formative TV experience I had, on the very first day my family got cable–one of the first things I saw was an NFL films doc on the ’58 title game. Been with the Colts ever since, through some very nasty years–Art Schlichter, the Elway fiasco, etc.

    I don’t know how they’re doing it this year–smoke and mirrors, given all the injury woes. I think it’s mostly on Peyton–it’ll be a true injustice if he doesn’t win MVP this year, despite Brees’s gaudier numbers.

    Now, if we can just get past that first playoff game–here’s to hoping that Caldwell has learned from Dungy’s errors (i.e. his tendency to turn too conservative in the post-season).