Athletic Greatness

With the Indianapolis Colts sputtering towards the end of their season, there's been yet another round of wondering if Peyton Manning will ever win a Super Bowl. His favorite receiver, Marvin Harrison, is surely nearing the end of his tremendously productive career, the Colts no longer have a marquee running back, and the defense looks as bad as it ever has during Manning's tenure. It's hard not to feel like the window of opportunity is closing for the guy, which is sad, because he's both a great player and a somewhat likable guy, ignoring the times when he publicly bitches about his teammates and focusing more on his consistently entertaining commercials. (DE-CAF!! DE-CAF!!)

A few weeks ago I felt a similar sadness for another truly great athlete who is seeing his window of opportunity slide shut: Derrick from Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Derrick is without question an all-time great Real World/Road Rules Challenge competitor - if they make a Hall of Fame for this, he would be part of the inaugural class.

In Inferno II, Derrick made it to the final, but his bloated team was trounced in the finale. Like Dan Marino in the Super Bowl in 1984, we all assumed Derrick would have plenty of other chances. Little did we know. Little did we know.

The following season (Gauntlet II), Derrick submitted a performance for the MTV record books. Like Manning's record TD season, Derrick's accomplishments in Gauntlet II are unlikely to be challenged for a long time, especially if they stop taping this show. Spurred primarily by his prowess in wrestling, Derrick won an unfathomable FIVE times in the gauntlet, including wins over Brad, Ace and Adam. Sadly, Derrick suffered a crushing final defeat to a seemingly inferior opponent, reminiscent of the Colts' loss to the Steelers last season.

In Fresh Meat, Derrick carried an inferior partner (Diem) for most of the season, winning multiple challenges. By season's end, you even sensed that Derrick had raised his game to the ultimate level - making his teammates better. Unfortunately, a loss in Exile to Darrell and Aviv sent Derrick home again, one place out of the money.

This season, The Duel, felt like Derrick's best shot to date. Once a brash young hothead whose ego got in the way of teamwork, Derrick had become a respected and feared veteran who nonetheless retained an intimidating edge, a la Allen Iverson. He was dropping fearsome, articulate quotes, saying that he had "been practicing" and "felt confident". The format of the season (players can choose who to protect) appeared to work to Derrick's advantage, as he was likely to be protected from the duel by his friends. Wes from Real World Austin challenged Derrick in the duel, and they played Pole Wrestle (not as dirty as it sounds) for over 20 minutes, in a battle as heated and violent as anything I've ever seen on television.

Unlike prior seasons, where Derrick lost due to bad luck or format quirks, it was obvious this time that he was beaten at his own game by a superior opponent. It looks like time may be passing Derrick by, which he seemed to acknowledge when he said he would go home and reassess the whole direction of his life. Elite athletes rarely speak in such terms - you could truly feel the hopelessness in his voice.

It's sad how little time the great ones have to make their mark - it's hard not to think one day my kids will think of Derrick as nothing more than "a guy who never won the big one." But if they say that to me, I'll just sit them down and we'll watch a little MTV Classic on Channel 1982744F together, and I'll be sure they understand that their daddy witnessed true greatness.