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I thought this was a great article and brought back a lot of memories.
Introduction by Marty Smith, ESPN NASCAR reporter:
Few personal qualities are more admirable or inspiring than honesty. The reason is simple: scarcity.
These days, press conferences ooze with enough predetermined, clichéd, monotone drivel to drive the Tasmanian Devil into hibernation. And because it’s so rare for public figures to spill truth -- real truth, with candor and excitement and raw emotion, the kind that makes you vulnerable --- we’re plumb-awed when they do.
And when a star spits vulnerable truth, the impact is even greater. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR’s biggest star. He is among sport’s biggest stars. He is articulate, thoughtful and honest when answering questions. When he talks, sport listens. Not just NASCAR. Sport.
I received a call from Junior on Tuesday, giddy as a schoolgirl to detail his experience at the Redskins-Giants "Monday Night Football" thriller. He was so excited, in fact, that he felt compelled to put his thoughts and emotions on paper. He was bursting with feelings that had to live in the written word. Sometimes saying it just doesn’t suffice. You must write it.
I can relate. It happens to me every day.
So Junior wrote. And what he wrote encapsulates the oft-intangible importance of sport, from the ultra-unique perspective of a man who both consumes that emotion -- and provides it to millions.
Click the link for Dale Jr's words.
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/15037/dale-jr-why-i-love-the-redskins
Introduction by Marty Smith, ESPN NASCAR reporter:
Few personal qualities are more admirable or inspiring than honesty. The reason is simple: scarcity.
These days, press conferences ooze with enough predetermined, clichéd, monotone drivel to drive the Tasmanian Devil into hibernation. And because it’s so rare for public figures to spill truth -- real truth, with candor and excitement and raw emotion, the kind that makes you vulnerable --- we’re plumb-awed when they do.
And when a star spits vulnerable truth, the impact is even greater. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR’s biggest star. He is among sport’s biggest stars. He is articulate, thoughtful and honest when answering questions. When he talks, sport listens. Not just NASCAR. Sport.
I received a call from Junior on Tuesday, giddy as a schoolgirl to detail his experience at the Redskins-Giants "Monday Night Football" thriller. He was so excited, in fact, that he felt compelled to put his thoughts and emotions on paper. He was bursting with feelings that had to live in the written word. Sometimes saying it just doesn’t suffice. You must write it.
I can relate. It happens to me every day.
So Junior wrote. And what he wrote encapsulates the oft-intangible importance of sport, from the ultra-unique perspective of a man who both consumes that emotion -- and provides it to millions.
Click the link for Dale Jr's words.
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/15037/dale-jr-why-i-love-the-redskins
... nothin personal 
