A Warner Story That Few Have Heard…

Super Bowl week has finally arrived, which means every sound byte will be overplayed, every non-story will grab national headlines…Basically, if a bear shit in the woods, we’ll hear about it this week and analysts will probe it to no end up until kickoff. Instead of being about a single football game, this week has become more about a media spectacle that they’ve made it. Ironically that’s what makes the game what it is today…Everything is blown way out of proportion. We’ve already know that sometime this week Mike Tomlin will be asked, “How long has he been a black coach?”. We already know at some point Ben Roethlisberger is going to be asked, “How many times he continues to ride a motorcycle without a helmet”? Anquan Bolden is going to be told by a reporter, “don’t call me that!” And of course Kurt Warner is going to be asked the very important question, “Paper or plastic?”.

It goes without saying Warner’s story should one day be told in Hollywood. And yet again, he’ll be in the media spotlight all this week. A grocery checkout bagger…Who goes undrafted from the University of Northern Iowa. Which ends up making a splash as the signal caller for the Iowa Barnstormers that leads to the NFL. Who gets a chance only thanks to Trent Green slicing and dicing his knee…Then oh yeah, just winds up in the Super Bowl that year, winning it, (with the Rams no less) and being named Super Bowl MVP. Throw in a couple League MVP’s…And yeah, we all know that story. We also know the story of Warner being a position warmer for both Eli Manning and Matt Leinart. While never given the chance in New York, once again Warner in the desert defied the odds, (how ironic before the Rams migrated to St Louis, the Cardinals had their nest there)…Having been all but left for career dead, and brought into tutor a young quarterback, Kurt has now brought another NFL franchise to the big game that has us scratching our melons and saying, “Are you F-ING serious!?” We did that with the Rams, and once again saying it nine years later with the Cardinals. A cat with such faith, which has made headlines as well throughout his NFL career has given faith to two franchises that before he arrived there were NFL doormats!

From stock boy to Pro Football Hall of Famer some day, (which is debatable to some, for me, it’s a no brainer) a hell of a story!! Although just when you think you’ve heard everything about Mr. All-Pro Bagger/Stocker, as only Kurt can do, he defies you once again!

Over the weekend the following story landed in my inbox…Normally I don’t read half the shit people forward to me, but since good ole grama sent it to me, I gave it a looksy. To my surprise in reading this following story, it’s a story that never knew or heard about him! A story that hasn’t gotten nearly the attention it should have…Nothing to do with sports, but rather the game that’s called life. And perhaps that’s why it hasn’t grabbed headlines…Although it’s another hell of a story! Even better than the one that he’s written for Hollywood on the football fields…

KURTIS THE STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday. That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us."

She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.

Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids.

So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?
Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super Bowl. Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

Surprising? Yes…Should we be surprised what this cat does? Not at all…It’s what we’ve come to expect from Kurtis!