LeBron James wants Peyton Manning to sign with the Miami Dolphins. If only there were a colloquial way of describing such a desire for one to bring his natural aptitude to a southern location near the shore.
The Miami Heat star spoke of his desire to see the most coveted free agent in NFL history play for the 'Fins. Mike Berardino of the Sun Sentinel gathered the pertinent quotes:
• "I'm just sayin', Dolphins need a quarterback, and Peyton's available." (That's gotta sting, Matt Moore.)
• "Oh, you guys heard me? I gave my pitch, my one and only pitch. We'll see what happens." (His one and only pitch. Thank goodness reporters were around to document such a momentous occasion. LeBron hath spoken! So let it be written, so let it be done.)
• "No, [Peyton isn't] a friend of mine. But I'm a Miami Heat player, and I want Miami sports to be great: The U, the Dolphins, the Marlins, the Heat, of course." (As Berardino points out: That's gotta sting, Florida Panthers.)
• "Peyton Manning is a great player. No matter what happened this past year, his resume speaks for itself and it would be great to have him down here."
Should it come as a surprise that LeBron would want Peyton to come to South Beach? Not only would it deflect some of the harsh spotlight that always shines on the oft-criticized superstar, but it'd be nice to have another perennial playoff underperformer in town.
LeBron's Heat teammate, Dwyane Wade, is also making a pitch for Peyton:
Whether this will be his "one and only pitch" remains to be seen.