The Replay: Peyton Manning, David Letterman, and James Hinchcliffe

Manning to Letterman—for the win.
Every Friday, we post up The Replay, our weekly look at sports. It’s mostly fouls and airballs.

 

» Oma-HA! Peyton Manning joined other celebrities in saying goodbye to David Letterman on Wednesday by taking part in the Hoosier funnyman’s final Top Ten List. The former Colts quarterback garnered a nice laugh (No. 3: “You are to comedy what I am to comedy.”). Manning wrote a first-person piece on Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback site in which he reveals the experience of being a guest on the show was memorable, but it’s a phone call that he’ll truly treasure. After Manning moved on to Denver, Letterman called the quarterback to gauge his level of comfort with a bit the Late Show had planned for another guest, Manning heir apparent Andrew Luck. Letterman was going to present Luck with a Colts jersey, but only if it was Manning was agreeable to the premise. Manning said it wasn’t his decision to make and told Letterman to do what was best for the show. Then the host called off the idea. “That meant so much to me,” wrote Manning. “I didn’t give him an answer. It wasn’t my place to say anything. But the fact that he made that call, I can tell you this: If that were any other show, they sure wouldn’t have called to ask what I thought.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBf8MyGaEk4

 

» Speedy Recovery: James Hinchcliffe is recuperating after a major crash at the IMS earlier this week in which the IndyCar driver suffered a gruesome injury that will keep him out of this weekend’s Indy 500. Flat 12 Bierwerks, maker of Hinchtown Hammerdown beer, and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have produced a get-well card of sorts: a #GetWellSoonHinch T-shirt (part of the proceeds will go to charity).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlbdpXb3FSg

 

» Kickstarter: Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill signed a $96 million deal, prompting Colts kicker Pat McAfee to predict teammate Luck will break the bank when his time comes. “Andrew’s about to own a team I think,” tweeted McAfee. The average value of an NFL franchise hovers around $1.4 billion, so if that’s Luck’s goal, he might want to consider crowdfunding.

 

» Dial It Black-and-Gold: This week, Caleb Swanigan became the first Indiana Mr. Basketball to sign with Purdue since Glenn Robinson committed to the Boilers in 1991. Rightfully excited fans are predicting big things, but at least no one’s going overboard.

 

» Now Read This: Chris Ballard looks at the conspiracy surrounding the NBA Draft Lottery that landed the Knicks Patrick Ewing.