I discovered today that you can miss a lot of what's going on in the world while you're on the subway train, riding the rails beneath the city.
No, I don't care about the latest disaster involving Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. Or which primetime TV show has been shelved because of the writer's strike.
This morning, while on the Metro getting to work, I missed the news that Joe Gibbs was retiring from coaching...from his second tour as the head coach and all-around class act of the highest magnitude of the Washington Redskins.
Joe Gibbs was the coach of my hometown's football team almost my entire life (he only missed a year or so) up until his first retirement. And I remember the sadness then that the region had at his departure. I also remember the excruciatingly painful seasons that followed as the team floundered. And I remember the euphoria that accompanied the legendary coach's return.
And, today, when I walked into my office and the first words anyone said to me were, "Joe Gibbs resigned." This was coming from a rabid Redskins fan in my office. I thought she was pulling my leg. But, alas, she wasn't. She insisted that the Redskins was one subject she wouldn't dream of joking about.
And so it's true. Once again Washington bids farewell to its favorite coach -- a man you can't help but respect, the dictionary definition of a class act.
I'm glad to see him setting an example for what's really important in life. But I won't lie and say that the start of the season next fall won't be bittersweet.
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