No excuses

A bunch of us were supposed to see David Beckham play this weekend. But his ankle has other ideas, and so he's questionable for the game, sorry, match. That brought to mind another sportsman who didn't an injury stop him. In the same stadium, no less. In the dawn of 1994, Emmitt Smith and the Dallas Cowboys played a critical game against the New York Giants, and in the second quarter, Smith suffered a separated shoulder. Now, most people would have closed up shop and gone home. But there was a playoff berth on the line, too much at stake to leave. He stayed in, gutting it out, playing through the pain and winning the game. And the division. And the Super Bowl. After a performance like that, making excuses doesn't quite cover it.