Did anyone happen to catch Peyton Manning's appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last weekend? Weeks after Manning finally captured his first Super Bowl ring, the 31-year-old Colts quarterback got a chance to carry on the grand tradition of pro athletes appearing on SNL, following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Derek Jeter. While Manning wasn't exceptional as an actor, he did get a chance to demonstrate his amazing range, taking on the diverse roles of a sportswriter, a zoo employee and - amazingly - himself. This got us at the Daily thinking ... what other figures in the world of sports have a future in acting? Perhaps these 10.
10. George Steinbrenner. It's not that he's incredibly talented, but he could easily be typecast as basically any evil genius. The man is Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter and Keyser Soze all in one.
9. The Cincinnati Bengals. All of them. By day they're a football team, by night they could make a great ensemble cast in some sort of combination of crime drama and drug movie. Think "The Departed" (2006) meets "Requiem for a Dream" (2000), only starring a bunch of hulking 300-pound men.
8. Steve Bartman. The compelling, tragic story of an ordinary, mild-mannered 26-year-old man, shot down in his prime by a horde of angry Cubs fans disillusioned by the loss of another pennant run. Who better to play the tragic hero than Bartman himself?
7. Kevin Durant. The man averaged a double-double. The 6-foot-9-inch Texas Longhorns forward was good for 26 points and 11 rebounds per game this season - in the Big 12. As a freshman, I would say that Kevin Durant is qualified to play Superman, but on second thought, that isn't really fair. Superman should play Kevin Durant.
6. Jose Canseco. Coming soon to theatres everywhere ... "Juiced: The Movie." Canseco's expose has the makings of an amazing documentary - everyone's favorite Bash Brother may have a career ahead of him as a filmmaker.
5. Wilt Chamberlain. Okay, this one doesn't really make any sense, because technically... he's dead. But back in the day, Wilt the Stilt could have easily had a career in adult entertainment. How about an epic film called "Mr. 20,000?"
4. Alex Rodriguez. Perhaps the best baseball player of his generation, A-Rod very well may end up retiring without ever winning a title. How about a biopic on A-Rod and Jeter, one man with four World Series rings and his teammate with zero? I can hear it now ... "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let's face it. It was you, Derek."
3. Dennis Rodman. Rodman broke into show business in 1997, when he co-starred in "Double Team" with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mickey Rourke. The movie took the Razzies by storm, winning Rodman awards for Worst New Star, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple, which he shared with Van Damme. The problem is simple: Rodman just isn't an action hero. Can someone please get the man a romantic comedy script?
2. Rex Grossman. You can never have enough remakes of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," can you? There's no better candidate to star in the next edition than Rex. The Bears' quarterback is always either throwing for four touchdowns, or getting picked off three times and earning a passer rating of zero. Jekyll and Hyde, meet Good Rex and Bad Rex.
1. Shaquille O'Neal. It's been 11 years since Shaq starred in "Kazaam" (1996). I think I speak for entire world when I say: Shaq, 11 years is far too long. It's time for a sequel.
-by Evans Clinchy
