Unfortunately, you would have also missed Jake Porter receiving his ESPY. Porter, of course, had perhaps the greatest Ohio high school football rushing career, averaging over 20 yards per attempt. On the second and last carry of his career, he rambled 49 yards untouched for a touchdown as time expired to narrow his team's losing margin to 42-7.

The crowd cheered wildly. At least the ones not crying. Jake Porter is retarded, born at birth with Chromosomal Fragile-X and a lot of guts. He showed up every day for practice and it paid off in the end, when in the final play of the final home game, the seas parted and he dashed for the end zone. Almost like everyone had planned that send-off as a gift. Just to say thanks for being around.

(Read Jake Porter's story and watch the video of his inspirational run.)

Also on Wednesday night, I learned that former Loyola women's lacrosse coach Diane Geppi-Aikens had died at the end of last month. For eight years, she had been fighting a brain tumor that partially paralyzed her left side. Coaching till the very end, she led her top-ranked Greyhounds' to national semifinals for the seventh time. Knowing it was going to be her last shot, the loss to eventual champ Princeton was devastating to her players.

When I learned of Geppi-Aikens' fight, I had seen her only as a wheelchair-ridden, seemingly older woman (pictured, right). But she was only 40 when she died. The picture on the left is of the same woman, taken just one year ago. I couldn't believe it when I saw it.