The war in Iraq means very different things for different people. Take for instance a Texas dad who will be in Iraq in a few days:

When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.

A brother and sister separated by Nazis during the Holocaust are reunited after 66 years.

Wait a second, Jesse Jackson is still alive?

It’s one thing, during the course of a campaign, to have massive crowds overflow onto streets or public parks and demonstrate the organic enthusiasm about one’s candidate.

It’s another to transparently manufacture this kind of enthusiasm and parade it across all the news channels. This is exactly what’s being planned for the Democratic National Convention during which Obama will accept his Party’s nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.

Cool that he can do it? Sure. A good way to raise additional funds for the Convention? If you say so.

But this demonstration of hero worship sends a message that is the exact opposite of the one that tends to win general elections. Americans famously want a person who understands them, who is in it for them and with whom they’d like to have the proverbial beer.

Accepting the crown in front of a roaring crowd of nearly 100,000 seems to send the opposite message. I am larger than life. I am massive. I am a rockstar. You can’t have a beer with me, but you can get my autograph if you’re lucky.

And besides, do we really want to soil a field associated with the wonderment and joy of the upcoming NFL season with something as depressing as politics?

Sports history often comes down to a few moments or a subtle trend that changes everything about how a competitor or team is viewed. And so it was during the Wimbledon final of finals when Rafa Nadal ended Roger Federer’s streak of 5 straight tournament wins and became the sport’s most feared player.

The match, with all its ups and downs, all really comes down to one key statistic. Federer was 1-12 in break chances. Unthinkable. If that stat was a bit more in Roger’s favor, we’d be talking about the greatest comeback in tennis history. Instead, we’re wondering if the mantle has been passed.

Sidenote: John McEnroe once again established himself as the best color commentator in sports. His ability to be totally natural in front of the camera (those post match interviews were a perfect example) is unrivaled. Would we buy it if another broadcaster hugged one of the athletes he covered during a postgame interview? Probably not. But with Mac, it just works because he is just being himself. And it’s pretty much what every viewer wanted to do as well.