Honorary captain Vernon Davis and the greatest U.S. curling team ever assembled
Curling isn't just a pass route to Vernon Davis. For the second straight Winter Olympics, the San Francisco 49ers tight end will serve as the honorary captain of the U.S. curling team.
The two-time NFL Pro Bowler has been charged with raising awareness for the sport, which he attempted to do on Arsenio Hall's new show earlier this week, if anyone was watching. To recap, this is 2014, and Vernon Davis is raising awareness for curling on Arsenio for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Davis is a man of many passions -- football, of course, smoothies, contemporary art and healthcare -- but how did he get into curling, you ask? Apparently, a 49ers beat writer convinced him to give it a try. He fell in love, and now owns three brooms, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
[Related: Olympic viewer's guide to curling]
The U.S. curling team heard about this and asked him to serve as their honorary captain in Vancouver four years ago, if only because a 6-foot-3, 250-pound dude could distract the nine other Olympic teams.
It didn't work, as the U.S. failed to medal in 2010 after capturing bronze in 2006. Their quest for the country's first gold medal in the sport begins Monday, and Davis will be there to see it.
"I don't know what it is exactly, but it's just one of those sports that intrigues me," Davis said on Arsenio. There's a lot of strategy. I try to get out on the ice whenever I can. It's a harder game than it looks."
His presence in Russia naturally raises the question: What would be the greatest U.S. curling team ever?
Davis, of course, because how many pro athletes even know what a curling stone is?
Bryce Harper, for his 100-plus mile-per-hour bat speed and cannon of an arm. That should translate to soem serious stone and broom skills. Plus, his reactions during every contest would be amazing.
Al Iafrate, for similar reasons. And you need at least one guy who knows his way around the ice.
And PBA star Pete Weber, for accuracy's sake. Plus, he once bowled for a solid month in a complete blackout induced by cocaine and Jack Daniels, so he can probably handle this.
