Bill Simmons spotted with “Manning face”

BOSTON, MA — Bill “The Sports Guy” Simmons was spotted late Sunday evening wearing the so-called “Manning face,” a term that he invented to describe a look of dumbfounded, awestruck, pouty, “can this be happening to me?” facial expression.

“I just looked over about five minutes after we finished watching the game together,” said Bish, one of Simmons’ long-time friends. “And there it was, not on the TV, but right there on the Sports Guy’s face. I thought to myself, ‘I know that expression. I know it.’”

Simmons, who was visiting Boston to see some old acquaintances and rebuild some street credibility, watched the game at a sports bar near Fenway Park and was seen chanting “Forty-one! Forty-one!” when the Patriots went up 21-3 in the first quarter. However, by the end of the game, his outlook had changed.

Ironically, however, up until Tom Brady threw an interception in the closing seconds, Simmons’ facial expression was one of placid contentment and resolve. “It’s Brady Time!” he was shouting, as the Pats took the ball, needing a touchdown, with just over a minute to go. “It’s Brady Time!”

As Brady completed a series of passes to move the Patriots toward midfield, Simmons was smiling confidently. Then, a bullet over the middle was intercepted by cornerback Marlin Jackson, the game (and the Pats season was over), and Simmons joy turned almost instantly to pain.

“His eyes went dead,” Bish continued. “His jaw went slack. His mouth was open, and he just looked sort of stunned.

“You know what? It looked natural, too.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!