MR. MONDAY: PASSING OF A LEGEND — PAUL NEWMAN

Actor raced cars, backed it up

It's been a good year in sports heaven.

Tough for us down here on the ground floor, sports fans, but up there, the sky is crowded with stars.

Bobby Murcer. Eddie Crowder. Clem McSpadden. We know the locals rubbing elbows up there.

And this weekend, they were joined by one of the all-timers.

Paul Newman.

These days, hot-shot actors cash their celebrity in on producer credits on bad reality shows and foreign adoption agencies.

Not Newman. He was the original he-can-really-do-it dreamer. He was a race car driver in an actor's body, who could back it up.

He spent time in the pits at Indy and broke records at places like the 24 Hours of Daytona.

And that was in real life, when Newman was piling up miles on the oval, money for charity and good karma which ripples out beyond his life.

And the guy could make a good ranch dressing, friends.

In movie life, Newman's career was all-star.

Just think about the sports movies he made.

The Hustler. Slapshot. The Color of Money. The Sting (cards and wagering is nothing if not sport.). Winning.

And then there's this.

Mr. Monday was talking to his wife about Newman's death this weekend, when Junior Monday walked over.

"Who died?"

He asked. I had to think quick. A-ha.!

"Doc from Cars."

"Aw, dang."

Newman's love of cars, racing and the freedom that came with it was timeless. The kid understood it. Mr. Monday understands it.

Just his sports movies would get him an AMC special.

But Newman did so much more.

Here's another shot at sports immortality for the blue-eyed wonder.

That scene in "Cool Hand Luke"? Where Luke bets the boys that he can eat all of those hard-boiled egg and ends up with a stomach like an overstuffed turkey.

That my friends, is the birth of competitive eating in cinema.

Forget the pie eating contest in "Stand By Me." Forget Joey Chestnut.

Newman was first. He was an original.

Make a spot for him, fellas, he's on his way.

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