Doug Blough

I know the line forms at the rear, but I’d like to jump in and tell Ethan Asher I’m rootin’, prayin’ and greatly inspired.

Anyone who knows me and my gambling, quote/unquote “problem” (one man’s problem is another man’s second income), knows I put great value in the coolness of an athlete’s name. I knew Andrew Luck would be great, Cooper Kupp is my go-to receiver and you probably noticed Colt’s running back Marlin Mack’s 132 yards to help upset the 4-to-1 favorite Chiefs last week. Color me psychic.

I don’t know; maybe it’s an instinctual thing, but when I hear a name that strongly relates to the job at hand, or just slides off the tongue well, I don’t hesitate to act and bet accordingly. As of this writing, rodeo wagers aren’t permitted, but I’d have been all over Timber and Dusty Tuckness, and did I not foresee success last year for that handsome, rising-star roper named “Bubba Boots?”

I called it, and if you don’t believe me, just ask my stately, 6-foot former waitress at the defunct Rib ‘n Chop. Natalia is a talented barrel racer in her own right, and I had asked her if she knew Bubba Boots. How can a Bubba Boots possibly avoid rodeo stardom? It’s like a wide receiver named Jameel Jett.

So when I saw the Powell Panther’s quarterback’s name was Ethan Asher a while back, somehow I knew this was a guy to keep my eye on. Again, it’s sad one can’t bet on high school sports, so I filed my Asher admiration in the “Hide, watch, and congratulate me later” category. I knew nothing could stop him, and apparently his life-changing automobile accident tried real hard and failed. Don’t tell a winner he’ll never do this or that again!

Loyal Denver Bronco fans (present company not necessarily included) know all about sensational linebacker Bradley Chubb’s season-ending ACL injury — incredibly, one year to the day after that same injury in high school — who now says he takes it “as an omen.” Denver’s all-time rookie sack leader with 12 last year, Chubb calls it a  “humbling experience” that has re-stoked his fire. Apparently that devastating high school injury made him “what I am today.” I thought to myself, “What, is he on crack?”

But apparently not. He further talked crazy with, “I’m happy this actually happened to me because in life, I was getting complacent. After 12 sacks as a rookie, this is going to get me back to being the same guy who was hungry to get college offers and prove everyone wrong.”

I admire champions-over-adversity, but being grateful for a brutal injury seems a bit much. Then I remembered the lengthy, crippling depression I suffered through five years ago. I don’t have enough space for details of what was unmistakably a prayerful-miracle, but let’s just say I’ll forever give thanks not only for the dramatic deliverance, but for the horrible depression itself.

Without that miracle, my faith may have remained lukewarm and my personal witness limited to my childhood meningitis my mom prayed endlessly about and the doctors called “a miraculous recovery,” and a few pet miracles.

I read Ben Borcher’s unforgettable column about his buddy Ethan and that Asher family’s unshakable faith, and I came away more convinced than ever of God’s perfect timing and all-encompassing love.

Hey Ethan: I’m rootin’, prayin’ and celebratin’. Whether or not sports remains a priority after all the dust clears, I’ll still be tellin’ anyone who will listen, “I KNEW that name was a winner!”