Sam Brownback, by his own admission as he finished botching this specific speech, killed his 2008 campaign before it got started by saying Peyton Manning was “the greatest quarterback ever” — to a Wisconsin audience. Sheesh, if you’re going to diss Brett Favre in Wisconsin, at least have the foresight to know your audience won’t like it.

Obama, during his Indianapolis radio appearance, was excited to get a friendly message from Colts coach Tony Dungy, but at least the Illinois senator was polite and mindful of his Colts-mad audience when he said that during the Indianapolis-Chicago season opener, “I will still be rooting for the Bears.”

However, no candidate this year has yet reached the facepalm-slapping depths of the effete John Kerry dressed in camouflage for a hunting trip in 2004, his crowing about his favorite Red Sox player, “Manny Ortez" (an odd amalgamation of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz), his calling the home of the Green Bay Packers "Lambert Field." (That would be Lambeau.)

“At some point it’s like Michael Dukakis driving in a tank with an oversized helmet on. You just look ridiculous, ” said Campbell. He was referring to the photo op widely viewed as killing Dukakis’ 1988 presidential chances, and along with Kerry’s camouflage making it clear that the only reason anyone from Massachusetts should wear green in front of a mass audience is if he plays for the Boston Celtics.

There’s still debate over whether Obama’s awful bowling outing in Pennsylvania might be his Dukakis tank. However, numerous online videos of his basketball prowess, including hitting a 3-pointer on the first try during a campaign appearance at a South Carolina high school, back up his status as an everyday athlete. That, and his lousy bowling being mitigated by Clinton going on “Ellen” after bragging about her game, then throwing a gutter ball on the first try.

Plus, that Obama can go on sports talk radio — as he has in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina — and wax skillfully about his NCAA brackets or compare his basketball style to “a poor man’s Scottie Pippen … or Tayshaun Prince” succeeds in making him look like the guy that, well, you saw on TV watching the NCAA men's basketball tournament at a West Virginia bar. And succeed — call it sexist if you want, Elton John — in making Hillary Clinton, who can’t do this, look like the wife or girlfriend who wonders why the hell you’re not mowing the lawn instead of watching that stupid game.

Obama hasn’t aced the white working-class male vote, though strong showings in that category have played a big part in helping him, like Villanova, go from middle-of-the-pack major-conference player to the brink of a historic, dynasty-crushing victory in the title game.

That feeling of shared interest might even help Obama tamp down dustups like his recent statement about “bitter” voters and his relationship with his pastor, the suddenly controversial Jeremiah Wright. These become more like missed free throws that don’t quite seal a victory, but don't cause a loss, either. Sports fans understand that you are loyal to a team but that you don’t always like or agree with everyone on it, or everything it does.

In the swing state of Indiana — a phrase never before uttered in presidential politics — Obama has skillfully used his basketball bona fides to cut down Clinton’s lead and help negate the fact she has nearly every Democratic politician in the state, as well as Indiana Pacers owners Mel and Herb Simon, in her pocket.

Joyce Naltchayan / AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton wears a Yankees hat given to her by manager Joe Torre during a ceremony June 10, 1999, at the White House. President and Mrs. Clinton honored the Yankees for their 1998 World Series title.

Unless deposed Indiana coach/legend Bob Knight comes back to endorse Clinton, or she invokes Norman Dale with far more aplomb than she did Rocky Balboa in Pennsylvania, then Obama’s offer to play 3-on-3 with a young Hoosier who registers at least 20 of his compatriots is unchallenged genius. As well as having ex-Indiana University basketball star and Evansville native Calbert Cheaney announce the contest, no less.

Yes, it would be nice if the real political issues determined who would be chosen as president. But sports knowledge and prowess, real or imagined, might play a bigger part than anyone cares to admit. The Republican nominee, John McCain, is a real-live white guy with a reputation for toughness that might make Obama’s outreach to sports fans matter all the more, especially with McCain so far avoiding saying something abominably stupid, at least related to sports. Obama might have to play some more 3-on-3 or share his deepest thoughts on embattled Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman several more times if he wants to create a good feeling about himself with the demographic.

“After all,” said White, a former Notre Dame assistant sports information director, “we know some people voted for Ronald Reagan because he was the Gipper.”

White remembers meeting one sitting president who amazed him with his sports knowledge. When White met Bill Clinton at a fundraiser in Indianapolis late in his second term as president, White brought up that they had in common Lou Holtz. He was Notre Dame's football coach when White worked there, and Holtz was Arkansas' football coach when Clinton was attorney general and governor in that state. (One of Clinton's first high-profile moments as a politician was, as attorney general, defending Holtz in a lawsuit brought by players trying to overturn their suspension after being arrested in 1977, Holtz's first year at Arkansas. The players dropped their lawsuit.) White remembers Clinton launching into a detailed discussion of how Holtz was doing at his then-current job, football coach at South Carolina.

When Obama called his radio show, White said, he remembers thinking that in his ease at talking sports, Obama "sounds like Bill Clinton."

Maybe Hillary Clinton should have her husband call some sports radio stations to gin up more support from white working class males.

Certainly, as a graduate of the school that was the prohibitive favorite, Bill Clinton is familiar with what happened to Georgetown against Villanova in 1985.

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