Andy Rooney noted on 60 Minutes Sunday night that he's the kind of person who falls asleep anywhere, from his desk to a city bus to a movie theater. He said he tries not to fall asleep during football games, but perhaps he should have mentioned his ability to sleep inside the stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.
After this year's Super Bowl, Deadspin reported that Rooney had fallen asleep in his seat at Raymond James Stadium:
After he finished his lunch, Rooney leaned back, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. SanFilipo said Rooney's "mouth was open" and there was a "slight snore." At that point, most of the other spectators recognized who he was. They all brought out their camera phones and began snapping pictures of a sleeping Andy Rooney. Some even ran right up next to him and flashed a thumbs-up signal for their photos.It just so happens that I was sitting only a few feet from Rooney at the Super Bowl, and I didn't see him sleep at all, but the above commentary would seem to lend credence to the report. Anyway, although Deadspin's story of the 90-year-old curmudgeon snoozing in the stadium was amusing, I must say that I had a 20-minute conversation with Rooney at the Super Bowl and I found him to be clear-headed and pleasant to talk to. If he wants to take a nap on Super Bowl Sunday, more power to him. If naps have helped keep Rooney's mind sharp into the 10th decade of his life, maybe we should all learn a lesson from that.
