As I prepared for my drenching Thursday on the roof of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper building, names such as Bill O’Reilly, Donald Sterling, Dwight Howard and Al Sharpton came to mind. The problem is, they don’t know I exist.
Co-workers shouted suggestions. Mike Bianchi, sports columnist and radio star, kindly volunteered to handle the bucket chores. Nobody had actually challenged me, so I preened and started the video by yelling that I’d accepted Timberlake’s challenge.
Splash!
There are many descriptive words I could use to describe the feeling, but let’s just settle on “refreshing.”
As for my three challenges, I looked into the camera and called out Bianchi and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (who barely knows I exist). Then I shot for the moon.
“And Vladimir Putin!”
You laugh, but think about it. Russian spies monitor U.S. Web traffic, so they might flag my video.
What better way for Putin to show his soft side than by donating a few rubles to charity? Or better yet, he could return Crimea to its rightful owners.
We also know Putin loves to one-up Obama almost as much as he loves to show off his chest. This would allow him to do both.
In all seriousness, ALS isn’t just an American disease. It’s currently a death sentence for thousands around the world.
So come on, Vlad.
If Ethel Kennedy can stand the Siberian treatment, surely you’re man enough to meet the challenge.
©2014 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
