Here's an idea: Let's be more like L.T.

Two weeks ago, after arriving home late from work, I decided to watch the latest episode of "The Amazing Race."

While forwarding the tape, I noticed "60 Minutes" had done a feature story on Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

So I stopped the tape and watched.

And I was blown away.

This young man, who has been the MVP of the NFL (and our fantasy leagues), is also an MVP in the game of life.

In an era of greed, bad judgment and ugly stories that pop up every day in the league, L.T. is one of those rare players we don't hear enough about. TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers, are too often drawn to what people are doing wrong and rarely focus on the good that goes on behind the scenes.

Thanks to "60 Minutes," here is some of what I learned about what L.T. does for those in need:

• Two days before Thanksgiving, he hands out food to 2,000 families so that they can enjoy the day.

• While visiting children in hospitals, he hands out arm-loads of gifts. He says he enjoys it more than the kids. "They're so grateful to be getting toys. You can't help but enjoy yourself."

• He buys tickets for 21 kids to every Chargers home game. Afterward, he comes back on the field to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

• He has his own charity golf tournament.

• He hands out $1,000 scholarships at his old high school.

• He gives away dozens of bikes and shoes to underprivileged kids in San Diego.

"People may remember what I did on the field for a couple of days, maybe a week," Tomlinson told "60 Minutes." "But the things that (his wife and he) do in the community is something that they'll remember for the rest of their lives because they're touched by it."

Tomlinson wanted to become a football player from the moment -- as a 5-year-old growing up in Waco, Texas -- he saw Walter Payton on TV. After eclipsing Payton on the career touchdown list a few weeks ago, Tomlinson paid tribute to his boyhood idol, calling him the best running back of all time.

L.T. simply gets it.

He gets what it takes to become a superstar athlete, and he gets what one should do once you get there.

I watched his story with a permanent smile on my face and remember thinking, "Why can't we hear more about athletes like L.T.?"

Perhaps the biggest reason is because there are so few players like him.

Seeing all of this gave me an idea: Let's pay it forward. How about we take 10 percent of our fantasy winnings this year and donate it to L.T. and his causes?

It may not add up to millions of dollars, but if enough of us take three minutes to write out a small check and jot down a short note, we could use this game we play for fun to make a difference.

His story was inspiring enough to see if we can't start some sort of tradition here by helping the underprivileged on a yearly basis.

If you'd like to join me in this small, but worthwhile endeavor, address your donation to:

The LaDainian Tomlinson

Touching Lives Foundation

c/o Kimberly Layton

4020 Murphy Canyon Rd.

San Diego, CA 92123

And happy holidays, everybody.

Westbrook down! Plenty of Brian Westbrook owners were cursing his name Sunday afternoon when he decided to have a seat at the 1-yard line as the two-minute warning approached in Philadelphia's 10-6 win over Dallas. An owner in one of my leagues was one of the affected as he fell 90-86. And his team was a prohibitive favorite to win it all as he also has Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Steven Jackson!

Of course, we can't really blame Westbrook for not scoring. With Dallas out of timeouts, his move was brilliant from a football standpoint because it meant Donovan McNabb could kneel down three times for an easy victory.

And after all, Westbrook is playing real football; it's the rest of us living in the fantasy world.

Lost in what Westbrook's move meant to his owners is what it meant to owners of Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Terrell Owens.

If you own any of them and lost by a few points, know this: the flop-down likely cost you a win as well. As poorly as Romo played, if he gets the ball back trailing 17-6, there's a good chance he leads Dallas to a touchdown against what is likely a soft zone defense.

My teams: Well, 1-for-2 isn't bad, but what in the world happened to Tony Romo on Sunday? His ineptitude helped send my unit-league team to an ugly 67-31 loss in the semifinals. In the regular league, Clinton Portis' big game against the Giants got my team into the title game as I won 99-91.

Good bets

• Texans QB Sage Rosenfels vs. Indianapolis. Going against a defense without much to play for, Rosenfels (5 TD passes last three) is a nice play.

• Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez vs. Houston. Gonzalez has really come on of late (347 yards, 3 TDs last four) and is a great No. 3 receiver this week.

• Chiefs RB Kolby Smith vs. Detroit. Smith should be able to find the end zone against a Lions team that seems to have thrown in the towel.

• Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Oakland. It's always difficult to figure out when to play Jones-Drew, but I like this matchup. Except for last week, the Raiders have allowed a rushing touchdown to all of their opponents.

• Eagles WR Reggie Brown vs. New Orleans. Lots of reasons to like Brown here: He has 3 TDs the last six games, he blitzed the Saints for 136 total yards and 2 TDs last year, and the Saints have allowed 7 TD passes the last three weeks.

• Cardinals RB Edgerrin James vs. Atlanta. James has been somewhat annoying this year, but he has averaged 89 rushing yards in home games compared to 64.6 on the road.

• Patriots WR Wes Welker vs. Miami. Don't let a recent cold spell trick you into sitting Welker (12-126-1 in last three). He ripped apart his former team earlier this year with 138 yards and 2 TDs.

• Titans RB LenDale White vs. New York Jets. Against the 30th-ranked run defense, White should eclipse 100 rushing yards.

• Broncos WR Brandon Marshall vs. San Diego. Marshall's too hot to sit now.

Bad bets

• Bears WR Bernard Berrian vs. Green Bay. If you absolutely have to start Berrian, go ahead. But on Monday night against Minnesota, we saw that with Kyle Orton as quarterback, Berrian's numbers will suffer.

• Raiders WR Ronald Curry vs. Jacksonville. Curry did have a TD catch last week, but he's only gone over 50 yards once since Week 6. There are better options out there.

• Ravens WR Derrick Mason and the Baltimore defense vs. Seattle. A pleasant surprise this season, Mason (92-917-4) probably will post some ugly numbers with Troy Smith getting his first start at quarterback.

• Redskins RB Clinton Portis vs. Minnesota. Portis always seems to make my lists, but it's because he's been so erratic. Washington will try and lean on him, but it's extremely tough to run on the Vikings.

• Jets RB Thomas Jones vs. Tennessee. I highly doubt teams with Jones are alive at this point, but if any are, you'd be smart to let him ride the pine.

Vote!

Join the crowd and make your voice heard in the Daily Herald's fantasy football awards. E-mail John Dietz at jdietz@dailyherald.com on the following categories and make a comment if you like. Remember to try and keep personal bias out and vote for the most worthy candidates. Write-in votes are welcomed. Please provide full name with where you live. Deadline is Dec. 25.

Biggest surprise QB

• Cleveland's Derek Anderson

• Green Bay's Brett Favre

• Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger

• Dallas' Tony Romo

Biggest surprise RB

• Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham

• Green Bay's Ryan Grant

• Cleveland's Jamal Lewis

• Minnesota's Adrian Peterson

Biggest surprise WR

• Cleveland's Braylon Edwards

• Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandazdeh

• Green Bay's Greg Jennings

• New England's Randy Moss

Biggest bust QB

• St. Louis' Marc Bulger

• Detroit's Jon Kitna

• Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb

• Cincinnati's Carson Palmer

• Tennessee's Vince Young

Biggest bust RB

• Seattle's Shaun Alexander

• San Francisco's Frank Gore

• St. Louis' Steven Jackson

• Kansas City's Larry Johnson

• Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew

Biggest bust WR

• Buffalo's Lee Evans

• Cincinnati's Chad Johnson

• Carolina's Steve Smith