Peyton gives his thoughts on hosting this week's SNL

                    

	Peyton Manning gets a feel for the SNL stage with musical guest Carrie Underwood and cast memeber Jason Sudeikis. AP
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Is Peyton Manning funny?

Well, let's ask him.

"It's hard for me to give that evaluation," says Manning. "You'll have to ask my brothers, friends and my teammates. But I'll say this: I like to laugh and I like being around funny people. I find a lot of things funny and I think it's good to laugh, especially in my profession."

Manning is right. Football can be a funny business. The original The Longest Yard"was funny and the draft history of Lions general manager Matt Millen is very funny. If you want hysterical, cue up the footage of former Cardinal coach Dennis Green going bonkers about how "the Bears are who we thought they were...and we let them off the hook!"

Comedy is serious business for the Colts quarterback this week. He's in New York City hosting Saturday Night Live, joining a long list of athletes who have taken the stage at Studio 8H at the GE Building.

"I've had a lot of offers to do a lot of things after the Super Bowl," says Manning, "and I picked the two things I wanted to do: I went on David Letterman because he's an Indianapolis Colts fan and I wanted to host Saturday Night Live because I had the offer." Manning said the show's creator, Lorne Michaels, extended the invitation to him during the middle of the season.

He was intrigued by hosting but demurred until after the Super Bowl. "If we would have lost the Super Bowl, I could not guarantee I would be here right now," says Manning, taking a break from rehearsal on Thursday afternoon. "I possibly might be in cave somewhere. Or in mourning."

Fran Tarkenton was the first athlete to host the show (Jan. 29, 1977); Lance Armstrong was the most recent (Oct. 29, 2005). Over the years SNL has featured more than two dozen sports figures as host, including baseball players (Derek Jeter and Bob Uecker), basketball players (Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley), boxers (Marvin Hagler), football players Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Deion Sanders and O.J. Simpson), hockey players (Wayne Gretzky), and even a pair of George's (Foreman and Steinbrenner).

"The one scene that sticks out for me is Michael Jordan reminding himself that he's good enough, and doggone it, people like him," said Manning. "And I can remember Derek Jeter dressed up as a woman."