No city honors its heroes like New York - and no one's more beloved here today than miracle pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.
Thousands of readers flooded nydailynews.com with suggestions on how to honor the US Airways splashdown pilot whose Hudson River landing is the talk of the whole world.
Here's a sampling:
"This man deserves a ticker-tape parade! I believe he should be in the Canyon of Heroes!" wrote bonz7311.
"These are the people we should idolize," wrote denalist. "People that save lives. Give this man a medal!"
Wrote nicolo: "Give him the key to the city. A true hero, who remained calm, cool, collected, thought only of his passengers and crew and then made sure everyone got off the plane safely."
"Sully! Sully! Sully!" cheered kingbenny. "Dude has ice-water in his veins ... Buy him a shot and a beer - just not before flight time."
"Way to go Sully," posted Mr.Hotteeth. "I'm sure you won't have any problems getting a loan or getting someone to lend you a few bucks."
"Sully, Sully, Sully," echoed Ernetoman. "I want that guy honored at the Super Bowl."
Those weren't the only rewards suggested on the site for the savior of USAirways Flight 1549 - or "the flying stud" as one reader deemed Sullenberger - and there was more than one sports reference, too.
"Captain Sully," wrote LifeLongREALYan, "you are a true hero, not the false kind that are looked upon today for throwing a football or hitting a home run. The job you did, Captain, was to us a miracle but I'd bet dollars to donuts all you did was your job and what a job it was. Thank you sir for giving us all hope that things are going to start to turn around in this great country of ours."
"What an amazing story," wrote Stewie Griffin. "I, like everyone else applaud this man's professionalism, poise and grace under fire. And they say Mariano Rivera has ice water in his veins!"
And DJfromBrooklyn even asked: "Maybe Sully is now the top candidate for the Jets job?"
While Sullenberger might not be saving games for the Yankees or coaching Gang Green any time soon, he might have earned an even more distinguished position.
"It is only January 15th," wrote navy, "and we already have our 'Man of the Year 2009!' "
