The worst man in sports

So, Keith Olbermann, the San Diego Chargers' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was SO shocking?

Really?

Okay, full disclosure: I am, in fact, a Kansas City Chiefs fan... more than two years living in the Denver metro area hasn't dampened the almost lifelong love I have for the boys in red and gold. Mind you, I have little against the Broncos (except for those two weeks a year where KC must do battle with Denver)... so bear with me.

Mr. Olbermann, while pontificating on "Football Night in America" Sunday evening, he made it sound as if Chargers, they of the same hometown as the Famous Chicken, had a breakdown in the vein of the New York Mets this year or the Roman Empire in the Third Century C.E.

Puh-lease, Mr. Olbermann. How many other 2006 playoff teams have you given such degrading treatment to? Lest I remind the world, Oakland, Kansas City, Green Bay and Detroit all have two wins or more now that Week Four heads to its zenith.

No, I won't make any silly "SportsCenter" jokes. Mr. Olbermann now conducts himself with a bit more seriousness than the irreverent ESPN show usually espoused, nevermind his unrelenting need to bash just about anyone while letting those not-so-well-acquainted with his profession to mistaken him for an honest-to-goodness journalist.

But Keith, give the Chiefs a chance. Two wins in a row, they must be doing something right. I'm just glad no one gave him a pulpit (yet) to lament on the Texas Longhorns' disastrous loss to my alma mater, Kansas State University.

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Elephant

While reading late last week in the waiting area of a local Kaiser Permanente clinic (don't ask), I came across a quote that I've always found to be quite profound and yet very simple:

"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

Sometimes this idea holds up; other times the present's semblance to what has come before is just eerily obvious.
Case in point: The opening of the Columbine Memorial at Clement Park in Littleton on Sept. 21.
The massacre at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, was one of the first journalism assignments I had — culling together "man-on-the-street" student reactions from a suburban Kansas City high school for the Kansas City Star. I have not made the story something I spend exceptional amounts of time studying, but it is one that stays with me, as it does for so many people: kids killing kids is frightening and intriguing.
That it took more than eight years to memorialize the lost lives and tragedy suffered is amazing to me, but it's the social effects — the ebb and flow of safety concerns — upon which I find myself transfixed.
As a relatively young man, I can remember what life in the education system was like before and after Columbine. I know the stories of students suspended or taken aside by administrators in the hours and days following Columbine because they wore just a little too much black.
Without making too light a statement about something so serious, I cannot recall a more heinous affront to such a stylish piece of clothing, such as the trenchcoat, as was seen after the responsible adults charged with educating (and now protecting) America's youth examined closely the photos of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and administered schoolyard justice accordingly.
The comparisons to the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the questions about racial profiling were raised are inescapable.
People like me are quite fond of pontificating on the nature of history. Some of them love to say that the course of human events are cyclical: Periods of freedom lead to excess. Excess leads to tightening of social controls. This, in turn, leads to social revolutions, leading to periods of freedom once again.
But this phenomenon, if it indeed exists, cannot be viewed solely in a negative light if what you seek is freedom.
Another case in point: Word comes from the campus of Delaware State University that it's quick response to the shooting of two students last week was motivated by the memories of the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech University earlier this year.
Just as some will tell you human freedom is rocking back and forth through time, there's more than one aspect of it all to consider. Maybe it's not all cut and clear as some would have you imagine... Maybe the similarities and differences between our present and past are a bit more complex than the sound bites and bullet points would suggest.

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Call me the Croc Hunter

Crikey!

Two articles from the Associated Press today illustrate the dangers posed to you and your children from wearing those little, rubber foot coverings with the holes in the top... no, they're not shoes, I tell ya, those "cute" and flexible toe traps that rhyme with "rocks."

The first story to catch my eye was of a new development in the world of Crocs, as new models without holes in the top are being developed for use in hospitals. Previously, a hospital worker was admonished for wearing Crocs, those in charge charging that a syringe or other hazardous object could jam directly into the worker's foot thanks to the superfluous holes in the top.

Call me old-fashioned, but I want just one hole in my shoe — the one I use to get my foot inside.

The second story retells the horror of youngsters getting their feet stuck in escalators, thanks in large part to the flexible nature of the rubber used. Some unfortunate kiddos had their toenails ripped off as their mothers attempted to extricate them from the situation.

My wife and in-laws swear by these things, but I can't help but do my best to restrain a loud, resounding "I-told-ya-so" every time I hear someone complain about how their feet and ankles hurt after a day of walking in these monstrosities.

Believe me, there is a time and place for sandals, flip flops and slip-ons. Heck, my favorite walkers are a pair of black suede size-12's with no laces, easy to slip on and off... but they come up to my ankles and get me from place to place with no issues.

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Carson Palmer owes me pizza

I have an almost unstoppable fantasy football team: Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Vince Young at QB. Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis at RB. Reggie Wayne, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss at WR.
Sure, there's only four teams in our work-based league, but I tend to think I've got a stellar shot at riding my players to the championship trophy.
But thanks to a porous Cleveland defense and the most-improbable shoot-out in NFL regular season history, I will be paying for pizza for the office Tuesday night thanks to a boastful bet made with our sports editor, he of the fantasy team helmed by Carson Palmer — he of the six touchdown passes on Sunday afternoon.
Carson, maybe you can get the Browns' D to chip in a few bucks, as I hold all of you responsible for this wrongdoing. This transgression has almost made me forget how much disdain I have for Bill Belichick and his hoodies.
At least everyone will be eating hot, delicious pizza... Don't think the bankroller of this matter won't be getting a healthy taste.

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Thompson in The O.C.

As a followup to yesterday's bit on the prospects of "Curly Sue" star Fred Thompson, here is his speech to the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

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Godspeed, Steve Fossett

Reports today say millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett has gone missing after going airborne from a private airstrip on Monday morning.

Fossett has set 93 Aviation World Records and 23 sailing world records in his various journeys to accomplish what no other human being has before. Most notably in my mind was Fossett's completion of the first solo non-stop flight around the world in his Global Flyer in 2006, assisted by a crew from my alma mater, Kansas State University.

Anyone who can spend more than 20 hours in any plane has the tip of my hat. Fossett was up in the air for more than 67 hours on Global Flyer.

The always intriguing Fossett has also broken 11 world records for gliders, of which four still stand today. Not bad for a former commodities broker.

Overall, Fossett has set more than 115 records in five different sports. He is also one of the most recognizable members of the modern Explorers Club.

Some people might think you have to be crazy to do the sorts of things Fossett has done. I don't necessarily disagree, but I can't argue with crazy in the name of human achievement, especially when the only people he puts in harm's way are himself and his willing crew.

But I think whatever the outcome of this current event, Fossett can be viewed as a positive figure rather than how some would characterize him: a careless, eccentric millionaire who pushed things to the limit one time too many.

It's no secret that Fossett has done so many of these things for his own reasons � "I've never tired from the satisfaction of getting to the top of a mountain" � but is a person of great personal achievement so bad a character for the impressionable to look to for inspiration?



Godspeed, Steve Fossett, wherever you are.

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From 'Sex and The City' to the White House

I'm not the best at keeping out of political discussions.

As much as I like to sit back, listen and absorb everything around me, it's hard not to get involved sometimes.

This was the case last week concerning Fred Thompson.

I seem to run in circles that don't understand how a former lobbyist and TV character actor has a snowball's chance in a bid for the White House.

Sure, you won't see me campaigning for him, but Fred Thompson seems to have the pedigree of a GOP presidential hopeful.

First and foremost, Fred Thompson makes a number of conservatives feel good, in much the same way George W. Bush makes them feel good about having a good-old boy type leading the country. It's also very similar to the way Ronald Reagan made conservatives feel good about America in the throes of the Cold War.

Take this recent write-up from the Mortimer Zuckerman-owned New York Daily News as evidence of the perception Thompson has built about himself:



"Thompson is absolutely pro-life, period, no waffling about it... He is solidly pro-Second Amendment, period, no dithering... He's a gung-ho war on terror man, a no-nonsense border security man."

In a race where Mitt Romney has been the toast of the anti-rights abortion crowd -- might I remind you Romney, until 2004, was at least somewhat pro-rights -- Thompson helps the populace paint the political portrait of America with generous amounts of black, white and nothing else.

Don't forget: Thompson has had his persona on display for TV viewers as varied as the millions who have watched "Matlock" to the devotees of HBO's "Sex and The City."

Let's examine some of Thompson's credentials with specificity:

-- Thompson, only a year ago, was a fill-in for radio wunderalt Paul Harvey. Short of going golfing with broadcast behemoths Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Hugh Hewitt, there are few ways to win over Middle America via association than helping deliver The Rest of the Story.

-- After serving as campaign manager for former Senator Howard Baker, Thompson was added as minority counsel for the Watergate hearing, doing his best to seem like he wasn't a lapdog for Richard Nixon. Well, maybe lapdog isn't the right phrase.



Examinations of Thompson's book on the subject, as well as testimonials from those involved, seem to point to Fred being an outright mole for the Nixon White House, letting the president's lawyers know when the committee obtained potentially damning evidence. Believe it or not, there are still people in love with Nixon, and when they hear this about Thompson, I can only imagine this tidbit has an effect similar to Cupid's arrow.

-- In modern times, Thompson has continued his defense of the undeservingly defensible with his push for pardoning I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

-- Thompson says immigration reform begins with "securing our nation's borders," as he stated earlier this year in a speech before the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

Thompson's had plenty of practice, playing everyone from himself to (shock) the President of the United States on film and television. After a few years of playing essentially the same character over and over, I imagine Thompson can convey (or fake) the needed gravitas one usually garners through decades of public service (or from having scriptwriters pen every word that comes out of your mouth).

I will not be the first to defend Fred Thompson, but I certainly see how his credentials have a lot of people happy they don't have to settle for the likes of Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, or support a second-tier candidate like Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee.

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