The Bad: Perhaps the most cringeworthy story of the week was the news that Baltimore Ravens rookie LB Sergio Kindle (their top pick of the 2010 draft, out of Texas) has suffered a head injury. When someone sent me this story I thought "So? Football players sometimes suffer head injuries, that's the nature of the game" - until I read further. Kindle suffered a fractured skull as a result of a tumble he took down a flight of stairs, and is now out indefinitely for the Blackbirds. (NFL Fanhouse) Oh my gosh, this poor guy. The tragedy is honestly almost Greek in its essence as a linebacker is, in theory, an unbreakable human. It's not unlike the nosebleed that killed Attila the Hun. The only way I can imagine a worse turn of luck than this would have involved a dumpster at the bottom of the stairs filled with broken glass, or hydrochloric acid, or maybe angry Steelers fans or Ray Lewis' knife collection.
Sergio Kindle - The only linebacker to lose a staring, erm, stairing contest. Get well soon, Serge! (Getty, NFL Fanhouse)
The Ugly: A slightly more unnerving story came out on ESPN yesterday. Heath inspectors across the country have released reports grading the concession stands at our favorite sports venues - with some truly nauseating results.(ESPN) I won't give all of the gory details, but inspectors found everything from inadequate water sources and mold and mildew to food stored at improper temperatures and employees who refused to wash their hands. While I've never gotten sick from food at any sporting event...it's just...ewww.** Around the NFL, some of the better venues included Gillette Stadium (reportedly immaculate), Lucas Oil Stadium (7% of vendors with something amiss) The Humphrey Metrodome (8% of vendors in violation), Soldier Field (12%), and the Louisiana Superdome (12%). Faring slightly worse were Reliant Stadium (26%), Paul Brown Stadium (31%), and McAfee Coliseum (34%). Heinz Field scored a gross 61%, proving that even though a stadium is named after a condiment, its employees may know nothing about food. LP Field, where the Titans play, had 62%, as if Titans fans need anything else to worry about. Detroit's Ford Field had a whopping 70% in violation, proving that it's not just their team that's totally disgusting. The worst stadiums were where the Dolphins and Bucs play (93% and 84%, and the Jaguars weren't far behind with 77%. Moral of the story: don't eat anything in Florida!
Here, $10 will get you a hotdog, a large Coke, and a side of explosive diarrhea. (ESeats.com)
The Good: We end on a happy note. Everyone knows about football guys who do bad things, go to jail, and get caught in notorious downward spirals. Just look at Michael Vick. He was cuffed on a dogfighting charge and it's been nothing but trouble since he got out. Someone got shot at his 30th birthday party. He had to miss his own charity golf tournament because his probation officer wouldn't let him travel. He filed for bankruptcy after he gave money to the lawyers defending the guys whose testimonies ultimately helped send him to the cooler. It's a big fiasco and some people are now crying fraud on top of it. (Yahoo Sports) It doesn't always work this way, however. Does anyone remember Maurice Clarett? The star running back from OSU who sued the league over their eligibility rules and lost, was drafted by the Broncos in '05, got into all sorts of trouble, was cut, and eventually ended up in prison for robbery? Yes, that guy. Well, he's turning over a proverbial new leaf and returning to finish college at his alma mater at the age of 26 (profootballtalk). Good for you, Maurice, and good luck. Thanks for giving me a little bit of faith in humanity today.
Afterthought: I've officially joined my fantasy league for 2010! The notorious Fighting Nucleophiles are back for their third consecutive year!
To come in a few days: preseason rankings! And that's your world in football tonight. Reporting for Second and One, I'm MC. Have a great evening.
*Yeah. It's the powdered stuff from General Foods. Who do I look like, Bill Simmons?
**It could be worse. One of my colleagues, a fellow from Argentina, went to a soccer game when he was young, ate something, and got food poisoning. Turned out it was hepatitis. Eesh.
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