My OperaRoethlisberger, Bikes and Brains
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 3:34:27 PM
Can a Steeler fan remain silent as his QB takes a 9-inch gash to the dome, smashed fronts (or teefus, as they were affectionately known by Richard Pryor), banged up knees, and other cuts and bruises to body and ego?
Hell yeah, I could. But, what's the point. For those who don't know, Big Ben became the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl a few months ago. He leads the Steelers and the economy of Pittsburgh along a path of recovery that hadn't been anticipated since Julius Erving, Stockard Channing and a Fish. With all that promise, Ben continued to ride his motorcycle in and around town without a helmet. The details of the accident have not emerged, but we do know this, people wearing cars and trucks are safer than people wearing shirts and hair.
If you get banged up and you're wearing shirts and hair (and you're not a pedestrian), it's too damn bad. It's not a tragedy...it's not even an accident...it's like a fully foreseeable event that includes pain, suffering, recriminations and the like. Do I hope he gets better? Of course. Do I hope he's healthy enough to win another Super Bowl? Of course. But if the Steelers had another QB who was as talented or moreso (hypothetical - think Drew Bledsoe having an accident and opening the door to Tom Brady), I probably wouldn't care as much. If scrub-ass former Steeler QBs Mark Malone or Bubby Brister or Cliff Stoudt went belly up on I-76, it wouldn't be national news. So...context is everything.
The one body part that could use the greatest improvement is internal. Am I risk averse? Not so much. Do I do stupid shit? Yep. Fer sure. Ben has the right to ride without a helmet - just as I have the right to do stoopid shit, but neither of us have the right to call it a tragedy or an accident when stoopid shit goes wrong. Shit happens and when stoopid shit happens, the results are often worse than we can imagine or care to handle.
Live free or die...helmets are for pussies. And pussies are for macs (and dykes). And macs don't wear helmets. The circle of life is complete.
Hell yeah, I could. But, what's the point. For those who don't know, Big Ben became the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl a few months ago. He leads the Steelers and the economy of Pittsburgh along a path of recovery that hadn't been anticipated since Julius Erving, Stockard Channing and a Fish. With all that promise, Ben continued to ride his motorcycle in and around town without a helmet. The details of the accident have not emerged, but we do know this, people wearing cars and trucks are safer than people wearing shirts and hair.
If you get banged up and you're wearing shirts and hair (and you're not a pedestrian), it's too damn bad. It's not a tragedy...it's not even an accident...it's like a fully foreseeable event that includes pain, suffering, recriminations and the like. Do I hope he gets better? Of course. Do I hope he's healthy enough to win another Super Bowl? Of course. But if the Steelers had another QB who was as talented or moreso (hypothetical - think Drew Bledsoe having an accident and opening the door to Tom Brady), I probably wouldn't care as much. If scrub-ass former Steeler QBs Mark Malone or Bubby Brister or Cliff Stoudt went belly up on I-76, it wouldn't be national news. So...context is everything.
The one body part that could use the greatest improvement is internal. Am I risk averse? Not so much. Do I do stupid shit? Yep. Fer sure. Ben has the right to ride without a helmet - just as I have the right to do stoopid shit, but neither of us have the right to call it a tragedy or an accident when stoopid shit goes wrong. Shit happens and when stoopid shit happens, the results are often worse than we can imagine or care to handle.
Live free or die...helmets are for pussies. And pussies are for macs (and dykes). And macs don't wear helmets. The circle of life is complete.
