- If there is anything lamer in professional sports than one-day contracts, it’s not coming to mind right now. You know what I’m talking about: the one-day deals that aging players sign with the team they played the bulk of their career with before embarking on a nomadic journey at the tail end of their career as they search desperately for one last grasp at glory. They flit from team to team and once they are deemed to washed up to help anyone, the ink a one-day contract with their original team so they can “retire” as a member of that team. I use quotation marks around the word retire because in all honesty, they are retiring as a member of whatever team they last played a game for. Inking that one-day deal with their old team doesn’t mean they retired as a member of that team, period. In order to retire as a member of a team, that has to be the last team you took the field for. I say this because I happened across the story of Jason Elam, who ended a 17-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons after this past season. Elam was one of the best kickers of his era and retires with 1,983 points scored and 436 field goals made. He is also the all-time leader with 16 seasons of 100 or more points and shares an NFL record with Tom Dempsey of New Orleans for the longest field goal (63 yards). All of those accomplishments are great and worthy of respect, but what I don’t respect is Elam’s attempt to “retire” as a Denver Bronco, the franchise with which he played his first 15 seasons. Sorry Jason, but the last uniform I saw you play in was the red and black of Atlanta, not the blue and orange of Denver. Now, if you want to step on the field for the Broncos this season, even in a preseason game, kick one kickoff and then walk off the field never to return, then and only then may you retire as a Bronco. Sorry to take such a hard line on this, but this is just something that is true whether I want it to be or not…………
- Cross-country walks/runs/bike rides have always fascinated me. People embarking on a trip from coast to coast with nothing but their own feet and/or leg power to carry them is inspiring and uplifting. Also, these treks typically are done for a worthy cause, making the story that much better. The latest individual to attempt such a trip is John Conte of San Diego, who set out today on a cross-country trek to raise money for Fisher House, an organization that supports wounded troops and their families. He began his walk at Camp Pendleton on the West Coast and expects to reach his endpoint at Fort Benning, Georgia, sometime in July. He is doing so after being inspired by his son, a recent West Point graduate. Conte’s goal is to raise $50,000 for Fisher House to help it build more "comfort homes." These homes are used to lodge injured soldiers' families near a hospital where their loved one is recovering. Every major military medical center has at least one Fisher House, but Conte hopes his efforts spur others to get involved and increase that number. He is well-prepared for his trip and believes he has what it takes to make it the entire way. "I'm going to have at least five pairs of running shoes," Conte said. "I've got two pairs of hiking boots, and I'm going to sleep occasionally in the car. Sometimes I'll camp in a tent, other times I'll stay in a motel or hotel." His moment of inspiration came last summer after having his son and a half-dozen of his cadet graduate friends over for dinner. To prepare for the trip, Conte began by walking five miles a day but soon escalated that to a much longer distance. “That quickly went up to 10 miles a day, and since October I've been doing 15 to 18 miles a day," he explained. The only criticism I have of the trip is that Conte isn’t exclusively walking during his trip. He will also have his car along with him and will use it to help him map out his daily route in advance. "I'll drive 20 miles ahead each day, walk back 10 miles, then turn around and go back to the car, making it 20 miles total," he said. Sounds a bit convoluted to me, but it’s still a commendable effort and I’ll be rooting for Conte to succeed and raise even more money than he’s aiming for……………
- Exciting news from Peru, where officials were finally able to celebrate the reopening of the country’s top tourist spot, the ancient mountaintop city of Machu Picchu. The ancient ruins are the country’s main attraction but have been closed for two months due to extreme flooding in the region. Peruvian officials celebrated the reopening of the site and Tourism Vice minister Mara Seminario says hundreds of foreign tourists have entered the city following its official reopening this morning. Fittingly, the day kicked off with an early downpour which eventually gave way to warm, radiant sunshine. It was the past few months for Machu Picchu in a nutshell; torrential rains and flooding giving way to some long-awaited sun. On hand for the festivities was actress Susan Sarandon. I’m not sure what ties she has to the site or to Peru, but clearly she’s not getting a lot of offers for roles right now, so I’m sure she had plenty of free time. The reopening ceremony was as positive a sign as Peruvians have had in a few months ever since floods in late January disrupted the only rail link from Cuzco to the ruins. That trapped some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters. No word on whether those tourists received a rain check (pun intended) for a free return visit to the site, but I’m glad to see the people of Peru get their biggest money-making site back up and running…………
- How does the image of a 360-pound man trying to board a plane with a loaded gun strike you? Terrorizing? Horrifying? Well, that was the scene that unfolded today at Hopkins International Airport. Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers was arrested for toting a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage. As often as this happens - people attempting to bring weapons onto planes, not necessarily NFL players doing so - it still amazes me. Either they are completely and totally ignorant of the omnipresent reality that the rest of us live with every day, the reality in which even tubes of toothpaste larger than 3 oz. are prohibited from being carried aboard planes. How anyone thinks they can pack heat on a plane is insane and mind-boggling. So either that’s the case or these people are so mindless and out of it that they jam their piece into their carry-on bag and just don’t give a second thought to it being there, which is equally unnerving. Rogers had just come from the Browns’ suburban training facility in Berea and was stopped at a security checkpoint when officials spotted a loaded .45-caliber hand gun in his carry-on luggage. Thankfully the big fella went peacefully when he was arrested at 12:15 p.m. He cooperated without incident and was booked for carrying a concealed weapon, a third-degree felony. So far, no charges have been filed, but under Ohio law, a third-degree felony carries a penalty of probation to five years in prison. Police did not say whether Rogers told officials about the gun or if he was traveling alone. The Browns made the typical move for a team in their position after the arrest, issuing an innocuous statement about being aware of the situation and allowing the legal process to run its course. "We will continue to gather additional information, and until the legal process has taken its course, we will reserve any further comment," the statement said. Go ahead and wait this one out, but what we already know is that Rogers is either a) oblivious to reality or b) completely absent-minded when it comes to firearms, neither of which is good news…………
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