BenRoth Injured in
Motorcycle Crash���������������������������������
Stiller QB Ben "The
Dummy" Roethlisberger was injured on Monday in a vehicular accident near
Dahntahn Pittsburgh.�
The Dummy was riding on his super-high-powered Suzuki -- without
a helmet, of course -- when a car attempting a left hand turn pulled in front of
The Dummy.� As often, if
not always, happens when a motorcycle rider meets an automobile, the automobile
won and the rider lost.�� In this case, The
Dummy lost several teeth, and sustained a broke nose & jaw, along
with a 9-inch laceration on the back of his head.
He was treated at Mercy
Hospital and surgery was performed.�
There was no word on whether or not a frontal lobotomy was performed on The
Dummy while he was in surgery, although this procedure, if performed,
might help The Dummy the next time he hops on a bike without
donning a helmet.�
I'd previously commented
last spring about the overt stupidity of riding a motorcycle without a
helmet.� There are few things -- riding
a car without a seatbelt; parachuting without a chute; and rappelling without a
safety harness come to mind -- as stupid as riding a cycle without a
helmet.� �Yet The Dummy haughtily insisted on a TV interview that
the law didn't require him to do so, and he felt "more free" riding
without headgear.� I can only wonder how
free The Dummy feels as he lies immobilized in his hospital bed
this evening.�
The Dummy has not only jeopardized his own health and career,
but obviously has now jeopardized his team's season as well.� It appears his limbs escaped major injury,
and it's plausible he might return to full health before the season.� However, the nagging effects of this trauma
may linger for months.� Vision,
breathing, cardio-respiratory fitness, strength conditioning, and stamina all will
remain a concern for at least the next couple of weeks, until further tests and
diagnoses can be performed. �Concussions
and the ability to take a blow to the face and the head, will also be a major
concern the entire season and beyond.�
Because of this fiasco, the
Stillers must obviously scavenge for a veteran QB to add to the roster.� Behind Charlie Batch, the cupboard is bare,
with camp-arm Rod Rutherford and rookie Slomar Jacobs comprising the only depth.� Steve McNair would have been a superb
pick-up, but he was traded last week to the RatBirds.� There's little left in terms of QBs who are unsigned by any other
team.� I shudder at the thought of Ferry
Collins, and I could not stomach his being on the team. �Ditto for Tommy Saddox.� Perhaps a backup such as Kyle Orton could be
acquired for insurance at a cheap "price".� Assuming Roth has no major long-term injuries, you don't want to
soak a lot into acquiring a backup QB, but unless Roth dashes out of the
hospital this week at a full saunter, you have to acquire some insurance at the
most important position in all of pro football.� ���������
Frankly, I'm also concerned
for the health and welfare of the lady that operated the car that hit
Roth.� Guilty or not, she will long be
ostracized by the greater Pittsburgh fan base, much the same way as that bozo
Cubs fan that interfered with a homerun ball in the MLB playoffs.� This lady will, sadly enough, have to move well
away from the city (assuming she lives in or near Pgh.) and basically live the
rest of her life like a nun in secluded prayer.
At any rate, this was
hopefully a wakeup call for the dumb and the foolish.� I've no problem with Roth riding a cycle, although I'd naturally prefer
my star QB to ride around in an H2 or Lincoln Navigator for optimal
safety.� But it's a well-established
fact that cycle riding needs to be done responsibly, and that means the
wearing of a full-face helmet, gloves, full jacket (preferably a riding jacket),
pants (preferably sturdy leather riding pants), and boots.� To refuse to wear a helmet to protect the most
frail and crucial part of the human anatomy is the height of arrogance,
stupidity, and brazen foolishness.�
I've been to the hospital to
attend to a good friend after he was in an accident on his bike.� He was a religious user of all the proper
attire, and it saved his life. The doctor showed me the gear that my friend Joe
had been wearing.� His helmet had a gash
and road rash on it that looked as if the angriest lineman in the NFL smashed
and then screeched it along concrete for 15 yards.� His leather riding jacket and pants had some horrific gouges that
would have undoubtedly taken his skin off to the bone.�
As the crash test dummies
have said in their commercials, "You could learn a lot from a
dummy."� Hopefully, many youths and
cycle riders that have foolishly and staunchly insisted on riding helmet-less
have learned something today from The Dummy, Benji
Roethlisberger.� Let's hope that the
dummy himself has learned a lesson in the process as well.