Monday, July 26, 2004

Ricky Runs Away Around Austin, there's weren't many things that could take attention away from the celebration of Lance Armstrong's sixth straight Tour de France title, but one of them happened on Saturday: Ricky Williams retires. Even at watching parties for Sunday's Tour finale, people would lean over and whisper: "Did you hear about Ricky? What is he thinking?" Football trumps everything for Texas sports fans, and Williams is beloved by the UT faithful. As a Longhorn, he set NCAA rushing records and won the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player in 1998. Last year was his fifth professional season, and he had especially blossomed the last two years after being traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Miami Dolphins. He had rushed for 3,225 yards in the last two seasons and carried the ball more times (775) than any other player. His decision to walk away has been roundly criticized as (1) selfish for leaving the Dolphins without one of the best players just a week before training camp opens, and (2) suspicious based on the report that he tested positive for marijuana and faced a $650,000 fine for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy for a second time since joining the Dolphins. On the other hand, Ricky has always followed the beat of his own drummer. After leaving UT, he signed not with an established sports agent, but with an agency run by rap star Master P. The result was one of the worst contracts in recent sports history. He posed in a wedding dress for the cover of ESPN The Magazine as the bride of Saints coach Mike Ditka. Social anxiety disorder led him to do interviews with his helmet on. He returned from a recent trip to Australia with his trademark dreadlocks shaven off, saying it represented a fresh start. Those who know him well didn't seem surprised. John Bianco, the UT media relations director who shepherded Ricky through his Heisman-winning season told the Austin American-Statesman, "I thought he'd probably do that (retire after a few seasons) and ride off into the sunset." His college coach, Mack Brown, said, "This is something Ricky has thought about for a long time. He always told me he couldn't wait until the time came when he could come back to school and finish his degree." 2:20:34 PM    comment []

What's Yellow, Rubber, and Costs $1? This summer's hottest fashion accessory is yellow, rubber, and costs $1. No, it's not that. Get your mind out of the gutter. It's the Live Strong wristband from the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The bracelets have gained huge popularity over the past few weeks as Armstrong powered his way to a sixth consecutive Tour de France title. They have been seen dangling from the wrists of Serena Williams, Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, and Andre Agassi. Over the weekend, John Kerry was spotted with one as he threw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game. The original allotment of six million wristbands, developed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Nike as a fund-raiser for cancer research and education, have already sold out. The foundation has ordered an additional 250,000, but in the meantime, demand has soared. They're selling on eBay for $5: five times the retail price. I've got mine, and I've given away a precious few, but I still have some in reserve. 1:01:58 PM    comment []