SERIOUS, BUT UN-STABLE...

"Oh no you don't -- Put that goddam thing back on there!"
"Ok coach."

A quick note before returning to my thesis and before watching Game three....

While Big Ben Roethlisberger may be sitting in Mercy Hospital in serious but stable condition, the question that comes to mind is: Is he mentally unstable? Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the Steelers and a bigger fan of Roethlisberger, but riding a motorcycling without a helmet is like blarring your Dixie Chicks CD in rural Alabama -- it's just stupid!

According to Dr Larry Jones, the trauma surgeon at Mercy, Roethlisberger was "coherent," and that "he knew what had happened." And of course, what happened was that the only QB of the modern era to go to two conference finals in his first two years hopped on a motorcycle without a helmet, drove through Pittsburgh traffic, and apparently went head-first into another vehicle's windshield. And according to reports, Roethlisberger has often refused to wear a helmet while on his motorcycle.

And while I can see how some journalists could turn this into a moralistic statements, arguing that Roethlisberger (and athletes in general) should set a better example for the youth who look up to him, that's not the point that I am arguing -- I have no doubt that youth today will do what they want nonetheless.

No, the point that I advocate is that this is a story about stupidity and immaturity. Someone with that much poise and maturity on the field should be able to do the same in the real world. If not, then the Steelers helmet stays on full-time.