Getting perspective

I don't normally point folks who don't like sports at sports related stories, but I hope you'll forgive me this time. In light of recent events, perhaps I'm just looking for stories that help to get my perspective back.

Peter King gave over the front section of his Monday column to to Ross Tucker, a six year NFL veteran and Princeton graduate who writes about his experiences in what will likely be the end of his career. Tucker does a pretty good job describing his summer and the abrupt termination of his career:

I asked Mr. Snyder's assistant if I could thank the Redskins owner for the opportunities he had given me. In his office, I choked up a bit as I said, "Thank you so much for giving an undrafted free agent rookie from Princeton an opportunity in 2001. You really changed my life." It's true -- the Redskins gave me my first and my last chance at my dream. In an attempt to lighten the mood I told Mr. Snyder that I still had one claim to fame. "I am pretty sure that I am the only 28-year-old Princeton grad that has been fired five times already." He laughed.

...

Although all but a few of the cut players attended college, I'm sure more than half have no idea what they're going to do now. Most of these young men are facing failure and rejection for the first time. Getting cut from a team or being anything less than the star of the team has never even been a consideration for them until this point. At times when I have struggled with the pain and frustration of getting released it has made me think about how hard it must be for the seventh-grader who gets cut from the junior-high basketball team when most of his friends make it. If it is hard for me at 28, what must it be like for a 13-year-old?

I'll grant you that Mr. Tucker already has started a business and will likely do very well in his life after football. Not many of the players let go will have the same kind of landing. I'm hopeful that things will work out for local kicker Jesse Ainsworth, who had a recent disappointment in Cleveland.

Poison Ivy?

I have to ask, why does it seem that most of (if not all) the NFL's Ivy folks are linemen? I think Ed Marinaro was the last time an Ivy player was allowed to actually keep the ball for any period of time.