Jeff Hart: Friday Linkfest for October 21, 2011

By: Jeff Hart | Posted: October 21, 2011

I hate to usher in the weekend on such a down note, but today’s theme is cancer. If you’re not up for some melancholy news, I suggest simply checking out this awesome catch from last night’s Arizona vs UCLA game and then calling it a day.

So, the Jerome Harrison trade to the Eagles was voided when Harrison failed to pass a physical. Because he has a previously undiscovered brain tumor. Seriously, those NFL doctors are thorough. Over at The Lions in Winter, there’s an essay that puts football and cancer into perspective better than I can.

Also with a brain tumor? Notorious bust Ryan Leaf. I heard Leaf a couple weeks ago on Jim Rome’s radio show and thought he was impressively candid about both his highs and many, many lows. That same attitude is on display in this Seattle Times interview.

Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald has been raising money for breast cancer awareness on Twitter. For the rest of the month, he’s donating $.25 for every new follower. That might not seem like a lot, but Fitzgerald has already raised just under $10K.

Oh, and in news unrelated to cancer, Fitzgerald really misses Anquan Boldin.

In sad news that makes all these cancer tales seem utterly frivolous, the Lingerie Football League’s Toronto Triumph walked-out on management after only one game. I seriously suggest clicking through – where else will you read about a white Canadian LFL player quoting Malcolm X with a straight face? The inner-workings of the LFL are absolutely fascinating to me – sort of like a cross between the ABA and a Hooters franchise in a really dangerous neighborhood. If you’re interested, I suggest this feature on their jeopardized Canadian expansion as further reading.

Finally, here’s a piece from one of those sports-math wizards that dissects the use of power rankings. That should take your mind off all the cancer news, even if the writer’s use of a coin flip to illustrate the randomness of NFL outcomes is strangely fatalistic in this context. Happy Friday!

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