Rhubarb Report: Episode 34

Before I dive into this episode of the Rhubarb Report, let’s take a brief fleeting moment for politics. A Report can’t go by without a least a little political humor, right? So in keeping with that, the Republican Candidate Of The Week, according to the polls, is Rick Santorum. This has become much like the Blue Plate special at your favorite cafe, or the whims of the BCS polls on a Sunday evening during college football season. Strange as it may sound, the BCS makes more sense these days than the Republican presidential debates – but I digress. Onwards to Episode 34!

1. Long before Lance Armstrong ever finished his string of 7 Tour De France victories, or before there was a federal investigation (that was recently dropped), and before he ever toed the line at the NYC Marathon, I can remember voicing a simple belief …

“Just wait until he goes back to triathlon – which WILL happen – and watch him feast on Ironman”.

The naysayers have all seemed to forget about his previous triathlon pedigree. He was, at one time, the number one ranked triathlete in the 19-and-under age group in Texas. The naysayers have all made comments about his run. He might have a great bike split, they would say, but he doesn’t have the run to compete at Ironman. I think they all forgot that he has run a “pedestrian” 2:46 at the NYC Marathon.

This past weekend, Armstrong - ye of “cannot run fast enough to be successful at IM” - finished the Ironman 70.3 Panama with a time of 3:50:55. This placed him second by, oh, 42 seconds to two-time Olympic medalist Bevan Docherty. Armstrong’s run split? 1:17:01. That is certainly a sub-3:00 Ironman run split, which combined with an average swim split and a stellar bike split (can you say “course record”?) will put Lance in a very competitive position.

Surprise, surprise.

2. It’s been a hard road this season, but it looks like the University of Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team may be showing signs of post-season life. Have the Horns finally come of age? Kudos go out to Alexis Wangmene, who finally gave us a much-awaited dominant performance against Kansas State. Better late than never, as they say. The Horns are still without a signature win, but they have an RPI of 49. They are up to 5th place in the Big 12 standings with 5 games remaining – against OSU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Three of five – and a win against Baylor or KU – should seal the deal for a 14th consecutive appearance in March Madness. I think the Longhorn Nation still has a lot of finger-crossing to do in the meantime.

3. Music – of the pop variety – is generally full of divas that are more flash than substance, more drama than songwriting. But this year’s Grammy Awards were strangely refreshing because of one performer: Adele. Her performance at the Grammys was impressive, just months after vocal cord surgery. Her interviews are refreshing and candid. And while critics have bellowed about her weight, Adele has provided us with a female singer who is quite comfortable with her own body image.

From this viewer’s perspective – good on ya, Adele, for winning 6 Grammy Awards. Perhaps purity of songwriting does still make a difference.

Photo credits: Wikipedia