Rhubarb Report 049

The dog days of summer are over, and September is now well and truly upon us. With that comes some new beginnings – school, college football, and cooler weather in Austin – maybe. With it also comes new endings - the Republican and Democratic National Conventions are now just a thing of the past – fortunately.

I suspect we can all take a deep sigh of relief for both.

This episode of the Rhubarb Report brings a mix of beginnings and endings from sport and politics.

1. At one point in his life, Alex Zanardi was a Formula One driver. He is probably best known for his 2 championships in the CART series in 1997 and 1998. But all of that changed on September 15, 2001 when Zanardi was involved in what can only be described as a horrific racing accident. Zanardi lost both of his legs in the accident.

Alex Zanardi had a new beginning. At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he won two gold medals and one silver medal in handcycling. In a twist of fate, the road cycling event was held on the famed Brands Hatch racing circuit.

His journey back to competitive sport is, in my eyes, memorable and epic. It would have been easy for the tragedy to be devastating, but Zanardi turned it into something positive. He has provided all of us with not only a great athletic storyline, but an incredible example of indomitable spirit, courage and inspiration.

2. While we’re on the topic of auto racing, it is with sadness that I note the passing this week of Professor Sid Watkins. Most won’t recognize the name. If you know Formula One, then you know “Prof” for his 26-year tenure as the FIA Formula One safety and medical delegate. Watkins was a significant part of the reason why the sport became so much safer after the tragic weekend at Imola in 1994 that claimed the lives of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna.

3. It is now time for college football, which means it is time for a Longhorn Update. Let’s summarize the first two games as Underwhelming. If I didn’t know better, I would think that the ghost of Greg Davis must be haunting Memorial Stadium given the plethora of 2 yard passes that continue to be an integral part of the offense. The highly touted running game hasn’t been what anyone expected. The “top 5 in the nation” defense that everyone raved about this summer is a mere 27th in the nation. There is a lot of work to be done for this team to make a push for the Big 12 title, let alone a BCS run.

4. One final note: it is one thing to make false claims about the national economy, but it is a totally different issue to make false claims about your athletic prowess. Ask any runner that has completed one or more marathons and they will almost always be able to give the specific times of each of them. So when Paul Ryan told us that he had run a 2:56 marathon – which, in fact, was a 4:00 effort – you have to wonder. Fudging your marathon results is one thing – but by an hour? That is heresy. So I dare you to ask any runner: if you will lie about that, what won’t you lie about?

Photo credits: Wikipedia