A biography for Stephen Rodrickhasn’t been written yet.
“Think about it: You're trying to raise cash to save an endangered animal. You've got orphaned pandas getting 3 trillion YouTube hits, and you've got seals being clubbed over the head by roughnecks. The money flows in. But what about the poor shark?”
“The everybody-loves-Jeff Bridges home base is, of course, 'The Big Lebowski.'”
“Occasionally, a young catcher is born with a backup's soul. Bob Montgomery was on the Red Sox opening day roster for the entire 1970s, yet he never had more than 254 at-bats in a season.”
“The Smithsonian should box and preserve Tim McGraw's Nashville den for a future exhibit entitled 'Early 21st Century American Man Cave.'”
“Peter Rodrick was one of only around 4,000 men in the world qualified to land jets on a carrier after dark.”
“Legends like Jim Murray at the 'Los Angeles Times' and Shirley Povich at the 'Washington Post' were the most beloved guys at their papers. They'd write a cherished column for 30 years, and that was it. There was nothing else to do, no higher job to attain.”
“More than any other major sport, professional or amateur, college football games are decided by the physical incompetence and downright chokery of their players.”
“Some historians trace the start of the War on Terror to November 4, 1979, the day the hostages were taken in Tehran.”
“The thing about living without a father if he's always gone is that it takes a long time to realize he isn't coming home.”
“One of the hallmarks that a British actor brings to his public persona is an adept sense of self-deprecation - see Daniel Craig and Damian Lewis.”
“There are 316 million people in the United States of America. About six million of them watch 'Homeland,' Showtime's thriller about world terror, paranoia, and bipolar disorder. That's about 2 percent of the population; roughly what the guy with the beard running on the Libertarian Party ticket gets when he runs for Congress.”
“All backups take their cue from Elrod Hendricks, the patron saint of erstwhile catchers.”
“Unlike the LeBrons and A-Rods of the world, anointed as special from pre-K, Matt Leinart exudes an approachability rarely seen in superstars. It's why kids on the autograph line chat him up like a buddy with whom they could stay up late playing Xbox.”
“In college football, fans wallow in a culture of failure. Unless you root for Miami, you sadly wait for disaster to strike your team in a manner not seen outside of Fenway Park.”
“'TMZ' took the illusion of privacy away. Now the paranoid star just assumes someone is always there. Decoy cars and false itineraries are floated to throw 'TMZ' off the scent.”
“I've seen few things more depressing than the end-of-season Giants-Padres series in 2001 in which Barry Bonds hit his 68th homer of the year while a .227-hitting, rapidly fossilizing Rickey Henderson staggered like a delirious marathoner toward 3,000 hits.”
“Before Angelina Jolie became a humanitarian, she was best known for wearing a vial of blood around her neck and kissing her brother.”
“I tested in the top percentile for IQ, but I couldn't tie my shoes or really ride a bike without training wheels until I was almost 7.”
“'TMZ' has the cash to buy off valets and info like flight lists or even the limo list of what celeb is being picked up where and when.”
“Ever since Mike Tyson was champ, twenty-something dudes have microwaved nachos, popped opened Natty Lights, watched sharks do unspeakable things on TV, and whispered a billion 'Whoa, dudes.'”