Get To J. Gumbo's For Bumblebee Stew

If you take no other advice I provide this year, stop at a J. Gumbo's near you (there are six in metro Louisville with a seventh due to open in the Summit just a mile from me - joy!) and order up a bowl of Bumblebee Stew. You will be in for a culinary treat that's unsurpassed.

I love Thai. We frequently eat Mexican. Vietnamese is outstanding, as is Chinese.

But nothing compares to the Cajun Classics the guys over at J. Gumbo's cook up. Boasting a sweet and spicy blend of fresh-cooked corn, full-flavored black beans and tasty onions, this dish is the best meal I've eaten in years. It's full of flavor, possesses a wonderful taste profile and is healthy to boot.

Get yourself some.

Pro Cycling Is History

One of the fun things about having a blog is you can type headlines like that.

Unfortunately, in this case, it's true. Pro cycling is toast. Its credibility, already hanging by a precarious thread, today splintered into a vast abyss of nothingness.

Following a high-profile admission of blood doping by former champ Bjarne Riis to rampant speculation and accusation that others (including former Tour De France champions Jan Ulrich, Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis) all cheated, the sport began this year's Tour De France with high hopes. All entrants, in a spectacular attempt to win back skeptical fans, went so far as to sign gentlemen's agreements stating they were competing clean (without illegal substances, blood infusions or use of other banned chemical trickery).

Too bad it didn't work.

Today it was announced the 13th stage time trial and 15th stage winner Alexandre Vinkourov tested positive for a prohibited blood transfusion. The discovery prompted another hotel police raid for which the Tour's become so famous.

To make matters worse, current Tour leader Michael Rasmussen was kicked off his Danish national team for failing to meet drug testing requirements. He repeatedly ignored warnings, including those given to him on May 8th, June 28th and June 29th. That's prompted the head of the UCI (the organization that supposedly governs pro cyclists), Pat McQuaid, to say "it would be better if somebody else were to win. The last thing this sport needs is more speculation about doping."

Unfortunately, with Vino's positive doping test, the sport got worse than that; silver arrows to the heart are hard to overcome, even for a blood-lusting werewolf.

Update 7-25-2007: Tour De France leader Michael Rasmussen has been kicked out of the tour for violating team rules, notably missing numerous drug tests. That's unfortunate. This year marked an opportunity for pro cycling to prove itself. Instead, the sport's only sunken further into the hole its stars have dug for it.

Bobby Petrino's Job Just Got Tougher

Coaching in the NFL is a tough, tough proposition. Careers flame out quickly. Many (myself included) felt former Louisville Cardinals head football coach Bobby Petrino made a mistake leaving the Derby City. After all, the man was virtually assured of remaining one of the town's leading dignitaries. All that was required was he win maybe six or seven games a year after leading us to an impressive Orange Bowl victory.

Before the glow abated, however, came the move we all sensed. The lights, glitter and glare of the NFL beckoned. Bobby jumped ship. At first I was angry. I'd been telling anyone who would listen he was a goner. So I felt vindicated. Then I realized I should be happy for the guy. In truth, I grew to find myself wishing the man success.

Well, it's probably not going to happen, now. Not with the 130-million-dollar franchise quarterback facing federal criminal conspiracy charges and a possible six-year prison sentence. It's possible Michael Vick won't even play this year, I suspect. I doubt the franchise's PR department (or the NFL's notorious publicity machine) is enthused at the idea of explaining why a man reportedly accused of personally drowning and electrocuting eight dogs (among other charges) is being permitted to play.

So, Petrino is going to find out just how difficult serving as an NFL head coach can be. The good thing is, if anyone can live up to the challenge, he can. I wish him luck. He's going to need it.

Blaming Narron For Lack Of Pitching

Can you blame Jerry Narron for the Cincinnati Reds 2007 woes? Apparently so, as he's just been fired.

I don't think the Reds' owning Major League Baseball's worst record, though, is Narron's fault. The Reds' bullpen is, well, bad. Horrid, actually. There's no other way to put it.

What are the Reds? Aren't they something like -87 for the 8th inning? In other words, opposing teams have scored 87 more runs in the eighth inning than have the Reds this year.

You're not going to win baseball games with that type of ratio. And, the cause is simple. The Reds have failed to develop and/or recruit quality middle and late inning pitchers. That must change, or the Reds will continue to languish at the bottom of the division regardless who heads the helm.

What A Year For Cards Baseball

The University of Louisville Cardinals baseball team had a great year. First they went 47-24, accounting for more wins in a season than ever before. Then the team qualified for the College World Series (another first). The team, which wasn't even ranked at the beginning of the year, finished sixth in the nation.

And now word comes that the team's first-year rookie coach, Dan McDonnell, has won Manager of the Year honors. He certainly earned it.

Tom Jurich, of course, deserves some credit here, too. There's a reason he won the Athletic Director of the Year award. I cannot name a single collegiate administrator that's done as good a job as this fellow in recruiting winning coaches who operate with dignity and professionalism (OK, maybe Mr. Petrino was sometimes a little animated - but he proved to be a winning coach nonetheless).