THE MORNING ACCORDING TO US

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"I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes..."

In 1975, a popular country music singer was in western Montana trying to scale a mountain. A nasty spill left the bones in his face shattered in numerous places. He was, for a time, disfigured beyond recognition. After numerous surgeries, Hank Williams Jr was scarred to such a degree that he decided to grow a full beard, don a dark hat and wear sunglasses all the time. (He's the original Corey Hart!). Now? Heck, he even has a Facebook page. Who could recall he ever looked different?

Is it not perfect then that since 1991, Williams Jr. has been linked almost entirely to football? What other sport is predicated on turning calamity into instant re-invention and success? Your ND quarterback stinks? Try Montana! Montana breaks his back? Try Young! The old look is instantly forgotten. Name a great player and you can always find someone who was injured or inadequate enough to give him a shot. And unlike most sports, where a progression of many games wears players down, or singles out the unskilled, football, like a fast plummet, does it in an instant. A quarter? Enough to end your season, Tom Brady! A quarter season? Enough to get you fired, Scott Linehan! (Sometimes, mercifully.)

It's always re-invention season. How do we know? Here's a good start. College Gameday is heading to Vandy? That's like Streisand playing the Stumble Inn. Of course, in 1974, a bearded, be-spectacled, hat-wearing Hank Williams Jr was unthinkable. Now, we wouldn't know him any other way. Vandy can hope…

Elsewhere…

Check out this dude. He's a rock-climbing vagabond, now 57, and he climbed some of the toughest rock walls in the world somewhere between deliberately broke and undeniably stoned.

In Mansfield, PA, a school goes light. Consider that on the football team, no player can suit up if his weight exceeds 172 pounds.

If you want to see the newest trend in high-speed, hardcore American drifting, check out this video.

A Frenchman tried to fly over the English channel in his airship, powered only be his incessant pedaling. Well, that backfired.

The logo for the Fresno State Bulldogs is a point of pride, with the green "V" on the back of the helmets paying respect to the valley the area inhabits. It's agricultrual country. Unfortunately, a violent gang shares the bulldog logo.

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