Tuesday PM

Ellen Goodman wrote an op-ed piece the other day lamenting the new reality of disabled athletes. I did a little checking on-line and there is actually a bit of a debate out there as a result of a double-amputee runner who has recorded some startling times with the aid of high-tech, carbon fiber leg prostheses called "cheetahs". Some folks are suggesting that the amputee with these prostheses may actually have an advantage over able-bodied runners. But that's a whole different story well beyond my level of interest.

Back to Goodman. I read her occasionally. She's not what I would call off-the-wall, Michael Moore leftish, but she tends toward a blue ideology. Hey, she's from Boston! Anyway, in this recent column about technology making the disabled something less than the traditionally disabled, she also brought into the discussion Tiger Woods' laser eye surgery, and (the horror of it!), the possible cosmetic enhancements of our beauty pageant contestants. I wonder if she is too close to home for the late night crews to get Top Ten lists going for this new view of True to Nature?

Here's a go at my Top Ten of Goodman's Guidelines:

1. Good-bye orthodontics. And to the wealthy orthodontists.
2. Good-bye Clairol and Grecian Formula. Hello Gray!
3. My titanium road bike with index, finger-tip shifting. Gone.
4. Bottled spring water at $1.79 a pop. See 'ya. (I agree with her here.)
5. Laser-mounted pictures in the living room. Fagetaboutit.
6. $150 running shoes. Not. (Again, I agree.)
7. Honey, where's the beta-max?
8. Blackberries, Ipods, HD LQ screen TV's. All gone.
9. Plastic surgeons. Back to Family Practice. Ouch.
10. Gee, (insert name), you sure look good in that white t-shirt and gym shorts.

Some of that's a little harsh, but when you start equating steroids and EPO/HGH in athletes to laser eye surgery and breast implants it's hard to find a base line.

Hope everyone has a great evening.

Be careful out there.