Detroit Lions Weblog

Fear and Loathing

One of America’s great countercultural icons and sports enthusiasts, Hunter S. Thompson, committed suicide last night. It goes without saying, many people like myself who spend considerable amounts of time on an endeavor like this weblog, owe a debt of gratitude to an independent voice like Thompson’s. By saying that, I am in no way comparing what I have to say about the Detroit Lions to his acclaimed works such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson’s column for ESPN, Hey Rube, was particularly inspiring because he was able to take the seemingly disparate worlds of sports, politics, and American culture and help us see ourselves in new ways, whether we agreed with his observations or not. R.I.P. Hunter.

Tomorrow is a big day for the NFL. Many high-profile players who are getting paid high salaries by their respective teams are potentially about to be released and beginning their search for new jobs. One of note to me, Laveranues Coles, is particuarly enticing. I realize that the Lions have many more pressing needs, but the addition of Coles as an experienced receiver coming across the middle and a player who has exhibited the toughness that Coles has is hard not to dream about in Honululu Blue and Silver.