I have always said that the ride from the penthouse to the outhouse is a matter of seconds in pro sports and the latest news out of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania supports my claim. Former Miami of Ohio Red Hawks QB Ben Roethlisberger has hit another bump in the road, with his emergency appendectomy that will shelve him for at least the first game of the season.

The Steelers are showing a lot of cracks in the armor as they prepare to defend the Vince Lombardi trophy that recognized supremacy in the National Football League.

Big Ben has had a tumultuous off-season with the unfortunate motorcycle accident where the so-called leader of the pack made an error in judgment. Ridiculous American laws do not prevent riders of hogs from riding a chopper without a helmet and Big Ben rolled the dice.

All seemed to be going right when he returned from the infirmary, but then a bruised thumb began to cause some problems.  He was on his way to starting the opening gig against Miami, when he was rushed to the hospital for surgery. With Ben on the gurney, veteran Charlie Batch will start Thursday opposite Daunte Culpepper of the fish.

The sportsbooks had Pittsburgh -3 ½ - 3, but will probably drop this line to a pick-em prior to the kickoff! The Dolphins will only get better with the talented Nick Saban at the helm and the South Beach fans are anxious to see Daunte!  If you’re going to do some sports betting, take the visitors!

Choppy Rivers In San Diego!

The San Diego Chargers are rolling the dice in 2006 with the announcement that they will break camp with just two healthy quarterbacks. Phillip Rivers will be backed up by talented rookie Charlie Whitehurst who hailed from Clemson and has all kinds of talent. The problem though is whether Rivers can handle the attention, or will he become better, once LT enters the fray. If you are going to do some football betting on the Chargers, you might want to check out the odds on this player first.

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Chargers, the latest news that linebacker Steve Foley was arrested has got to have Marty retracing his steps.  Sheriff’s officials said the early morning shooting occurred after the off-duty Coronado police officer followed a suspected drunken driver weaving in and out of freeway traffic at speeds up to 90 mph.  Authorities said the driver nearly collided with several other vehicles.

Foley stopped three times, sheriff’s officials said. During one of the stops, Lisa Maree Gaut, a passenger in the vehicle, yelled at the officer.

The shooting occurred after Foley got out of the vehicle near his home and began walking toward the officer.  According to what the sheriff’s officials said, Gaut got behind the wheel and drove next to Foley in the direction of the officer.  Foley was arrested April 21 on charges of resisting arrest after police said he scuffled with officers. He also was booked on charges of battery on a police officer and public drunkenness.

The district attorney’s office recently said it was not pursuing charges against Foley in that incident.

I thought the Raiders were supposed to be the dysfunctional team in California!