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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > November > 05 > Entry
Finally … The Chickster weighs in on Henderson-Whitworth scuffle at PBS
HENDERSON-WHITWORTH
SUNDAY SCUFFLE: ‘SHALL WE DANCE?’
THE CHICKSTER HAD TO ENDURE
18 HOURS OF BLOG WITHDRAWAL
===LUDWIG AT LARGE wants to know how Bengals fans feel about the HENDERSON-WHITWORTH “Rumble In The Jungle.”===
Sorry it’s taken me so long to weigh in on the heavyweight title bout between Jacksonville defensive tackle John Henderson and Cincinnati left offensive guard Andrew Whitworth at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008.
But I had this, well, Melvin Udall-styled ailment (Melvin is Jack Nicholson’s character in “As Good As It Gets.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbyP8gbb1hw
After finishing my three stories for the Dayton Daily News following the game, I was crafting a blog entry for LUDWIG AT LARGE when I decided to take a break and pour some coffee from a paper cup — secured with a plastic lid — into another paper cup that contained hot chocolate.
Whitworth
Henderson
Anyway, the paper cup exploded in my lap and the mixture splashed onto my computer keyboard …
… And, as you can imagine, my stupidity sent me into a rather major panic attack.
I immediately grabbed some napkins left over from lunch and went to work cleaning up the mess I made.
Certain keys on my Mac iBook wouldn’t work, so I shut my computer down and prayed to the patron saints of computers — Don Balduf and Ann Pettee — the entire drive home.
“I can smell the chocolate,” Balduf said on Monday, as he replaced my keyboard and nursed my computer back to life.
“What a stupid I am!” I said.
Not being able to blog for 18 hours sent me into depression and withdrawal, but I’m slowly coming out of it.
And as I look back on “The Fight,” I’m proud of what Whitworth did. He really had no choice because Henderson — whom Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham called a “turd” on the air during the incident — was using his fingers to gouge Whitworth’s eyes.
Whitworth will be fined by the league, but every penny is worth it because he showed both buts and gonads. This single act of manhood showed that the Bengals won’t be “punked” anymore, and it made him an instant folk hero in Cincinnati.
As Whitworth exited to cheers, and Henderson departed with smiles and laughter to a jeering crowd, I thought of a conversation I had with former Bengals defensive line coach Tim Krumrie, who had scouted Henderson at the University of Tennessee prior to the 2002 NFL draft.
Krumrie acknowledged Henderson’s talent, but didn’t like his work ethic.
Henderson went No. 9 overall to the Jags; the Bengals picked left tackle Levi Jones at No. 10.
View the Henderson-Whitworth fight at:
http://www.nfl.com/players/johnhenderson/profile?id=HEN076396
HENDERSON’S PRE-GAME RITUAL
THIS DEDICATION GOES OUT TO HENDERSON & WHITWORTH IN HONOR OF THEIR SUNDAY SCRUM
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By jack
November 5, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Was this the first Bengals player to get ejected this season? Was this their first win this season? Hmmmm!By angie
November 5, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
Is it possible the Chickster spilled coffee on his lap the day he predicted that the Bengals would win 10 games this season?By psychostats
November 5, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this
I have three reactions to this post, Chick. … ONE: So much for your threat to quit blogging if site traffic doesn’t double. If you have trouble lasting 18-hours, you’re not going anywhere. And that’s good news. … TWO: If anybody needs a coffee-proof keyboard, it’s got to be YOU. A Macbook keyboard cover costs around $25. Consider it cheap insurance. … THREE: Are you giving the Bengals credit for NOT drafting a troublesome player!? Let’s be thankful the Jags snapped up Henderson first.By Brian
November 5, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Wow, after watching Henderson’s pregame ritual I kind of wish he was on the Bengals defense just to inject some personality into the unit. The eye gouging was pretty lame though; unless you’re James Bond or Jason Bourne and that’s the only way to dispatch the bad guy in time to save the girl. But in a football fight?By Phathead
November 5, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
The only thing I know about this is that its the second defensive tackle this year that Whitt has gotten to. He must be doing something right to frustrate Henderson and Haynesworth. They both ripped his helmet off and wanted to throw down. So whatever Big Whitt is doing to these guys during the game, I hope he keeps it up. Minus the ejection of course.By Johnny
November 5, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this
Who pours drinks around their computer to begin with?By Kenn
November 5, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
“Heil Hitler!” screamed a clearly mad Emily. Her mother quickly cupped her hand over her daughter’s mouth in an attempt to silence her. “Heil Mussolini!” she tried to muffle. But by this time a crowd had begun to form with both the town pastor and Mr. Daniels in attendance. It was a typical day in West Virginia…By Brian
November 5, 2008 9:05 PM | Link to this
Huh?By John
November 5, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
Once again Chick’s off-the-field happenings seem more exciting than the Bengals game itself. AW’s segment stired up some emotions; perhaps the Bengals will draw some WWE fans to the future football games.By John
November 5, 2008 9:16 PM | Link to this
Once again Chick’s off-the-field happenings seem more exciting than the Bengals game itself. AW’s segment stirred up some emotions; perhaps the Bengals will draw some WWE fans to the future football games.