What's An Argonaut, Anyway?

Well, Ricky's back ... again ...





... looking a little cleaner, with a new number and a new uniform ...





... in Canada, for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

In 2005, the incredibly positive, eccentric, introspective, caring, self-centered, unpredictable Miami running back made his comeback to the Dolphins from his sudden "retirement" and marijuana suspension in 2004.

He finished strong in the voting for the National Football League's "Comeback Player Of The Year" award, and his once-scornful teammates voted him as the best team player for the Dolphins last season.

He returned in 2005 from his soul-searching voyages to the Australian outback and studies in holistic medicine to do what he's always done (besides confound jocks and journalists alike): play like a warrior for a cut-throat sport.

The only reason he's playing football is because a judge ruled that he owes the Dolphins $8 million for abruptly walking out on them and his contract Dolphins before the '04 season. Yet still, he played as hard as anybody in the league.

Earlier this year, the former NFL rushing leader and Heisman Trophy winner failed another drug test (not for marijuana, apparently).

And now, tonight, he played his first game in an Argonauts (what is one of those, anyway?) uniform.




As is always the case with Ricky, a positive force seems to attract so much unsolicited negativity.

It's everywhere -- on the news, in the lockerroom, in the fat guy's recliner -- but let's just stick with former Toronto Argonaut and Redskins quarterback and current ESPN analyst Joe Theismann.

This is the guy who, when he was at Notre Dame, changed the pronunciation of his last name from "THEE-sman" to "THI-sman" in an effort to make it rhyme with Heisman (the college trophy that Ricky won in 1998 with the University of Texas, but Theesman never managed to win).

Here's what Theesman had to say this week:

"I don't ever want to be mentioned in the same breath as Ricky Williams as a football player. He's a disgrace to the game. The man doesn't deserve to play football. He should go on with his life and treat his drug addictions or go do whatever he wants to do.

We have rules in the National Football League. It's real simple. Don't do drugs and you can play. It's a privilege to be able to play professional football. It's not some rite of passage. He's insulted the Miami Dolphins after they took him back and gave him a chance to play.

Now he insults the intelligence of everybody that thinks that doing drugs is OK. To me, it's the wrong message to send to kids. It's the wrong thing to be doing, and the Toronto Argonauts have embarrassed themselves as an organization signing him."

This venom directed toward a guy who founded his own charity and while he's in Toronto plans to teach free "karma yoga" classes several mornings a week before he heads to practice.

And who says things like this:

"I don't hold any hard feelings against him. I understand it's his job to say things. The thing about people, if you meet a positive person, you'll never have anything negative to say."

And this ...

"The way I look at it, life is a journey, and through that journey, there's dark forests, there's beautiful mountains, there's beautiful lakes, there's pristine views, and sometimes there's dark places. But as you keep on going with your head up and you stay on the journey, you always reach your destination."

And this ...

"When I was a kid, I planted a seed to be a rich and famous pro athlete and I thought it would be happiness. The flower was ripe when I won the Heisman Trophy. And I didn't have another seed to plant."

And this ...

"One thing about Toronto, is everyone here is so nice."

Yeah, let's string him up.

And all the kids can look up and know, "This is a horrible person to be."

Are they selling those #27 Argonauts jerseys yet?