U.S. President Gerald Ford passes away...

...and no, it wasn't from a slip or fall. May he rest in peace. Anyone who had to follow Nixon's act was bound to seem dull and comfortably nice in comparison.

What many people don't know is that Ford was one of the greatest gridiron players of his generation. I remember reading that he was named to Sports Illustrated's All-American team for 1900-1950 at center. I suspect this was the reason Nixon named him as Vice-President after Spiro Agnew's resignation, Nixon imagining Ford snapping the ball to him and running for endless touchdowns around slowfooted Democrats. Of course Nixon was sent off, as it were.

So the simple fact of it is that Ford could have taken the head off of many of his critics in a physical confrontation. Instead, he's remembered for pardoning Nixon, losing to Carter, and falling down a aeroplane stairwell. A funny old thing life is sometimes.