Who says that September 11 has to be a downer? This Sunday, as we all settle into our couch grooves for another season of NFL action, an event of epic proportions will be taking place in Del Mar, California. Not only will dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes be taking to Dog Beach for our favorite annual event – Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon – but the Helen Woodward Animal Center will also be announcing the first inductee into the event’s brand new Hall of Fame. That lucky pooch is Buddy, a 14-year old Jack Russell terrier.

“This honor is validation that Buddy’s a good surfer,” [Buddy’s owner Bruce] Hooker told HuffPost Weird News. “He’s a special dog.”

Former surf journalist Nedra Abramson, who now organizes the Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon, agrees, hence the decision to honor him as the first inductee.

“Buddy does it for the right reasons,” she said. “He loves to surf — and he does turns! It’s like he’s a reincarnated surfer. He’s brought the sport great notoriety.” (Via Huffington Post)

There’s plenty of other praise in the article about why Buddy and Bruce do what they do and the insinuation that the dog is surfing for “the right reasons” is hilarious enough. But screw it, the event is incredible and it helps dogs find new homes, so they could tell people that Buddy’s doing it to score major dog poon and I’d still rub his tummy and call him a good boy. Now if I could just get my dog to learn how to do anything.

Check out Buddy in action after the jump.

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Miley Cyrus has made a sustainable, blockbuster career out of professions that shouldn’t make her famous. She was the daughter of country music’s Rick Astley. She was the star of a Disney Channel show about a girl who wears a wig. She had a custom-built Nicholas Sparks movie set up around her and tours the world as a Latina (?) teenager who booty-pops to auto-tuned Madonna songs with her best friend Biggus Dickus. Now Miley is embarking on a new career, and it makes less sense than ever: she’s been declared a goodwill ambassador to the game of bowling and elected to the Bowling Hall Of Fame.

Via a report from E! Online:

“We knew that with megastars such as Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber in our lineup that this year’s race would be a close one,” said Steve Johnson, executive director of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

“Fueled by the passion and support of her supporters and bowling fans worldwide, Ms. Cyrus rose to the occasion scoring an incredible comeback victory. We are honored to welcome her into the Hall of Fame and grateful for her support of the great sport of bowling.”

As mentioned, Miley beat out bowling luminaries Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga and one or more Jonas Brothers to take the honor. She also beat Jeff Bridges, who as far as I know is the only person on that list to have done something in his life about bowling. The rationale for nominating these people, besides free press (and the question “can you name a pro bowler”)?

“The roster of candidates includes celebrities who have helped support and popularize bowling, contributing to its status as the nation’s number one participatory sport,” the statement says.

I googled “Miley Cyrus bowling” and literally the only thing I could find besides “Miley Cyrus inducted into Bowling Hall Of Fame” were two pictures of her doing a Hannah Montana press thing at a bowling alley when she was 11. Her head hasn’t started going through puberty yet. Look at her, shelooks like a Monchichi.

Anyway, I guess I’d have to be pretty Sports By Brooks to try and call out the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America for giving a black eye to the nation’s number one participatory sport, but damn, Drew Carey getting into the WWE Hall of Fame was pretty dumb, but at least he spent a few minutes in the Royal Rumble. This is like the Pawnee chapter of the Indiana Organization of Women giving Ron Swanson “Woman Of The Year”.

I bet there’s some poor, awesome bowler somewhere checking his mailbox every day to see if the BPAA has decided to value him over a bobbleheaded teenager who once held a bowling ball. Sorry, Ralph, not this year.

[h/t to FARK]

In 2008, former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little filed for workers’ compensation in California for the health problems and pains he still suffers from his playing career that ended more than 30 years ago. However, Floyd is now being sued along with 8 other former Broncos by the insurance company, St. Paul Fire and Marine, because it claims that the team is actually responsible.

But wait, why are Denver players filing for workers’ comp in California?

California law is unique in that it allows for professional athletes to file workers’ compensation claims in the state even if they never played for California-based teams. All that is required is to have played at least one professional game in the state.

Using that provision, thousands of former professional athletes have quietly filed claims in California. Football players are the most prominent group. A New York Times investigation last year found about 700 pending cases involving former National Football League players, along with hundreds more that had been settled.

Former professional basketball and baseball players also have filed for compensation. (Denver Post)

Now I’m not some fancy, big shot, city slicker workers’ compensation attorney, nor am I a state lawmaker with a top hat and monocle. But I have a little common sense that I use sparingly, and in this case my alarm is going apesh*t.

California currently has a debt to GDP ratio of approximately 18.7%, which amounts to almost $10,000 in debt per citizen. I don’t know what any of that means, as I live in Florida and everything is perfect here, but if thousands of former athletes are taking advantage of this loophole now, I’d have to imagine that a lawmaker might eventually notice and say, “My word, this is indubitably wasteful!” Wait, what’s that anyone who lives in California? They won’t? That’s unfortunate.