I'm a little bit late arriving to this story, but a while back D.C. Sports Bog pointed out that none other than Tony LaRussa is on the ballot for World's Sexiest Vegetarian, and it flew under my radar until the FanHaus picked it up.

Among the more than 200 sizzling celebs who are vying for this year's titles: country music sensation Carrie Underwood; ravishing redhead Bryce Dallas Howard; sexy starlet Alicia Silverstone; King Kong leading lady Naomi Watts;…House beauty Lisa Edelstein; Walk the Line's dashing "Johnny Cash," Joaquin Phoenix; Hollywood heartthrob Casey Affleck; …American Idol crooner Ruben Studdard; actor and 30 Seconds to Mars vocalist Jared Leto; Good Charlotte hottie Benji Madden; and dapper emcee Common.

I hope everyone's okay with the picture of Bryce Dallas Howard; I know how LaRussa sets hearts aflutter on this site. 

LaRussa's competition in the world of sports includes Carl Lewis, Raja Bell, Anthony Peeler, and Ricky Williams, but with heartthrobs like Rick Rubin, Dennis Kucinich, Kevin Nealon, Peter Dinklage, and Weird Al Yankovic all competing on the men's side, it looks like the sports hunks may all be long shots.

Two bits of ganja-related news today… first up: running back Ricky Williams can't apply for reinstatement in the NFL until September because — yet a-freakin'-gain — he tested positive for marijuana.

Williams was suspended last year for violation of the substance abuse policy and was eligible to be reinstated this month, but the league's medical advisors that oversee Williams' personal rehabilitation program recently notified commissioner Roger Goodell of the positive test, sources said…

"Falling off the wagon is part of rehab," a source said. "Based on the medical evidence in Ricky's case, the doctors say it's too early to come back. He had the positive test last month. Remember, he's been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder — that's a real disease and a good percentage of those folks self-medicate with substances like marijuana, often at the moment they are about to have a high level of social interaction."

Just a thought here: maybe if you can't handle social interaction and need to get high to cope with people, perhaps "star NFL running back" isn't the best career choice.

Pot news story #2: a Detroit man called 911, thinking that a Red Wings playoff victory was part of his pot brownie hallucination.  The audio of the call is the best five minutes of my life since the last three times I had sex.  That's right, ladies, all this could be yours.

Despite recent events that suggest Ricky Williams is a little pissed off and tired of being in Canada, his agent Leigh Steinberg assured Fox Sports Radio otherwise:

Oh he is absolutely in the best spirits. He found something to substitute for substance abuse which is a philosophy of yoga and sort of eastern philosophy and he meditates and it gives him tremendous peace.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. "Hey Ricky, put the bong down and try this Downward Dog. It's so fucking peaceful it will blow your mind."

I don't buy it. There just isn't a physical activity out there that's a legitimate substitute for substance abuse. This one girl tried to get me to put a beer down so I could dance with her, and I pushed her down a flight of stairs.

UPDATE: For intelligent discourse on this subject, check out Dave's Football Blog.