Now I’m not a cynical sort. I still put out a plate of sugar cookies on Christmas Eve and make sure some carrots are strewn in the backyard come Easter Sunday.
Sure I feel sorry for Nate Burleson, who was involved in a single-car crash early Tuesday morning and fractured his arm.

Burleson was on westbound I-696 in Farmington Hills at about 2:25 a.m. when he crashed his 2009 GMC Yukon into a center median. Apparently he was distracted by a pizza box sliding off his front seat, according to Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw. The police report also indicates that alcohol was not a factor.
Burleson had been at Happy’s Pizza & Pub in West Bloomfield for an appearance with teammate Stephen Tulloch.  
Now I don’t know Burleson. I don’t know if he drinks or not. I don’t even know what time the appearance was scheduled for. But anything that happens at almost 2:30 in the morning is subject to at least a raised eyebrow or two.
Call me cynical. Call me naïve. Call Dr. Oz to do surgery on Nate’s arm. Or should it be Dr. Seuss?
Then again, these are the Lions. This is a team that historically has had more bad fortune than a Bernie Madoff investor. Burleson was their leading receiver this season. He had six catches for 116 yards in the team’s win at Washington Sunday. He led the team with 19 receptions through three games.