Cory Lidle? Suicide? Question? Appropriate?

If there's one thing we know about athletes, it's that they're always up for taking their own lives. Terrell Owens taught us that. And while authorities aren't saying Cory Lidle committed suicide, they're not saying he didn't commit suicide either. Therefore he did. That's what we call journalism. A tipster reports some journalism perpetrated by CNN's Nancy Grace:

I heard this on WFAN at about 1 a.m. A guy called up the show and said that Joe Beningo (a WFAN host) was on Nancy Grace and she was trying to get him to say that Corey Lidle's plane crash was no accident and that it was suicide.

Nothing about that in the transcript from Grace's CNN show, so it must have been some later call-ins. The New York Observer's Philip Weiss is all over the question too, asking sternly "How fit was he to get in behind the controls?". Once we've consulted our Ouija boards, we'll get back to you. And for those of you who keep mispronouncing Lidle's last name, just remember: rhymes with "suicidal." More »

Cory Lidle Plane Crash: Morning Roundup

• According to the AP, it's still unclear if there was any distress call or not from the plane before the crash. More »

Cory Lidle Plane Crash: Late/Early Edition

• The National Transportation Safety Board presented preliminary findings at an 11 p.m. press conference, saying that the engine, mounting, and propeller of Cory Lidle's plane were found lodged into the burned-out 30th/31st-floor apartments that the plane struck. The fuselage, wheels, other parts, and the bodies of Lidle and his flight instructor were found on the street below. More »

• CNN reports that the second person on the plane (and the second fatality) was Cory Lidle's flight instructor, but no name has been released, nor is it clear who was at the controls. Incredibly, no injuries reported in the building itself. More »

Cory Lidle's "High-Risk" Lifestyle

The flying? I'm not worried about it. I'm safe up there. I feel very comfortable with my abilities flying an airplane.

Yep, that was Cory Lidle, back in June when he still played for the Phillies. Lidle said that in response to a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the Phillies' detailed contract penalties that forbade players from engaging in "high-risk" activities that might lead to injury and time off the field. Getting hurt while doing any of these — including, specifically, flying — meant a portion of the total contract could be withheld. Of course, that's a whole different scenario from being killed while flying, so time will tell if actually dying while engaged in a high-risk activity means that some penalty clause will activate in Lidle's contract with the Yankees. The Philly Inquirer article is behind a pay wall in the archives, so we've dumped it after the jump, for your consideration. More »

Craigslist's censors are working overtime to remove swarms of jokey classified ads for apartments in the building hit by Cory Lidle's plane. Trust us, even discounting the black humor factor, they're not funny. But maybe if we run one, you'll stop clogging up our inbox with the hilarious forwards that came over the interoffice mailing list? Please? OK, deal. Click after the jump if you must, knowing that we in no way endorse the following. We won't bother to link, as the following ad is already gone. More »

At Least Two Confirmed Dead in Lidle Plane Crash

Current updates on the Manhattan plane crash: More »

NY Yankee Cory Lidle Piloted Crashed Plane

Our relations at Deadspin are collecting reports that the plane which crashed into the Upper East Side building was registered to — and probably piloted by — New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. ("This is totally what happens when Detroit wins," says one person on the street. Please, no hate mail.) Pretty much every news outlet you can think of is all over this one, so go forth and soak up the tragedy. More »