A Day of Redemption

Soooooooo...........Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated by NFL commish Roger Goodell.
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The former poster boy and marketing stud for the league turned convicted felon now has the chance to return to the NFL, if someone will give him a job (and that is going to happen so don't hold your breath that 32 owners will collectively find a sense of morality).
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As much as it pains me to say it, Goodell's decision is the right thing to do.
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What Michael Vick did was heinous, disgusting, inhumane, and much, much more.
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However, Vick has done his time. He was issued a jail sentence for his behavior and has completed it.
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That is how our judicial system works, folks.
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St. Louis Ram DE Leonard Little was involved in an alcohol related accident in 1998 that killed a woman. Little did 90 days in jail, served his probation, was suspended for eight games and returned to the NFL.
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Michael Vick committed a crime and, right or wrong, has paid his debt to society. If Roger Goodell deems Vick suited for his league, the decision should be supported.
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Someone, somewhere, will offer Vick a contract. I'm sure the suitors have already been on the phone. Cleveland, home of the Dawg Pound, is too easy. Oakland is possible if only to make my life miserable. New England has been rumored as the Pats have the organizational leadership necessary to keep Vick in line.
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There will be serious public relations matters and you can reserve a spot in the PETA picket lines now as there will be plenty, but the furor will die down over time.
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Remember, what is fair isn't always right, and what is right isn't always fair.
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Good or bad, that is how this country works.
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Rose to Cooperstown, officially?


Word on the street is that MLB commissioner Bud Selig is reviewing Pete Rose's banishment from baseball.
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Pete Rose knowingly broke the game's most sacred rule....gambling on the sport. He lied for years and has turned a profit for his misdeeds for 20 years.
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That said, I've yet to see evidence that MLB's all-time hit leader ever gambled on the sport as an active player.
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I don't know why that matters to me, but I think Rose deserves enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

NFL Fan Code of Conduct = Big Brother Is Watching

Michael McCarthy of the USA Today recently authored up an excellent article http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-12-18-fan-conduct-cover_N.htm that details the NFL's new Fan Code of Conduct policy.

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After answering a survey, I was fortunate enough to be selected to offer up a few opinions for the piece. After reading the story, I tried to envision how this is going down, in the perfect world of the NFL.
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I'm picturing NFL commish Roger Goodell RG) in an underground bunker with a bank of TV's and telephones with a direct line to each stadium.
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Lots of crowd shots on the monitors as the fans in each location enjoy their Sunday afternoons, complete with newly installed "Applause" signs above each scoreboard so fans know when the league allows them to cheer for their team..
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My guess is the conversations go something like this:
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RG: Ummm, Buffalo, we have a problem. In Section 7, row 4, seats 5-9, there are five grotesque looking, 300-pound men with their shirts off. Let's see if we can get that covered up, shall we?
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Buffalo Security: Mr. Commish, I'm not sure we can do that..
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RG: Doesn't matter, I'm horrified! I dropped nacho cheese on my new Armani suit when I saw the gearth. Tell them they can cheer when the Bills score, maybe sometime in '09. At the least, make them paint an NFL logo on their chests, I'd hate to pass up an advertising opp.
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Buffalo Security: Sir, are you sure you want to......????
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RG: Hold on Buffalo, we have a bigger problem......Eli Manning just got sacked and his left sock is 1/8th of an inch below league code!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New York, you there?
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Giants Stadium Security: Yes, Mr. Goodell, we'll force a TV timeout, no problem. We have a bigger issue here.......your buddies Pacman and Plaxman both made the news last night. I'm sure you heard about it, Its in all the papers. How should we handle it?
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RG: No biggie, I'll fine the players 1/100th of their salary, they'll learn the lesson once they are hit in the wallet. That'll teach 'em........Now, GET THOSE SOCKS UP TO CODE! I won't be able to sleep tonight.
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RG: Hey Cleveland.....are those dawg bones that I see being eaten the ones endorsed by the league? If not, confiscate them. I'll lock them up in the vault with the Spygate evidence.
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RG: Hey.....where is that Jets//Steeler matchup? My screen is blank. Better get Heinz Field on the horn. Heinz Field, you there?
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Heinz Field: Yes sir, the game is going on. Pittsburgh is up 17-3 in the 2nd.
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RG: Why do I not have it? I'm sure we paid the cable bill.
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Heinz Field: Ummmm, sir? The game is on NFL Network. Are you with the vast majority of the country that doesn't get that channel?
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RG: D'oh!!!!!!