Everyone who’s planning an NFL comeback this season please take a step forward. Um, not so fast, Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress. Our two chief NFL antagonists may be grabbing headlines regarding their plans for the 2009 season, but according to YAHOO SPORTS’ Jason Cole, NFL Commish Roger Goodell would probably prefer that they grab some pine.
Vick is scheduled to be released from confinement on July 20 — did you remember to buy him a card? — after serving 20 months for crimes against pooches. And while a reality show would be fun, what he really wants to do is play ball. Burress’ gun case, meanwhile, has been adjourned until September, and may not be heard until March, 2010. At least he’s staying in shape in the meantime. Read more…
One of the more disappointing aspects of being a pro sports fan in modern times is the disconnect that has grown between fan and athlete. In fact, many athletes seem to have outright contempt for the people who watch their every move, and they show it through stonewalling every media inquiry that comes their way.
So it’s refreshing on rare occasion that an athlete sticks his or her neck out and actually has an opinion. It’s even more interesting when an athlete breaks the unwritten code of silence when it comes to other athletes. That’s why Brendan Haywood’s comments regarding Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth stood out. No band of brothers here, and to tell Haywood tell it, behind the impassive eyes and tired cliches that athletes trot out to their adoring public, some of them might even feel strongly about things.
It’s no secret that last week Michael Vick was released from prison to home confinement; it seems like every major media outlet in the country rolled the completely boring footage of Vick’s entourage rolling up to his Virginia manse. With nowhere to go, you might think the nation’s most famous construction worker would have a rough time around the house with nothing to do for the next few months.
Think that no more, friends. While the world’s pre-eminent authority on everything, WIKIPEDIA, describes house arrest as a “punitive measure” meant to be an alternative to prison time, it’s hard to see what exactly is punitive about this lakeside Memorial Day BBQ held at Vick’s house in Virginia. TMZ somehow had an operative on the scene who got photo proof of Vick’s oh-so-rough life under arrest.
The rise and fall of Michael Vick has been covered in many ways by many different writers. Stories of Vick can generally be broken down into three distinct eras. Before Vick’s arrest and conviction on dogfighting charges, the stories about the Falcons QB were almost universally fawning and positive. After Vick’s arrest and up until a few months ago, the stories focused on Vick as villain and criminal - his dogfighting operation, his bankruptcy, and his life in federal prison. Recently, as Vick’s release from prison has drawn closer, the media has focused on Vick’s future: what will he do after prison? Will he ever make it back to the NFL? Will he ever pay his creditors? Will the American public ever forgive him? Will he end up a reality TV star?
Today, attorney and frequent ESPN commentator Lester Munsonblew up the accepted three-act storyline of Vick’s life with an exhaustive account of the poor decisions and impending financial disaster that preceded Vick’s public disgracing. Dogfighting or no dogfighting, Michael Vick had been on a collision course with disaster for many years and ironically, Vick’s jail sentence may end up being the very thing that saves him.
Somehow, with every Michael Vick story that has come out over the past year, you had to know that this one was coming: AD AGE says that the disgraced former NFL star QB is in talks with PETA to become a spokesman for their organization, denouncing dog fighting and trying to steer others away from the dark path that ruined his life. Sort of a modern version of the Yul Brynner “I’m dead now, please don’t smoke” PSAs from the 1980s, but with more hair and more dogfighting.
Vick’s lawyers are working with PETA to make this happen. So as soon as Vick’s released from jail you can expect him to hit the ground running on the “I’m sorry I forced dogs to kill and maim each other” circuit - but this time with PETA’s blessing rather than hundreds of protesters at every stop. In fact, one of the executives at PETA thinks that, much like Smokey The Bear, only Michael Vick can prevent dogfighting.
I’m making a list of people who hate dogs. For obvious reasons, Michael Vick is still at the top of the list, but minor league baseball umpire Jeff Hutchings is climbing up the ranks. Why? Because, as WFMY-TV says, Hutchings likely became the first umpire in baseball history to eject a dog form a game, as he sent the Greensboro Grasshoppers’ mascot/”ball dog” Master Yogi Berra to hit the dog groomers after an incident in the fourth inning of their game against Asheville on Tuesday.
And the reason for Hutchings’ rage at the dog? He didn’t pull an Uga and try to bite an opposing player, and he didn’t even try to hump second base. His crime? Doing what dogs do naturally and emptying his bowels. Unfortunately for Master Yogi Berra, it happened to be in the middle of the field in between innings, which peeved Hutchings. But fortunately for us, BUSTED COVERAGE was able to track down video of Doo Doo Gate, which is after the dump … er, jump:
April is the best month to be a sports fan, and last night was a classic example of why. It was a virtual buffet of scrumptious viewing options. And a really good buffet, too, like the ones you find in downtown Vegas where all the locals eat, not one of those lousy chain buffets where everything from the decor to the food is a monochrome tan color palette and seems to be from the 1970s. (I’m looking at you, Hometown Buffet.)
Case in point: Game 5 between the Celtics and the Bulls, which took an already great series into uncharted territory. With their backs to the wall and missing two of their Big Three (Kevin Garnett to injury and Ray Allen after fouling out with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter), Boston found a way to get past Chicago 106-104 in overtime. And that way was Paul Pierce, who made three straight jumpers in the final 77 seconds of OT to carry the Celtics to a 3-2 series lead.
Just how historic is this series? The two teams have set a record with three overtime games in one series - and there’s still as many as two games left to go. (And let’s be honest: anyone who isn’t a Boston fan has to want this to go to seven games.) Bob Ryan of the BOSTON GLOBE believes it’s the best No. 2 vs. No. 7 match-up in league history, and it’s pretty hard to argue the point.
Of course, there were other heroes who made the win possible for the Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Brad Miller. Yeah, that Brad Miller, the big, vaguely stiffish center who plays for the Bulls. Miller had a chance to send the game into a second OT when Rondo was called for a foul on Miller’s missed layup with two seconds left. But Miller clanked the first one and then failed to hit the rim while trying to miss the second one.
Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is just destroying things. Mainly the 76ers, as evidenced by his 24 point, 24 rebound performance in the Magic’s 91-78 victory to get their own 3-2 series lead. And more specifically, he destroyed the 76ers Samuel Dalembert with an elbow to the head which earned him a technical foul. Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo has said the team has already informed the league about Howard’s foul (in hopes of getting him suspended for Game 6), but since David Stern was actually at the game, the phone call was probably unnecessary.
But like any weapon of mass destruction, Howard can be as dangerous to his allies as his enemies (think of him as the basketball version of Doctor Manhattan, except with less giant blue wang), as proven when he KO’ed Orlando starting point guard Courtney Lee, sending him out of the game and to the hospital with a likely concussion. Which means that Orlando could be very short-handed when heading back to Philadelphia for Game 6. This series is far from over.
Meanwhile, let’s turn our attention to something slightly less violent: the NHL playoffs. Unless you consider death by choking to be too graphic for your tastes. Because that’s exactly what the New Jersey Devils did in their Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes, finding a way to lose in regulation despite having a 3-2 lead … with 80 seconds left.
No OT needed here, just a total and complete collapse started by Jussi Jokinen’s game-tying goal at 18:40 in the 3rd period and completed with Eric Staal’s game and series-winner with 37 seconds left. And keep in mind that this all happened in New Jersey: If you want to know just how quiet a sellout crowd can be, just watch this video of the Hurricanes’ furious rally:
Finally, I guess that Major League Soccer has finally reached the big time. Sure, their attendance is lagging and their TV ratings are at XFL levels, but now they can claim to be on par with a big time league like the NBA in one capacity: a referee game-fixing scandal. The COLUMBUS DISPATCH says that MLS referee Jair Marrufo is under investigation for allegedly accepting an autographed jersey from Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco in the referee’s room after their 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew on Saturday. (And a hat tip to SOCCER BY IVES for finding the original story.)
Accepting a gift from a player is a pretty awful idea if you’re an official of any sport, much less a professional official at the highest level. But when you add to this the fact that Marrufo called a controversial red card on the Crew’s Gino Padula for a foul on Blanco in the second half, and that the Fire rallied for two late goals against the man-down Columbus side for a 2-2 draw, and things get downright shady.
As someone who has covered the MLS in recent years, I don’t think Marrufo purposefully threw the match; Given the lousy quality of MLS referees (including Marrufo), I don’t think the majority of them have the wherewithal to fix a bowl of cereal, much less a match. It’s more likely the whole incident was a mix of horrible on the field and post-game judgment by an MLS referee, a shockingly common occurrence.
Speaking of people I wish would go away but haven’t quite yet: Please get ready to head to your fallout shelters until the start of the regular season. PRO FOOTBALL TALK says that the Jets have given Brett Favre his release, meaning he’s now a free agent. And Favre’s response to the news (“at this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football”) has me feeling very nauseous and woozy.
Some good news, Phillies fans: your team won 7-1 and Cole Hamels only gave up four hits while lowering his ERA. The bad news: he only went 4-1/3 innings before shutting it down after spraining his ankle fielding a bunt. And that new “lower” ERA is still at 7.27.
In case you missed it on Monday night, James Jones of the Miami Heat scored eight points in 11 seconds against the Hawks, thanks to back-to-back four point plays. And Miami still lost by about a billion points - imagine how much worse it could have been (OK, eight points worse, but still). BALL DON’T LIE has the video proof of the Reggie Miller-esque scoring outburst:
The CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS says former Tennessee OL Cameron Mayo was arrested on charges of sexual assault. The former Volunteer was working at Dalton High in Tennessee as a substitute teacher at the time of his arrest.
In other Red Raiders news, Texas Tech’s baseball team recently had a “Turn Back The Clock” night, so UNI WATCH says their video department decided to make a retro style highlight package. Someone had a lot of fun making this, so please watch:
More fallout from the swine flu epidemic: the AP says that CONCACAF has canceled its regional beach soccer tournament scheduled to begin tomorrow in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The good news: if you’re going to be stranded somewhere because of a horrible flu outbreak, at least it’s the beach.
