All Vick, All the Time

BY ADAM WILSON
Thanks to Digressions in Abundance

Last night I was watching Michael Vick coverage because I am very interested in what 7,000 different & random people think about it. So it was nice to hear some newspaper writer from Atlanta, who by her own admission doesn't like football and doesn't follow the Falcons or Vick, tell me her deepest feelings about the whole situation. It was good to hear her opinion of the impact Vick's (who, I repeat, she doesn't pay attention to) legal troubles are having on her city.

It was nice to hear Chris Mortensen report 55 times about what is happening with the case RIGHT NOW. It was nice to see Suze Kolber. (no seriously, I like her. Like Joe Namath said.) It was nice to see the game crew interview the "ESPN legal analyst" for 3 segments...asking him the same questions over and over again. By the way...do you think Roger Cossack was mad he didn't get the face time? I bet he was. Isn't he supposed to be ESPN's resident legal expert? I can only assume his head exploded after being on every single ESPN show for the previous 10 hours. Otherwise, they would have flown him in, right?

It was nice to see video of Vick apologizing to everyone in the world for what he did. It was especially nice to see it multiple times. Although it seemed to me that he was more sorry that he got caught. He wasn't so apologetic when he lied to the NFL, the Falcons, and the Police and plead not guilty. But NOW he is sorry. Of course he is. He is trying to avoid jail time. Now is the exactly perfect time to "be sorry".

It was nice to hear that now it is just time to move and and the rehabilitation of Michael Vick can begin. Ummm...why? Hasn't the bad stuff just started for him? He still has to go through sentencing. oh yeah...AND PRISON. HE HAS TO GO TO PRISON FOR AT LEAST 1 YEAR!!!! How can it be time for everyone to move on...it literally JUST HAPPENED. LESS THAN 24 HOURS AGO!!!!

But here's the thing that bothered me about last night. I'm sitting there trying to enjoy some Michael Vick analysis, minding my own business. And every once in a while they would start talking about the football game that was being played on the field in front of them! Ridiculous! I didn't turn on Monday Night Football to watch and hear about football!! I turned on Monday Night Football to watch and hear about Michael Vick.

All I have to say is that if I turn on football again this week and they are talking about the game instead of Michael Vick...I might kick my dog.

(just kidding...I'm not going to kick my dog. Put down the phone...leave PETA out of this)

Will Rexy still be Sexy?

The trials and tribulations of Rex Grossman continue. The much-maligned quarterback still draws the ire of fans and media across the country. Whether it is the quarterback-center exchange or the ability to read a defense, Rex Grossman is still lacking the natural growth that a player at his position is supposed to exhibit by year five. The excuses continue, and the lack of responsibility for the constant miscues are getting old. Sweat, crowd noise or rain - the elite quarterbacks are supposed to lead and not make excuses.

What draws people to Rex Grossman is his gunslinger mentality. Many compare him to Brett Favre in that respect; but that is where the comparisons end between the two quarterbacks. Rex's inability to read coverage or take care of the ball will keep the Chicago Bears from repeating as NFC champions. With the defense and special teams the Bears possess, all Grossman has to do is manage the game and not take any unnecessary risks. He has shown he is not capable of doing that because. He looks completely lost on the field, and the mental aspect isn't there after five training camps and four seasons with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears need a caretaker at the quarterback position, not someone who will constantly stick the defense deep in their own territory. The leash on this bear will have to tighten, and eventually Lovie Smith will need to pull the trigger and go with veteran Brian Griese. The former Michigan product's ceiling is not as high as Grossman's, but he understands how to manage a game. The Chicago Bears have no more than a three-year window to win a Super Bowl, and they cannot allow Rex Grossman to learn on the job anymore. The time to pull the plug on Rexy is arriving quickly.

Holy Holdouts

Larry Johnson, the soon-to-be 28-year-old (November 19th) Kansas City Chiefs running back, is a preseason holdout.

JaMarcus Russell – the first overall NFL draft pick and once-presumed starting Oakland Raider quarterback – is another preseason holdout.

Every NFL preseason begins and ends with at least one notable holdout threatening to sit out as many games of the regular season as necessary to obtain what they consider to be fair market value for their services, and every NFL season, they’re chastised by the media, the general public and key figures around the league.

Why is that?

Johnson reportedly wants $28 million in guaranteed cash, which is irrefutably a king’s ransom.

Then again, Johnson was on the sideline of the Chiefs–San Diego Chargers game when his predecessor, the 34-year-old Priest Holmes, sustained a career-threatening neck and head injury on a hit from Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman.

As Johnson continues to hold out, the question for the Chiefs is whether or not they’re going to keep Holmes around, and shell out the several million dollars necessary to retain his “damaged” services. That decision will more than likely be made before Johnson decides to report to camp, but it has to be a factor in Johnson’s rationale for doing so.

Russell is reportedly waiting for a deal that would give him a sizable guaranteed purse; in his opinion, what the first overall pick is worth. Raider chief Al Davis has never been known for his flexibility when negotiating contracts, but more importantly he’s failed to orchestrate a sufficient offensive line to protect the value which is Russell.

As such, Russell’s perspective is that if he’s going to be in danger of repeatedly getting sacked and ultimately injured, he needs to have some financial security to justify putting his John Hancock on the dotted line.

At the end of the day, professional athletes have to make the same decision that any other gainfully employed person must make –are they being paid fairly for the service that they are offering? Most employees are evaluated annually, and subject to a compensation change that reflects performance (good or bad).

In the case of Johnson, he’s definitely earned the right to request such a lofty increase. For Russell, he’s simply saying that five years from now he'll have added more value to the storied Silver and Black franchise than the current offer reflects.

Now the question becomes whether or not their respective franchises are willing to place their bets at those prices.

Introducing the star of "The Natural II", Rick Ankiel

Last night Rick Ankiel saved the 2007 baseball season for me. No matter what team you are a fan of, this is exactly the kind of story that anyone can get behind and Ankiel is the kind of guy anyone can root for.

For Cardinals fans, it's especially gratifying. After last year's miracle, the team's biggest off-season aquisition Kip Wells (5-13) and the team made no significant upgrades on offense. Manager Tony LaRussa was arrested in March and charged with DUI and reliever Josh Hancock died in a car accident in which his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit. The reason Ankiel was called up from was because Scott Spiezio has left the team to address alcohol and drug abuse. Consider the Cardinals 53-59 record, and this isn't exactly the kind of team that's easy to root for.

But Ankiel has once again made it okay to be a fan of the Redbirds. Even if he doesn't hit another major league home run and never makes it as a major league outfielder, Ankiel and the Cardinals fans will always have memories of last nights three-run home run. Unless you're a fan of the Red Sox or Yankees, you're not going to be in contention every year. That's what makes this story important -- sure, the Cardinals next team meeting may be an AA meeting, but at least now there is something we can root for.

A-Rod Goes Deep... finally

Big congratulations should go out to Alex Rodriguez, who finally hit his 500^th home run after a week of frustration. This is a guy who constantly seems to be on the wrong side of fan and media ridicule. It’s just bizarre to me how someone plays the game so well, never complains, has never been arrested or been credibly accused of steroid use, yet it while Derek Jeter can do no wrong, A-Rod is under constant scrutiny.

Baseball, more than any other sport, needs a group of players to perform well and have chemistry in order to win championships. The Yankees primary problem the last few seasons has been their inability to have stable pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Admittedly, A-Rod didn't have very good postseasons in 2005 and 2006, but one man’s slump shouldn’t bring down an entire team – especially a team with that kind of payroll.

The next question that needs to be asked is “How many superstars would willingly give up their position to play another one?” Alex Rodriguez willingly moved to third base, even though he won Gold Gloves in 2002 and 2003 at shortstop, Jeter's position. Jeter didn't win his first Gold Glove until Rodriguez was a teammate.

To be fair, A-Rod has made a couple of glaring mistakes. There was his bush-league slap of Bronson Arroyo in the 2004 ALCS, and talking about how hard he works during one spring training – bringing howls of laughter from members of the Red Sox. He also made some tabloid headlines this season, appearing in a picture with a woman (not his wife) exiting a strip club in Toronto.

There is no way to justify his first mistake. The second was a stupid quote, which may have been taken in the wrong context. In the third case, the New York tabloids are notorious for rumor-mongering and not always being the most reliable of sources. Overall, none of these mistakes should be career-killers, or permanently scar his PR image.

A-Rod still has a good five to seven years of high-level baseball left in him. He could be the first man to hit 800 runs, and also has a chance to get to 3,000 hits. Why would the media and fans be so quick to dump on a guy like this?

The Yankees appear to be smart enough to know what their future is – they broke a long tradition by negotiating with a player in the middle of the season. Unfortunately, in the process the franchise may have burned two guys who’ve won championships with the Yankees: Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. These two were never afforded the same opportunity.

Losing two championship level players, even if they are on the older side, could cripple this team's psyche. Yet if the Yankees don’t sign A-Rod, they may not have a future.

NBA Schedule A Mixed Bag

Where have you gone, Utah Jazz? Of course you could be accused of having an easy road to the Western Conference finals, but the counter argument is that the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't exactly play dominant competition on their way to the NBA Finals. Yet the Jazz will make zero appearances on ABC this season. And they get a whopping four appearances on ESPN, all on the road. They make two other appearances on TNT at home. This for a team that looks to be on the rise, with a solid core and a budding superstar in point guard Deron Williams. Even the Seattle Sonics, who weren't close to sniffing the playoffs, are making more appearances.

I guess the positive is that Miami and Los Angeles won't be the Christmas day game, and instead we get a tripleheader; but of course the Lakers and Heat still have to be involved. I can't say I'm not a huge Spurs fan, but it's an insult that they aren't playing in a marquee Christmas Day game once again. Like it or not, they are the NBA champs and deserve some respect. It's bad enough the fans don't give Tim Duncan and crew their due, but for the league to give teams like Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami and Cleveland a similar amount of nationally televised games is pretty bad.

Still, giving Seattle and Portland a few nationally televised games is good for the league so people can see these guys. I think they'll get a great chance to show their talents on Christmas night on ESPN when they play each other. This is one of the positive parts of the schedule, in that Portland and Seattle won't always be buried with start times that will only be seen by west coast viewers.

Considering the schedule was originally supposed to come out on Tuesday, it's obvious the trade involving Boston radically changed which games would be on what stations. I think it's an amazing coincidence that Phoenix and San Antonio's first nationally televised game against each other is March 9. Of course, this provides more than enough time to forget last year's playoffs and the Tim Donaghy game, which might still be fresh on everyone's mind in the middle of November. Their other games are November 17th and April 9th. The April 9th game will also be nationally televised, on ESPN.

So we're only about three months away from the NBA season getting back under way. The question is whether people can put aside the Donaghy scandal and believe what they're seeing is on the level.