Saturday, August 15, 2009
Vick Deserves 2nd Chance
The reason I say this is because ever since Michael Vick was first arrested for dog fighting over 2 years ago people have been saying some things that blow my mind. Comments that make me stop and wonder if these people are retarded or if they have been kicked in the head.
Comments such as, "what Vick did was worse than rape." Oh really? Killing a dog is worse than raping somebody? I heard a man say this on the radio today and it blew my mind. This man is basically saying that he would rather see his wife raped than his dog killed. You have got to be kidding me.
Bob McCowan of the Fan 590 said today that killing dogs should carry the death penalty. This man legitimately believes that killing a dog equates to the same crime as killing 5 people or bombing a building. He thinks Vick should be on death row with mass murderers. This isn't fake and I am not making this up.
Now I am not going to sit here and condone what Vick did. It was wrong, stupid, and cruel. Is it worse than rape or murder? Of course not. What sane person would say otherwise?
But Vick has paid his debt to society. The man spent 18 months in prison. PRISON. Not some health spa jail but Federal Pound me in the Ass Prison (Office Space reference). He took his punishment and served his time like a man. Now he is a free man and is allowed to live the rest of his life in anyway he sees fit and people are pissed.
He signed a 2 year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles and everyone is in an uproar. People are saying he should be banned from the NFL and shouldn't be allowed to play football again. To these people I have only one thing to say "I thought this was America!!!!"
People need to calm down and realize that everyone makes mistakes and no one is infallible. Michael Vick is just another convict looking for a 2nd chance in life. Does he not deserve that? He made a mistake, who doesn't? I made the mistake of seeing the movie 'The Goods' tonight. No one is perfect.
But in all seriousness Vick has suffered enough. He lost over $100 million. He lost 18 months of his life to prison. Most importantly he lost the respect of hundreds of thousands of people.
If the man wants to play football and a team will sign him than he should be free to do so without any repercussions.
I have a feeling that this whole Michael Vick thing will blow over by mid-season. People will find someone new to hate. Someone somewhere will mess up and the focus will shift away from Vick. It will also help that he will be riding the pine as Donovan Mcnabb's backup. Vick signed as a quarterback and the Eagles already have a starter. Less playing time means less exposure. Although PETA is crazy and will be causing shit all year.
Finally I want to address the people who feel that Vick is bad for the NFL. These people need to learn that there are much worse people in the league than Michael Vick. Leonard Little of the St. Louis Rams was convicted of manslaughter and still plays. Ray Lewis was involved in a triple murder. Donte Stallworth killed a man while driving drunk a few months ago. Compared to these crimes what Vick did was tame.
Vick deserves his 2nd chance at life. He was sent to prison and served his time. He has done everything that has been asked of him by the law. If the law believes that he has paid for his crimes than that should be good enough for the general public.
Let he without sin cast the first stone. That's right. According to Jesus you all need to shut up and let the man be. God just owned you.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Difference Between a Game and a Sport
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Old Guard
I started this blog over a year ago and did so because I was bored at work. I originally just wrote random thoughts mixed with some cursing and bad jokes. I quickly found out that I preferred a more serious approach to writing and started making my posts longer and filled with a bit more research. Now I won't sit here and pretend that I spend hours researching everything I write but I like to think that my writing doesn't come off as ramblings or incoherent crap.
Since starting this blog I have discovered that I have a strong interest in writing and took a few English courses at school and have spent more time reading in the hopes of becoming a better writer.
I have now made it my goal to acquire a job in the journalism world as a sports writer. The problem was I didn't know where to start. Then I was given an answer.
In an a speaking engagement at Google head offices author Michael Lewis told the story of how he broke into the world of journalism. He said that he would write a story and then mail that story to magazine and newspaper editors across the country. Eventually he got a response to one of his letters and was given his first job. I figured if it worked for Michael Lewis then maybe it could work for me.
So I wrote a blog post, making sure to spend extra time editing and researching and emailed it to over 200 sports writers in North America. I awoke the next morning anxious to see the response from the people I would one day like to be my peers. I was hit with a rude awakening.
Myth: Sports writers are all guys who love to talk sports and will do so with anyone.
Fact: They are all assholes who DESPISE bloggers and will do very little to aid you in even the most minor of ways.
In response to the email I sent out I was blasted by over 100 sports writers saying all kinds of negative things about me and my writing. Over 50 of them asked for me to never email them again because they were "too busy" and "didn't have time" to read fan emails. More told me that they were tired of bloggers trying to muscle their way into an industry in which they had no business being in.
Before I continue I want to say that there were a few writers who took the time to respond to my email in a positive way. Jack Curry of the New York Times was especially helpful and gave me some encouragement as did Dan Le Batard. I am thankful to the people who were helpful but they were such a small minority.
What I learned from my mass email was that 95% of sports writers hate bloggers and feel that they are taking away the legitimacy of the industry.
Now I can understand the fact that these writers may be annoyed that the newspaper industry is suffering but does that give them the right to be so openly rude? A simple "stick to it and keep writing" is all the response anyone could ever ask for. It takes more time to write an angry email that is 2-3 paragraphs long than it does to write 1-2 sentences of encouragement.
I now understand that the sports journalism industry is one that consists of an 'Old Guard.' An established circle of men and women who have been around for a long period of time and do not want any new blood coming in and taking away their positions. Men like Woody Paige, Bob Ryan and Bill Plaschke who have been sports journalists for more than 25 years and are the best of the best.
I realise that it may sound naive of me to believe that over 200 people would take the time out of their day to encourage a complete stranger to work hard so that they could one day take their job. I didn't expect that. What I did expect however was at least some semblance of courtesy. All the same the mass email experiment opened my eyes so that I now realise the uphill battle I am facing.
Journalists are threatened by bloggers and feel that they are forcing their way into the industry. These writers fail to see that the area in which they have the advantage is quality. I would for instance rather read a Bob Ryan article on David Ortiz and steroids that comes out a week after the fact than 100 blog posts minutes after the story breaks. The reason is quality. Bob Ryan is a great writer. His work is far superior to 99.9% of anything written on the Internet.
This is an advantage I feel many journalists do not understand and the lack of understanding causes them to feel hostile and threatened. It may explain why so many lashed out at me. Who knows?
What I do know is that no amount of rude emails is going to stop me from reaching my goal. If anything they will only encourage me to continue to that one day I can send a mass email with my published story where the subject line reads: "SUCK IT!"
Random YouTube Video
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Weekend That Was
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, the top overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft, was arrested early Sunday morning in Buffalo, N.Y., and charged with robbery and other counts following an altercation with a cab driver in his hometown.
The 20-year-old Kane and his cousin, James M. Kane, 21, were taken into police custody at about 5 a.m. ET after allegedly punching the driver and taking $15 in fare they had given him after he said he didn't have 20 cents in change, a police report says. Police say the cousins apparently caught a cab from the city's downtown nightclub district at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
You make millions of dollars and you are punching out cabbies for quarters? Weak dude. I wonder if this will affect sales of NHL 2010 which is scheduled to be released in September. Maybe this will start a spin off of the Madden Curse and be the NHL curse.
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