Daily Vanguard

December 14th, 2007

Raising Hell- Special Online Edition

Much to the delight of aficionados across the country, the sports world has been bombarded with compelling storylines over the past week. These stories grabbed headlines and drew great attention for several days, and now it’s time to reflect.

Here’s a sports editor’s take on the recent happenings in the world of sports.

Michael Vick’s 23-month sentence:

The first question everyone had following Vick’s longer-than-expected punishment was, is it long enough? My answer is an emphatic certainly. Of course, nearly two years in federal prison is sufficient for Vick’s offense, however, my primary concern rests with how the former signal caller utilizes his time behind bars.

Let’s face it, 23 months is a substantial amount of time. But, is it enough time for a man to change his life? That’s really the million-dollar question.

It’s well documented that Vick has had a troubled past, but how can he ensure the future is not littered with such transgressions?

My answer is Vick needs to relish this opportunity to disconnect with the “real world” for nearly two years. He needs to sit back and contemplate how he will significantly alter his lifestyle once the prison guard meanders over to his cell door, inserts a little silver key into the keyhole, slides open the door and says, “Vick, your times up. You’re out.”

If Vick takes this time to plan his future, he’ll come to the conclusion that his life will be much richer and less complicated without negative influences like the friends who helped to tangle him up in this inauspicious mess. The Virginia Tech alum should surely remember his roots, but it should be done from a distance.

A 23-month sentence in federal prison will surely be a challenging task for Vick. But his real test will begin the days following his release: Will the gifted talent return to his old group of buddies, or will he choose a new, more positive posse?

Bobby Petrino flees the Falcons’ nest:

Monday was Vick’s day in the spotlight. Therefore, naturally, Tuesday arrived and a new headline dominated the sports world, as Bobby Petrino gave his resignation in Atlanta and signed with Arkansas all in a matter of a couple hours.

Petrino’s selfish, distasteful act epitomizes how this new breed of head coaches always ensure their best interests are satisfied without considering anyone else. Despite the fact that Petrino signed a five-year, $24 million contract mere months ago, he only coached 13 games wearing a Falcons cap—completing a meager 16.25 percent of the agreed terms.

Like Nick Saben, who also scurried back to the college ranks after enjoying marginal NFL success, Petrino failed to “honor” his contract. It’s really a shame how contractual agreements are treated like meaningless pieces of paper. And it makes me wonder what kind of message these so-called leaders are sending to America’s youth.

I believe Petrino’s disgraceful disappearing act will have two long-term effects.

First, after the rash of college coaches unable thrive in a competitive NFL—Steve Spurrier, Butch Davis, Dennis Erickson, Mike Riley, Petrino, Saben—owners will be hesitant to hire coaches outside the league. This is another negative byproduct of this dishonorable conduct because many college coaches deserve a shot at NFL jobs each year, but now it’s improbable they receive even a courtesy interview.

Second, the days of lengthy, multi-year contracts are officially over. As long as coaches continue to flee before honoring the entirety of their deal, owners will not cut checks for enormous sums of money spanning over half decades. That’s called financial efficiency, a concept with which wealthy owners are quite familiar.

Mitchell Report Debacle:

Right on cue, Thursday brought another fascinating headline in the Mitchell Report, the findings of former Sen. George Mitchell’s investigation into steroids in America’s pastime.

The Mitchell Report was supposed to represent a bright new day for Major League Baseball—the ending of a horrendously criminal era and the beginning of a fresh, unblemished era. But, instead, the release of the Mitchell Report provided baseball with another opportunity to air its dirty laundry with the world, finger point and display just how disorganized MLB is under Commissioner Bud Selig.

With more than 80 players named in the report, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield, and Mitchell urging Selig to take action, MLB certainly has a basis to rid baseball of performance-enhancing drugs. But what exactly is the cost?

From a baseball fan’s perspective, stars and heroes were tarnished forever due to this report. The respectable game of baseball was overtly exposed. And the Mitchell Report actually raised more questions than it answered. All of these factors combine to send one message to fans: MLB is not worthy of your time or money.

The Mitchell Report was anticipated because of its promise to clear the dark cloud the steroid era has created. But, like most of the recent events in MLB, it failed to live up to the hype. If anything, the Mitchell Report actually prolonged the removal of this aforementioned dark cloud. Instead of bringing clarity, it simply threw out a bunch of names without much corroborative evidence to link the players with the drugs.

I agree with those who claim the Mitchell Report was a strikeout. I’ll even venture to say it was a slider lacking lateral movement or a fastball devoid of velocity. When an earth-shattering report is promised and a 409-page, thinly sourced document is delivered, frankly it’s disappointing.

The Mitchell Report is just another indicator MLB is in disarray because of steroids. I speak for all fans when I cynically ask, we needed a 409-page document to prove that? Good work, Mitchell.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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