AFC North Blotter
For the love of the Chief. What would Art Rooney say if he saw his beloved franchise piling up more citations than a frat house fight club. The Pittsburgh Steelers were once the cleanest cut of all sports franchises. Now, they’ve spiraled into a police blotter laughingstock.
Maybe they’ve been brought down by the company they keep. The AFC North division of the NFL continues to produce some of professional football’s finest idiots. I’m surprised the league hasn’t realigned to get the Oakland Raiders in with the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Brown, and em’ Stillers.
If you ignore these stories, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just dodged another legal bullet yesterday when the DA in the case announced no charges would be filed over allegations of sexual assault. In the meantime, Super Bowl MVP receiver Santonio Holmes got in more trouble for smoking more weed (among other things) and proved that winning doesn’t make you mature when he posted messages to the public which might as well have said, “Dear Steelers, please get rid of me as soon as possible for being such a complete…” You get the idea. These events come on the heels of over two years of other legal problems for players Jeff Reed, James Harrison, and Cedrick Wilson.
Let me be clear about Big Ben first. He is not guilty of anything more than terrible judgment. The showboating DA made this point repeatedly and inappropriately during the press conference to announce there would be no trial because there was no evidence and the alleged victim and her family were adamantly against even filing in the first place. So Ben is innocent of criminality but guilty of stupidity. College was fun and all, but what is an internationally-known super-millionaire doing in a college bar in Georgia?
I wish he would talk to Read more »
Who’s More Interesting: Michael Vick or Ron Paul?
It’s been a long, hot summer but autumn is coming, the season of my blogging muse when students fill my hallways and debate is always around the next corner. Welcome back to the halls of EduClaytion.
Today’s debate had me pondering which newsworthy figure to chronicle, Michael Vick or Ron Paul. I’ve decided to go with both in a new segment we’ll call “Who’s More Interesting.” This semi-regular feature is sure to be a huge hit by which I mean probably not. Nevertheless, let’s check out what’s gotten these two fellows on the page.
MICHAEL VICK
The Michael Vick thing was so beat to death that most of us barely budged when news broke that the Philadelphia Eagles had signed the ex-con and current target of the most fake, self-righteous, overblown hatred in America. Yes, what the former Falcon’s quarterback did with dogs in an illegal gambling ring was despicable. Yes, he got in trouble and paid heavily including a long stint in jail. No, he is not to be executed anytime soon nor is he the anti-christ as far as I can tell. (Although don’t be surprised if the AC emerges from Philly. Or Baltimore.)
So what’s got Vick back in the news today? Something he had nothing to do with.
Apparently you can buy officially NFL licensed jerseys on the league’s website. These pooch shirts can be personalized with the name of a football star. You see where this is going right? So God forbid the NFL allow such a thing. Didn’t they get the memo that only murderers and drug dealers are supposed to get second chances with few or no questions asked? Michael Vick shouldn’t get a second chance, and his name certainly shouldn’t be on an animal jersey.
Hmm… Am I missing something?
First of all, if you oppose violence against dogs then why would you put a shirt on them? That’s the quickest way to get them jumped by canine thugs at the dog park. Secondly, are these same people condemning the other criminals of the NFL. Hey, Ray Lewis helped kill a human and I see people putting those jerseys on
their kids all the time. Where’s the outcry? Moving on.
I doubt Mike Vick has ever met Ron Paul, but if he did he would probably say that RP is one hip dude. Here’s a big Happy Birthday Ron Paul! The wonderful libertarian with no chance of ever winning the American presidency turns 74 today but doesn’t look a day over 71.
Paul is most often known as the most senior revolutionary in America or just as the guy that wasn’t allowed to debate the big party politicians. His rejection was mostly due to the fact that both parties are afraid of him on account of how he wants to strip all their illegitimately attained power. Heck, even Chuck Norris respects Ron Paul so what more can you say. Read more »
Comcast and NFL Network Delay Divorce
With only a few hou
rs to go on an expiring contract, the NFL Network and Comcast have agreed to not allow the football network to go off the air tonight at midnight. The two sides have been battling for the past couple years. The Philadelphia Inquirer just printed this statement online:
“Comcast and the NFL are engaged in productive discussions toward a new agreement for NFL Network carriage on Comcast. NFL Network will continue to be carried on Comcast systems past tonight’s scheduled expiration of the current contract while both sides continue these productive discussions. We are both working to find a solution that works for NFL fans and Comcast’s customers.”
The NFL had been contesting Comcast’s extra monthly charge for a “sports package” that includes NHL, NBA, and more channels. The League, and this subscriber, felt that the cable giant should include the programming in it’s already excessive (my opinion) rates. Read more »
Draft Debate: ESPN vs. NFL Network
If you follow the NFL, this weekend feels like Christmas. The spring entry draft features loads of analysis, college stars, and Mel Kiper’s hair. Or does it?
You tell me. Do you prefer the NFL Network or ESPN for football coverage these days?
I’ve been pretty hard on the four-letter network recently, but I also know they have me at hello when a football broadcast is starting. So after the Penguins crushed the Flyers to win round #1 of the NHL playoffs, I flipped over to ESPN to play their draft day coverage in the background. Chris Berman and Steve Young were there as always. Keyshawn Johnson and Mel Kiper flanked them.
After five minutes of the same old coverage, I realized that another option exists these days. I flipped over to the glorious NFL Network in fabulous HD. Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci, Mike Mayock, and more broke it down. The coverage was like a fix for a crack addict. Now I’m good until August.
So let’s have it. ESPN or NFL Network?
You can comment your opinion below, subscribe to my feed or you can click here to receive posts via email.
Will The NFL Ruin Its Image?
The NFL dominates the American sports scene. The game is tremendous, its history rich. The athletes put their bodies on the line to perform feats most humans simply can’t. We’ve bestowed all the best warrior cliches upon the men of the gridiron.
Maybe that’s why these players are consistently starting to act like idiots.
Until recently, if you lived outside of Cincinnati or Oakland, you could pretend that your local football stars were true professionals and good people. Oh wait, Baltimore couldn’t pretend. Or Dallas. Or anywhere Terrell Owens went. Oh yeah, and the Patriots cheated a lot.
One glance at this week’s football roundup will show that the game may be healthy while the system gets sick. Consider:
- The Giants finally released Plaxico Burress four months after the wide receiver illegally carried a gun into a New York nightclub and accidentally shot himself in the leg. Way to take a stand New York.
- Donte Stallworth, wideout for the Browns is facing charges of DUI manslaughter.
- Michael Vick. He told a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge that he is a changed man after prison time. The judge didn’t buy it.
- Jay Cutler, a pro-bowl quarterback entering his prime, demanded and got a trade out of Denver after a fallout with the new head coach, a teenager named Josh McDaniels. Cutler was allegedly mad that his new coach was the best XBox player on the team. Read more »
Welcome To Here
In The Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo he can take the blue pill and go on believing whatever he wants to believe. Or he can take the red pill to stay in Wonderland and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
This is a red pill type site with a weekly column (and some extras in between) that provides information in an entertaining way. It’s about clear thinking and good writing. It’s about truth.
I’m a writer/speaker who teaches history and political science at a local college by day. Where is local, you say? Well, that would be Wonderland of course.
From pop culture to pop politics, this is my column.
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