My Sunday Feeling

Where to begin? Just when I've allowed myself to become desensitized by the hubris, the ravenous sense of entitlement and the mandarin proclivities of the modern athlete, somebody always steps up to the plate and gives 110% in the I'm- an- asshole- department.

By the way, it's officially Sports Cliches week in case you haven't heard. Really.

Barry Bonds is a complete and total jerk and a possible felon. Terrell Owens is a preening narcissist and one man destroyer of locker rooms. John Daly is a wastrel, albeit a lovable one. Marion Jones is a head case.

As bad as he is, Terrell Owens never killed a dog by electrocution. Barry Bonds never did one in by repeatedly slamming it against the floor.

According to Uncle Sam, that's what Michael Vick and his buddies (some of them are now referred to as co-defendants) did to the losers in the dogfighting operation known as "Bad Newz Kennels." To examine the length and breadth of these allegations of illegality and depravity hit the link. Warning: it is not for the faint hearted or the dog-lover. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0717072vick1.html

The mind reels

One goes through the counts in the indictment and one is struck by the utter barbarism of it all. What kind of a person would breed dogs to fight and kill for the amusement of others? What kind of person would attend such an exhibition? I can only assume that their chosen brutal mode of euthanizing these animals was because the sound of gunshots would arouse suspicion. But maybe I'm wrong. I wouldn't put unrequited sadism past these bastards.

Some of the pundits have said it is a Black thing but clearly this is not true. White folks are equally susceptible to such grisly fare as recent arrests in the Ozarks have shown. Some commentators have said it is a "Southern thing" and, indeed, the mascot for the sports teams put out by the the University of South Carolina is a Gamecock. I don't know what to make of any of this except to say that I have lived in the South all of my life and I know a slew of black folks and I have never heard of anybody attending a dogfight or a cockfight. In any event, we need not worry overly much about the cultural origins of this sordid enterprise. As the indictment amply demonstrates, such traffic in misery is an illegal thing.

I seem to be surrounded by dog people. Their dogs are an extension of themselves. My friend J used to breed Goldens. She was so protective of her pups that she wouldn't let just anybody buy one. I have been entrusted with the care of many of these mutts and I pretty much view it as an honor. I have also seen the anguish my friends have gone through when the time came to put one of their 4 legged companions down.

And so the question presents itself again: What kind of human derives pleasure- Is that the word? Entertainment? Excitement?-from the pain of animals? Whither human dignity? Was there no spark of decency in Michael Vick that gave him pause? And was there nobody in his entourage of acolytes and hangers-on that had enough goddamn sense to say " Hey Mike, maybe this dogfighting thing is not such a good idea?" If he needed a hobby why not take up golf? If he liked to bet on animals why not go to the track?

But let's go back to the cultural thing for a minute. Is this a football thing? Does the hard-bitten culture of football produce sociopaths? I can't say that. There are good people in the NFL. More good than bad. And, in the immortal words of Tony Kornheiser, not every paranoid schizophrenic can play Division I football.

I am hardly in a position to pass judgment on the hip hop culture that pervades the sports scene being a fiftyish white guy and all. So I will let the reliable Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star, who is neither old nor white, do it for me.

"It speaks to the grip the negative aspects of hip-hop culture have on young people." he wrote last week. " Vick is a multimillionaire athlete who has spent most of his NFL career trying to maintain his street cred. Despite lifetime financial security, Mike Vick stayed on the "grind," hustling for that paper with his Bad Newz Kennels. Idiot."

And this: " This is a cultural phenomenon that has swallowed a small percentage of black athletes, but a large enough percentage to significantly damage the overall perception of black, American born athletes. As Dr. Harry Edwards told me two weeks ago, it only takes a few key people to hijack an entire culture."

As of this writing, neither the NFL nor its Commissioner have suspended Vick. Thus far, all we have heard is that an indictment is not guilt. Michael Vick is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. And this is true.

But, as one of the Louisiana bloggers says, " You are entitled to your own opinion. You are not entitled to your own facts." And the facts as presented in the indictment handed up the other day, if proven up, mean Michael Vick is toast.

Maybe Roger Goodell is still testing the water and waiting to see how this plays out in the coming days before he acts. As for me, I can see how Vick's actions violated the new conduct policy of the NFL. Surely suspensions are not meted out only in cases where people get shot as in the cases of Tank Johnson and Pac Man Jones. Even if Vick is somehow acquitted of these grim charges, he is forever damaged goods. It takes a special person to be accused of this sort of wanton cruelty to beasts of the field.

The right thing would be for Vick to consider the fix his despicable behavior has put the Atlanta Falcons in. He is a walking talking PR nightmare. He should take a leave of absence until his legal problems resolve themselves. But this is not likely to happen. A man who consorts with those who electrocute dogs is not likely to feel your pain. Indeed, Falcon wide receiver Joe Horn told ESPN radio yesterday that Vick says he needs to be around his football family during his time of tribulation.

See? It's all about him. He doesn't get it. The NFL should suspend Michael Vick.

Now.