Sometimes you get that for which you wish. . . .

While it's true that Ron Mexico took the coward's way out of more severe racketeering charges and will reap the enormous benefits of a federal system that rewards expedition, he's still going to jail.

Thank you God and thank you lawful society for proving that  these atrocities may go under-punished, but at least will not go unpunished. And while we're at it, thank goodness for Roger Goodell for doling out the absolutely perfect punishment.

SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY!!!!!

How sweet is that? What will the NAACPWM (NAACPwithMoney, that is) have to say about this? They can't cry that it's too long. They can't cry that the punishment is too severe. All they can do is thretaen to cry if it goes on too long. But by the time Vick leaves prison 1-2 years later, maybe a good deal worse for wear, never having been an effective QB anyway, will the NAACPWM consider him such a hot topic? Likely not. They'll probably have a richer perp to prop up as poster child for "rehabilitation".

The irony is, Goodell's NFL suspension of Vick won't even take effect until after the NFL's most exciting felon has done his time. And Vick better practice up on his contrition because his "blame everybody else" sneer isn't going to go over too well with his judge. He'd be wise to get some Botox and humility lessons before his sentencing hearing or the judge will likely depart above the federal guidelines, both for the sentence and 3-year minimum supervised release. Needless to say, Vick's PO will be far less likely (if Vick continues his sneering) to allow the Atlanta Felon to leave the state for away games essentially making him (more) useless to any NFL team willing to tackle the PR nightmare of signing such a sick perp.

So even if Goody is kind, and only give Vick a year, he's done for this season. He likely won't start  his sentence until November, and even is he gets as little as 18 months, his best bet is August 2009. But is Goodell going to let a felon with such a gruesome case and conviction get away with just a year. In light of what we've seen for even near offenders, the answer is no.

I'm thinking Mike meets with the Good Commish in 2009 and gets a 2-3 year vacation, making him eligible for NFL play in 2011 at the earliest. How fitting that would be.

Mike had better practice up on wiping that pig faced sneer of his disgraceful mug, because it doesn't get any easier for the ex-QB. He'd better practice up on owning up and other acts of contrition like his life depends on it, because his life does depend on it.

You see, when it comes to the Federal System, no one is as slippery as Mike Vick thought he was. But if he even thinks he's got a shot at returning to the NFL, he'd better learn, right quick, to admit that he's exactly the scumbag the indictment shows him to be. Or he's going to be facing more time and more suspension.

That's how the crime and punishment system works Mikey, those who don't repent don't get our early.

Then again, maybe he'll love Arena Ball. All the NFL rejects go there.  

We know that the same attorneys, who on the day of his arraignment boldly professed that it was "the first step in proving his innocence", have now meekly recommended that he take his first steps in an orange jumper.

We know that the reminaing two of his three co-defendants have implicated Vick as the bankroller and willing animal murderer in the "BadNewz" operation.

Yesterday, even Arthur Blank has turned to less than subtle messages to his team's ex-"QB"about how he lied to the Falcons and The NFL. He went on to say that he anticipated a plea deal last night.  

Yet Friday came and went. Proving further just what Mike Vick is all about. It shouldn't surprise us. Mike Vick is all about Mike Vick, and he's really stupid too. Any QB who flips off his home fans and throws his team mates and coaches under the bus obviously thinks he's not responsible for his work. Not responsible for developing into an even average QB, not responsible for improving his game above sandlot level, and not responsible for bankrolling and particpating in the gruesome torture and murder of defenseless animals.

Vick's disregard for the owner, the organization, his team mates and decent society in general is consistent with psychopaths and sociopaths alike. Sick, selfish, and sleazy perps do the kind of things Vick does and of course, they expect to get away with it. It's sad to say, but those characters behave that way because of their utter disregard for others.

So while I had expected Vick's attorneys to usher in a plea deal yesterday. I'm completely unsurprised that Ron Mexico did not take their advice. He's gripping tightly to the notion  that the laws of decent society do not apply to him.

I chuckle at the press's repeated statements that Vick's team is "negotiating" a plea deal with the Government. It doesn't work that way, especially when the star defendant has nothing to offer because all of his co-defendants have prepared to testify against him. Perhaps Vick is considering handing over his dope dealer or supplier, so that could be slowing a deal. Short of that, the Government hands the defendant the deal and the defendant signs it, with no guarantees by the way.

So for at least the present, it appears that Vick is willing to continue to hang the Falcons out to dry, all while making the worst decision this side of buying tickets on the Titanic.

He mustn't be considering the fact that the Feds don't pursue superceding indctments with lesser charges. That if he waits another day or so he'll be looking at racketeering charges. The instant that new indictment hits, the old deal is off the table, and his "high priced" mouthpiece is trying to cut twenty instead of six.

Of course RMex is stupid/selfish enough to think that, despite a tidal wave of evidence against him, he can somehow walk away from this. That's how sociopaths and psycopaths think.

But he's kidding himself. As are many of you, if you're thinking it doesn't get worse every second from here on in. Kidding himself if he thinks he'll ever don an NFL uniform again. Kidding himself if he thinks the press or the fans will ever forgive him if he goes to trial and the gory, posterized blowups of his sickness are writ large for the public to see.

As Bill Simmons would say, "the guy has a fork in his back". In this case it's a pitchfork, because that's what they use to shovel shit.

So maybe that's why Vick is sitting and waiting. After all, he's not used to getting caught, is he? He's spent a career avoiding punishment and racing away unscathed. So for his sake, one of those high priced sleaze-protectors should sit him down and tell him that this isn't the Georgia Dome in which he's playing, and he's not merely trying to slip a tackle. The game was over the minute the Feds started the clock.

Mike Vick betta recognize, brutha's. He's playing in a whole new league now. Everbody gets tackled in this game.

Stunning Scandals

Those Bastards!

This week, a popular website, TSG.com "the Smoking Gun" blew the lid off the Pittsburgh Steelers Hotel rider demands, revealing such evil requests as filet mignon for trainers and foam pillows for Dan Rooney. Good heavens, what on earth is wrong with those Steelers? I'm ashamed to admit that I also enjoy the occasional cut of tenderloin and use foam pillows as well. This puts me in the same sick, sorry state as those dispicable Steelers. I mean really, where do they get the nerve.

Oh, wait, I know where they get the nerve. They frickin' pay for this stuff. I guess the responsible sensationalists at TSG.com forgot to mention that the Steelers, like any other NFL team, pay for their accomodations. And since I'd wager a pillow or two that they aren't staying at Motel 6, they're paying a premium for the space. What really cheeses me off is the idea though, that treating equipment managers every bit as well as the players is somehow a bad thing.

What happened to the 90's? Back when media oulets cooed at the 49er brass for treating everyone in the organization as 1st class. I'd love to see that Hotel rider. Too bad TSG wasn't up and rubbing rhubarbs back then. They'd have "blown the lid off" that "scandal" too.

Mike Sick

The Good news is: The most exciting shitbox in the NFL is going to Federal Prison. Sorry Al Sharpton and (mysteriously absent) Jesse Jackson, double standards run out of gas when you cross the DC border. Just like I said months ago, when Erma4USC was rattling away more boneheaded drivel about how Vick would walk, Vick will have two choices, more jail or less jail. Erma, as usual, couldnt have been more wrong, and Mexico couldn't be more deserving of a little rest in the pokey. Of course, there's a 50% chance that Vick will be arrogant enough to think he's OJ or Kobe, and can buy his way out of this. There's also an astronomical chance that Vick is stupid enough to disregard the fact that he's up against the major leagues of punishment, whereas OJ and Kobe faced the Keystone Kops.

Me, I've been hoping all along that he goes to trial. I'd like nothing more than to figuratively see his exciting carcass swing from a tree with a pitchfork in his ass (thank you Michael Richards). And that's how it ends if he goes to trial. My second favorite scenario is that he waits at least until next week to make a decision. The next indictment will include racketeering charges,  and the stakes will go from 6 years to twenty. No matter what, the Feds have this scumbag dead to rights, and his choices are bad or worse. Couldn't happen to a better guy. I expect a plea soon, but it doesn't keep me from hoping.

WTF?

Once again, I'm appealing to the FoxBlog ruling class to make a change. I noticed some fluffy declarations about "changes" in the Fox blog policies, particularly realted to post counts. But still the brass not so deftly avoided submitting tangible criteria for BOTD awards.

So I have to ask; is that all you got? When Lisa/Erma4USC spills her recycled (much less) drivel do you guys just say; awww that's a cute picture even if she does have a mustache, let's give her BOTD. I dont get it guys. Bluegrass lady is ten thousand times hotter, actually writes rather than recycles, and even discusses sprots on occasion. But you're not pandering to her.

WTF? Does Erma have pictures of you guys having sex with a goat or something? Because short of that, there's no logical explanation. No the site is not exactly the Harvard Law Review, but there are actually some pretty decent writers here, just not any you choose to publicize or recognize.

Here's the truth folks, only insecurity celebrates incompetency. It's the mushroom theory that rules here; keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em shit.

Fox, you're feeding us shit and keeping us in the dark about it! What are you afraid of, where's some recognition for Dudski, Hardiman, Bluegrass, or even little old me. What about Mean, Cuz, His Dan-Ness, Justanotherhat and anyone else who isn't jacking Erma Bombeck or Andy Rooney so they'll have something to type every day?  Kenrick Thomas? He's a good kid, and I know he'll get better, but Jesus, he's almost always one noun and one verb short of a sentence. And by the way, stop burying my posts even though they get "most recent comments" and "highest number of comments" often.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. As always, I'll be on BlogTalkradio from 6-7 EST this afternoon for those who care to continue the discussion.

DarkKnight Sports

By the way, I'm looking for a co-host. But not someone who just agrees with me. If you'd like to give it a whirl, just message me through my profile site.

It's like Roberto Duran said, when he threw up his hands and quit that night (facing Ray Leonard). "No mas".

It's time to say "no mas" to the hypocrites (yes, Curt) the hypocrites who have been crying out that we shouldn't be spending money prosecuting the most exciting piece of garbage in NFL history for dog fighting. Ok Curt, you got your wish. the Feds will almost certainly include conspiracy and racketeering. Which, if the backsliders had done their homework would be what they were writing about. Because when the superceded indictment is handed down, conspiracy and racketeering will be on the slate of felony counts Vick has to face. The worst of which by the way, is Vick's bankrolling an interstate gambling operation, which falls under the RICO act. For those of you unfamiliar with RICO, look it up. It means Vick is facing 20, not six, for racketeering alone. So guess what Gangsta QB Luvvas. Your OG QB is one SOL gangsta, and he's going to be prosecuted like one.

And it's gonna be too sweet when the shit-box takes a 5-year deal to save his ass from getting out of jail facing his 45th birthday. TOOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEET.

That's what will make all the blatant shuck and jive of Demonicume (Bojangles) and his caste from peddling the sorry assed "why don't they prosecute real criminals?" whine.

The "real criminals" jig . . .

Here's why Curt. They do. They just don;t convict them. It's just that the same scum that beat rape and murder charges hire the same Lawyers that Mike Vick is paying to beat the rap. It's the same game, Curt. Spend a ton of money, rig the jury, put the victims on trial, discredit the witnesses, file a billion dismissal motions, a million evidentiary withholdings, obfuscate the facts, bring in dazzling expert BS artists, befuddle a jury of unemployed, undereducated, biased jurors, add a liitle water and the defendant goes free.

In cases of unprosecuted rape, 80% of the failure to prosecute is because the witness is unwilling to even report the crime, much less testify. Even if they do, some scumbag courtroom whore will jump at the cahnce to put the victim on trial. Kind of like Kobe's lawyer did. Remember?

No, Curt. You didn't remember. You didn't even mention it in your "drunken blog." Here's why. It blows your tap dance to smithereens. It calls you on the carpet for celebrate the dismissal of murderers and rapists, just because they're black. It shows the prejudice you practice. The liberal fascism of " and justice for, but only if it ain't a brutha."

You and all your co-whiners, are every bit as guilty of the same disgraceful maneuvering as the soul-less moneygrabbers who spend their best efforts making sure that the scum you keep crying should be in jail, walk free.

Your'e playing both ends against the middle, Curt and Co. You can't rejoice when scum like OJ and Kobe walk because they worked the system, and then cry foul because criminals aren't getting "justice".

 . . . .and justice for all Curt, not some . . .

The fact is folks, you don't get to choose which crimes are prosecuted. You only get to choose who submits and votes on the laws and punishments of the land. Vick broke the law(s). Very serious laws, with very serious punishments. He will admit his guilt, in front of a judge, because he's going to do what he's always done, get the best deal for Ron Mexico. Then he will go to prison, and you will cry foul because we finally got one. Because the system you're complaining is failed, actually worked, but it didn;t work in your favor.

So do us all a favor.

Quit the righteous indignation act.

Quit using unpunished crime as an excuse to not punish crime.

Admit that you're playing both ends against the middle.

Call a criminal a criminal, and let the law of the land do its work (for once).

So let's all just say "No Mas" to this idiotic BS. The poor Mike Vick brigade has a sick and blatantly obvious agenda. It's Al Sharptons prosecute whitey but give a brutha a break program.

Nice Conk, Al

We live in a country with plenty of resources to prosecute every perpetrator. It's the willingness to pour money on the scurrilous moneygrabbers who spend every working second working the system that's the problem.  And those are the guys working for Mike Vick right now.

So the shame lies at the feet of Vick, his laywers, and all those who dare to decry the absence of law enforcement, unless it fits their social agenda. The cops aren't to blame. You are.

Some work the system, some get worked over by the system, and every now and then some just get what they have coming.

So would I adopt a pit bull, Curt? If I had $130mm with which to work, I'd be adopting every abused dog, cat, goat, rabbit and gnu, for starters, to make sure that garbage like Vick could never get his hands on them.

If you ask which team was the greatest in NFL History, my answer comes swiftly; The 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers. But if you ask me which was the greatest team in pro football, I'll spit out the name "the Cleveland Browns".  It's perhaps the most difficult admission I make about pro football.  Ever since Joe "Turkey" Jones spiked my all time favorite QB head first into the turf. The name "Cleveland Browns" is anathema. I'd venture to state that most Steeler fans feel the same, as that one defining incident created a hatred that lives past its memory.

Nonetheless, no one can dispute what Paul Brown's Browns achievement over a ten year span. Browns AAFC and NFL teams went to ten consecutive championships games and won nine. Kind of makes you wonder why no one mentions Otto Graham alongisde Unitas, Bradshaw, Montana, etc. But that's another blog.

While many football fans do not know of Brown's achievements as coach, (known as the father of the modern offense), perhaps his greatest achievement was the tree of coaches that sprang from his organization. That's why hearing commentators repeatedly discuss Bill Walsh's "West Coast" offense and the Walsh coaching tree sounded so familiar. Paul Brown was no slouch at producing HC's either, among them: Noll, Shula and a guy named Walsh. Walsh spent eight years working for and learning from Paul Brown.  Ironically, only to be passed up for the Head Coach job in favor of Bill Johnson, Brown's hand picked heir, who lasxted three seasons. Walsh said only two things about being passed over, one was that he understood that Brown wanted more of a disciplinarian and two, that his eight years with Brown were the most important experience in his life.

So Walsh moved on to Stanford, and then to revive a doormat in SF, not just restoring respectability but establishing a model for excellence that won 3 SB's under his tutelage and two more with his hand picked successor. He is renowned as having devised an offense that every NFL teams uses, at least in some part, today. Walsh, unlike Shula, Noll, Parcells and a few others knew that his meaningful coaching life would last about a decade, and left the game at its pinnacle.

And all those things in mind, this was not what I thought made Walsh a legend. What made Walsh so important to the game was his commitment to learn and teach, constantly. That's the irony in Paul Brown's curse on the Browns. Brown insisted that the Browns needed toughness and brawn at the top spot. But what Walsh took from Brown and built into legend was the science of the game, the psychology of men, the teaching and the learning, and the "good men who are good players doctrine".

Yes, Bill Walsh developed a short passing game that neutralized the old upfield pass rushes. But few know that he also designed the protocol of profiling players who had been successful at given positions and drafting by design, rather than chemistry. Yes Bill Walsh was know for having finesse offenses, but few remember that all of his championship squads had tremendous, physical defenses. Yes Bill Walsh was known as an intellectual and innovator, but few knew that his favorite hobby was boxing. It was his boxing mindset that had much to do with the design of the WC offense and the success of his teams overall.

Walsh knew that boxers, in order to win, had to be the aggressor, had to beat the other guy to the punch. Every time, if only by a fraction. As a team, the 49'ers job was to beat the other team just a little bit, on every play. Walsh saw the game as a boxing match, not one where you could throw haymakers on every punch, but one where you win the war by attrition. He understood that that war was won with character, motivation, persistence, and flawless execution. It was no mistake, that Walsh's great teams often appeared to let the opponent hang around until the mid 3rd quarter and then blew games open. It was no mistake that they all believed in each other and believed in him.

So when I think of Bill Walsh, the WC offense is one of the last things that comes to mind. I think of a man who taught other men how to be successful. I think of a man who was grateful for the experience of working with the first NFL genius, rather than bitter when he was passed over to succeed him. I think of a man who was both intellectual and pugilist simultaneously. He was a man ho gave to the game what the game always needed, shaping new approaches out of timeless principles. And that was genius.

Ultimatley, Bill Walsh, with his heart and his mind made the lives of those he touched, and even those he didn't, better. Bill Walsh lived a life of purpose. God rest his soul.