I was strolling through the blogs one day

In the mini-camp month of May

I wasn't taken by surprise

By several who did surmise

That the Patriots would win run-ning away

Tis the season. Every NFL franchise has visions of the playoffs... plum dancing in their heads. As usual we already have some odds-on-paper champions. There are always certain teams that look like pre-season world-beaters. You know, like the New York Yankees and Dallas Mavericks. After an off-season of wheeling and dealing the New England Patriots are a team that many people have already turned their eyes to.  They appear formidable now and perhaps rightfully so.  Personally I see many question marks. They better not stumble and look back once the season starts because some non-flashy Jets may start gaining on them.

I know that Tom "Golden Boy" Brady is most everyone's ideal quarterback. 3- time Super Bowl champ, handsome, charismatic and impregnator of beautiful women... this guy has the life. You know what though? At what point do impending fatherhood, spurned Hollywood pregnant actresses (Bridget Moynahan) and a tabloid lifestyle (super model Gisele Bundchen) start affecting him? Maybe he plugs right along but what if it becomes a distraction? Chad Pennington on the other hand may have suspect arm strength but he's very smart and moves the football without the extra curriculars. He's a system quarterback who'll pick you apart underneath all day. Just don't ask him to lead 21-point comebacks and he excels. Jets fans like to refer to him as "Brady Light". 

We've all heard of the new weapons on the outside that Brady will be throwing to. Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Kelly Washington, Wes Welker, along with holdovers Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney. Umm...after Moss and Stallworth all I see is a list of 3rd- string receivers. Stallworth is fast but has never caught more than 70 passes or gone over 1,000 yards. Donte also pulls more "hammies" than a pork farmer. Moss provides former star appeal but has he flamed out? Would you bet your ranch on a return to the good old days for Randy, who has slowed down and considers going over the middle a 3-lane crossover on the local interstate? The Jets may have the less flamboyant Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, but we know they're quick and tough. These two precise route runners combined for 173 receptions, over 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.  They could surpass those numbers as they become even more of a cohesive tandem in their second year together.

Does anyone else think it was a bad idea for the Pats to let Corey Dillon go? If last year is any indication most NFL teams are looking to incorporate a two-running back approach. Dillon is tough as nails and a valuable player, especially in goal line situations. Laurence Maroney shows great promise but he'd be better off with Corey Dillon instead of Sammy Morris as his bruising change of pace back. The Jets meanwhile added Thomas Jones from the Bears and will pair him with the explosive "Warrick Dunn-like" Leon Washington. Running behind young stud linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, the Jets ground attack is looking very talented and versatile.

When the Patriots added linebacker Adalius Thomas from the Ravens, the rest of the AFC East collectively groaned and for good reason. Thomas is big, ridiculously fast for a man his size, can play almost any position on defense and leaps tall buildings in a single bound. He just may need to fly all over the field because sooner or later someone is going to have to cover for AARP members Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison. I know they have all been instrumental players in the past but Father Time has a way of showing up overnight.

Meanwhile the Jets have young and hungry linebackers. They will pair Michigan alumni and tackling machine Dave Harris with the non-stop motor of Jonathan Vilma as the inside backers. On the outside they'll have the improving Victor Hobson and Bryan Thomas who combined for 177 tackles and 15 sacks in New York's stunting and scheming defense.  Add in highly touted shut down cornerback Darrelle Revis from the University of Pittsburgh, potential Pro-Bowl safety in the making Kerry Rhodes (99 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 ints), along with vastly improved depth on the defensive line, and the Jets made concerted efforts to address every area of need on both sides of the ball. 

Ah yes...the very merry month of May where all NFL teams are contenders or at least think they are.  More than likely the experts will continue and predict great things for Bill Belichick and his boys from Foxboro. Let's just place the bulls-eye squarely on them right now. As we know, for every "sure thing" there is always a cast of characters just waiting to underachieve and earn the dubious distinction of being the biggest disappointment in the league. I hear the Carolina Panthers are tired of winning that award and are quite hopeful that some other team assumes the mantle. From all the early hype thus far, perhaps New England is a most worthy candidate.

Memorial Day; I have the deepest admiration, appreciation and respect for every single military person that has ever made the ultimate sacrifice, but at this time of year I'm always left thinking, "What a waste." Not that the holiday itself is a waste or that their deaths were in vain, but rather, what a waste to lose all that valuable life. It's just very saddening when you stop and think about it.

Gone in the blink of an eye were sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives. Gone from the future were all the things those souls would have become. Potential is an impossible thing to measure but everyone has his or her own special kind.  Each of those fallen heroes was destined to contribute to society. These people would have been doctors, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, anything and everything. What was taken from us we will never know.

Many feel war is a necessary evil while others say it is abhorrent and unjustifiable. Whatever your opinion, war remains what is has always been: Mankind's biggest enigma. Only in war can we witness the best and worst of human nature. War inspires evil, destruction and hatred yet it conversely brings forth courage, selflessness and love.  It is such a fearsome thought, that when football player Pat Tillman turned away millions of dollars to enlist in the military, there was simultaneous shock and respect for the choice he had made.  

For many, Tillman's decision and subsequent death made him a shining star.  Here was a man who put love of country over love of self and money. I too greatly respected him. The things I admire most in people are the things I doubt I could do myself.  His actions made me think back to past generations.

Comparing the current state of affairs in Iraq to World War II is unfair. Other than the fact that they are both wars, they have little in common. The politics involved are different and the technological changes in warfare are exponential. Socially speaking the morals and values of society have evolved as well, for better and worse. One thing that is clear from our history lessons is that the sacrifice Tillman made in the present was standard practice for the sports heroes of the past.  Back then he'd be just another soldier-athlete, for back then they all enlisted. Although the act was more common, this does not diminish their deeds.

Any life lost in war is a loss that can never be measured.  Each individual has just as much importance as another and each death reminds us of unfulfilled gifts. To emphasize this point I put together a Hall Of Fame Lineup of former soldiers.  Each man bravely served in either WWII or Korea.  The fickle hand of fate chose to keep them safe during wartime. They serve as examples of excellence that easily could have been lost to us forever, for they surely too were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

 (Note:) For his leadership abilities as a marine fighter pilot I anointed Ted Williams the title of Manager. Of all the baseball players who were veterans, his story is one of the most well known and respected. He definitely was the man.

 Ted Williams (Marines,WW II) .344 AVG 521 HR 1,839 RBI   1B-Hank Greenberg (Army,WW II) .313 AVG 331 HR 1,276 RBI   2B-Jackie Robinson (Army, WW II)  .311 AVG   137 HR   734 RBI  SS- "Pee Wee" Reese (Navy, WW II) .269 AVG 126 HR 885 RBI  3B-Eddie Mathews ( Navy, Korea) .271 AVG   512 HR   1,453 RBI  OF-Stan Musial (Navy, WW II) .331 AVG   475 HR   1,951 RBI  OF-Joe DiMaggio (Army, WW II) .325 AVG   361 HR   1,537 RBI  OF-Willie Mays (Army, Korea) .301 AVG   660 HR   1,903  C-Yogi Berra (Navy, WW II)  .285 AVG   358 HR   1,430 RBI  RHP-Bob Feller (Navy, WW II)  266-162   3.25 ERA   2,581 Ks  LHP-Warren Spahn (Army,WWII)  363-245  3.09 ERA  2,583 Ks

There were so many additional athletes in baseball and other professional sports who served, but hopefully this conveys my message. Imagine if Ted Williams had been shot down flying a mission and killed. Who then would be remembered as "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived"? On a deeper level what if fate had called for Jackie Robinson? Would the person picked in his place to break baseball's color barrier have  handled the responsibility with the same dignity and grace that he showed? While I'm on the subject of Robinson, would he have had another teammate such as "Pee Wee" Reese? Reese was the only man with enough bravery to befriend Jackie and stand famously beside him, arm around his shoulders, as racial hatred rained down so long ago in America.  Or Hank Greenberg, who served as a source of pride and inspiration for Jewish people around the country, as they mourned the millions massacred in the Nazi holocaust.    Fortunately the world was able to witness their accomplishments. Even so their lives were worth no more than those who never returned to their loved ones.

That fact remains the same to this day. Each person lost in Iraq adds another page to the voluminous book titled, "What Could Have Been."  Let's all hope they get home soon, so we can stop adding people to the list of those we pay homage to on Memorial Day.

(This is a repost from last year but my feelings on the subject will never change.)

Well if I wasn't surprised to see Ricky Williams get caught smoking marijuana again, you could've knocked me over with a feather.  Uh...not exactly. Even so I can't lie.  I feel extremely sympathetic for him. He is by all accounts an exceptionally nice human being. Coaches and teammates, both past and present, usually have nothing but good things to say about Ricky the person. Unfortunately it's painfully apparent that he has little self-control. A man who plays essentially for free (to pay off a larger a multi-million dollar debt to the Dolphins) and still can't abstain from marijuana use must have serious personal issues. Under the circumstances does anyone really believe that Ricky Williams wanted to mess up again? 

Many will offer the argument that Williams is a man and must be held accountable for his actions. Others will say that drugs are illegal and their use makes him a criminal. Some will feel that his failure to take advantage of his additional chances indicates an immature, selfish character flaw that has let his family and teammates down time and time again. He will be judged mercilessly for the most part. Ah, such is the life of a professional athlete. The sign at the door says, "Help Wanted: People Needed To Live In A Fishbowl: Professional Athletes And Celebrities In General Are Strongly Encouraged To Apply."

Let me be perfectly clear. I'm not saying that what Williams has done is fine, nor do I remove responsibility from his shoulders. He knew the rules but in my opinion those rules suck. Simply put, it is my opinion that professional athletes are unfairly subjected to higher standards and more intense scrutiny than the common man.  Their wealth and status makes them easy targets of resentment, especially if they "get out of line".  The general public, as much as we like to see the storybook rise to the top, loves even more to witness the crash back down to Earth.  

If Ricky Williams was a man with a more mundane profession, say a mortgage broker or day laborer, who would know or care? Drug use penalties should not indiscriminately fluctuate across white-collar or blue-collar professions, let alone sports. If our friend who worked down at the warehouse smoked marijuana in the comfort of his living room, would we think it was fair that he lost his job when someone told his boss? I understand it's illegal (so are lots of things) but lose his job?  If that were the case then there would be even more unemployed folks all across America living off the government dime.

Let's take it a step further. If Williams played in the NBA, would he have these problems? It wasn't until 2000 that the NBA even tested for marijuana. As far as I know the most time a professional basketball player can be suspended for if he repeatedly uses pot is 5 games per offense. A player caught abusing cocaine or other hard narcotics will receive  more severe penalties and suspensions. (See Michael Ray Richardson, Roy Tarpley, Richard Dumas, etc...) However, the NBA is much more lenient with marijuana users. Incidences of players caught with it at airports or in cars have been well documented.

NBA DRUG POLICY

Testing

* All players are tested at least once during the four-week preseason.  Rookies are tested three more times, randomly and without notification, each season.  Veterans are tested once during the preseason.

* If a veteran tests positive, he is tested again during a season only if there is reasonable cause.  A doctor or counselor from the league-mandated program determines whether there is reasonable cause.

 http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n419.a05.html

Major League Baseball claims to have an anti-drug policy but we all know that it's steroids they worry about. Testing for "recreational" drugs is not administered randomly, but on a basis of reasonable cause. In other words they can test you for it when they feel like it. Now you tell me. When was the last time you have ever heard of a professional baseball player being suspended for smoking marijuana? As a matter of fact baseball has a long history of hidden drug use. Players in the 1970's widely used amphetatimenes even though they had become a prescription drug at the start of the decade. Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher  Dock Ellis claims to have pitched  a no-hitter after using  LSD on June 12, 1970 against the Padres. Many Mets players of the 1980's, such as Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry were known cocaine users.

Seems to me that Ricky Williams is playing the wrong damn sport.

Let's keep things in perspective about Williams' latest drug related issues. Before he gets crucified by the media and the general public let's ask ourselves: 1)Does the fact that the NFL has a more stringent marijuana testing policy than many police departments, government agencies, teacher's unions, fire departments, hospitals , or any other professional sport seem slightly out of kilter to you? Does this bother anyone else besides me?  2) When and why did the NFL decide that it was their role to do so? Those football players sure must have the safety of a whole lot of people depending on them.

Some (but hardly most) professions will test you for drug use once when you are initially hired and then leave you alone. Perhaps if your work performance begins to suffer they will warn you and maybe investigate if things don't change. Right or wrong this is typically standard practice in most workplaces. As long as your job performance doesn't suffer your private life stays just that, private. Apparently not in the No Fun League.

I hope some readers don't misinterpret my message. I am not trying to justify Williams' behavior or glorify the use of drugs. He has to play by the rules of his employer as we all do. Even if his acts were irresponsible  I know in my heart that the NFL is one of the few places in America where this could have happened to him. I have always believed in letting the punishment fit the crime. I guess the punishment for smoking pot for the rest of America isn't good enough for the NFL. They have to keep those menaces to society like Ricky Williams far away from the field of play.

Ricky's biggest crime is that he's "guilty" of being weak. Ridicule him for that if you must. Just don't turn a blind eye to the hipocrisy of the situation. Most of us interact daily with people who smoke marijuana and think they're just swell. Ricky on the other hand gets dragged through the mud.