What's Worse? Ray Rice or Michael Vick

Ray Rice punching his fiance in the face, or Michael Vick throwing pitbulls into a pool filled with dead dogs, feces and blood, with battery charged jumper cables attached to their ears, and laughing while they were being electrocuted and fighting for their lives to escape?

Think about that for a second. Is it really a question?

If you saw a woman being punched in the face you would probably be appalled, maybe even shocked. You'd tell people about it, and probably remember it for the rest of your life.

But if you saw a pool filled with blood and feces, and in it were dogs being electrocuted, fighting for their lives to escape, crying out in pain, do you think maybe that would leave a bigger mark?

I'm guessing it would. I'm guessing that shit would haunt you for the rest of your life!

Now I'm not one who raises the lives of dogs to that of human beings because after all, I eat animals. And while some might argue the eating of animals is in fact a method of torture, I wouldn't necessarily agree. Putting all of this aside though, to torture a living creature, be it a mouse, or fly, is both inhumane and sick. Michael Vick did this ALL THE TIME.

That's what Vick was/is: inhumane.

Ray Rice? I'm not sure what he is. My gut tells me he's a man who made at least one massive mistake, but whose fiance still married him in the end. As far as we know, he did a really bad thing once.

Vick? Again, ALL THE TIME.

I'll say this, and I'll mean it. I would never lay a hand on my wife, but if pressed with the option of having to either punch her in the face, or standby watching as countless dogs were murdered and tortured before my eyes, day after day, I'd tell me wife to put her hands up. And she'd agree.

Then she'd probably buy a guard dog.

Volkswomen

How creepy are these commercials if it's old men?

Fire Art Briles

Baylor Head Football Coach Art Briles needs to be fired for negligence.

If you don't know the story, Baylor football player Sam Ukwuachu was found guilty of assaulting a female soccer player at the university. Ukwuakchu was dismissed from Boise State for violence against his then girlfriend, and other behavioral issues. Baylor signed Ukwuachu, but now claim to not having known about any of this.

Simply put: buyer beware.

Whether Boise St Head Coach Chris Peterson made Baylor aware of the problem is immaterial. From a moral standpoint you would hope Boise St notified any and all teams interested in Ukwuachu, which I'd bet they did. Not doing so is reprehensible, but still, it's not their job to even have done so. They did their job by dismissing him. Certainly fire-able though, if the Boise St administration discovered they didn't pass on the information.

On the other hand, it's entirely Baylor's job to find out who they are inviting into their program and university. Clearly they did not do this. And because they didn't another student was physically and sexually assaulted.

Someone needs to be fired, and it's Art Briles.

Cris Carter, the Cool Dad

For years I have watched Cris Carter on set for ESPN and said out loud, "He is such an asshole."

Most recently my wife has been privy to hearing this over and over. Today she said, "Yeah, I always hear you say that about him. What did he do now?"

Here ya go.

As an alum of Ohio State, I get excited when I see the countless Buckeye media personalities strewn across the numerous outlets. It's a point of pride, since presumably they not only handled themselves well on the field, but also off.

Then there's Cris Carter, the loudmouth embarrassment who does not.

The same Carter who signed an illegal contract with an agent while at Ohio State and was suspended, which ultimately hurt the program. The same Carter who had problems with Philadelphia Eagles Coach Buddy Ryan because of alcohol and drug abuse, who was then traded. The Carter whose Hall of Fame speech seemed like more of an act than something genuine. And now the Carter who tells NFL rookies to make sure they have a "fall guy" when something goes wrong in their lives.

Keepin' it real.

Shocking that his son Duron Carter was kicked out of Ohio State, universally disliked for his poor work ethic, released from Alabama again for grades, signed with Florida Atlantic, but was later released again after doing poorly in school. When Cris Carter was asked about his son's problems he said, "He. Just. Hates. Fucking. School!"

As real as it gets.

I bring up the younger Carter because as someone who follows Ohio State closely, it has been discussed in hush tones the reason Duron is such an irresponsible person is because Cris Carter was never around to make sure he wasn't.

Does this surprise you? Then again, if Cris is doing the day to day parenting, I can't imagine things would have worked out any better. Yet the real problem here is Duron Carter had every opportunity in life to excel in school, while so many other kids do not, and yet his parents still allowed him to fail time and time again.

It's on Duron, but it's also on his parents.

It finally dawned on me this morning while watching Cris bend his knees and preach across that NFL stage, what he wants to be: The Cool Dad.

You know the guy. The one who wants young people to think, "He's just like us." That no matter how much fame, fortune, or success he achieves, he's still that kid fighting to make it. Just like those kids he was speaking with.

It's not an attractive quality. It's an immature and irresponsible one.

No one should ever minimize or disparage what it takes for people to rise up out of bad situations, and there are countless athletes who do. Some of them have a hard time escaping their own past, as was assumed about Desean Jackson just last year.

When it comes to Carter though, he's not using his stature to help these athletes learn from their mistakes, or grow as men. He's trying to portray himself as one of them even to this day, as if to suggest you can never escape where you came from. And that you don't even need to try to! Just go be you.

Even if his message had been, "Don't do drugs...avoid bad people...here's a second chance...", as naive and cliche as it may sound, maybe it resonates with some of those young men. Maybe he could help even a few of them become better people, who in turn pass it on.

But he didn't do that.

No. He was the Cool Dad. The one who might buy the underage kids beer, and then throw a few back. Maybe take a toke. The Cool Dad might let his kid drive before he gets his license. Takes his kids to R-rated movies. Lets his kid throw parties at the house. Shows up at sporting events, but not there to finish the homework. That's the Cool Dad.

"Mr. Carter, do you know Duron didn't hand in his research people?"

"Yes, but that's only because he HATES FUCKING SCHOOL!"

We all know the Cool Dad. And as we become adults and begin to look reflect on that person, we all realize the Cool Dad wasn't really that cool at all. In fact, it's the Responsible Dad who we come to admire, and hope to one day emulate. And there's probably not a group of people in this country who need a lesson from the Responsible Dad like NFL rookies. It's hard enough for many of these kids to overcome their difficult pasts. It's made that much more difficult when a Hall of Fame player is telling you it's okay not to.

Cris Carter shouldn't be on a stage telling young people how to act. Cris Carter should be sitting in the audience learning how to be an adult.

About Tom Brady

Anyone who has heard me on the radio or read this blog knows I believe Tom Brady is innocent of what he has been accused of. Do I think he knew the balls were under-inflated? Sure. Why not. Who gives a shit. Do I think he personally under-inflated those balls, forced or asked anyone to do it, or even cares that it's done? Not particularly. Not in a way that makes any difference.

I also think the PSI level of a ball is an absurd argument to be having, and that's the real issue here. Recall, a referee touches the football on EVERY PLAY, and NOT A SINGLE REF EVERY SAID A WORD.

I'm told by someone who knows Brady pretty well that this entire thing is affecting his life in a very negative way. From the 4 game suspension, to the lack of a normal training camp, to the release of his personal emails, as well as the hyper-intrusive coverage of his life in general. All of it is taking it's toll on him, and Roger Goodell is the reason it's happening.

Now it goes without saying, Goodell is motivated by his own incompetence, fueled by the other high-profile cases he mishandled. He just spent the last year of his life looking like a fool, and in his own mind, this is his counter. To think, he believes taking down one of the game's all time greatest players over the PSI level of footballs somehow erases his own mistakes. It does not. It will not.

It's embarrassing.

All of this said, Brady needs to view this through the lens of competition, and for the moment forget about his actual job. He needs to be the guy who wins the case, and ends Goodell's reign over the NFL. Because another loss for Goodell should just do him in. And his reign has to end. Brady is in a prime position to bring EVERYTHING to it's conclusion. For the players, for the fans, for everybody. End this guy.

Putting the nail in Goodell's proverbial coffin will be almost as satisfying as any football game Brady has ever won. He needs to see this through. Step away from football for a second. Sit the games if it comes to that. But don't let this guy beat you. Do the football loving world a favor by removing his name from anything we ever have to read, see, or hear again.

And I'm a Buckeye fan.

Get it done, Tom.

Oh, Ray Rice...

I keep hearing on sports talk radio things like, "The only teams who are going to take a chance on Ray Rice are teams who are desperate, and need a running back."

Really? Is that who's taking a chance on Rice? Desperate teams in need of a running back?

In other words, teams should only take a chance on a guy who knocked out a woman if the football team isn't doing as well as management would like it to do.

Does that sum it up?

What Ray Rice did is hard to defend, and I'm not about to do it (even if he is the greatest Rutgers player ever). I'm just not sure Rice should have to pay for this endlessly, and lose his entire career over it. Actually, I know he shouldn't. Adrian Peterson whipped his defenseless child's legs until they bled, and he's back playing. Rice's then fiance could have left this man, but instead chose to marry him.

If Rice ultimately does get signed by a team he will be forced to do some public relations work like speak to battered women, etc. I'm fine with that. I would demand it too. I'm sure he has done it before, is probably doing it still, and will gladly do it some more. It's beneficial for every living person someone of his stature is speaking out on an issue like this.

Yet whether or not he gets signed shouldn't be decided by the desperation of your football team!

It should be decided based on whether you think this man has suffered enough and paid a steep enough price. On whether we believe in second chances, and things of that nature.

Clearly, there will be people who don't think he should ever play again. What they expect him to do, you never hear about. Short of a high profile job there's no reason for him to continue his "rehab", and speak out against awful actions like the one he engaged in. But it's only through football will we get that version of Ray Rice, the one who is now helping others.

There are also those who didn't care much about what he did at the time of the incident, and wanted to see him playing immediately so they can further enjoy their Sundays. Those people are morons. Rice first needed to pay for his sins before being accepted back.

Ultimately we shouldn't be deciding Rice's fate based on football needs. It should be decided based on whether we think a man can repent for a wrong, and make good going forward.

I think Ray Rice has repented, and I would have no problem seeing him playing football again, regardless of the team. But my morality and ethical decisions won't be based on football statistics.

Oh, Geno and Tom and Ben...

I'm hopeful always-wrong Jets fans recognize the blessing that just occurred regarding Geno Smith and IK Enemkpali.

Btw, before I get into it, how many of you have stared at his name and tried to pronounce it inside of your head repeatedly? Even though I've heard others say it, I still find myself mouthing "En-ehmK-polly?" And is his name "Ick?" If not, what is his name? Lets just go the distance on it.

Actually, don't tell me. I don't really care. I never heard of him before the right hook, and I've basically heard of everyone.

But I'm not a miserable Jets fan (aka, Jets fan), so I don't have to care who he is. If I were, well I'd probably run out immediately and buy myself an ENEMKPALI #51 Jersey, Jets or Bills. Because this future MMA star just did you a favor, having saved you from yet another season of sure agony. Or at the very least, 5-6 games.

Yeah, I know this may not make the Jets better, but it's probably not making them worse. It's good when you can plan ahead for the inevitable.

Face the facts, Jets fans, the guy is not good. He was never good. He will never be good. He was not great in college, and he's no better today than he was when he couldn't beat Giant's backup Ryan Nassib's Syracuse team. He was the product of a system, and the talent he had around him, to say little of the super garbage conference he played in.

Now I'm no John Nash, but I know what 38 is, and in this case it's the number of players taken before Smith in the NFL Draft. Not to say 2nd round draft picks don't pan out, but when Smith was chosen 38th it was deemed a surprise. Some predicted he'd be in the Top 10, maybe even Top 5.

When a player starts free falling right out of the first round past a slew of teams who need a QB, it's a red flag. One the Jets management didn't see.

Heck, EJ Manuel went 20 picks higher! Btw, EJ, don't promise your new teammate anything.

So Jets fans, THANK Mr. Enemkpali for sparing you the torture. Now you have a pedestrian Quarterback who will help you forget all about Sheldon Richardson's future as a NASCAR driver.

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Speaking of NASCAR!

Was someone speaking of NASCAR?

No. Never. Certainly not me...but...

...For a moment. If you know me, you know what I think of NASCAR. If you know anyone, you should probably know the same. But I will say this morning I randomly read my first ever NASCAR-related article because I was SLIIIIGHTLY intrigued about Tony Stewart killing a guy who was "on marijuana", as was written.

I know as much about Stewart as I've just written about, and slightly more about the legal process. Deceased driver Kevin Ward's family has filed a wrongful death suit against Stewart, claiming the "accident" was intentional, etc.

Clearly they're upset, and quite possibly insane. If there's a video about frivolous lawsuits in America, the opening should be Kevin Ward walking down a race track toward Tony Stewart's car.

I'm hopeful some ambulance chasing lawyer didn't tell these people he'll pry some money off Stewart via blackmail because that's all this is. The family knows he has tons of cash, and are taking the calculated gamble he'll settle with them rather than risk being found guilty. After all, this would certainly tarnish his career if he was deemed at fault in any way.

It won't happen though. He'll fight this til the end and win.

When it's all said and done I hope he turns around and gives these people a $100,000 stuffed into an old bag. Just tosses it over to them after the trial, and says something like, "Sorry about what happened to your son. Hope this makes you feel better."

It's not easy making Tony Stewart look classy, but the Ward family is sure trying.

After all, he's somewhat responsible for another man's life. I'm sure that doesn't feel great.

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And there it is, my first and hopefully last ever post about NAAAAAAAASCAR.

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I have it on good authority Tom Brady is losing his shit, borderline depressed. Roger Goodell is beating him down for sure, but now he's caught up in the whole 'Peyton Manning email exchange' and "my buddy brought his hot nanny on our flight to Vegas" thing.

Yep, it's all wearing him down.

Part of me feels bad for the guy because I think this NFL "ball deflating" scandal is a massive joke. Hand the guy his fine, and move on. That Goodell is using Brady, a hero of the sport, to make himself look better is embarrassing on so many levels. The more it gets spoken about, the more absurd it seems to me.

Goodell needs to be fired, and I hope this does it.

Back to Brady...

Another part of me doesn't feel bad for him at all. He's taking private jets to Vegas all the time with hot nannies? Going to UFC fights, hitting the Kentucky Derby, and this is just what we hear about!

I've surmised that the worst summer of Brady's life is basically the dream I have every day.

So while I feel for the guy (because all of this is so lame), I'm going to get over it. I'm sure he will too.

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Which brings me to Ben Affleck taking Brady to Vegas on his private jet with his kinda hot nanny. I wasn't even aware Jennifer Garner and Affleck had split until my mom came to visit, and mentioned it in passing. For this summer, Kaitlyn Jenner dominated the "Shit I Don't Really Care About" section of my mind. So pardon me for missing this.

That said, I want to blame Garner for their breakup, having no idea whose fault any of it really is. It was probably his, but I still want to blame her more.

Why you ask?

Well, I think it's pretty obvious.

You don't hire THAT GIRL to be your Nanny! You hire her, and her, and her, and MAAAAYBE her. BUT NOT HER.

So, yeah, I'm sure it's probably his fault, but as I have said MANY TIMES during all my travels to Vegas with the UFC. "If you run through the lion's den once you might not get killed. But if you run through 50 times, you certainly will." In Ben's case, he's living with the goddamn lion.

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Is it that time when I give away ANOTHER fantasy sleeper?

Hate to give away all my tricks, but I will say this: I find it interesting the Eagles are trying to extend Sam Bradford's contract right now.

He's always had the ability, but staying on the field has been a problem. Apparently the Eagles, namely, Head Coach Chip Kelly, believe he is more than capable of running the show. Logic dictates if THIS GUY can somewhat succeed, well I'm guessing Bradford will far exceed expectations. Which in Bradford's case just means making it through the first half of a game...

But I'll go you one better because that's too easy of a sleepski.

Draft Cameron Artis-Payne. Probably a bit obvious with him playing in Carolina behind Jonathan Stewart and a 2 other players less known than IK Enemkpali, but the reality is this kid is a legit football player. Forget measurables, etc. He has great feet, balance, vision, and runs hard between tackles.

He will be getting picked up by your wife's friends in her fantasy league by week 5, which means he's valuable by at least Week 3.

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Cheerio.

The Mental Health Gun Bullshit

Stepping away from sports for a second...

Whenever there's a debate about guns in this country there's an immediate reaction from conservatives who collectively agree, "Guns aren't the problem! Mental health is the problem!"

Let's say for a second this is actually a fact (it can be both, right?). Then why is it those same people never want to do anything to fix the mental health problems as well? In fact, is it not the liberals in this country who want there to be stricter gun laws, AND more resources to solve a variety of mental health related issues?

You know the answer to that.

This brings me to my point about guns and mental health from a conservative perspective: they don't care about the well being of other people regardless of what the cause is. Just take a peek at how each state spends on the issue.

If you focus on guns for a second, it would seem a lot of these "gun rights" folks want protection for themselves, and from others (aka the government). The idea of defending yourself from the external threat is what's important to them because they believe there are threats. After all, they're causing them...but we'll get to that...

What is seemingly not important to them is the amount of death and injury caused by guns. The reason being: it's not hurting themselves, i.e, the individual.

The same goes for mental health. It's happening to someone else; someone in the abstract who isn't them. Now of course, when a particular individual is faced with a mental health issue, or gun death, then the tune changes. But up until that point it is a position of self, and the individual. Never the collective; never society at large.

So in truth, the gun issue, as well as the mental health issue, is handled the same way by those on the far right: It's ignored.

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Which takes me to another point about mental health in general.

Harvard Researcher Ronald Kessler, PhD, did a study a few years ago and then remarked, "Depression is a luxury disorder."

The United States blows the competition away when it comes to depression. The least depressed countries are the poorest, who are more concerned with just surviving. Not ironically though, the most depressed country is also the wealthiest, and that's the "luxury" problem.

America is the epitome of a 'dog eat dog'/'survival of the fittest' society. And with that type of society comes many problems. Those problems are manifesting themselves through depression, and that depression often results in violence and suicide.

When you have a system of rewards that is essentially a zero-sum-game, where in the losers literally end up in the streets, it's a problem. When someone loses a job, or isn't making the cut at work, it can often lead to a tragic situation, like we saw in Virginia the other day. This is not to say the assailant didn't have serious mental issues, but it seems that only in America does this play out over and over through violence. American culture exacerbates mental health problems through the subjective experience.

Now ask yourself, which group of people in this country are in support of unbridled capitalism and competition every step of the way? Who supports the zero-sum model most?

The answer? The same people who want to make sure there are no gun laws and who don't want to fund public health initiatives.

So is it any surprise they're also the people most in favor of a system that causes us the problems in the first place?

Suck on that for a bit.

Overrated Ronda, Maybe Racist Chip, the Metsies and Fantasy Tidbit

Don't take this the wrong way, but I am wholly uninterested in Rhonda Rousey's MMA dominance, and am confused by her popularity.

If you have not heard the latest, she'll be starring in a film based on her own autobiography. That's just weird to me.

Here's my issue with her fame, generally speaking: I don't think she's beating anyone that good, and while she is the best female MMA fighter, that's on par with being the best Floorball player. So to be treating this woman as if she's beyond anything we've ever witnessed, or that her star shines as bright as say Serena Williams, is just strange to me.

Women's MMA is less competitive than MMA was in 1993, when the UFC began. Robbie Lawler started training MMA in the late 90s, and now he's the champion, to give you an idea of how strong men's MMA has been over time. So while I'm all for her touting herself, color me confused when people speak and write about her as if she's on par with a Williams, or a Floyd Mayweather. For all we know she's about as talented a female athlete as Dottie Pepper.

Maybe I'll turn out to be wrong on this, but considering how easily she's rolling through people, I'm guessing competition isn't too tough.

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Do I think Chip Kelly is a racist? No, I don't. But do I think certain black players feel uncomfortable around him because of the way they're treated? Yes, I do.

Lets cut to the chase here: there's something to be said for the way a person feels. And it's quite possible players feel Kelly treats them in a way that reminds them of how a racist might treat them. Maybe it's condescension? Maybe it's dismissive? Who knows? But maybe those types of behaviors feel an awful lot like racism to certain players, and that similar emotion makes them believe he's "racist." I think this is quite possible.

I also think it's possible to have black friends, etc, and still be racist. Heck, I think Ben Carson is a racist!

Anyway, you get my point. Chip Kelly coached and defended a lot of players of questionable character and lifestyle like LeGarette Blount, LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli, to name a few. All of these guys were his guys, and seemed to represent a similar lifestyle to the one LeSean McCoy believes Kelly has a problem with.

So while he's probably not an out and out racist, he may in fact just be a jerk to guys who aren't his guys, and most of them happen to be black. And to them it feels like racism.

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Call me crazy, but I have a weird feeling the Mets are going to the World Series. It's a stretch to get past the Dodgers, Cards, Giants, etc, but they're trending, as is said. To think, just 2 weeks ago there was a discussion about Major League Baseball stepping in to force them to sell!

Think about it, this is a team who I watched score TWO runs in a 3 game series against the Cubs a bit more than a month ago. Since signing Yoenis Cespedas last week, they scored TWENTY against then division leader The Nationals. Now I'm not saying this is a sign of things to come, but keep in mind, that prior to the recent additions this team had the lowest team batting average in baseball and scored the fewest runs in the league.

And NOW THEY'RE IN FIRST PLACE!

None of this is science, but if this team starts believing in themselves, and begins to give their pitchers a little help, watch out. What team wants to face the 3-Headed Monster of deGrom, Harvey and Syndegaard? Each of those guys alone has the talent to win a series. Plus, David Wright returning, and without the pressure to carry the offense.

On top of all I provided above, the Mets have the easiest schedule in baseball of any team in the NL. They play 14 games against teams with a winning record, and most of these weaker teams have since become worse since the trade deadline.

I don't know, but I have a strange feeling.

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Which gets me to my Cubbies.

I just don't see it. You can't have the second lowest Batting Average in the league and make the playoffs. By season's end they'll have the worst average in the league. And the irony is only their power hitters can get on base (Rizzo and Bryant), relatively speaking.

I'm just glad management didn't try to sell the farm to make the playoffs, or do something stupid. This team is still a couple of years away from anything significant. Now was not the time. Well done, Theo. Don't need a repeat of what they did to Mark Pryor.

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Last year I told you to draft Jeremy Hill and Odell Beckham (yes, and Justin Hunter). Well, it worked out for my team.

This year I'm telling you not to draft Latavious Murray, and to highly consider TJ Yeldon as your 2nd back.

Murray is brittle. Draft him, and then trade him early. For a man who looks that big, he's too light. Which leads me to believe he has something called "light bones." This was a term we used to throw around in the UFC, wondering how a man could weigh so little, but look so big? The answer: light bones. Guys with light bones tend to break easily, and Murray always breaks.

On the other hand there's Yeldon, who while seemingly the smaller back at 'Bama, is still a very big guy. He measures at 6'2, 225, and ran a 4.52 40 at the NFL combine. Few running backs have the vision Yeldon has, and he can catch.

Remind you of anyone? Think about a guy who is 6'1.5", weighed 228lbs in college, ran a 4.6 in the 40, also slipped to the 2nd round in the NFL Draft, and has good hands...

Probably the first player picked in your fantasy draft: Le'Veon Bell.

Don't sleep on Yeldon. He will be a star.

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Cheers.