"Show me the money"

It took me a month to settle down enough to write this post & another few weeks to edit it:

Way back when, I sat STOOPIFIED as a ranking member of the NAACP told people that all this objection to Michael Vick was because he was black. Really? It could not possibly be because he shows the signs of an embryo serial killer? Who happens to be black? I admit this pushed a button with me as I have a family member who is convinced that everyone who disagrees with him is an anti-semite. Even other jews that disagree with him are secretly self loathing. That someone might disagree with his opinion (or dislike him for wholly un-semite related reasons) is just not possible.

But back to Michael Vick:  there used to be talk (& maybe there still is) about how animal rights activists were rushing to judgment.  Again - really?  Because isn't that what a conviction is-a judgment?  I remain entirely unclear "what time will tell" except how well he plays football & how much cash that generates.  Or are we waiting to see if he gets caught operating a hobby-dog-fighting ring again or torturing animals again or whatever & then rethinking whether he or not he is might not be such a great guy who was just at the wrong place that one time?

What is starting to come out, though is that a large, financial machine did indeed, rush to judge him, it rushed to judge him rehabilitated. & that, after reading court documents, it would seem Vick had a second chance when his juvenile records were sealed. & had another second chance when his college coaches intervened for him. & has already doubled up on second chances since joining the Eagles, when they argued that drinking in a bar was not in fact a violation of his parole (& opening the door for ANY parole violator busted in the same way to get sprung because a precedent has been set).

I am told that the Eagles & Vick are gearing up for the post-season.  I do not know, I do not take much interest in football (is it like hockey where virtually everyone plays post-season?), nothing to do with Michael Vick.  The other thing gearing up:  high school & college football players crashing & burning (& drunk driving & shoplifting) & every one of them is certain it will all be forgiven.  Why wouldn't they be?

Just for fun I like to google "football player arrested".  Since I started this little game, there are always at least 5 (& often more like 8 out of 10) unique arrests that have occurred within the year.  I thought I would try a few others: Baseball, Volleyball & the famously violent Hockey.  There were only two Hockey player arrests that came up for the previous year: one hit & run & one tried to hire someone to kill his boyfriend.  Volleyball was even lamer.  Baseball, that gentlest of contact sports, is almost on par with Football, though not so close as Basketball.  So what do Baseball, Basketball & Football have in common that Hockey & Volleyball do not?  Very large third party financial interests.