Vick Can’t Get Away This Time

Michael Vick has made a career out of his ability to run away from defenders, which is especially important when you play quarterback yet are completely inept when he comes to hitting an open receiver. Vick not only has had an uncanny ability to elude defenders on the field, but to also dodge controversy off the field. Well, it looks like the most overrated player in NFL history is about to run out of gas. On Monday, one of Vick’s co-defendants pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges and has agreed to cooperate with the government’s case against Vick.

Vick’s talent is undeniable, however, for the last two and a half years the former Virginia Tech star has made more noise for his transgressions off the field. The federal indictment is just the latest in a timeline of regression that includes the Ron Mexico scandal, flipping the bird to the home crowd, and the water bottle fiasco.

Even prior to the dogfighting indictment, Vick’s status in Atlanta had become tenuous at best. Stories began swirling at the end of last season questioning whether Vick or popular back-up Matt Schaub should be the Falcons’ quarterback. After the hiring of Bobby Petrino as head coach, speculation was that Vick’s suddenly checkered reputation and ineffectiveness throwing the football made him a poor fit in the new regime’s offensive system. Instead, Petrino proclaimed Vick as his starter and Schaub was shipped to Houston.

While there is a degree of irony in that the Falcons could have desperately used Schaub, in essence, this season was one of transition in Atlanta. Even with either Vick or Schaub under center, the Falcons were not ready to contend for the playoffs this season. The rebuilding process is now in full force with a first year coach, making the transition from the college game, handing over the reigns of the franchise, at least for the immediate time, to Joey Harrington.

The absence of Vick may be a blessing in disguise. Vick was no longer considered the franchise’s savior and was a big question mark in Petrino’s offense. It’s time for the Falcons to turn the page, expedite the rebuilding process, and allow Petrino to put his own stamp on the franchise by hand picking his own quarterback. Can anyone say Brian Brohm?

The smart move for Arthur Blank and Rich McKay is to move forward immediately and assure that #7 has played his last game for the Falcons. Then again, with the way things are going for Vick he may not be playing anywhere for a very long time.

MLB All-Star Game Foreshadowing Things to Come?

After sitting around last Tuesday night watching the MLB All-Star Game from the comfort of my sofa I figured I would share a few thoughts I had from the game. These thoughts exclude the already overly discussed Pujols-La Russa drama. In addition, I will refrain from mentioning how instead of spending the evening in McCovey Cove, Eric Byrnes should have been playing in the dang game! Ok, I’m done now.

Now, while drawing conclusions from a glorified exhibition may not hold much weight, I believe there were some telling signs that need to be discussed. With that said, I decided to be lazy and make a list:

* How good is Chris Young really?

San Diego starter Chris Young is a nice player, but should he be leading the league with a 2.00 ERA? Prior to being trading to San Diego, Young made 38 starts for Texas where he had a 4.35 ERA. At age 28, maybe Young has simply become a better player with more games under his belt and that probably does have something to do with his improvement. The other reason for his success could be the deadly combination of that he now pitches in the National League in the most pitcher-friendly park in the history of baseball. Nobody hits in Petco Park where Young's ERA is a ridiculous 0.82 compared to 3.33 on the road. That should tell you something right there.

In fifth inning on Tuesday night, Young proceeded to walk the lead off hitter Brian Roberts before giving up Ichiro's inside the parker. Texas forever! With the Padres battling for a division title Young will be counted on to pitch big down the stretch and that will include getting the job done on the road. Young will have a chance to prove his mettle and show that the ERA isn't just an aberration.

* Can closers not named Rivera be counted on?

JJ Putz has had an excellent season for Seattle up to this point. His performance trying to close out the All-Star game for the American League in was the antithesis of excellent. Putz was able to put away the first two batters before completely imploding after Dmitri Young reached on an infield single that Baltimore’s Brian Roberts failed to glove. A two run homer by Soriano followed by a walk and Putz’s night was done. Even though it was the All-Star Game, the appearance was probably the most pressure packed situation the young closer has ever faced. With the surprising Mariners squarely in contention in the AL can Putz be counted on when the pressure mounts at the end of the season?

Aw, but the closer question don’t end there. Putz then gave way to Los Angeles/Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez who made things even more interesting by walking the first two hitters he faced and subsequently loading the bases. K-Rod must have forgotten that he was pitching in the All-Star Game and not a contest to see who can throw the hardest. There’s overthrowing and then there’s OVERTHROWING. It’s a shock that Rodriguez was able to even record an out. The way he was spinning and falling off the mound after he released the ball, it looked more likely that he was going to pirouette off the mound and stumble all the way into the dugout forcing Jim Leyland to go with option C. K-Rod is battle tested and has got big outs in his career, but the Angel’s may want to supply him with some Ritalin if they make it to the postseason. Just in case.

Trying to determine whether or not a player will succeed down the stretch based on an exhibition may seem like grasping for air. This may be the case, but if you see Chris Young or Mr. Putz costing their respective teams in September don't say I didn't warn you.

Dan Patrick Leaving ESPN

A long time staple of ESPN, former "SportsCenter" anchor and radio talk show host Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN after 18 years. Patrick explained the decision by saying it was time to move on and that he had begun to take his job at the "Worldwide Leader" for granted.

For many years Patrick was arguably the network's most popular "SportsCenter" anchor and on-air personality even more likable than Mr. ESPN Chris Berman. For the past few years, however, Patrick's appeal had visibly softened and even his audience would agree that it seemed as though he had taken his status at ESPN for granted. From my vantage point, Patrick went from an entertaining presence with his subtle humor and quick wit to a stuck-up know-it-all who would rather kiss up to sport's biggest stars. Come to think of it, that kinda sounds like the evolution of ESPN itself.

So farewell Mr. Patrick, maybe we will see you hosting the "Price Is Right" in the not so distant future. If not, we always have the memories.

NBA Feeling the Draft

It’s extremely difficult to watch NBA basketball games these days. These past playoffs were especially brutal. Aside from Golden State, Phoenix, and Lebron’s one shining moment against Detroit, trying to maintain an interest in the league’s never ending postseason is a hopeless endeavor. Any game where San Antonio is a participant isn’t even worth considering (unless Phoenix is involved and even then it’s still painful). Which would partly explain why not even the name Lebron James could save the NBA Finals from posting its lowest ratings ever. The other reason for the low ratings is that the NBA game just isn’t very good. When the highlight of your postseason is the draft lottery you know you got problems. Which leads to the question – Is the idea of the NBA more intriguing than the actual product?

I say yes.

It’s like playing franchise mode in NBA Live where wheeling and dealing – making trades, signing free agents, changing your team’s starting five – building your team is more fun than actually playing the games against the computer. You’re better off just simulating the games and advancing to the off-season to play GM and do it all again. Fans feel the same way about the real NBA, which was evident with amount of attention paid to the NBA draft. My buddies and I were more excited about the draft than we have been about any NBA game in about a decade. This same sentiment is why my brother, who grew up a Blazers fan, but hasn’t paid attention to the NBA since the days of Kevin Duckworth, is now digging out all his old Blazers gear even while, living on the east coast, he likely won’t watch one minute of Greg Oden or his Portland teammates next season. The NBA game looks much better on paper than it ever does on the court.

Don’t Call It a Sport

Boxing should no longer be called a sport. Not after the farce Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. put on earlier this month. Not surprisingly, Mayweather came out victorious winning a ridiculous split decision in the over-hyped, immediately forgettable bout. Despite the fact that the fight never had a chance to match the hype leading up to it, it was still a must-see event to even the casual boxing fan like myself despite the $55 dollar price tag. Reinforcing that sentiment was news that the fight proved to be the most lucrative in the history of boxing. Well, all 2 million plus buyers should demand a refund. After hearing of his record setting bout, promoter/loser Oscar De La Hoya had this to share:

"I'm ecstatic. Of course, the money makes me really happy, but just having those records and being a non-heavyweight is an accomplishment in itself. To break the 1.99 million mark goes to show you that Golden Boy Promotions likes to do things in a big way. I think everyone targeted the 1.4 million mark, but me and [Golden Boy CEO] Richard [Schaefer] were always shooting for the 2 million mark. It's amazing."

Thank you, Oscar. Maybe you should mention that you lost the fight, but I guess the actual competition comes second to the almighty dollar. Herein lies the problem with having a fighter also be his own promoter. For all I know the De La Hoya-Mayweather “fight” was nothing more than a staged performance. The entire production, from the cross-country promotional tour to the HBO reality show to the fight itself, more closely resembled the WWE than an actual sporting event. The nation bought into the marketing ploy as a record number paid the high price for a low form of "sports enertainment." De La Hoya and Mayweather were laughing all the way to bank before the opening bell. The main goal of these two “fighters” wasn’t to try to win a sport contest, but to create a spectacle leading up to the fight that would entice fans to buy it. Their jobs were done before ever hitting the ring.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

A Message from the Bleeding Sports GM to his beloved New York Yankees:

It is time to grow up, show some guts, play like men and not little leaguers. If you are satisfied with being the laughing stock of Major League Baseball then get off this team. If you sit there in the dugout laugh and tell jokes when losing in the 9th GO HOME. It is time to sack up and stop playing like pathetic bums who drop their heads when they go down one run. Show some fire, get that glare in your eye that says "I am not afraid of you, you can't stop me BRING IT ON". Stop crying like Bobby Abreu after he gets a strike show everyone that you care and win some games. You dug yourself a huge hole in the AL East and today is the day to start the comeback if you still want to salvage the season. If not everyone will be forced to start thinking about the Eli Manning face and that gives me nightmares. So lets go and end this garbage before it is too late. MAN UP NOW!!

Cano's Strike Zone

The Bleeding Sports GM is a rapid Yankee fan and an avid reader of Nomaas.org, which is where he found this little nugget...

This is a regulation strike zone:

This is Robinson Cano's strike zone:

.250 BA / .296 OBP / .339 SLG / .635 OPS