Write On Sports

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Michael Vick, without pay, from the NFL indefinitely because of the actions and decisions made by the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Vick pleaded guilty to involvement in the dogfighting business, but copped out of admitting to personally betting on the dogfights or accepting any of the winnings. He did, however, admit to what was worse - that dogs “not worthy” of the fighting pit were killed. And he admitted that he was involved by saying that the killings were “a result of the collective effort” of him and his co-defendants.

I see that plea as a weak and pathetic attempt at saving his own disgraceful reputation as a poor - very poor - example of a professional athlete. Anyone who can take an innocent dog and drown him or hang him or strangle him, does not deserve the mercy of the NFL, the NAACP, the ASPCA, or any other group of alphabets you can string together. What those poor, innocent animals must have felt during the time of their being killed just sickens me, and I commend the NFL Commissioner for his decision. And I think Michael Vick should be banned for life from professional sports, so that he can never serve as an example for our already sick and troubled youth.

We need POSITIVE role models. Athletes who stand up for a just cause that makes our lives better and more just. Executing dogs that are “not worthy” of a sick and vicious fighting pit is not the action of a moral human being. It is the action of someone “not worthy” of being in the public eye. What goes around, comes around.

What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Write On Sports/Muhammad Ali Life

REGGIE MILLER

Reggie Miller, the former star of the Indiana Pacers, and probably the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history, has officially decided that he will not return to the NBA to play for the Boston Celtics or anyone else, for that matter.

It seems that despite the fact that everyone he spoke to - from former players to former coaches to people on the street - suggested that he makes the comeback, Reggie Miller was just not mentally ready to endure the rigors that NBA Basketball entails.

And despite the fact that I was hoping he would - for he always made close games interesting at the end - I think that he made the right decision. He played 18 seasons in the NBA, and his place in the Hall of Fame is pretty much certain. And that is enough. Too many professional athletes either make comebacks which don’t fare too well, or they stick around too long and end their careers on a poor note.

Reggie Miller should be commended for a courageous decision which had to have been very difficult for him. Athletes have a hard time turning away from the limelight. I would like to have seen him in a few games, but he listened to his heart and his body and probably did what was best.

Reggie Miller retired from the NBA in 2005 with more than 25,000 career points, and was the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers.

M. Dean
Write On Sports/Muhammad Ali Life

With all the previous talk about wanting to be traded, then changing his mind, Kobe Bryant has Lakers’ fans wondering what he is going to do. Having missed the golden opportunity to get Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, has the Lakers’ organization done enough to satisfy Kobe Bryant’s desire to make the team better?

We’ll just have to wait and see. . .

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

The fan from New York who caught Barry Bonds’ 756th homerun ball is planning to auction it online, which could net him somewhere in the area of $500,000. Despite IRS standing there with their dirty hands out, 21-year-old Matt Murphy should end up being a very rich man!

In an amazing display of offensive baseball power, the Texas Rangers, a last-place American League team, scored 30 runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles, the first time that so many runs have been scored in one game in 110 years!

Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick has agreed to plea guilty to the charges against him in the dogfighting scandal. Three of his co-defendants already pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Vick if the case were to go to trial. They have said that Vick participated in the killing of at least eight dogs who had lost fights by various evil means, including drowning and hanging.

Vick could face 5 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. In my opinion, he should be barred from playing in the NFL to be seen by youngsters as a “role model” of professional sports.

Those players and entertainers who are in the public eye have a responsibility to set an example for those who watch them and follow their careers. Michael Vick is no exception.

What’s your opinion?  We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

In a Minor League baseball game, ex-Major Leaguer Jose Offerman hit a homerun for the Long Island Ducks on the first pitch of the game. When he came up to bat in the second inning, the opposing pitcher plunked him on the calf with a pitch, and Offerman went nuts. I say that because sometimes when players are hit by a pitch, especially when they think it’s intentional (and it probably was), they get angry, they threaten the pitcher, and sometimes they even charge the mound and a fist fight erupts. But I say Offerman went “nuts” because he charged the mound WITH HIS BAT and started swinging.

Now that is a whole different matter from charging the mound to fight. There’s a very thin line between charging the mound to FIGHT with a bat in your hand and charging the mound to KILL. What Jose Offerman did was not “wrong”…. it was INSANE.

As a result, the pitcher sustained a broken finger, and the opposing catcher, who tried to protect his pitcher, wound up getting hit in the head and had a concussion which will probably keep him from playing for the rest of the season.

Appropriately, Jose Offerman was not only thrown out of the game, but was ARRESTED. He is to be charged with second-degree assault, and the league has suspended him indefinitely.

Now I understand that athletes get angry sometimes in games, but his reaction could easily have been deadly. As it was, he clocked a player on the head with the bat, so it is most fortunate that there weren’t worse injuries, or even a fatality.

Jose Offerman is 38 years old, played 15 seasons in the majors with the LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets.

Even when athletes get angry, they must learn to control the anger that they feel, especially when you have such a lethal weapon as a baseball bat in your hands. I feel sorry for Offerman, but whatever happens to his career from here is his own fault.

What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

He was the shortstop for the New York Yankees for 13 years, won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1950, played in 9 World Series in which the Yankees won 7, played in 5 All-Star Games, and was a member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame. But for those who lived in New York and watched Yankee baseball on WPIX Channel 11, Phil Rizzuto will always be best known as the voice of the New York Yankees, an announcer for nearly 40 years.Phil Rizzuto died today at the age of 89. He had been the oldest living member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Rizzuto had the chance to play with the likes of Yankee greats and fellow Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. And with his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1994, he also will forever be considered one of the Yankee greats.

As an announcer, his trademark phrase was, “Holy Cow!” which he shouted after a great play or a Yankee homerun of significance, such as Roger Maris’ 61st homerun in 1961. As a player, he was known as “The Scooter” for his quickness, and he was an excellent bunter, making him a vital leadoff threat. He played his entire career with the team he loved, The New York Yankees.

In an ironic twist of fate, the Yankees’ crosstown rivals in New York were the Brooklyn Dodgers. They also had a great player named Pee Wee Reese, who played shortstop as did Phil Rizzuto. So they were defensive rivals for two rival New York teams. In 1999, Pee Wee Reese died on August 14th, exactly 8 years prior to the day of Phil Rizzuto’s passing.

We, at Write On Sports, send our condolences to the wife and family of a great Yankee baseball legend, No. 10, Phil Rizzuto.

M. Dean

The quest for the new homerun record is now over. Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants holds the record for the most homeruns in Major League history at 756. He hit the homerun in front of a friendly home crowd in San Francisco on Tuesday night, August 7th. He has now surpassed Hank Aaron, who held the record for the last 33 years. Everyone should be celebrating.

But they are not. Not everyone. And we all know why and don’t want to belabor the point here. But it was, indeed, a monumental feat and Barry Bonds does deserve congratulations. I’m sure that many players could begin using steroids openly on national TV, with rub-by-rub commentary, and still not hit 756 homeruns in a career nor 73 homeruns in one year. It’s not that easy to hit major league pitchers throwing 90 mph fastballs at you with various spins on the ball. You have to be good — very good — to hit homeruns like Barry Bonds. And people forget that before all the talk about steroids, and before he blew up in size, Bonds was considered the best player in baseball for many years. Let us not forget the talent that the man has. And he’s still hitting considerably well.

He was, and still is, a great baseball player. He did something foolish, whether knowingly or unknowingly (as he claims). You don’t just rub cream on your body without having any idea what it is. I don’t necessarily buy it. But I’ve played the game of baseball. I still use a batting cage occassionally. It’s not easy. So while I don’t like the possible steroid use and all the controversy surrounding it, in the final analysis I must tip my hat to Barry Bonds because hitting homeruns off of major league pitchers is a very, very difficult thing to do. And he’s done it at least 756 times. So, like it or not…….Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants is the new homerun king of Major League Baseball. He now wears the crown.

Hank Aaron sent a pre-recorded message to Bonds which played on the video board at the San Francisco stadium after the homer. I think it was a very gracious act of a great player who, in my opinion, may have been the 2nd greatest player in baseball history. I still say that Willie Mays was the best ever. Look at Aaron’s stats, and it’s hard to argue the point. And the good thing is that Aaron’s record of 755 came without any controversy. So hat’s off to Hank Aaron, also, for acknowledging Bonds’ feat and congratulating him.

Maybe Bonds can relax now and play out the rest of his career as the new king of the homerun.

What’s your take on Barry Bonds?
Give us your opinion. We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

Well, Bonds finally did it. He has tied Hank Aaron for the all-time homerun lead at 755 homeruns. He hit the historic homer in the 2nd inning in San Diego and, as expected, there was a mixed reaction of cheers and boos because this monumental feat has been tainted. It is most unfortunate for Bonds and for baseball that steroids ever reared its ugly head into the picture.

I still think that Barry Bonds would have been way up on the homerun list if he had not used performance-enhancing steroids, so we still may owe him a nod or two of admiration for his talent. Steroids DO NOT help you hit a pitched ball more accurately. That takes a special skill as anyone who has ever played the game of baseball well knows. I am sure that it helps you hit the ball harder and further, but the talent must already have been there. Otherwise, he would not STILL be hitting homers at this age. We must assume that he is not presently using steroids, yet he is still hitting the ball out of the ballpark at the golden age of 42. His 755th career homer was also his 21st of the season, with a month-and-a-half left. And keep in mind that Bonds receives many intentional walks.

So, next up for Bonds is the coveted 756th homerun, which will put him on top of all the other players in Major League history. But having some fans - as Bonds rounded the bases with his historic 755th homer - hold up signs with an asterisk on them, serves as a reminder that the new homerun record will always be tainted…until the next player approaches the new mark. Hopefully, he would have learned and will keep himself far, far away from steroids.  A.R. perhaps???? Time will tell.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life