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I wonder... about Vick, Bonds and Strahan

If people truly understand their point when defending Vick.

Well, not defending. Some thinkers wonder why we're so quick to hang Michael Vick for his dog fighting ring. What gets me is how quickly people condemn dog fighting, pointing out how disgusting the descriptions of the dead dogs in the indictment, yet do their best to teach us the mastery of judgment while Vick's name appears on the indictment 47 times (quick scan).

For example, Deion Sanders tried to bring the reader into Vick's mind. Why? I have no idea. And I doubt Deion does either -- other than trying to capitalize on the revolutionary thinking that we should hold judgment on Vick.

"What a dog means to Vick might be a lot different than what he means to you or I," Sanders wrote. "Some people enjoy proving they have the biggest, toughest dog on the street. You're probably not going to believe this, but I bet Vick loves the dogs that were the biggest and the baddest. Maybe, he identified with them in some way.You can still choose to condemn him, but I'm trying to take you inside his mind so you can understand where he might be coming from."

Sanders wrote a follow up in which the NFL prevented from being published. Keep in mind that Sanders works for the NFL and all opinion regarding the NFL is property of the NFL.

On my way into work, I listened to Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN radio and there was a short 20-30 second blurb with Jay Harris. He compared the NFL refusing to let Sanders follow up a case of "censorship". He said that this is was the same thing during the Iraq war that if you were against the Bush administration, you were branded a "traitor".

I know people make radical comparisons to drive home an already weak point. But that was weak as hell. First of all, EVERYONE is censored when it potentially violates their contract. I ask Jay Harris what would happen if he slammed ESPN for one of many mainstream talking points. He'd probably giggle knowing you just can't slam your employer while under contract.

That's not censorship. That's not a violation of free speech -- which I'm 100% sure is what Harris was trying to drive home. Free speech, in the Bill of Rights says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

You can twist it and interpret how you like. But there's nothing in Jay Harris' point that says the government is preventing Deion Sanders from doing a follow up piece in a local newspaper about a professional athlete and his methods of killing dogs. Sorry, allegedly killing dogs. Damn, Deion and Jay would be disappointed with me.

If we're really that gripped about Bud Selig's appearance for Bond's record.

I'm amazed at the level of interest whether or not MLB Commissioner, Bud Selig, will be present when the eventual homerun is hit that will break Hank Aaron's historic home run record. Should the Commissioner be there? If he's not there, would people automatically believe he was protesting Bonds' authenticity? Selig, it seems to me, is in a lose-lose situation. If he goes, and he genuinely believes that Bonds "cheated" (which you kind of get that impression), then he'll be on hand to congratulate the man that broke the record. If Selig doesn't go, then he's going to be hounded by questions for his absence.

In the end, does it really matter? Consider for a moment that the general feeling about Selig is that he's fumbled a lot. He's not well respected as a commissioner from fans or commentators And when he does break the record, most people will start concentrating about Bonds' legacy -- not Selig's itinerary.

Now if Greg Anderson showed up, that would be a story.

If Michael Strahan is playing a game that he's bound to lose.

This has become an interesting story -- which includes the standard self-absorb greedy millionaire player. The juvenile and suddenly disrupting choice to "mull retirement" has shown to be nothing more than a "professional" (and I use that term loosely) believing he should have more money. Not only that, but the fact he choose to mull retirement NOW when he could have expressed this during a period in which the Giants could have picked up a player to replace him is "betrayal" -- for a lack of better words.

But let's be honest. You know Michael, honesty? This isn't about retirement, it's about money. Big Blue View (network resident NY Giants Blogger) agrees. You're threatening retirement to push the Giants into renegotiation. The best part of this story, is that the Giants are moving and even publicly calling his bluff.

One of these days players will fulfill one contract. Just one. You demand a long term contract and you get one that some 60-hour a week blue collar horse like me observes. Then halfway through the contract, you become bitter. Grow the hell up or get the hell out. We're a lot more worried about whether or not 90% of the remaining cable subscribers will have the NFL Network than you feeling sorry for your contract because you had a small tussle with your wife. Get over it. Go to camp and make Big Blue View happy. Oh, and there's nothing worse than being proud of a record that was handed to you (see: Brett Favre laying down for you).

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I wonder...
If you would save any of that vitriol for Michael Strahan for owners and GM's who don't live up to contracts they gave.

--Todd Steussie was cut after a six-year, $20 million was received one year and $4.5 million.
--Peerless Price's seven-year, $37 million contract was two years and $12 million.
--Mark Brunell's seven-year, $34 million contract was redone to a two-year, $10 million deal.
--Drew Bledsoe got a 10-year, $103 million contract from the Pats. He got three years and $24 million.
--Ian Gold got a five-year, $30 million contract from Tampa before being released after one year and $2 million.
--Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman have five- and six-year deals, respectively. Care to place a wager that one of them will be gone before their contract is over?

It's so wildly hypocritical for fans and the media to shit on players who hold out, when they can be dropped faster than one of Britney's kids, with no repercussion. When teams come back to the players to renegotiate, why doesn't anyone complain about the sanctity of a contract? Why does it only work one way? Why doesn't anyone complain about owners living up to contracts?

These greedy owners just sit back in their luxury boxes making billions upon billions of dollars while doing nothing. Meanwhile, players put their bodies on the line and cut years off their life by playing week after week. So I'm sorry that you're unhappy with your blue-collar job, and jealous of overpaid athletes. But your anger should be toward overpaid owners, not the players. Unless you happen to be management at your blue-collar job. Then maybe it's understandable why you're taking management's side here.

by SamO on Aug 2, 2007 9:20 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

RE:
When ownership is wrong, we'll call them out on it. On this particular case, Strahan is wrong. He left his team and fan base in limbo while doing little HIMSELF to find a way to resolve his frustrations. This has nothing to do with just money. It has everything with how he's acting. I have no dog in this fight. But many Giants fans aren't happy with Strahan either. He had a whole off-season to get this resolved and didn't. Now he's missing camp and at the stale-mate rate it's going, he might not be with the team for awhile.

And just because ownership didn't walk up to his door with a bouquet flowers, a stick of bubblegum and the latest issue of Playboy, doesn't mean Strahan should feel "betrayed". Nor would it change the perception that owners are inherently evil because they have billions of dollars.

We don't blindly support players nor slam owners. We've had Mike Brown to deal with so we've had our share of slamming the owner for years.

If you want to generalize this fight of ownership bashing, then fine. But since ownership and players isn't like the division of Democrats and Republicans, I'm sure we can adjust the debate on a case by case.

by Kirkendall on Aug 2, 2007 9:36 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Re:
Honestly, the next time I hear someone complain about ownership not living up to an NFL contract will be the first. All I ever hear complaints about is players. In baseball, it's that everyone has guaranteed contracts. In football, anytime a player says he's underpaid, you hear fans saying things like, "So, if he has a down season, is he going to give it back?" But no one says a word when players are forced to renegotiate their contracts, or forced to sign awful rookie contracts and don't get a chance to make more money.

I live in Connecticut, filled with Giants fans. And you're right, they're all complaining about Strahan. But they always complain about players. Always, always, always.

Slamming Mike Brown is completely different than slamming ownership for not living up to their end of a contract. Brown was incompetent and wouldn't spend money to improve the team.

Michael Strahan is 35 and nearing the end of his career. He's been the anchor of a Giants defense that has been good for a decade. The Giants owe HIM, not the other way around. Add to the fact that he went through a nasty divorce and could probably use some extra cash, it's pretty damn harsh to tell him to "grow the hell up."

by SamO on Aug 3, 2007 2:58 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Re:
In football, anytime a player says he's underpaid, you hear fans saying things like, "So, if he has a down season, is he going to give it back?" But no one says a word when players are forced to renegotiate their contracts, or forced to sign awful rookie contracts and don't get a chance to make more money.
If a team asks a player to take a paycut, the player is well within his contractual rights to tell them to shove it, and they frequently do (Shawn Springs did this offseason). Contracts are binding on ownership, meaning players cannot be contractually "forced" to do anything. As a matter of fact, "renegotiations" -- speaking exclusively to those renegotiations that shift salary to guaranteed money that can be prorated over the remainder of the contract -- always favor the player.

Which "awful" rookie contract was any player forced to sign? Which "awful" rookie contract exists? The last player drafted in the NFL gets more money than I will ever hope to make per year.

He's been the anchor of a Giants defense that has been good for a decade. The Giants owe HIM, not the other way around. Add to the fact that he went through a nasty divorce and could probably use some extra cash, it's pretty damn harsh to tell him to "grow the hell up."
The Giants owe him nothing, he has been fairly compensated for his time in New York. You act like it's been his charity that's kept him playing for the Giants; he was getting paid to do so.

If you were going through a nasty divorce, would your employee consider that when divying out your bonus? If so, wouldn't that be monumentally unfair to the single, unmarried, or happily married employees?

Why don't you think Strahan has been fairly compensated up to this point for his time in New York? What amount would you deem fair? 100 billion gajillion or is it less?

by Skin Patrol on Aug 7, 2007 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Re:
I shouldn't say always about the players. You should hear what people say about Tom Coughlin on Mondays.

by SamO on Aug 3, 2007 3:28 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

RE:
Yea, but don't you think the age of the NFL contract is evolving. I've always believed that the NFL Player's Union would eventually put a clause in the CBA that the players would get guaranteed contracts. That still has yet to happen.

Instead, players are getting record guaranteed money on signing bonuses and clauses. In a lot of cases, guaranteed money is over half the total money. So in the past 3-4 years, we're seeing players get a significant increase in guaranteed money. Even so, if the player is worth a damn, he'll have no problem finding another job.

I do think you have a valid point also of owners honoring contracts. I really do. I even question why contracts last more than 3 years. They're hardly ever honored throughout the length of the deal. And that comes from players as well as owners.

At the same time, I can't blame owners completely like you. I understand they have a business to run that want maximum profit. I also understand it's the way of the NFL that they will put together the best 53 players on the team that's balanced in payroll and well adjusted to the salary cap. It's just the way it is. It's in a lot of similar business situations (minus the cap). That's just life.

by Kirkendall on Aug 3, 2007 7:53 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm mostly with Kirk on this
C'mon, we all have jobs. Our employers don't have to do anything they don't really want to do. We have no rights. They can screw us over anytime.
NFL is no different. But if you have a contract, live up to it, it's personal integrity. You can only make one year deals if you want. Then test the market. I have no sympathy for the players. Make your own breaks....the owners did.

by Sloppygolf on Aug 3, 2007 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Re:
Right, but our jobs don't require us to sign contracts that can be cut at any time by our employers, but require us to stay, even if someone out there is willing to offer twice the money. Most of us can leave anytime we want.

Plus, our jobs don't require us to put our bodies on the line and cut off years from our lives, unless you're working in a coal mine somewhere.

Honestly, it's the second issue that's the biggest thing for me. These are human beings who are treated like absolute ass. Baseball is my favorite sport, but those guys are usually fine later on in life. The list of former NFL players who have some major disability because of what football did to them... it's really sad. And then everyone complains when they're trying to get as much money as they can. Well... yeah.

by SamO on Aug 3, 2007 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Re:
Right, but our jobs don't require us to sign contracts that can be cut at any time by our employers, but require us to stay, even if someone out there is willing to offer twice the money.
Neither does the NFL. Nothing by rule prevents ownership from writing into contracts that players are free to move about from team to team at will. They don't do that, since it would make it impossible to retain players (obviously). The reason players voluntarily sign contracts that prevent them from moving around at will is because that's the only way to get paid.

NFL Players are not bound as serfs to NFL teams. They are free to quite at any moment they please and can void the contract voluntarily just as any NFL team can -- just as any employee or employer can.

Plus, our jobs don't require us to put our bodies on the line and cut off years from our lives, unless you're working in a coal mine somewhere.
And there are a lot of coal miners out there "somewhere". In any event, no NFL job "require"s that any player puts their bodies on the line, that just happens to be the requirement for those that want to get compensated for their time.
These are human beings who are treated like absolute ass.
I can hardly imagine a more pampered segment of the population than NFL players. On what are you basing this conclusion, really? Do you get paid above the NFL's league minimum, which is hundreds and thousands of dollars?
The list of former NFL players who have some major disability because of what football did to them... it's really sad.
Name 10 of them. NFL players can apply for disability. The league currently uses the same procedure as Social Security for determining disability, so if your beef is with them you have equal beef with SS.

by Skin Patrol on Aug 7, 2007 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Re:
Fair enough. My issue is with "grow the hell up," which, along with some other comments you made, I felt was entirely too strong.

It's something that's bothered me for years. You're right in that players are getting more guaranteed money. I still don't think it's enough, but that's a separate issue.

by SamO on Aug 3, 2007 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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