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Hello
Gwinnett,
This has been a very interesting month in the world of sports! The Michael Vick plea deal, MLB pennant races, Barry Bonds, and the Kevin Garnett trade in the NBA are some of the headline stories so far.
I would like to start with talking about Michael Vick. In July, Michael was indicted on dog-fighting charges. In August, he plead guilty to dog-fighting. After Vick plead guilty, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell suspended Mr. Vick indefinitely with out pay. Later on, Roger Goodell issued a letter to Vick saying, “Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible. Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions. Your plea agreement and the plea agreements of your co-defendants also demonstrate your significant involvement in illegal gambling. Even if you personally did not place bets, as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL Player Contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”
“You have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the NFL and have violated the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. I will review the status of your suspension following the conclusion of the legal proceedings. As part of that review, I will take into account a number of factors, including the resolution of any other charges that may be brought against you, whether in Surry County, Virginia, or other jurisdictions, your conduct going forward, the specifics of the sentence imposed by Judge Hudson and any related findings he might make, and the extent to which you are truthful and cooperative with law enforcement and league staff who are investigating these matters. I have advised the Falcons that, with my decision today, they are no longer prohibited from acting and are now free to assert any claims or remedies available to them under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or your NFL Player Contract.” This transcript was found on NFL.com.
I think the Commissioner was right for suspending Vick. This entire situation is tough on Michael Vick, the NFL, and the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons now try to figure out how to replace a No. 1 draft pick as their quarterback. It may be years before they are able to find someone to play quarterback that has the athletic ability of Michael Vick. Michael Vick is only 27 years old but the next time you may see him on a football field is when he’s 30. That will probably be in 2010. He could possibly be in jail from one to two years. Then once he gets out of jail, Commissioner Goodell could possibly suspend him for one year. I seriously doubt that he’ll ever wear a Falcons jersey EVER AGAIN! I hope that many young people will learn from this sad situation, and make better choices in their lives. I would like to see agents get more involved with their clients to help them learn how to cope with the responsibility that comes with fame & fortune. Perhaps this may help us to never see this kind of thing happen again.
Obviously, the biggest transaction in the NBA this off-season has been when the Minnesota Timberwovles traded Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. This may put the Celtics right at the top of the Eastern Conference. You have a great shooter in Ray Allen, you have a great scorer in Paul Pierce, and then you have “The Big Ticket”, Kevin Garnett, who’s a beast on the boards and can give you about 20 points per game. I can easily say the Eastern Conference has gotten a whole lot better! The Knicks have also gotten better with the addition of Zach Randolph from Portland. Orlando is young and getting better, with Dwight Howard being their leader. The Hawks had a good draft; we hope they will come together as a team and make a run at the playoffs this season.
In the world of baseball, it was only a matter of time before Barry Bonds hit career homerun number 756 on August 7th against the Washington Nationals. That was the homerun that put him No.1 on the all-time homerun list. Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th career homerun and Tom Glavine got his 300th career win also in the month of August. A-Rod reached the 500 homerun milestone faster than anyone in MLB history. Congratulations to Tom Glavine, the homerun king, Barry Bonds and to the potential future homerun king, Alex Rodriguez!
In the MLB, you have some crazy races going on. In the NL East, you have the 1st place Mets, who have suddenly put some distance between themselves and the Phillies and Braves for the NL East lead. The Braves have plenty of offense, and Mark Teixeira has come through with lots of RBI’s since he joined the team. The Braves have suffered with poor pitching after you get past John Smoltz & Tim Hudson. Chuck James & Buddy Carlisle have been inconsistent as the 3rd and 4th starters, and they have gotten next to nothing from the 5th starters (Mark Redman, JoJo Reyes, Lance Cormier, etc.) A shocking development happened when the Braves designated their closer, Bob Wickman, for assignment. What was thought to be a strong point at the beginning of the season has now become a liability. The only shot the Braves have at postseason this year is as the Wildcard, and they have plenty of competition for that spot. I am sure that John Scheurholz is already planning to add solid starting pitching for 2008 behind Smoltz, Hudson, James, and hopefully, the return of lefty Mike Hampton.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Warner Robbins, Georgia on winning the Little League World Series! This is the second year in a row a team from Georgia has won the title. In 2006, the team from Columbus, GA won the series. Dalton Carriker hit the series-winning walk-off homerun to right in the bottom of the eighth inning as Warner Robbins defeated Japan 3-2 in a thrilling title game on Sunday. Way to go Georgia!
Thanks for all the support!
See you next month.
