The Burrall Blog – Sports and Stupidity

8/13/09 – 8:28 PM

Will it ever end?

Michael Vick is back in the NFL, as the Philadelphia Eagles have signed him. Now, he isn’t fully reinstated, so he cannot yet play in a regular season game (or in the first two preseason games), but still, stupidity has been rewarded. Vick, who led a particularly brutal dog-fighting ring, served nearly two years in prison. To his credit, he has expressed remorse. But, here’s my idea: Why isn’t this guy working in an animal shelter? Tell me how his return so soon to the NFL will make a difference for this guy. It won’t, of course. He will make a lot of money, and therefore have the temptation to do something else heinous. I’m not saying he will; I’m saying he could.

Stupidity has also been rewarded in the case of NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Yes, he was suspended for a season from playing. That isn’t the big problem, though. The big problem was that for killing a man with his car after a full night of drinking, Stallworth made a plea deal and was in jail for a week.  Yes, a week.  He killed a man and spent a week in jail.  Tell me how this serves justice.  Tell me how this teaches this punk a lesson.  It doesn’t, of course.  Donte Stallworth could be back on a football field in 2010 when he should be locked up.  And, maybe the judge that made this ludicrous decision should think about another line of work, because he sure as hell shouldn’t be on the bench.

And stupidity reigned briefly recently in baseball.  During a Phillies-Cubs game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino was chasing a fly ball on the warning track in left-center field when he suddenly found himself doused by beer.  Some moron threw a beer at Victorino.  This is different than the incident in the World Series of 50 years ago.  White Sox outfielder Al Smith was the subject of a famous photograph, in which he was doused by beer, but a fan was trying to catch a home run ball and spilled his beer on Smith.  That was accidental.  What happened with Victorino was not.  Victorino has handled this as well as can be.  He filed a police report, but won’t press charges.  He said it was part of the game.  That’s noble, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was physically assaulted.  The idiot who did this would certainly be in jail otherwise.  He was removed from Wrigley Field, but that isn’t good enough.  This guy should never, ever, be allowed in a major league ballpark again.  The technology is available to do this.  There are too many great baseball fans, especially in Chicago, to let imbeciles like this one take part.

No, I guess it will never end.