Ball or Nuthin' » Michael Vick

Tidewater Natives Representin’…In a Bad Way

T Lamont — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:32:50 +0000

One of the richest areas for producing extraordinary professional talent is failing to produce extraordinary citizens.

While this article may go over the top a bit, it’s a good illustration of why I can be proud of the 757. Hailing from a small town positioned within the 757 area code, I have a special love for the region’s native professional athletes.

And we all thought Eazy-E was dead...

The Southern Virginia region – known for its rural landscapes and agriculture – has an athletic talent base that has proven to be the cream of the crop. And while these talents have shined in the sport of their calling, they have left much to be desired when it comes to their ability to be model citizens.

For those of you unfamiliar with the products of the 757 area code, check out the list of the most polarizing personalities in sports:

Plaxico Burress – The 6’5″ talent from Norfolk, Virginia set the college landscape ablaze at Michigan State. Thus far, Burress has split his pro career in Pittsburgh and New York – winning a Super Bowl with the latter. But his success was short lived after shooting himself in the thigh at a New York nightclub with an unlicensed Glock pistol. He’s now in the middle of a two-year prison sentence.

Allen Iverson – The miniature (don’t call me a point) guard led a revolution in the NBA. The cornrows, baggy clothes and blinging jewelry worn by every other NBA player in the late 90′s and early 2000′s trace back to the entry of the most dominant NBA player under 6’3″ in league history. A.I.’s pinnacle was in 2001, when he won the MVP award and led the Sixers to the NBA Finals. But Iverson’s disdain for all things ordinary (like practice), his past flirtation with the law, and his recent reluctance to reduce his stubbornness on the hardwood may leave him unemployed, and will certainly keep him from changing the perception of the fans.

Michael Vick – What more can we say about a man who owned and supplied the funding for a big-time dogfighting operation? Oh…I guess we can say that he also killed several dogs, himself, in the process. I can’t imagine what someone will have to do to unseat him as the top dog on the most hated lists for athletes.

And now, we have a new entry.

Merling got arrested for "illegal hands to the face" of his pregnant girlfriend.

Miami Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling was arrested for battering his girlfriend. Listening to the 911 call from his girlfriend, things aren’t looking to good for the Portsmouth, Virginia native.

Did I forget to mention that she was pregnant?

Even with the boatload of players grown in Hampton Roads, this may be the real reason that there’ll never be a franchise rooted in the 757. Residents would be irate with the undeniable tax increase to support the ‘rehabilitation’ of their favorite players. Any potential franchise would also have to keep reserves available to counterbalance the resulting suspensions and prison terms obtained by its players.

Here’s to hoping that one day I’ll be able to support my favorite players without defending them.

Hey – even a grown man can dream.

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Ten Most Disliked Sports Figures??

T Lamont — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:51:03 +0000

Fox Sports recently posted its “Top 10 Most Disliked People in Sports”…and in more than a few of their choices, they missed the mark.

Let’s review their top 10:

10. Gilbert Arenas

Now obviously, Arenas was a late entry…barely making the cut at #10, which Fox Sports may believe actually makes it legit. But I’m sorry – Arenas in no way deserves to land on this list. Throughout his career, he’s been nothing but a jovial prankster – - trying to live up to a reputation as a carefree rebel without a cause. Well, that finally caught up with him this fall, and suddenly – out of the thousands of notable sports related people – he’s one of the top 1% (or less) of disliked people. I’m not buying it.

9. Allen Iverson

This must be a lifetime achievement award, if you will. Iverson hasn’t done anything of importance on or off the basketball in a few years now. The last unlikable A.I. incident was probably when he beefed about coming off the bench for Detroit (and, as sorry as they are, who in their right mind wouldn’t have beef about that?).

Of course, Iverson has been reckless during his basketball career, being involved with guns, fights, unhappy relationships with coaches, etc…

He’s one of the pioneers of the urban, street style wardrobe that was adopted by many players in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. And the Hampton, Virginia native had others copying his cornrow patterns.

Cornrows and gangsta wear? I guess that image will last in people minds’ for years to come.

8. Alex Rodriguez

With his steroid admission only a year and some change behind him, A-Rod’s championship season did little to get the haters off of his back. He’ll always be remembered as the $252-million man – and the mega-contract only generated more critics (not fans). I even know some Yankees fans who don’t like him.

"What did I do to land on this list?"

7. Terrell Owens

What can you say about T.O.? Generally speaking, people don’t his light-hearted arrogance and creative showboating. I wouldn’t say that his hate factor is very high – but maybe this position is one that fits him OK.

6. Mark McGwire

The former Bash Brother was America’s sweetheart during the magical 1998 home run battle between him and fellow doper Sammy Sosa. But after not giving much comment during the steroids in baseball Congressional hearing, his star began to fade as if it were Big Mac’s batting average. Ironically, McGwire is looking much worse than his blabbermouth ex-teammate Jose Canseco – who admitted the baseball/steroids problem to anyone who wanted to hear it.

5. Jerry Jones

Jones is spurned by those who despise the Cowboys. Although he never does or says anything particularly newsworthy, just hearing him reverberate “How ’bout them Cowboys?!!” is enough to make some people want to place him on the 40-yard line and kick him through the uprights.

4. Tiger Woods

Once again, I’d say that this one is aptly positioned. Nobody would have saw this coming a year ago…but now, how will Woods become the crowd favorite that he was? Or will people be able to move past this incident at all?

3. Ben Roethlisberger

The road from being a hero to being a villain can be a very short one at times. But Big Ben has been building a villainous case for some time now. Roethlisberger can’t seem to pry himself away from the bar scene. It’s time for the organization to take a hard-nosed stance on Ben’s future with the Steelers. For now, Roethlisberger’s earned this spot in the infamous lineup.

2. Al Davis

Davis is too busy cleaning up the colossal mess that has become the Oakland Raiders. Davis has suffered through his bad decisions for a decade – seemingly with the next big hope being available in the upcoming draft. I don’t know why the guy would be disliked so much. Perhaps its the fact, that the Raiders have struggled for so long. Or maybe Oakland fans are the loudest gripers. I’m not sure, but a #2 position is definitely much too high.

1. Michael Vick

No surprise here – Americans love pets. Vick killed potential pets (or, if you will, his own pets). People will remember that for a long time. Unfortunately, there’s not much that Vick can do to get off of this list. Time is the only thing that can help him. And not going to parties where people who were linked to his infamous criminal activities are getting shot.

As long as dogs roam the earth, Michael Vick will have plenty of haters.

Who belongs on this list that wasn’t mentioned?

Kobe Bryant

It doesn’t matter if his Lakers just won their second of back-to-back NBA titles. People either like Kobe or they don’t like him – plain and simple. My wife, who probably knows 20 NBA players by name, can’t stand him. Bryant’s attitude borders on the edge of arrogance or extreme confidence, which will sway one way or the other based on people’s individual perceptions of him. Kobe’s a great player and, unfortunately for him, one of the most polarizing figures that the sport of basketball has ever witnessed.

Barry Bonds

How could Mark McGwire be on this list, but not Bonds? He’s generated so much hatred – mainly because anyone with a television set could have observed the increase in the muscle mass of his head. However, nothing has been proven against him – which infuriates those who hold baseball records to be sacred accomplishments. Bonds is the current all-time and single-season home run leader, and now that the cat is out of the bag (about steroids) his records could stand for some time. Someone probably punched a wall just from reading that.

O.J. Simpson

Long removed from the sports scene, Simpson is hating for nothing related to athletics. Nevertheless, he was a sports figure and is one of the most despised people on the planet. The public doesn’t usually like people suspected of killing other people – off of the gridiron, that is.

First T.O., Now Vick?

T Lamont — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:11:49 +0000

After a rather pedestrian showing as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009, we were all wondering if anybody would be mentally challenged enough to make Michael Vick and offer that he couldn’t refuse.

Enter the Buffalo Bills.

Yes, the same Bills that felt it was necessary to sign a washed-up (and still disruptive) Terrell Owens. T.O. was supposed to help revamp Buffalo’s offensive attack, but 2009 saw the Bills harmlessly fizzle out. They ended the campaign with a 6-10 record, and Owens was not his usual productive self. He ended the season with 55 catches, which were the fewest he’s had since his rookie year. His 829 receiving yards were good for 33rd…that’s right, 33rd in the NFL.

T.O. only put up 5 TDs in 2009 for Buffalo.

Now turn the page. Last year was a nightmare. It was so bad that Buffalo is willing to take a chance on Vick as their starting quarterback. And the sad thing about it is that they have absolutely nothing to lose from this. Trent Edwards was suspect going into last season, so he’s pretty much an afterthought at this point.

Vick’s re-introduction to the NFL stage was perfect for a team like the Bills. Another team – who has no real indicative need for him – takes the brunt of the resentment from animal rights activists and dog lovers, and then Buffalo swoops in to lock him into a starting role.

One thing’s for certain – Vick isn’t at a loss for confidence when it comes to his ability to lead a team. The former Virginia Tech star may still have some jets and a powerful arm, but just this past season he still demonstrated his propensity to fumble the football.

While this is indeed what Vick has dreamed of since getting out of the slammer, it may be fool’s gold for him…and his career. All will be fine if he’s able to step up and make the woeful Bills look somewhat better than they did in 2009. But if he crashes and burns, it will justify a lot of naysayers who feel that Vick’s best days are behind him.

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Vick Not Making an Impact

T Lamont — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:03:03 +0000

After being the center of the media circus for quite some time, things have settled down for Michael Vick.

In mid-August, Vick signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Eagles already had a Pro-Bowl quarterback in Donovan McNabb, we all figured that anything Vick brought to the dinner table would just be gravy.

But Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the mashed potatoes are looking awfully dry.

To say that Vick has struggled would be a severe understatement. His participation in the Philadelphia offensive scheme has been limited to the Wildcat formation – a scheme that took the NFL by storm after the success that the Miami Dolphins enjoyed with it last season. But there’s one big problem with the Wildcat – - – it’s not for every team.

Vick says he's not a fan of the Wildcat formation.

And it’s not for every player. Vick has made a mild expression that he’s not a fan of the Wildcat:

“I won’t be a Wildcat guy. I can’t. It’s a different style of play. It’s almost like a hit-or-miss type of thing. My position is quarterback. That’s what I was born to do.”

But even with the fact that Michael Vick is playing a scheme that he claims is not for him, he has looked like a very average NFL player since he has come back from his stint in the big house. There’s almost certainly some degree of rust that needs to be knocked off after a couple of years out of the league. Vick has not illustrated any bit of the explosiveness that we were accustomed to seeing during his ‘pre-prison’ football career.

Here are Vick’s stats so far this season (7 games):

Passing: 2-7, 6 yards

Rushing: 12 carries, 27 yards

Philly is going to have to decide if they want to exercise the second-year option for Vick’s services next year. It’s a $3.6 million decision that would seem unlikely. With only 33 yards of total offense, that would be more than $100,000 per yard.

Hey Philadelphia – I’m available at a much cheaper rate…

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Nike: No Contract With Vick…Yet

T Lamont — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:03:58 +0000

Days after reports surfaced that Michael Vick had reunited with Nike through a contractual agreement, a representative from Nike denied those claims.

From Nike spokesman Kejuan Wilkins:

“Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick. We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.”

The reports of the reunion were based from comments made by Mike Principe – a managing director at a company that represents the former Pro-Bowler. Principe made the statement at a sports symposium in New York – which indicates that his camp must have been fairly well convinced that Vick was back with the marketing giant.

So, what do we make of this? I’m guessing that we can reasonably deduct that there was at least some discussion around how Vick can get back into the good graces of Nike. And somewhere along the way, someone had to feel that Vick fit Nike’s requirement(s).

Unfortunately for Vick, the ill-advised timing of the initial report may cost him. I’m sure that Nike will now carefully examine the impact of potentially signing the convicted dog-fighter. And with stable, revenue-producing athletes like Tiger Woods and LeBron James, they can afford to play it safe and not over-extend themselves to bring Vick back into the fold.

More importantly for Vick, he has to re-establish his identity on the football field. With Kevin Kolb (conventional QB) and LeSean McCoy (Wildcat trigger man) contributing impressive performances in a Week 3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, his window of opportunity will have to wait.

And so will any possible endorsements.

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