Football Friday: VICKtory and R-Diddy's Blunders
It’s actually Thursday night, but seeing as there is a game tonight, this week’s Football Friday will take place just a tad early.
That said, tonight’s game means very little to me personally, other than the fact that Dan Carpenter is my fantasy kicker. Go Dan go! Hopefully Marino isn’t the holder… LACES OUT!
Anyway, tonight’s post tackles two topics, one an unstoppable beast and the other a man I respect but that has bad taste in movies.
Vick is incredible. I know many hate the man, but it’s hard to argue the fact that he’s been playing at an All-Pro level in his starts this season. If Steve Young had nitrous boosters, that’d be like Michael Vick. It’s been incredible to watch.
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But some people have used his success merely as an opportunity to tear him apart… and I find this to be such a horrible crime against what our society is supposedly about. America is the land of second chances, yet some would rather Vick rot in prison for the rest of his life rather than try to become a better person. It’s sad and it’s one of the things about society that I can’t stand…
Much like Dee Snider’s Strangeland, some of those in the media and elsewhere are starting to try to create a self-fulfilling prophecy where Vick is pushed back into his former role of deviant monster. Why not just let the man try to change before we damn him? Why not just be a fan or keep you mouth shut? Just an idea.
Now… on to a more light-hearted rant….
If you haven’t read Ray Didinger’s sports movie book written with 610 WIP’s Glen Macnow, don’t bother. While it makes for a decent bathroom reading book, it’s errors are egregious.
Dodgeball is ripped and included as a mere footnote, while some awful movies make the list. Kingpin, which I enjoy, is considered comedic genius compared to it, which is ridiculous. Bill Murray doesn’t automatically make it a more reputable movie, even if Glen and Diddy think it does. This is one of many things that anger me when reading their supposed sports movie Bible.
The biggest sin of the authors is the neglect of including the best bowling movie ever made on their list. Much better than the aforementioned Murray/Harrelson collab, The Big Lebowski despite not being merely a bowling movie, certainly deserves some mention at the very least. Leaving Walter, Dude, and Donny out of the mix negates their entire book… go check out my football movie list instead of wasting 10 bucks.
either way, we can drive all night... 
Yeah, I gotta say I’m sick of all the damning of Vick. If you are going to punish people for their past mistakes, why don’t we just give the death penalty to everybody convicted of a crime?
Our nation’s penal code is built around rehabilitation, not eternal damnation. Vick served more time than most animal cruelty offenders. The judge and prosecutor wanted to take advantage of the national spotlight that this case afforded them, and wanted to make an example out of his behavior.
He spent nearly 2 years in jail. He was released, having served the time that the court deemed appropriate for his time. While I can understand people who aren’t able to forgive him for his act, don’t be a fan. That’s fine. But the man has served his time, and to continue to punish him for a crime he has already atoned for is akin to having no faith in the American penal system as a whole.
Felons who have served their time and are released back into society are meant to be treated as rehabilitated; to do otherwise is dooming them to failure, and surely these people don’t WANT him to beat another dog. You said it perfectly: they’re creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
For the record, my sister is a pit-bull rescuer and I am a dog owner myself.
Just to comment quickly on the second half of your post, I must agree that any collection of sports movies that doesn’t include The Dude is not really a sports movie collection.
Sounds like the authors of that book are out of their element.
[…] am working on my finishing touches for an expanded post based on my Michael Vick rant and requests for more insight regarding my take on it, seeing as I work in the field of […]
thepaintedman.com » Football Friday: Gobble Gobble said this on November 26, 2010 at 9:11 pm |
[…] In an earlier post, I ranted about the Michael Vick “haters” who refused to allow the man to try to change, even likening the situation to Dee Snider’s social manifesto by way of sadistic horror flick, Strangeland. Several people mentioned to me that they’d like to read more on my take of the situation as my personal experiences in my career and life may lend themselves to interesting insights. I’m not sure how interesting my take is, but on the week where the former “Ron Mexico” graces the cover of Sports Illustrated I will humbly oblige. As someone who makes their living in the prison rehabilitation business, I’m sure my take on the situation is both informed and framed differently than that of the masses. […]
thepaintedman.com » Michael Vick: The Redemption Manifesto said this on November 28, 2010 at 10:22 am |