The Football World is All A-Twitter

These new technologies start out on the fringe as solutions looking for problems. Then they sneak up on you.

Twitter crossed that bar from the province of teen-agers and the empty headed, not necessarily the same people, who post vain and vapid microblogs of their action at a given moment.

Then Michael Lombardi put me straight. The former Oakland Raider front-office executive who now writes for The National Football Post tweets.

Tweeting is the act of posting 140 character entry on Twitter.

When Twitter was new and experimental, folks, like me, posted under a screen name...that whole "names were changed to protect the innocent" thing. But Lombardi tweets under his own name and as a front for The National Football Post.

That's different.

Eyes opened, I began to see that others are on Twitter and posting as their real identities.

Players agent Drew Rosenhaus tweets, as do his Redskin clients Devin Thomas and Rocky McIntosh and others.

Sports Illustrated Peter King tweets.

Local newspapers covering the Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys tweet.

NFL players Larry Fitzgerald, Champ Bailey, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Terrell Owens (25,499 followers), Chris Cooley, Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning (sorta) tweet.

Even the NFL tweets.

The media tweets to shill story that links back to the web site where value is created -- and revenue captured.

The players are mostly in the "what are you doing now" mode. Champ Bailey, 11:33 am, May 28: "itsucks when potato chip bags are half full!"

The fact that Twitter has attracted real people who tweet under their real names says there's a sea change for the platform.

Once, you didn't take Twitter seriously. Now, if you don't tweet, you aren't taken seriously.

No Kentucky Derby Post Time for Me

Well, that was a dud.

No, not the 135th running of th Kentucky Derby won by 50-1 long-shot Mine That Bird. The horse ran the race you'd expect to see in the movies; National Velvet without Liz Taylor.



No, I'm referring to my post If the NFL Ran the Kentucky Derby that ran on Bleacher Report and on Hog Heaven.

It seemed like a neat tie-in for the week between the NFL Draft and the Derby. But the story only gathered nine views on Bleacher Report between Wednesday and Derby day (Saturday) and a mere 17 on Hog Heaven.

Lesson learned. You can't push water uphill. You can't talk a niche topic on a football site and expect an audience.

I spend a lot of time thinking about boring organizational issues in managing a NFL team. It strikes me that pro football is exponentially better at building an audience than the horse racing industry.

The NFL promotes its stars -- the players on the field. Horse racing appears to promote handicapping. (Capital "T" that rhymes with "B" that stands for betting.)

Horses are the dynamic personalities in the sport. Racing sees horses as the basis for gambling.

Dependence on gambling is killing the sport, in contrast to the NFL which keeps a strict, arms-length relationship to gambling. You don't see parimutuel windows at NFL stadiums.

The disengagement forces the NFL to build other streams of revenue: TV contracts, endorsements, expensive ticket sales, logoed-items. The NFL has revenue the Jockey Club must drool over.

Gambling invites restriction by States and disapproval by tsk-tsk moralists.

The Maryland Jockey Club laments the decline of the sport in Maryland. What do they ask for? Slot machines to match Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

What do they get? A long, drawn out fight that results in slots package that gives the horsemen a smaller cut than they say they need to survive and bidders disinterested in horse track locations.

Instead of slots, the horsemen might have asked for tax breaks, or subsidized prize money, or livestock incentives. Maryland would likely have turned those ideas down too, because of the gambling.

I'll wager that Maryland wouldn't have turned them down if the case were made to save a horse personality, like Spectacular Bid.

Maryland has a rich thoroughbred tradition. From the Maryland Horse Breeder's Association web site:

Marylanders have been breeding and racing Thoroughbred horses for more than 250 years. From the famed 18th century race mare and producer Selima (by the Thoroughbred foundation sire the Godolphin Barb) to such 20th century champions as Gallant Fox, Omaha, Native Dancer, Nashua, Kelso, Ruffian, Spectacular Bid and Broad Brush, Maryland-owned Thoroughbreds have been providing both excitement and profits for Free Staters.

The battle for support was led by Magna Entertainment, a track operator now in bankruptcy.

The NFL would have based the fight with saving Joe Flacco. The Jockey Club would have done better by hiring the NFL to lead its fight.

Hmm. Another great post that nobody will read. Thought I learned that lesson! :-P

US Navy To The Rescue

When you are a history buff like me, you see parallels to the past to the past in current events. Everything that's happened has happened before.

So I marvel at, but am not surprised by, the rescue of American merchant captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates by the United States Navy.

Fighting pirates was one of the original tasks of the U.S. Navy when it was established in 1798.

What struck the buff in me is that the USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) was the nexus of the Navy's effort to confront the pirates. The Bainbridge is the fifth naval vessel named for Commodore William Bainbridge, USN, whose legacy as one of the fathers of the U.S. Navy rests on his confrontation with pirates and other accomplishments.

Bainbridge's 1800-'01 experience against the Barbary Coast pirates included the payment of bribes, under orders, to the Dey of Algiers. His stay would lead to serving as de facto ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at Constantinople, now Istanbul.

Bainbridge's success with the Sultan led to his return to Algiers with orders from the Sultan for the release of 400 prisoners captured by the pirates.

In 1803, while commanding the 44 gun frigate Philadelphia, Bainbridge ran the vessel aground and was captured by the Tripoli pirates. The Navy, in an action led by Lieut. Stephen Decatur and a contingent of US Marines, was obliged to burn the vessel rather than see it fall in the hands of Tripoli.

Bainbridge and his men were held captive for 19 months. He was acquitted by a Court of Inquiry for the action that led to the loss of the Philadelphia. As with most captains who run their ships aground, Bainbridge was assigned to shore duty at the New York navy yard.

Professor of history Thomas Jewett would call Bainbridge America's Unlucky Sea Captain.

History wasn't done with Bainbridge. With the declaration of war against Britain in 1812, Bainbridge was given command of a naval flotilla consisting of the frigates USS Constitution, under his personal command, USS Essex, under Capt. David Porter and the sloop Hornet, under Capt. James Lawrence.

Bainbridge would face and defeat the 49 gun British frigate Java in December 1812. His squadron achieved such extraordinary accomplishment so that Constitution, Essex, Hornet, and Bainbridge, remain valorous names in American naval lore. All but Constitution, have been the names of several U.S. naval vessels.

In 1815, Bainbridge commanded a powerful squadron in a show of force off Tripoli where the rulers again resorted to piratical acts against American merchantmen in the Mediterranean.

His namesake vessel seems to have come full circle with its role in the Somali adventure.

History teaches several lessons.

Payment of bribes to pirates is ultimately self-defeating. Modern day shipping companies and their insurers have resorted to paying ransom to Somali pirates for captured merchant ships and crew.

Even when the payments are are a mere percentage of cargo value, rewarding lawlessness only begets more lawlessness. It's simple human nature.

Somalia is a backward, largely ungoverned, land whose citizens have an unclear understanding of the value of the cargo contained on the ships they capture. But they are learning fast that shippers will pay much more than they've been asking to get cargo and crew back.

Both the number of incidents and the extortion demands are rising.

The feel good story of Capt. Phillip's rescue gives the immediate satisfaction of "don't mess with the U.S." It's as likely to drive the Somalians to shoot first next time, or worse, to tie themselves to bin Laden.

As was William Bainbridge's experience, military and naval power is insufficient without an equal diplomatic component.

There is no pan-Muslim Sultanate to negotiate with as Bainbridge did. That's fortunate. An anti-Western Caliphate is exactly what Osama bin Laden would like to re-establish. We don't want to negotiate with him.

The world won't solve the problem of Somali pirates until it solves the problem of Somalia. An Iraq style regime change is not the best course of action. The solution lays in a better way than piracy for the Somali to make a better living.

There are sure to be setbacks in this campaign. Occasional failure no predictor of an ultimate defeat.

William Bainbridge could tell you that.
_________________________

Photo Credits.

1. USS Bainbridge by MCPL Kevin Paul, The Maple Leaf, www.forces.gc.ca from here.

2. Com. William Bainbridge, USN, www.history.navy.mil

3. “Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804.” Oil on canvas by Edward Moran (1829-1901).

Change Has Come to GM

"In a startling departure, the Obama administration has decided that the price of failure in America should be failure."

~~ Roger Simon, politico.com

Regardless of the writings of Adam Smith, the markets are emotional, not rational.

President Obama decided Friday that General Motors' restructuring plan did not restructure enough to make the company viable. Nor would it be with GM Chairman & CEO Rick Wagoner behind the wheel.

Obama demanded that Wagoner step down as the price for consideration of any more government bailout. Wagoner did so, to his credit, on Sunday.

Wagoner continued a pattern of thinking that left America's automobile champion in a near death condition. Wagoner had to go.

The initial outcry about government intrusion in a matter best handled by the private sector was heart rending, as much as it can be for oppressed CEOs of failing businesses.

But, what's a president to do when the private sector, in the form of GM's board of directors, doesn't, you know, handle the matter?

What Obama did.

That was something of a shock to investors, on Monday.

"The big developments of Washington's edicts to General Motors and Chrysler hit Wall Street very hard on Monday, as investors like the idea of bailouts with no strings attached far better than they like the idea of bailouts with strings attached."

~~ Paul Hoosen, WizBangBlue.com

Lets sum this up. The guy who led GM to lose 90 percent of its market value and $80 Billion in losses since 2005, not to mention the loss of worldwide market leadership to Toyota, is finally forced from his job and the stock market tanks for a day.

See? Emotional.

Freddie Adieu

I took a vote and elected major league soccer the worst managed team sport in North America. That thought comes with news that Freddy Adu, late of Salt Lake and DC United, is negotiating to play for Binfica in Portugal.

That whole Freddy Adu episode made no sense to me; but then, soccer itself makes no sense to me. Adu was the latest attempts by soccer club owners to ignite more interest in the game by the American audience. Instead of setting an audience foundation, soccer takes short-cuts and is surprised when they get a house of cards.

In an earlier day, the sport lured Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. Pele was arguably the greatest futbol player ever. Playing in the NASL's most important franchise in the country's largest city did not grow the paying audience enough to save the league. Make that to save the league from its own excess.

Importing foreign stars to play a foreign game here is not a formula for success. Those who are already fubol fans appreciate seeing players from other countries who they've heard of, but the audience soccer was try to build, Americans with disposable incomes, yawned. Bringing in bigger names at higher salaries did little to raise revenue. The NASL folded for that reason in 1985.

Fast forward to 2004 when Major League Soccer, the latest attempt to build a soccer audience, takes another short cut by signing 14 year old phenom Freddie Adu to the most lucrative contract in the league. Fourteen, and he's paid more than any adult player; more than any coach, as though one man-child could win team-oriented game. There is an economic term for paying a price far beyond its value: stupidity.

The problem with signing Adu is that teens grow at different rates. Adu was head and shoulders ahead of any player his age, but not good enough to start on a team of men. DC United did not need him to win championships. The fans who bought the hype and paid to see Freddie, wondered who all those other guys were on the field - while the boy was on the bench. We don't know yet whether Adu will remain head and shoulders ahead of his peers when he and they reach adulthood.

Rather than take such a risk, wouldn't MLS have been better served by seeding school and AAU programs to grow a generation of stars and audience who are culturally invested in the sport, as Americans are invested in football, baseball and basketball? That's the long, slow way to grow, but a much firmer foundation than shortcuts with the star system, using stars unfamiliar to the American audience.

You want stars? How about luring athletes like Deion Saunders and Michael Jordan to the sport. Their play would be inferior to pro soccer players, no doubt, but they have a following and would draw more audience and coverage than imported stars. What do you really know about Beckham? That his name figured in a movie (Bend It Like Beckham); that he has a hot wife, and that you probably won't pay more than once to see him play.

The money the MLS invested in Adu was not well spent. By all accounts, Freddy is a good, decent, talented kid who was a lot smarter to take the money than the MLS was to offer it. So adieu, Freddie Adu. Best wishes for your career in Portugal, where futbol is part of the fabric of life. You are where you need to be: set for life and gone from the idiots running American soccer.

Now, leave me alone to enjoy football American style.

Photo: www.wfp.org/

Bill Walsh passes

Bill Walsh lost his battle with leukemia today. The Hall of Fame coach of the San Francisco 49ers died this morning. He was 75.

Walsh was the major proponent of the "west coast" offense. His record with the 49ers was 102-59-1. Walsh led San Francisco to three Super Bowl wins following the 1981, '84 and '88 seasons. The 49ers won the unofficial title "Team of the Eighties." Many of his disciples -- Steve Mariucci, George Siefert, Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green -- went on to successful NFL careers.

Photo: www.usawealthexpo.com/

Why Michael Vick is worried - III

Vick co-defendant pleads out.

Only a few days after pleading "not guilty" to conspiracy charges, Tony "T" Taylor changed his mind and his plea. Taylor is accused of being a partner with Michael Vick in the Bad Newz Kennels operation for large scale dog-fighting and gambling.

In his plea agreement, Taylor alleges "Michael Vick supplied most of the money to run and bet on dog fights at a Virginia property he owned."

What's ominous is that Taylor isn't "copping a plea" in return for a promise of a light sentence. According top the news report, the Feds did not offer a deal. Taylor is falling on the mercy of the court in return for his testimony against the other defendants.

Without knowing anything about Taylor, I'm going to guess that he has credibility issues -- just because I think dog fighters have "credibility issues." Had he pled out to get a lighter sentence, a sharp attorney like Billy Martin could savage him for self-serving interests. Now, Taylor has no incentive for hiding the truth, and a good deal of incentive to avoid perjury. If the judge senses "T" is untruthful, the sentence will be harsher.

Vick assembled a superlative legal team to represent him. That indicates he intends to fight the charges, which is entirely within his rights. At the moment, he is innocent. The evidence and testimony has yet to be challenged. But, the longer this goes on, the more comes out, and the more Ookie twists in the wind.

When the case was led by Surry County, Vick had little to worry about, since he had more financial resources (I suspect) than a backwater county. Once the feds took the lead, starting with their search of the property on Moonlight Road, things rapidly spun out of control for Vick. The best course of action for Vick would have been to cop a plea for lesser charges with the County, and suppress a lot the evidence before the feds turned up. Too late for that now.

But, what do I know? I'm no lawyer. I just watch them on TV.

UPDATE: See Why Michael Vick is Worried - IV

Photo: www.all-creatues.org who oppose eating or wearing animal products and any activity that exploits animals.

Another blow for Vick

I'm trying to imagine what Michael Vick is going through now (doing for him than he allegedly did not do for his dogs. But then, they're just dogs.) One day you are on top of the world with a $100 million income stream. Next day, your secret life comes out and you lose everything in the blink of an eye. This is when you find Jesus. Someone asked Mother Theresa why there was suffering in the world. Her reply, "so you can share the suffering of Jesus Christ" (stay with me folks). I didn't understand that answer. Then, when facing my own troubles (nothing like Vick's), I found that people tend to pray more, pray harder with more sincerity than when things are going good. You get a Divine reminder that you don't really control your life, usually just when you think you do.

I'm sure Michael's praying now, and those prayers are going to be answered; but he's going to walk the Via Dolorosa first. And just maybe come out of this a better man.

An AP story in USA Today says Vick's legal team faced a daunting P.R. challenge. No kidding. The story named Michael Vick's legal team and it included James "Butch" Williams of Durham, North Carolina. Williams' web site profile describes his expertise as contract negotiations and legal advice for athletes. His clients include Alge Crumpler (Falcons), Greg Ellis (Cowboys) and Rasheed Wallace (Pistons). Oh yeah, he represented the captain of the Duke LaCrosse Team, so he knows a thing or two about daunting p.r. challenges. Williams will likely face-off with the NFL on Ookie's behalf.

Lawrence H. Woodward Jr. and Thomas B. Shuttleworth II, both of Virginia Beach law firm SHUTTLEWORTH, RULOFF, SWAIN, HADDAD & MORECOCK, P.C. round out the team. Woodward and Shuttleworth will have local knowledge with the District Court. Vick better hope there is no "I" in this team.

Meanwhile, Tony "T" Taylor, one of Vick's co-defendants, will return to U.S. District Court Monday for a plea hearing. That didn't take long. A plea bargain in return for what?

Photo: Butch Williams on www.jdwlaw.net

Vick hires legal gunslinger

Johnnie Cochran is gone, so Michael Vick hired Billy Martin, one of the best defense attorneys around, to represent him against federal charges.

Martin came first came to national prominence as one of the attorneys representing Monica Lewinsky's mother during the Clintongate scandal. He also represented former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell on corruption charges. Other clients include NBA stars Allen Iverson, Juwan Howard and Jayson Williams, and Chandra Levy’s parents. His wife, Michel Martin, is a correspondent for Nightline on ABC.

Martin is a partner at the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, LLP, where he heads the White Collar Criminal Defense Practice. His profile on the Sutherland, Asbill web site describes him as "a skilled negotiator whose experience includes bringing diverse constituencies and interests together—despite highly charged political circumstances—to resolve community conflicts." The profile describes his growing reputation with professional athletes:

"Billy also maintains an active sports and entertainment practice. In addition to serving as an advisor to organizations such as the NBA and NFL Players Associations, Billy has advised numerous clients on the scope and meaning of the NCAA rules and eligibility requirements. He has represented professional athletes and entertainment industry figures in their public and private business dealings."

Involvement in dog fighting might have been the dumbest of the dumb things Vick [allegedly] did. Hiring Billy Martin may be the smartest.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank wanted to suspend Vick for four games, until the League office ordered the team not to take action until their investigation is complete. A story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Falcons considered dropping Vick. They turned from that path to avoid the grievence Ookie was sure to file through the NFLPA. The team was prepared to live with the salary cap hit, according to the article.

Meanwhile, residents of Vick's boyhood neighborhood are puzzled by his apparent interest in dog fighting since the activity was not common there. Pit Bull dogs were not seen in the area until about five years ago.

Photo: www.courttv.com

Vick Benched

The National Football League has ordered Michael Vick to stay from the Atlanta Falcons training camp while they review the dog fighting accusations swirling around the embattled star.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback.

The NFL will talk to federal officials to assess the strength of the evidence against Vick, according to the story on msn.foxsports.com.

Goodell instructed the Falcons not to take disciplinary action against Vick until the league office completes its review. Vick will receive his preseason pay during the investigation.

The Falcons open training camp this Thursday. Vick will be in Richmond, Virginia, to answer charges in the federal indictment.

Ookie Vick might have expected this development. I'm sure it's not one he welcomes. The football field and locker room must look like safe havens to Vick, whose fate is largely in the hands of others. To sit home to dwell on his legal and career jeopardy is not the take control scenario athletes cultivate.

Meanwhile, Surry County (VA) Commonwealth Attorney Gerald Poindexter confirmed that local charges would not be filed against Vick in deference to the federal prosecution. This is not a surprising development. The county's investigation was "deliberate," that is to say "suspiciously slow." Still, local charges could be percieved as piling on. The development means that Vick is charged for illegal activities across State lines, but not for the underlying crime of animal cruelty. Sorta like Scooter Libby's situation. If convicted, there will be no Republican presidential clemency for Ookie. There is a story of federal-State contention in there somewhere that will emerge in time.

David Steele at the Baltimore SUN, citing Ray Lewis as an example, reminds that the NFL "forgives quick." If Ray Lewis can recover his reputation, so can Ookie who faces a less dire situation that Lewis in 2000.

Photo: Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.( November 19, 2006)

Why Michael Vick is worried - II

Michael Vick draws a "no-nonsense" judge, according to Jeremy Redmon's story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"RICHMOND, Va - The judge assigned to preside over Michael Vick's sensational dog-fighting case is a tough jurist who has a history of exceeding federal sentencing guidelines to make a point, criminal defense attorneys here said today."

The story describes Judge Henry E. Hudson as a highly respected jurist "who affords everyone equal respect." However, on sentencing, Judge Hudson, a former prosecutor, considers the impact of the crime on the community. Hmmm. In a Surry County court, Mike could come off as the local boy made good. In the federal court, before this judge, Mike's celebrity could work against him.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Well, Ookie, if you didn't do this thing, and the dog fighting was done by your low-life relatives like you said, who surprisingly are not listed in the indictment, then remember ILLEGITIMUS NON CARBORUNDUM. If you really are guilty, cop a plea now, Dawg, and take whatever you can get.

See also, Why Michael Vick is worried, and Why Michael Vick is worried - III.

We already know that the biggest news in football this Thursday won't be the opening of training camps. It will be Ookie Vick's court appearance. Ookie, shave and wear a suit. Smile to the people and the cameras. No, I'm serious. SMILE when the cameras are on you. Start winning people back to your side. You are in danger of becoming this year's T.O.

Photo: Rogelio Solis / AP file

United States of America v. Ookie

The Smoking Gun published the bill of indictment against Michael "Ookie" Vick and three other persons for "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities . . . ." Vick's street name in this venture was "Ookie."

Vick said he was not aware of dog fighting taking place on property he owned at 1915 Moonlight Road, Smithfield, Virginia. The indictment alleges that Vick bought the property in 2001 specifically to be the site for dog fighting, and that he was actively involved with his partners in the venture, identified as Bad Newz Kennels.

The indictment catalogs instances when Vick and his Bad Newz partners staged dog fights year-by-year. The feds list the dogs by name (Jane, Maniac, Tiny), but, at this point, identify cooperating witnesses as "CW."

Defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law; although that doesn't work so well in the court of public opinion. We've seen the charges, but have not heard the witness testimony. The evidence has yet to be challenged. And yet, I have to wonder why Vick, with everything he had going for him, would put himself in the situation to be even tainted. That was incredibly poor judgement. Not that we all aren't guilty of poor judgement; but Vick had -- has -- so much more at risk. That name "Ookie" might just as well have been "Stoopid Fool."

Fool!

Yesterday, I suggested that Vick come forward now, cop a plea, and tell what he knows. It may be too late. The indictment refers to a number of cooperating witnesses who are already pointing fingers at Vick. Ookie is scheduled to appear in court to answer the charges on July 26, which is also the first day of the Atlanta Falcons training camp.

Photo: www.copyright-free-pictures.org.us/

Feds bite Michael Vick

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted Tuesday on one felony count related to dogfighting.

"Vick is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce and aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor an animal fighting venture.

"The grand jury indictment charges that Vick and co-defendants Pernell Peach, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor spent six years 'knowingly sponsoring and exhibiting in an animal fighting venture.'

"The grand jury also charged the men with establishing a kennel to represent dogfighting competitions, purchase and train pitbulls in dogfighting competitions and 'destroying or otherwise disposing of dogs not selected to stay with the ongoing animal fighting venture.'

"The Falcons will issue a statement later Tuesday as owner Arthur Blank and president and general manager Rich McKay were traveling via airplane, according to a Falcons spokesperson."

ESPN just posted a longer version of this story. You can see it here.

There's a back story buried somewhere in this development. These are federal charges. The investigation started as a Commonwealth of Virginia show, when Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, came to local police attention on suspicion of selling drugs. The dog kennel was discovered during a raid on the property owned by Vick. County authorities were the first to investigate animal cruelty charges, but it's the feds who bring the first indictments -- for unlawful interstate activity.

How that came about will make very interesting reading someday.

If I were Vick, and I knew I was guilty, I would cop a plea now. Doing so might hurt his street cred, but save his career and his income stream. A conviction would devastate everything, not to mention the sense of pending doom that will hang over him all season. Oh, I would walk away from dog fighting, too. Invest in race horses instead.

If he's innocent, he should fight the thing all the way and plea to nothing.

Needless to say, he won't be on my fantasy team this year.

Photo: Harry Howe, Getty Images

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

Inspiration for today's post comes from Joe Bryant and David Dodds at http://www.footballguys.com/. Enjoy the holiday.

_________________________

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock
New Hampshire:Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

_________________________

Transcribed from http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm.

Photo: Thomas Jefferson, Signer, Declaration of Independence, Third President of the United States (1801-1809)

Photo: George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820), Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Image

What's with all these babies?

Shawn Springs is a new daddy. (his son is being treated for jaundice. Hoping for the best on that one.)
Rocky McIntosh is a new daddy (last Friday).
Up in Philadelphia, Brian Dawkins is a new daddy of twins, born prematurely.
Gilbert Arenas is a new daddy
LeBron James is a new daddy

Happy Fathers Day to all of them, and all you other fathers out there.

2001, a very good year!

Lets take a walk down memory lane. Hop over to the Washington Post's 2001 High School Football All Metropolitan Players. The group photo is not available. However, check out some of the names.

• Marcus Mason, RB, Georgetown Prep, now trying out for the Redskins


• Terry Caulley, RB, Patuxent, invited to Redskins OTAs, recently released


• Ahmad Brooks, LB, Hylton. The son of former Redskin DL Perry Brooks is now trying out for the Cincinnati Bengals


• Mike Imoh, RB, Robinson, tried out for the Redskins in 2006


• Billy Gaines, WR, Urbana, attended University of Pittsburgh, died as a result of a tragic accident. Based on timing, he should have been a team-mate of H.B. Blades at Pitt.


• Vernon Davis, TE, Dunbar (DC), finding success with the San Francisco 49ers


• Shawne Merriman, LB, Douglass, the most prominent of this group is finding success with the San Diego Chargers


• Conrad Bolston, DL, St. John's, now trying out for the Minnesota Vikings


• Marcus Hamilton, DB, Centreville, now trying out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nine of the 44 first and second team All Met schoolboys of 2001 are good enough to try out for an NFL club. That strikes me as a high percentage, although I've made no comparisons to other class years, or to metro areas in Ohio, Pennsylvania or Texas, cradles of football. This suggests that the Washington DC metro area is a ripe recruiting area for football as well as basketball.

Shawne Merriman and Vernon Davis have established themselves, but most of the All-Met Nine are late round draft picks or free agents. Marcus Mason will have a tough time cracking the Redskins line-up. He will have to beat out Derrick Blaylock for a spot at running back, or Rock Cartwright as a special teamer. Terry Caulley was the 2001 All-Met offensive player of the year. He set the rushing record at UCONN; however, he is considered undersized for the NFL. He could catch on as a special teamer elsewhere. Ahmad Brooks, the 2001 defensive player of the year, has good genes going for him.

Best wishes to all these guys.

The Google curse: To get hooked looking stuff up when you should be in bed.

Photo: Shawne Merriman, chargers.com from www.sdhoc.com

Antonio Pierce on dog fighting

"Anyone who fights pit bulls is a punk."

(It still p****** me off that Pierce is playing in a Giants uniform.)

Photo: www.islandstats.com

Why Michael Vick isn't worried

PFT pointed me to this Virginia Pilot story about Gerald Poindexter, the Surry County (VA) Commonwealth Attorney who may prosecute charges from the dog fighting scandal that might involve Michael Vick.

Some interesting factoids:

• The entire population of Surry County is around 7,000.
• Poindexter is the County's only prosecutor -- and he's part-time.
• There are only two lawyers in Surry County.
• The Circuit Court only convenes one or two times a month.
• A previous dog fighting case brought by Poindexter several years ago was dismissed by a judge who ruled that the search warrant was improper. Poindexter felt that he moved too fast in that case and does not want to repeat the error.

So, one of the NFL's wealthiest players might go up against the part-time prosecutor of a thinly populated, resource-poor county. The county is so small that the only tourism message on the Tourism page of Surry County's web site is "Any time of year, Surry is a great place to visit!"

Advantage, Vick.

UPDATE: Poindexter Speaks
_________________________

World of dogfighting seems to be growing despite awareness of its cruel side

Off Topic: Welcome to the World of Warcraft

OK, people, I'm outta here for the weekend. Get your Michael Vick fix elsewhere. For Redskins updates, see the In The News box to your right, or the Redskins Blogroll to the lower right. Hogs Haven is usually up on the latest.

Feel free to waste your time with this short version of The World of Warcraft.



A Macromedia Flash based Warcraft TD game inspired by Element TD for WarcraftIII. (NOTE: To resize this game, please keep the same proportions or it will not appear correctly)

The aim of the game is to kill the creeps before they reach the end of the maze, do this by building attacking towers on the grass around the… (more) maze. To build click on the one you want to build on the right, then click on the map where you want it to be built. Once built you can click on them to upgrade or sell. To get a high score keep as much of your gold in the bank as possible, at the end of each round you earn interest on the gold in the bank. Special levels are where the creeps are none-normal, they include FAST [6, 13, 19, 26, 32] AIR [8, 17, 27] IMMUNE [10, 21, 32] BOSS [11, 22, 33] You get wood every 7 levels use wood to research upgrades.

Visit http://novelconcepts.co.uk/FlashElementTD/ for more information.

Even more on Vick

In my last Michael Vick post, I pointed out that two of Vick's "friends" outed him as being involved in dog fighting. The story was posted in a SI.com story about Vick that says "MV7" is the victim of his own bad judgement.

"In recent days, SI.com talked to multiple sources who have known Vick well for years, and they say his troubling pattern of recent behavior reflects a penchant for questionable judgment, an unwillingness to distance himself from the wrong crowd, and a long-standing belief that the rules don't apply to him."

Read Don Banks Inside the NFL column here.

(High school nerd comment: since when did the rules ever apply to star quarterbacks?)

In the urban sub-culture, words take the opposite meaning of their conventional use. "Bad" is really something good. A "dawg" is not a put down. It's really yo' boy. Banks' column suggests Vicks problems are encouraged because he can't ditch his dawgs, who are his accountabilabuddies. Don Pierson's story on MSNBC.com Vick can escape doghouse by working harder manages four "dog" references in the first three paragraphs: doggie "doo," short leash, Vick in the doghouse, Vick is . . . the dog.

Tortured cliches aside, Pierson reminds us how the dog stories pushed the "coach killer" label to the background.

At AOL Sports, Michael David Smith writes that the Virginia prosecutor won't be pushed into a decision by Vick haters or puppy lovers.

"I'm not going to be a party to a witch hunt," Poindexter said. "This [process] will not be driven by people who hate Michael Vick, love Michael Vick or people who love animals."

Poindexter does not want to try the case in the media. He paid attention to the Michael Nifong debacle. Good. We don't need the authorities to make examples of celebrities. Over-charging based on name recognition is an injustice, whether it's Michael Vick, Winona Ryder, elitist lacrosse players or (ugh) Michael Jackson. Prosecuting based on where the fact lead is the just thing to do.

Sheriff Harold Brown will meet with Poindexter Monday to review the evidence. It is the first time the prosecutor will see the evidence in the case. The police raided Vick's property on April 25 on suspicion of drug dealing. While on site, they observed evidence of dog fighting. A Surry County (VA) grand jury will convene Tuesday. Vick has not commented on the evidence on the advice of his attorney. He has blamed relatives living on the property for the mischief. He recently sold the property at distressed prices.

It's been a rough year for Vick. The Atlanta Falcons' disappointing 7-9 record led to the dismissal of head coach Jim Mora, Jr. reinforcing the label of "coach killer" to Vick. The phrase was coined by Jim Mora, Sr. in answer to a question on the NFL Network a few months before the end of the season. Vick's capability as a quarterback is widely questioned, with many believing he is better at running back than passing. After a loss, Vick laid an egg by flipping the bird to disgruntled Falcon fans. The NFL cooked his goose with a $20,000 fine. He was sued by a woman who claims to have contracted Herpes from Vick, who was secretly treated for the disease under the assumed name "Ron Mexico." Vick was stopped at the Miami airport, but later cleared, for having a secret compartment water bottle that smelled of pot. Then the stories of illegal drugs and dog fighting burst on the scene.

"After what happened Friday, and then what happened on Monday, I just wanted to crawl in a hole. I can't take it no more. I walk around with a smile on my face and act like I'm happy, but on the inside it's hurting. And it's killing me. I ain't got no more energy left for it. The more I continue to do things and my name is in the media, I'm not going to get anywhere. . . . I'm taking it upon myself and giving everybody my word that things are going to get changed around. Things are going to get turned around. I have a game plan for it. . . . The company I keep, a lot of things gotta change, and I mean that from the heart." ~~ Michael Vick after meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"I told him 'you represent us as a franchise, you represent yourself as a person and you represent the NFL. It's not one single thing, it's a series of things,' " ~~ Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank speaking of his meeting with Michael Vick.

"We had a great conversation. He told me some things and he was pretty bold and said exactly what he needed to say. I heard him out clearly and I know he means business, and I have to respect that. I respect Arthur Blank and his feelings and what he expects out of me." ~~ Michael Vick speaking of his meeting with Arthur Blank.

"When all is said and done, more is said than done" ~~ ESPN analyst Ron Jawarski using this Lou Holtz quote to describe Michael Vick.

"Did the Falcons trade the wrong quarterback?" ~~ Master4caster speaking of the Falcons' trade of Matt Schaub to Houston.

In the end, this is likely to morph into a morality tale of people from distressed circumstances, given special treatment for their special abilities, who are never held -- thus never learn to be --accountable for their actions, or those of their hangers-on, when they suddenly come into great wealth that they were never taught to handle because no one around them knew how. It's not just the pursuit of great wealth that is the root of evil. So is the spending of it.

"Athletic proficiency is a mighty good servant, and like so many other good servants, a mighty bad master." ~~ Theodore Roosevelt in letters to his children

Atlanta Constitution Q&A on the controversy around Vick

Photo: www.celebopedia.com/vick