Michael Vick Pleads Guilty

I usually try to refrain from commenting on sports. Not because I don't like sports -- I'm actually a big fan of the Rams, Cornhusker's football and the Anaheim Ducks -- but because at heart I believe sports are merely a diversion, and certainly not matters of any real consequence. With ESPN One through Ocho, Fox Sports Net, Jim Rome, countless blogs and even its own section of the local paper, I think sports gets pretty well-covered in this country, so I don't usually see the point of adding my two cents.

But this Michael Vick thing has me properly steamed. I see today where he agreed to plead guilty to running that dog fighting ring, despite his weeks-long protestations of innocence. I have two questions for Mr. Vick. First, how can you or your co-defendants, by any twisted sense of morality, come to the conclusion that fighting dogs to the death is a good thing? And second, what the hell were you thinking?

That second question is as old as sports, particularly since idiots like Steve Howe began throwing away their careers for drugs. But at least those guys had a semi-rational explanation: they're diseased. It's called addiction for a reason -- they can't stop, even though they know it could, and probably will, derail their professions and their lives.

But I have yet to see some talking head on the T.V. try to stake out the position that the desire to see dogs cleaving the flesh off of other dogs is some sort of addiction. Vick made a conscious decision here: I'm going to participate in a sadistic exercise, rightly abhorred by nearly everyone. And If I'm caught at it, this will almost certainly end my multi-million dollar career and any hope at ever endorsing any product ever again.

Maybe Michael Vick should have plead insanity, because from my point of view only a mad-man would have made his choices.