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Michael Vick served 23 months on a dog fighting conviction but is now expected to grovel in front of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before being reinstated as an active player. It is for shame. It is appalling. It is a pile of rubbish that should be examined by dispassionate observers. Goodell reigns over a motley crew of thugs and degenerates. His collection of steroid users, drug pushers, pimps, wife beaters and brutes conspire to engender the highest ratings in TV history while perpetuating a multi billion dollar business. Now, here comes Vick, by all accounts an immensely dislikeable hooligan, but one nonetheless who has served his time. His crime was not directed against fellow human beings. He participated in a cultural activity that, while deplorable in the modern context, has traditional roots in the rural south. As mentioned, an athlete in Ireland convicted of a similar crime was given probation while admonished and warned to no longer engage in the activities. I am no fan of Michael Vick. I believe he stagnated as a quarterback after an invigorating beginning. I don’t believe he will ever attain elite status, particularly after a two year absence. But it should be beyond dispute that he is entitled to an opportunity to ply his trade. No suspension. No fines. Let him play…latest reports indicate Steve McNair was asleep, and drunk, when his girlfriend Sahel Kazemi fired four fatal shots into his head and chest. Juxtaposed with the Arturo Gatti case the results are a horrific rebuttal to assertions that only men are capable of violence…the record of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers post their 2003 Super Bowl win are desultory. The franchise is six games below .500 with nary a playoff win since hoisting the misshapen hardware associated with a win in the NFL’s biggest game. The Bucs have 32 year old Raheem Morris as their new coach and Luke McCown as their designate quarterback. It does not look like the Bucs will be turning things around anytime soon. I’ve noticed the team has moved forward without the expectation of any playing time from running back Cadillac Williams. If the off crippled running back, a star in his rookie campaign, recovers from his latest ailments it will be accepted as a bonus…the Philadelphia Phillies have won thirteen of their past fourteen and are tipped by the Sporting News to acquire Roy Halladay. The team appears to give Halladay an opportunity for a long awaited shot at post season glory. It also allows him to escape the hypocrisy and sordidness of baseball as practiced by J P Ricciardi…the Cristian Ronaldo era at Real Madrid began last night at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Real defeated the Shamrock Rovers 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd. The 24 year old Ronaldo registered an indifferent performance…fantastic news; Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao have been confirmed for a Nov 14^th showdown at the MGM Grand. The bigger Cotto will be required to weigh in at 145 lbs, two pounds under the welterweight limit. After reviewing both fighters’ previous performances, the Meridian has landed in the Pacquiao camp for this event. Manny is too fast, explosive and determined for the measured and deliberate machinations of Cotto. I expect a win for Manny by late round stoppage and will back up my loud mouth assertions with a bushel of bucks…no sir, I have not backed down from my prediction that Oscar De La Hoya will climb into the square ring for one final fight. I expect the Golden Boy to eventually get around to a big bucks “revenge” fight against Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. It’s allot of coin for De La Hoya, but also a chance for him to retire on a high. Chavez Jr, like his father, is tremendously overrated and the beneficiary of careful handling…Canada’s 2009 Horse of the Year, lets just give it to him!, Fatal Bullet terrorized the local yokels with a devastating turn of foot Sunday in the Bold Venture Stakes. The Red Bullet colt notched a blistering 109 Beyer in what will likely be his only local appearance this year. Trainer Reade Baker has the Breeders Cup Sprint as the long term target for our favourite speed demon…