Opener’s eve predictions

The Phillies were kings of the baseball world in 2008. Who will de-throne them in 2009?

Fans across the country got their first glimpse of regular season baseball tonight with Atlanta’s 4-1 victory over World Champion Philadelphia and tomorrow, the season will arrive in full swing for everybody. But following tomorrow’s games, teams will have played just one of 162 games.

When all is said and done, when the final pitch has been thrown and when summer turns to fall turns to winter again, who will be the triumphant ones, the dejected ones, the ones who take home the accolades, the ones who take home one more year of championship hunger. These are my predictions:

National League West Standings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. San Francisco Giants

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

4. Colorado Rockies

5. San Diego Padres

National League Central Standings:

1. Chicago Cubs

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Milwaukee Brewers

4. Houston Astros

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

6. Cincinnati Reds

National League East Standings:

1. Philadelphia Phillies

2. New York Mets (wildcard)

3. Atlanta Braves

4. Florida Marlins

5. Washington Nationals

American League West Standings

1. Texas Rangers

2. Anaheim Angels

3. Oakland Athletics

4. Seattle Mariners

American League Central Standings:

1. Detroit Tigers

2. Minnesota Twins

3. Cleveland Indians

4. Chicago White Sox

5. Kansas City Royals

American League East Standings:

1. Boston Red Sox

2. Tampa Bay Rays (wildcard)

3. New York Yankees (yeah, I said it)

4. Baltimore Orioles

5. Toronto Blue Jays

Divisional Series Matchups:

Dodgers def. Mets

Phillies def. Cubs

Rays def. Tigers

Red Sox def. Rangers

League Championship Series Matchups:

Red Sox def. Rays

Dodgers def. Phillies

World Series:

Dodgers def. Red Sox (Note: all bias was put aside in making this selection)

Now onto your hardware…

MVP’s:

Ryan Braun (MIL) and Miguel Cabrera (DET)

Cy Youngs:

Jair Jurrjens (ATL) and Jon Lester (BOS)

Rookies of the Year:

James McDonald (LA) and Matt Weiters (BAL)

Managers of the Year:

Bruce Bochy (SF) and Ron Washington (TEX)

Ringelberg fends off defeat, downs yours truly

How many times have you been sitting on your leather armchair recliner —  a bag of chips in one hand and a can of soda in the other — watching your favorite sports team? Someone makes a terrible blunder, an obvious fundamental lapse.

“Come on,” you scream through a mouthful of mini-donuts, careful not to drop crumbs on the carpet or spill on your sweatpants. “Even I can do better than that!”

Umm, sorry. No you can’t.

Not that I have ever had such a moment with Emmilee Ringelberg, the former Pierce College forward who came within a single vote of the Western State Conference North division MVP award in 2008. In fact, quite the contrary. In my limited time covering Pierce basketball, she has been one of the most talented players I have seen take the court. So I decided to see how I measured up in a little game of one-on-one.

Final score: Ringelberg – 5, George – 4.

I’ll be honest. I had no faith that I would even get a shot off without it being swatted to the floor. One of Pierce’s assistant coaches even questioned my sanity in making the challenge. He claimed that I should consider it a victory if I got just one point. I agreed.

Yes, it’s true that that I jumped out to the early 2-0 lead, but under strict instruction from assistant coach Ralph Wesson to not hurt herself, she wasn’t about to go all-out until she had to. When I laid the ball up for the 4-2 lead (she wasn’t guarding me because her sandal fell off), it was on. Try as I might, I could not keep her away from the hoop. She muscled past me for three straight layups and came away with the victory.

We shook hands like classy competitors always do and as she walked out the door, she offered some parting words:

“You’re a better shooter than you think,” she said.

So let’s break down the matchup by each facet of the game:

Shooting:

According to Ringelberg herself, I was actually the better shooter. Most of my shots were taken from the vicinity of the free-throw line, and while four went in, the rest landed somewhere around Bob Lofrano’s office. For some reason, however, the outside shots didn’t seem to fall for her. Most of hers were taken from underneath the basket and due to a significant height advantage, those layups usually went in.

Rebounding:

Umm…next.

Defense:

My only defensive strategy was as follows: try and guard Emmilee without getting leveled. The latter worked and so did the former for a short amount of time, but when she turned it on, there was no stopping her. If she wanted at the basket, she was getting at the basket. Not exactly like I’m going to get a block in the paint. Her defense was a little more solid. The only time I got inside the paint was when I stepped on her foot and she had to tend to her shoe. Other than that, she was in lockdown mode. If I was going to get the best of her, I was going to have to do it with jumpers. Even though current Brahma Mikala Pride taught me the basics of shooting a basketball, it was not enough to put me over the top.

So what have I learned today? Probably that I can beat somebody my own age while they’re going at 100-percent, but playing somebody at the next level, hell, she could have just rolled out of bed and the result would have been the same. I tip my cap to Emmilee for a game well-played.

When’s the re-match, Em?

Do you smell what the Sheff is cookin’?

Kicked out of Detroit, where will Sheffield land?

He’s one of the most feared hitters of the current era, even at age 40.

He’s one home run shy of the prolific 500 mark.

He’s finally healthy again.

He has $14 million left on his contract.

And now he’s unemployed.

Answer me this: How many people did Gary Sheffield have to alienate to actually have the Tigers release him? A perennial power hitter complimenting Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera on the verge of history and taking up a significant amount of payroll space, and they cut him?

Sure he’s a horriffic clubhouse presence, and we saw how unloading the “bad guys” in Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes worked out for Tampa Bay last year, but Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes didn’t carry $14 million in baggage. They didn’t even carry $1 million in baggage.

Sure he’s got the steroid era working against him, but with a new name coming out seemingly each passing day, everyone’s a suspect now. If teams released every tainted (or supposedly tainted) player, Curt Schilling would be the last man standing and he just announced his retirement.

You can’t make the argument that the Tigers are in the process of a salary dump because the team that picks him up is only obligated to pay him the minimum, Detroit assuming the remainder. So unless Sheffield said something dirty about general manager Dave Dombrowski’s mother or Marcus Thames paid off the front office to send Sheffield packing, there is absolutely no reason to make this move.

But now that the Sheff is a free agent, where can he wear out his welcome next? He has expressed interest in joining either of the Florida teams, but Tampa already signed their right-handed bat in Pat Burrell and are generally unwilling to take on players with Sheffields…er…persona.

The Marlins could be a decent fit. If Jeremy Hermida or Cody Ross go down or Cameron Maybin falters, Sheffield could be a valuable addition to the outfield if the team feels his body could hold up. He could also provide depth at the corner infield spots (now composed of Jorge Cantu at first and Emilio Bonafacio at third). The only problem is that with a young team, Sheffield may not be considered the ideal mentor for arguably the National League’s top young talent. The Marlins are reportedly more interested in Geoff Jenkins than they are in Sheffield.

Jenkins was of course relesed by the Phillies, who may now have a need for a fourth outfielder (assuming they are only using Matt Stairs in the “situational-left-handed-hit-the-ball-900-feet-in-the-NLCS” role). Sheffield could fit there as a fourth outfielder or at the best, a platoon partner with Jayson Werth, but with the production Werth put out last season, it’s likely that Philly won’t want to platoon him again. They’ve shown minimal interest, but it appears to be a longshot.

Other candidates: Cincinnatti generally has an obsession with old, over-priced, slugging outfielders and Atlanta may need one as well (but we’ve been there and done that already).

Who’s number one? Who cares?

Tyler Hansbrough and the Tarheels are headed for another number one seed in March Madness, but does it really give them an advantage?

It’s the eve of Selection Sunday. The conference tournaments are winding down and after tomorrow’s finals, only 65 teams in the entire nation will extend their seasons. But of those 65 teams, only four will earn the coveted number one seeds in their brackets.

Teams like North Carolina and Pittsburgh are virtual locks for the spot, but for teams like Memphis, UConn, Louisville or maybe the out-of-nowhere pick by the committee, number one is less of a guarantee. And so the inevitable question arises: “Who’s number one?”

Who cares?

What benefits come with being the number one seed? An easier path to the Final Four? Well, I would hope a number one team would find it easy to play a number 16 team. But by the same token, I would hope they find it easy to play a number seven team.

I actually tend to believe that the team with the best path to the Final Four would be the teams just below the number one spot (note the use of the word “best” rather than “easiest”). I’ll give up the contention that number one has the easiest path, but easiest is not always best. Pittsburgh slamming past pushover opponents won’t do them much good once they run into UCLA. And although the opponents faced by the teams right underneath aren’t exactly dynamos themselves, tuning up against better competition makes a team’s game better.

Regardless of the seeding, though, the good teams will find a way to win no matter who the opponent is. If Memphis is truly the best team, they can beat CSUN or North Carolina. If Louisville deserves the title, they can take out Akron or Pittsburgh. Maybe none of them deserve the title. Maybe it belongs to Syracuse. They won’t be a number one seed, but that’s why you play the tournament.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why it’s March Madness. There’s a certain unpredicatbility about this month and nothing is guaranteed.

If the shoe fits

Dwight Lewis (21) and DeMar DeRozan (10) celebrate a thromping.

By guest blogger, Rachie McRoth

Mark my words, the USC Trojans are the most dangerous team going into The Tournament. It all comes down to one factor, really. The reason USC is so dangerous is simple. They believe they can win.

When I mentioned this to my friend, PG, he, an unabashed ‘SC fan btw, said that they were the least deserving team to get in. He cited their February melt-down and mediocre PAC-10 record as reasons his team wouldn’t be wearing the glass slipper.

But the truth is, none of those things matter. It doesn’t matter that they went 2-5 against ranked teams, or that they lost to Stanford and Oregon State. They won the Pac-10 title. And they did it as a sixth seed, something no team has ever done.

They had to fend off CAL, #14/15 (depending on who you ask) UCLA and #23 Arizona State.

They beat these teams soundly, too. The final score of the ASU game was 66-63, but the Sun Devils led by as many as 15 in the second half, and were up by five with two minutes left in the game. Furthermore, USC thromped — when I get excited I invent new words — UCLA and never trailed against CAL.

Another reason the Trojans are so dangerous? DeMar DeRozan, newly anointed Most Outstanding Player of the tourney. You know he’s dying to do what O.J. couldn’t. He led all-scorers in the games vs. Arizona State and UCLA, annnnd led the Trojans in assists against Arizona State, rebounds against UCLA and blocks vs. CAL.

Plus, he looked pretty doing it.

Everything for the Trojans seems to be working in their favor. In addition to DeRozan,  Taj Gibson is absolutely filthy. Their depth and the seniority of guys like Daniel Hackett, Keith Wilkinson, Marcus Johnson and Dwight Lewis only make the prospect of paying them more unnatractive.

USC also has that intangible element — one all Cinderella teams share — momentum. Momentum is a dangerous thing — those who have it thrive off of it, while those who don’t, fear it.

The way USC handled the PAC-10 Tournament proved to the world that they plan to be dancing long past midnight this year.

You’ve been warned.

All aboard the Terrell-go-Round!

Terrell Owens is gone and so might the Cowboys' chances.

Disappointed that Manny-watch is over (or that T.J. Houshmanzadeh signed with Seattle)? Fear not! There’s a new superstar with attitude on the free agent market and his name is Terrell Owens!

The Cowboys cut their star wide reciever Wednesday night, ending his three-year tenure in Dallas, during which time he publicly feuded with quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten as well as criticized the coaching staff’s play-calling ability.

Owens’ release falls under the category of “addition by subtraction,” or so Dallas would hope, you know, just like when he was released by the Eagles and Donovan McNabb proceeded to have an MVP-caliber season before getting injured.

Or could the move turn out to be like Randy Moss leaving Minnesota? Moss was a headcase as well, but ask Daunte Culpepper how that deal worked out. Without his star reciever, Culpepper fell into oblivion while Moss came up big as a key component of the New England Patriots team that reached the Super Bowl a year ago.

Let’s not forget that during his time with Dallas, Owens averaged 12.7 touchdowns per season. Roy Williams, Witten and the rest of the gang will have a rough time trying to make up for that glaring hole on the field. Despite all his antics, he was a catalyst on that team.

Earlier in the offseason, the Cowboys released Pacman Jones. That move is far more tolerable than this one. Jones brought nothing to the team and contributed only baggage. He was a criminal. Owens was simply a headcase. This wasn’t just some extra player that Dallas could just take or leave. This wasn’t some second-string punter who had a few DUIs and was considered a bad example. The Cowboys just released the NFL’s second all-time touchdown reception leader and they are about to regret it.

…And all is right with the world

"Tell everyone Mannywood is coming," said Manny Ramirez shortly before officially returning to the Dodgers.

 Ladies and gentlemen, it’s over.

The four-month long soap opera that was the Manny Ramirez/Dodgers negotiations has finally come to a close as the two sides have agreed to a two-year $45 million pact.

Two years and $45 million — that’s been quite a familiar figure the past winter. It was four months ago today that the Dodgers extended a two-year $45 million offer with a third year option to Ramirez (at the time seeking six years at $25 million per), whose agent, Scott Boras failed to respond to claiming he wished to explore “serious offers.”

A week ago, the Dodgers extended another two-year $45 million offer to the slugging outfielder, this time with deferred compensation ($10 million in 2009-12 plus $5 million in 2013). Boras shot that offer down as well, prompting negotiations to seemingly head south as Frank McCourt revealed his anger with the Ramirez camp and promised another offer at a significantly lower value.

And yet, the deal that Ramirez signed was the exact same deal he was presented with last week and declined.

Why the sudden turnaround? That seems to be the universal question. Here’s the answer:

Manny and Boras were in panic mode. Plain and simple. The Dodgers were fed up with being rejected after four times offering to make Manny Ramirez the second-highest paid player in baseball. If McCourt had followed through with what he had promised, Ramirez most likely would have recieved a one-year deal for under $20 million. Deferred compensation or not, that is a far cry from even the deals they had turned down.

Look at the other side of the equation. If the Dodgers had dropped their offer, that would then give other teams a chance to crawl back into the fold. Take San Francisco for example. If the bar is set at a year at under $20 million, why not take a chance? In the National League West, that may have been all the Giants needed to put them over the top. Or the Yankees — they never really needed Ramirez, but for that short a duration and that “low” a value, it’s not unrealistic to think Brian Cashman could have swooped in for the kill. McCourt was not about to lose the heart and soul of his franchise just for spite.

Now that all is said and done, who won and lost their battles in this free agent pursuit like no other?

Winners: Ned Colletti, Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras

Ned Colletti is really the only one in these negotiations who came away smelling like a rose. He handled things perfectly. When the Ramirez camp came out of the gate demanding six years, he could have given in. He didn’t. When the Angels, Yankees and Giants entered the fray, he could have offered through the roof to get it over with. He didn’t. When his offers were rejected time after time, he could have gotten angry. He didn’t. Unlike Frank McCourt, Colletti did a tremendous job keeping things mellow and professional and it paid off for him.

Ramirez and Boras did not get their six-year deal, or even four for that matter, but they entered the offseaon with a goal: get Manny Ramirez a raise. Despite a long, overblown spectacle, they did accomplish that goal (Remember, the two $20 million options Ramirez had on his contract were negotiated through another agent meaning Boras wouldn’t have made a penny on them). Manny also did a good job saving face in the pursuit’s final days. When the world was against him, calling him greedy and selfish, Ramirez personally stepped in and offered a compromise. It was made clear that he wanted to remain a Dodger and was ready to make some sacrifices.

Loser: Frank McCourt

When it was rumored that the Dodgers’ owner was going to step in, many believed it to be a positive thing. Oh, contaire! After Boras rejected the Dodgers’ fourth offer, McCourt issued a press release taking shots at the agent and his client. Too bad the press release failed to mention the deferred compensation that the media had to dig up instead. That spawned the media war between McCourt and Boras, the ugliest battle of the winter. Insults were exchanged, sarcasm, threats. McCourt may have gotten his man, but he tarnished his reputation by almost blowing it.

Fantasy Baseball Primer

CC Sabathia saved the Brewers' season as well as your fantasy season. Is he worth it this time around?

It’s that time of year again.

With Spring Training in full swing, draft day is approaching fast — you know – when all the fans (we are NOT nerds!) take their charts and their highlighters and their pens and leave their mock drafts to gear up for the real deal. So being the winner of the previous league (a ten-man, head-to-head, competitive Yahoo league), allow me to offer a few suggestions:

General drafting strategy:

Average is good. Power is good. Speed is good. One-dimensional players are NOT good. This is why Adam Dunn and Dave Roberts are not high draft picks. They are purely one-dimensional. To avoid such players, I have developed my own system which I like to call the APS system (Average – Power – Speed).

Example: Ichiro Suzuki would be an AS player. Manny Ramirez would be an AP player (if he ever signs). David Wright, however, would be an APS player, the ideal player.

Get as many APS players as humanly possible. Why? If you are banking on Adam Dunn as your source of power and he breaks his right tibia in a freak roller-coaster mishap, you just lost your trophy. If you are relying on a balanced lineup to bring you equal numbers throughout, you can afford to lose one of them.

First pick candidates:

For those of you fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how adept you are at decision-making) to have your league’s first pick, consider the following names:

David Wright – My first pick last year. Good for .300 average, 30 homers, 100 RBI and 15-20 steals (had 34 in 2007 but don’t expect that again).

Hanley Ramirez – Dubbed by many as the best player in the National League and only going to get better. Good for .300 average, 30 homers, 70-80 RBI, 40 steals.

Albert Pujols – What can I possibly say about him? Good for .300 average, 35-40 homers, 120 RBI, going to guess around eight steals this season.

Grady Sizemore – If he can get the average up to about .275-.280, he could be fantasy dynamite. Otherwise good for 30/80.

Ryan Braun – If Prince Fielder can rake the entire year, Braun will be that much more fearsome. I would honestly not rule out a .290/40/120 season from him with 15 steals. He could be the best one on the board.

Alex Rodriguez – You know the deal. Are the distractions worth it to you? Take a gamble.

Pitching:

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT EVER take a pitcher with your first overall pick. The pitching market is deep enough that you can afford to wait four or five rounds before drafting your first pitcher. Of course if you have the tenth or worse pick in your league, you may want to bump that up a couple rounds (third). But if you have Ryan Braun and Mark Teixeira anchoring your lineup after two rounds, it’s pretty clear you’re building an offensive surplus. Go for John Lackey in the fifth or sixth round. If you have a bottom of the barrell pick and have Jose Reyes and Magglio Ordonez, Roy Halladay in the third.

Steal players out of later rounds:

I was in a mock draft the other day. It was the 11th round and I stumbled upon a name that shocked the hell out of me — Daisuke Matsuzaka. I grabbed him immediately. Round later I saw Jon Lester (my prediction to win the AL Cy Young). Snapped him up too. Then I saw Scott Kazmir. Point is, you can afford to wait a while before building your pitching staff. This year, offense will dominate the early rounds. When people start to panic and pick up Johan Santana and CC Sabathia in the second round, they get into trouble. Get your pitchers late.

Some key offensive players can also be found on the back-burner. Corey Hart, for example, is a favorite of mine this year. For those of you Dodger fans, Matt Kemp with a little less speed, a little more power and a lot less strikeouts. For everyone else, 30/30 potential. Save a spot in your outfield for him.

Mike Aviles is another player I’ve had my eye on as well. Yahoo lists him as a 2B/SS, ESPN as only a 2B. Check out the listings before you pick him, but with a weak middle infield market (I’ll get to that later), he could be very valuable. 30/30 potential as well, but realistically, look for 20/20 this season.

Chris Davis (1B/3B) can also provide you with 30-homerun power.

Weak markets:

No Wall Street references here. Sorry. Third base and middle infield. They’re weak. You have a few options here:

1. Shore them up early – Hanley Ramirez, Aramis Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Jose Reyes, Ian Kinsler, Evan Longoria, Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones. They’re all justifiable picks within the first few rounds. The rest of the market is deep enough that you can afford to take one early.

2. Take a gamble – Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson, Ryan Zimmerman. All coming off injury but all have big-game potential.

3. Know your sleepers – Mike Aviles, Chris Davis, etc. Pablo Sandoval of the Giants is another one. Expect him to contend for Rookie of the Year honors.

4. Slop it – Edgar Renteria and Casey Blake won’t do much, but they will put up SOMETHING at the least.

Catchers and relievers:

Never draft either before round ten. Even then it may be too early. I realize that if someone makes the brilliant move of taking Brad Lidge or Brian McCann in the fifth, it may mess with your strategy, but stay true to your plan and hold off. The Matt Lindstroms, Jonathan Broxtons, Dioner Navarros and Mike Napolis of the league will still be there by the time you’re ready.

You also might want to find out who actually has the starting job in Texas before you draft anybody named Saltalamacchia, Teagarden or Ramirez.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Yes, I’m talking to you who took Andruw Jones last year and Barry Zito the year before. Here’s the new list of busts:

Matt Holliday – Home/road splits away from Coors Field were poor to begin with. Oakland and its spacious capacity will eat him alive. Plus, he has no protection in Oakland. He at least had Brad Hawpe, Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton in Denver.

CC Sabathia – Yeah, I said it. The golden boy. The iron man. The savior. Yankee Stadium is a band box, the AL East has exponentially tougher offensive opponents and he worked harder last year than any previous year. Does not bode well for a repeat season.

Johan Santana – Something seems up with him and it’s nothing I like. I don’t fully trust his health just yet.

Manny Ramirez – He might not even sign by Opening Day and even when he does, can’t guarantee he will be a happy Manny. You know how that went over in Boston.

Harrison joins a long line of departed icons

Marvin Harrison -- the latest to go of a dying breed.

It’s September. Marvin Harrison sits in the locker room. He laces up his cleats, puts on his pads and prepares to begin his 14th season in the NFL. He runs out of the tunnel and onto the sideline. He sets up on the line of scrimmage spread out wide as he always has. But that’s not Peyton Manning throwing to him. Dallas Clark isn’t next to him either. Neither is Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai. In fact, nobody with a horseshoe on their helmet is even visible.

Meanwhile, in Boston, John Smoltz is putting the finishing touches on his 22nd season in the major leagues. But that familiar Atlanta Braves insignia on his cap has been replaced with a Boston “B.” Trevor Hoffman too is entering the field of play, but Petco Park is thousands of miles west tonight. Hoffman now makes his home in Milwaukee.

Speaking of homes, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, the current faces of their respective francises, still don’t know where theirs are. Could it be New York? Los Angeles? Boston?

It should be a no-brainer.

Whatever happened to the good old days when players stuck with their teams for life? If you bought a ticket to a Miami Dolphin’s game, Dan Marino was starting at quarterback. In the Bronx, thousands of fans would pack the stadium and know that Lou Gehrig was playing first base. And in Los Angeles, you could be damn sure that Magic Johnson would be draining his shots for the Lakers.

But that’s not such a guarantee anymore. With Marvin Harrison’s release from the Colts, the team he has spent his entire football life with, it pushes the group of “lifers” closer to extinction.

As money and business dominate the sporting industry more than the games themselves, it breeds a new generation of players, more concerned with getting their big pay-day than remaining loyal. Jackie Robinson chose to quit baseball rather than play for the hated Giants, but Johnny Damon chose a loaded Yankees contract rather than stay with the Boston franchise who adored him.

In Harrison’s case, he refused to take a pay-cut, so Indy cut him instead.

Does an extra few million make that much of a difference? Sure, to you and me it’s more money than we can dream about, but to athletes, it’s not exactly the difference between eating and starving to death.

If a particular organization and its fan-base show you the love, respect and sometimes obsessiveness that accompanies sports, are you not obligated to return the favor (minus the obsessiveness perhaps)? I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to be a Packer fan watching Brett Favre suit up for the Jets. I would much rather have seen Favre retire a Packer than try and squeak out one more season with New York (which of course culminated in his embarassment on national television).

And this is only what has already happened. Imagine what the future holds. Can you see Derek Jeter in a Dodger uniform? Kobe Bryant in a Bulls uniform? It’s unfathomable (well, the latter almost wasn’t).

I fear we have seen the last of the “lifers” and that loyalty in professional sports is slowly eroding away.

What a shame.

Michael Vick deserves a lifetime ban

Why should a convicted felon be allowed to play football on the grandest of stages?

It’s the middle of February and that means that the NFL free agent market is beginning to take shape. The big story: quarterbacks. San Francisco needs one and so does Minnesota. Seattle may be in the hunt for one and Detroit just needs everything.

We know the names available. Kurt Warner is probably the free agent market’s big fish, but my gut tells me it’s Arizona or retirement (and if he comes back, could Leinart be available)? We’ve recently learned that Jeff Garcia will not return to Tampa Bay, and now that Matt Cassell has been tagged as a franchise player, the Tom Brady trade winds have picked up to a light breeze.

Oh yeah, and some guy named Vick.

The former NFL superstar turned convicted felon will be 29 years old when his 23-month prison sentence for dogfighting expires in July. He wishes for a return to football, but the Falcons say it won’t be with them as they are currently shopping his contractual rights to other teams.

Well that’s great and all, but it takes two teams to make a trade, and I can imagine that there are 31 general managers whose “Michael Vick pro/con” list is heavily weighted toward the latter side. Odds are, the Falcons will be unable to trade the quarterback and will release him.

Of course, Vick’s NFL future all depends on whether commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him when his prison sentence is over. Barring Vick pulling some unbelievably stupid stunt upon his release, he will most likely be granted his reinstatement, but should he?

Last week I blogged about Michael Phelps and the immense scrutiny that he has recieved — unjustly in my opinion. I cited that Phelps is 23 years old, and while his action was illegal and did demonstrate a severe lapse in judgement, he did not deserve to be penalized in the fashion that he was.

Michael Vick, however, is an entirely different story. A countless number of twenty-somethings have been caught smoking pot, but only a handful have been caught in a six-year-long dogfighting operation. Yet, with all the people playing Phelps’ “role model” card and calling for his head, why are the same people willing to accept Vick’s imminent reinstatement?

You want to talk about a bad example? Nearly every child’s dream is to be an NFL quarterback — to throw the game-winning pass in the Super Bowl — to be Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and to the children of Atlanta a few years back, yes, even Michael Vick.

If Vick ever takes the field as a professional football player again, what does it say to our children? That their dreams can still remain intact even if they run an illegal dog-executing operation for six years?

This stems beyond a lapse in judgement. Michael Vick knowingly participated in a discpicable organization for an extended period of time, and although he will have served his time in the eyes of the law, why give him a free pass in the NFL?

Take a look at the 2008 installment of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. It clearly states that criminal behavior can and will be punished, and while Goodell did suspend Vick indefinately, he could have given him a raise and it wouldn’t have mattered as long as the quarterback was confined within the walls of a Kansas penitentiary.

What penalty does he recieve after he gets out? Sure his reputation will be tarnished and he will never achieve the stardom he was on track for before his sentence. Some may argue that that is punishment enough. I disagree. If the NFL truly seeks to promote “lawful, ethical and responsible conduct,” also stated in the policy,  it needs to show that behavior such as this will not be tolerated. Period. Nothing good can come from reinstating Michael Vick, and for what he did, he deserves a lifetime ban.