« Smite Wing Conspiracy | Main | I Want To Thank The Gonademy... »

January 07, 2006

Punkz and Thugz

Two athletes on my list of people who are splashing in the shallow end of the gene pool:

1. Bode Miller. Seriously, this guy is like 29 IQ points short of the short yellow bus. And at this point I'm kinda thinking I should've taken him in the Dead Pool. I mean, this might be one of the more irresponsible things I've ever heard an athlete say:

Bode Miller knows he puts his life at risk when he skis drunk, but the outspoken Olympic favorite admits he may try the dangerous activity again. “Talk about a hard challenge right there ... If you ever tried to ski when you’re wasted, it’s not easy,” Miller told “60 Minutes” for a segment that will air Sunday. “Try and ski a slalom when ... you hit a gate less than every one second, so it’s risky. You’re putting your life at risk... It’s like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing.” Asked if the risk meant he would never ski drunk again, Miller replied “No, I’m not saying that.”

This little weasel is just asking for the Sonny Bono ending. And when it happens, no one should feel any sort of sympathy for him whatsoever. I just figured out who I am rooting against in Turin. He qualifies as the "punk" in this story.

2. Marcus Vick. This thug is gonna end up going the Maurice Clarett route; I'm willing to bet you $20 that Marcus Vick is in jail within three years. And it can't happen soon enough for me. Vick, you may have heard, has been kicked off the Virginia Tech football team -- and gee, I'll just bet you he won't be bothered with school anymore either -- for cumulative on field unsportsmanlike conduct and maturity issues, and repeated off-field arrests and transgressions and not-getting-into-legal-trouble issues. The straw that broke the camel's back was Vick's deliberate stomping of an opponent during January 2's Gator Bowl; the opponent's offense was apparently tackling Vick.

However, it's not like the stomp was an isolated incident. During the season, Vick threw an elbow into the back of the head of West Virgina's coach on the sidelines, and flipped the bird to West Virginia fans. Off the field, Vick has been in legal trouble repeatedly since arriving at Virginia Tech. He was arested in February 2004 for providing alcohol to 14 and 15 year old girls (and convicted that May of contributing to the deliquency of a minor); he was charged in July 2004 with reckless driving and possession of marijuana, and was suspended for the 2004 football season after pleading guilty to those charges. Then in December, he was pulled over for speeding and was found to be driving with a suspended license. And he's all of 21. Yeah, a real good egg, this one; a real prince. He's got a great future ahead of him in license plate production.

Of course, did he learn anything after being kicked out of college football? DId he understand that his personal conduct was out of line, was unacceptable, and had consequences? What do you think?

"It's not a big deal. I'll just move on to the next level, baby" he said.

First of all, I am begging the teams of the NFL not to draft this pathetic loser. Drafting him sends a horrible message that there is no accountability in sports, and Marcus Vick ought to be allowed to continue his inevitable path of destroying his own life and heading toward a 12 year prison sentence without interference from the NFL. Vick has no place in anything that calls itself "professional."

But secondly, Marcus Vick represents everything I despise about most modern athletes, and the reason I can barely watch or even care about sports anymore. He very obviously believes himself above reproach, as an untouchable whose actions will never have any consequences. The arrogance with which he's just decided and proclaimed that it doesn't matter what kind of trouble he's in, because he'll just go pro, is EXACTLY the problem with most college athletes today; they're shielded and coddled from any kind of personal responsibility, and they feel entitled to just be professional athletes no matter what. Again, to the NFL, I'm begging you: don't draft this little thug. Let hm play the Arena League for a season and a half before he assaults someone or drunkenly crashes his car into a bridge abutment or something. Don't reward a punk like this with anything. Cut him loose.

Posted by Christopher on January 7, 2006 01:10 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.thechroniccurmudgeon.com/cgi-bin/mt/mtb.cgi/58

Comments

but you know what? the only reason Bode Miller gets away with it is because he's ridiculously good looking. good looking people get away with more.

Posted by: Sarah at January 7, 2006 01:51 PM

I agree with Sarah. I've been cursed with being able to get away with all kinds of things because of my good looks. It's not easy going through life like this, but, hey, the perks ain't too bad.

I actually appreciate Bode's unfiltered comments. No spin, no "Gee Wally, it sure is neato to just be participating in such a grand event" crap. Nope. Pure, unfiltered comments with the medals to back it up.

What you should have done is compared and contrasted Bode's comments with Vick's. Not saying Bode's quotes put him in the Role Model Hall of Fame, but it's nice to hear a pro athlete (yes, I consider him a pro) talk with an attitude of "I'm having fun."

Posted by: The SpinMD at January 7, 2006 02:52 PM

I'm sorry; I liken what Miller said/does to a NASCASR driver saying, "I'm gonna go drive drunk." It's a dangerous and irresponsible attitude, he's like the spoiled rich kid antihero from a John Hughes movie, and if he skies drunk again, he deserves the Sonny Bono.

Posted by: Curmudgeon at January 7, 2006 03:16 PM

Posted by: Marquette Hoops at January 9, 2006 05:03 PM