30 Days to Nowhere

Today's trivia question: Who was the last NBA player to average a triple double for an entire season?

I was just thinking about time…about a month to be exact. Like, in a month's time, I will be mentally preparing to go back to Houston and commence my second year of law school. It seemed like it took me a month to write a 'simple' summary judgment during my first year and yes, in the span of one month, I will STILL be sleeping on an army cot in my father's basement with two psychopathic cats. Within this seemingly short (or long, depending on your situation) amount of time, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will have probably flip flopped first place in of the American League East Division multiple times and several NBA players will have found a new place to call home complete with a trophy wife and a 'why should I work hard anymore, I've hit the jackpot' attitude via the spending frenzy that is free agency. Heck, within a month NFL players will be prepping for training camp, Iranians will still be protesting the recent presidential 'election' and we won't know truly, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop. Wonder where I'm going with this huh? Well, in order to get some perspective on my thought process, it may be in your best interest to read my entry, Mike's Con-Vicktion Should Be Change. In that article, I referenced the unusually long jail term (a year and change plus probation plus the complete destruction of his financial viability) former NFL quarterback Michael Vick had to serve in Federal Prison for animal cruelty.

According to various media outlets, NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth has reached a plea agreement in regards to the vehicular manslaughter charges levied against him in connection with the death of 59 year old father and husband, Mario Reyes on March 14^th. The plea agreement details his punishment for driving while drunk (double Florida's legal limit) and speeding on a Miami street, which is 30 days in jail, 10 years probation and he had to pay the family restitution for the death of Reyes. Now, I am all for good lawyering, but come on now. Vick was practically put under the jail and his life spread eagle for the American public to spit at him and scrutinize his very being. His employer (the NFL) turned its back, the team he played for, the Atlanta Falcons, bid him adieu, the legal system bankrupted him and finally, his creditors decided to cut bait and go after everything he owned. Makes me wonder…dogs and humans. Man's best friend verses a man who was quite possibly a friend to many other people including his family. Federal time for a dog and a short stint in State prison for a human. Is something wrong here? Is this a money issue or is this a dangerous precedent that can trickle down throughout the legal system allowing others to serve the same amount of time for a similar crime? In my opinion, it is a combination of both. Stallworth says in an official statement, "I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy" and further states "I will bear this burden for the rest of my life." It is fitting that he says that he will bear that cross for his entire life, but so will the family of Reyes. In Vick's case, what heirs or family members of the dogs he participated in killing will suffer?

Animal cruelty is a part of all of our lives at some point or another. Whether one participates in legal abuse such as horse racing (which only is legitimized by widespread coverage in the media and mummified millionaire horse owners who throw insane amount of money behind the process of breeding a quality 'stud', those who wear leather or fur clothing, sleep on goose down pillows, eat animal flesh as a part of their diet or love the feel of ivory on their skin as jewelry are connected to cruelty. However, there is commerce circulates behind those various industries and the infrastructure of our economy cannot sustain itself without it…so if dog fighting is not something that can line the pockets of the same elements that dictate the economy, go get Vick, lock him up and destroy his life!

I guess it is an entirely different story when we talk about the killing of another person. It is understandable if someone dies in an accident. It is not understandable when one drinks alcohol until legal inebriation, decides to cruise the streets of Miami at dawn beyond the speed limit and kills another human being. I cannot see the justification for how 30 days in jail and 10 years of probation (with a couple of bucks thrown in for the family to boot) can adequately replace a life of a man. In 'Mike's Con-Vicktion', I touched upon the fact that a dog does not have the capabilities to change the world. If that dog did gain this ability (we'll call him Underdog), it was from the training of a human. The value of a human is immeasurable as one can invent an apparatus that can change other's lives. One has the potential to cure disease, build shelters for others and provide peace and security for those around them. These are things that dogs cannot provide humans unless a dog carries a gene that can cure cancer or be the base for an HIV serum; a dog can only find shelter in what they may dig for themselves or what they find pre-existing in nature. Now dogs can provide security…however, it is only through the hand of a human being. There is no reason Stallworth would serve less jail time than Vick except the possibility that either Reyes' life is looked at as less than a dog, Stallworth greased palms in various places, he had a pit bull (pardon the expression) for a lawyer or maybe a combination of all three elements. Now, I am not saying that Vick should not have been punished at all; I do however believe a more reasonable sentence…like 30 days and probation, seems more appropriate.

Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL has a sterling opportunity to make his league come across a sterling example of management of its 'citizens', the players. Goodell can hand down a punishment that is even more severe than that of Florida courts and will be able to say the league is more intolerant of crimes by its employees than the States are of its citizens if the viability of the league wanes in the eyes of the government (see Major League Baseball Senate Hearings). The Stallworth punishment not only sets forth a slippery slope for high profile individuals but also citizens such as myself…wait…can I pay a family a large sum of money to make them go away? Would his lawyer even talk to me without my father putting up his house (with cot included) as a retainer? Better yet, I would probably be shuttled from my 2000 Mitsubishi Galant straight to prison. I admire the fact that Stallworth owned up to the killing and didn't come up with a 'Juiced-Up' story about how he didn't do it (listening O.J.?), as he comes across as a responsible person. However, in this case, when gets to prison, being a nice guy with a heart of gold will only get him so far. There are going to be guys in the prison he will be incarcerated with that were locked up for a long stretch due to a similar crime, who may resent him. I guess that's what Protective Custody is for eh? At any rate, I hope Vick has his chance to play professional football again. He was the big name in an investigation that included numerous people who were engaged in the same activity. Stallworth acted alone. I still wish him well, but it painfully apparent that a dog's life is worth years while Reyes' life was only worth 30 days. Something needs to change.

The answer to today's question: Oscar 'The Big O' Robertson, who during the 1961-62 regular season averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game.