Vick, Schilling, RG3, Shaw, and Orsillo

What do these five names have in common?

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OK, you're right - nothing. Rather than writing a post for each one of them, I am going to try my best to keep my thoughts very concise. Each gentleman listed in the title will receive his own paragraph and we'll wrap this post up. 

First on the docket - Michael Vick. There was a petition in Pittsburgh to get rid of their newly acquired quarterback. This has a lot of people outside of Pitt upset because they view it as hypocritical. Why do Pittsburgh fans want to get rid of Vick when Ben Roethlisberger raped two women and they say nothing about him!? This argument is very ignorant of the circumstances surrounding these two players. Roethlisberger was accused of rape twice. Let me be clear - I detest people who dismiss accusations of rape just because they assume a woman is looking to make money off of a professional athlete. In case you somehow have not noticed, professional athletes are often flawed people like the rest of us and in some cases, felons. So no, I am most certainly not saying Roethlisberger was innocent in either case. However, I challenge you to do some reading. The cases against him were very weak and for what it is worth he was never found guilty. Meanwhile, Michael Vick was found guilty of conducting vicious dog fights on his property. Just because he "served his time" and "said he's sorry" does not mean the rest of the world needs to embrace him now. It just means he went to prison and apologized for getting caught. All of this legal trouble aside for both quarterbacks, Big Ben has led the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories and has been with them for his entire Hall of Fame career. Michael Vick is washed up. He has not even had a DECENT season since 2010. A QB whose game is dependent on his legs, Vick is 35 years old which might as well be 76 years old for a guy with his health issues. Steelers fans do not want a now-bad player with a disgusting past riding their bench. It isn't anything more than that. If Baltimore Ravens fans can turn a murderer into a god, then it is no surprise Pittsburgh will turn an accused rapist into one. The difference between those two cases and Vick's? Lewis and Roethlisberger were incredibly successful where they were. Vick has turned into a washed up journey man.

The epitome of hypocrisy, ESPN is bringing down the hammer on Curt Schilling for tweeting out this photo:

 

 Schilling is a moron, we know this already. I have no problem with him expressing his views and being passionate about them, but he has to understand that he is a sports celebrity and will be judged harshly for everything he does. Suggesting that most Muslims will become extremist, if that is what he is suggesting here, is obviously insensitive and completely asinine. My problem though isn't that Curt Schilling acted like Curt Schilling. It is the ridiculousness of ESPN. They haven't fired him, but they have taken him off calling any games the rest of his MLB season. On their website, ESPN claims, "Schilling was removed from broadcasts on Aug. 25 after he sent a tweet equating Muslim extremists with Nazis in Germany." Is ESPN worried about offending the Muslim extremists out there...  or the former Nazis? I'm actually fine with offending either. I could see how this would offend non-extremist Muslims, if the implication is that the number of Muslims who become extremist will go up, but ESPN makes no mention or apology toward those people. I guess they are just looking out for the feelings of Muslim extremists. In doing so, they lambasted their employee publicly and seem to be taking no responsibility for someone they claim is one of the "[faces] of the brand."

Whether you love or hate Robert Griffin III, you can't help but agree that he has gotten a bad shake in Washington. He hasn't acted like the brightest bulb over the last several years. Thank social media for that. But you know what? He is a better quarterback than Kirk Cousins. Granted, he's had major health issues with concussions and his knees but he is still better than Cousins. He was quoted as saying he thinks he's the best quarterback in the league and yes he blamed his "social media intern" for liking some post that went against the Redskins but other than that it has been a relatively quiet year-plus for the former second-overall pick. I don't understand how you can invest so much in him, practically trade an entire team-worth of draft picks, and then give him the bench just because you don't like his attitude. Washington will suck this year and RG3 will be starting for them before it is over, assuming he doesn't get traded, but the real problem is Gruden. He needs to go. I'm not saying RG3 will ever be as good as many hailed him to be when he was first drafted (remember the morons that said he should have gone before Luck? Haha!), but he is the best the Redskins have and Gruden can't seem to put his personal problems with him aside for the better of the team.

                           

Travis Shaw seemed to become a middle-of-the-order bat overnight. Unfortunately, that looks like it is slowly coming to an end. With the abomination that is Hanley Ramirez, Shaw looks like he is out of a starting job next season as Ramirez agreed to try and play first base. It is a shame, but Shaw has steadily been trailing off for awhile now. He only has 9 hits in his last 49 at bats and it appears he may be regressing back towards the numbers he put up in the minors. Hopefully that isn't the case, but even if it is, Shaw has shown he can cut in the majors. With the amount of health problems the Red Sox seem to have on a yearly basis, Shaw would be a great player to have on the bench, ready to take over in a moment's notice. This situation reminds of of what St. Louis went through when Allen Craig was one of their most feared hitters but Matt Adams was tearing it up whenever he got the chance. Craig faced injury problems and eventually got dealt, opening the door for Adams to shine. I could envision the same shake-out happening in Boston for Shaw.

There is nothing left to be said about the Don Orsillo situation that hasn't already been said. I am a huge Don Orsillo fan. I remember talking with my dad earlier this summer and agreeing that us Bostonians are so lucky because most other team's local broadcasters suck, but we have Don. It is a shame, but you know who must be really upset? Dustin Pedroia. Over the last year, Pedroia has lost many of his closest friends on the team and within the organization: Mike Napoli, Ben Cherington, Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Don Orsillo to name a few. That doesn't include John Farrell, who is most likely finished as the team's manager once Dave Dombrowski feels it is time for the news. With Yoan Moncada looking like the next big thing for the Red Sox at second base, one can't help but wonder if Dustin Pedroia's days with the club are coming to an end sooner rather than later.