Vick get 23 months, maybe

The saga is finally over: Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison on Monday. Most experts were looking at a 12-18 month sentence, but it looks as though the judge felt Vick's crimes needed more punishment. So, this means that the former Falcon will be gone for two years, right? Not so fast.

First off all, the sentence could be reduced by three months with good behavior. Which is fine by me. Hey, 20 months will probably send the same message, and prisoners should get a break if they're not running around in gangs and so forth.

But will Vick even get to 20 months? Maybe he needed to hire Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie as his lawyer, because they know how to get out of a sentence. The sobering reality is that celebrities rarely seem to serve a full sentence; they find some way to get out early.

So who's to say the same won't happen for Vick? I've already heard people saying, "It's not like he's going to serve the full sentence". That's right, we actually expect the famous not to be punished. This reflects rather poorly on our justice system, not to mention the message it sends to other young, rich celebrities.

But for now, we will wait. Maybe Vick will serve his sentence and be a changed man. But if history is any example, he'll be out on the streets within a year, at about which time everyone will have stopped caring (if they already haven't). For me, and for sports in general, we'll finally get to see if our justice system applies to men like Vick. My opinion: no, it doesn't.

The Nuggets Are In Trouble

Waiting for the fourth quarter to start during last night's Lakers/Nuggets game, Allen Iverson had 49 points, and it looked as though L.A. had no answer for "The Answer". Furthermore, Kobe Bryant had only 13 points. The crowd was going nuts, AI was on fire, and everything seemed in place for a Nuggets win. But then, Kobe started going off, Iverson got cold, and the Lakers pulled out the W. So what happened?

The same thing as always. Denver started throwing up ill-advised jumpers, got away from Iverson, and failed to play any defense at all. There are two people to blame for all of this: George Karl and Carmelo Anthony.

A lot of credit is due to Phil Jackson and company, since they did a good job getting the ball out of Iverson's hands, who had only 2 points on 1-4 shooting in the fourth. But before the Lakers went on lock down mode, the Laker's best defense was Denver's offense. In the middle of AI's shooting spree, they went away from their star, settling for jump shots. Anthony did this the most, shooting fade aways and jumpers while double teamed, not even looking for Iverson. When a guy has 49 points through the first three quarters, you must attempt to look for him. The Nuggets did not.

George Karl didn't do much to help his team's cause, either. He obviously didn't do enough to make sure Iverson got looks, never reprimanded Melo for his selfish play, and as always, couldn't get his team to play a lick of defense. It's absurd how this team plays considering the talent that they have.

Unless they get things figured out, quickly, it will be another one-and-done come playoff time. Once the Laker's made a conscious effort to shut down Iverson, everybody else on the Nuggets seemed lost on what to do. So Anthony took horrible shots, and so did J.R. Smith. The Lakers basically played 3 on 4 defense and still shut Denver down.

With the lack of discipline and direction that is plaguing the Nuggets, one wonders what has to change. Either Karl or Anthony has to go. In Karl's defense, it's hard to have any chemistry when your franchise star is selfish. Anthony has to defense. He has a hard time sharing time with Iverson, even though the latter has changed his game to better the team. He has no concept of team play.

If the Nuggets want to make that leap towards the top, either Melo has to swallow his pride or the Nuggets need to deal him. But they won't let him go, so that leaves only one option. And since Karl can't seem to right the ship, Denver has to bring somebody in who can. Sad, yes. Fair, no. But it's the only way.

Ravens need to shut their mouths

Before the start of Monday night's game, you wouldn't be able to convince anybody that the New England Patriots could end up as victims by the end of the year. They were supposed to be the villains; the ones who ran up the score and wanted to embarrass you. But if any of their remaining opponents act half as disgraceful as the Baltimore Ravens did, then it could very well happen.

Oh, where to start.

Let's work our way backwards. Check out these quotes from the Ravens' locker room after the game:

"Everybody is kind of cheering for them to go undefeated and break all
the records. They called them the greatest offense on earth. So who knows? ...
They made one more play than us and they got a little help."

"It looked like all 22 men on the field played as if no timeout was
called. But if it was called, it was called. I don't get into that part of the
game. I just do my job."

"It's kind of the feeling of the 2001 tuck rule. It kind of feels like
the tuck rule. That is the NFL for you, man. When they got a guy like that that
is selling a lot of tickets, you want to keep him selling
tickets."

"I didn't hear a timeout. That was very convenient."

As Kid Rock would say, "Why don't you go to McDonald's and a get wah-burger and some french cries? How about a Whine-neken?" Ok, I'm done.

So, it's all a big conspiracy (again). The refs want the Patriots to win, so they robbed Baltimore of the game. Sigh.

How about this: do not throw an ill-advised interception at the end of the game. Do not call a timeout right before you stop the opposing team on fourth down. Do not hold in the end zone. Do not take the ref's flag and throw it into the stands. Do not get another personal foul on top of that. Do not jump offsides on the extra point. Do not let the opposing team kick off from your own 35 yard line.

I know that in the post-Tim Donaghy era, the idea of fixed officiating might not seem like a stretch anymore, but let's be real about this: there is no conspiracy to let the Patriots win all of their games.

The closer these games get and the more the losing team whines about their misfortunes, then you are going to see the Patriots go from the NFL's villain to simply what they are; one of the greatest teams ever to play the game. Nobody takes responsibility anymore. It's always somebody else's fault, whether it be the refs, coaches or whoever.

So Ravens, shut your whiny, adolescent mouths. Nobody cares what you have to say, unless it's "good game". Your season is done and the Pats are still going. After half of your defense is fined, your coach is fired and the talk starts to circle around next week, nobody will remember that you completely choked away this game. You make the Bengals look like Boy Scouts.

Coaches' votes revealed

Just hours ago, I wrote about how my anger over the BCS had turned to pure sadness. Well, that didn't last long. Check this out, it's the voting record for every coach who had the power to alter the national title game. Let's look at some highlights, shall we?

The coaches for LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma voted their team #1. How are they allowed to do this? They obviously are biased.

Georgia coach Mark Richt voted his team #2. Give him some dap for that one. Same with Illinois coach Ron Zook, who voted his team #9. Maybe that's a little higher, but at least he controlled himself.

Dennis Franchione, coach of Texas A&M, voted Hawaii #22! The Warriors are they only undefeated team. What the hell? He also voted Oklahoma as #6.

Bobby Bowden has Oklahoma #10.

Howard Schnellenberger, coach of Florida Atlantic University, has an amazing looking card. This includes Kansas #2, Hawaii #3, Missouri #4, Boise State #10, and USC #12.

Check out the rest of it yourself. But this tells us one thing: the national title game, in part, is a freaking popularity contest. I guess we all knew this, but when you actually look at the votes, it's simply amazing. Opinions of men who have biases and haven't seen half of the teams have a say in who is where. What a bunch of B(C)S.

There is no national champion this year

My birthday is on January 8. The day before, Ohio State and LSU will play in the BCS title game. But when I'm out with friends and family accepting presents, there will still be no national champion. Oh, the record books will tell you that somebody was. One group of fans will brag about how their team won. But they will be wrong. This is very depressing.

I'm no longer angry about the BCS. I am simply sad. When I watch the Buckeyes and Tigers square off, I will be merely watching another football game. I cannot force myself to care.

The system is a farce, we know. It's just another year where we get to watch big name programs play in college football's biggest game. The BCS is happy about this. They perceive this as a victory.

I'm off to watch basketball now. There are no feelings towards this 2007 season that I can express. Thank you, BCS. You have me not even caring about a sport I used to love. Even as a Jayhawk fan, who got lucky in their bowl selection, I'm done.

Call me when there's a playoff.