\

Michael Vick is back home in Hampton, Va., after being released from prison yesterday. The disgraced and supposedly penniless former NFL star will begin work at one of W.M. Jordan Co.’s 40 commercial construction sites earning $10 an hour as a general laborer. The company’s president, John R. Lawson, is an ‘75 grad and a member of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Clearly he believes that Vick deserves a second chance, as do I.

Here’s the thing that really bothers me: Michael Vick did more time in prison, 19 months, for killing pitbulls, than St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Leonard Little did for killing a woman in 1998 while driving drunk. Little served 90 days in jail, four years probation and 1,000 hours of community service… He KILLED a woman. A mother. A wife. A 15-year-old boy lost his mom and a husband, who had already lost a daughter to a car accident lost his wife. And all Little got was 90 days in jail.

The NFL suspended him for eight games. Vick has already missed two full seasons and could very well get a suspension from current no-nonsense commissioner Roger Goodell, but he has said that he will not even meet with Vick until the former star’s home confinement is completely on July 20.

Following Little’s 90 days in jail, he said that he would never forget what he had done. Apparently he did because in 2004 he was arrested for driving drunk and speeding. He failed three sobriety tests, but somehow the charges were dismissed and he walked away with a mere speeding charge. Unbelievable.

So, what can we take from this? That killing a dog, while unthinkable and detestable, is a greater crime in our society than killing a human being. Some will argue that in Little’s case he didn’t intentionally mean to kill someone. Bullocks! He got in the car while drunk and he should be responsible for his actions. In my opinion, Little deserved more jail time than Vick and so does Dante Stallworth of the New Orleans Saints, who faces DUI manslaughter charged after killing a man while driving drunk. And now for the head-shaking bit of news from Yahoo! Sports, according to Jason Cole’s article Stallworth may get break on manslaughter charge:

Stallworth, who is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, may still have to serve time in jail and reach a civil settlement with the family of Mario Reyes, who was killed when Stallworth hit him in the early morning hours of March 14. However, Stallworth’s jail time could be only a matter of two or three months rather than the possibility of up to 15 years in prison under state law, two NFL sources said this week. Beyond that, Stallworth could play this season, one of the sources said.

Only a matter of two or three months? He could play this season? For killing a man? Am I the only one outraged by this? Thankfully I’m not alone , but it seems like we’re in the minority. Kill a man and you can be out of jail in 2-3 months and play that season. Kill pitbulls and go to prison (not jail, there is a difference) and serve nearly two years and miss 2-3 seasons. Yeah, America, our priorities are completely out of whack. Stallworth should be suspended for the season, at least!

The other things that bothers me about this whole thing is that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) says Vick doesn’t deserve another shot at the NFL until he passes a psychological evaluation. Really? Really, PETA? Your whack job zealots go around throwing blood on people … perhaps you need to undergo psychological evaluations before you start mandating who can and cannot return to their job after paying their debt to society as prescribed by their sentence.

What Vick did was horrible and as a dog lover I do not condone what he did. But he paid his debt to society. He paid more for his crime than his peers did or will for their crimes of killing a human being. Vick deserves a second chance and I can’t wait to see him get his life together, show repentence and then get back on the field.

Popularity: 14% [?]

ESPN announced today that it will move the Virginia Tech vs. Alabama game on Sept. 5, to ABC in a nationally televised prime time slot at 8 p.m. It was a no-brainer to be quite honest. The Hokies are ranked as high as No. 5 in the preseason polls while Alabama is No. 8. What a great opening weekend matchup – two top 10 teams slugging it out on national TV.

This could be a watershed game for the Virginia Tech football program. This is probably the most highly anticipated season in the program’s history and the expectations have never been higher. With a stable of running backs and wide receivers and a quarterback that can change a game in a couple of plays, the Hokies have an opportunity to make a statement for the 2009 season from the opening game. If they beat ‘Bama on that kind of stage, it will be a defining win for both Frank Beamer and the university. I would even go so far as to say it would surpass the 1995 Sugar Bowl win over Texas.

The knock on the Hokies has always been their inability to beat ranked teams on a consistent basis. Tech hasn’t beaten a top 10 team since 2004, going 1-5 since beating No. 9 Miami on the road on Dec. 4, 2004. That was the game that sealed the Hokies’ first of three ACC titles to date. A win over the Tide could change a lot of perceptions among those in the college football world and you have to believe it will get some blue chip recruits to put Blacksburg on their list of colleges to visit.

I have been following Virginia Tech football long enough to know that I shouldn’t get my hopes up – see the 1999 national championship game. But, at the same time, I can’t help but drool a little over the possibilities should the Hokies pull off a win in Atlanta.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Okay Hokie fans, it’s time for a deep breath as we head into summer. Football season is more than three months away (yay!) but we’ve managed to keep ourselves occupied this off season with national signing day, spring practice and the NFL draft. We’ve also had quite a few verbal commitments for the 2010 recruiting class. Safe to say that Virginia Tech football is now in cruise control. So, what do we do until fall practice (which actually takes place in the dead of summer)? One word … GOLF!

I don’t know about you guys, but I like to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and if you like to golf, I strongly recommend Myrtle Beach golf vacations! Myrtle Beach is the golfing capital of the east coast! Every summer since 2003 I have made an annual pilgrimage to this golfing mecca and each summer I drool over the seemingly endless choices of golf course on which to play. And when I say “play” I mean “tear up.” I may not be very good at golf, but I’ve pretty much perfected the sand wedge and I can blast a golf ball out of six inches of rough like no one else on the PGA tour.

The great thing about having so many golf courses from which to choose is that the green fees are very competitive! And there are plenty of deals, discounts and packages out there from which to choose – all you have to do is Google (officially a verb) Myrtle Beach golf package and you’ll see an endless stream of options! So, instead of sitting around your house all summer with the air conditioning on full blast and watching your old worn out VHS tape of the No. 4 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies’ 62-0 beatdown of the trash-talking No. 16 ranked Syracuse Orangemen (at the time they were the Orangemen, not the Orange … that’s stupid) – get off your butt, get online and look for golf packages in Myrtle Beach, book it and go get your golf on!

Oh, and don’t forget the GPS locator so you don’t get lost in the woods looking for ball! Lastly, I can’t think of golf without thinking of the best golf movie of all time, Caddyshack and the best golfer of all time, Tigerwoods… enjoy!

Popularity: 1% [?]

*Thank to George (aka hokieballa) for the heads up on this news!

According to yesterday’s Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech starters Tyrod Taylor (QB) and Kam Chancellor (FS) are among several current and former players whose pictures were used to promote parties in Virginia Beach. Taylor posted one of the fliers on his Facebook profile, even setting it as him profile picture. It has since been removed at the request of the Virginia Tech Athletics Department. No word on whether the players received money.

Read the entire article at the Collegiate Times.