But first...we talk about Michael Vick’s comments this weekend about not being a Wildcat quarterback and suspecting that he won’t be in Philadelphia next year. Some writers have gone with the ‘be happy you’re even in the league’ stance with their commentary. But watching the team every week, he’s right. He’s being misused by the coaching staff -- which by the way is fine if they win, but not fine when they lose and the offense looks pedestrian.

Independent of that, we discuss why people have a problem for any athlete, yes even Vick, speaking his mind. Isn’t that what we want from our athletes? The truth? Should Vick really keep his mouth shut and say how much he loves the city and the team and the cheesesteaks when he’s asked about his role on the team? I’d rather the guy be honest.

We spin from Vick to Larry Johnson. Isn’t it amazing that more players would rather have Vick in their locker room than LJ? Vick made terrible off-the-field decisions that pulled him away from the game. Johnson just has an attitude that could eventually lead to him being out of the league. Seriously, who wants a guy like that in their locker room? Why can’t Johnson, who has had ample opportunities, see how lucky he is to be in the league and be relatively healthy at the running back position. Vermeil was right about the diapers -- he seems like a giant baby.

I would say I hope getting released makes him realize what he’s got and he gets his head on straight, but I don’t. I hope he doesn’t get a second chance to be a high-level performer. I hope he bounces around and then out of the league to prove to other players that being an ungrateful jerk can get you lost, quickly.

Soapbox:

I replied to Tas Melas’ tweet about it with this:  18 years ago if someone bet you that Magic Johnson would have better health than Kareem in 2009, would you believe them?

Kelly Dwyer, whose work I totally respect (hedge, hedge), replied with this, in a few parts:

Perhaps a subject best left un-bashed about, in my opinion. Not a rant, I know, but do we have to go there? I know there was no malice. As someone who has known GRIDS/HIV survivors, Magic isn't "better." By any stretch. Less jokes, more hope, and more research.

First, it wasn’t a joke, it’s a legit commentary about how HIV/AIDS has changed in the last 18 years and gone from a pandemic to something that’s probably not on the top 10 most talked about diseases in today’s everyday life. The flu seems more lethal than AIDS right now, at least if you follow the media’s coverage. That’s not to say it’s not terrible for those who get it, and I was in no way making light of that.  KD was looking for something in my comment that just wasn’t there.

Either way, Nick and I discuss the comment, and the point that I was originally trying to make about the two legends.

Is Allen Iverson’s career over? Is that it? The best pound-for-pound fighter in the NBA is giving it all up because he can’t start for Memphis?

I applaud AI for not wanting to be a hanger on to try and grab a ring, but to quit on your team after three games on the bench is sad, and cowardly. Not the AI I want to remember.

Housekeeping:

Yahoo has on the front page of their main page the winner of the WSOP that ESPN is televising tonight. Is that the right thing to do, Yahoo? Sure you’re sticking it to ESPN and yes it’s a huge news story when a guy wins 8.5 million bucks, but you’ve just ruined the show for anyone who wants to watch tonight and didn’t want to know the winner. What about SPOILER ALERT and a link?

Bad form.

Thanks for listening.