SO WHO'S THE BAD GUY HERE?

Ray Rice hits his wife and then drags her body out of an elevator, with the whole thing caught on tape. Rice is branded a wife-beater and blasted in the media. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, suspends Rice for two games. Goodell is criticized for being too lenient. When it's discovered that there is a video of the actual attack available some months later, Goodell changes the suspension to an indefinite suspension. Then the Baltimore Ravens release Ray Rice. Now poor Ray Rice has no livelihood. Roger Goodell had this last video before the original suspension and only increased it when this news got out. Goodell is now criticized for apparently hiding "crucial" information. And now, after Rice's appeal, U.S. District Judge, Barbara Jones has ruled in favor of Rice and the "indefinite suspension" has been overturned.

Who is the real culprit here?

Well, let's start with the Judge. Had it been Jones' daughter that got decked in an elevator, would the judge have felt the same way? I doubt it.
Roger Goodell? He's not a commissioner, he's a spin doctor. "I should suspend him? Oh, okay. How about 2 games? Then, "They found out about the tape? Better make it 'indefinite'. Will that do it?"
But the bottom line is Ray Rice himself. You should never hit a women. NEVER! Short of hanging him, no punishment is too much. These professional athletes continue to act as though rules or laws don't apply to them. People like Goodell and Judge Jones help foster those actions. Rice's wife is not helping matters when she does interviews where she tries to justify Ray's actions. Sorry, wife or not, I don't buy it.

So who is the real bad guy?                All of them.

Rivalry weekend in college football
Kentucky - Louisville started the day off with a mid-field skirmish before the coin toss. "We hate them and they hate us!" Right, we got it.
Alabama & Auburn continued the love-fest in "The Iron Bowl." That has a nice ring to it.
Oregon vs. Oregon State in "The Civil War." Didn't we already have one of those?
Ole Miss & Miss. State played in "The Egg Bowl." I suppose that's better than "The Cannonball Bowl."
Then there's "The Little Brown Jug" bowl between Minnesota and Michigan. Now that sounds nice and quiet and cute.    But, wait. Where did that come from? Back in 1903, the Michigan head coach, on a 28-game win streak, was afraid that Minnesota might have poisoned their water jug, so he ordered another one. How warm and fuzzy is that?
A tight end from Auburn said that a fan in Tuscaloosa Alabama's home town, once gave him the finger. The "fan" was five years old. Three years ago, an Alabama fan poisoned the two iconic Oak tress in Toomer's Corners near the Auburn campus. He's in jail, but the trees died.
" Before the game with Michigan, Ohio State students covered every “M” on campus. Well, that’s pretty dub."  -- Brad Dickson.  So will the Michigan-Ohio State game become "The M Bowl?"

Is it possible that "Rivalry Week" has gone too far?

What goes around, comes around
A year ago, the Red Sox president commented on the millions of dollars the Yanks spent on free agents by saying, "Well, we do things differently around here."  The Sox then proceeded to upgrade from within with only minor forays into the free agent market...and finished last. Now Boston has shoved a ton of cash at free agents by signing Pedro Sandoval ($95 million) and Hanley Ramirez ($88 million). Apparently, not that differently.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Enough with making fun of Winnipeg for that beer being tossed a Raghib Ismail in the ‘91 Grey Cup. Trust me, no Manitoban ever throws a can that still has beer in it."  -- RJ Currie
"On Black Friday I was kicked, punched and trampled – and I was shopping online."  -- Brad Dickson
"The Philadelphia 76ers are 0-16. At this point even the Washington Generals want to play them."  -- Janice Hough

"Washington State receiver Tyler Baker shares his apartment with his pet wolf.Bet he’s really popular with the neighbors whenever it’s a full moon."  -- Dwight Perry

"In Connecticut, a pig was kicked off a flight for being disruptive. This inability to have a pig fly does not bode well for the Chicago Cubs’ season."  -- Alex Kaseberg
"According to a report, a young Johnny Manziel was “snubbed” by Tiger Woods. Well, it’s about time that Tiger got some positive PR."  -- Brad Dickson
"Johnny Football Manziel got into a fight with a fan at 2:30 am in a night club last Saturday. The fan wanted a hug, and Johnny insisted he pay for an autograph first."  -- RJ Currie
"A spectacular one-handed grab by the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. is being called the greatest catch in NFL history, not counting Gisele Bundchen."  -- David Letterman
"What are the similarities between stellar QBs Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers according to Bill Belichick? They both wear No. 12"  From Dwight Perry's column

"A man in France broke a world speed record by reaching speeds of 207 mph in 4.8 seconds — on a bicycle.“The contraption apparently was powered by three rocket engines. Either that, or Lance Armstrong has been preparing for a comeback."  -- Ian Hamilton

"Ex-Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady once payed a hair stylist $600 a week to come up with that ugly comb-over. That’s like Quasimodo getting silicone injections to plump his hump.”  -- Scott Ostler

"A neutral arbitrator has overturned Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension by Roger Goodell. Being in the NFL is like being married; you rarely get to finish a sentence."  -- RJ Currie

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