Where My Dawgs At?

In a story that simply will not go away, our old pal Clinton Portis has Mike Vick's back, saying that the whole dog-fighting scandal is no big deal and what happens on private property is nobody's business.

Look, I'm not someone who's big on judging morals and casting stones. I like sports, but I realize that most of these guys cheat on their wives, do drugs, and are no-good pricks. But there is obviously a subculture out there that is really, really into fighting dogs, which is a complete mystery to me.

Sure, I get the concept. It's competition, and there bloody violence, and gambling. I love all of those things. I'm not a member of PETA, and I have no problem with horse racing. Even bullfights and cockfights, I'm not losing much sleep over those. If you own an impressive cock, and you want to pit that cock against others for money, so be it. Not my thing, but to each his own. And at the end of the day the worst thing we have is a couple of dead chickens, which we eat in this country.

But jeez, dogs? Why does it have to be dogs? I thought that was something that had just gone away, like smallpox. I love dogs. They've got personality, and personality goes a long way. I guess I feel that even in the dirtiest fighting pit bull resides a goofy puppy that wants to frolic in fields of dandelions, not shred jugular veins. But again, I just don't get it.

There's a trend among rich men to want to own shit, and to pit the shit you own against the shit others own to see who's boss. Poor guys do this to, but it's called fantasy football. Some guys buy minor league baseball teams or race cars, but you don't really own the folks that are competing...I guess Abe Lincoln was not a rotisserie geek. You can own a horse, but the sport of kings is pretty bourgeosie. So, for guys like Vick and Portis, you own fighting dogs. In some way it makes sense, but it's still fucked up.

Does this change the way I feel about Portis? Not really. I don't see him as a bad guy, just a punk. He's really funny, and he loves the bitches, and he can be a great running back. When he's on your team you love him, and when he's not you think he's just a loudmouth.

By the way, no scheduled day baseball today, but two teams you might have heard of face off tonight.