It wasn’t so much the commentators and analysts fawning over his spectacular level of play – that’s expected any time someone has a year like his with that kind of flash. More so, I’m aggravated by the continued hatred and vitriol showed to him that seems to be unique to his situation.
This week Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle added his two cents in an interview with MLB.com writer Scott Merkin. The interview was a harmless, positive piece about the charity work Buehrle and his wife, Jamie, have done for animals.
But then, Buehrle said something stupid:
He had a great year and a great comeback, but there were times where we watched the game and I know it's bad to say, but there were times where we hope he gets hurt. Everything you've done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen to these guys.There are so many things wrong with this statement, I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s just ignore for a moment the hypocrisy of the fact that he wished bodily harm on someone, while at the same time condemning that person for causing another creature bodily harm and focus on the “something bad needs to happen” part.
Something bad DID happen; it’s called prison. On the list of bad things that I wouldn’t want to happen to me, I’d put spending 19 months in prison right near the top. The point is, he paid his debt to society and he doesn’t owe a damn thing to anyone.
And yet, in the most ironic part of this entire situation, since his release from prison Vick has been donating his time and money to charities with the same beliefs and goals as Buehrle.
He has gone above and beyond his sentence to continue doing community service by speaking to children about the evils of dog fighting. He even donated $1 million to help more than 60 dogs who were the victims of dog fighting.
For some reason, though, none of that matters. Don’t get me wrong; I love dogs. I have either owned or lived with someone who owned a dog for the majority of my life. I understand how awful dog fighting is.
But, Vick has done everything he possibly can to show that he’s a changed man. Next time Buehrle should just keep his comments to himself.
