It's a dog eat dog world

Now that Michael Vick has gotten himself into problems over his alledged attachment to the dark world of dog fighting, do you think he's done more to harm his own career or to altar the sports world's vernacular permanently? You might be thinking to yourself, "how could Vick's problems actually change the way we talk about sports?" While I don't have an answer for today, the question itself came to me today from the least likely of sources, Kevin Millar, the Baltimore Orioles own loveable clubhouse leader, designated hitter and first baseman.

Kevin Millar is in the midst of quite an impressive streak; he's reached base in an amazing 46 straight games! However, the streak almost ended today when he faced one of the better pitchers in baseball, Toronto's Roy Halladay. Millar, who had gone 0-3 in his first three plate appearances against Halladay, was relieved to see a different pitcher on the mound when he lead off the ninth inning. With his streak on the line, he promptly watched as four consecutive pitches missed the strike zone earning Millar a free pass to first base and continuing his consecutive games reaching base streak.

After the game Millar was asked about facing the venerable Halladay. His response struck me like a subpoena on a Friday afternoon in Springtime. He said, (it was) "a complete dogfight up there at the plate". For years, I've heard players, coaches and fans alike describe a game or a matchup within a game as a "dogfight". The term seemed to evoke images, not of dogs battling it out in a makshift ring in someone's backyard, but of men, usually huge men, fighting it out and scrapping with all they had and to their very last breath. Kind of like you'd imagine warriors or soldiers doing on a field of battle, but with pads and balls or pucks instead of guns and bombs.

This all changed for me today when I read Millar's comments.

The first thing I saw in my mind's eye, was a dog, mouth gaping, teeth flashed and with foam frothing out of his mouth. It was frightening. I mean, I wasn't physically scared, but I was shocked a bit by the fact that I actually associated the sentence in the way that I had, as nonchalantly as my mind had done it and with such a 180 degree difference from what I had always associated the pharse with. Could I possibly be the only person who's been affected this way by Vick's saga? I doubt it.

As a fan of Vick, (as an athlete only), I am ashamed and disappointed that society as a whole has fostered the type of behavior he's exhibited. As a citizen of the United States, we should all be ashamed for not making certain their are better laws and punishments in place to deter cruelty to animals. As a responsible human being, I am also ashamed in Vick's actions. All of us, at some point in our lives, have to start taking responsibility for our own actions. I have trouble believing Vick didn't know, instinctually, at the very least, that torturing and/or killing dogs (any animal really) is just plain wrong.

All of this said, Vick did what he did and he's being punished for it. His freedom, albeit temporaririly, is alomst certainly going to be limited at best and his career is potentially over. Finally, he's lost countless dollars from endorsement deals and is not receiving a paycheck. When added together, the combination of these punishments might sound harsh, but it's the price you pay when your in a position of celebrity in a capitalistic economy and therefore, should be expected. What shouldn't be expected, is its effect on the language we all speak and in the way we describe the challenges in front of us or in front of the sports icons we watch on a daily basis.

Dogfighting is wrong, but a good dogfight, on a field, court or course, is something all sports fans want to see. I'm not so sure whether I do any more. Certainly, I'll think twice before describing it that way.