The Dog Days of Summer...

Are you serious? This from Myfoxphilly.com, “Security kept local SPCA leaders from attending the Philadelphia Eagles’ introduction of Michael Vick on Friday to local fans and media. Philadelphia animal welfare organizations say no one - not the Eagles, not Vick himself - has gotten in touch with them, and local animal lovers are furious.”

That is the biggest pile of garbage that has ever been voiced. The fact that people are going to the stadium to protest the addition of Michael Vick to the Eagles, with signs, shirts, and newspapers doesn’t even really bother me. There are people everywhere that aren’t completely in touch with reality so it doesn’t surprise me in the least. But the fact that an established organization with high ranking officials such as the SPCA is taking such a childish approach to this truly unique situation boggles my mind. The SPCA is taking the stance that they are upset because they weren’t contacted? Should we remind them that they can get in contact with the organization if they are interested? Maybe Vick does have a social obligation to at least enter in to some dialogue with such an organization, but is it necessity?

I digress:

Let me explain my opinion and take on Michael Vick. The man is a freak, athletically he is one of the most special people I have ever seen. What he can do on a football field is remarkable. A Quarterback that can move like him, has changed the game of football. Whether you like the change or not, Vick has aided the evolution of the sport.

Lets get to the dirt:

The man made a series of poor decisions. Only Mike and those closest to him know exactly how long it had been going on. Let’s say for dramatic purpose that the man has been caught up in the dog fighting extracurricular activities for 5 years. (Not that it matters) If your doing something wrong I don’t think it matters exactly how long your doing it, either way your still in the wrong. Vick has funded a dog ring, fought dogs, killed dogs, and even bred them on his property for the purpose of fighting. All of which are equally horrific as the next. As an animal lover, I’ll be the first person to tell you dog fighting is disgusting. How people can watch two living things rip each other apart I don’t know…oh wait I love MMA. What was my point again?? Guess I just have a soft spot for animals… The fact of the matter is dog fighting is a felony offense. Like any other human being Vick was charged with the felony, and sentenced to serve time in prison. Since he cooperated with the district attorney he was able to get his sentence down to 23 months. Some may say he caught a break because of his status in the public eye. I however think the opposite. People who commit any crime and face significant time in prison will plea out for a lessened sentence. You don’t have to like it but that’s our justice system. Welcome to America. In my not so valid opinion I think Vick was made an example of in a time, much to the “average joe’s” dismay, celebrities were getting away with everything. The law needed to take a stand and make a judgment that would sit well with Mom and Pop, and they accomplished that. What Vick did was inexcusable and deserved punishment. Luckily our justice system gave him that punishment and gave him the opportunity to turn his life around.

Back to the start:

The man committed a felony and served 23 months in prison….Now I hate to go here, but I’m going anyways. The point of prison is rehabilitation is it not? It may seem like a cliché, but that is the ultimate goal of it. Who are we to assume this guy spent 2 years in prison and didn’t learn a thing? Vick has said all of the right things since leaving prison. He discussed remorse, he discussed maturity, and he discussed responsibility for his actions. The true cynic is sitting there saying, “Of course he’s saying those things….like he really means it.” My response to that is, maybe he doesn’t mean it, so what? Is the guy going to go up in front of reporters with a microphone and say “Who let the dogs out?” Half of his battle is perception, and the best way to be perceived as regretful, is to get up like a man and say it….HE DID.

Can you all do me a favor? Look at the big picture on this one, the guy killed some animals…it’s terrible right? Agreed. Now answer me this. Did he kill or harm a human being? Nope. So why is the guy who commit’s a crime against his fellow man aka Donte Stallworth given a pass. Now I won’t go into details, but the man was drunk and he struck another man with his vehicle and killed him. Stallworth was given 30 days in jail, and was recently suspended for the season by the NFL. So as a society we have made, killing animals, a more punishable offense than killing people? (Yet hunting is ok, would it change if Vick ate the dogs?) If you turn on Sportscenter, you can’t get through the show without seeing a Vick segment. Why? The man served his time like anyone else. Why don’t we run segments on athletes that have harmed other human beings and served no time in jail? Probably would have to designate that line of programming it’s own channel.

So to all you animal lovers in Philadelphia, all I can say is get over it. If Michael Vick was your child, would you have the same opinion? Would you not give the man who paid for his crimes another chance?

Say a bartender throws a guy out of the bar and the guy trips and hits his head. He dies. The bartender goes to prison for 3 years. When he gets out, people are sitting outside the bar where he works and are protesting and harassing the man. Does that sound right? Is what people are doing to Vick much different? After all being a football player is his profession.

Final thought:

Hey Philly, there were 348 known murders in your city last year. 1,000 rapes. 9,000 assaults. Shouldn’t you direct some of our efforts and energy toward those stifling numbers? After all that’s 3 times the national murder rate. How about you go chain yourself to the mayors desk and use that mass of tissue in your skull toward something of importance. You haven’t had under 300 murders in your city in 7 years, that’s roughly 41 in dog years…think about it.

Going, Going, Gone....

Well the unthinkable has happened…(pause for dramatization) Joey has been kicked off the Real World. Ok, so maybe your not surprised about the alcoholic party animal missing shifts at work and thus getting booted from the show. What you may be surprised about is, that episode will be considered the finale by yours truly. Joey was the bread and butter of that show this season, what is there to see now??

Things most likely to happen without Joey (besides lower ratings):

1. CJ will take his shirt off…not my thing.

2. Derek will make out with men…again not my thing.

3. Jonna will “cuddle” with men not named Matt, and not understand what is wrong with it.

4. Jasmine will struggle getting laid in CANCUN MEXICO….go to a donkey show or something.

5. Ayiiia will continue to be worthless. ( Jesus who lets her cut fruit)

6. Emily will think about days of old at Hooters.

7. Bronne a.k.a the 2nd best character on the show will probably seek out cougars that resemble Sharon Osbourne. He is the last hope that this season isn’t a bust…

With that being said there is very little that could keep me motivated to turn on MTV to watch another episode of Real World this season. When I see the reminder pop up on the TV, it’s going to be like going to the kitchen for a sandwich and having no bread…Now that I’ve blown my nose and ate some ice cream (my comfort food) it’s time to put it all behind me and move onto something that is equally as painful but twice as addictive. SPORTS.

Because I like torture I decided to tune into the NASCAR race at Pocono on Monday. I know what your thinking, I said sports…but on a Sunday afternoon when football isn’t being played what else am I supposed to do? In this particular case the race was rained out and pushed to Monday. I would comment on the fact that less people probably attended but the reality is that the demographic for a NASCAR audience is unemployed white males with or without a stint in prison for domestic abuse under their belt (which is under their stomach). Normally I wouldn’t do this “activity” any justice with a column but one particular event caught my eye. A driver by the name of Robby Gordon got spun out by David Stremme, the audio is quickly tuned into Robby’s radio when he says, “You can talk to NASCAR or whatever but I’m putting him in the wall for that.” From that point on my eyes are glued to the TV set. So however many laps later Gordon goes by the guy and I’m disappointed…but then out of nowhere Stremme spins him out again! Gordon was made a fool of not once but twice. For like 20 minutes I became a NASCAR fan. Then the unthinkable happened. NASCAR penalizes both drivers like 5 laps or some crap. It was then that I awoke from my NASCAR high and remembered why it sucks. Gordon got his milk money stolen and literally drove away…grow a pair Robby. ---Trashed

I’m going to make it my civil duty to tune into actual sporting events for the next few weeks and write a knowledgeable entry. In the mean time check out this fantastic video of Tiger’s Caddy…

First Cut is the Deepest...

It’s unreal how lucky the Real World gets with character selection. This season of the Real World takes place in Cancun, pre-marital sex capital of the world. So going in my hopes were extremely high, but this season far surpassed my expectations thus far. It was to be expected that there would be sex, an abundance of alcohol, and enough fighting and drama to keep my eyes wide and my mouth salivating for more. The season includes your token homosexual, your heart throb dream guy, the cliché asshole, and a guy you can’t really explain. As for the ladies…a majority of them have been employed at Hooters. Enough said. Right from the jump I’m excited about a few of the characters and can’t wait for them to terrorize the house. I can’t lie, the cliché asshole Joey, has immediately grown on me and I don’t know why. He’s a punk rocker with bad tattoos and an arrogant attitude. Oh wait now I remember, he states in the first episode that his main objective is to up his stats in the ass getting category. You have to respect a guy that is so blatantly honest.

As the season progresses the house gets divided as always. Most of the room mates gang up on Ayiiia, who basically asks for it with everything she does. The only thing this girl has going for her is the most unique name on the show. But this is where the lovely drama jumps off the diving board and takes a dip into reality. It’s soon discovered that Ayiiia is a “cutter“. After a lengthy battle with various people in the house, she escapes the view of the cameras and proceeds to cut herself with a sharp object. Now I doubt that this casting move was planned by MTV, but how lucky can they get. Who in America sees a girl on a reality show cut herself, and doesn’t tune in at least once more to see how it ends. Just when you thought MTV couldn’t have gotten any luckier, two of the room mates Joey and CJ decide that they don’t buy into the cutting issue. They think all signs point to her wanting to be the center of attention. They then decide they are going to make her life a living hell in hopes to send her home. Joey literally goes up to her and asks if he can borrow a knife…now even all you people who are infuriated with Joey are going to continue to watch because you want to see what this guy is going to do next.

Now if your sick like me, you may be thinking what might Joey get Ayiiia for Christmas if the situation presented itself. The only thing I could come up with is every boys childhood dream. What?? Did I cross the line with that one…I’m certainly not saying that “cutting” is a joke because it certainly isn’t, but it seems all to convenient for this to happen to the bitchy girl on Real World that everyone loves to hate. She didn’t pick up my sympathy card and for some reason I smile when the evil in Joey comes out. It makes for great TV….so guess what Joey you’re the first to get RECYCLED on White’s Trash.

I’m not sure what’s left for the Real World. Every year seems to have a theme or a given problem or situation that summarizes what you remember about the season. You’ve had drug problems, severe drinking problems, self mutilation, eating disorders, drunk driving, public assault on the cast, racism, and even a character getting called to go back to Iraq. What is left for them to do? Swine Flu runs through the house or will we have our first Real World death in seasons to come? Call me a reality junkie or a product of my environment….but I can’t wait to see how much the envelope gets pushed. You don’t have to play music MTV I’ll do it for you. Just keep it REAL (world) that is.

Opening Day...

With the first post I guess its status quo to welcome everyone (anyone) who may be reading, and introduce myself. The names Shane White, hence "White's Trash", I am overly opinionated thus a great candidate to write about whatever the hell I please. Most of my posts will be sports related but some may touch on pop culture, reality TV, and whatever else gets under my skin. My fan hood lies with Detroit sports, but much to some close friends dismay, I have grown a homage to the Boston Red Sox. Most of my younger years were spent growing up outside of Detroit, but my college years were spent in the New England area, making the Red Sox the local team. Still not quite sure why I feel that I need to defend my "fandom" but when you stray from a home city team it seems a little suspect. Just so you know, I'm not the ban wagon kinda guy...for those of you who may not know the Detroit Lions are still in the NFL and yes I am still a fan.

About the blog. I plan to voice my opinion as often as possible, not that it's extremely relevant to anything but none the less. The more heated I am about the topic the more apt I am to proactively write about said topic. If there is a person place or thing that I don't like...they will get "trashed"...if a person place or thing does something I do like...they get "recycled". Sort of a good side--bad side of White's Trash. Another interesting tid-bit is that I am designating a small paragraph after each post to a New Yorker, named Mark. Mark is a friend but we more often than not have opposite views on sports topics. He will be at a disadvantage having only a small paragraph to reflect, but it's a chance to be heard, and I think it makes for interesting reading to have conflicting views.

Lastly, I wish you all happy reading. You can follow me on Twitter, or you can send comments and concerns at WhitesTrash@gmail.com.