We Don't Walk Slow

Frostbite 5 Miler 2013 Experience

The Frostbite 5 Miler is a very well run race hosted by the Ambler running club. Ira Meyers, winner of the 1986 Philadelphia Marathon, is the race director and keeps everyone up to date with info. Supposedly we were going to get some snow and ice last night but luckily everything held off. I slept at my parents house so I wouldn’t have to rush to race. I got there at 8:15 or so and there were already a good number of people. The race started at 9am and was expected to get 1600 runners. I met up with Ck4 and Nikkii and other people looking to recruit runners for the American Odyssey Run come April. We are looking to get 2 teams of 12 runners and are 4 short so if anyone who reads this blog wants to participate in a 200 mile relay run from Gettysburg to DC, let me know. The highlight being you get to spend 24+ hours in a van with me.

Back to the run. The weather was perfect for this run as it is sometimes extremely frigid. I got in behind the first few rows of runners and the race began promptly as scheduled. I had trained entirely indoors this year and this was my first time outside since the fall. Sometimes treadmill training can be deceiving with no hills so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first mile is a gradual decline and I finished the first mile at 5:15. I read last year’s post and was at 5:30 so I knew I was at a pretty good pace. I still felt good and was running mostly with myself and came across the next mile at 10:50. Still feeling good I started running with this bro for the next mile and we were at low 17 for 3 which I knew would make it difficult to break 29 which I would say is my goal. At this point I still had strength in my legs and was expecting to pick up the pace. Wrong. At 23:15 crossing the 4 mark I knew I was toast. To quote Sam, “I started rigging up.” My stomach was hurting even though I still had strength in my legs, I just couldn’t get a kick going. With 400 a female started coming up on me but even a deathly ill TC can outkick a girl and I finished with a 29:15 or so. I was pretty pleased as I didn’t know what to expect. It was 10 seconds off of last year and I assume I’ll lose 10 seconds every year following.

I talked with Ck4 at the finish line for a while and then jumped in my car and headed off. I had to drive through some runners but they made it out alive without getting hurt. I got a vanilla milkshake from McDonalds like last year and headed back to Philly. I arrived back at 10:30 which should make this one of the first posts in any blog out there about this race.

By Tom Stortz|2013-03-15T02:57:23-04:00February 16th, 2013|Running|0 Comments

I Don’t Hate You Anymore, Lebron

First of all, Michael Jordan was and always will be my favorite player of all time. Even now, I probably can’t go more than a week or two without thinking about how I wish I could re-live watching him. I’ve always wanted a DVD (I guess that’s outdated now) set of every one of his college and professional games to come out; I would watch at least a game a day. To me, even if he is a pompous asshole, he can do no wrong. The guy could kill a million babies and I would simply say “but it’s MJ, it’s no big deal.”

Then along came Lebron James. He was the anointed one from the very get-go. I bought into the hype, justifiably so, and loved watching him play. I thought it was cool that he got to play for a team (which was mired in mediocrity, no less) that was a city in the state where he grew up. I couldn’t help but root for him to bring some sort of attention and glory to the state of Ohio, considering I literally don’t know a single thing they are known for.

But after Dan Gilbert failed to bring Lebron any sort of adequate support, year after year, Lebron inevitably and logically grew frustrated and took his talents to South Beach. When he made “The Decision” I was pissed! I was pissed for Ohio and Cleveland, and I was pissed that I didn’t go to Heat games (to watch him) while tickets would still be cheap since he played against them and the Heat weren’t that good. I wanted to see him get his titles for the Cavs because it made the hometown hero story that much better. But most of all, I was pissed at the way he handled departing from Cleveland. He could have forewarned Gilbert and the Cavs rather than embarrassing them in an hour long special which should have been titled “Look At Me, Pay Attention To Me.” I thought it was immature and the ultimate slap in the face to Cleveland and Ohio.

Looking back now, I’ve realized it was just an immature mistake, no more, no less. He could have certainly handled it better. His PR team, assuming he has one, probably realized this too. But it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be in my head. He had a right to try to win a title and Gilbert certainly wasn’t doing anything to help bring him any closer.

Now that he’s been on this ridiculous tear, breaking records, kicking ass and taking names, I can’t help but marvel at what he’s doing. It’s nothing short of incredible, honestly. He’s doing things no one else did, and with ease. He’s truly like a man amongst boys. At this point in his career, I don’t think there’s much he can’t do, if anything. Well, he’s not the greatest free-throw shooter, but it hasn’t seemed to matter all that much anyway.

A player like Dwight Howard and the way he has been such a baby for the last 2+ seasons, holding the city and team of Orlando hostage and now causing a commotion in L.A. has taught me a lesson: what Lebron did wasn’t so bad. He didn’t screw Cleveland over, he just made a decision that was in his best interests. What Dwight did screwed Orlando over, and that city had already been abandoned by their previous number one overall pick and huge center, my main man, Shaq, landing on the same team too, go figure. Dwight didn’t give it his all, complained, and literally held the team hostage, making it impossible for them to really benefit from losing him other than by potentially getting better via the Ewing Theory.

Whereas up until he left, Lebron gave Cleveland everything he had, and it was almost enough, all by himself. “I’m not MJ, I’m LJ,” brought a smile to my face when he tweeted that the other day. His identity has finally come out, and he’s not a bad guy, he’s just having fun playing a game he’s ridiculously gifted at. So Lebron, it wasn’t your title, and it wasn’t your tackle of this guy (although I loved that because it does make it easier to endear to you), it was simply my new-found understanding that I overreacted to “The Decision.” And thus, Lebron, I don’t hate you anymore. In fact, I’m back to loving you, so keep doing what you do big man!

By Tom Stortz|2013-02-15T12:10:32-05:00February 15th, 2013|Sports|2 Comments

Morons of Yahoo

That’s it. I’m done with these stories. If it doesn’t come from BarStool, I don’t care about it. These two articles I read on Yahoo are THE WORST pieces of reporting I have come across. They make me slap my head and wonder who allows these to get on their home page as actual stories.

Joe Flacco saying playing the Superbowl in cold weather is “retarded”
“Yeah, I think it’s retarded. I probably shouldn’t say that. I think it’s stupid. If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium. Then you can get one. Other than that I don’t really like the idea. I don’t think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather.”

People not dissing Tim Tebow

The only story here is how hurting Yahoo must be for stories. These waste my time and want to me never read another thing from Yahoo. I’m not a pussified version of America who cares if Flacco calls something retarded or if nothing was said about Tim Tebow. People have gotten so sensitive to everything that it’s going to be our downfall. Our country is a bunch of pussies who are going to get stomped on the first chance of conflict. It’s a good thing we spend so much money on warfare because without it we’d be toast.

By Tom Stortz|2013-03-15T03:00:06-04:00January 29th, 2013|Sports|1 Comment

Philly Broad Street Run Lottery Sucks

The Philly Broad Street Run lottery sucks. I received an email today about a lottery system being implemented due to the overwhelming amount of “runners” who wish to compete in the Broad Street Run. Last year there were 34,058 runners who competed which is a huge amount and makes this one of the biggest road races in America. The email stated something that I agree 100% with:

“After considerable amount of research and discussion, it has been decided that the Blue Cross Broad Street Run will be using a lottery system to select the 2013 race participants. This decision was not made lightly and will help us continue to be a race for all levels of RUNNERS. At this point, I must stress that this is a ROAD RACE. Walkers are strongly discouraged from entering this event. “

Obviously what happened with this race is that too many non-runners were taking the place of actual people who want to run seriously. Let me just go over my thinking on this topic. First thing I want to mention is that runs have turned into leisurely strolls and talking amongst friends. The hobby joggers have come out in full force. As this usually has no effect whatsoever on me (aside from the award ceremony being delayed), for a race of this magnitude it is a big deal. The term 5k RACE no longer has any meaning. My opinion on the Broad Street Run (it should be changed to race) is that everyone should complete the race in 1 hour 40 minutes. If you can’t do 10 10 minute miles, you aren’t physically capable of completing this race and taking a spot of someone who is.

NOTE: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN’T DO A 10 MINUTE MILE, THEY JUST AREN’T READY FOR THIS RACE. A 10 minute mile would probably require a consistent light jog. If you need to walk for a baby 10 mile run, you aren’t ready for this race. 20,064 people completed the race under 1:40 last year which would eliminate 14,000 people from last year’s race. That seems like a more reasonable number and would allow for plenty of people on the cusp and thousands of people who deserve to be allowed to run. The ceiling could even be upped to allow for people to the maximum amount of allotted runners which is 34,000.

I personally think it sucks that I could potentially get skipped over for this race. I’ve done it the last 4 years and I find it to be one of the best courses and perhaps the fastest race with the most competition that allows me to set personal bests. A time ceiling keeps out the people who are doing it for fun. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with doing races for fun but it turns an already wimpy sport into a laughing stock. This isn’t just some 5k where everyone wants to have a good time (nice pun). This is a prestigious event that has become watered down by the magnitude of “runners”. Serious runners should not have to worry about getting in because of some lottery. And perhaps their system will guarantee all fast runners but that’s not what I expect from a lottery.

The obvious response to this is how do you know who to allow? Anyone can say they are going to run 1:40. Simple answer, prove it. What did you run at the Broad St last year? What is your best in a ten mile run? I’m not saying that it has to be a strict guideline but the idea is to keep out the riff raff and turn this race into an actual race and not a social event. It obviously bothers me that I have a chance of not getting in due to the lottery and this is my suggestion to make sure I get in. Selfish perhaps, but I write what I feel and knowing that some slob can sign up and take my spot doesn’t make me happy.

By Tom Stortz|2013-03-15T03:00:42-04:00January 23rd, 2013|Running, Sports|6 Comments

5 Best Product Investments

Kindle Fire

I bought the Kindle Fire for $199 about 6 months ago. At first I was apprehensive about switching from a paperback book to a digital way of reading. How would I feel without turning physical pages that I’ve grown so accustomed to? As it turns out, it didn’t matter at all and the switch was seamless. I also signed up for an Amazon credit card that syncs directly into the Fire so I purchase books with one click without leaving my seat. Most of the time the Fire price is cheaper than the bookstore price so not only am I saving money but I’m never leaving the comfort of my house. It doesn’t have 3 or 4G which I would say is the only downside but it connects to any Wi-Fi so it really doesn’t come into play much for me. Plus you can watch redtube videos that come in decently but there is still some buffering which can get annoying. I see the price is down to $159 and I would recommend this particular device at that price level. I don’t watch anything movie or TV wise on it so I can’t comment but I don’t think it would be my preferred method. Very good for nighttime reading as no light is required.

Jos. A Bank Jacket

This isn’t the exact jacket I bought but very similar. Mine is 65% wool, 35% rayon and is a pretty good winter jacket. I wouldn’t wear it in the most frigid of conditions but in terms of an acceptable jacket to wear to bars and such, it works fantastic. I can even wear a collared polo t-shirt out and just wear the jacket as an exterior. It essentially eliminates the need for any type of sweatshirt unless I want to wear it. Best part is, it cost under a hundred bucks. I can honestly wear it every day and no one would say I’m over-wearing it because it’s so common place of an article of clothing. Without a doubt this was my #1 best investment of the year. I don’t need variety in winter month outerwear, this is it! Plus it doesn’t get dirty.

Taylor Burner Plus Irons &
Ping Stand Bag

I know there aren’t a ton of golf nuts out there but these two items were my best purchases of last year golf wise. I think I spent $400+ on the iron set I bought (I’m not sure this picture is the exact set I have) and they are a significant upgrade from the Tommy Armour 845 I had for 10+ years. My distance is 200+ with a 5 iron which basically can allow me to drive using an iron on most holes. Hitting the sweet spot leads to nice distance and I’ve been playing a nice draw as well. Forgiveness is noticeable. The bag is awesome as well. We’ll give Bill Schmidt credit for the recommendation as he said “the only bags worth buying are Titleist and Ping.” It has an abundance of pockets, a Gatorade holder, a nice stand, a handle to move the bag without holding the strap, and is lightweight to make a fantastically designed bag. I left out my Cleveland sand wedge but I’ll save that for another entry. A huge key to golf is having the right equipment.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This is a book I read about a year ago that has so many good tools that I probably don’t use most of them. It goes into prioritizing life, listening, speaking, empathizing, decision making and all the other good things that you usually don’t think about on your day to day. This book makes you think about them and I remember after finishing the book having a positive outlook on life. As months pass and you forget what you read, you will revert back to the real you but it’s still effective to have these principals instilled from time to time. Here was an interesting post I wrote back in the day after reading the book. Reading this book once a year would be an exercise that no price could be put on it.

Spotify & Sirius Radio

Although it seems pretty insane, I pay 200+ dollars a year for Sirius and 5 bucks a month for Spotify. This equates to a roughly 300 dollar budget a year for music which is less than a dollar a day. For me this is completely worth it. I listen to music everyday of my life. As I’m sitting here right now I’m listening to OMD, If You Leave on Sirius First Wave. Listening to music makes me happy. If I have to choose between not listening or listening, I’d practically never choose not listening. Sirius in the car, Spotify at home. I like the randomness of Sirius and my ability to hear songs I never would hear and the variety of their stations. I like how I can customize playlists with Spotify and share music with friends. Both of these services hold high value in my mind. AM/FM what?!

By Tom Stortz|2013-03-15T03:01:14-04:00January 21st, 2013|My Brain, Sports|1 Comment

Why I love the Patriots

Bill Belichick. Tom Brady. Success. It’s the preparation. The team unity. The proven track record of winning. What happened to Andy Reid the past two seasons won’t happen to the Patriots. The Birds tried to hire talent, but talent doesn’t win football games. This isn’t basketball where you can put 3/5 of a team of all stars together and win championships. This is a better game that involves 11 players acting collectively and no team does it better than the Patriots. They have not had a losing season in the last 10 years and have made the playoffs 8 times.

I had to make this post before the game kicks off and explain how some people can lay 10 points in what is most likely going to be a tight game. My response is that if the Pats score 40 points, 10 doesn’t seem like that much. I don’t care who the opposing team is, the Patriots can score that many points. Considering the -10 is going off at +140, you’d think you’d have to be a fool to accept those odds. This is what Vegas wants though. They want to offer a line that the public will jump on, +10, give you shitty money to take it, -160, and then when the bets come in on that side, they win because they are offering you less money if it happens, and they win when the Patriots cover. I don’t let that +140 number scare me. I’ve seen it far too many times not work out the way the books want you to think. I also think the +5 at home is too many to lay to the Falcons.

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-20T14:10:11-05:00January 20th, 2013|Sports|0 Comments

What’s Wrong With America

America cares about scandal and controversy more than it cares about its sports. With Manti T’eo’s imaginary girlfriend, Lance’s years of being a dope, and the fabulous timing of Crabtree’s sexual assault, we worry more about the 3 ring circus acts than the actual games and events. It’s not that I don’t think the stories are important because the truth needs to be told. We just get distracted with all the extra-curricular activities that it detracts from the sports. Plus people, the media, benefit so much from these outrageous stories that they start looking for them and creating them. It’s sick.

Let’s just look at each example briefly. The hoax created on Manti T’eo is what I’d call taking a prank too far. Unless of course he was in on it. “The sheer quantity of falsehoods about Manti’s relationship with Lennay makes that friend, and another relative of Ronaiah’s, believe Te’o had to know the truth. Mostly, though, the friend simply couldn’t believe that Te’o would be stupid enough—or Ronaiah Tuiasosopo clever enough—to sustain the relationship for nearly a year.” I can’t even follow all of the twisted aspects of this case but I’ll tell you the absolute truth, I couldn’t give a shit about it. Waste of time on all accounts. #teoisanidiot

Lance Armstrong is easily one of the biggest lies of the century. How he adamantly denied the use of performance enhancing drugs for all those years makes him perhaps the biggest asshole next to Barry Bonds. I think it’s fine that he came out and admitted to all the cheating because he probably couldn’t live with himself. It’s lifting a burden off that Barry is just strong enough to live with. My favorite part about Lance is that the United States doesn’t even care about cycling. 409,000 people tuned into the Tour De France last year. The Superbowl gets 100 million viewers. He tarnished the global reputation of the United States so that now the rest of the world looks at us (more) negatively than they already do for something the general public could care less about. #liestrong #lancedropestrong

Just to close with Crabtree. Pick a better time for this goddamn story. Jesus, the guy just spent the last 4+ months playing football to get to this point, he’s shining, and now you bring this shit on him. Couldn’t this wait? Some random sexual assault by some stupid, money hungry hoe? #pimptree

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-19T12:10:13-05:00January 19th, 2013|Sports|0 Comments

The High Five Ban?

This is a link to a story that is about a New York youth soccer club banning high fives and end of game hand shakes to prevent a flu outbreak. C’mon! Barstool finds stories like these and headlines them with “The Pussification of America Continues”. If we keep raising pussies, we are going to become pussies..

I normally don’t give a shit about stories like this but for some reason this one struck a nerve. I feel like this is keeping your kid sucking on your teet until their 10 and destined to be screwed up for life. Kids are supposed to get sick. It’s how your immune system grows stronger. Considering I didn’t miss a day of school my entire life, I feel no compassion for people who use illness to prevent them from doing things. Now that I have to read about over cautious groups and moronic parents stopping their children from one of the most common expressions of camaraderie for fear of the goddamn flu, it breaks me a little inside. I could see if they were catching the ebola virus, the bubonic plague or whatever was in that Michael Chrichton book about the Andromeda Strain, but the goddamn flu? Our country is raising wieners. You think the kids in China or the Middle East are worried about high fiving each other after scoring goals? WAKE UP AMERICA!

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-15T22:41:35-05:00January 15th, 2013|Sports|0 Comments

RG-3 Year Career

I had a few ideas of how to make a point about what makes a good quarterback and RG3’s injury just fell into my lap. There is no question that RG3 is a good quarterback, but he will never be a great quarterback. His first year in the NFL just finished and he is already getting surgery on his knee. His style is one of mobility and having the defense defend that part of his game. It is what separates him from the good but will keep him away from ever reaching the elite. Not to mention that fact that his career is going to end before it even starts. Mobile QB’s take more hits and endure more punishment throughout a season. I’m going to point out some obvious stats of what separates good Quarterbacks in the league.

The first thing elite Quarterbacks don’t do is fumble. One of the biggest turning points in football games are turnovers. When you are in your own zone and fumble the ball, you not only give your opponent field position, but they get a huge amount of the indescribable element of momentum. The best quarterbacks don’t fumble the ball because they avoid getting hit. After sorting this category of fumbles and fumbles lost amongst QB’s, I wasn’t surprised with the results. For QB’s who played 16 games, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were 1 & 2, both fumbling only twice throughout the season. Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton, and Matt Schaub were the next 3 (all playoff QBs). Now let’s look at who fumbles the most and how their teams fared and my impressions of them as a QB. Rivers, Sanchez, and RG3 topped the list (to RG3’s credit, he only lost 2). Vick, Freeman, Luck, Cam and Kapernick followed. It’s not surprising that these are all mobile quarterbacks who like to run when given the chance. This simple stat should not be overlooked but certainly isn’t the end as all these QB’s, aside from Sanchez & Rivers, have unlimited potential.

Getting hit becomes another crucial component of judging quarterbacks. Who were the least sacked QB’s in the league this year, yapp, Eli and Peyton. I was shocked to see Aaron Rodgers topping the list but I guess that game against Seattle where he had like 9 first half sackesdidn’t help. Andy Dalton is up there too which surprises me because I’d guess he’d be fumbling more often since he’s taking this many sacks. I believe that another key to being a good quarterback is not getting hurt. You can’t help your team if you don’t play. I’m certainly not suggesting being a pussy but I do think that the future is an important aspect of a quarterback. Good quarterbacks avoid getting hit.

My next thought about what separates the Quarterback position is mobility. Who led the league in rush yards a game this year from the Quarterback position? Griffin, Cam, Vick, Kapernick, and Wilson. 3 playoff teams QB’s are mobile but at what expense? This is a handy ability to have but is it powerful enough to lead to a championship? Football is won through the air. Who led the league this year in pass yards a game? Brees, Stafford, Romo, Brady, Ryan, Manning, Luck, Rodgers. The first guy is a Super Bowl Champion, the next two are statistical entries, and then the cream of the crop. Am I off base here?

Time to look at who has won the Superbowl and what type of QB wins. Here is the list of the last ten years and who the QB was:
2012: Giants – Eli Manning
2011: Packers – Aaron Rodgers
2010: Saints – Drew Brees
2009: Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger
2008: Giants – Eli Manning
2007: Colts – Peyton Manning
2006: Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger
2005: Patriots – Tom Brady
2004: Patriots – Tom Brady
2003: Buccaneers – Brad Johnson
2002: Patriots – Tom Brady

Is ten years of history enough to make the claim that your team needs a pocket passing, white Quarterback to win the Superbowl? I’m going to argue no. Reason being is because I think that football is a team game. I think being balanced on both sides of the ball is way more important than what type of quarterback plays for your team. HOWEVER, there is a certain trait that all the above mentioned quarterbacks have and that’s leadership. I don’t care how you play the game as long as you have everyone on your team believing that your the guy to make it happen. It’s experience and this new styled QB has not been proven that it wins championships. I think if the right person comes along though, that can certainly change. I particularly like the Seahawks this year and Russel Wilson’s attitude towards the game. This blog will document that with 8 teams left, I like the Seahawks to win the SuperBowl and for Russell Wilson to break the white, pocket passing QB trend.

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-10T21:55:27-05:00January 10th, 2013|Sports|3 Comments

Philly Athletes Who’ve Gone Broke

Hailing from Philadelphia, I have an odd sense of like/dislike for our sports teams. For starters, Philly teams don’t win championships. The Eagles have only been to Superbowl once. The Sixers as the Nationals won in 1955, then back to the Sixers in 1967, and again in 1983 with Dr J and Moses. The Flyers held the Stanley Cup in 1974, 75 but nothing since. Finally the Phillies won the world series in 1980 and 2008 which I recall had an odd rain delay that caused game 3 to be postponed and the sense of an unofficial victory. That leads for a total of 1 championship since I was born. That’s not a whole lot to get excited for and may add to my lack of being a homer. If there is any team though that I’d want to win, it’s almost always a Philadelphia team but that has to factor in my indifference to the outcome of sporting events in general. Putting this brief history of ineptitude aside, Philadelphia athletes also seem to be better at losing their money than other cities. Let’s look at some of our finer specimens.

Allen Iverson

First on my list is Allen Iverson and rightfully so. He brought life into Philly ball that was honestly terrible for years following Barkley’s departure. AI was this city’s savior and he brought that intensity beginning his rookie season. The 2000 championship run was my fondest enjoyment of any Sixers basketball ever. Stepping over Tyrone Lue is the most memorable with AI crossing Jordan as a close second. Amazingly, with all his talent and earning ability, he has found himself without any money. AI earned over 154 million dollars throughout his career and that doesn’t include endorsements which have to be close to 50 million. I would go on to say that with all of AI’s retirements and returns, overseas basketball, and soccer auditions, that this is one of the saddest athlete stories. He succumbed to some costly issues such as gambling, divorce with goddamn kids, and having an entourage 50 deep. These guys just don’t understand that the money stops coming in when you stop playing. “In a Philadelphia Inquirer column published March 7, 2010, Stephen A. Smith wrote that according to “numerous NBA sources”, Iverson would “either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away”, and that Iverson had already been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. Smith also wrote that Tawanna, his wife of eight years, had separated from him and filed for divorce, seeking custody of their five children, as well as child support and alimony payments.” I wonder if AI has the answer?

Lenny Dykstra

I remember Lenny being my favorite Phillie during their World Series run in 1993 (he was also runner up for MVP to Barry Bonds that year). He batted lead off, played centerfield, had a cheek full of tobacco and was tough as nails. He was also a bad boy after these numerous incidents. In 1991, while driving drunk (.179 BAC), he crashed his car into a tree on Darby-Paoli Road in Radnor Township after attending John Kruk’s party. Oh yeah, Darren Daulton was also in the car and they both sustained broken bones. In 1999, he was arrested for sexual harassment of a 17-year-old woman who worked at his car wash, but the criminal charges were later dropped. In December 2010, Dykstra was accused of hiring a female escort, then writing the escort a bad $1,000 check. Adult film star and escort Monica Foster claimed that he purchased her escort service on December 13, 2010 then wrote her a check that bounced. Monica Foster later posted a copy of the bounced check on her blog. These acts don’t even touch the financial issues he had which I just don’t have the space or will to write about in this short area. Let’s just say the guy didn’t manage his money well and was a complete shyster and after filing for bankruptcy, has landed himself behind bars.

Michael Vick

It’s hard for me to really call Vick an Eagle but he technically has played for us and is one of the most high profile finance-tards. I don’t need to go into the dog fighting because that’s been covered to death. Some of Vick’s more interesting bonehead stories. In March 2005, Sonya Elliott filed a civil lawsuit against Vick alleging she contracted genital herpes from him in the autumn of 2002 and that he failed to inform her that he had the disease. Elliot further alleged that Vick had visited clinics under the alias “Ron Mexico” to get treatments and thus knew of his condition. The “weed water bottle” also seems to have gone mum. Vick surrendered a water bottle that had a hidden compartment to security personnel at Miami International Airport on January 17, 2007 but nothing was found illegal. Vick announced that the water bottle was a jewelry stash box, and that the substance in question had been jewelry. HUH? Financially, Vick signed a 6 year, 100 million dollar contract with the Eagles recently so he won’t be broke forever but his financial troubles stemmed from the dog-fighting and his inability to collect on his contract. I have a feeling though that Vick will have wised up and will have some better financial planning moving forward. Over under 5 years til bankruptcy?

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-08T20:45:44-05:00January 8th, 2013|Sports|0 Comments