We're his crack.

That's all I have to say about that.

Pacman is a bad man. The NFL could help bad boys to become good men by kicking Pacman over the goal posts, outta the stadium, and outta the NFL.

Actually, it happened all the time, most famously in the epic poem Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley) -- of course in that case Cú Chulainn single-handedly defended Ulster against Medb's army of Connacht. In non-mythological terms, the tuaths (petty kingdoms) of Ireland invaded each other constantly for centuries. I don't know what the UFC was thinking, but they're not completely off base.

Yes, it's nice for announcers to shut-up a little. (Scully is pretty good at it.) One should note that there were 56,000 rabid Dodger/Angel fans at that game (at all three games, actually). Not too many baseball games have that kind of attendance or buzz, allowing announcers to "respect the fans" with silence.

Cheers.

Cincinattica Bengals WR Chris Henry has announced as part of his life turn around, due to suspension by the NFL, he would only supply alcohol to under age teens that had fake IDs. All females invited to his hotel room will undergo a rigorous screening process and sign a confidentiality agreement. Henry was quoted as saying "I think the Kobe case has demonstrated athletes today need to be more careful about whom they bring back to the room."

So he was arrested 5 times? So what? When that becomes a black letter stipulation of all contracts in the league then I'll care. He was questioned 10x by the cops? So freaking what? Come to Raleigh NC where being harassed by the cops is pretty much a full time job of the entire system. Maybe Pacman's hometown is like mine where clubs are required by law to contract all security (and it's not optional whether you have security) to off duty police officers. You'd be amazed how many 'bouncers' wind up frisking the women and shaking down the homies. Maybe the NFL can put real time alcohol sensor ankle bracelets on all their players and if they drink anything they get tossed for a year, or life.

Maybe the NFL needs to get off its high horse and remind itself that just because you pay someone it doesn't give you the right to treat them as if they're indentured servants. And while we're at it - piss tests and morality clauses for all the suits in the NFL too. DUI? You get fired.

once again, the old-timer shows the howlers another trick - instead of trying to create drama, he sees that it's there and...lets it breathe.

joe buck, are you listening?

... when we all stop apologizing for scumbags whose entourages shoot people. And paralyzes some. Deal?

Assuming, of course, that police forces across the country are not just punishing them for the trivial non-offense of "shooting a firearm outside an Atlanta strip club at 4:00 a.m. while black."

Don't get me wrong: I'm fairly certain that there's a goodly share the men in blue who hound these guys constantly for being "wealthy and irresponsible while black." Which is, of course, wrong. But you're gonna have a hard time finding people who will apologize for the kind of behavior Mr. Jones and his associates seem to revel in (or certainly don't make a scintilla of effort to avoid).

And on a personal note, RealName: who peed in your Wheaties lately? You've been awfully (and at times, irrationally)curmudgeonly of late. Lighten up, man.

Vin Scully has been doing this for decades. He has always treated his audiences with respect, and he has always known the great value of letting his broadcasts breathe, allowing the audience to hear and feel.

Many of today's overexplaining, mike-hogging announcers would do well to emulate him.

I've never really understood the purpose of an entourage. Seems like all you need is 3 guys: 1 for security, 1 to buy the drugs, and 1 to provide the urine sample. OK, maybe 2 for security. I mean, how many "yes" men do you really need? I'm sure plenty of fawning can be "outsourced" to the waitstaff of whatever venue you happen to be in.

But if your entourage can't fit into 1 Escalade, how much of a service are the guys in the 2nd SUV (the one you're not in) really providing? Other than shooting at passing cars?

Second question: How's a guy who's not getting paid for a year afford 2 SUV's worth of an entourage?

Slow sport news day always brings out the worst in sports writers usually the target of a slow news day almost always is a controversial Black star from Bonds to Sheed...

Vin should pack it in ..I am sick of his overhyped snooty halo.. he needs to pay homage to the future and get lost..he is close to exhibiting the antics of a flagwaving bore

Kobe is the best period his off court antics have style and verve...

Hope tomorrow is not another sports dog day..whew!!!!!!!!!

"The silence of Vin Scully" reminds me of a similar play-by-play call, by the wonderful Red Barber, broadcasting a New York Yankees game one long summer afternoon in the mid-Fifties. Whitey Ford had uncharacteristically been reached by the opposing team and was the pitcher of record on the losing side after being relieved early. Down two, with men on base late in the game, the Yanks had one of their heavy hitters at the plate. After a few pitches, Barber noted "a fly ball to right...", then lengthy silence as we listened to the crowd applauding, then "... that takes Ford off the hook."

i always liked the "crank it up" portion of fox's nascar coverage, where on some restarts they will turn off the announcers and turn up the mics on the track. it really drives home the sense of power and noise of what's going on, listening to the engines throttle up, the crazy doppler effects as they rush by, and so forth.

RealName, many of us have jobs where we can be fired at any time, for basically any reason under the sun. It's called "at-will employment", and it's quite common. So if that qualifies as "treating them as if they're indentured servants", then yes, the NFL does have the right to treat its players as indentured servants.

Also, before we shed too many tears for poor beleaguered Pacman, let's recall how the last incident started. Pacman Jones grabbed a stripper and slammed her head into the stage in retaliation for her heinous crime of picking up some of the money that he was sprinkling on her. Maybe I'm the only person who thinks that's the mark of a world class asshole. Evidently nobody in the legal system was interested in that part of the story. The press didn't seem especially worried either.

I'm a little more worried about how Pacman Jones treats the other humans than I am about how the NFL treats him. If the big bad NFL gives him a bum deal, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.