26 AUG 07: SIGNED, SEALED, TO BE DELIVERED

If you believe radio host Tom Joyner on WKZJ-FM, Michael Vick spent some time this past week in Virginia with his mother. We hope he enjoys the meals there. Where he's going, the meals may taste like.... uhhhhh.... well, you know.... like dog food.

Michael Vick remains on the Atlanta Falcons roster this weekend, even though he's signed a plea bargain and will enter a federal guilty plea Monday. Come to think of it, Vick sounds like a good candidate for a trade to the Oakland Raiders.

Saturday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution explained Michael Vick remains on the roster because that's how the Falcons can recover money from his contract. The team reportedly is seeking to regain $22 million in bonuses - and hopefully no manager has placed a bet in Las Vegas on whether the team will get that money back.

Unless something bizarre happens, Michael Vick will plead guilty Monday in Virginia to conspiring to run a dogfighting ring across state lines. That's the problem with naming your enterprise "Bad Newz Kennels." Even when it's misspelled, Bad Newz can travel fast.

The plea deal signed by Michael Vick states he provided money to an interstate dogfighting ring, but never made "side bets" on the fights. Isn't this a bit like going to Victoryland simply for the low-priced food?

Michael Vick further admits in the signed plea bargain that he took part in training dogs for fights. It makes you wonder if any of the animals dropped his passes, the way Falcons wide receivers did....

But Michael Vick also admits in the plea deal that he helped execute several dogs last April, either by drowning or hanging. Vick still might be able to find work after his prison time is over - maybe not in pro football, but with al-Qaeda.

After the signed plea bargain was announced, the National Football League suspended Michael Vick indefinitely. I'm not sure what the league considered more reprehensible -- Vick's admissions in the plea bargain, or the fact that he lied to the commissioner's face back in April.

(The exact length of Vick's suspension may depend on many things. It could depend on the length of Vick's sentence, whether he names any other dogfighting suspects - or when Edward DuBose can organize a protest march outside the N.F.L. office.)

Michael Vick reportedly will be interviewed live on Tom Joyner's radio show Tuesday, after his court appearance. Vick's last broadcast interview should have said a lot about the trouble he was in. Vick didn't talk to a sports reporter - but to Atlanta radio DJ Porsche Foxx, who was out of work recently for her own legal troubles.

A couple of questions remain, in the wake of the Michael Vick investigation. First of all, to those who say the "media" wanted to bring Vick down - which sports reporter told him to start a dogfighting ring, because he might need some extra money?

Another question: what do you do with Michael Vick collectibles? I've read online that people are selling Vick trading cards on eBay - cards which have been chewed up by dogs. Here's hoping the sellers include a small can of disinfectant at no extra charge...

But seriously: for several years I've kept an empty box of Ritz crackers with Michael Vick's picture on it. Does its value now go through the roof? Does it fall through the floor? And if Vick signs that box someday, could prosecutors use it as evidence in other cases?

BLOG CLARIFICATION: After a chat with my Pastor this weekend, we feel a need to clarify parts of last Sunday's church picnic report. The Pastor says he did NOT "sneak away" from the picnic, and actually said goodbye to everyone. I'll take the blame for that one - and for focusing too much on the ball we were trying to volley back and forth across the swimming pool.

The Pastor also explains he left the church picnic early to visit with an older couple, which has been in poor health for most of the year. The husband returned to church on a weekend when I didn't realize I had pneumonia - and I hope I didn't wave at him too hard, to shake any germs onto his body.

E-MAIL UPDATE: We now return to our discussion about Columbus TV news. A comment about one station's alleged focus on Lee County brought this reply....

I do not see that the local Columbus TV stations reporting more from where Ope likes it and Aw burnt lites.

H*ck, when storms come in the area...if it is not headed towards Columbus - they mention it after it has passed..in my Alabama opinion.

Perhaps without realizing it, this writer seems to get to the crux of the issue. Whether the newscasts are dominated by one area or another seems to depend on where you live. I've yet to hear anyone from the Georgia side of the state line complain about hearing too much Georgia news.

(If you think that perceived bias is a problem now, wait until college football starts next weekend. It sometimes seems like viewers sit at home with stopwatches -- not timing 40-yard dashes, but whether Auburn gets 40 more seconds on the air than Troy.)

Our next e-mail goes beyond Georgia and Alabama, to a state we mentioned Saturday:

I have to tell you this......I am from Mississippi and came here in the 80's and I have not been in a single town in Mississippi that is as racially divided as Columbus Ga. and those who deny it always will

Wow! This is quite a statement. And considering recent trials in Mississippi, it could mean David Glisson will stand trial for the killing of Kenneth Walker about 40 years from now.

I heard a political analyst on public radio the other day declare Mississippi "the most racially divided state in the nation." I've never lived there, or even stayed there overnight. But I stopped in Tupelo once on vacation, to go jogging downtown - and nobody told me which side of the street to avoid.

Our last e-mail goes back to the summer crime surge - or rather how the newspaper is reporting on it:

I can't believe the Ledger would only print a small article about a car jacking in Columbus...A dad ran back in the house,left his toddler in the car,left the car running and in seconds someone was driving it off...What a service the Ledger could have done for the community warning parents you are not safe in your own driveway..Never leave a child unattended even on your own property..

Thanks for the Columbus Police Dept.who saturated the area with patrol cars and quick thinking neighbors the child was rescued..

I can think of a reason why the newspaper may have decided against making a big deal out of this case. The editors may have decided their readers have enough intelligence NOT to leave a running car in a driveway, with a child inside.

We thank all of you who write us - and now let's write a little more about this weekend:

+ A Saturday evening thunderstorm brought strong lightning and heavy rain to the Columbus area. I called off my twilight run as a result of the lightning - but I hope everyone in the "Midnight Express Run" was motivated to have record times.

+ Which Atlanta TV station was spotted with a table at a Columbus-area job fair? Is WLTZ going to have to double its salary offers to news reporters, in response?

+ WRBL reported Columbus Police officer Gregory Diltz resigned from the force, then was indicted on charges of stealing money from a drug dealer. If that act gets you indicted these days, the entire Fraternal Order of Police might take time off for Diltz's trial.

+ Peachtree Mall hosted the second annual "Men's Health Awareness Day." Some shoppers passing by were disappointed - because two weeks after prospective models auditioned and one week after prospective singing stars auditioned, no man displayed the effects of Viagra or Cialis.

+ Warner Robins American won the U.S. Little League baseball title, by beating Lubbock, Texas 5-2. Lubbock could have been inspired to stage a comeback, but for some reason Texas Tech's Bob Knight wasn't in the stands to berate the players.

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