Ruminating on Vince Young, Yogi and other sports topics

                Spraying opinions to all fields:

*         I like Buddy Nix’s decision to sign Vince Young as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup. Yes, I know, Young didn’t perform great while filling in for the injured Michael Vick with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, tossing twice as many interceptions (9) as touchdowns (4).  But he’s a two-time Pro Bowler who’s about to turn 29 – a definite upgrade over Tyler Thigpen, the Bills current No. 2 QB. I’m not worried about Young becoming a toxic influence in the locker room. He realizes he needs to be a model citizen and teammate in order to resurrect his once promising football career. And if he is foolish enough to cause problems he’ll be out on the street looking for football employment again. Nix was able to land Young for a contract in the neighborhood of about $2 million, so it was worth the risk and could reap big rewards if Fitz is sidelined by an injury.

*         In an interesting twist, the Eagles cut Young after just one season and replaced him with former Bills starter Trent Edwards.

*         You might remember that shortly after joining the Eagles last season, Young proclaimed them the “Dream Team,” which turned out to be the kiss of death. “Nightmare Team” was more like it, as Philly failed to make the playoffs.

*         The Carrier Dome is in the running to host the 2013 NCAA East Basketball Regionals. The Dome, which last hosted the final stop to the Final Four in 2010, is in the running with the Barclays Arena, the new home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

*         Happy 87^th birthday to that renowned catcher and wordsmith, Yogi Berra.

*         There’s a thoughtful piece worth reading by former Syracuse University All-American quarterback Don McPherson about the Junior Seau tragedy at www.cnn.com . In it, McPherson also writes about the suicides of other players, including Andre Waters and Dave Duerson. “Sadly,’’he  writes, “there were signs with Junior, Andre, Dave and all of the other players who have committed suicide. And, they knew it. What they didn’t know was how to tell us. And, we didn’t know how to see it in them. We assumed that they were like most players who find it hard to adjust to life outside the locker room, without the game. It’s easy to see them as warriors without a war. It’s harder to see them as men without the capacity to say, ‘I hurt and I need help.”

*     Make sure you give Mom a big hug tomorrow - and every day for that matter. I lost my mom 16 years ago and not a day goes by when I don't think about her and the influence she had on me. 

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