Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Et Tu, Brute?
What the devil is going on? It is as if the men in charge of Detroit's professional sports clubs have gone out of their way to recruit the most vile, reprehensible players money can buy. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. First, the Pistons signed the greatest villain in the modern history of the University of Michigan, Chris Webber, and now the Red Wings have acquired a genuine criminal, Todd Bertuzzi. How many times has Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman's successor as team captain, been nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy? Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng last season! Goons are an integral part of hockey, but there is a world of difference between the goony intimidation of Darren McCarty and the malicious brutality of Todd Bertuzzi. Outrage is not a strong enough word for this betrayal.

I cannot be a party to this. As long as the monster Bertuzzi wears the once noble winged wheel, I cannot support the Detroit Red Wings. I am not a Red Wings fan for as long as that foul creature is on the roster. Sports must be about more than winning at all costs, because if it's not we might as well cut out all the pretense and revert to the Roman gladitorial games, where Todd Bertuzzi would feel right at home.

I promise to finish and post "To Be or Not to Be" this weekend.

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