Vick_hat
Excuse me. I just injured myself when I slapped my face with a firm, open palm.

I’m the last person who should be criticizing someone for criticizing distracted athletes. I believe that far too few of us – as fans, bloggers, and writers – hold athletes accountable for their actions off the field. Athletes are humans, too. And the same way you or I would be held accountable for staying out too late, drinking too much, or calling out sick, is the same way athletes should be taken to task for doing those same things. After all, it’s their on-field performance that makes most of their off-field lives so glorious. If some of those activities interfere with their play, then they’re fair game for those of us who are emotionally (or professionally) invested in team. I’m all for that.

Heck, I’m the same guy who wrote about Jayson Werth’s trip to a St. Louis casino (at 4 A.M.) during the midst of a woeful slump, and Ryan Howard’s casted adventure at Dorney Park– both stories that were picked up by a number of local media outlets, much to the chagrin of the Phillies. I also routinely poke fun at Jeff Carter’s summer partying and DeSean Jackson’s ridiculous self aggrandizing. I’ve built a whole site around stuff like that, actually.

I love that gossip. I think it’s fair game. But then I read this piece, which was written by Garry Cobb on Tuesday. It’s awful.

Read the rest at CBSPhilly.com.