Vick’s (estranged, broke, disgruntled) father speaks!

You may have noticed an absence of Michael Vick-related posts around these parts.

It’s not really out of apathy, just a desire to wait for all the facts to come out…which may never actually happen.

Alas, if you’ve been waiting for something Vick/dogfighting/gambling related, today is your day.

First off, in the news department, Vick has signed his plea deal, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. A little shock to everyone though, Vick will not admit to killing dogs or gambling on the fights — something everyone assumed would end his NFL career. UPDATE: Leave it to the Cut to write something 5 minutes before the document comes out, but Vick has admitted to killing the dogs. Nevertheless, the argument in the post is still incredibly strong. Trust us.

Secondly, the AJC also ran this interview with Vick’s father, Michael Boddie, which reeks of well, being at least somewhat, if not completely, an attempt to make some cash.

As a journalist, bringing in estranged or disgruntled parents/siblings/friends to testify to the character of the estrangee is not a solid idea.

Vick’s father is no different. These details are slipped into the AJC’s story:

1. Boddie, who is estranged from his son, dismissed the idea that Vick’s longtime friends were the main instigators of the dogfighting operation.

Way to slip that in there AJC, maybe that should have been in the headline. I would venture to guess when you call a man “Vick’s father,” people would not assume the two are estranged.

2. He (Boddie) said he intends to write a damaging book about more of what he knows.

Oh really? He’s going to try and make money off of this? That seems pretty hard to believe. What does he have against his son?

3. Boddie, 45, lives in a Duluth apartment that his son has paid the rent on for the last three years. Vick, who has a $130 million contract with the Falcons, also gives him a couple of hundred dollars every week or two, the father said.

Boddie wanted more. Two years ago, he said, he asked Vick for $1 million, spread out over 12 years, enough to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life. Vick declined, the father said. In recent weeks, Boddie asked Vick, through an assistant, for $700,000 to live on.

It’s about time

We know we’ve been a little late in discussing this Stephen A. Smith business, but we wanted to make sure as much info had come out as possible.

That being said, it looks pretty clear Screamin’ Stephen has had his column forcefully taken away by the Philadelphia Enquirer.

The paper published an online story saying Stephen would be “returning to reporting,” a kick below the belt if we’ve ever heard of one.

We have nothing against Stephen A.

He’s a newspaper writer who made his own success. He must have been somewhat popular covering the Sixers to get his own nightly talk show and then start appearing in all kinds of places throughout pop culture (General Hospital, I Think I Love My Wife).

But honestly, it’s surprising the Enquirer didn’t take Smith down a peg or two even earlier.

It must be extremely degrading to be a newspaper sports editor and have your writers “freelancing” at huge mediums like ESPN for the big bucks. However, we are not saying this is about jealousy. Once you sign on as a newspaper editor, you’ve accepted a vow of poverty. It’s the fact that you most likely (at least somewhat) discovered this “talent” — if you can call Stephen A. that — and they are basically putting you on the back burner. And eventually, your work will suffer.

Enquirer sports editor Jim Jenks eerily foreshadowed this earlier to Slate.

I don’t know how long this is going to last, but he puts the column first. He knows it gives credibility to what he does on TV.

In other words, Jenks didn’t have much faith in Smith continuing the put the column first, and said that without it, Smith had no credibility on TV. Slap.

The Fynal Out: Things are heating up

One day after they put up 30 runs on the Orioles, the Rangers welcomed the Mariners — one of the hottest teams in baseball.

The M’s had to be at least a little nervous — with Jeff Weaver on the mound — they would be the second-straight team to give up double-digit runs to Texas.

Luckily for Seattle, it was the Pacific Northwest wood that got the slugging underway, with the Mariners scoring 7 runs in the sixth inning.

That was enough for Weaver, who picked up win No. 6 on the season and ended the Rangers short win streak at two games.

Mariners 9, Rangers 4: The M’s win moved them within just one game of the Angels in the A.L. West. The two teams face off next early next week with a crucial three-game series in Seattle.

Indians 3, Tigers 1 (F/10): Detroit dropped yet another decisive game in the A.L. Central race, this time in extra innings. After pitching 8 2/3 scoreless innings, Nate Robertson gave way to Zoomin’ Joel Zumaya, who got rocked for 3 runs in the top of the 10th. The Tigers are now 2 1/2 games out of first.

Padres 9, Mets 8 (F/10): Although it seems the three-game lead the Diamondbacks have in the N.L. West is holding steady, the Padres are doing what they need to. Adrian Gonzalez’s solo homer in the 10th gave San Diego a two-game lead in the Wild Card race.

Marlins 11, Cardinals 3: St. Louis blew a chance to make a move in the N.L. Central with the Cubs loss, getting blown out by Florida. Josh Willingham had a grand slam for the fishes. Next up for the Cards — the Hotlanta Braves.

More scores…