Vilma Does Not Splash the Pot
Sorry for the cliched Rounders reference … it had to be done.
It’s funny how once he made some public statements that caused ripples, now the newspapers have started digging into Jonathan Vilma’s personal life. After last week’s statements about dog-fighting, Cimini and the Daily News have uncovered that Jonathan Vilma likes the NYC poker dens. I am just curious to know what his official stance on dogs playing poker is … or if he has figured out KGB’s tell with the Oreos.
“They told us to stay out of trouble and that’s the best way to stay out of trouble. I’m inside, I can’t get into trouble, I can’t get hurt, I’m just playing cards … anybody who likes to play poker, if you want to find a good poker game, you’re going to go play. It’s not anything where I’m betting the house, like $100,000. You go, kick back, have fun, talk to some of the fans, enjoy it. I like playing poker. It’s like playing basketball, but you can’t do that (because of potential injuries).”
I guess the best way to stay out of trouble would be to volunteer for the United Way 24 hours a day, but honestly, I really could care less about this. Much better “playing poker” than him “making it rain” in Vegas and ordering a posse-member to shoot a bouncer …
I thought this was one of the most ridiculous stories I’ve read in a while, and clearly Cimini (and his bosses) are trying to stir up trouble where there is none.
I mean, come on — here is a twentysomething millionaire who is a competitive athlete but who is not allowed to compete in any sort of athletic endeavor in the long off-season. No softball, no basketball, no motorcycles, etc. Golf is okay, but a sport that can be played by octagenerians may not quite be enough to satiate the competitive juices. The man needs an outlet!
He’s a grown-up, it’s his money, and as the article points out, he’s not breaking the law. Who freaking cares?
If he’s looking for real trouble, why doesn’t Cimini go run with Pacman’s posse?
Much better “playing poker” than him “making it rain” in Vegas…Well done, Bassett!
Wow, could this be more of a non story?
Jibberish
Thats the only way to sum up that story. Its just a crappy piece of Jornalism. Cimini goes from not legal, to raids and holdups, stating they won’t call the cops because it is illegal. Wait, didn’t he state it was legal as long as they don’t make a profit earlier in the column? And what does his 68 solo tackles have to do with the story line? What is the story here anyway? Can I get the 5 minutes back from reading that “article”? Can R in CT actually balance a football on his nose for more than three seconds while humming the JETS chant? These questions and more in the next article of Cimini’s “meaningless information”.
1 . . . (“J”) . ..2 . .. (“E”) . . . dang!
Much of the blame lies at the doors of his editors – here’s how the story was originally reported……
Vilma playing risky hand
LB accused of “frequenting”
BY RICH CHIM-CHIMINI
DAILY “NEWS” SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, June 17th 2007, 4:00 AM
Whilst it may be regarded as a non-story by many, the Daily “News” can exclusively reveal that Jonathan Vilma, has been doing something legal that theoretically could be misconstrued as illegal until the perfectly reasonable explanation for his behaviour is revealed and everyone agrees there is no big deal.
Vilma has been frequenting…well, it doesn’t matter where he’s been frequenting because frequenting is a word so overloaded with evil that it must be somewhere dodgy. After all, when did you last hear reports of someone frequenting a church?
Vilma, once regarded as a Blue Chip Stud remained Poker faced about the reports, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest. Teammates are worried he could flush his career down the river and become a flop.
Vilma failed to make many impact plays last year and even when he did recover a fumble and a blocked kick, he struggled to hold ‘em. After the Jets cashed in with a wild card last season, Vilma may be hoping to get a raise so he can get a bigger check next year.
We placed a call to a source close to the team, who suggested that Vilma might have ambitions to become a dealer, but he may have been bluffing.
In other news, Anthony Schlegel has been warned not to go out boar hunting in case people who see him with his rifle mistakenly believe he is about to commit an armed robbery.
(Oh wait a minute, that can’t have been a Cimini article because I didn’t start any sentences with a conjunction).
I just need to add, that this is right up there with the post reporting that Piazza was gay without a source (and more recently the stuff about Arod with his lady friend). These papers are basically tabloids – and the unfortunately, the only NYC paper that might be principled enough to not print stuff like this – the NY Times – has the worst sports section in history.
Off topic. Here’s what Peter King says about the Kendall situation in his MMQB column today (and, I actually agree with him for a change):
I think no one has any sympathy for Jets guard Pete Kendall’s contract demands, which he stridently whined about the other day at a New York minicamp. He wants to renegotiate one year into a new four-year contract. If the Jets give in, they’re fools.
Another off-topic tidbit…this guy sounds intriguing as a long-term solution at LG:
NOTE: The Ravens are scheduled to attend University of Nebraska offensive tackle Chris Patrick’s campus workout today. A 6-foot-4, 300-pounder who reportedly has 5.1 speed in the 40-yard dash and projects to guard, Patrick’s application for the supplemental draft was recently approved by the league office.
Other teams expected to attend the workout include: the New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins.