In our society, dog-fighting is illegal. Rightfully so. Also in our society, once a person passes through the justice system and is deemed fit to re-enter, he has the right to earn a living at whatever profession suits his skill. Michael Vick's profession is football.

For years, Philadelphia embraced Allen Iverson as our own. He was the quintessential Philly athlete. Now, with the era of new stats suggesting that he's no better than a glorified Will Bynum.

Fortunately for you, we're Good Samaritans here at CP, and have found a way to prove your die-hardism without shelling out a couple hundred for a Sarge Matthews throwback.

I'm not here to convince you that the Phillies should trade for Roy Halladay. That part should be obvious. I'm here to let you know they will.

It would be a sad day if the organization caved to fans' wishes, because in this case the conventional wisdom — that the 76ers need to improve immediately — is wrong. Jrue Holiday wasn't an excellent pick despite being a few years away. He was an excellent pick because of it.

Next Thursday at 11:59 p.m. All Star voting for Major League Baseball officially closes. As things stand now, only two Phillies will be selected. That's not enough.

Next Thursday is the NBA draft, and Dionte Christmas is on the bubble. Most mock drafts have the high-scoring guard going toward the beginning of the second round. For the past month, he's been flying around the country to tryouts, exhibiting his skills and trying to improve on that. He was hoping his hometown team might take a flier on him. Now, probably, they won't.

Coaches play an important role on basketball teams: They decide who plays and what their jobs are. They can make a difference. Unfortunately for the Sixers, they usually don't.

This is more than just the zealotry of a nervous fan base. The Mets are legitimately in shambles. Despite their gaudy payroll, they manage to have no depth at all.