Hey folks.

Sorry for the hiatus in writing here. I know all of you (all three of my readers) have been anxiously awaiting your humble servant's next move. I have a lot to say, so let's do a quick recap.

- Michael Vick. He is pleading guilty and can get up to three years in prison. I say we give him 12 months, then make him wear fire hydrant suits and have him stand outside the nearest Petco.

- The Red Sox are barely hanging on, clinging to a five-game lead over the Evil Empire in the AL East standings. In other news, Wily Mo Pena has hit two home runs for the Washington Nationals since being acquired from the Sox a few days ago. Huh?

- Former Red Sox second baseman Jose Offerman was arrested last week after charging the mound during a minor league game. He was wielding his bat, and reportedly struck the pitcher's finger and the catcher's head with it. As a precaution, Bud Selig has ordered that all hitters must use foam bats from now on. You gotta protect the pitchers.

- I hate to toot my own horn, but this is my blog so I can do as I please. Last week, I wrote about an amazing young athlete. He plays baseball and basketball, and is on his high school wrestling team in the winter. The catch? He is hearing impaired. Pretty much 100 percent deaf. His sister has Down syndrome. Incredible story. I wrote a nice piece for last week's papers. Check it out: Local athlete not fazed by handicap.

- How about this news nugget? A 53-year-old woman recorded a hole in one over the weekend. She used a driver to ace the 144-yard hole. The newsworthiness? She is blind. So that's the secret? When this rain clears, I will stare into the sun until my retina burns out. Then I will play my local course, and record my first ace. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

That's all I got.

-Jason

Michael Vick is a thug

For those of you have not heard, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, a native of Virginia and graduate of Virginia Tech, was indicted yesterday. He is charged with running a dogfighting ring on a property he owns in Smithfield, Va.

The details of this case are horrible. As recently as April, Vick is alleged to have participated in the killing of eight dogs that were not performing well in the ring. The dogs were murdered in a number of ways, including hanging, drowning, gunshot and slamming them to the ground.

Imagine that.

This case has been in the news for months now, but I vividly remember first hearing about it. I was listening to a national sports radio show before going to bed one night, and the host listed all of the things that a certain famous athlete had been accused of. He spoke of the dogfighting stuff, and reeled off some gruesome details. And then he said that the athlete in question was Michael Vick.

I gotta say though, I was not -- and still am not -- surprised. This guy has a history of being a thug, from allegedly bringing a plastic bottle onto a plane with a secret compartment, to knowingly infecting a woman with herpes. Last season, the NFL fined him for making an obscene gesture to his home crowd after a game.

Clearly, this guy is trouble. He makes millions of dollars every year between Nike endorsements and his NFL salary, so why is he involved in dogfighting? I have never been sold on his quarterbacking abilities, and frankly I think he is one of the most overrated athletes in sports. But many people -- including Falcons fans -- think this guy is one of the best signal callers in the league.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had better do what is right and suspend this thug, this gangster, for at least a full season. Anything more would be a bonus for me.

Summaahhh in D.C.

Hello all.

Mr. D is back, in one form or another. Jason's Blog some success, but The Transplanted Bostonian has even more potential. This will primarily be a space to talk about sports, but I might throw the occasional knee-buckling curveball (think Petey in 1999).

Let me discuss one of my favorite things to do, especially in the sweltering heat of our great nation's capitol. Golf.

So far, this year has been a fantastic golf season for me. My scores could certainly be a few strokes lower, but I am playing a lot. For free. Can't get much better than that.

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of spending four days at the AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Tiger Woods was the host, and the field of players was outstanding. I was there on July 4 for the pro-am, and then spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday following some of the best golfers in the world on an immaculate -- but very difficult -- golf course. Here are some observations from the miles of fairway I walked ...

- Seeing Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer who ever lived, up close is quite a treat. My dad and I staked out some prime viewing spots at various tees and greens on Saturday, and the wait was well worth it. On Sunday, I had a perfect position on the 18th tee as Tiger bombed his driver down the center stripe.

- Phil Mickelson. Lefty. P-Mick. It must have been the wrist. And, the 2-iron he blasted right and over the green on 16 was not very good either. He hit his fourth shot short of the green into a hill behind the putting surface, probably because I was literally standing five feet in front the guy -- one of my sports heroes.

- What is the proper etiquette for smoking a cigar as a spectator at a golf tournament? I smoke them while playing, but there are large crowds at events like this. I had one going at the ropes and some guy jumped down my throat. "So rude! So rude!" he exclaimed. "I don't like cigar smoke!"

I told him this was a golf course, and kept smoking.

- Any member of the gallery that wears golf shoes to a tournament needs to look at himself in the mirror. Dude, you are not playing. The Tiger Woods hat and Nike golf shirt are stylin', but the Footjoys gotta go. You look like a wannabee.

Being a sportswriter, my life is great. Everything I do revolves around sports, so I am cutting out early today and will be on the driving range for a few hours to work out the kinks.

My goal is to write one or two columns a week in this new forum, so check back as often as you can.

-Jason

No animals were harmed in the writing of this column.