More on Sean Taylor

The Miami Herald has an interesting little piece about Sean Taylor's relationship to actor Andy Garcia on the front page of their website. Will the national sports media pick this up? No, certainly not. ESPN will, however, carry a story of Antrelle Rolle of the Cardinals speculating wildly about the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. Still, it's nice to know there are people out there with good things to say about this 24 year old kid.

The Onion has this piece, which effectively parodies all the negative talk about Sean Taylor's reckless lifestyle and the suggestion that he put himself in this bad situation. No, I don't think this is a laughing matter, but I enjoyed this because I'm having a hard time swallowing the way the story is being covered by the national sports media. I had to endure watching Charlie Casserly say on Comcast Sports Net that Taylor's loss is being taken out of perspective by fans and teammates, because he was only a safety (as if anyone is thinking about football). I also had to listen to local sports writer and ESPN Around the Horn regular Kevin Blackistone repeatedly downplay Taylor's death by reminding everyone that over 170 people have been murdered this year in Washington D.C., so I guess Sean Taylor's death isn't a big deal.

Look: people aren't upset about Sean Taylor's death because he means so much more to us than any other young man who'll be shot and killed this year. It has nothing to do with the loss of a talented free safety on the Redskins. I'm personally upset about Sean Taylor's death because I recognize his face, I know the sound of his voice, I've followed his career, and I've celebrated his accomplishments. In short, I'm pretty familiar with the guy. One of the real strengths of television, print media, and the radio (in the context of their coverage of stories about individuals), and one of the real engines of their continued success, is the bond they help foster and forge between those they cover and those that listen, and the fact is pretty much all sports fans worldwide are able to feel a bond between themselves and those they support from afar of a strength that simply can't be matched by the bonds we forge with the anonymous individuals around us, even accounting for a relatively strong sense of community that some of us share. If I had that level of access to ANY 24 year old in the country and then found out they'd been shot and killed in their home, with their fiance and infant daughter in the room, I'd be equally devastated; if there were comment boards on the web for these anonymous kids, I'd be posting my condolences on them, and I'd include their stories in my NFL blog. I think the same is true of almost every fan in America, and the fact that these asshole media jerks tell us we're caring too much about a 24 year old kid being killed in his home because we go to THEIR WEBSITES and read the stories, watch THEIR SHOWS for updates and opinion, and read THEIR MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS is an insult to . . . well, everyone. What a total jerk Blackistone is: yes, 170 people have been murdered in your town, dick. How many stories have you written about them? How much time have you spent on your television appearences familiarizing millions of viewers with their talents and accomplishments? Your paychecks are written based on the level of success you have at talking about these guys, analyzing their successes and failures, and having regular access to them: did I miss all the articles you wrote this year about the lives and occupations of any non-athletes? Are you petitioning your employers for the opportunity to cover the success of the citizens around you, to familiarize your readers with them and make a living off of the interest we all share with you in those people's accomplishments? You effing prick, you're quite a man to go on television and tell a national audience they shouldn't care so much about the murder of a 24 year old who represents a group of people you've spent your ENTIRE CAREER following around with the sole purpose of exposing them further to the rest of us. You know what? My new mission in life is to spend as much time dumping on this peice of shit as possible. I have to say, I felt the entire community of Washington D.C., the entire Miami community, football fans, and everyone who cares about Sean Taylor's death had been betrayed when I heard Blackistone on ESPN. For a D.C. journalist, of all people, to scold those of us that care especially about the death of a young man who'd risen to prominence in our home town is just so bad, I can't put it into words.

That's it! That's all I have to say!