It is just a game

The Boston Redsox are on ESPN tonight and Jon Lester is the starting pitcher. Lester has not pitched on the major league level in almost a year. Why you may ask is this important, that a pitcher who has not pitched in a long time is back in the major leagues, it happens all the time right? Pitcher regularly go up and down between the majors and the minors, well Lester's case is different. He had just been called up to the majors July 27, 2006 after having a great season in the minor leagues. He made several starts and exactly a month after making his first start, he was scratched with a backache. This backache led to him being diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma after undergoing tests at Massachusetts General Hospital. By December of that year, the CT scans were showing that the cancer was in remission. He started again in the minor leagues in March with the Pawtucket Redsox and now nearly one year after making his first start he is back making his first start after his fight with cancer. This is truly an amazing story, especially considering that Lester is only 23 years old and has been so much in that young life.

On a slightly different note, I just saw on ESPN that Roger Goddell, the NFL commisioner, has told Micheal Vick that he is not to report to training camp with the Falcons until the NFL can make a determination in their investigation. I hope this leads to Vick being suspended for at least a year as no matter how involved he was with the dogfighting, he needs to be responsible for his actions. If, after the trial, it is found that he was not at all involved than he can return to the NFL and continue to make the millions that he is already making, but he needs to not be playing until the trial can be concluded and we know the extent to his involvement in the dogfighting.