Mike Vick, the maligned ex-quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is free to play ball. He should come play in the Bay Area. No other region in the country deserves to be won over by the dynamic felonious play caller than the dog crazy bay. Vick was convicted of running a dog fighting business.

Some sports dudes think it can’t happen, others think that it should happen.

Teams around the league are lining up to say Vick isn’t welcome in their jersey. Whatever.

People in San Francisco love dogs more than their families. Dogs have basic human rights in this 7×7 – you’d be better off killing a homeless man than thinking about harming dog in this city. Vick playing in the ‘Sco would be torture, to much for the senses.

That’s why he has to play in Oakland.

I could go on about how shady cats have always played for the Raiders blah blah blah, but really, without Vick, there is almost no reason to go to the Coliseum this year. He would add that freak factor that every real Raider team needs to compete. He can play ANY of the offensive skill positions besides tight end and he would probably be happy returning kick off or punts. Either way defenses would wake up in cold sweats the night before facing my beloved swashbucklers committed to excellence.

Bottom line is he is an exciting, don’t-turn-your-head-from-the-TV-screen type of player who is probably better than 99% of the current Raiders roster.

Vick is blessed – he can leave prison and possibly walk into a job that pays millions. I know a lot of convicted felons would love to be in his employable shoes. The overwhelming majority of guys like Vick can’t get paid to sweep the high school gym with a felony.

Vick needs to play in Oakland because the idea that a young ex-felon can serve his time – pay his debt to society – and still get a gig needs to be promoted here. The NFL, if it decides to reinstate Vick, could teach the rest of society that everyone deserves a second chance.

In Oakland he’d be close enough to SF haters to constantly be reminded that fighting dogs isn’t a good idea and he’d be the poster boy for power of rehabilitation that Oakland’s young people desperately need to see. It’s Win, Win. (Just Win Baby!)

Thousands of men and women are paroled to the towns streets without a real hope of any non-criminal hustle. Maybe if Vick can get a job those unfortunates can get one too.

And if Vick won in the Silver and Black—and kept his nose clean, everyone would forget those pit bulls tearing at each others flesh. I’m starting to forget already. I don’t care about yo’ past…

—Kevin Weston