I would like to preface this week's perspectives by extending a THANK  YOU to all the servicemen and women for their unselfish service.

Tillman and Williams are True Heroes

Professional athletes are looked upon in high regard by most of  society for a variety of reasons. First of all they get to participate  in something we used to do all the time as kids, and thats playing  sports. They also get paid very handsomely for it, for the most part.
 
Plus they are part of a profession that is unscripted. It's no wonder  that so many people look upon athletes as heroes.

Ted Williams was born on August 30, 1918 in San Diego, California. I  don't know where to even begin with all the accomplishments that this  guy achieved. I think that when Irving Berlin composed the song  Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better), that he was referring to Ted  Williams and I am about to tell you why.

Teddy Ballgame could have taken the easy way out, and played baseball  at Navy, rather than serving in World War II. Williams instead wanted  to be a naval aviator and was a highly successful one to say the  least. He not only pulled double duty by playing baseball and serving  the military, he served in two different wars. He served in World War  II from age 24-27 and then again at age 34 in the Korean War. He wasnt  folding napkins in Korea either, and was awarded an Air Medal for his  efforts.

The Splendid Splinter was ruling the baseball world, when Hitler was  trying to rule the free world. First he bats .401 in 1941 (the last  player to hit over .400). Williams won the triple crown in 1942 right  before he entered the war, and again in 1947 after his stint in WWII  was over. Truly a heroic effort.

Pat Tillman was born on November 6, 1976 in San Jose, California. To say Tillman was an overachiever is an understatement. What he lacked  in size, he more than made up for in heart. Tillman went from receiving  the last football scholarship at Arizona State to becoming Pac 10  Defensive player of the year as a senior.

NFL scouts were not impressed with Tillman's height (5 foot 11 inches) and he subsequently didnt get selected until pick #226 by the Cardinals. He immediately was a starter his rookie year, and all indications were that he would be a perennial pro bowler.

Here's one reason I look at this guy as a hero. Tillman turned down  a much more lucrative offer from St. Louis to remain in Arizona, close  to his family roots in California as well. Pat Tillman's last NFL  season would be 2001, as after the 9/11 tragedy, he knew he had a much  more important task to take care of.

While Memorial day has gone and passed, let us not let us not forget what  Ted Williams and Pat Tillman did for all of us.

Time to Take Vick out of the Doghouse

Michael Vick will officially be a free man in late July. I find it a bit perplexing that people are debating if Vick will be reinstated anytime soon. To me it seems like a no-brainer that NFL commish Roger Goodell will reinstate Vick to play in 2009 and the reasons are numerous.

First of all, to all those pet lovers out there, let me introduce you to a couple relatives of mine. My grandfather, god rest his soul, Donald Christian was a veternarian for 40+ years, and his son, Gary, did the same job for over 40 years himself. Gary even tells me that Vick would be better suited to play in the NFL right away.

Before you start hating on Vick, or Uncle Gary for that matter, remember this: Vick  will get paid a heck of a lot money than any other profession he tries his hand at these days. He can put that money to use for animal rights groups now. If I was working for one of these organizations for the betterment of animals, I would approach Vick to wear some of there apparel, or possibly say some quotes about how we can all help out the animals. We need to focus on the positives of the future, not the negatives of the past.

Michael Perry is an oddsmaker with Logans.com.