Paul Daugherty

pdaugherty@enquirer.com

Apologies for the lateness of the hour, Mobsters. Life got in the way. It happens.

RAY RICE SHOULD HAVE SOMEONE SLUG HIM IN THE FACE and knock him out. Failing that, he should never again have the privilege of wearing an NFL uni. There is no qualification, no rationalization for what occurred on that elevator last February. He should be in jail, but that would require double jeopardy and he's legally protected from that.

No one escapes blame here: Not the NFL, which now is trying to sell the notion that it hadn't seen the entire security tape; not the cops, who had to have seen it and did very little; not Rice's then-girlfriend, for pressing no charges, and even appearing at a news conference to defend their relationship and suggest she had a "role'' in being punched senseless.

Take control of your lives, ladies.

Here's my take from today's TM.

MARVIN IS WRONG for not taking a stand. Here's what he told the TM's Richard Skinner:

"It's really not my place to have a reaction. It's obviously something that we don't want in society," he said. "It was brought to the forefront, but it's not my place to comment on what they did. What's done is done now. I think everybody across the league has made their statements about it. We know how important the level of how professional athletes are looked at is. It's important for our society to continue to hold it to a high standard. Every situation is its own situation. I haven't seen the video, I just heard about it, so you guys are more aware of it than me. I've got to worry about the Atlanta Falcons."

That's such a coachly, disappointing reaction. Not my business, I'm worrying about the Falcons.

I'm not naïve enough to believe Lewis or any coach would stick his neck out on behalf of a cause like this. That would go against The Code, part of which states, don't rip anyone on the inside, at least publicly. It's much easier to wear a pink ribbon, say, on a shirt lapel.

I would hope Lewis does take a minute with his players today to remind them what can happen to their careers for doing something like this. Not to mention that hitting a woman for any reason is, you know, despicable.

It is your place, Marvin . As you state later, we do look up to athletes, for some reason. You are in that line of work. Your words could be meaningful on the subject. Instead, you say nothing and worry about the Falcons. Disappointing.

HERE IS JANAY RICE YESTERDAY , bless her:

No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.

"To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his (rear) off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don't you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels.

Let me see if understand her thinking: The fact that Ray is out of a job is the fault of the media and public. The hurt and embarrassment come not from the act of violence, but from the public airing of it.

I can understand, sort of, why she's not want the world seeing what he did to her. I can sympathize with her wish to get on with life, and how that has been compromised. What I don't get is why that's anyone's fault but her husband's. And now, hers. She had a chance to speak out against domestic violence. She kills the messenger instead.

FIRE GOODELL . From ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock:

Goodell created this mess a long time ago. He should soon follow Ray Rice in looking for a new line of work.

ON THE OTHER HAND . . . Let us hope that girlfriends/wives/opportunists do not see the Rice case as an opening to extort their football-playing Sig Others.

That might be callous; it's also reality. If women want not to diminish the crucial ability to go public freely and without fear when this stuff happens, they need to be honest in their intentions.

ANYTHING ELSE, DOC?

Yeah. The NFL just became a little harder to stomach. That's happening a lot lately.

AS FOR THE CLUB. . . From disappointing, to dispiriting to disastrous. Again: Losing a lot now is a good thing. The more the Reds lose, the less likely those in charge are to dismiss this season as an injury-bombed aberration.

Insiders have suggested to me this will not be the case, that the Big Man is sufficiently hissed to do some serious housecleaning. That is good. Boldness is required, if only to change the blood. We know what the current blood can do, at its peak. It's past that now. Time for a Keith Richards-esque transfusion. (Excellent, OG-based reference, right?)

PAT HADEN ought to be ashamed of himself. Grow up, shut up and get back upstairs where you belong.

THE NCAA HAS MADE THE RIGHT MOVE, lifting its sanctions on Penn State. I never understood why Jerry Sandusky's perversions should impact on everyone else. What does one assistant coach's ghastly behavior have to do with everyone else playing in a bowl game?

MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE lament today the passing of Bad News Barnes. The first Final 4 I paid attention to was in 1973, when Barnes and little point guard/magician Ernie DeGregorio got Providence there. Barnes was a monster; Ernie D. was a joy to behold. RIP, Marvin.

WE ARE WATCHING KOUFAX . From AP:

Kershaw (18-3) reduced his major league-best ERA to 1.67, allowing three runs -- one earned -- and three hits while striking out eight in eight innings.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT . Men v. Falcons here Sunday. SI.com re Falcons:

This off-season the Falcons re-made their team into a tougher group that—they hoped—wouldn't fold when things got difficult. A little meaner on both lines, and if there was a skirmish, well, they shouldn't back down.

Good test Sunday in the opener. Drew Brees was cutting the Falcons up thoroughly (when hasn't he gone up and down the field against Atlanta?), and 20 minutes into the game New Orleans led 13-0. Ryan, though, was surgical the rest of the way, leading seven scoring drives in the last 40 minutes. "This was important on so many levels," said kicker Matt Bryant. "The Saints are such a big rival, and opening at home after all the changes we made in the off-season—we really needed this."

SPEAKING OF . . . Beyond The Stripes tonight at 7 at the Lager House. Dehner, Lindsay and Skinny will offer pithy analysis as I ponder the beer list. Mike Nugent is our guest. Be there, or have Brutus the Buckeye buy the house next door.

TUNE O' THE DAY . The great David Ruffin and the Temptations, at their best. Sorry, YGs, but look at this as an opportunity to expand your musical horizons. This is classic stuff.