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Snubbing softball, International Olympic leaders voted Thursday to recommend adding rugby and golf to the 2016 Olympics. Olympic officials had already booted softball from the 2012 Summer Games, and now they have rejected softball yet again. For golf? Come on. Like Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington really need more international exposure. For softball players, an Olympic medal has been the greatest achievement of their careers. That won't be the case for someone such as Tiger, who I'm sure would understandbly value winning majors and the Ryder Cup over any Olympic golf. That's why golf does not belong in the Olympics at the expense of softball. -- Mark Berman

NEW YORK - Michael Vick was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday and could play in regular season games as early as October.

Vick can immediately participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games - if he can find a team that will sign him. A number of teams have already said they would not.

Thoughts?

Michael Vick’s 23-month sentence for running a dog-fighting ring ends today.

Next will be a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as Goodell wants to judge Vick’s contrition for his misdeeds for himself. Whatever the outcome of the meeting, Vick should be reinstated to the NFL immediately. He’s served his time, suffered public humiliation and will never command the salary he once did.

But he deserves the chance to make a living at his chosen profession if there is a franchise willing to take a chance on him. And there will be. What Vick did was heinous, but he didn’t kill anyone like Donte’ Stallworth pleaded guilty to doing in his DUI manslaughter case, and it hasn’t been suggested that Stallworth not be able to return to the NFL.

Vick hasn’t habitually been in trouble with the law like Pacman Jones and how many times has Jones returned to the league?

— Buddy Wright

Have you seen the essay that Tony Dungy wrote about Michael Vick in the new Sports Illustrated? After praising the dad of QB Josh Freeman, Dungy wrote, "What if Michael, who says his father was not a positive influence on his household when he grew up, had had the same family support system that Josh had? Would he have ended up in this situation? I really don't think so." Give me a break. Vick was sent to prison for reprehensible choices he made as an adult. Are you telling me a man got involved in killing dogs because he didn't have a great dad when he was a kid? Sorry, Tony, but you don't need a super dad to know killing dogs is wrong. -- Mark Berman

So ex-Duke point guard Greg Paulus is thinking about becoming a college quarterback. The former national high school football player of the year says Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has offered him a scholarship. He says he has also heard from other Division I-A schools. Now, Greg, when you get embarrassed on the basketball court, Deron Washington hurdles you for a layup. But when you get embarrassed as a QB, you will be the victim of painful sacks. And it's going to be tougher to score on the gridiron than it was for you at Cassell Coliseum when Kyle Singler caught the Hokies napping by throwing you an inbounds pass three-quarters of the way down the court. So, good luck, Greg. I have a feeling you're going to need it. -- Mark Berman

Last April, then-candidate Barack Obama played basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and the rest of a squad that was coming off a Final Four appearance got to play with and against a future President of the United States. On Tuesday, the Radford University Highlanders, who were thumped by UNC in the first round of this year's NCAA tournament, had to settle for playing with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. Or was it Warner that had to settle for playing with the Highlanders? Not sure how to phrase that. But Warner's visit to the Dedmon Center presumably left both sides with a little something more to aspire to. -- Mark Berman

I knew Harry Kalas was the voice of the Phillies, but that's not how I got to really know him. His work for NFL Films is legendary. And there were times you would catch him on the radio calling an NFL game. When you heard him on a commercial, it made you pay attention. What a voice and what a delivery. He could make a name like Mickey Morandini sound like it had 10 syllables. ESPN has made it too much about how clever you can be. The great voices are leaving us much too soon. Here's to a long life behind the mic for Vin Scully and Jon Miller. -- Jeff Gilbert

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was supposed to fulfill his destiny to become great once he signed up to race for Rick Hendrick. How's that working out so far? For those who like to think it's all about the equipment and the money, take another look. Earnhardt teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are 1-2 in Sprint Cup points. Junior is 16th. There's no denying that equipment and money mean a lot, but it takes championship driving talent as well. Maybe Junior doesn't have it. -- Jeff Gilbert

The debate over which league is the best men's basketball conference in the land certainly seems over. It's the Big East, hands down. The league has five teams in the Sweet 16, compared to three from the Big 12 and two from both the ACC and the Big Ten. Most folks believed during the regular season that either the Big East or the ACC was the best conference, with the Big Ten also in the discussion. I thought the Big East was a big stronger because of how good its top six or seven teams were, and the NCAA tournament has done nothing thus far to change my mind. The first-round losses by Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson and Florida State have ruined the ACC's argument -- Mark Berman

Bryant. James. Jordan. Anthony. Paul. Howard. Russell. Reed. Erving. Frazier. Bradley. Duncan. Wade. Carter. Allen. Roy. Isn't it obvious? If you want to be good at basketball, simply change your last name to a first name. -- Aaron McFarling