Nick Mendola was sick from work today, and certainly didn't plan on writing about someone in his town -- likely drunk or just stupid -- thinking spray painting Leodis McKelvin's lawn was a good idea. Alas...

There's a tremendous book on the sociology of a crowd called "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford. In it, it details how fans of Manchester United in the early 1990s were transformed from ordinary plumbers, lawyers and family men into monsters of creation by their desire and support of the giant English soccer club. They traveled to Italy as a group and beat the living tar out of innocent Romans as a show of how strong they were as a "community." In one instance, a thug and his friend beat up a bar full of cops with weapons, ultimately grabbing an officer by the face, sucking his eye out of the socket and chomping down.

A community is defined as a group of interacting organisms in an environment. I use this definition to show that when we talk about how strong of a community Buffalo is when donating their time to fix Gowanda after a flood or to help support universal newborn screening, it isn't the only example of community in a city. There are horrible people in any town, and even good people who make horrible decisions when in a group.

Now, we don't know what the guy who defaced Leodis McKelvin's lawn was thinking. He couldn't been blitzed out of his mind and dared to do the deed by someone who knew where the fumbling cornerback lived. Heck, the bartender I spoke with yesterday before a meeting with some associates told me he knew where McKelvin lived.

But he also could've been buoyed by a group of people producing a manifestation of animal hate, caused by as simple a place as a message board. Fan outrage over a silly and costly mistake in a football game spilling over into a sense of bad community. Look, if I said something stupid on the radio and found something on my lawn, I might quit my job... let alone what would it happen if I saw someone doing it. I understand what Kawika Mitchell posted on his Twitter. It's not just heavy-handed positioning. It's life.

What I want to do is ask something to all of you who -- like me and many fans -- probably come too much closer to rage based on sports than they ever should: Can you be the voice of reason in your group? The same way every group needs a designated driver, each pocket of fans and friends needs a designated "prider" -- someone who makes sure everyone stays on the right side of passionate fandom.

I've been to countless games where I saw some guy walking sideways and angry, threatening the life of someone on the opposition. I've heard slurs of all varieties directed towards all varieties. I've seen arguments and fights and brawls, all because someone didn't have the guts to stick up to their friend before it go too far.

There would be true wrong to take this story and act like the guy who vandalized McKelvin's property was "one bad seed." The capability of such a transgression is in every single one of us. It's called being a human being. How many of us have said something way to hurtful to someone we love more than anyone, let alone some stranger on the local football team (Not to mention an accessible stranger who has never turned down an interview or been anything short of honest with reporters. Leodis McKelvin is, no doubt, a very nice guy in the locker room).

Our city needs to stand as one of the best in the country, the folks who stand up and shine a light for victims of a plane crash, the citizens who plow roads so ambulances can get through a storm, and the fans who welcome Scott Norwood back to Buffalo with open arms. Remember, one of those shouldn't carry the weight it does, too. It's just sports.

So please, know when to say when. It's easier said than done, but do what's right.

Don't count yourself among the thugs.

Email: nick@wgr550.com