January 2008 Archives

No, this is not a rehash of an old article. The Nationals signed Johnny Estrada to a one year contract.

This seems a bit interesting. Is there more to the LoDuca injury that has been let on? While Estrada has had problems with coaches at other teams, the Nationals seem to think they can fix that issue. Seems to be a lot of rehab projects going on in DC.

Local Hoops mania last night in what ESPN has dubbed "School Spirit Week". Ugh, what happened to just "Rivalry Week"?

First, let's get this out of the way. Georgetown dominated St John's in Big East action last night. The Hoyas held them to just 2 buckets in the first half. Now that I've mentioned Georgetown for the first time in this post, let's go to the team I care about.

The Terrapins bounced back from the loss to Duke on Sunday to beat Virginia. After leading by double digits, the Terrapins nearly let it slip away, allowing the Cavaliers to come within 5 with just minutes left in the game. But they perserved to win.

The New York NBC TV affiliate (WNBC 4) has shown a clip or soundbite of a Giants player interview every single day since the end of the conference championship games a week and a half ago during the local news. I don't know if NBC gets exclusive access to the players or if the team gives special treatment to the local media. But what it amounts to is media day every day. The blurbs shown on the local news do not seem to be old or stale, and are presented as either the same day or previous day's comments (in the case of the morning news). This morning, one clip was a reporter asking "Jeff Feagles, how does it feel to have stepped off the plane in Arizona knowing that you are going to your first Super Bowl in your 20 year career?" So what purpose does today's Media Day serve when the media seems to have daily access to these players? One indication that Media Day servers no purpose at all is that the majority of news coverage that results from Media Day is not about the players but rather about the media itself, with today's most notable story coming out of Media Day being a wedding proposal to Tom Brady.

OK, with this Redskins Head coaching story upsetting so many people, I thought I'd put up our first poll. Note that this is not limited to Snyder, simply a general question about all sports team owner, be it Leonsis, Angelos, Snyder, etc.

Feel free to leave further thoughts in the comments section.

If I wrote this entry at halftime yesterday, it could have been reversed.

The Terrapins in an effort to defeat the top team in the nation and the #3 team in a span of 8 days failed. They put on an excellent showing in the first half, but sputtered when hitting the floor in the second half and lost 93-84. Bambale "Boom" Osby had a double-double and a career high in points with 20 in the losing effort.

Well it appears that the proverbial verdict is in. Dan Snyder, an owner that's as polarizing as Hillary Clinton in a love 'em or hate 'em knee jerk reaction has almost unified most of the Redskins fan base. It was possible to defend some of Danny's actions by acknowledging and respecting that whatever dollars Danny received he put right back into the team. After all, wouldn't you prefer an owner who's at least willing to spend money then none at all aka the Bidwell's through much of the '80s and '90s? Dan Snyder was always one to do it his way. He's been successful in his business endeavors and enjoys the limelight. He's a fan that would enjoy nothing more than winning a title, but with his hands involved exclusively in the process.

Unfortunately with the recent chain of events, most notably the firing of Greg Williams it appears that his actions have shed more insight into the owner of the Washington Redskins. The disregard for continuity achieved by Gibbs, a disregard for elite and heavily paid coaching staff, and a disregard for (the opinions of) the talented players on his own team quickly changed the fans perception of the owner. Was there such a need for multiple interviews with his Defensive Coordinator that Gibbs endorsed? Was this necessary for a coach in Gibbs that he revered so much and so deeply that Snyder disregarded Gibbs last advice to hire Williams all together?

It must be in the water. Is it the state of Maryland? Maybe. But I can’t take credit for this comparison. Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post first made the observation in his Redskins Insider blog.

Dan Snyder has out ‘angelos-ed’ Peter Angelos. In fact it’s at such a high level Snyder deserves his own new verb – He’s ‘snyder-ed’ the Redskins.

In a ridiculous turn of events, ESPN is reporting that Greg Williams is no longer being considered for the Redskins Head Coaching position.Williams Not the Next Coach Regardless of Joe Gibbs advice, the fans dissatisfaction with anyone named other then Williams, or strong player discontent for anyone not named Williams, it appears that ownership has decided to blow things up again as if Joe Gibbs was never here. This shows without an a presence of a strong competent figure to reign in Vinny & Danny that very little was learned from Gibb especially when he has voiced his support for the hiring of Williams.

Zorn is hired as the new offensive coordinator as Saunders is allowed to interview elsewhere.
Zorn Hired - ESPN Report

NBC4 just announced that a decision may not be reached until after the Super Bowl and anything that can delay Fassel Man from being the next head coach of the Redskins and I'm not talking about Greg Raymer the WSOP winner then that's a good thing!

I thought Mike Alstott retired prior to this season? I remember this discussion in mid-August as a few of us met for our Fantasy Football Draft. We wondered if he had really retired. Or maybe it was that strange commercial about being inducted into the Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Either case, good luck to Alstott. Although he was a Buc, he did score a few points for me in various fantasy leagues.

It looks like the coaching carousel continues as Jim Zorn interviewed for the offensive coordinator position. So much for giving Campbell the chance to finally master one complex offense in the NFL. USA Today - Jim Zorn Why bring Joe Gibbs back to coach in DC only to undue everything he accomplished once he leaves? Then again winning mustn't be as important as making headlines. Too bad the headlines aren't the Redskins holding up the Lombardi Trophy after a rebuilt team by Gibbs and his successor Williams.

Buckle up everyone and as Dark Helmet said in "Spaceballs", "Prepare for ludicrous speed!" As Big Money Tony mentioned in his posting Big Money Tony Fassel would be an awful choice as Head Coach for the Redskins. While we're drudging up failed former head coaches why not bring in Wayne Fontes for an interview. He certainly knows how to squander elite talent like Barry Sanders. Maybe the run 'n shoot offense will make a comeback. Better yet why not take look at Jerry Glanville because football would be anything but dull. There may be plenty of losing, but lots of entertainment.

Look I'm all for interviewing a good number of candidates to make sure the Redskins get the right one. Whether it be to satisfy the Rooney Rule or just simply making sure we haven't missed someone. But interviewing Jim Fassel is a terrible idea.

In OT, the Giants shocked the viewing audience by winning on a FG 23-20. Eli may have overcome his nay sayers, but those that still won't give him his due will most likely feel upset that he deprived NFL fans of a great Super Bowl matchup of Favre vs. Brady or the last Super Bowl hurrah to possibly end a career vs. the quest for perfection. Instead sports fans get to see if the Pats just don't screw it up.

Is anyone else tired of seeing that robot that Fox puts in the corner of the screen throughout their entire football coverage each Sunday? Well if you aren’t tired of seeing that robot, he can now be yours for only $19.95 from Foamheads!

In stunning fashion the Terps dominated most of the game and the battle on the boards in Chapel Hill. It came down to the final minutes after the Terps went up by eleven points and won 82-80. Maryland seemed to take it to the Tar Heels for the better part of the game until a ten minute stretch where UNC made a few runs to eventually take a small lead.

Some people might not consider chess a sport. I'm borderline on it, but I think Bobby Fischer is important enough to justify a short entry. He passed away today, in Iceland. His last few years seemed to be off.

I thought we were electing a President this year, but apparently Commissioners too. Bud Selig has been extended through the 2012 season. This despite the fact that he had previously stated he would retire after the 2009 season.

It's been reported that Jason Garrett turned down both the Ravens and the Falcons, but will stay with the Cowboys.

What makes him so hot? The last time the Ravens hired an offensive genius, he managed to do nothing. Garrett seems to have less of a reputation as a genius, but more like a good coach.

So back to the interviews with lesser known coaches. John "no, not the QB" Harbaugh, currently secondary coach for the Eagles, is the leading candidate in Baltimore. Let's hope they don't interview Greg Williams. He might take the job if he is interviewed in less sessions than with the Redskins, who apparantly thinks a coach who's been there for years has not proven himself in 4 interviews with Daniel Snyder.

Miguel Tejada back in the news. I know, I know, I'm sounding like a broken record. Maybe Rafael Palmeiro was innocent, blah, blah, blah.

Much like David Letterman used to enjoy saying Boutros Boutros-Ghali during his tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, one could also say Boudreau Boudreau and a golly for good measure! As Boudreau has taken the reigns of the Washington Capitals the team has continued to battle injuries, but has been able to steadily stay above .500 with discipline and focus.

The San Diego Chargers and New York Giants won in thrillers that came down to the final minutes in what was supposed to be a showdown between Peyton Manning & Tom Brady and Tony Romo and Brett Favre. The Chargers and Giants obviously had other plans. San Diego won 28-24 and the Giants 21-17.

Could Len Pascquarelli be wrong about Gibbs?Len Pasquarelli Article. Age wasn't an issue for Gibbs. Gibbs did more in his second stint to rebuild an entire organization decimated by change and poor decisions. He also brought a group of players that Pasquarelli says he couldn't relate to together after the tragic event of Sean Taylor's passing. He changed philosophy from one game at a time to we can do this and let's look at the schedule. Gibbs wasn't just brought in to stabalize the coaching position, but to fix an organization that had lost its way.

See my earlier posting Joe Gibbs Leaves The Washington Redskins, Again.

Prior to the release of the Mitchell Report, there were thoughts that it could kill our National Pastime. Time will tell, but so far, it's given us more drama than the strike-shortened television season. The showdown between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, complete with taped conversations is just compelling. The Mitchell report is even more interesting than where Santana will end up, and I'm not talking about the singer.

But the whole story gets stranger...

Can anyone stop Brady and the Pats offense? Who has the best chance at stopping the perfect season? The AFC's best friend in the playoffs this year could be Mother Nature. That's right, the weather could be the equalizer in creating a low scoring affair that would neutralize the passing game of the Pats and force New England into a more ball control field position type of a game. One big play could be the difference in a game.

The Washington Capitals signed Alexander Ovechkin to a 13 Year extension for $124M Ovechkin's New Deal - ESPN. This is fantastic news for an ailing organization. The recent signings of Semin & Ovechkin to long term contracts push the Caps to the point where the future meets the present.

The coaching carousel continues in Washington. As Joe Gibbs departs the coaching ranks from the Redskins organization again, little has been mentioned about the existing coaching staff. What will happen to Bugel, Breaux, and Ernest Byner? So much has already been discussed about who might succeed Gibbs and who might be cajoled to come out of retirement such as Cowher, but has anyone asked about a general manager? No one has discussed replacing the decisions made by GM Gibbs.

Joe Gibbs resignation today will have an obvious ripple effect through the coaching staff and resonate for years to come throughout the organization. It was difficult enough to witness Gibbs departure the first go around. I recall that Steve Buckhantz was one of the first to discover and break the story. This time around there was no story to break. Joe Gibbs announced his resignation as not just coach, but also as President of the Washington Redskins.

You (almost) heard it hear first: Joe Gibbs resigned this morning as head coach of the Redskins. I'll leave it to the locals to heap the praise upon him, but for me I'll just say that a record of 31-36 in his second stint as head coach doesn't exactly impress me. Three Super Bowl victories in his first stint does impress me.

Yes, Redskins fans all over the world. It's over. Go see your shrinks today.

I have mixed feelings over this. Yes, just over a month ago, I suggested that Joe Gibbs should stay as coach. That only he could take us over the hump. But that spectacular December the Redskins had, albeit with a dissapointing ending this past Saturday, changed my mind a bit. It showed me that the team could win. That there was a possibility beyond Gibbs.

This isn't the American Gladiators that you remember from the '80s. In the very first event one of the contestants was knocked down so hard by a gladiator that her knee buckled. She went down and was down for the competition. A substitute was brought in to finish the show.

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was named AP Coach of the Year last week, a development that can be viewed as a bit of a surprise in the wake of his early-season spying scandal and subsequent punishment, which included personal and team fines, and forfeiture of a first-round pick. In the end, the unprecedented 16-0 mark was enough to outweigh any misgivings that may have lingered in voters' minds. And while he and the team are to be congratulated on the undefeated regular season, is Belichick's performance this year really worthy of Coach of the Year?

Wow. Wow. Wow. That was some compelling stuff. Lawsuit filed against Brian McNamee. Countersuit being considered. A taped phone conversation. This is normal fodder for Law & Order.

I'm sick at home today, but well enough to watch the press conference. His attorney, Rusty Hardin, seemed to speak off his mind, without notes. Clemens is now answering questions from the press.

The most compelling piece was listening to the taped phone conversation between Clemens and McNamee on January 4. While there was no "smoking gun" where McNamee said he lied, the conversation seemed to be Clemens asking McNamee to "tell the truth" and McNamee simply not answering.

At this point, I'm still on the fence. Nothing seemed to indicate if it was a circumstance where Clemens thought he was getting B-12 shots and McNamee actually give him HGH or steroids. Andy Petitte's confession seems to lean toward the notion that Clemens is guilty as well. However, to file a defamation lawsuit, that's pretty much a flat out denial.

Another season comes to a close and another offseason of potential change begins for the Redskins. Some may believe that the team needs upgrades at the skill positions on offense, but the short comings on offense must be disected first. By examining the injuries on the offensive line one can see the inconsistency of the running game. Imagine how much more effective the offense will be with a healthy Jansen and Thomas.

The Redskins lost 35-14 and as the game spiraled out of control late in the fourth quarter after the Redskins held a brief lead at 14-13 the change in momentum could be found on one specific play. It's easy to pick on the kickers. Kickers are usually the first ones gone on a poor team because it's a position easy to replace quickly and send a message to a team. Suisham has had his ups and downs this season and this was a good season for the Redskins kicker. Usually the more inconsistent kicker was the punter Frost. We've seen punts from Frost in the end zone that should have pinned the opponent deep in their own end and we've seen shanked punts when the team needed a booming kick, but today he had a great game and it was Suisham's missed 30 yard field goal that changed the complexion of the game.

The Redskins may have lost tonight 35-14 in Seattle today, but Joe Gibbs showed why he's in the hall of fame. Amidst all of the injuries and tragedy, Joe Gibbs pulled this team together for a remarkable season. During the NBC telecast today it was revealed that when asked if the Redskins had anything left for Seattle, Gibbs honestly answered he didn't know. The Skins have had four pseudo playoff games to finish the season just to make it into the post season.

With so much occuring in sports recently such as the NFL Playoffs, Patriots going undefeated, the BCS, college basketball, and steroids in baseball, a story about an athlete banned for allegedly using cocaine hit the wire ESPN/AP Story. This report seems shocking when considering the sport and drug involved. Also of note was a quote by Hingis within the article, "I believe that I am absolutely, 100 percent innocent."

So Roger Clemens now claims he received B-12 shots, not steriods. Does this sound familiar to the 3 Orioles fans out there besides me? Wait, you hard core baseball fans should know too. Yeah, Rafael Palmiero said it when he tested positive. So about 3 weeks ago, when the Mitchell Report came out, I asked if we should allow Clemens into the Hall of Fame if we don't allow Barry Bonds.
Similar question now. Should Palmiero be forgiven if Clemens is after 60 Minutes? I'll admit, it's slightly different. For now, we don't know if any positive test for Clemens. Raffy...not so lucky. So I'll say no. But we all laughed at Jose Canseco's accusations. Look how many were actually true. Could Palmiero actually be telling the truth that he was getting B-12 shots and had no idea steriods were in them?

In roughly the same amount of time Dan Marino held an executive job with the Dolphins, Bill Parcells has made two big moves. Of course the Tuna has the power unlike the pretty-boy job Marino was handed. He fired the GM Randy Mueller earlier in the week and fired Cam Cameron today.

OK, which one of you guys sent the email to PTI today saying that Joe Gibbs should be coach of the year in the NFL? I don't buy the argument that the expectations going into the season were low for the Redskins. Playing in what is clearly the weaker conference, with a coach who is already in the hall of fame and an owner willing to spend tons of money on players, the Skins should be competitive every single year. Yet all they could muster this season was a 9-7 record. The Cleveland Browns finished the year with a better record than the Skins but are not even in the playoffs. Being the coach of the 13th best team in the NFL doesn't qualify you for coach of the year.