Black Sunday

Black Sunday is the first Sunday without football that means something. It is the second-worst day of the year for sports other that the day after the MLB all-star game. It's depressing and it sucks. It is even worse this day. The NFL tried having the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl and they should never do that again, because this is the worst Pro Bowl ever. When I think of great football players, I tend not to think of the ones that thank the opposing player for not hitting them too hard. I know some of the Cowboys and Eagles fans were really excited about seeing Romo and Mc-Noring get so much playing time; congrats they were playing against David Gerrard. Pretty exciting. But it is the latest Romo has ever played in a season, so that is nice for Cowgirls fans. Matt Schaub is the MVP, pretty exciting.

And there is nothing else on TV except the Grammys. Look, its a DC blog, and sports is the only thing that pulls the city together, but I am going to diverge from a moment. There is not one person on that broadcast who didn't vote for Obama. Only 47% of the country approves of him. You would think they might be able to find one person who is not a complete leftist to sing. It just goes to show that leftists are the most intolerant people in the world. All you have to do is acknowledge that other people have different views than you and maybe they should be recognized time to time.

Sorry, I won't talk politics again, like I said it is black sunday and I am grumpy, and there is one more thing I will say here and never say again. Hockey is still around, and the best two players in the game saved their teams today. Crosby scored his one team goal in regulation and the winner in the shootout. That's a clutch player in a clutch game and I am pretty sure he didn't dive too much. God that hurts to say. The Great Eight scored the game winner after the rest of the team gave the game up. Perhaps that was because of the suspension of our best defenseman, which is completely bogus. You can chop the Caps legs out, they can play bad, and they still win. That is the mark of a champ. If we get a Cup, this is the best team in the history of the city. That's the one bright spot on an otherwise crap day.

Chicanery, tom-foolery, and ballyhoo

I own nothing purple anymore, so I couldn't wear anything to celebrate Gonzaga's win over the Dematha Stags. (That's really is their name you could not make that up.) It is the worst team name in the history of sports. Penguins is second.

The Mike Green suspension is absolutely ridiculous. he didn't even knock the guy out of the game he was back on the ice in about five minutes. Three games is a little bit Draconian, but it does not really matter, he probably would have been out for a bit anyways, because he hurt himself and couldn't make it back to the ice. He needs to rest, and with two weeks off for the Olympics because the Canadian team is Rain Man, hopefully he will be in one piece to man the blue line on the power play in the playoffs. (Seriously, I think Crosby is the captain for that team. I now hate Canada more than ever, you know what I'm talking aboot?)

What came of this catastrophe of a ruling is some information that explains the chicanery of the last few years. Mike Murphy ruled on the Green incident, and while I am sure he is a fine Irishman, Boudreau essentially said he could not talk about the ruling because he would get fined. Because it was wrong. Murphy ruled on it, because the normal guy, Colin Campbell, has a son that plays for the Panthers. Who knew that? Do you think that might be a conflict of interest for every other ruling and ref decision that has occured since he held that position? I mean his son plays for the Cap's biggest intra-division rival. If Ricky Aikman was in charge of things for the NFL in the early 90s, I think the Skins might have gotten hosed once or twice.

Speaking of the Skins, Zorn got a new job. As a QB coach. Wowzers. He couldn't get a offensive coordinator position after being a head coach. I think he is a really nice guy, and I guess he will be right down the road in Baltimore so we can all go up there and tell him so, but he wasn't qualified to be an offensive coordinator. Dan Snyder makes really good decisions. I got to run and get some Johnny Rockets.

Where you all go to School at?

Gonzaga? The second best team in the city beat the over-rateds, I mean Dematha Stags last night. (It is so hard for me not to use an offensive term right there.) Dematha was 3 for 17 from the line, completely screwing the pooch and making it so a number one ranking for them is never justified. On the other hand Oliver Ellison blocked what could have been the winning shot, and my boys won 67-65 in front of a capacity 3500 at Bender. I know no one cares, but I have to take the chance to boast about my boys, and let you know the Stags, much like the Pens and Cowgirls, suck. Plus it is the only time I will ever say anything positive about an Eagle in this thing.

I Love Lists

Caps won again. It almost isn't interesting anymore, but that team is currently re-writing the record books. People who don't have the Great 8 on their team constantly bash him, but know they would do anything to have him on their team. The biggest thing I hear is that he is selfish, but I would recommend watching tonight's game film to anyone dumb enough to say that. He is happier and celebrates more when another Cap scores. He gave up wide open shots to pass to Knuble tonight, trying to get him a trick. He is the classiest guy in DC, and we are lucky to have him. I just can't wait for the playoffs, watching the Caps is like playing a X-Box game on Extra Easy. I need more drama.

So I go to my other obsession, making lists. This is relatively new, I don't understand it, maybe I have just seen "High Fidelity" too many times. I was watching the NFL network and they had a top ten list of Super Bowl performances. Let me tell you why it was wrong and you should only come to me when you need a top ten list. They had Riggo in Superbowl 17 at #6 and Timmy Smith at #7 for Super Bowl 22. For the record, the stat lines for both of them are:

-The original Diesel: 166 yards rushing on 38 carries, 15 yards receiving, and a touchdown that is the greatest moment in the history of Super Bowls.
-Timmy Smith: 204 yards rushing, and 2 TDs. He only ever had one good game, but he picked the right one. He should be one, and Riggo two on the "Top Super Bowl Perfomance" list. Let's take a look at who they put ahead of these two and why they are wrong.

5. Lynn Swann: He literally only touched the ball 4 times in Super Bowl 10. He was carted off the field the week before and went to the hospital, but he was fine. Kind of reminds me of another guy from the steel city. I would never call an athlete soft but the Raiders do. He does ballet. He touched the ball four times.

4. Adam Vinatieri: He's a kicker, you have to be kidding me. If Scott Norwood liked to just aim a little bit more left, would he be number 1 on the NFL Network's list? He missed that kick by about as many feet as I have family members who hate me right now for bringing that up. If you put that anywhere the top ten, Moseley should be in the HOF.

3.Steve Young: He threw for 6 touchdowns and defeated both the Chargers and the ghost of Montana. But he invented the all-time worst sports cliche "nobody can ever take this from us" as he clutched the Lombardi, and that moves him below Riggo and Smith. Are there people out there who are trying to take it from you, what is wrong with you? (See, I have a weirdo obsession with lists, and top ten worst sport cliches has "nobody can ever take this from us" is at the top.)

2.Marcus Allen: 191 yards and 2 TDs is impressive, but its not 204 yards with two TDs. Plus he was playing against a defense that was hungover after being out past six in the morning with Theismann, and the Raiders stole the Skin's playbook. Allen moves to the back of the pack.

1. Doug Williams: He led the Skins to 322 yards and four touchdowns....... in a quarter. He was knocked out of the game, came back, played through the pain and as the first black QB, overcame that stupid stereotype about black QBs that I hope is officially gone now. Ok the NFL network got number one right. We will move Smith to two and Riggo to three. God I miss rooting for a good football team.

The one constant in my top three are the Hogs. They need to be inducted to the HOF, they are the most notable line in the history of the game and opened up holes so big that if Timmy Smith got 204 yards, I think my skinny white butt could have gotten 150 in super Bowl 22. Induct them as a group, include Bugel and Don Warren, and I think it would be awesome if their bust was a pig. Cooperstown has their Babe, Canton needs theirs.

Top Heath Shulers

Sorry, I guess I have a lot on my mind, I know I am writing too much, it shows up on Facebook, and I'm sure people are hiding me. I gave my top ten worst ever in DC, let me give you the top five best ever in each major sport, and I hypothesize that there is a DC guy in each of them.

Football:
1. Peyton Manning: It doesn't matter if he wins in 10 days or not, he is the smartest football player of all time and it doesn't matter if he is only in the top twenty of athletic talent.
2. Sammy Baugh: What P. Manning lacks in athletic talent, which is not a lot, Sammy Baugh had it. The Punt, Pass, and Kick competition at halftime for kids was invented because of Baugh.
3. Jim Brown: The greatest all-round athlete ever. He is considered the greatest RB of all time as well as the greatest lacrosse player of all time. To be the best in two sports is a testament to his greatness.
4. Joe Montana: The rings say it all. Plus, he may be related to Tony and my boy Neil.
5. Barry Sanders: The only player from an opposing team that I have ever seen get a standing ovation at JKC.

Baseball
1. Willie Mays: If there is one guy in the entire history of baseball that in a hypothetical I could add to the Nattos he is the guy. He finished batting over .300 with 660 home-runs, and invented a style of fielding that infuriates every baseball coach in the world, because no one is as good as Willie Mays.
2. Babe Ruth: People forget he could pitch too.
3.Pete Rose: He also hit over .300. This is my DC reference for baseball, he was an Expo. If McGwire or Bonds make it to the HOF before Rose I might stop watching baseball. (I'm just joking baseball, I love you baseball, I didn't mean it and you can't get back soon enough.) But kind of.
4. Lou Gherig: If you don't tear up when you see his retirement speach, you are probably not a human being and you should get that checked out. He hit just a shade under 5oo HRs with .340 lifetime before he succombed to his sickness.
5.Walter Johnson: He pitched his almost 6,000 innings every few days, and still posted a career ERA of 2.17. The greatest baseball player that has ever had Washington plastered across his chest. 1924 was a hell of a year, I wish I could have been there, look here see.
As an addendum, I want to apologize for putting two Yankees on here, but facts are facts and stats are stats. For Red Sox fans, I also put on Babe Ruth who was a Red Sock for a little while. That was the meanest thing I have ever said in my life and I'm kind of sorry.

Hockey:
1. The Great One: If you don't know who this is just stop reading.
2. The Great 8: If you don't know who this is he wears number 8 on his Red sweater and despite the fact that he has not won a Cup because he was cheated out of it last year, he is scheduled to win it this year and a few more after.
3. Gordie Howe: The picture of him going verticle is amazing. I would have it framed and hanging in my home if I didn't hate the Red Wings so much. However, the toughness and scoring ability were great, but those reasons why he is below Ovechkin. The Crushin Russian is Howe 2.0.
4.Bobby Orr: There we go Boston fans
5. Mario Lemieux: It kills me to say it, and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Basketball:
1. Michael Jordan- He played for the Wizards; I told you I could get a DC reference in on all of these.
2. Wilt Chamberlain- How he could bang that much and play ball that well boggles the mind. But maybe I am getting old.
3. No one really cares
4. Mike Wise thinks I am racist because I think college basketball is better because the kids actually care. Its weird, because I am fairly certain that there are way more black guys than white guys at the college level too. I just think March is the best time for basketball.
5. Seriously, if you care about the NBA you need a new hobby; it sucks and that is why I never write about it.

And there we went. I am always open to other options for any of these, and especially if you can think of somone to knock Lemieux off the list. I tried to think of one; Roy, Messier, and Bourque come close, but you have to give credit where credit is due. And apparently I have to insert that cliche into every blog. Be good guys.

Stuff that makes you want to bump uglies, and then just uglies

I wanted to talk more Caps. If they win the Cup, they are without a doubt the greatest team in the history of DC sports. Do you realize that we can forfeit every game until March 5th, and even if the Florida Panthers win every single game until then, we will still be in first place in the Southeast division? That is not the only banner I want hung opening day of the 2010-2011 season, I want three of them, but that is just disgusting. And the Panthers aren't that bad, if the playoffs started today they would be in, but the Caps are that good.

Another interesting stat that I saw on Dan Steinberg's blog is that the Caps are 11-1 since The Great 8 became captain. I'm fairly certain the Pens have never had a run like with Crosby as captain, much less on the maiden voyage, so let's stop comparing the two. While Crosby plays in the same league, Ovechkin is aces in the hole while Crosby is suited connectors at best. I say that this could be the greatest season in the history of DC sports, but that all hinges on winning the Cup. I can't wait. I just hope we don't get matched up with Pittsburgh at any point and have to play against the refs, Buffalo and against Miller, and if we are lucky enough to make it to the finals, Vancouver. I don't watch a lot of Canuck's hockey, but they looked like the best team the Caps have played all year. Needless to say I am excited to see how this all plays out.

There is only one team that could bring me down and the Redskins never fail. They are thinking about adding a "third uniform" that involves a black jersey. You can see them on the Skin's website, and while it is not confirmed, it looks like that it is going to happen. Look, I know black is slimming and Mike Williams will look awesome in them, but our uniforms are just fine. The only thing I would do is to go back to the yellow pants, and wear the burgandy jerseys at home unless we are playing Dallas, then the white jersey. You know a man is a man when he has the audacity to wear yellow pants in public, I've always said that.

Top Ten Worst People in Sports

So I am the luckiest guy in the world. I have a beautiful fiancee, and moreover, she likes hockey. You can not find many of those. But it is Irish luck that she ends up being a Pens fan. She is pretty enough to put up with that ballyhoo, so I do. She told me today that I am too negative towards the Pens and Crosby. I have had this video for a while and kept it to myself, and despite the fact that it is from a Flyer's fan, it exposes the Pens in a way that is just as subtle as everything from Philly. Saying that the Penguins are cheaters and illegitamite champions is the truth. But it made me think about the top ten guys who will never get a drink bought for them in DC. I actually hate other people more than Crosby. And here we go.......

1. Michael Irvin: Do more coke dude, you weren't that smart to start with, coke is only helping the situation. That is sarcasm, do another line and maybe you will get it. I know immigrants who just got to the States a month ago who have a better grasp of the English language than you do.

2. Deion Sanders: I hated Jon Jansen in college because I am a Notre Dame fan (which I know makes a lot of people mad,) but as soon as he put on a Redskin's jersey, he was my boy. Deion never fell in that category. He makes Michael Irvin sound like a poet lauerate.

3.Sidney Crosby: He is the antithesis of Ovechkin and it is a shame that the Great 8 is constantly compared to him. His team snatched a Cup from the Caps because of an obvious Canadian bias, and as even the borderline retarded Philly fans demonstrate in the afore shown video, he is a bitch.

4.Dan Snyder: 10 years of misery, read the older blogs for more.

5.Jaromir Jagr: He beat the Caps as a Pen, and he beat the Caps as a Cap. I hope when he burns in hell he has to listen to Troy Aikman's football analysis for eternity.

6.Brian Westbrook: He only gets up to play against the Skins, but he always does. All that got him was as many rings as McNo-ring. And he went to Dematha, enough said.

7. Mario Lemieux: He just kicked around the Caps for too long. He was a hell of a player, but I hate him.

8. Troy Aikman: If I was him, I would kiss a picture of Jimmy Johnson every day as I woke up. You look like Mr. Ed, but you are not as smart you buck-toothed bastard.

9.Dave Megget: I know this is a random dude and most people would not recognize him if they saw him, but he used to burn the Skins so bad back in the late 80s and early 90s when we could have gotten one more ring before Snyder took over.

10.Ryan Howard: Because he is from Philly and he probably juices.

See I hate the Penguins just as much as the Cowboys. Except more. if anyone can think of somone I missed I'd love to hear it. My honorable mentions are Norv Turner, Steve Spurrier, Gilbert Arenas (he screwed up something that could have been great by being dumber than Rain Man, who was a re-tard,) Antonio Pierce (as opposed to Lavar Arrington who also went to the Giants but wasn't a jerk bout it,) Jeremiah Trotter, who only liked to play for the Eagles, and Paul Tagliabue for the Wilber Marshall trade.

Hope and Despair

Another Caps win, and it wasn't even close, against a team we had previously gone to overtime every time previous this season, and played one of the longest games in the history of the game a few decades ago. We lost Theodore for an undetirmined amount of time which is no good, but they are going to call up this other young guy Holtby who is supposed to be an ace as well. They say that the second most important man in DC is the QB for the Skins, but if this team takes off the way they should, it could be the guy in net for the Caps. Having three young guys who can play, hopefully one for a long, long time, is encouraging. It would be nice to have a guy in net as long as Kolzig. I am worried about Varlamov. I would never call a player soft, but he is injury-prone and we need him.

Goaltending is the key to the Cup, which is the only way to call this year a success. It isn't good that there are a ton of Caps playing in the Olympics. I thought if the US didn't make it too far, I would end up rooting for Russia because of Ovie, Semin, and Varly. I changed my mind. If they win the gold, they will feel some sense of accomplishment. The only accomplishment I want for them is to bring the Cup to DC. If the US can't win, the Caps might be better served if Crosby could whine he and Canada's way to the gold. (The Olympics are a little fairer than the NHL, but he is the most amazing whiner I have ever seen. If anyone can whine their way to glory, it is Crosby. He is almost assured a place in the Whiner Hall of Fame, with his bust between Jerry Seinfeld and Nancy Kerrigan.) It will be weird rooting for Ryan Miller though. Thats the goaltender I do not want to see across the ice in the playoffs, and is the type of guy I hope one of these three young goalies will morph into.

As a sidenote, if you were born the day the Redskins last won a Super Bowl, you can now buy a pack of smokes. That is depressing.

Random Thoughts about Random Ricks

So "old flat-butt" Favre further tainted his legacy. Flat-butt isn't a judgement, I don't have much back there I am front-loaded, but he makes me look like Beyonce. I told a Saints fan in our loss to them because of "clutch-kick" Suisham that if we couldn't win it all, I hoped they would. (Not that anyone was holding their breath for a Skins championship.) It wasn't because of Katrina, otherwise I'd root for the team closest to Haiti because that is more chic right now. It was because they were the nicest and most enjoyable opposing fans I have been around since Jack Kent Cooke Stadium opened. They deserve it, and the town deserves it. It was weird seeing Brunell on the field for the winning play though. You have to believe in Jesus as fervently as that guy to believe that guy is still playing ball.

It was good to see Buddy Ryan's son's team lose. That is just a family of losers, huh. Also in sports today, I watched the Flyers lose to the Pens. This is when I hope that Bin Laden hates ice as much as he hates seeing a woman's neck. I never want any American to lose their life, but if 3,000 Americans had to die, I would not be as sad if they were Flyers fans.

I will admit I do not watch much hockey other than the Caps playing whoever, but I learn something each time I do. Like today, did anyone else know that sometimes they call penalties against the Penguins? They never do during Caps-Pens games and it blew my mind when the Flyers got four power plays. Imagine how badly we would have beaten the Pens both Thursday and in last year's semifinals if only there had been even ice. Needless to say, Crosby complained about the fairness. But it was nice to see that despite the fairness, Philadelphia is still a town full of losers.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due: Part Deux

So the Caps beat down the Pens. Again. Lets give kudos to the refs, they only called penalties at a 2 to 1 ratio against the Caps tonight. So they kind of let them play, and the Caps responded. By pounding the Pens at a 2 to 1 ratio on the scoreboard. So maybe the refs are waiting for the playoffs again to be absolutely biased and hand games over to them again. Hopefully somone can knock the Pens out for us. The Caps are good, but not good enough to beat a good hockey team (which unfortunately the Pens are) and the refs. But even at a 2 to 1 disadvantage, we have seen who is the best team over and over again.

Let's give credit to Sid "the princess" Crosby as well. He only complained on camera three times tonight and that is remarkable for him. If he was as old as he acts I would reward him with a cookie. He also got another cheap goal which is weird, he never amasses goals like that. He also never comes through in the clutch like a certain Number Eight. Well, unless the refs nudge him. That guy is seriously more feminine than half the women in Pennsylvania. (With the exception of all the women I know and love in Pennsylvania, they really are the nicest women in the world, my mom was born there. But all 5' 2" of my mom could kick the tar out of Crosby, and I'll take bets.)

And now that I am done with sarcasm, I will give credit where credit is due. In a hypothetical where Dan Snyder and Crosby are next-door neighbors and both of their houses of fire, which one would you save if it could only be one? Normally I would just get a cheeseburger, but I think I would save Snyder now. After a decade of misery he is finally starting to come around. Building bigger jumbotrons and re-organzing the traffic patterns are a great start at Fedex. Not letting whining stars in his office to complain and refering them to Allen and Shanahan is even better. I am not saying Super Bowl next year, but we are finally taking a step forward without two steps back as far as the front office goes. Let's pray that the Caps two steps forward will not be penalized, and we go three steps back for the sake of Crosby and the refs. All the Caps want to do is play hockey. Hopefully they let them.

Crazy SOBs

It was good to see my last post rang true. First off, the NHL admitted they were wrong in assessing Bradley a penalty in the almost-Ovechkin fight. And for all of the Ovechkin haters, yes he was going to fight, he wasn't scared and never has been, and when you need three goals in six minutes it is better to have the great 8 than Bradley on the ice. It was a smart hockey play by Bradley. However, the NHL did not offer an apology, just a non-suspension for Bradley. They also fined Burrows for his comment about the ref that is targeting him. The NHL can't afford a Donaghy-like scandal, they need to figure out what is going on. Chimera has never been suspended before in his career. He becomes a Cap, and he is going to get a game off for "instigating" a fight in the last five minutes. Something is awry, the refs hate the Caps, and all we want is fairly played hockey.

I love the Caps, but DC just lost the toughest guy in town; Joe Bugel. He was trying to be upbeat and not breakdown after a career that spanned five decades and did, but it was tough for him. He was intregal in assembling and coaching up the O-line that was the core of the three Super Bowl teams. Dan Steinberg's bog reported a story about the hogs that I had never heard before. All of the hogs were hung-over from too many beers and chili-dogs the night before an early morning practice. Russ Grimm vomited a hot dog on the practice field after some sprints. Bugel told him to get it off, and Grimm picked it up and ate it again. This is the toughness and craziness missing from the Skins today but instilled in the Caps.

As a sidenote I always take shots at Danny Snyder. However, I thought it was cool that he filled up Redskins One with supplies and sent it down to Haiti. He's a horrible owner, but a charitable guy.

Shams and Scams

I'm not going to go back on what I said about the Caps goaltending, everyone has a bad day. What I will hold firm on is that the refs in the NHL are atrocious. Its ironic that they clamped down on Ovechkin and had at least three no-calls for the Caps the day two scandals start brewing. Alexandre Burrows accused ref Stephane Auger of deliberately going after him game after game and the NHL believes it enough to publicly announce they were investigating the issue. I would like them to investigate if this persecution extends to all players whose first name start with Alex.

Auger may end up being the Tim Donaghy of the NHL, in that he could expose some type of conspiracy. Just like the treatment of Ovechkin previously this season, and especially tonight against the Lightning. That game almost turned into an all-out brawl because the refs let Ovechkin get trampled on, and if he even nudged back he was in the box. If a teammate wanted to stick up for the Great 8, they headed to the box as well or completely thrown out of the game. Maybe the NHL didn't want the Southeast division to become a complete runaway. Something was awry.

Kind of like the playoffs last year. We have to give it to the Pens, they beat us fair and square in Game 7 of the series, but their other three wins were based off questionable calls. As a disclaimer, I hate the Pens even more than the Flyers, however Lemieux earned two Cups, Crosby was handed his. (After faking an injury to draw a penalty and then skating around the ice hoisting the 35 lb. cup like Will Ferrell with Jon Heder in "Blades of Glory.") For the sake of a larger Canadian audience and thus more advertising money than Russia, the Caps-Pens series was given to Crosby and his cronies. For some reason Mike Green is shunned. Maybe he is too far west in Canada.

The other scandal coming out today is that it came out that The Penguin's home network have been withholding video of disputed plays that go against the Pens as evidenced in the recent game between the hated Flyers and the hated cheaters. I wonder how long that kind of thing has been going on? Look, if Crosby is so good let him earn a Cup. Last year's Caps-Pens series was a sham, just like tonight's game. Hopefully the NHL can get a grip on whatever is going on and at least let the playoffs be played on even ice this year. Maybe they will even let the game's best player play. That would be a welcome change.

Time to Get Excited

The most encouraging part of the Caps win last night was the goaltending. I know that is weird to say when your team puts up 8 goals, but Neuvirth had 38 saves, and that is just as impressive. The Caps now have two solid goaltenders to cruise into the playoffs with if Gnarly Varly can ever nurse himself back to health. Theodore, unfortunately, just won't do, even in his contract year unless he turns things around in a hurry. But, he needs to be kept around. He was great once, and he is as good as a coach. Just ask Irbe.

The best part of the win last night was how the Caps did it; they never let up even when it was in the bag. And then they laughed about it after the game. That is the killer instinct of a champ, and I love seeing it. I just hope they have that in the playoffs when it really counts. This is not only the best team in DC presently, if they win the Cup, this is the best team in the history of DC sports.

Here is what could be the best result of last night's contest. We completely dispirited our closest competitor in the division. Seeds really don't matter in the NHL playoffs, but we will be at least the third seed. If the Thrashers get discouraged enough, and contract talks still will not fall together with Kovalchuk, he will end up on the trading block. If he ends up a Pen/Flyer/Ranger/Devil for the rest of the season it is a disaster. If he ends up a Cap, we will have so much offense we almost won't need the two young goalies who look great thus far. George McPhee, everyone is watching. He has not let us down yet, hopefully he doesn't start now.

Whining about things I can't fix

There are some things in sports that are absolutely ridiculous. They usually involve refs, but here is a bigger issue; the Rooney rule. I think I would do anything to have Dan Rooney own the Redskins instead of the guy we have, he is a smart man. Furthermore, his heart in the right place.

I think it is great to interview minority candidates for positions, it needs to happen more often. Rooney puts his money where his mouth is, as Tomlin is a top ten coach and was unheard of to most before his hiring. However, parading guys in front of owners for the sake of the Rooney rule when guys like Shanahan, the obvious choice for the Skins, and Carroll as just reported, the obvious choice for the Seahawks, just to toe the line of the rule is disgusting. Let's have people get their jobs on merit, it is a free market economy lets let it work that way. Let people choose their employees without a rule about how to do it; to do otherwise is un-American.

And finally, stop parading minorities around to fulfill an un-American rule. I know the thought was noble, but it is becoming more insulting than the intention.

Give credit where credit is due

It pains me to say this, but I think Daniel Snyder may have finally gotten a clue. The fact that Shanahan called him "Dan" and not "Mr. Snyder" is a good sign, the fact that he was not even on the podium but rather in the first row for the press conference was better. Maybe Danny has finally decided to stop self-destructing the franchise that I know he loves but has been incapable of running successfully for over a decade.

Shanahan looked and sounded good; kind of like a sun-burned George W. but smarter. Apparently he has been on board for a while; the only evasive answers he gave were about his previous involvement with Snyder in the last year, which seems extensive. If Snyder knew that Zorn was not the guy, why didn't he get rid of him before the year started? Snyder is on record as saying the worst mistake he made since he became owner (I think other than 6 Flags) was not firing Norv Turner fast enough. His inability to learn from mistakes is discouraging, and hopefully curtailed with Shanahan. However, I like a guy as underhanded as Snyder looking out for the same interests as mine.

Coach S's first line of business is who will QB his team. I hope it remains Campbell, but I doubt it. When he was with the Raiders he had Jay Schroeder (thats a blast from the past, huh.) As a coordinator in San Francisco, Steve Young and Elvis Grbac. In Denver, when he was succesful, Elway. He likes old guys, and thats fine. He is better off running the show than the guys before him. I just hope he doesn't like Todd Collins, and if I was Colt Brennan, I'd grab my coat. Campbell is a top ten quarterback with a top twenty line.

Here is a thought

What is taking so long to get Shanahan on board? What about this scenario? He is calling in his agent to figure out how to coach the Skins without Snyder over his shoulder. Maybe the conversation is going something like this:

Mike Shanahan: I'll only coach if you never come into my locker room, practices, tell me or Bruce who to draft, never talk to the press again, and never wear that stupid yellow sweater you like again in public.
Daniel Snyder: Um no one talks to me like that, I'm Mr. Snyder
MS: Ok, I call Mr. Wilson Ralph, and it is worth a million a year to not have to put up with you.
DS: Um, but I can do whatever I want because I have money.
MS: Not with me, I have two more rings than you do
DS: OK can I at least go to some practices, what else am I going to use my fancy golf cart for?
MS: Driving off elsewhere to leave the team and I alone. I want to coach this team, I do not want you to coach this team anymore.
DS: Call your agent and lets negotiate.

Hypothetical, but if something like this conversation happened, Shanahan is the right coach for us.

Stupid People

I never talk about the Wizards and probably won't again, but this situation begs comment. I know Arenas probably did not use the best judgement; he took a joke to far. I should preface this by saying I am just as "pro-gun" as the founding fathers who set up this great country were. As I understand it Arenas took a or multiple guns into a locker room to joke about the fact that a gambling debt that had not been paid. It is very "Casino" and juvenile, but something that is being made a bigger deal than it should be.

So of course Al Sharpton gets involved. He thinks David Stern needs to come down hard on Arenas for exercising his second amendment rights. The second most important thing to the founding fathers. I guess we know how Sharpton feels about the USA, the greatest country in the world that lets us enjoy the relative frivolty of sports.

Sharpton goes on to say "what if a white player pulled a gun on a black player?" What does that have to do with anything? No one cares about race anymore other than ignorant hillbillies and "civil rights activists." I feel bad for guys like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, but their time has come and gone. Sports is the one arena where race has not mattered since civil rights activists were relevant, so lets leave it out now.

Sorry to get serious in a forum that does not need it, but that bugged me.

Stay away from the sack sir

So I guess it will be Shanahan, but that is not news. What will be is the Super Bowl of an offseason, especially in what looks to be an un-capped year, that we always endure. Let's see who we sign, and who we keep. I would like to have 30 plus new players like the Lions did this year after the Millen era because the Cerrato era was worse.

The Lions never expected to win; we don't want the playoffs we want the whole kit and kaboodle. The only things Cerrato did right, because Gibbs told him so, was draft Jason Campbell and Sean Taylor. Allen is a cap guy, so he needs to figure out a way to frontload JC's contract to keep him here for at least three more years. We should win the offseason again if it is un-capped, but I do not see a free agent QB better than Campbell coming on the market. So lets stick with him a little while longer.

I know he threw 15 interceptions, but he was pressured to make quick decisions. JC is better, tougher, smarter, faster, and a million other positive adjectives better than Sam Bradford. Trade that fourth or fifth pick for more to draft guys to protect whoever is in the pocket next year and three years from now.

If I were to argue against myself I would say "well Rodgers and Roethlisberger were sacked more, and one made the playoffs and the other sniffed it." Well JC toughed out both the mental and physical strains of a season that I can't imagine. It's also not news that QBs like to be protected, but maybe we should try protecting Campbell for a year or two, see what happens, and then move from there. He's not perfect, but he is ours, and he should stay that way.

Towards the Future!

I missed you guys, sorry it has been a weird year.

Well, the last few weeks of the Skins have been different; if we win great, if we lose its a better pick. However, you want to beat the division rivals, not the Chargers. Some of the players that did not quit after the Lions loss were still playing, and we could still not win. The ultimate irony of the first loss after Cerrato's ouster (finally) was the missed extra point by his final new acquisition. The ultimate irony of what has to be the worst year of Snyder's life is getting his butt kicked by the very first coach he fired.

Everyone wants to say that Norv Turner finally has a good team and that is why his team is a Super Bowl contender. Well he beat Snyder's hand-picked guys with his scrubs ten years after Snyder had a team to put a fourth Lombardi that he has not earned at his podium when he announces new coaches before he fired Turner. Well, now he will announce his seventh coach since then and I hope he works.

I'd keep Blache as head coach and Gray, lose Haynesworth, and hire Weiss as offensive coordinator. Then I would hire a real GM and not just a cap guy like Allen. You hired a Redskin great before to hold off the fans for four years. Hiring the son of one Skins legend does not mean it will kind of work twice you stupid dweeb. I know this will not happen though. Oh well, guess I will have to trade my "Horny for Zorny" shirt in for a "Oh man Shanahan" one. That needs tweeked.