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20Nov

batch of links

In basketball, blog, football, hockey, links by b murf / November 20, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Believe it or not, but some high-quality reading actually comes from outside of Homer McFanboy. Just in case you missed it, here’s some of what caught our attention this week:

Redskins blogger Matt Terl thinks it’s a good idea to give Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot some additional exposure (apparently he’s not familiar with Smoot’s time in Minnesota). Either way, Terl is pushing for fans to vote for Fred in the NFL’s Super Ad campaign. If Smoot wins, his commercial will play during the Super Bowl. We recommend you check it out, if for no other reason than to learn about Smoot being duct taped to the goalpost by former teammate Champ Bailey and friends and left there for two hours back when he was a rookie.
Elsewhere, ESPN the Magazine has a feature on how Sean Taylor’s death has affected the NFL. While they went to great lengths to interview numerous players throughout the league, the part with ‘Skins running back Clinton Portis is a must read. And if you take nothing else away from it, please – do not walk up to him, throw your arm around him and tell Portis you pay his salary. Trust me on this. Also, ESPN blogger Matt Mosley covers how Taylor’s loss has affected the ‘Skins locker room.
A website called Fast Company has an article listing the six best sports bloggers, which naturally shows some love to the D.C. sports scene. Both Redskins tight end Chris Cooley and the formerly relevant Gilbert Arenas are listed, as well as pitcher/blowhard Curt Schilling, L.A. Dodgers manager Joe Torre and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (whose just glad to be making headlines for other reasons). Now, if only someone could explain how they forgot to include the blog of Caps owner Ted Leonsis …
Finally, we point you to one of our favorite blogs, Mister Irrelevant, who stumbled upon proof that the Redskins apparently at one time had a mascot. No, not Chief Zee. Not the Hogettes. An actual mascot. Go see for yourself.

20Nov

veterans versus the predator

In blog, football, predator by b murf / November 20, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

With the Washington Redskins losing 14-10 to their hated rival, the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday night, we know ‘Skins fans haven’t been doing well this week. If the team only wins two games each season, fans always want them to be the two matchups against the Cowboys. We can’t change history and have the Redskins win the game, but we can cheers folks up with our weekly conversation with Redskins rookie safety Chris “The Predator” Horton.

We saw you on the NFL Network last week talking about your new website. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about it?

“I’ve got a new website, Predator48.com, and it’s just a way for people to find out who Chris Horton really is,” said Horton. “He’s not just a football player. I do a lot of other things outside of football.”

We know the site just launched, but what content do you plan on having on the site?

“I’m going to have a lot of stuff,” he said. “Sell some gear that I wear in games, we’ll auction it off. We’ll have a little thing to the best fan, I think, gets a prize at the end of the year and stuff like that. We’ll have a lot of different things on there.”

And this is all you? This isn’t some marketing guy pretending to be you online or something?

“It’s me,” Horton said. “It’s all me. When I find some time … I don’t really get back to people right away, I just kind of find time here and there. Usually on Tuesdays I’m on it a lot.”

You’re a seventh-round draft pick and you’ve already got your own website halfway though your rookie season. Things are coming along pretty nicely for you, right?

“Definitely,” he said. “I’m just trying to find ways to continue my success on the field.”

And the whole “fans giving you the nickname” thing, it looks like you’ve embraced it.

“Yeah, I took it and ran with it,” Horton said.

From there, we headed over to defensive end Andre Carter, one of the most respected players in the Redskins locker room. After dissecting what went wrong against Dallas, the conversation turned to Horton and his brand-new website.

One of your rookies, Chris Horton, just launched a new website this week. Have you heard of Predator48.com?

“Are you serious,” asked Carter. “I’ve never heard of it, man.”

We’d like you to tell us, as a veteran whose been in the league for a while, what you think of a rookie launching his own website halfway through his first season.

(Laughs). I gotta get on him, man,” Carter said.

Did he run it by the veterans first?

“No he didn’t run it by us, but we’re gonna get on him now that you told us,” Carter said. “I think me and the committee of older guys – Griff [Cornelius Griffin] and Phil [Daniels] – are gonna have to sit down and discuss that. Kind of sit down and see what we’re gonna do about that.”

What’s your opinion on the whole “Predator” nickname?

“You know what, that’s a new one on me,” he said. “I don’t know how he got that one …”

It came from the fans.

“The fans gave it to him,” asked Carter.

Yup, they gave it to him.

“Wow, that’s love then,” he said. “It’s okay then. I thought he gave it to himself. I got to give it to Chris. He’s a smart guy and he knows how to network. Especially in this business, if you can network then you can do good for yourself. You got to think of life after football.”

So are you announcing with us that you’ll be launching Dre99.com?

(Laughs). “Nah, no Dre99, for me man,” Carter said. “What I do, you see me out there getting crunk on the field, and then after that, I’m a family man.”

Well said.

19Nov

note: hungry like the wolf

In blog, note to self by b murf / November 19, 2008 / No Comments

(courtesy photo)

Let’s just go ahead and admit it now – we live in a world that just doesn’t make sense anymore.

Not sure what we’re talking about? Just take a quick peak at your sports page and scan the headlines.

For starters, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who has played in 128 games during his 10-year career, didn’t know that pro football games could end in a tie.

In his post-game press conference after the Eagles tied the Cincinnati Bengals 13-13 Sunday, McNabb said he thought there would be a second overtime if the score was still tied after one extra session.

“I’ve never been part of a tie,” McNabb said. “I never even knew it was in the rule book. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately with the rules, we settled with a tie.”

This is where we point out that the last tie in the National Football League was in 2002, when the Pittsburgh Steelers tied the Atlanta Falcons 34-34, Nov. 10. We’ll give McNabb a pass for not knowing the Steelers played to a tie that day – even though both teams reside in Pennsylvania – because he was busy getting beat down by the Indianapolis Colts. But the Eagles actually played Atlanta in the playoffs that season, which means for an entire week McNabb’s focus was on all things Falcons related. When Atlanta came to town with a 9-6-1 regular season record don’t you think McNabb might have thought “Hmmm … what’s that number in the third column?”

If you’re an Eagles fan (always know for their rational thoughts and calm demeanor), then you’ve got to be saying, “Are you kidding me?” Management should march down to the locker room immediately and ask backup quarterback Kevin Kolb, “Do you know the basic rules of professional football?” If the answer is yes, then he’s now the starter in Philly. It’s that simple. It’s inexcusable for a supposed team leader with a decade of experience to not know Football 101.

And if the rumors are true that head coach Andy Reid didn’t know that ties exist in pro football either (which would explain his team’s decision to punt three times in overtime), then he’s got to go too. Turn the team over to Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator, and send “Cheesesteak Andy” home to deal with his troubled family. We know that Philly is still hung over from winning their first championship in decades, but this is an embarrassment that should be taken seriously. You were willing to take action against Santa Claus. Now do the right thing and turn your attention to McNabb.

But that’s not the only craziness taking over the world of sports. Did you see the story about the 16-year-old girl who was drafted to play professional baseball in Japan?

Eri Yoshida, a 5-foot, 114-pound knuckleball pitcher, was selected by Kobe 9 Cruise in the Japanese League. Like a crap-tastic episode of 90210 or some terrible Disney movie, she’ll go from high school to the big leagues. Seriously. We’re not making this up.

Outside of the Olympics, the only time we’ve ever watched anything close to women playing professional sports was the movie “A League of their Own.” And let’s be honest – Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell were prominently involved, so that’s not exactly putting your best foot forward.

We’re heading dangerously close to “male cheerleader” territory here, which is never good. Let’s just go ahead and admit it now – this is a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong. The first time an opposing batter sends a line drive back up the middle it could very well kill the poor girl. Send her back to gym class while she’s still healthy and innocent and fire whoever thought it was a good idea to bring a “Sweet 16” into a clubhouse.

But the biggest news of the week is Brock Lesnar defeating Randy Couture to capture the heavyweight title at UFC 91. Forget that Lesnar, in just his fourth professional fight, was able to dethrone one of the most respected and established fighters in all of mixed martial arts. The fact is, a professional wrestler just won a real fight. Brock went from collecting a paycheck in the scripted World Wrestling Entertainment to knocking out the Ultimate Fighting Champion.

That’s roughly equivalent to the HoboTrashcan staff getting together for a night out on the town, when a drunken Ned Bitters (redundant, we know) decides to sign us up to play some Rock Band 2 at the bar. Courtney Enlow is singing lead, I’m playing lead guitar, Hobo Stu’s on the bass and Bitters is on the drums rocking out to “Hungry Like The Wolf” and next thing you know, we get signed by some big record label and ultimately win a Grammy.

Or how about this – after successfully guiding his fantasy football team, the Part-Time Models, to an improbable league championship, my brother is hired by the Detroit Lions to become their next general manager. After all, he’s already more qualified than former GM Matt Millen. His team won something.

Bottom line: stuff like this just isn’t supposed to happen. Vince McMahon and friends are in the business of entertaining, not actually bringing something real and tangible to the table. What’s next? Will Jerry “The King” Lawler actually become royalty? Will The Undertaker get a job at Arlington National Cemetery? Will Isaak Yankem become a legitimate dentist? Where does it end?

Note to self is a weekly sports column written for HoboTrashcan.

19Nov

vote for colt

In blog, football by b murf / November 19, 2008 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Last season 13 members of the Dallas Cowboys made the Pro Bowl. And although the game is completely irrelevant, that numbers didn’t sit well with those in and in support of the Washington Redskins.

This year, the ‘Skins front office vowed to take a different approach – thus the creation of Vote the Redskins Ticket, a campaign encouraging fans to vote Redskins players to the 2009 Pro Bowl. Out came buttons, banners and bumper stickers, all encouraging fans to take a stand and vote for the burgundy and gold. If fans can regularly vote for their favorite contestants on meaningless shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, then why can’t they do the same for their favorite football players?

So why are we bringing all of this up now? Here are the NFC’s 26 starters through this week, as voted by the fans:

Offense

QB – Drew Brees, New Orleans
RB – Clinton Portis, Washington
FB – Mike Sellers, Washington
WR – Santana Moss, Washington
WR – Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
TE – Chris Cooley, Washington
T – Chris Samuels, Washington
T – Flozell Adams, Dallas
G – Pete Kendall, Washington
G – Randy Thomas, Washington
C – Casey Rabach, Washington

Defense

DE – Justin Tuck, New York
DE – Andre Carter, Washington
DT – Cornelius Griffin, Washington
DT – Kedric Golston, Washington
OLB – DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
MLB – London Fletcher, Washington
OLB – Jason Taylor, Washington
CB – Shawn Springs, Washington
CB – Carlos Rogers, Washington
FS – LaRon Landry, Washington
SS – Chris “The Predator” Horton, Washington

Special Teams

K – Shaun Suisham, Washington
P – Ryan Plackemeier, Washington
KR – Rock Cartwright, Washington
ST – Khary Campbell, Washington

That’s right, folks. There are 21 Redskins players currently leading at their respective positions in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. The rest of the conference? They’ve got five (and only two come from outside of the NFC East). A year ago only Cooley, Samuels and long snapper Ethan Albright earned a trip to the Pro Bowl from the ‘Skins roster, so we’ll call that a slight improvement.

As a refresher, the selection process for the NFC and AFC squads consists of votes from coaches, players and fans. The consensus ballots of NFL fans, players and coaches each count one-third towards determining the rosters. So fans shouldn’t automatically expect to see half of the Redskins active roster in Hawaii this February.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t impressive. It is. Every NFL fan has the opportunity to vote for whomever he or she sees fit. It just so happens, they’re all voting Redskins. So keep up the good work, ‘Skins fans. It’s nice to show that the fans really do care – especially when all we’re hearing from the “real” media these days is that Redskins fans suck and give their tickets away to towel-waving Steelers fans.

If nothing else, maybe this will force the NFL to finally fix the Pro Bowl, which is nothing more than a glorified popularity contest anyways. And if 21 Redskins do make the Pro Bowl, can one of them buy a ticket for backup quarterback Colt Brennan? I hear he’s kind of popular out in Hawaii or something.

18Nov

hall of a playmaker

In blog, football by b murf / November 18, 2008 / 3 Comments

(photos by Brian Murphy)

As with most important things in life, we sought out cornerback Fred Smoot to find his opinion on the addition of cornerback DeAngelo Hall to what has now become a crowded Redskins secondary. Would the former “Love Boat Captain” welcome the addition of the talented, but sometimes troubled 24-year-old, or would he take it as a slap in the face from management, adding a Pro Bowler that could cut in to his own playing time?

“He’s a great addition,” Smoot said, when asked about his newest teammate. “The defensive backfield, we call it the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen because I don’t think nobody’s got the kind of superhero power in the backfield that we’ve got.”

Well then. That was easy. With that it was time to track down Hall and get his thoughts moments after his first game with the ‘Skins.

You talked about signing here because you were comfortable with the area. Obviously you’re familiar with Virginia growing up here and going to school at Virginia Tech. So let us ask, how was your first week on the job?

“It was good,” Hall said. “It felt good and I felt comfortable. I felt at home.”

And it didn’t take you very long to make an impact on the Redskins defense.

“Yeah, I was able to get the ball in my hands,” he said. “It was just a slant. T.O. kind of came off the ball aggressive, kind of knocked me off a little bit, but I stayed high on him. [Tony] Romo went front side first and then came back backside and just threw the ball a little bit behind him and I was able to get my hands on it.”

It had to feel pretty good to get that ball in your hands in the first quarter of your first game with the Washington Redskins, right?

“This is a great atmosphere,” he said. “There’s a lot of fans in this place and it’s a primetime game. Any time it’s a primetime game you feel so excited and so amped up. To get the ball in my hands did feel good.”

What have the coaches said to you as far as your role on this team for the remainder of the season?

“I don’t really know,” Hall said. “We haven’t really sat down and talked about it like that. We’ve got four great corners and the best ones are going to get on the field, however many we can get out there. However many packages we can work to get us all out there, that’s what we’re going to try and do.”

So you’re comfortable being a part of what Fred Smoot calls the “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?”

“Yeah, I’m definitely comfortable with that.”

For the record, both Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers are also on record as being pleased with the addition of Hall. All four guys seem to believe there’s plenty of playing time and opportunities for each of them and look forward to having talented peers alongside each other to help push the unit to a higher level. While it wasn’t great news for Leigh Torrence, everyone else in town should be pleased with what very well might be the deepest secondary in football.

And speaking of Hall’s local roots, the Redskins are currently offering a free Virginia Tech hoodie with the purchase of a DeAngelo Hall jersey. This will most likely go much smoother than the time the ‘Skins offered free Army recruitment with the purchase of a Robert McCune jersey.

17Nov

kiss the ring

In blog, football by b murf / November 17, 2008 / No Comments

(photos by Brian Murphy)

Lost in the aftermath of the Washington Redskins’ disappointing 14-10 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys is the fact that two of the franchise’s most popular players — wide receiver Art Monk and cornerback Darrell Green were honored prior to Sunday night’s game.

The two 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees received their Hall of Fame rings during a pre-game ceremony on the field prior to kickoff. The ceremony began with video highlights of the players’ respective careers and also included recorded comments from former teammates.

After Green’s 20-year career and Monk’s 14 years with the organization, it was a fitting tribute to two of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. There was much to be happy about Sunday night, but seeing two greats get their Hall of Fame rings in front of the fans who love them was something ‘Skins fans can remember fondly.

17Nov

cowboys playlist

In blog, football, playlist by b murf / November 17, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Let Down” by Radiohead

Spin it however you’d like, but things just aren’t clicking on the offensive side of the ball for the Redskins these days. If ever there was a game to be fired up for, it was this one. First of all, a win Sunday night against your hated rival effectively eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs. That’s always enjoyable. Then, you’ve got running back Clinton Portis, who everyone said there was no way he was playing, strapping it up and not only playing hurt, but starting. And oh, by the way, your two Hall of Famers – wide receiver Art Monk and cornerback Darrell Green – received their HOF rings in a ceremony before kickoff. Like we said, if the team couldn’t come out of the bye week with all of that going for them and get a win, then it’s time to start asking some serious questions.

2. “Show Me What You Got” by Jay-Z

One player who needs not be a part of the soul searching Clinton Portis. All week long we kept hearing that there was zero chance Portis would be able to play against the Cowboys, and yet, there he was warming up on the field before kickoff. We had a chance to talk to his mom down on the field about an hour before gametime and she told us that while her son wasn’t 100 percent, he was definitely going to play and give it everything he had. He knew how big this game was and there just wasn’t any way he was going to watch from the sidelines when his teammates needed him (commonly referred to as “pulling a Shawn Springs”). It matters not that Portis finished with 15 carries for 68 yards. Just seeing him tough it out and limping back to the sidelines in between plays showed everything you need to know about the Redskins’ best player.

3. “Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains

Outside of Portis, there are some major causes for concern with the ‘Skins offense, which has recorded just six touchdowns over the last five games. During that same span, the team has scored more than 20 points just once – and that was against the winless Detroit Lions. With the nation watching as Washington hosted back-to-back primetime games, the ‘Skins scored a grand total of one touchdown in losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.

This team needs to stick with what works. Go back to basics. Something. Because what we’re seeing right now is not an offense capable of any kind of consistent production. If this team can’t find a way to challenge opposing teams downfield, then it’s going to get awfully crowded at the line of scrimmage. If teams don’t respect or worry about getting beat by the deep ball, then you’re going to have eight defenders in the box ready to stuff Portis and the running game or blitz Campbell.

We’ve always been of the mindset that if you get a big turnover, then you come out on the next drive and go for the kill shot. Unfortunately it seems like this team has exactly one receiver (Moss, Santana) and one tight end (Chris Cooley) they can count on in the passing game. With Moss being the only legit deep threat, teams simply roll an extra defender to his side and take away the chance for the homerun play. If the ‘Skins don’t get some sort of contributions from Antwaan Randel El, James Thrash, Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly to help take the pressure off of Campbell and Moss, then it’s going to be a long second half of the season.

4. “Who Knew” by Eminem

Who knew that cornerbacks were actually allowed to intercept passes? Who knew that a Redskins defense could actually pick off two passes in the same game? Who knew that DeAngelo Hall, playing in his first game with the ‘Skins, would not only find himself in the defensive rotation, but would jump to second on the team in interceptions?

Sure, Oakland thought it was best for the franchise to release Hall after paying him $8 million for just eight games, but how many times have we seen a player find a new lease on life as soon as the are no longer in the Raiders organization? Hall is just 24 and is a two-time Pro Bowler. In the first quarter of his first game with the Redskins Hall showed why he’s considered a playmaker. He jumped on a Tony Romo pass intended for wide out Terrell Owens and actually came up with the interception. Hall simply being here gives this defense plenty of options and you’ve got to believe that if he reverts back to that Pro Bowl level he’s capable of that the team can officially say goodbye to Springs.

5. “Sad But True” by Metallica

Instead of harping on the negatives, we decided to end this week’s recap on a lighter note. The Philadelphia Eagles tied the Cincinnati Bengals 13-13 yesterday in the NFL’s first tie since 2002. But the best part is that franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb admitted after the game that he didn’t know it could end in a tie. In his post-game press conference McNabb said he thought there would be a second overtime if the score was still tied after one extra session.

Wow. Just wow.

The ‘Skins might have lost, but at least they know the basic rules of professional football.