11Jul

caption this

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Today seems to be a slow news day, so just for the heck of it, I invite you all to provide your best caption for this photo I took last year just before halftime of the Washington Redskins-Chicago Bears game at FedEx Field.

I’ll get us started with my humble offering:

“When I said let’s play dress up, this is NOT what I had in mind!”

or how about:

“Don Breaux and Billy Baldwin have a friendship like no other.”

[Update: We have a winner. Milhouse44 takes ‘best in show’ with the following caption: “The Fed Ex Field fans don’t know to shut up on offensive 3rd Downs and they just started ‘The Wave’ in the Upper Deck…..just take me home Rudolph.” Thanks to everyone for the creative comments. We’ll have to do this again.]

10Jul

note: the next big thing

(courtesy photo)

Lately, I’ve been hearing grumblings from a lot of restless sports fans because they feel there’s nothing worth tuning in for during these dog days of summer. Football training camps are still a month away, most NBA and NHL teams have no money or no interest in the free agents available and even Tiger Woods can’t be bothered to show up for his own golf tournament. So unless you’re a diehard baseball purist who enjoys 18-17 pitcher’s duels, you’re pretty much out of luck. Or so they say.

While most folks were forced to watch the Serena and Venus battle in the “women’s” final at Wimbledon or Kyle Busch win another NASCAR race, I was at my local watering hole watching the most exciting sporting event of the weekend, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC 86 pay-per-view.

So in honor of the octagon, here are eight reasons why folks should tune in and see what they’re missing with the UFC:

1. Joe Rogan – You may remember him from such hits as Fear Factor and News Radio, but Rogan is the color commentator for UFC broadcasts. And much like when he’s at a Carlos Mencia comedy show, Rogan’s not afraid to call people out when he feels it’s warranted.

But don’t think that Joe’s just brought in because he’s a Hollywood name. No, the man knows his stuff. That’s probably because he first started mixed martial arts at the age of 13.

Fun fact: Rogan can probably kick your ass – he’s a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsui.

2. The Octagon Girls – Click this link.

Fun fact: Nuf’ said.

Click here for the rest of the article.

10Jul

just another day at the office

If you were even remotely surprised that Elton Brand left the Los Angeles Clippers at the alter for a bigger payday (a five-year, $79.8 million contract) from the mediocre Philadelphia 76ers, then you, my friend, are a moron.

That because, as a general rule, professionals athletes will almost always take the money and run. To me, this is as newsworthy as Britney Spears leaving the house without panties or an Olsen twin with an eating disorder. The fact that people are pretending to be shocked is absurd. Riddle me this Batman, if the guy wanted to truly stay with the Clippers, then why did he opt out of his contract in the first place?

And while we’re on the subject, if you think Gilbert Arenas did something noble by “giving money back to the organization,” then you too, are a moron. Arenas didn’t do anything. He was played perfectly by Wiz general manager “Big” Ernie Grunfeld, who was able to stroke Gilbert’s ego by offering a max contract when free agency kicked off at 12:01 a.m., but also put heat on Agent Zero by saying, “If you take the max deal, we won’t be able to bring in another player for the next several years.”

If Arenas was really giving the Wizards some sort of hometown discount, he’d have taken half the money he did and truly put them in a position to build a championship caliber roster. As previously stated on this blog, this team is capable of making the playoffs and nothing more. Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are solid players and fun to watch, but they’re never going to be a threat to the handful of teams actually able to contend for a championship year in and year out. Winning teams score points in the paint and play sound defense, two areas this team has no interest in improving upon. But with the bar being set so low after years of Wes Unseld at the wheel, anything Grunfeld does is an improvement – including the annual one-and-done playoff routine the Wiz and Cleveland Cavaliers have worked out.

09Jul

long live the ladies’ man

(photo by Brian Murphy)


When you want it done right, you gotta go north of the border.

While that may not be the case in most instances, it definitely applies to all things hockey. And that is why, I would like to turn your attention to a few articles currently featured on the TSN Canada website (think ESPN, without the suck). For starters, the Washington Capitals have re-signed Brooks “Ladies’ Man” Laich to a three-year deal worth a little over $6 million. On top of that, TSN is also reporting that the Caps have re-signed Sergei Federov to a one-year deal worth $4 million. This, my friends, is what we in the business call “great news.”

Laich, whom some of you may remember the Caps acquired in the Peter Bondra deal, posted career highs in goals (21), assists (16) and points (37) last year. And while the ladies may love him for different reasons, Caps fans embraced the 25-year-old for being one of the few players in our nation’s capitals who showed a consistent willingness to post up in front of the net, even if it meant taking a beating from opposing defensemen. On a team largely comprised of finesse players, Laich isn’t afraid of doing the dirty work.

Speaking of finesse players, how great is it to have Federov back in town? The 17-year-veteran may have only been a Capital since the trade deadline, but I’ve yet to find a Caps fan who didn’t want him back for another season. The guy will forget more about hockey than most players will ever know, and the fact that he’ll head into next season as the third center (behind Nicklas Backstrom and Michael Nylander) is a wonderful luxury that most teams simply cannot afford.

And finally, I would like to direct your attention to this feature story on the Capitals’ next star, Karl Alzner. If you’re looking for a young stud defenseman to complement Alex Ovechkin and friends, this is your man. As a member of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, Alzner earned defenseman of the year and player of the year honors. Oh, and he captained Canada’s gold-winning squad at the world junior tournament too. Needless to say, this guy is the real deal.

Unlike the Nationals, the Caps are quickly becoming must-see TV.

08Jul

way down in the hole

In murf by b murf / July 8, 2008 / No Comments

Thom Loverro of The Washington Times has an interesting interview on his blog with David Simon, the brilliant mind who created “The Wire.” Apparently the two gentlemen worked together nearly 20 years ago at The Sun. That doesn’t really matter to me, but anyone who does know me knows I’m a huge fan of Simon’s work, especially “The Wire.” In fact, my brother and I have interviewed seemingly half the cast of the show over the course of it’s five seasons – “Cutty” Wise, Sgt. Jay Landsman, Chris Partlow, “Wee-Bey” Brice, Senator Clay Davis, Maury Levy, Cedric Daniels (twice), Omar Little (twice) and “Bunny” Colvin.

While we’re sad that “The Wire” is gone, we still are very much fans of Simon’s work, and are looking forward to his upcoming HBO miniseries, called “Generation Kill.” This interview with Loverro is interesting because it focuses on sports, which you don’t get to see Simon talk much about. Some of the highlights include:

– Simon grew up a Washington Senators fan, but grew to like the Baltimore Orioles.
– He’s won his fantasy baseball league five out of the last eight years, and would like to make a baseball movie one day.
– Oh, and he’s not a fan of Bud Selig and the “powers that be” in Major League Baseball after turning down a request to film a scene from season five at Camden Yards. I’ll let Simon take over from here:

“But let me say this about the official side of Major League Baseball: They can kiss my pale, white ass. Seriously. Although that sequence reflected in no negative way on baseball itself — a reporter was making up a story about a handicapped fan for his own benefit — MLB considered our request to film on stadium property and use MLB logos and then denied the request. Unless our drama pretty much exalts baseball as the greatest game ever played by the greatest bunch of people ever to play a game, MLB will not allow the use of its logos or facilities in any act of storytelling. I find this cowardly and venal and offensive. A game that claims to be the national pastime should be confident enough and respectful enough of independent storytelling to allow itself to be seen within the context of ordinary American life. The script that we showed to MLB said nothing at all negative about the game itself; it showed a reporter being dishonest. But even that dynamic was too scary for the gutless, lawyerly humps who surround the commissioner’s office. Apparently, baseball can only be depicted as a part of American life when it is glorified or marketed in the most wholesome manner.

Simon even admits to adding a couple of potshots directed at Bud Selig later on because of baseball’s unwillingness to cooperate with the Scott Templeton storyline. Considering the whole point was that this journalist was making up stories and quotes and they were just using opening day in the local market to show how unethical Templeton was, it really does make you wonder why MLB would shoot it down. Either way, I’ve always been a fan of David Simon, and never cared for Bud Selig, so it’s all-too predictable that I’d run something here.

07Jul

(the other) alexander the great

How many players make such a lasting impression on a fan that they can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing the moment this guy arrived on the scene? Not very many.

But there’s no doubt, when it comes to Lorenzo Alexander, the chubby-faced University of California alum, the exact moment when he etched his name into the memories of Redskins fans.

It was Saturday, August 11, and the ‘Skins were in Nashville to take on the Titans in an otherwise irrelevant preseason game. I, on the other hand, was at my buddy Dave’s house, enjoying an ice-cold Stone Mill Pale Ale while catching up with my old roommate. The rookie defensive tackle showed what he’s made of when he lost his helmet, but was still able to chase down Titans quarterback Tim Rattay. He collided with a teammate and ended up needing six stitches, but that one play may have been enough proof to the ‘Skins coaching staff that the former practice squad player was worthy of a roster spot while simultaneously earning him cult status among the rabid Redskins fanbase.

His response? “My mom’s just happy I have all my teeth,” Alexander said.

But that was only the beginning. Once he secured a place on the 53-man roster, Alexander continued his unlikely climb from former undrafted free agent to vital member of a playoff team. While he earned his place as a defensive tackle, the coaching staff saw something in the 6’1″ and 300 lb. defensive lineman. Next thing you know, Alexander is taking snaps in practice as the sixth offensive lineman in the team’s jumbo package.

For the season, Alexander was officially credited with four tackles in the 13 games he played in. But simple stats don’t do the man justice. By the time the season ended, Alexander played defensive tackle, offensive guard, tight end, fullback and special teams for the Redskins, making him a rare triple threat in the modern NFL. A Joe Gibbs team always needs players that are super smart who are willing to fight their guts out. Clearly, Alexander was meant to play for the Hall of Fame coach.

I was able to chat with Alexander after the heart-breaking loss to the Bills, and again after the ‘Skins season ended with a playoff loss to the Seahawks. I asked this guy for an interview less than a week after losing a friend and teammate to senseless violence and again minutes after his team’s season ended, and yet, both times I walked away thinking to myself that he’s a likable, stand-up guy. While others may be willing to make excuses or disappear from the locker room before the media is allowed in, Alexander was always available during both the good and the bad.

During this offseason, when I’ve seen Alexander around Redskins Park, I’ve often joked with him that I need to be his agent because he’s the hardest working man in the NFL, willing and able to play iron man football. He’s always laughs and says he enjoys playing both offense and defense, and that he hopes the team continues to let him go both ways.

And when he’s not at the Park, Lorenzo is still keeping busy. In June, he headed back home to California to host the Lorenzo Alexander ACES Foundation “Hold the Line” Football Camp, a free camp for 200 or so youngsters. It’s fitting Alexander would make time for the next generation of football players, because if we were making a list of players who these young men should model their games after, he’d definitely make the list.

(photo by Brian Murphy)
02Jul

never a dull moment

A day after the Wizards brought back Antawn Jamison, the Capitals stepped up and re-signed a vital piece of their roster, by inking offensive defenseman Mike Green to a four-year, $21 million contract. The budding superstar led the NHL in scoring by a defenseman, and although he was a restricted free agent, other teams were still very much interested in the youngster. That’s probably because at 22 years old, Green was the youngest player to lead defensemen in goals since Paul Coffey back in 1981-82.

With lesser names earning bigger bucks on day one of free agency, the longer this dragged out, the more costly it would have been for the home team. There’s always going to be a need for a blueliner who can play defense and light the lamp, and the Caps should be commended for getting this done quickly.

Then, came the big swerve of the day – the Caps signed Colorado Avs goalie Jose Theodore to a two-year, $9 million deal. This happened because Christobal Huet, the guy the team traded for Feb. 26th last season, spurned the team in order to grab a few extra bucks elsewhere. Turns out that Caps general manager George McPhee called Huet’s people and said, “We want Huet back in town, so what’s it going to take to get this done?” Huet’s agent said they were looking for a three-year, $15 million deal, and so that’s what McPhee offered them. Instead of taking the offer they asked for, they shopped it around for more money, ultimately netted a four-year, $22 million deal courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks. Feeling used, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis blogged to let folks know that the only reason Huet left town is greed, and not because of a lack of effort on the team’s part.

Rounding out the day, former face of the franchise Olaf Kolzig signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning worth $1.5 million plus incentives. I love Olie, but I can’t help but think he and former Caps captain Jeff Halpern can room together on the road next season and enjoy another year of playing on a rebuilding hockey team. At least new coach/old talking head Barry Melrose will be able to break down their post-game highlights after losing another 6-2 game to teams actually capable of playing defense.

All in all, things worked out well for the Caps. They got one of the two guys they targeted, but more impressively, the moved quickly to lock in Theodore as soon as they figured out Huet was playing games. There were only two game-changing goalies available this offseason, so when one guy tried to screw them over, McPhee acted swiftly and brought in a former Vezina Trophy and NHL most valuable player. As far as backup plans go, that’s about as good as it gets. And for a team that promised to be quiet this offseason, that’s an awfully exciting day one.

All that’s left to do before next season is:

1. Re-sign Brooks Laich for me.
2. Re-sign Sergei Fedorov for my main man, Steve.
3. Take Brian Pothier out back, shoot him and put him out of his misery (and more importantly, get his $2.5-million deal off of the books).

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