OV's Goal and March Madness

What a great time of year it is! We have the NCAA tournament and hockey season is coming to an end which means the games are a little more intense.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal last night and it was followed by a little performance (Click here to watch the goal and celebration). Anyways, the celebration is making a huge stir on the message boards by all the hockey "purists". What a crock. Why does everyone have a problem with his celebrations? I've seen a ton of players celebrate in the same fashion that he does. Is it because he scores more than any other player so we have to see more celebrations? Or because he's Russian? I'm not saying what he did last night was ok, to me it was a little over the top. But, I do think it was more of a taunt directed to Don "OV is attention hungry" Cherry. Now, I could be wrong, but I'm guessing OV had a nice little sit down with the veterans (Kozlov, Federov, Clark), and Budreau to discuss this latest celebration and I'd be willing to bet we don't see anything like that again.

On to the NCAA tournament. There were some great games yesterday, but most were pretty predictable. I fill out these brackets every year and get whipped every year. I just can't seem to guess these games ever. However, yesterday I did quite well with my picks, only getting two wrong. Thats not bad for me. More importantly, the Terps had a nice little win, and they might have even found a blueprint for success against Memphis. Up until the last few minutes, Cal St Northridge was giving Memphis all they could handle. There one upset though(no I don't consider a 10 beating a 7 an upset) and several of the higher seeded teams gave other teams a run for their money. Unfortunately I missed the W. Kentucky-Illinois game. I definitely have a new sleeper even though they aren't much of a sleeper. Washington. They handled a team that a lot of people were picking to beat them.

I guess we'll have to wait till later today for the Cinderella to surface. Should be a great weekend of sports though. I'll post again Saturday. Have a goot one.

Great Night for Sports Last Night

If I were the Schwab, I would have given last nights games a "four bags of chips" rating. From top to bottom,you had upsets, a six-overtime game and if you support the local teams (Caps, Terps) it was even better.

UConn/Syracuse
First off, congratulations to Syracuse for a hell of a win against a top five opponent last night. I only wish I'd seen the game and not just the amazing highlights. The Orange never lead one time in o.t. Then for Syracuse to be so close to winning at the end of regulation, and never leading until the sixth o.t., to win the game is a testament to their strong will. Most teams would be so emotionally drained after celebrating, only to find out you have to play o.t. They never gave up. What an emotional roller coaster of a game.

Caps/Flyers
A lot has happened with the Caps the past six games including Budreau's first four game losing streak. There was a lot of talk about them not being as good as most people originally, and basically fans were panicking (myself included). Although, after the Pens game last Sunday I knew it wouldn't be long before they found their way to the "W" column. Then against Nashville, they got back to basics and simplified the game. They also played with a lot more aggression against Nashville. On to the game last night. They came out all business. You could tell from the time the puck dropped, they weren't going to play Philthy's game. They stayed within their boundaries and played solid defense while waiting for offensive opportunities. And I can't forget to mention that Theodore was "lights out". He made, in my opinion, his best save of the year by diving across the crease and catching the puck to rob Timonen of an open netter. That catch would make most MLB third basemen jealous.

Terps/Wolfpack
Back and forth, back and forth. That's how I'd summarize this game. Because the Caps game was on I could only switch back and forth between the two, but it seemed like every time I flipped the Maryland game on, there was another lead change. Either that or when I flipped it on I'd see Eric Hayes drain another three. It's about time Maryland has a good outside shooter. Of course I say that, but I can't truthfully say that I've religiously watched them over the past three or four seasons (who can blame me) so maybe they've had a good shooter or two. What a great win for the Terps. After being down by as much as 13 early in the game, they fought back and wouldn't go away. And for those of us that have criticized Gary Williams over the past few years, he's still a great coach. He made some great adjustments on the fly last night. But, they'll need to play another great game tonight against Wake if they want to ensure themselves a spot in the "Big Dance". They'll definitely need big games from Hayes and Vasquez.

Here's to an exciting weekend of College Basketball and hopefully, another Caps win. Have a goot one.

Topic Du Jour

Andre Smith

Prepare yourselves, because the blogosphere will be littered with posts about the shortcomings, and free fall of one Andre Smith, the Alabama tackle who was originally considered arguably the top tackle entering the 2009 NFL draft.

However, after making a poor impression at the NFL combine, and subsequently leaving early without notifying NFL personnel, Smith's stock began to drop. He claimed he was out of shape and wanted to leave the combine early so he could prepare himself for his school's Pro Day.

Well, that Pro Day was yesterday, and again, Smith did not impress. Not only was Smith posting poor numbers in the 40 yard dash, the vertical jump, and the bench press, he was noticeably out of shape. Not to mention, without being asked to do so, Smith removed his shirt prior to being weighed in, only to display his lack of upper body definition, and rolls and layers of fat.

Now, granted, an NFL O-lineman's 40 yard dash speed is likely never going to translate to the field; however, what it does display is the lack of commitment Smith possesses. After the combine debacle, Smith knew the pressure was on to impress at his Pro Day. And it is likely that had he prepared and performed well at his Pro Day, his combine mishap would have been history. Yet, he seemingly failed to meet this commitment, and once again, left NFL scouts with more concern than comfort.

One team thought to be interested in Smith is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are trying to get younger along the offensive line. They have made a step in the right direction with the signing of Derrick Dockery; however, the team desperately wants to replace Jon Jansen, easily the most suspect member of the O-line at this point of his long career (Jansen, however, has been a cornerstone throughout his career, and I believe he has been snubbed several times in Pro Bowl voting).

The Stephon Heyer experiment seems to have run its ground, and there is speculation the Redskins will turn to the draft to replace Jansen.

With Andre Smith in a free fall, many mock drafts have the Redskins taking him at #13. (Personally, I believe the Redskins will try to trade out of #13 - despite the availability of game changing pass rushers - and try to recoup multiple picks, while also avoiding a big monetary payout for an upper half 1st round player.)

Further incentive for the Redskins to take Smith is the presence of current left tackle Chris Samuels, also a Alabama alum. Smith apparently is a big fan of Samuels, which may cause brainiac Vinny Ceratto to believe Samuels can mentor Smith, and help him develop into the elite tackle NFL scouts projected he would be coming out of college.

Maybe he can...but if the NFL and millions of dollars isn't enough motivation, what can Chris Samuels offer this guy?

As a Redskins fan, I can only hope that - in this case - defense remains the focus of the offseason. To be honest, I would like to see the Redskins replace Jansen. I just hope they refrain from replacing Jansen with Smith. Smith may very well become the elite tackle he was supposed to. But at this point, he looks to be heading down Maurice Clarett avenue, and I would prefer the Redskins go DE or LB rather than picking Smith. That is, of course, unless one of the other top flight tackles are available.

Fighting in Hockey

Why is it that every year during hockey season, I hear the same lame argument that hockey should eliminate fighting. I'm listening to Mike and Mike and big surprise, Mike Greenberg thinks it's too violent and doesn't understand why it's allowed. You know what "Greeny", stick to sports you do understand and talk about them (that goes for everyone who doesn't follow hockey but still feels the need to chime in with their opinion).

Greenberg was saying that he thought hockey has lost viewers because of it's violence. Yeah, because boxing's not violent right Greeny? I understand people have their own opinions but as someone who has an audience, for him to discuss his point of views without educating himself first is absurd.

Fighting is as much a part of hockey as it is in boxing or mixed martial arts. Why don't people discuss them as much, because they realize that it's a part of the sport where they don't think it is in hockey. Also, for the record, hockey has gained viewers slowly but surely the past 4 years. Furthermore, it's my opinion that they would lose more fans by eliminating fighting then they would gain.

For those of you who are mild hockey fans or don't know too much about it, let me educate you on why guys fight.

First, pay attention to when there is a fight. Normally, a fight is initiated by a player who's team is losing by no more than two goals with plenty of time to come back. They use fighting as a tool to get their team and fans re-energized. You'll never see a player who's team is down by more than two goals start a fight unless one of his star players is roughed up by an opposing enforcer or antagonist which brings me to my next point.

Another use for the fight is to intimidate opposing antagonist or enforcers. You don't want players on other teams to think your team is soft and that they can bully your star players. For instance, the Capitals have Donald Brashear for the sole reason of protecting OV, Green, Backstrom, and Semin.

Don't think there aren't tough guys in other sports like Baseball and Football either. What happens when a base runner slides and spikes one of your players? I guarantee more times than not, that same player is gonna go to the locker room with a bruise on his back from a fastball. Or when a defensive lineman gives a quarterback a shot after the whistle? There will be some retaliation from someone. That is just the way sports are played.

Bottom line is most of the time, these players aren't fighting each other to injure someone or even because they dislike each other. It's used as a strategy, and a tool. I won't sit here and say that these players do like one another, but it is far from why they fight.

So Greeny, and all of the other sportswriters and columnists, I hope you learned something today... I rule!

Items of Interest (to me) Around the NFL

Dallas' New Stadium

The Dallas Cowboys will open their new stadium this season, which is built to seat 100,000 fans. I'm sure fans of the Cowboys (the real one's who actually live in Texas) are excited about this new stadium. I'm, sure they think they will have the loudest stadium in the league now.

Don't count on it.

The thing about stadiums this large is that the home team's fans can't fill it - especially in this economy. Just look at FedEx Field. You can't tell me it has anything to do with the fanbase, because there's no denying the Redskins have one of the most loyal and energetic fanbases in the league. No, it's because when you have a stadium this big, fans and/or corporations which have bought the season tickets (and in the Cowboys' case, PSLs) sell their seats on the Internet when they can't, or choose not to attend. Thus, you get hords of fans from the visiting teams taking over your stadium (see: MNF, Redskins vs. Steelers, 2008).

So, while Cowboys posers around the world are waiting with excitement, the new stadium will likely be littered with fans of the opposition. Not to mention that most Cowboy fans are bandwagon fans anyway, and being as they are in quite a playoff drought, many of the current Dallas fans may soon be converting to New York Giants fans, or Patriot fans, or, dare I say, Arizona Cardinals fans...

Redskins Talking to Daniels, Wynn

Huh?

Wait, let me soak this in for a minute. The Redskins cut Jason Taylor, and let Demetric Evans walk without so much as an offer, but they are negotiating with Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn? C'mon!

Listen, Wynn and Daniels are serviceable, at best. In fact, Daniels is still a really good run stuffer. But what are they doing here?

I can understand cutting Jason Taylor considering his passive play last season, his bloated contract this season, and the fact he refused to workout at Redskins Park during the offseason. I get that - cut bait. It was quite a loss, what with the 2nd and 6th round pick Vinny sent down to Parcells last year. But like with any gamble, you win some, but you lose most - and the Redskins (Vinny Ceratto) lost with this one.

But you can't justify letting Demetric Evans walk out of here without so much as an offer when your alternative plan is to negotiate a comeback of Daniels and Wynn.

Just ridiculous.

LaDainian Tomlinson

How quickly the door shuts...

LT used to be the premier back in the NFL. Now, he is in negotiations with the Chargers to come back, though making less than his back up. Well, c'est la vie. This seems to be the way it goes with running backs. They have such a short shelf life.

Personally, I think LT should forget about the Chargers and move on to the Saints. Reporters and bloggers are all discussing his fit in New Orleans, and a nice fit it would be. He'd be reunited with Drew Brees, and he'd immediately be the best running back on the roster (because Reggie Bush is a BUST).

In my own opinion, though, I feel that LT is a bit overrated. He's a good back, definitely. But he is not much of a gamer. He is always hurt in the big games, and both of the past two times his team was in the playoffs, he let them down because he was sitting on the sideline. I actually never thought he was overrated until I heard John Riggins point it out on his old radio show. But after he mentioned it, and I began paying attention, I agreed - LT is vastly overrated.

Redskins Pushing Their Season Ticket Myth

I received a letter in the mail two or three days ago. I was finally at the top of the notorious 200,000+ person Redskins Season Tickets Waiting List...please!

Who do they think they are kidding? I receive this letter almost every other season, sometimes consecutive seasons. There is no 200k+ waiting list. This is a ploy to make you think, "gee, I should buy these tickets now, because if I don't, I may never, ever, ever have another chance to get Redskins season tickets." Well, I'm here to tell you that, yes, you will have many opportunities to buy Redskins season tickets for some time to come.

Much of FedEx Field's lower bowl was originally bought up by corporations - the same corporations that are now going bankrupt due to the failing economy. These companies are selling these tickets, or just defaulting on them all together as they claim bankruptcy.

Not to mention all of the people who have decided not to renew their tickets because they lost their jobs, don't consider season tickets as a necessity, or have just grown tired of the pathetic product fielded year in and year out.

So, to confront the situation, the Redskins have launched an all-out blitz to fill the stadium. They are mailing these "Congratulations, you have reached the top of the list" letters. And worse, they have made a hokey-pokey video to try to push these tickets on you. Click here to see.

Terrel Owens

Okay, Redskins fans, it's okay to exhale now. It's official. TO signed with the Buffalo Bills, thus making it impossible (trade notwithstanding) for Vinny Ceratto to sign him.

I have to admit, TO was a nice, divisive presence on the Cowboys' roster, and I will miss the circus aspect of his presence on their roster. No matter the talent they had, you knew that, with TO on the team, they were going nowhere. Now, that's gone...too bad.

Anyway, I guess when you're a coach in Dick Jauron's position, you have to do anything you can to muster up a few wins. And, honestly, I think he'll get those wins. TO is always obedient in his first season, and that's all the Bills signed him to - one season (though, undoubtedly - as did the Cowboys - the Bills will re-sign him to a 3 year deal after the season).

But, while I doubt the Bills will win their division, I think this move will actually HELP Trent Edwards. I know...everyone is worried about Trent Edwards because of Owens' past with QBs. But, Edwards is a good QB, on the verge of being a very good QB - and I think TO will get him there.

The only problem for TO is that the Patriots signed his nemesis - Shawn Springs. If there's a corner in the league who can shut down TO, it's Springs.

Anyway, now we have a reason to watch the Bills in '09.

A Big Gain Sometimes Overshadows a Significant Loss

Here in Redskins Nation, the annual (save for last season) offseason shopping spree and subsequent buzz is upon us. All of us are wondering just how much better the 4th-ranked defense will be this season with the addition of Albert Haynesworth.

I admit, the signing has me a bit excited - though I was firmly against it before it went down.

While I knew Haynesworth was quite a talent, I was against it strictly from a financial point of view. But, I realize now that I should not concern myself with the Redskins' financial situation. I have no idea how they are able to manipulate the cap year after year, but they do. So, from now on, I will think about player acquisition only in terms of what that player can and cannot do on the field (not that my opinion matters).

So what can Haynesworth do for the Redskins? A lot, indeed. However, who knows which Haynesworth the Redskins are getting? Are they getting the ridiculous player of the past two seasons? The virtually unblockable player? Or...are they getting the lazy, overweight, unmotivated player who played for six years prior to his ascension to NFL Icon?

Who knows?

But lost in this signing is the news of Demetric Evans. The Redskins reportedly told Drew Rosenhaus prior to the Free Agency period that Evans was not in their plans.

My question: WHY?

This is the Redskins of the past ten years in a nutshell (see: Antonio Pierce, Ryan Clark, etc). These are the effort guys. The guys who a team is built around. It's true, you have to have some first round, blue chip players on your team. But when you look at teams that are successful year in and year out, it's the blue collar, effort guys who make up the majority of those teams (see: Steelers, Patriots, Eagles, etc).

Demetric Evans is a guy who can play every position on the defensive line (mind you, a glaring weakness on this team). Evans is a guy who gives you 15-30 snaps a game without complaint of where he's lining up, or in what scheme which you may be using him. He is strictly a motor guy who wants to impact the game.

So, while the Redskins just made the biggest splash (shocker) of the offseason, and once again reclaimed their rightful position of Kings of the NFL Offseason by signing Albert Haynesworth, it is yet to be seen how the loss of Demetric Evans will effect the team.

And just for the record, I believe Evans will become a household name across the league this season. Not only is he a hardworking guy, but now he has a major chip on his shoulder.

I personally wish him all the luck.

Likewise, I wish Albert Haynesworth luck. Because, though no fault of his own, if he stumbles, and Evans succeeds, Haynesworth and his phat/fat (who knows?) bank account will be the recipients of enormous pressure.

Anyway, Hail...

So It's Been A While...

Hello to all three of you that actually read this blog. It's been quite a while since my last post but now that I'm back from training I have a lot more time to discuss some things. So what's happened since my last post... the Super Bowl which was a great game (although I'm a little disappointed the Cards didn't pull it off), A-Roid got caught doing what every other Baseball player has been doing for the past 20 or more years (I love Jose Canseco, he's always telling the truth), the start of NFL free agency and Fat Albert signing with the Skins (more on that later). What else, oh, the (we can't trade away our future even though the future is now) Caps didn't make any moves while every team they're competing with got stronger, and today's news, T.O. is homeless.

While I love that that crybaby got released, I'm a little worried that the Cowboys or Jerry Jones have finally screwed their heads on right. I was loving the Tank, Pacman, T.O. show. They were a time-bomb last year waiting to explode. Hopefully this divides their locker room into with/against T.O. factions. They still have the heartless, choking Tony Romo on their team, so that's good (I believe he was just as much a distraction as T.O).

On to the signing of "Fat" Albert. I am torn on this signing as are most Redskins fans. I mean yeah, his upside is great and he is a dominating player, that's a fact. But worth $100 million, I don't know. I've read that his deal is really a four year, $48 million contract, but my question is, couldn't they have addressed several needs for the same amount of money? They need D-line help, Linebacker help, O-line help, and some still say they need another WR. They could have addressed all these needs had they not signed him. I guess I'm glad that they finally decided to go after lineman. There was Dana Stubblefat and Sean Gilbert (we all know how those two turned out), but I'm cautiously optimistic that big Al will be a much better fit. Those others I previously mentioned didn't fit the Redskins defensive scheme. I don't believe that to be the case with Haynesworth. He is a monster no matter what scheme he's in.

Anyways, good to be back and I hope you enjoyed my latest addition.