After Shaun (yeah that's actually how he spells it) Suisham missed the chippy on Sunday, that eventually spelled doom for the Skins after LaRon "What is this position of Safety you speak of" Landry botched another coverage, I said to myself, "This tool needs to be cut". Bottom Line, you miss a 23 yarder, with any game on the line - unless Tony Romo is your holder - your ass needs to be on the next flight out of town. Anyway, the Skins waited a couple of days, mulled the decision over, and brought in some kickers to tryout, before they cut Suisham, negating the "accountability" message that you try to send by cutting a kicker before he gets on the bus after a loss.
Since Shaun got the axe, I've seen way too much of the following..."He's just a scapegoat for the team blowing the game to the Saints" or "Great idea Danny and Vinny, everybody else screwed up, so fire the kicker" or "he had made 18 straight to start the season...and he'd only missed three field goals...and he's nice...and he's Canadian...and, and, and". E-NOUGH! Seriously folks, that "hoser" (Canadian Tribute) has missed every big kick that he's ever tried.
2007 Playoffs against Seattle - botches a 30 yarder that would have put us up by 4; Seahawks take the momentum back, score…we lose
2009 vs. Dallas - Zorn plays for the field goal, (which I knew was stupid, but what does Zorn do that isn't stupid nowadays) Suisham misses from 50, this after he had already missed a 39 yarder at the end of the half.
Last week - you miss a 23 yarder, that would clinch a win over a team, that now may go undefeated...sorry boss, you lose.
Like I told someone Sunday Night; the UFL ended the day after Thanksgiving; the Grey Cup Game ended the CFL season last weekend. That's 12 teams...one of their kickers has to be able to do better than this douche. We'll find out on Sunday in Oakland..."Graham Gano, COME ON DOWN"!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The guy's just a douche...
I played 5 seasons of College Football. Two years of club ball at George Mason, and three seasons in Division III at Hampden-Sydney. When I was first being recruited to HSC, they told me about their quarterback. He was a senior starter who was going have all the passing records by the time he was done. Seemed perfect right? Not so much. Admittedly we didn't have the best talent, but you'd think that a record setting QB would lift us up; didn't happen that way. If you were looking for all the bad qualities in a quarterback, this guy had them. He REALLY didn't like to get hit, he didn't like to work out, and he'd claim injuries bad enough to keep him from practicing, while never managing to get into the training room to get them worked on (which called his injuries into question). Add all of that to the fact that he really wasn't too friendly with most of the guys on the team and the whole situation wasn't good for morale.
Fast forward to the next year. We bring in a Quarterback who hadn't played in three years, but at one point had been a successful high school QB. He was also kinda goofy and deaf in one ear. But the guy played his ass off, was fearless, talked to everybody and played with injuries (separated shoulder in his first game). Despite the fact the guy wasn't the biggest fan of working out, we still loved him and played hard alongside our quarterback.
That story isn't exactly analagous to the Skins fight in the Georgia Dome with Falcons, but it’s pretty darn close. Earlier in the week on his radio show, Lavar Arrington was incredulous about how slow DeAngelo Hall's Redskins teammates were to come to his aid after he was surrounded by Falcons on their sideline (remember, that's after Hall ran over there, to extract late hitting LaRon Landry from the situation - though it looked like Hall was more interested in jawing than peacemaking)
From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog
"You want to know what type of team you're cheering for, pull that clip up. Pull that up.... You had no heart. I don't care, you hearing me say it? Good. I don't need to be afraid, I don't need to be nervous. I see y'all don't get down like that. Y'all don't get down like no true riders....
"They're swarming DeAngelo, and nobody's helping him. I would have been up in that pile, oh, I'm telling you, it would have been WWF up in there.....I could have counted on one hand how many dudes was standing there, watching it. Watching it. That's why we can't win. You want to know why we can't win? It's clear and simple. That's why we can't win....
"I don't even know that I would rampage the way that I'm rampaging right now if it was the offense, because I know they're soft. I know you've got a bunch of soft dudes on the offensive side. This is the wrong side of the ball to see the behavior that we saw on Sunday. I'm sorry. Bodies should have been flying....
"There's gonna be a head count when I get finished, or you're gonna be picking me up off of the ground, whichever one comes first. I am all in. I would have ran into that crowd 100 miles an hour, smoking. Call me stupid, call me dumb, call me boneheaded, call me undisciplined, call me what you want to call me. That's a coach grabbing on my teammate, that's the head coach pushing on my teammate, saying I'm gonna kick your [behind]. I am running in that pileup head on, 100 miles an hour, let's go, CHOO CHOO! I don't care if I've got to walk in the locker room after that. I don't care. That's heart. We're playing with heart. I saw no heart. I saw no heart. I saw no dedication, no accountability for my fellow man out there on that field, and it came from the side of the ball that I would have never thought it would have came from."
Ok...in most situations I agree with LaVar. You have to stand up for your teammates, especially if the other team is intimidation mode. You have to show they aren't going to push you around.
But, this is a special case. Notice a few things from the fight; it seemed like the whole Falcon team was ready to kill DeAngelo Hall. Maybe that's because he was about to get in a fight with their head coach, maybe not. Maybe it’s the fact that the folks left over from Hall's time in Atlanta think he's selfish, overrated and was a bad teammate. Over on the other side of the ball, maybe the Skins didn’t rush to his aid because they’re all soft and have no heart. Maybe the Skins Defense didn’t defend him because they’re tired of DeAngelo getting paid much more than most everyone else, while not making textbook NFL tackles (Carolina game - Jake Delhomme, Atlanta game - Michael Turner, Giants game - Mario Manningham) due to a lack of effort or guts. I know, I know, DeAngelo gets paid to intercept passes, not tackle. Well, he's not Deion (thank goodness, I couldn't go through that again) and I've got 10 and 11 year olds on my B-League team that can make interceptions on tipped balls. Ain't that big of a deal and don’t get me started on how this guy points the finger every week, while never changing the way he plays.
I could be wrong on all of this; it’s possible. But put it this way; if it had been London Fletcher, or Cornelius Griffin or Rocky MacIntosh or LaRon Landry (and remember Landry was on the sideline before he calmly walked back on the field with the man he hit, Matt Ryan) or any other RESPECTED member of the team, would the Skins have sat idly by and let their teammate get roughed up?
Fast forward to the next year. We bring in a Quarterback who hadn't played in three years, but at one point had been a successful high school QB. He was also kinda goofy and deaf in one ear. But the guy played his ass off, was fearless, talked to everybody and played with injuries (separated shoulder in his first game). Despite the fact the guy wasn't the biggest fan of working out, we still loved him and played hard alongside our quarterback.
That story isn't exactly analagous to the Skins fight in the Georgia Dome with Falcons, but it’s pretty darn close. Earlier in the week on his radio show, Lavar Arrington was incredulous about how slow DeAngelo Hall's Redskins teammates were to come to his aid after he was surrounded by Falcons on their sideline (remember, that's after Hall ran over there, to extract late hitting LaRon Landry from the situation - though it looked like Hall was more interested in jawing than peacemaking)
From Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog
"You want to know what type of team you're cheering for, pull that clip up. Pull that up.... You had no heart. I don't care, you hearing me say it? Good. I don't need to be afraid, I don't need to be nervous. I see y'all don't get down like that. Y'all don't get down like no true riders....
"They're swarming DeAngelo, and nobody's helping him. I would have been up in that pile, oh, I'm telling you, it would have been WWF up in there.....I could have counted on one hand how many dudes was standing there, watching it. Watching it. That's why we can't win. You want to know why we can't win? It's clear and simple. That's why we can't win....
"I don't even know that I would rampage the way that I'm rampaging right now if it was the offense, because I know they're soft. I know you've got a bunch of soft dudes on the offensive side. This is the wrong side of the ball to see the behavior that we saw on Sunday. I'm sorry. Bodies should have been flying....
"There's gonna be a head count when I get finished, or you're gonna be picking me up off of the ground, whichever one comes first. I am all in. I would have ran into that crowd 100 miles an hour, smoking. Call me stupid, call me dumb, call me boneheaded, call me undisciplined, call me what you want to call me. That's a coach grabbing on my teammate, that's the head coach pushing on my teammate, saying I'm gonna kick your [behind]. I am running in that pileup head on, 100 miles an hour, let's go, CHOO CHOO! I don't care if I've got to walk in the locker room after that. I don't care. That's heart. We're playing with heart. I saw no heart. I saw no heart. I saw no dedication, no accountability for my fellow man out there on that field, and it came from the side of the ball that I would have never thought it would have came from."
Ok...in most situations I agree with LaVar. You have to stand up for your teammates, especially if the other team is intimidation mode. You have to show they aren't going to push you around.
But, this is a special case. Notice a few things from the fight; it seemed like the whole Falcon team was ready to kill DeAngelo Hall. Maybe that's because he was about to get in a fight with their head coach, maybe not. Maybe it’s the fact that the folks left over from Hall's time in Atlanta think he's selfish, overrated and was a bad teammate. Over on the other side of the ball, maybe the Skins didn’t rush to his aid because they’re all soft and have no heart. Maybe the Skins Defense didn’t defend him because they’re tired of DeAngelo getting paid much more than most everyone else, while not making textbook NFL tackles (Carolina game - Jake Delhomme, Atlanta game - Michael Turner, Giants game - Mario Manningham) due to a lack of effort or guts. I know, I know, DeAngelo gets paid to intercept passes, not tackle. Well, he's not Deion (thank goodness, I couldn't go through that again) and I've got 10 and 11 year olds on my B-League team that can make interceptions on tipped balls. Ain't that big of a deal and don’t get me started on how this guy points the finger every week, while never changing the way he plays.
I could be wrong on all of this; it’s possible. But put it this way; if it had been London Fletcher, or Cornelius Griffin or Rocky MacIntosh or LaRon Landry (and remember Landry was on the sideline before he calmly walked back on the field with the man he hit, Matt Ryan) or any other RESPECTED member of the team, would the Skins have sat idly by and let their teammate get roughed up?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The latest story illustrating why the Skins will never win big again...
From Deadspin.com by Drew Magary http://deadspin.com/5401513/if-dan-snyder-sees-bugs-you-better-well-see-them-too
I heard this story on LaVar Arrington's 106.7 FM radio show here in DC last week. A fan called in to tell Arrington and co-host Chad Dukes about an exterminator he knew. The exterminator was called to Snyder's house to spray for pests. When the exterminator arrived, the housekeeper instructed him where to go spray. But the exterminator found no signs of pests in the space. He came down to tell the housekeeper there was no need to spray, and he didn't want to take Snyder's money for a service the Redskins owner didn't need performed (clearly, this man was honest to a fault).
The housekeeper insisted the exterminator spray the area anyway, telling the man that Snyder hated to be told he was wrong, and that it would be better for everyone if he simply sprayed the area, took his money, and went about his business. But, he explained, there's nothing there. There's no need to spray. She insisted. Apparently, you REALLY do not want to tell Dan Snyder there are no pests in his house if he believes otherwise. So the man sprayed the area for no reason, took Snyder's money, and left.
And now you know why the Redskins are considering signing Larry Johnson.
God help us here in DC.
I heard this story on LaVar Arrington's 106.7 FM radio show here in DC last week. A fan called in to tell Arrington and co-host Chad Dukes about an exterminator he knew. The exterminator was called to Snyder's house to spray for pests. When the exterminator arrived, the housekeeper instructed him where to go spray. But the exterminator found no signs of pests in the space. He came down to tell the housekeeper there was no need to spray, and he didn't want to take Snyder's money for a service the Redskins owner didn't need performed (clearly, this man was honest to a fault).
The housekeeper insisted the exterminator spray the area anyway, telling the man that Snyder hated to be told he was wrong, and that it would be better for everyone if he simply sprayed the area, took his money, and went about his business. But, he explained, there's nothing there. There's no need to spray. She insisted. Apparently, you REALLY do not want to tell Dan Snyder there are no pests in his house if he believes otherwise. So the man sprayed the area for no reason, took Snyder's money, and left.
And now you know why the Redskins are considering signing Larry Johnson.
God help us here in DC.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
27 makes me think of '97...
Didn't watch a bit of the Yankees take home championship #27 tonight; just couldn't bring myself to do it. Kind of reminded me of the time the Cowboys beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl during my junior year of high school. By that point the Cowboys were established as a super team (even though ironically it would be the final time they would even come close to winning a Super Bowl) and I knew the Steelers - who due to Pennsylvania family ties, I had a rooting interest in - had no shot of beating Dallas. So, I hardly watched the game because I couldn't bring myself to watch the Cowboys celebrate. Pretty much like this series. Once the Yanks won two in Philly, I knew the Phills were done and I didn't want to watch New York be happy.
But when I see the Yankees do well, I can't help but think about my favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. As a long suffering O's fan, it truly hurts to watch postseason baseball, because you know your team has no shot of making it. Between the fact that our organization is bad, and that we can't compete with the huge payrolls of the Yanks and Sox, no postseason ball is coming to Charm City anytime soon.
There was a time though, when the O's could stand toe to toe with the Yankees and actually compete. In 1996 Baltimore pulled off the upset of upsets, knocking off the defending AL Champion Indians before falling to the Yanks in the ALCS (if you'll remember that was the game where that little bastard Jeffrey Maier reached over the railing and kept Tarasco from catching the Jeter homer...Yankees take the lead and win the next four). Then in 1997 the O's were the team to beat. Knocked off New York for the division and then stomped Seattle in the wild card. We were going to the World Series! And then Armando Benitez blew a couple games and we pissed another one away on a crazy play and the Indians went on to the Series.
And that would be pretty much be it for Baltimore baseball fans. Peter Angelos would fire the manager the day he won the Manager of the Year award (because he had a rift with Robbie Alomar - the same one who spit on the ump and the same one who would play exactly one more year in B-more) and we haven't had a winning season since.
So pardon me if I can't bear to watch the Yankees win another World Series. It hurts too much. But, it could be worse...I could live in Pittsburgh. Sigh.
But when I see the Yankees do well, I can't help but think about my favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. As a long suffering O's fan, it truly hurts to watch postseason baseball, because you know your team has no shot of making it. Between the fact that our organization is bad, and that we can't compete with the huge payrolls of the Yanks and Sox, no postseason ball is coming to Charm City anytime soon.
There was a time though, when the O's could stand toe to toe with the Yankees and actually compete. In 1996 Baltimore pulled off the upset of upsets, knocking off the defending AL Champion Indians before falling to the Yanks in the ALCS (if you'll remember that was the game where that little bastard Jeffrey Maier reached over the railing and kept Tarasco from catching the Jeter homer...Yankees take the lead and win the next four). Then in 1997 the O's were the team to beat. Knocked off New York for the division and then stomped Seattle in the wild card. We were going to the World Series! And then Armando Benitez blew a couple games and we pissed another one away on a crazy play and the Indians went on to the Series.
And that would be pretty much be it for Baltimore baseball fans. Peter Angelos would fire the manager the day he won the Manager of the Year award (because he had a rift with Robbie Alomar - the same one who spit on the ump and the same one who would play exactly one more year in B-more) and we haven't had a winning season since.
So pardon me if I can't bear to watch the Yankees win another World Series. It hurts too much. But, it could be worse...I could live in Pittsburgh. Sigh.
Monday, October 26, 2009
OK, so I lied...
So I said that I'd have a post-game wrap-up after the Skins played the Eagles; yes, I could break down what happened at FEDEX on Monday night, but I don't have to. You have eyes! The defense played pretty good but gave up too many big plays, Campbell is regressing behind a subpar offensive line, and the whole team just makes too many mistakes to win. Watch ESPN, NFL Network or Comcast Sports Net and you'll get some form of the former in the next few days.
But an interesting idea struck me as I was watching all the postgame shows on the above channels; what would I say to Snyder right now if I had the chance? What would my plan be if I was one of his trusted advisors? Of course in the real world (because it wouldn't happen) I'd say, "Sell the Team" or "Fire Cerrato and get a real General Manager". But, if I had to come up with a course of action for "Mr. Snyder" for the rest of the season, with those two plans not an option, it would be the following (though it would take some guts and some humility - which reportedly the Skins owner is in short supply of)
Step one - Fire Jim Zorn Tuesday Morning. I know this would contradict Vinny's proclamation about the Z-Man's job security on his radio show Friday, but I would present it with the following words; "After listening to Jim after last night's tough loss to the Eagles, I decided that he just didn't have what it takes to lead us out of our current situation. I do not know if this team is talented enough to compete with the best the NFL has to offer. But I do know this; our team's execution is not up to par and that falls on the head coach. I have decided that we would like to move forward in a new direction" That’s it, that's all you have to say.
Step two - immediately hire Defensive Secondary Coach Jerry Gray as the interim head coach. You can tell the press this; "Jerry Gray has played and coached in the NFL and has learned from some of the best in the business. We believe he will bring some toughness, and attention to detail that our team has lacked over the past few years" Gray makes the most sense, as he's been a defensive coordinator (under Gregg Williams in Buffalo) so he's used to running the show, he's sought head coaching jobs before (which means he'll be interested in doing it to show future employers what he can do), and there's no one else that’s a realistic choice (Greg Blache doesn't want the headaches, special teams coach Danny Smith is a bit too loose of a cannon, and Sherm Lewis has been out of football too long and just got here 3 weeks ago).
Step three - hold an internal meeting on Wednesday morning in the Auditorium at Redskins Park with players, staff and coaches and give the following speech. "Fellas, this is your new coach, Jerry Gray. You've known him for a while; came to us when Coach Joe took over in 2004. The reason I picked him to be the new head man is simple; he's tough. He played at Texas, played in the NFL, coached in the NFL. HE DOES NOT TAKE CRAP! And that's a good thing, because all I've seen over the last few weeks is CRAP (I'm trying to keep this PG so replace crap with the expletive and jazz it up - feel free)! Your execution sucks, the effort has sucked at times. It's not good enough! Don't know if you guys know this, but it looks like we may be headed for an uncapped year next year. I can cut you all at the drop of a hat, and while I'll still have to pay you your money, none of it will stay on our salary cap. So I'm going to let Jerry do what he has to do to whip you all into shape. And if I hear you're not "interested" in following his lead, rest assured you won't be here next year." While I still think the talent (especially on offense) needs to be upgraded significantly, I also think this is the best way to evaluate what we really have in Ashburn.
Step four - stick to your guns. Let the staff work their magic and let the scouting department see who should be kept and who should be sent packing in 2010. With the murderer's row of a schedule coming up, we know Zorn might ride that baby to 3 and 13. At least give yourself a chance to win.
Step five - Then fire Vinny.
But an interesting idea struck me as I was watching all the postgame shows on the above channels; what would I say to Snyder right now if I had the chance? What would my plan be if I was one of his trusted advisors? Of course in the real world (because it wouldn't happen) I'd say, "Sell the Team" or "Fire Cerrato and get a real General Manager". But, if I had to come up with a course of action for "Mr. Snyder" for the rest of the season, with those two plans not an option, it would be the following (though it would take some guts and some humility - which reportedly the Skins owner is in short supply of)
Step one - Fire Jim Zorn Tuesday Morning. I know this would contradict Vinny's proclamation about the Z-Man's job security on his radio show Friday, but I would present it with the following words; "After listening to Jim after last night's tough loss to the Eagles, I decided that he just didn't have what it takes to lead us out of our current situation. I do not know if this team is talented enough to compete with the best the NFL has to offer. But I do know this; our team's execution is not up to par and that falls on the head coach. I have decided that we would like to move forward in a new direction" That’s it, that's all you have to say.
Step two - immediately hire Defensive Secondary Coach Jerry Gray as the interim head coach. You can tell the press this; "Jerry Gray has played and coached in the NFL and has learned from some of the best in the business. We believe he will bring some toughness, and attention to detail that our team has lacked over the past few years" Gray makes the most sense, as he's been a defensive coordinator (under Gregg Williams in Buffalo) so he's used to running the show, he's sought head coaching jobs before (which means he'll be interested in doing it to show future employers what he can do), and there's no one else that’s a realistic choice (Greg Blache doesn't want the headaches, special teams coach Danny Smith is a bit too loose of a cannon, and Sherm Lewis has been out of football too long and just got here 3 weeks ago).
Step three - hold an internal meeting on Wednesday morning in the Auditorium at Redskins Park with players, staff and coaches and give the following speech. "Fellas, this is your new coach, Jerry Gray. You've known him for a while; came to us when Coach Joe took over in 2004. The reason I picked him to be the new head man is simple; he's tough. He played at Texas, played in the NFL, coached in the NFL. HE DOES NOT TAKE CRAP! And that's a good thing, because all I've seen over the last few weeks is CRAP (I'm trying to keep this PG so replace crap with the expletive and jazz it up - feel free)! Your execution sucks, the effort has sucked at times. It's not good enough! Don't know if you guys know this, but it looks like we may be headed for an uncapped year next year. I can cut you all at the drop of a hat, and while I'll still have to pay you your money, none of it will stay on our salary cap. So I'm going to let Jerry do what he has to do to whip you all into shape. And if I hear you're not "interested" in following his lead, rest assured you won't be here next year." While I still think the talent (especially on offense) needs to be upgraded significantly, I also think this is the best way to evaluate what we really have in Ashburn.
Step four - stick to your guns. Let the staff work their magic and let the scouting department see who should be kept and who should be sent packing in 2010. With the murderer's row of a schedule coming up, we know Zorn might ride that baby to 3 and 13. At least give yourself a chance to win.
Step five - Then fire Vinny.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Not too appetizing
Random Huber Thought of the Day
Maybe its just me, but how could you ever eat something with the word spunk on the package? Obviously plenty of people do as this company is still in business www.spunkmeyer.com
The wedding post will have to wait, as we're less than 24 hours away from the "debacle at fedex" tm. If I'm bored at work, I'll offer a few words of preview, but I'll definitely make sure I have a post-game wrap...preferably soon after its over; so that the venom is fresh.
Maybe its just me, but how could you ever eat something with the word spunk on the package? Obviously plenty of people do as this company is still in business www.spunkmeyer.com
The wedding post will have to wait, as we're less than 24 hours away from the "debacle at fedex" tm. If I'm bored at work, I'll offer a few words of preview, but I'll definitely make sure I have a post-game wrap...preferably soon after its over; so that the venom is fresh.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Sweet Dee Moment
So I'm back. Got busy with Geaneas Wedding stuff, and just got plain lazy. I'll have an update on that in my next post.
I've been quite lax on my updates as this Redskins mess continues, but something struck me after the announcement that champion Bingo caller Sherm Lewis would take over play-calling duties against the Eagles on Monday Night. Skins fans were finally having their Sweet Dee Moment. Bear with me while I explain...
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". It's quite hilarious and you haven't seen it you need to check it out. Anyway, in one of the best scenes of the show's 4 1/2 season run is called Middle Man http://www.hulu.com/watch/18050/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-middle-man . In it, the put upon female of the crew Sweet Dee, goes to the reading of her mother's will along with her brother and father and the three of them get more and more incensed as the see the wealth that they expected to come to them being given to someone else. After Dee gets insulted from beyond the grave by her mother (the lawyer reads the following "you were a disappointment and a mistake" - keep in mind Dee and her brother Dennis, who the mother likes so much she gave him her house, are twins) she tries to salvage the situation (for herself) by asking what is being done with Mom's jewelry. They lawyer tells her that the mother's wish was to be buried in it, to which Dee replies "G*dd**n it, Oh G*dd**n it!" and kicks the air in a most pissed off manner.
I thought about this scene when I heard the Skins were turning over their offensive play calling duties to a guy who hasn't been in the NFL for 5 years and has been working in a senior center. You see much like Sweet Dee getting beaten down by her mother's insults over the years, Redskins fans have been beaten down by a poorly run, clown show of a football team that can't seem to get out of its own way. And while the fans have been completely embarrassed by this season's team (including Sunday's pathetic performance against the putrid Chiefs) folks were seeing a silver lining; Zorn was going to get fired, Snyder would admit his mistakes (both in picking his coaches and players) and things would actually change in the offseason.
But instead of that, we get the following; Zorn is kept on, but has most of his responsibilities taken from him in an effort to get him to quit (foremost, taking play calling and giving it to the bingo caller). Of course there’s two schools of thought on this; number one, Snyder doesn't want to pay the rest of Zorn's contract (only 4 million bucks - I say only in comparison to Fat Albert Haynesworth getting 41 mill guaranteed), or number two (this is the more likely scenario) Snyder is still clinging to the idea that what plagues the team isn't the ill fitting scheme, or the terrible offensive line, or the broken down running back, or the receivers that can't play or the quarterback who probably isn't that great, or the General Manager (Cerrato) who has presided over this mess (as Snyder’s lackey) but instead it’s the plays being called. Oh G*dd**n it, indeed.
I've been quite lax on my updates as this Redskins mess continues, but something struck me after the announcement that champion Bingo caller Sherm Lewis would take over play-calling duties against the Eagles on Monday Night. Skins fans were finally having their Sweet Dee Moment. Bear with me while I explain...
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". It's quite hilarious and you haven't seen it you need to check it out. Anyway, in one of the best scenes of the show's 4 1/2 season run is called Middle Man http://www.hulu.com/watch/18050/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-middle-man . In it, the put upon female of the crew Sweet Dee, goes to the reading of her mother's will along with her brother and father and the three of them get more and more incensed as the see the wealth that they expected to come to them being given to someone else. After Dee gets insulted from beyond the grave by her mother (the lawyer reads the following "you were a disappointment and a mistake" - keep in mind Dee and her brother Dennis, who the mother likes so much she gave him her house, are twins) she tries to salvage the situation (for herself) by asking what is being done with Mom's jewelry. They lawyer tells her that the mother's wish was to be buried in it, to which Dee replies "G*dd**n it, Oh G*dd**n it!" and kicks the air in a most pissed off manner.
I thought about this scene when I heard the Skins were turning over their offensive play calling duties to a guy who hasn't been in the NFL for 5 years and has been working in a senior center. You see much like Sweet Dee getting beaten down by her mother's insults over the years, Redskins fans have been beaten down by a poorly run, clown show of a football team that can't seem to get out of its own way. And while the fans have been completely embarrassed by this season's team (including Sunday's pathetic performance against the putrid Chiefs) folks were seeing a silver lining; Zorn was going to get fired, Snyder would admit his mistakes (both in picking his coaches and players) and things would actually change in the offseason.
But instead of that, we get the following; Zorn is kept on, but has most of his responsibilities taken from him in an effort to get him to quit (foremost, taking play calling and giving it to the bingo caller). Of course there’s two schools of thought on this; number one, Snyder doesn't want to pay the rest of Zorn's contract (only 4 million bucks - I say only in comparison to Fat Albert Haynesworth getting 41 mill guaranteed), or number two (this is the more likely scenario) Snyder is still clinging to the idea that what plagues the team isn't the ill fitting scheme, or the terrible offensive line, or the broken down running back, or the receivers that can't play or the quarterback who probably isn't that great, or the General Manager (Cerrato) who has presided over this mess (as Snyder’s lackey) but instead it’s the plays being called. Oh G*dd**n it, indeed.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Oh no, we suck again!
Video of the day
I might try and sneak this into the rotation at Geaneas' wedding this weekend...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I
So now to the Redskins...
Boy was that bad on Sunday. Just f-ing pathetic. A gift wrapped 14 points to take 17 to 2 (TWO! - Casey Kasem tribute) lead and they still can't hang on. An ultra-pathetic offensive line (now with the injuries) and a defense that hasn't stopped anybody in a key situation for years now, brought another loss to D.C. And while I'm hoping for them to keep losing so folks wise up and come to their senses about Snyder, part of me was rooting for them on Sunday. So that meant I was extremely pissed about DeAngelo Hall's "attempt" (and I use the term loosely) at a tackle at the end of the game.
You all know the play I'm talking about...3 and 8 with 2 minutes left. Skins stop the Panthers, Campbell gets a chance to lead them down for a tying field goal; Panthers get a first down, game is over. Carolina runs a naked bootleg with no receiver in the pattern. THIS, is a give up call. John Fox and company were saying, we'll let our slow assed quarterback fake a handoff, roll out, and if half the Skins defense has had their feet amputated, MAYBE, we'll get the first down.
So what happens, our newly Brinks truck paid corner (the same one the Raiders - THE RAIDERS FOR GOD SAKES - cut halfway through the season last year) executed the triple crown of defensive ineptitude. First off, Hall was the contain man on the play. He's supposed to let no one get outside of him, and he certainly isn't supposed to try to make a tackle on a run to the other side of the line. Then, after Jake Delhomme fakes, and starts to bootleg back to the right (slowly plodding by the way) Hall recovers just in time to try and arm tackle him, instead of making a solid form tackle (shoulder in the ribs, wrap up, the whole nine yards) or at least diving at his knees to at least take out his legs. In the final insult, Hall gets dragged 5 yards (yes, I just watched the video) before Jeremy Jarmon got over there to actually get Delhomme on the ground, a yard past the marker. Three strikes and you're out buddy...at least that's what should be said this week; but it's not. No, folks will continue to point to another tipped ball interception and proclaim Hall a playmaker, this is spite of the fact that an 11 year old could make that play (in fact one of my 11 year olds made a better play on an interception this year and took it back 60 yards for a touchdown). I was told a fan actually said the following somewhere; “Hall isn’t paid to tackle, or cover, He’s here to make plays”. I’m sure that moron’s I.Q. compares closely to Forrest Gump, but anyway, I think a tackle to get the ball back with under two minutes counts as “a play”.
But while I bash DeAngelo, I know he's a symptom, and not the disease. That's Snyderitis. A player who's already "been paid" and doesn't need to follow the scheme or play his hardest has become all too common for the Redskins over the last few years...or should I say since 1999.
I might try and sneak this into the rotation at Geaneas' wedding this weekend...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I
So now to the Redskins...
Boy was that bad on Sunday. Just f-ing pathetic. A gift wrapped 14 points to take 17 to 2 (TWO! - Casey Kasem tribute) lead and they still can't hang on. An ultra-pathetic offensive line (now with the injuries) and a defense that hasn't stopped anybody in a key situation for years now, brought another loss to D.C. And while I'm hoping for them to keep losing so folks wise up and come to their senses about Snyder, part of me was rooting for them on Sunday. So that meant I was extremely pissed about DeAngelo Hall's "attempt" (and I use the term loosely) at a tackle at the end of the game.
You all know the play I'm talking about...3 and 8 with 2 minutes left. Skins stop the Panthers, Campbell gets a chance to lead them down for a tying field goal; Panthers get a first down, game is over. Carolina runs a naked bootleg with no receiver in the pattern. THIS, is a give up call. John Fox and company were saying, we'll let our slow assed quarterback fake a handoff, roll out, and if half the Skins defense has had their feet amputated, MAYBE, we'll get the first down.
So what happens, our newly Brinks truck paid corner (the same one the Raiders - THE RAIDERS FOR GOD SAKES - cut halfway through the season last year) executed the triple crown of defensive ineptitude. First off, Hall was the contain man on the play. He's supposed to let no one get outside of him, and he certainly isn't supposed to try to make a tackle on a run to the other side of the line. Then, after Jake Delhomme fakes, and starts to bootleg back to the right (slowly plodding by the way) Hall recovers just in time to try and arm tackle him, instead of making a solid form tackle (shoulder in the ribs, wrap up, the whole nine yards) or at least diving at his knees to at least take out his legs. In the final insult, Hall gets dragged 5 yards (yes, I just watched the video) before Jeremy Jarmon got over there to actually get Delhomme on the ground, a yard past the marker. Three strikes and you're out buddy...at least that's what should be said this week; but it's not. No, folks will continue to point to another tipped ball interception and proclaim Hall a playmaker, this is spite of the fact that an 11 year old could make that play (in fact one of my 11 year olds made a better play on an interception this year and took it back 60 yards for a touchdown). I was told a fan actually said the following somewhere; “Hall isn’t paid to tackle, or cover, He’s here to make plays”. I’m sure that moron’s I.Q. compares closely to Forrest Gump, but anyway, I think a tackle to get the ball back with under two minutes counts as “a play”.
But while I bash DeAngelo, I know he's a symptom, and not the disease. That's Snyderitis. A player who's already "been paid" and doesn't need to follow the scheme or play his hardest has become all too common for the Redskins over the last few years...or should I say since 1999.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It's funny how that works...
Leesburg Cardinals Update
Cards beat the Giants 21-6 to improve to 6-0. Yours truly doin' work with the play sheet again. It’s fun to outwit 10 and 11 year olds.
In a discussion with friend on IM yesterday, I made the comment that it's sad that the only way I take a liking to a song anymore is if I hear it on a commercial, or a TV show. That's not exactly true, but I can say I discovered Brandi Carlisle through a Joe Paterno tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQDlaWFeilE and got my first listen to Ray Lemontagne through an insurance commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M .
But when I think back on it, very rarely have I "fallen in love" with a song by hearing it on the radio; something else usually lights the fuse. Case in point; early in my high school career, I was at a friend's house playing ping-pong and he put on the CD from "Philadelphia" (the movie with Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks where Hanks is the lawyer dying of AIDS, and Denzel is representing him). One of the songs on the CD was a Spin Doctors tune called "Have You Ever Seen the Rain". I really liked it and tried to find out more about it. Little did I know at the time, it was a CCR song, and my mom had it on vinyl. The more Creedence I listened to, the more I liked it, and they became one of my favorite bands.
Fast forward to today and the formula still works. After seeing the Travelers "Dog" commercial, I liked the song and wanted to find out more about it. Of course that leads me to look up the lyrics and find out that they're from "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne (a song that actually came out 4 years ago-who knew). Now I can't stop listening to it.
But the more I think about it, these "media chains" can get pretty long after a while. Consider this; last year for a tournament down in North Carolina, the producers that I work with on the PGA TOUR Network played the song "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M as a bumper during our coverage. The tune was catchy and eventually I started playing the YouTube video at home. In time, I got curious about the song and wiki'ed it. Turns out, that the author from OCMS actually took a refrain from an old Bob Dylan outtake (Rock Me Mama - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aaojdq3jw ) and wrote verses to it, and then eventually worked it out with Dylan giving him a co-writing credit. I love the Dylan song, even though you can't make out half the words (which make it like most of his songs after 1980). And after YouTubing it, looking for different versions, I found one set over the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Turns out the outtake was from a recording session for the movie, as Dylan wrote the score - the most famous song from it would be "Knocking on Heaven's Door". The singer actually had a part in the film alongside James Coburn (Garrett) and Kris Kristofferson (the Kid). The movie at the time was panned, but that's reportedly because of overzealous editing, as the director's cut has been hailed as a lost classic. I'm thinking about Netflixing it.
So remember the next time you see a commercial, it might be the spark for something pretty big...or you might just end up looking up stuff all night in the internet; your choice.
Cards beat the Giants 21-6 to improve to 6-0. Yours truly doin' work with the play sheet again. It’s fun to outwit 10 and 11 year olds.
In a discussion with friend on IM yesterday, I made the comment that it's sad that the only way I take a liking to a song anymore is if I hear it on a commercial, or a TV show. That's not exactly true, but I can say I discovered Brandi Carlisle through a Joe Paterno tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQDlaWFeilE and got my first listen to Ray Lemontagne through an insurance commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M .
But when I think back on it, very rarely have I "fallen in love" with a song by hearing it on the radio; something else usually lights the fuse. Case in point; early in my high school career, I was at a friend's house playing ping-pong and he put on the CD from "Philadelphia" (the movie with Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks where Hanks is the lawyer dying of AIDS, and Denzel is representing him). One of the songs on the CD was a Spin Doctors tune called "Have You Ever Seen the Rain". I really liked it and tried to find out more about it. Little did I know at the time, it was a CCR song, and my mom had it on vinyl. The more Creedence I listened to, the more I liked it, and they became one of my favorite bands.
Fast forward to today and the formula still works. After seeing the Travelers "Dog" commercial, I liked the song and wanted to find out more about it. Of course that leads me to look up the lyrics and find out that they're from "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne (a song that actually came out 4 years ago-who knew). Now I can't stop listening to it.
But the more I think about it, these "media chains" can get pretty long after a while. Consider this; last year for a tournament down in North Carolina, the producers that I work with on the PGA TOUR Network played the song "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M as a bumper during our coverage. The tune was catchy and eventually I started playing the YouTube video at home. In time, I got curious about the song and wiki'ed it. Turns out, that the author from OCMS actually took a refrain from an old Bob Dylan outtake (Rock Me Mama - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aaojdq3jw ) and wrote verses to it, and then eventually worked it out with Dylan giving him a co-writing credit. I love the Dylan song, even though you can't make out half the words (which make it like most of his songs after 1980). And after YouTubing it, looking for different versions, I found one set over the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Turns out the outtake was from a recording session for the movie, as Dylan wrote the score - the most famous song from it would be "Knocking on Heaven's Door". The singer actually had a part in the film alongside James Coburn (Garrett) and Kris Kristofferson (the Kid). The movie at the time was panned, but that's reportedly because of overzealous editing, as the director's cut has been hailed as a lost classic. I'm thinking about Netflixing it.
So remember the next time you see a commercial, it might be the spark for something pretty big...or you might just end up looking up stuff all night in the internet; your choice.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
So my blogging ambition has started to wain...
I still can't figure out how people pop these things out every single day. The last 4 or 5 days, I've said to myself, "maybe I should update the blog" and then I refuse to do it.
Big game tonight...the B League Leesburg Cardinals trying to run their record to 6 and 0 on the year. We take on the Leesburg Giants coached by long time youth league coach Clyde Sexton. To show you how long Clyde has been around, I played against his teams...20 years ago, and he was on the sidelines long before that. The matchup tonight is at Freedom Park, on Clyde Sexton Field (my grandfather has a baseball field that's named after him right in the same complex). Now let me ask you this...how is it, that we can be playing on a field named after a man, against a team coached by said man, and our squad is the home team. Something's not right about that!
No Favre outrage today, though it may surface later in the week. I don't know if I can take anymore of the constant "Favre is great, Farve is God, Farve cured me of my leprosy" talk that the announcers spit out, EVERY...SINGLE...WEEK. Hopefully we'll see him go out the way he deserves; throwing 5 picks against the Giants/Eagles/Saints to lose a shot at the Super Bowl. Come to think of it, that would be a lot like the last time he went out.
Big game tonight...the B League Leesburg Cardinals trying to run their record to 6 and 0 on the year. We take on the Leesburg Giants coached by long time youth league coach Clyde Sexton. To show you how long Clyde has been around, I played against his teams...20 years ago, and he was on the sidelines long before that. The matchup tonight is at Freedom Park, on Clyde Sexton Field (my grandfather has a baseball field that's named after him right in the same complex). Now let me ask you this...how is it, that we can be playing on a field named after a man, against a team coached by said man, and our squad is the home team. Something's not right about that!
No Favre outrage today, though it may surface later in the week. I don't know if I can take anymore of the constant "Favre is great, Farve is God, Farve cured me of my leprosy" talk that the announcers spit out, EVERY...SINGLE...WEEK. Hopefully we'll see him go out the way he deserves; throwing 5 picks against the Giants/Eagles/Saints to lose a shot at the Super Bowl. Come to think of it, that would be a lot like the last time he went out.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Love Thy Enemy
Interesting story of the day
So I'm on the sidelines for my youth football team (Leesburg Cardinals - B League - I call the plays) and we're in the middle of a barnburner. 14-13 "good guys" ended up being the final; we stopped them on an extra point in the 4th quarter to get the win. Well, during the nail biter, I thought to myself, "man I'm really nervous, my stomach is in knots". A few seconds later I proceeded to throw up a little bit in my mouth. I never could handle food too close to a game.
I kind of gave up on baseball once preseason football started; the O's and Nats both stink and they were well out of contention by that point. But, every once and a while I'll watch Baseball Tonight or peruse MLB.com and check out the standings. I like to have an idea what the heck is going on when playoff time rolls around and the games actually mean something. So low and behold who's in the hunt for the NL Wild Card; none other than the Atlanta Braves. Now make no mistake, I used to hate the Atlanta Braves. I hated their trifecta of pitchers (first Smoltz, Glavine and Steve Avery and then Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux). I hated their scrappy guys who the announcers always seemed to hype up more than I thought they deserved. I hated David Justice. I hated Chipper Jones. I hated they fact they beat the Pirates in game 7 two years in a row (with slow ass Sid Bream delivering the final blow). I hated the rube fans that did the Tomahawk Chop and I really hated Ted Turner and Hanoi Jane whooping it up from their box seats. To me they were on par with Duke, the Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Penguins...the bane of my existence. Then something happened; they only won won championship and then started to peter out. Instead of getting nipped in the series, they'd lose in the first round; and then they started not making the playoffs at all. So, I stopped caring about the Braves.
They haven't really made a serious run at the playoffs until this year, and with their slip-ups against the Marlins this week, they're likely not going to be able to catch the Rockies. But I'm still rooting for them to get in, if for nothing else to remind me of my youth. When the Braves were competing for World Series, Miami was contending for the national title and Duke was trying to break through during the tournament...and I HATED them all.
Like I said before, I hope to see Atlanta make it to the postseason. And then I hope they get swept by the Dodgers, so all the folks at Turner Field have to dry their tears with their foam tomahawks. What? Cut me some slack; old habits die hard.
So I'm on the sidelines for my youth football team (Leesburg Cardinals - B League - I call the plays) and we're in the middle of a barnburner. 14-13 "good guys" ended up being the final; we stopped them on an extra point in the 4th quarter to get the win. Well, during the nail biter, I thought to myself, "man I'm really nervous, my stomach is in knots". A few seconds later I proceeded to throw up a little bit in my mouth. I never could handle food too close to a game.
I kind of gave up on baseball once preseason football started; the O's and Nats both stink and they were well out of contention by that point. But, every once and a while I'll watch Baseball Tonight or peruse MLB.com and check out the standings. I like to have an idea what the heck is going on when playoff time rolls around and the games actually mean something. So low and behold who's in the hunt for the NL Wild Card; none other than the Atlanta Braves. Now make no mistake, I used to hate the Atlanta Braves. I hated their trifecta of pitchers (first Smoltz, Glavine and Steve Avery and then Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux). I hated their scrappy guys who the announcers always seemed to hype up more than I thought they deserved. I hated David Justice. I hated Chipper Jones. I hated they fact they beat the Pirates in game 7 two years in a row (with slow ass Sid Bream delivering the final blow). I hated the rube fans that did the Tomahawk Chop and I really hated Ted Turner and Hanoi Jane whooping it up from their box seats. To me they were on par with Duke, the Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Penguins...the bane of my existence. Then something happened; they only won won championship and then started to peter out. Instead of getting nipped in the series, they'd lose in the first round; and then they started not making the playoffs at all. So, I stopped caring about the Braves.
They haven't really made a serious run at the playoffs until this year, and with their slip-ups against the Marlins this week, they're likely not going to be able to catch the Rockies. But I'm still rooting for them to get in, if for nothing else to remind me of my youth. When the Braves were competing for World Series, Miami was contending for the national title and Duke was trying to break through during the tournament...and I HATED them all.
Like I said before, I hope to see Atlanta make it to the postseason. And then I hope they get swept by the Dodgers, so all the folks at Turner Field have to dry their tears with their foam tomahawks. What? Cut me some slack; old habits die hard.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Ruby Slippers and Redskins
So I'm getting ready for my first update on Sunday (quick plug - PGA TOUR Network, Sirius 209 and XM 146) and I turn on the monitors and TNT happens to be on. And interestingly they're showing "The Wizard of Oz". Didn't really log any time with it as I was busy working and football was on. Well at about 4pm I realized there was connection between Dorothy and her crew and the Burgundy and Gold.
I've been unable to blog over the last few days but I'll give a few quick thoughts...uninspired effort, poor coaching (motivation and schemes) and just a team not nearly as talented as they like to tell people they are. I could go on, but if you check out some of the work in the Washington Post or Times, you'll get my ideas, but much better written (check out Mike Wise and Thomas Boswell in the Post and Dan Daly in the Times).
But with all of the fan angst and vitriol over the last few days, a scene from "Oz" seemed apropos. Late in the movie, when Dorothy and the crew finally meet "the Wizard" and it’s the huge green image, Toto runs over and pulls the curtain back and they see it’s just the old man. That's kinda what happened in Detroit yesterday. The loss to the Lions made Skins fans realize what this team is; an untalented bunch that man for man (and coach for coach) might not be much better than the folks from Detroit that just broke their 19 game losing streak. And of course who created said team...the Great and powerful Snyder-rato (Dan Synder and Vinny Cerrato), who come to think it, works just about as secretly.
Anyway, don’t blame the Quarterback, don’t blame the Coach, don’t even blame the General Manager; this thing goes all the way to the top.
I've been unable to blog over the last few days but I'll give a few quick thoughts...uninspired effort, poor coaching (motivation and schemes) and just a team not nearly as talented as they like to tell people they are. I could go on, but if you check out some of the work in the Washington Post or Times, you'll get my ideas, but much better written (check out Mike Wise and Thomas Boswell in the Post and Dan Daly in the Times).
But with all of the fan angst and vitriol over the last few days, a scene from "Oz" seemed apropos. Late in the movie, when Dorothy and the crew finally meet "the Wizard" and it’s the huge green image, Toto runs over and pulls the curtain back and they see it’s just the old man. That's kinda what happened in Detroit yesterday. The loss to the Lions made Skins fans realize what this team is; an untalented bunch that man for man (and coach for coach) might not be much better than the folks from Detroit that just broke their 19 game losing streak. And of course who created said team...the Great and powerful Snyder-rato (Dan Synder and Vinny Cerrato), who come to think it, works just about as secretly.
Anyway, don’t blame the Quarterback, don’t blame the Coach, don’t even blame the General Manager; this thing goes all the way to the top.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Customer service isn't dead, but it ain't where you expect it to be either
Random Thought of the Day
After MacKenzie Phillips' incest allegations against her late father, I can't wait to hear somebody come up with a "One Day at a Time" parody song. BTW...here is the theme from that show; late 70's - early 80's-ness at its finest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M82CUd6isyY
So I go to the store to get fitted for a tux today. It’s the second time I've had to go through the process this year, as another friend got married back in August. That day was painless; today was not. To start off I had a trainee measure me, while his "trainer" sat behind her desk, plunking away on her computer, and snidely correcting him when he missed a step. THAT got me mad. As long as I've been in radio, I've had to train people. I always try to go slow and type out the steps so they can follow. In other words, treat 'em like an idiot until they prove otherwise. Today, I got, “hope you learned something, time to sink or swim, customer be damned”. Now being the patient guy I am I was able to control my anger through most of the session, but by the end, the lady in charge was getting short, terse answers with a raised tone. Lesson...take care of the customer, and train workers when you have time.
To steal a line...I told you that story so I could tell you this one. So within all of that, I’m listening to the local sports talk station "The Fan" discussing comments by Clinton Portis about the booing at Fedex Field on Saturday. Now admittedly I've never been a fan of Portis; I think he's overrated, overpaid, closed to washed up and his lax “I don't practice but I play hard” attitude rubs off on the team and we get sloppy, undisciplined football. BUT, I give CP loads of credit for the following statement.
"We're getting booed coming off the field," Portis said. "So I think everybody in this organization (is) on the hot seat. You know, I think you look at the owner, he (is) on the verge of losing fans. You know, how long before people just give up and stop coming? You look at the players, and people want you out of here. You look at the coach, people want you out of here. So who's not on the hot seat? Until we come out and play to our potential, I think everybody (is) on the hot seat. It's just people growing tired," Portis said. "You come out, you bring a family of four or five to come to a game, that's $500, and then you've got to eat and park. You're spending $700 a week to come there to see some entertainment, and you get there and there's really not a lot of entertainment."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-fbn-redskinsdrama,0,4010803.story
Unlike the Cooley's and the Sellers' of the world that chastized the fans for booing a 1 and 1 football team, Portis actually gets it. Clinton realizes that the "rabid" Redskins rooters are fed up with 18 years of mediocre football...especially at a premium rate. He is trying to take care of the customer – a.k.a US! It takes guts to do what CP did (i.e. stand up to an owner who likes to send folks packing if they don't tow the company line; see Arrington, LaVar and Coles, Laveranues). Of course with a possible uncapped year looming in 2010, it’s possible that the free speaking Portis might just be watching his Snyder bought flat screen in Cincinnati next year.
(if you don't get the flat screen reference, read this http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/jeffri_chadiha/03/08/coles/index.html - 3rd paragraph)
After MacKenzie Phillips' incest allegations against her late father, I can't wait to hear somebody come up with a "One Day at a Time" parody song. BTW...here is the theme from that show; late 70's - early 80's-ness at its finest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M82CUd6isyY
So I go to the store to get fitted for a tux today. It’s the second time I've had to go through the process this year, as another friend got married back in August. That day was painless; today was not. To start off I had a trainee measure me, while his "trainer" sat behind her desk, plunking away on her computer, and snidely correcting him when he missed a step. THAT got me mad. As long as I've been in radio, I've had to train people. I always try to go slow and type out the steps so they can follow. In other words, treat 'em like an idiot until they prove otherwise. Today, I got, “hope you learned something, time to sink or swim, customer be damned”. Now being the patient guy I am I was able to control my anger through most of the session, but by the end, the lady in charge was getting short, terse answers with a raised tone. Lesson...take care of the customer, and train workers when you have time.
To steal a line...I told you that story so I could tell you this one. So within all of that, I’m listening to the local sports talk station "The Fan" discussing comments by Clinton Portis about the booing at Fedex Field on Saturday. Now admittedly I've never been a fan of Portis; I think he's overrated, overpaid, closed to washed up and his lax “I don't practice but I play hard” attitude rubs off on the team and we get sloppy, undisciplined football. BUT, I give CP loads of credit for the following statement.
"We're getting booed coming off the field," Portis said. "So I think everybody in this organization (is) on the hot seat. You know, I think you look at the owner, he (is) on the verge of losing fans. You know, how long before people just give up and stop coming? You look at the players, and people want you out of here. You look at the coach, people want you out of here. So who's not on the hot seat? Until we come out and play to our potential, I think everybody (is) on the hot seat. It's just people growing tired," Portis said. "You come out, you bring a family of four or five to come to a game, that's $500, and then you've got to eat and park. You're spending $700 a week to come there to see some entertainment, and you get there and there's really not a lot of entertainment."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-fbn-redskinsdrama,0,4010803.story
Unlike the Cooley's and the Sellers' of the world that chastized the fans for booing a 1 and 1 football team, Portis actually gets it. Clinton realizes that the "rabid" Redskins rooters are fed up with 18 years of mediocre football...especially at a premium rate. He is trying to take care of the customer – a.k.a US! It takes guts to do what CP did (i.e. stand up to an owner who likes to send folks packing if they don't tow the company line; see Arrington, LaVar and Coles, Laveranues). Of course with a possible uncapped year looming in 2010, it’s possible that the free speaking Portis might just be watching his Snyder bought flat screen in Cincinnati next year.
(if you don't get the flat screen reference, read this http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/jeffri_chadiha/03/08/coles/index.html - 3rd paragraph)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Let's kick this baby off...
So I decided to do a blog. No big whoop. Just thought, I got a lot of random stuff bouncing around in the brain and a blog seems to be a good place to dump it.
Random Story of the Day (actually happened yesterday, but who cares)
As I was walking into Giant, I heard the Spice Girls "Wannabe" blasting over the store speakers. This wasn't a good song when I was in high school; it's not like wine where it gets better with age. It's a bad, annoying song and I'm at a loss for why Giant Food thinks people would like to shop to it.
Sports Thoughts
After the Skins "brilliant" performance this past weekend, we've had two main Redskins discussions in DC; the fans booing the team after a win and the Zorn/Sonny fight. Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about...the fans at Fed Ex booed the home team throughout the game, and after it was over (and then the players got upset about it) and in the locker room after the game was over, Zorn responded to Sonny Jurgensen saying he would have changed the halfback pass call (Portis throwing it on the goal line) by saying he would have benched Sonny.
Even though it has all the signs of a team in turmoil, I do like all of this. The fans (and the Skins legends that we have loved over the years) are starting to stand up for themselves. THAT IS A GOOD THING. For years there has been a perception that we need to root for Washington win, lose or draw...B freaking S. If you accept mediocrity nothing will ever change; the fans booing on Sunday were folks finally saying enough is enough! "You can't beat the sorry, no account Rams by more than 2 points...NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Sonny telling Zorn point blank "your play calling stinks and you don't know what you're doing"; GOLD! I laugh every time I hear it. The only way for this team to become great is for the folks who root for it to not accept a mediocre football team...especially one led by a puppet coach and an inept front office.
I fully expect the turmoil to be good for the Skins this week...they'll band together and stomp on the pitiful Lions. But if they don't…(to paraphrase T.O) Zorn had better get his suitcases ready.
Random Story of the Day (actually happened yesterday, but who cares)
As I was walking into Giant, I heard the Spice Girls "Wannabe" blasting over the store speakers. This wasn't a good song when I was in high school; it's not like wine where it gets better with age. It's a bad, annoying song and I'm at a loss for why Giant Food thinks people would like to shop to it.
Sports Thoughts
After the Skins "brilliant" performance this past weekend, we've had two main Redskins discussions in DC; the fans booing the team after a win and the Zorn/Sonny fight. Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about...the fans at Fed Ex booed the home team throughout the game, and after it was over (and then the players got upset about it) and in the locker room after the game was over, Zorn responded to Sonny Jurgensen saying he would have changed the halfback pass call (Portis throwing it on the goal line) by saying he would have benched Sonny.
Even though it has all the signs of a team in turmoil, I do like all of this. The fans (and the Skins legends that we have loved over the years) are starting to stand up for themselves. THAT IS A GOOD THING. For years there has been a perception that we need to root for Washington win, lose or draw...B freaking S. If you accept mediocrity nothing will ever change; the fans booing on Sunday were folks finally saying enough is enough! "You can't beat the sorry, no account Rams by more than 2 points...NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Sonny telling Zorn point blank "your play calling stinks and you don't know what you're doing"; GOLD! I laugh every time I hear it. The only way for this team to become great is for the folks who root for it to not accept a mediocre football team...especially one led by a puppet coach and an inept front office.
I fully expect the turmoil to be good for the Skins this week...they'll band together and stomp on the pitiful Lions. But if they don't…(to paraphrase T.O) Zorn had better get his suitcases ready.
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