Family Circus Cartoons

Much better

News travels

Actual text message exchange that just happened:

I-66: Your boy Matt Schaub is going to Houston once he agrees to a deal.
Deep Cover (UVA alumnus currently in Austin): Sweet! Now let's see if they actually get an o-line to keep him alive...
I-66: They swapped firsts with Atl, a 2 pick drop, and gave up a 2 in 07 and a 2 in 08. That's a lot.
Deep Cover: Yeah that's like 30 Adam Archuletas.
I-66: Or 50 Ade Jimohs.

Is it football season yet?

March Lameness

As 6pm EST approached, I knew what we'd be hearing after the NCAA Selection Show.

So-and-so State was robbed! Whatever U was snubbed! Random College should be in the tournament!

Shut. Up.

It happens with everything that requires voting: the BCS, the NCAA Tournament, any All-star game. It is an unavoidable reality.

Why? Well, take the NCAA Tournament for instance. There are 65 teams in the field, and unless there are exactly 65 of the 300+ Division 1 NCAA Mens Basketball programs that are worthy of selection, someone is going to get snubbed. The thing that contributes the most to the problem is the automatic bids that go to conferences that I've never heard of. What it means is that the 65 teams in the tournament aren't the 65 best teams in the country. Still, even if we went back to a 64 team tournament where only the best 64 teams in the country were involved, someone would be arguing that teams 65 through 75 were snubbed. We go through it every year, and frankly I'm tired of it.

Reality Check

Let's just get it out of the way now. The Indianapolis Colts beat the New England Patriots at the RCA Dome on Sunday. The referees didn't beat the Patriots when Ellis Hobbs face-guarded Reggie Wayne with his back to the ball in the end zone. Hobbs made no effort to play the ball and while the call is actually being called questionable somehow, it's pretty clear that the flag should've been thrown. The referees didn't beat the Patriots when Tully Banta-Cain went to the head of Peyton Manning on the penultimate drive of the game to draw a roughing the passer penalty. The NFL fosters this protect-the-quarterback atmosphere and you pretty much can't touch them above the neck if at all. Banta-Cain went up high and, though slight in contact, still committed a penalty. I know it was lame, you know it was lame, but the NFL says it isn't lame - sorta like how the NFL says Tom Brady was throwing the ball on the "Tuck Rule" play when we all know it was a fumble. No, the Colts outscored the Patriots 32-13 in the second half, overcame a 21-3 2nd quarter deficit, and Peyton Manning looked like Joe Montana or John Elway in completing 3 of 4 passes for 57 yards in taking the Colts 80 yards in 7 plays and 1:17 to score the game-winning touchdown, exorcising his demons and finally "winning the big game" in what was one of the most incredible playoff contests I've seen. The Patriots fans may blame their own team for blowing the game, and they'll probably bitch and moan about the referees, but the fact of the matter is that Peyton Manning and the Colts beat them on Sunday, and that's all there is to it.

In case you haven't figured it out...

...we should all be worshiping at the altar of Gilbert Arenas.


Before he went out there with the score tied and a few seconds left, he told his huddle "I'm not down with overtime." And the best part? He began raising his arms before it hit the net. And as the cheers of the moment simmered, one chant arose from the crowd...

M.

V.

P.

Before last night's Redskins/Giants game

I-66: "Hey, this is a win-win situation for us. If we win, we probably keep the Giants out of the playoffs. If we lose, we get a better draft pick to trade away for more players!"

Night Before Christmas Review - 2006

In the tradition of my yearly Night Before Christmas Review (2005), comes the 2006 edition.

Twas 2 weeks before the playoffs
And football fans en masse
Are rooting for the Saints
And a Cowboys collapse
Playoff spots up for grabs
And little's been decided
And Michael Irvin's gay for T.O.
He really doesn't try to hide it
Parity's the name
Even without Tagliabue
Now a summary of the season
Night Before Christmas Review

They have the technology, they do
They can rebuild him, they can
BEARS QB Rex Grossman
Million Turnover Man...
Fire GM Matt Millen!
LIONS fans can no longer take it
He'd already be gone maybe
If it was him in the drive-thru naked...
There's a glimmer of hope
6-8, playoff lives on respirator
VIKINGS fans are just glad
There's no boat party or Whizzinator...
There's still two weeks to go
Can't we just enjoy the brats and beer
Instead of worrying about if Favre
Is coming back to PACKERS next year...
Biggest game of their season
BENGALS over Ravens at their home nest
Coach Marvin Lewis is just hoping
For more wins than arrests...
From Super STEELERS to losers
It's been quite a fall
But something tells me Bill Cowher's
Not retiring after all...
McNair gets hurt every year
RAVENS wonder "when", but don't ask "why"
And know that Brian Billick holds his breath
When he turns to that Boller guy
BROWNS 4-10 this year
And last year 4-12
Romeo Crennel's tenure
Sure isn't going too well...
I know, spleen removal
But I've seen Chris Simms play
And I know without question
BUCS would have sucked anyway...
I think PANTHERS would've gone far
But QB play's been stinky
A little with Jake Delhomme
But a lot with Chris Weinke
FALCONS QB Ron Mexico
Overthrows wideouts with ease
He may have given fans middle fingers
But at least it wasn't herpes...
Success after disaster
Fans are living some sort of dream
Move over, Dallas
New Orleans SAINTS: America's Team...
Seeing almost 400 rushing yards against
Must've been quite a jolt
But Manning, Harrison, Wayne
Just outscore them, COLTS
Vince Young would electrify
Reggie Bush would thrill them
TEXANS have heard it all season
Wasted pick on Mario Williams...
Young and defensive scores
Have answered TITANS prayers
Now just keep your mascot
From driving into opposing players...
One week they look great
And the next week they gag
This season's Jeckyl and Hyde?
None other than the JAGS

(halfway home!)


Hamstring, broken hand, overdose, spitting
COWBOYS ain't seen nothin yet
Terrell Owens has almost done it all
How bout a failed pregnancy next?...
The ACL's bad, Donovan
But maybe EAGLES don't need ya
Could it be? Playoffs?
On the arm of... Jeff Garcia?...
Eli Manning is awful
New York fans are woozy
They've seen football this bad before
In that Little GIANTS movie...
Mark Brunell's time is done
It was alright while it lasted
Now REDSKINS build for the future
If they'd stop trading away draft picks...
With DOLPHINS underachieving
And Joey Harrington at his side
Wonder if coach Nick Saban
Wishes he'd gone to Crimson Tide...
They barely shook hands
Bill Belichick's a wieney
Nothing else to say about the JETS
That rhymes with Eric Mangini
Seeing PATRIOTS beaten by Fish and Jets
To me, it's pretty funny
I thought this staff was so freaking smart
Guys, you can't carry over salary cap money...
BILLS coach Dick Jauron
Is more than just something to gag on
He's brought the team to 7-7
And evidently circled the wagons...
Alex Smith showed he can play
And Frank Gore's been in the zone
But for 49ERS coach Mike Nolan
He'll be wearing his suits at home...
NFC West is terrible
So SEAHAWKS division hopes just fine
But losing to 'zona and San Fran?
Team's receding like Hasselbeck's hairline...
From preseason contenders to failed expecations
The fall has been like a blur
Hey CARDINALS and Dennis Green
You are what we thought you were...
Marc Bulger spoke out finally
When he used to make not a peep
Teammates don't care about winning?
RAMS are without horns, now just sheep...
CHARGERS are 12-2
And hotter than your mom-linson
Your MVP, not easy to rhyme
Mr. LaDainian Tomlinson...
If the CHIEFS have any playoff hopes
Winning out is simply a must
But would they be in this situation
If Trent Green was longer concussed?...
Shanahan made a bold move
Changing BRONCOS QB he benched Plummer
It's already cold in Denver
And Jake's play made fans minds number...
The resurrection of Art Shell
Has not brought back success of the past
The 2006 RAIDERS and this review
Saving the worst for last...

All 32 teams at 4 lines a piece
And still we're not quite done
Hope San Diego wears powder blue
When they play New Orleans, Super Bowl 41
There's not long until the playoffs
They're coming just into sight
Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good night...

Awakened From My Slumber

Recent events in the DC sports world and national sports have prompted me to post here for the first time since I thought the Redskins were on to greater things. I was wrong, but we'll start with the burgundy and gold because this season may be a waste, but the future is looking bright...

Redskins 16 - 10 Saints

I missed much of this while in transit, but from what I've read the defense really brought it. I turned on the TV just after the Carlos Rogers INT of Drew Brees in the 4th and saw the Saints had 10 points and thought one of two things was going on.

1) The Saints were turning the ball over repeatedly

2) The Redskins were finally playing defense like they have in the past and just stopping the Saints

I learned quickly that it was 2), as the Rogers pick was the only turnover by the Saints all day and they only gained 270 yards of total offense. The Skins didn't shoot themselves in the foot with penalties (only 3) ran the ball well, and didn't turn the ball over once. With a young quarterback, you need to run the ball well and keep the opponent off the scoreboard to keep the kid from having to win the games on his own. You could argue that running the ball and stopping the other team is always the formula to win, but it becomes that much more important when winning the game on the arm of the QB isn't really an option.

The Captain thinks that Ladell Betts is a better fit for the Redskins and the Joe Gibbs running game than Clinton Portis, and thinks that Ladell's recent performance proves his point. Statistically Betts has been great since Portis left with injury in Week 10 against Philadelphia. Portis carried 6 times against Philly in that game and Betts carried 20 times, so we'll consider Week 10 as the time that Betts became the primary carrier. Since then, he's carried 134 times for 650 yards for an average of 22.3 carries per game. Before Portis got hurt, he played in 8 games (including Week 10). In those 8 games he carried 127 times for 523 yards, and an average of 15.9 carries per game. Statistically, Betts is better, but that doesn't mean that he's the better back. Why? 22.3:15.9, the per-game carry ratio for Betts and Portis. Having a young quarterback means you have to run the football more, and the Skins have returned to that M.O. with Campbell in there. Under Brunell, who was supposedly a more reliable passer, the Redskins went away from the run a bit and it showed in the stats for Portis. 16 carries a game for your star running back is not going to win you games. Also, in 8 games Portis garnered 7 rushing TDs and a long run of 38 yards. Betts has 2 rushing TDs all year and a long run of 26 yards. Betts is good for chewing up yards, but Clinton Portis is the guy that makes big plays and scores you touchdowns. You tell me which you'd rather have - and don't get me started on how the rushing offense is now more simple with less plays designed for cutbacks (as Portis specializes) now that Betts is in.

Freddy Adu to Real Salt Lake

Good riddance. It was about time. That's about all I have to say about that. Nick Rimando, on the other hand, I am sad to see go.

Washington Wizards 147 - 141 Los Angeles Lakers (OT)

If you didn't stay up late to catch this, you missed a real treat. Gilbert Arenas set a career and franchise high by scoring 60 points (including 16 in overtime!) as the Wizards eventually held on to beat the Lakers after blowing a 17 point 4th quarter lead. Arenas went head to head with Kobe Bryant, besting Bryant's 45 points and beating him off the dribble a few times down the stretch, and came out on top in the W column and in the statistical column. Bryant (who later said Arenas has "no conscience") scored only 4 points in OT, and finished 2 rebounds shy of a triple double with 10 assists and 8 boards. It's just a shame this game was at Staples Center and ended after 12:30am EST.

Terrell Owens is a spitter

Funny. I figured he only spits when it's Parcells, but swallows when it's Tony Romo and Jerry Jones. On Saturday night he evidently spat on Atlanta Falcons alleged cornerback (though you'd never know it from his play) Deangelo Hall. I don't like Owens or Hall and I'll wait to see if there's footage, but whether it's Roberto Alomar, Sean Taylor, or Terrell Owens, nobody should be spitting on anybody. Of course this will get more attention than it should since it's Terrell Owens, but it will be interesting to see whether the hammer comes down on him.

Nuggets v. Knicks

What a brawl in Madison Square Garden huh? To think I was actually in the city that night but didn't hear about it til I got back home. Carmelo Anthony wins the punch of the year award, but it looks like he pulled a Brendan Haywood and ran away immediately after. The Wizards travel to Denver tonight to play the Nug (leave off the "gets" because they'll probably be less than half a team) tonight and should win easily. Penalties will likely come down today. Too bad the Knicks and Nuggets have already finished their season series. I guess Round 2 will have to wait until next year, unless they meet in the NBA Finals.

...okay, I was laughing as I typed that last part. We all know the Knicks aren't going to the finals with Isaiah Thomas running things, and speaking of Zeke, he evidently is under NBA investigation for his role in the fight, including telling Anthony that he and Marcus Camby should not have been in the game after it was decided, and also advising Anthony not to go near the basket shortly before the foul that started the whole brawl occurred. Hmm... The Fire Zeke watch could be heating up. I mean, more than it already is.

A way of thinking

The fact that many Google searches for "Yankee haters" bring people here should tell you how I feel about the pinstripes. I hate them. I hate them so... much... it... the.. f... flames... flames... on the side of my face... I love to see them lose like they did against the Tigers. I like the A-Rod bashing, the Giambi post-roid weight loss, and the slow decomposition of Randy Johnson. But today, the morning after Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle was killed when his plane flew into the side of a New York City building, the hate disappears.

Sports bring out a lot of emotion in me and us. When our teams play, we're exalted in their success and crestfallen in their failures. We taunt the opposition through the television, radio, or when we're at the stadium in person, but when the opposition steps off the field - and they no longer are our opposition - it's different.

Today I'm not a Yankee hater. Today I don't feel gleeful because they're out of the playoffs (though I do think it's a good thing they're out already because nobody should have to play after losing a teammate as they have). Today my heart goes out to the Yankees organization, and especially to the family of Cory Lidle. Sometimes we forget that, despite the fact that we root hard for our own teams, we're fans of sports as a whole. It's a shame it sometimes takes something like this to remind me of that.

36-30: An Overtime Thriller

Last night the Washington Redskins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 36-30 in overtime on a 68 yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss. The victory brings the Redskins to .500 at 2-2 as they get ready to travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants.

I now bring you the true and the false of this season to date...

TRUE: I-66 is likely a genius - I told the Redskins fans out there not to panic. I told my friends that the victory against Houston was no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but what it did do was give the Skins a chance to get into an offensive rhythm - something they did not get into in the pre-season (Deep Cover expounded my point, comparing it to D1 college football teams scheduling cupcakes for their early games). So what happened? After predictably beating Houston, Washington ran up 36 points and 481 offensive yards against one of the best defenses in the league on their way to victory.

FALSE: Everything's coming up roses at Redskins Park - The offense may be awake now, but defensively there are some glaring holes. The defensive generated 4 sacks yesterday, more than doubling their total to that point for the season (3), but the secondary had trouble tackling and covering receivers, allowing Jags QB Byron Leftwich to throw for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns. The first Reggie Williams TD and the Maurice Jones-Drew TD came after many missed tackles. To be a complete team, the secondary's going to have to get right. Granted, with Shawn Springs out, they're not yet at full strength. Hopefully things will improve when he gets back onto the active roster.

TRUE: Mike Peterson is an idiot - According to the Post, the Jags middle linebacker said last week that Clinton Portis would be lucky to rush for 20 yards against them. Portis ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and the Jaguars were dominated in the trenches.

FALSE: Jason Campbell should be warming up - Last week, Mark Brunell completed his first 22 passes. Yesterday he only completed 18 of 30, but threw for 3 tds and 329 yards. Right now Brunell gives the Skins a better chance to win than Campbell. But seriously, Mark, what were you doing on that flea-flicker?

There it is. A 36-30 victory in overtime in my early-season nominee for Game Of The Year. Byron Leftwich showed a lot yesterday, twice leading his team back to tie the game after being down 27-17 and 30-27. He never got the chance to do anything in overtime, but that's the way the NFL overtime system is designed unfortunately. Now the focus shifts to the Giants who will be coming off of a bye. Based on yesterday's performance, they now have a bit more to think about defensively. This game will double as LaVar Arrington's first shot at the Redskins since his uncerimonious departure in the off-season. Let's hope Washington can keep it going.

An Open Letter To Redskins Fans

Dear Redskins Fan,

Come away from the ledge. Put away your noose. Take the gun barrel out of your mouth. This is not the end of the world.

Yes, John Hall missed the game-tying field goal against Minnesota on a night where the offense had problems moving the ball inside the opposition's 20. Yes, Rock Cartwright's kickoff return was the majority of the offense on Monday night. Yes, the team is 0-2. But in case you haven't noticed, all of the other teams in our division are 1-1. We are only a game behind.

You have to realize that the Al Saunders offense is not easily learned. When Saunders was calling the plays for one of the league's best offenses (the Chiefs from 2001-2005), he had Trent Green at the helm. In his first year in the system, Green threw for over 3700 yards, but also 17 touchdowns to 24 interceptions. The next season, he threw for 26 TDs and 13 INTs. You don't just drop into this new offense and immediately start to perform. Also realize that to this point the Redskins have been playing without a healthy Clinton Portis and defenses don't have a reason to respect the run. We would all like Mark Brunell to be relied upon more to manage games than to win them, and until the running game is full strength (Portis says he'll be back this Sunday), we won't have that.

Speaking of this Sunday, we're playing winless Houston. They looked good in their first drive against Philadelphia but looked pretty bad after that, and most of their offensive success against Indianapolis came with the game well out of hand. This is a road game which we all know is no easy thing in the NFL, but it is still winnable nonetheless. With Dallas on a bye week (someone please explain why not just send each individual division on a bye for each bye week so as to avoid situations where Dallas, an NFC East team, is on a bye week with Kansas City, Oakland, and San Diego, all from the AFC West), New York travelling to unimpressive Seattle, and Philadelphia at San Francisco, it is important that the Redskins get a win at Houston to keep pace with a division that could have two 2-1 teams in it on Monday.

Look at the teams who are supposed to be playoff teams who are 0-2: Miami, Carolina, and Tampa Bay - and Carolina was picked by many to get to the Super Bowl. If we can pick up a win on Sunday we're still in the thick of it despite potentially being 1-2. We may be 0-2, but there's no reason to panic yet.

Yours in Burgundy and Gold,
I-66

Roll your Rumph

Underachieving Florida wide reciever (I know, like there's ever been an underachieving wideout from Florida) Taylor Jacobs has been shipped to San Francisco for equally underachieving and oft-injured Hurricane DB Mike Rumph. In another move apparently geared towards making the Washington Redskins into "The U" North, we've added another Miami player to our stable which already includes Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Sean Taylor, Rocky McIntosh, and unlikely-to-make-the-team Buck Ortega.

Now that Jacobs is out of the burgundy and gold, he becomes just another Florida product in the NFL and thus I say "good riddance". As a Tennessee Volunteers fan, I hate Florida and Jacobs can rot on the San Francisco bench for all I care.

Mike Rumph, on the other hand, will hopefully be helped by the change of scenery and the band of former 'Canes on this roster. He'll provide much needed depth and flexibility in the secondary, after our nickel and dime corners got worked like Tera Patrick's backside against the Bengals.

Welcome aboard Mike. Now go make some plays.

MNF Observation

Christ on a bike! Minnesota's uniforms are ATROCIOUS!

That is all.

+/-

With TiVo as my guide, my thoughts on the Redskins preseason game against the Bengals...

+ Clinton Portis, form tackler - Keiwan Ratliff got... JACKED UP!!

- Clinton Portis, injured running back - This should speak for itself, and now CP appears to be firmly in the anti-preseason camp. Let's hope he's ready for the opener.

+ Rocky McIntosh and Robert McCune, McBallhawks - They always seemed to be around the ball. Sure, it was with the 2nd and 3rd teams but it's worth noting.

- Todd Collins - Stay healthy, Mark Brunell

- O-Line Depth - Ditto, O-Line starters. Part of the reason Todd Collins looked so bad was that the O-Line couldn't keep the rushers out of the backfield.

+ Jason Campbell - Coming out of college I thought he was overrated (I still do, by the way). He looked alright last night, and was completing some decent balls (the one over the top to Buck Ortega was fantastic), up until he appeared to miss his pre-snap read and threw an out right into the zone. He's still green and has a bit to learn, but there's some promise there.

+ Starting D - Twice the starting offense for Cincy had the ball in field goal range, and twice they had to punt. I don't believe the Bengals had positive offensive yards out of their first team.

Yeah, it's the first preseason game and not much can really be gleaned from the results. That said, it's freakin football and I'm glad it's back.

Whatever you say, Coach K

Excerpt from an ESPN Insider article about Team USA Basketball's camp

LAS VEGAS -- It didn't take long for Mike Krzyzewski to screw up royally in his new job as coach of Team USA. He did it before day one was even in the books.

Rather than tell the team its job is to win the World Championship on the night of Sept. 3, Coach K gave the players exactly the kind of misguided advice they didn't need to hear.

"We have to go out there and be dominant for 56 quarters -- every quarter of every game we play. That's our mission," Gilbert Arenas told me following Team USA's first practice Wednesday.

"Who on earth told you that?" I asked.

"Coach Mike," Arenas replied.

Great choice, by the way, for head coach of Team USA.

AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You can't make this stuff up.

I wish I was kidding

Say it ain't so.

Jeb Bush for NFL Commissioner? If that happened, we'd see headlines like this next year:

NFL DECLARES WAR ON MLB, SAYS THEY'RE HIDING STEROIDS... SOMEWHERE

PRICES OF NFL MERCHANDISE RISING WITH NO END IN SIGHT

NFL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER HITS FRIEND IN FACE WITH FOOTBALL, FRIEND SORRY FOR GETTING IN THE WAY

COMMISSIONER BUSH: 'I AM THE COMMISSIONER. I COMMISSION.', NFL IN TROUBLE

Get it right, NFL. Reggie Bush, yes. Jeb Bush, no.

Hall of Lame... Arguments

Doug Flutie does not belong in the Hall of Fame.

ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler seems not to write that Flutie does or does not belong, but instead that he should be considered based on his accomplishments.

I say that's crazy.

Yes, it is called the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not the National Football League Hall of Fame. Yes, Warren Moon is being inducted into the Hall this August with a rather accomplished CFL resume. Yes, Doug Flutie had good numbers in the Canadian Football League. All of this is well and good but there's one thing missing from all of this...

CFL ≠ NFL

Any argument saying that CFL stats have to be considered without emphasizing that the CFL is inferior talent wise to the NFL is ridiculous. Kriedler notes that Flutie spent most of his time in the NFL as a backup, and isn't that enough of a vote against Flutie for any Hall consideration? How many career backups do you know of in the HOF? Yes, Moon's records were inflated in the Run n' Shoot offense, but he set the single-season passing record in his first year in Oilers blue - 2 years before they started running the Run n' Shoot. He broke his own record 4 more times. When he retired, Moon ranked 3rd and 4th respectively in career passing yards and touchdown passes.

And that's in the NFL, not in Pro Football.

Doug Flutie was a good quarterback. He's had memorable moments throughout his career (college, CFL, NFL), but he doesn't belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Is there a CFL Hall of Fame? If so, he should be first ballot there, not here.

Don't call it a comeback

So we're catching up on a lot of sports news here. I apologize for the lack of posting, but keeping up two blogs is no easy thing (ahem).

Terrell Owens to Dallas: Oh, like it needed to be any easier to hate Dallas?

US 1 - 1 Jamaica: No big deal, though neither of those goals were pretty, and Tony Meola just looked awful. My World Cup roster is to come.

Duke lacrosse scandal: It's not looking very good for the stripper now is it? A lack of matching DNA is a crucial blow to her case. I feel sorry for those kids if it turns out she fabricated it. Sure, it wasn't the wisest thing for them to have had such a party, but to lose their season over it is a little extreme - if it turns out not to be fact. Now, if her allegations are legit, then they deserve whatever it is that they get.

NFL Draft: Oh yes... another year without a first round pick. These mock drafts are fun, though. I think I can outscore Vince Young on the Wonderlic. Houston is crazy if they don't draft Reggie Bush - but I don't believe for one second that they won't.

Bonds on Bonds: Stop me if I start to care.

Wizards Wilting: But still in 5th, poised to face Cleveland in the first round. Hold on, boys. I'd rather play Cleveland right now than any other of the top 4.

Shielded from justice

On Bunch of Bull's first goal against United on Sunday, Chris Henderson and Seth Stammler stood on the edge of the six, in an offside position, while Djorkaeff struck the free kick. Perkins evidently was shielded attributing to his inability to get to the shot in the upper 90.

"And after reviewing the play, MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation concluded yesterday that the goal should not have counted."

Thanks guys. Way to get it right after the game...

DC United in Positives and Negatives

Negative: Troy Perkins - That was an awful bobble. Either catch it, or punch it into oblivion. Under no circumstances do you drop it right at your feet in traffic. That wasted the effort of...

Positive: Defense - They held the MetBulls to 4 shots on goal, more or less keeping Perkins from having to make too many plays. Of course, when called upon to make a play, Perkins screwed the pooch. Yeah, the first goal was nearly unstoppable, but the second was all his fault. Trivia question: who gave the foul resulting in the free kick goal? Answer:...

Negative: Freddy Adu - His foul not withstanding, Freddy was ineffective. His passes were off, his dribbling was over-abundant, and he was owned by Marvell Wynne, who may not have left a single ball by him all game.

Positive: Alecko Eskandarian - Wow. What a way to re-emerge.

Negative: A draw at home to a bunch of Bull (before the game).

Positive: A draw at home to a bunch of Bull after being down 2-0 (after the game).

USA / Germany - A Running Diary

2:29pm - I'm all set. Mountain Dew in hand and the TV tuned to ESPN2. The teams are coming out onto the field. The US starters:

GK: Keller
D: Berhalter, Gibbs, Conrad
M: Convey(LM), Zavagnin(DM), Mastroeni(DM), Cherundolo(RM), Wolff (CAM)
F: Ching, Johnson

A 3-5-2 for the Stars and Stripes. I like Cherundolo at right half. He's good attacking out of the back and won't likely forget his defensive responsibilities. Kerry Zavagnin needs to impress me.

2:34 - ESPN2 just showed the Torsten Frings handball against the US in 2002. I feel venom rising inside of me. USA! USA!

2:35 - The temperature is 35 degrees. Berhalter's the only US starter in short sleeves. Did somebody forget to remind him? We have kickoff!

2:36 - Berhalter just gave the ball away to Miroslav Klose. Then he turned and screamed "That'll teach you to change on me!" to his team. Just kidding about that last part.

2:38 - German fans are shouting for a handball on Cherundolo. I don't think so, cheaters.

2:39 - According to the bottom line, Claudio Reyna will be out (shoulder) for 3-4 weeks. Can't he ever stay healthy? Meantime, Josh Wolff is slow getting up - I guess they need to let Claudio know they're thinking about him. Corner for the States.

2:41 - Seriously, how many black Germans do you know? Wolff is off getting attention, US with 10 men. Germans are controlling play

2:46 - The Germans still look more dangerous...

2:47 - ...and nearly put one in. Podulsky shoots it wide but Keller had the post covered. Time to wake up, guys.

2:48 - The defense must've hit the snooze as Friedrich crosses to Ballack who heads it just wide. This doesn't bode well.

2:49 - Convey gets deep, drops to Gibbs who shoots and Wolff's deflection goes wide. More of that would be good. I've just noticed the "ROAD TO GERMANY" under the score graphic at the top of the screen. Um... guys? Aren't we already here?

2:51 - GO PABLO GO!

2:52 - Chris Klein on for Josh Wolff. Klein goes wide, I suppose, but who slides into the center of the midfield?

2:55 - Nevermind. Marcelo Balboa says that we've gone to a 4-4-2 with Klein in the back. The play-by-play guy (I don't know who he is) says Wolff has a mild concussion. Say it with me now: "what's mild about a concussion?"

3:00 - Corey Gibbs has been doing well on Gerald Asamoah (Ah-sah-moe-uh). He's not looking very Asam right now. [badumching] Bobby looks almost like he's playing in the middle, with Cherundolo dropping to right back and Klein moving up to right half.

3:03 - Late tackle by Zavagnin draws a yellow card. That's so not impressing me.

3:04 - Friedrich cleats Johnson on a late tackle. No card for that one...

3:12 - Best chance for the States. A Cherundolo free kick fom 25 and left of goal that gets flicked on by Johnson and bobbled by Kahn. Great ball by Steve.

3:17 - Great individual work by Convey on a long run after an outlet pass from Berhalter leads to a corner. Kahn has to dive and punch the cross away

3:21 - Halftime. Bobby's looked dangerous, Gibbs looks solid in the back, and I'm going to the bathroom.

3:38 - And we're back for the 2nd half. No changes for the US as I sit here hoping -- before I could finish writing this, Miroslav Klose scores to make it 1-0 for Handball FC. Looking for Bruce to make some changes now...

3:40 - I forgot I heated up the leftover Domino's cheesey bread...

3:42 - The goal goes to Bastian Schweinsteiger, Klose never touched it.

3:44 - I just checked. We still won World War 2.

3:50 - Taylor Twellman's warming up. For Ching?

3:52 - Yup. Twellman for Ching as Balboa says "not a great performance". I agree, he was almost invisible.

3:57 - The play-by-play guy just said Bobby was "continuing to rise his stock". Right.

3:58 - Kahn robs Eddie Johnson of the equalizer on a header off of a cross. Huge play.

3:59 - KAAAAAAAAAHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

4:05 - Indecision in the back leads to an Oliver Neuville goal and a peeved Bruce Arena who looks like he just came home to a burned down house. Two defenders hesitated and let a ball bounce between them and a pass to Neuville led to a looping shot over Keller. Not his fault.

4:07 - DC United sighting! Ben Olsen for Pablo Mastroeni

4:08 - 3-0 Germany. Miroslav Klose. I'm about to turn off the TV. Credit that one to Berhalter, who was also part of the hesitation on the 2nd goal.

4:09 - Heath Pearce for Corey Gibbs.

4:11 - Michael Ballack makes it 4-0 for Germany. I don't think Bruce Arena's moved or changed his facial expression. Terrible defensive lapses here.

4:12 - Cherundolo tests Kahn but is steered aside. Cherundolo's played well.

4:17 - Keller triggers a counter-attack with a toss to Cherundolo who sent a ball high and long to Johnson. Kahn came for it and Johnson slipped and fell and took out a leaping Kahn as the ball trickled into the net. 4-1 Germany.

4:25 - Mercifully it ends. I almost would've rather been at work.

The Yanks Are Coming

Today is the friendly between the US and Handball FC. The Germans are still smarting from a 4-1 whooping put on them by the Azzuri (Italy) and there is tons of public pressure on Germany to perform well today for two reasons:

1) Because they are supposed to be an international power, and losing 4-1 to anyone is unacceptable

2) We're Americans, and losing to us is on the soccer field without the aide of Sly or Pele is even more unacceptable

We're not taking a full-strength side over there, and they aren't showing us a full-strength side themselves. I'm saturated by anticipation of the 2:30pm kickoff, and I hope all you footy freaks out there are going to be watching.

Prediction: 2-1 Stars and Stripes, and Sam's Army sings into the night...

Sad day...

So long, Tags.

I read this and groaned.

Paul Tagliabue guided the NFL to its current position as the nation's number one professional sport and America's Pastime (sorry, baseball, you're riding shotgun these days). Here's hoping the next commish can keep the ship afloat.

Evil is as evil does

Upon hearing that Terrell Owens has gone to Dallas, I called Deep Cover and left the following voicemail:

"Does Terrell Owens becoming a Cowboy make Owens more evil? Or does it make Dallas more evil? Or is it both? I think it's both."

What say you?

Stop me if I start to care

For a few years prior to 2005, I was far from a baseball fan. I declared the Baltimore Orioles not to be my home team -- because they're from Baltimore. I hated (and still do) Peter Angelos for trying to keep baseball out of DC. I didn't watch baseball highlights. I didn't watch baseball games until the playoffs.

Then the Washington Nationals arrived. I now had a reason to watch, and an actual team for which to root. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a die hard baseball fan now by any stretch of the imagination. Why? Because I wipe my ass with the World Baseball Classic.

I can't watch this. Some of the best players were pulling out of the competition as if there were some sort of condom shortage. Buck Martinez bought an overturn of a call by talking to the home plate ump against Japan. Oh, and Pay-Rod plays for the USA. American or not, under no circumstances can I root for him.

Wake me when you're through, World Baseball Classic. I've got NFL free agency and the NFL mock drafts to pay attention to.

September 4th comes early this year

Now that there is labor peace again in the NFL, free agency has been jumpin. What have we here?

- Antwaan Randle El a Redskin: I'm a tad skeptical of the amount of money Dan Snyder threw at him, (27 over 6) but he's a game changer. He's big in the return game, and pretty versatile. Let's hope Al Saunders knows how to use him. Brandon Lloyd as a 3 isn't a bad addition either, especially for a 3 this year and a 4 next.

- Edgerrin James to Arizona: Big news. First because the Cards can finally improve on their 71 rushing yards per game average from last year. Second because now the Colts need desperately to find a tailback. Draft? Free agency?

- Mike Anderson to Denver: When will people learn that it's more the system in Denver than the back? See Olandis Gary, and all those TDs Reuben Droughns got last year in Cleveland.

- Will Witherspoon, Ram tough: I'd hoped the Skins would get in on Witherspoon to replace LaVar. No dice, but a good pull by Saint Louis.

- Cleveland rocks: In the time it takes to write this, Cleveland will have added another free agent. Okay, maybe not, but the biggest move for me was getting Jurevicius and keeping him out of lame New England.

- The last thing I'll touch on here is the run made at Drew Brees by the Saints. If they land him before Miami can, will they trade their pick? Draft Leinart anyway? (deja vu for Drew) I'd bet on the former. Someone'll pay a lot to move up... Dallas?

UPDATE:

AR-chu-LET-a! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)

Quote of the day

"Adrian is a hammer. He kicks anything that moves and has an efficient grace with the ball. We needed some ferocity and bite in our midfield to compliment the 'artistic' side and we think Adrian is just what the doctor ordered. My only concern is finding someone who can translate Canadian." - Metros GM Alexi Lalas after they acquired Adrian Serioux, a Canadian.

Here and there...

- The Owners' vote on the latest CBA proposal looms. I'm not holding my breath, but I am anxious. 24 votes needed, right? PLEASE get 24...

- Houston Dynamo? Seriously?! That's awful. Certainly you could have come up with something less cookie-cutter.

- Arrington's departure does not a happy me make. I will be even less happy if he goes to the Giants. ESPN writes that, should Arrington go to New York, he'll be reunited with former teammate Aaron Pierce. I'm pretty sure that they mean Antonio, unless Antonio's changed his name, aged more than 10 years, and became a tight end.

- Congratulations Lady Vols. May the SEC title not be your only one this March.

Curious...

I took a glance at the Top 25 on .com today and everything looked alright. I noticed one very strange thing. Take a look below at the Top 10 and see if you can pick it out...



What former Tar Heel voted UNC #1 for beating Duke? Seriously? Was that totally necessary? I hate Duke, don't get me wrong, but doesn't that seem a little contrary? Then again, beating Duke at Cameron on JJ Redick's senior night is pretty damn enjoyable...