Holiday Musings

Winston-Salem, NC -- For the third consecutive year, I finished my holiday shopping before Christmas Eve. I've been a big fan of e-shopping, dating back to my time in DC to avoid the overcrowded malls and jammed streets. Approximately 70% of my shopping is done online, with the last bit resulting in a late run to a mall or specialty shop. I dropped in on Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem yesterday to place a bow on my Christmas shopping list -- pun intended -- and giving me a day or so to wrap up all of the gifts. Well, I looked like a mouse dodging a human broom in the mall hallways yesterday. I'm not really sure how people year after year can knock out a dozen people on their shopping list just by going to a stuffy mall. There isn't a store holding a sale or anything like that. Here's an even larger question. At this time of year with all of the holiday jargon, last minute shopping, final exams if you're in school, parties, etc. could you be "relaxing" in a Starbucks? Who are those people that sip on "tall" expressos with whipped cream, reading a book by the fake fireplace? They're probably laughing at all of us running around like turkeys to find the perfect gift for someone who will, in turn, probably trash it before the next holiday song that Dehlila plays in the following year.

*****

Good to see that The Dan hasn't lost his mind and is looking to keep some continuity in the coaching staff for 2009. If the Redskins win on Sunday, they'll be 9-7, exactly the same record as last year when they made the playoffs. Jim Zorn is a rookie head coach, so there's definitely a maturation process and a learning curve that's unavoidable with any rookie in sports, whether it be the Head Coach, QB, CB, RB, etc. I preach this notion in this space far too often: continuity breeds long term success.

Speaking of long term success in DC, I'm sure that Nationals' fans would all be excited to see a big name join the team via free agency. Other than the 1 year rental for Alfonso Soriano in 2006, the Nationals have never had a "marquee" player on the squad. Mark Teixeira definitely fits that description. However, I'm not sure that's the best option for the rebuilding Nats. No team has ever had success (defined here as a deep postseason run) with one player absorbing as much as a quarter of a team's payroll. With the Nats' payroll at $55M (in 2008) and a reported 8 year-$184M contract dangled in front of Bor-ass and Tex ($23M / year), that would spike the payroll up to $88M with Tex's contract consuming 26% of it. Sure, the willingness to spend large amounts of money is a great sign to the fans. The player that they're trying to lure is special. There would be utter outrage if this type of contract was offered to some clown like Manny Ramirez or a pitcher with a history or health issues when not in a contract year, such as A.J. Burnett, but "Tex" fits the definition of "no baggage." However, I'm not sure this signing would be the best for the Nats at this time. They are so far removed from contending. The pitching prospects in the minors are developing at their own pace. Steven Strasburg (RHP), the likely #1 pick in the '09 draft, will be an ace someday -- just not anytime soon. I believe that if Tex were to sign with the Nats, it would be detrimental to both the team and Tex. Let the Red Sox scoop him up... they'll need him to fend off the Yankees' new pitching acquisitions.

Redskins Rant

Greensboro, NC -- All of the optimism that permeated Redskins Nation during the first eight weeks of the season is all but gone. The defense has remained somewhat steady, but the offense is nothing but a farce. As the NFL season dictates, the stronger teams emerge in December because of the depth of their trenches built back in the draft, OTA's, and training camp. The problem with the Redskins year-in and year-out is their depth. As a fan, we get all excited when the Skins sign a star free agent, such as an Antwaan Randle El or an Andre Carter. We also get excited over big, splashy trades, such as the ones for Jason Taylor and Santana Moss. With high first round picks and nothing else in the draft during this decade, it speaks volumes of the problems that have persisted and will continue to exist in DC. After watching football for several years now, I've learned that it's not the star free agents that win you the tough games in December and January. It's all in the lines, both offensive and defensive. The team with the best lines is going win. When a QB, such as Eli Manning, has all week to check for the open receiver, more likely than not, the team will convert. If there's an effective pass rush, the opposing QB will be more prone to making mistakes when they're scrambling or ducking when a large lineman is flying at them. It's time to tear down this debacle and build through the draft. It was no coincidence that all seven draft picks of the 2007 NFL draft played a key role in the Giants' Super Bowl win 9 months later. Further, who has the two best lines in the league? Eli has all week to throw, while opposing QB's (see Campbell last week) are always on the run like outlaws.

Truth be told, the Randle El signing has been a bust. So has the one for Andre Carter, and Fred Smoot. The trades for Jason Taylor and Santana Moss (sans the 2005 season) have yielded less than stellar results. Special teams have been a disaster since Joe Gibbs I. It starts at the top, not with Jim Zorn because he doesn't have a say in player personnel decisions, but with Vinny. The signature on Vinny's paychecks belongs to the Dan. This President of Football Operations title nonsense/no GM/no Director of Scouting doesn't work. It's time to hire a GM who knows what he's doing. Follow the proper hierarchy chart and we might have something. The teams that have dismantled us this season have all benefitted from recently outstanding drafts: the Giants, the Steelers, and the Ravens. These hyped up expectations are fitting for September and October, but come Thanksgiving, the real team, or lack there of, shines. It's time to tear it down and REBUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT.

The Skins are Falling

Winston-Salem, NC -- As always, Monday mornings are the busiest time of the week for me. After reading the Washington Post's "JaLa's" "Redskins' Insider's" post this morning, I completely echo his sentiments. I'll have my own personal take on the Skins' dreadful performance later on tonight or tomorrow, but for now, here's an accurate description of the state of the Skins:

"It's very, very early Monday morning and we've
all seen this movie before, so I'm not going to belabor the obvious. We've
covered the issues that have been begging to be addressed -- the offensive and
defensive lines and the lack of offensive playmakers. Responsibility for those
deficiencies starts at the very top of the organization and rests with Daniel
Snyder and Vinny Cerrato. But in the loss to the Ravens, there again was a
failure of scheme and far too few players looked to be up to the task of
competing against a more physical opponent.
This stretch of four losses in
five games should be enough to open management's eyes as to what ails this team
and one would think it would make their self-scouting pretty simple. Playing top
opponents is a good gauge of where a team stands and losses to the Steelers,
Cowboys, Giants and Ravens show that there is a wide chasm between the Redskins
offense and what it would take to beat good teams on a weekly basis --
especially in the playoffs.
The Redskins aren't close. The offensive and defensive
lines are collapsing again. It's time to rebuild and that can't be put off
another year. The front office can't kid itself that the team is just an Ocho
Stinko or a Lance Briggs away. The Redskins' starting offense was healthier than
any in the NFL through 12½ weeks -- losing just one real man game to injury --
so don't let the latest Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen injuries convince you it's
just a matter of guys getting nicked up. That's football. And the results speak
for themselves.
If Chris Samuels is lost for the season -- and I got the
sense in the locker room that that is a very real possibility -- the Redskins
might not win another game this season.
Running back Clinton Portis seemed
perturbed by his lack of playing time, and rookie coach Jim Coach Zorn suddenly
finds himself in the middle of a maelstrom. Perhaps those who believed all along
that he was wearing too many hats are right. Perhaps those who believed he was
he was being put into a position to fail are right. Whatever happens to be the
case, this offense is indeed failing.
Beyond personnel, the decision to use
Mike Sellers as the third-down pass protector over Portis, banged up or not, was
stunning. Putting Justin Geigsinger at left tackle with no help from a tight end
against Terrell Suggs was stupefying, even for one play. Not running more two
tight-end sets with Geisinger and Stephon Heyer as your tackles was a major
surprise. Not opting to go no-huddle in the third quarter, not rolling Jason
Campbell out more, not going to the screen-pass game before the end of the first
half was odd.
(As an aside, Santana Moss seems to be shriveling up. Fabian
Washington doing such a great job even when playing press-man on Moss a lot of
the time, with no help, was a big factor. Campbell tried to go to him when
possible in those alignments and Washington was there stride for stride,
breaking up plays.)
This has always been a very good locker room -- like an
organizational hierarchy, the best rooms flow from the top down with ego-free
stars setting the tone -- but it's now Year 5 of the defense carrying the
offense and the paltry scoring output is resembling 2004. Even when the team is
handed a 26-yard field, it's a struggle to move the ball. And Zorn doesn't have
the kind of coaching resume that's going to make anyone do a double-take or give
him the benefit of the doubt, as they did with Joe Gibbs. He also doesn't have
the 2005 Redskins offensive line (largely the same guys; but different bodies at
different stages of their career). The offense can't handle big, aggressive
defenses that punch teams in the mouth with the blitz, and that's hardly a shock
when you look at how they were constructed.
There was no real imagination in
the scheme, no cute stuff for Antwaan Randle El, no surprises. On the other side
of the field, Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron did exactly what I
expected -- he concocted about three huge trick plays to overcome his sizeable
offensive limitations. The four-and-one quick-drop screen that looked like a
quarterback keeper, the misdirection fake to Todd Heap and the reverse for Mark
Clayton on that final drive were huge plays. They're exactly what is missing
here. (Setting up the play action and attacking Carlos Rogers with the double
move for that final TD was excellently timed as well - more on that drive
later.)
The defense played admirably, but Joe Flacco was dying to give this
game away and the Redskins defense just wouldn't take it. The kid looked nervous
for the first time in months. With his passes sailing, he was making poor reads
and seemed ready to implode. He might have if only there had been even a tiny
pass rush to go "boo" in his face a few times. Greg Blache did a better job of
mixing up his coverages and implementing more zone this week, but they can't
knock a quarterback down with a two-by-four.
The kid had an embarrassing
amount of time in which to read the field and deliver his errant throws. Jason
Taylor knocked down a pass, but for all of his flip-flopping sides he was again
a zero factor. Andre Carter can't even make an impact as a $10-million Chris
Clemons-type to come off the edge on third-and-long. LaRon Landry finally made a
few plays in the second half, but sitting 40 yards off the line of scrimmage
didn't help a ton against an offense as limited as this in the first half.
It
was a one-interception night that could have been a three-interception night, a
game in which the Redskins perhaps could have taken an early lead had anyone
gotten in Flacco's face.
I wonder how long the images from that final
Baltimore scoring drive might linger. This defense hasn't been steamrolled like
that in a long time, not for a full 80 yards over eight minutes. Everyone in the
stadium knew exactly what was coming -- handoffs to fullback/tailback Le'Ron
McClain -- and the Redskins were run over on pretty much every play anyway in a
flashback to Marion Barber and the Cowboys.
That was no surprise; it was the
template the Ravens have used all year -- they are the best fourth-quarter team
in the NFL and generally wait until then to unleash their beefiest back on a
tired defense. That was soul-sucking, and it may have been effectively
season-ending.
A single stop there and this would still have been a ballgame,
with Washington seizing momentum and being one broken play away from tying the
score. But the Redskins gave up 147 yards -- again far too much on the ground
for this unit -- even if was an unspectacular 3.8 per carry. The Ravens are
going to run the ball 40 times and protect their young QB at all costs, so often
even holding them to around their pedestrian season average isn't enough. And it
wasn't Sunday night."

Skins-Giants Recap

Greensboro, NC -- Like true football fans, a group of us braved the elements on Sunday to watch the Redskins-Giants' game in a 40 degree, rainy slop-fest. Hanging out at the tailgating scene, I felt as though I were part of a Campbell's soup commercial where the fans are chowing down on hearty soup bowls in the cold. However, the Campbell's soup best described the Redskins' offense rather than our tailgating festival. Facing quite possibly the best team in football, the Skins' offense sputtered out of the gate. Thanks to a trick play, which resulted in a rookie WR running a reverse, the Skins were able to score. However, the nuts and bolts of the offense were as sloppy as the field conditions.

As the calendar turns to the final month of the season, it leads me to ask this question,"Is Campbell 'the guy' for QB?" We're in year 3 with him as a starter and the results have been nothing but mediocre. On Sunday, there were passes under thrown (Int's) and overthrown, while Eli Manning looked crisp throwing the ball. The formula that the G-Men employed on offense was simple. They ran the slant towards the middle of the field all day, and then mixed in some draw plays to establish the run. While held in check for most of the first half, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs broke loose for some longer runs in the second half, which essentially iced the game. By the 4th quarter, the cheers from Kaylin (her first Giants' and NFL game) and her fellow Jints' fans drowned out the drenched Skins' faithful. This act has become a recurring theme in FedEx Field. Because of DC's geography being accessible to fans from both the north and south, coupled with the Skins' copacetic seasons, visiting teams' fans have often got the last word at FedEx Field.

One final thought. After watching last night's quirky Jacksonville-Houston MNF game, it reminded me that proper front office structure can result in effective drafts, which are non-existent in Washington. The Texans were ridiculed in 2006 for taking Mario Williams with the first pick over Reggie Bush, hometown hero Vince Young, and even Matt Leinhart. But what has Super Mario done since he was drafted? He's provided an outstanding pass rush, been a sack machine, and an on-field presence. Bush has bee injured too much, and both QB's have been ineffective and benched by their respective clubs. Coincidentally, who drafted Williams, you might ask? Charlie Casserly, fired by The Dan in his famous 1999 housecleaning.

Catching up...

Winston-Salem, NC -- Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means stuffing ourselves with a home cooked smorgasbord of tasty dishes, waking up early to wave to Santa Claus at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and most importantly, watching football. Two years ago, the NFL instituted a third, night game on Thanksgiving, which was a grand idea. Thanksgiving became pretty quiet around 8:00 p.m. when the Cowboys finished devouring whatever hapless team they scheduled on that day. The Titans and Cowboys are the obvious picks for the regularly scheduled games, but the Arizona-Philly match-up is as juicy as the gravy running down the potato mountain on your plate. I like Philly at home; the Cardinals never ever play well on the East Coast.

Other Topics:

• The Orioles finally caved in to the fans' demands and placed "Baltimore" on the road jerseys. But check out the sweet sleeve patch on their '09 jerseys:

• I'll be attending the Skins-Giants' matchup on Sunday in Landover. This game will define the course of the Redskins' season. If they beat the Giants, they'll be a shoe-in for the postseason with Cincy, Philly, and San Fran still on the schedule. If they lose, they'll have to win-out to secure a spot with the strong NFC field this year -- the NFC South is all in contention in addition to the NFC East.
• I'm surprised that it wasn't LeBron James bobblehead night at MSG last night. It's 2 seasons until James can be a free agent, so please Knicks' fans, stop the tampering. Ridiculous.
• There are still some good college football games left this weekend... Vandy-Wake in my brotherly love match-up, the Peach State battle: UGA-GA Tech, and the Iron Bowl: Auburn-'Bama.
• The free agent market is more quiet than a Michigan bowl game. That is, of course, if you don't count Jeremy Affeldt's 2 year-$8M deal with the Giants.

I'll be traveling to New Jersey this afternoon, then down to Maryland on Saturday, and return to Carolina following the Skins' game on Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Weekend Wrap-up

Greensboro, NC -- Not much to say this morning as I'm trying to recover from a busy weekend of family events. Here's some hodgepodge of information; we'll get back to a daily topic starting tomorrow.

• What was believed to be athestrength of Wake Forest has turned into a major liability; the defense. The Deacs played some stout D in the first half, limiting the Cavaliers to only 3 points and sprinkling in some turnovers, including a pick-6. But Virginia threatened to make it close in the final minutes rallying from 25 down to bridge the gap to 11, and then knocking on Wake's doorstep before turning the ball over in the final two minutes. The Deacs play three out of their last four at home, so that's an advantage they'll have as they attempt to march to Tampa.
• Just by looking at their easy schedule, you knew that PSU was going to blow it somewhere in their attempt in an undefeated season and a BCS championship game. Losing to the Steelers, er... the Hawkeyes all but eliminated their chances for a national championship.
• I'm already looking forward to the SEC Championship game between Florida and Bama. Whoever wins that game will play one of the Texas schools... Texas Tech (if they don't choke) or Texas for the national championship.
• The Big 10 is having an off year.
• So is the mediocre ACC, but that's been going on for the past couple of years. I would think that if one ACC school could land a couple of big time recruits, they could build a perennial contender for years by beating the snout of their fellow ACC schools. But the problem is that ACC coaches don't have the track record of recruiting like SEC schools. I mean, I don't even know who Miami's head coach is.
• Speaking of coaches, it's been long overdue that Phil Fulmer stepped down at Tennessee. Spoke to a former UT player a couple of months ago, and he told me that playing for him is just awful -- one of the nastiest people you'll ever meet. I'm not sure if that method of coaching works anymore -- "tough love." But, I heard on College Gameday that Tommy Tuberville, if released from Auburn, would be a leading candidate to take over UT.
• A good comeback win for my Dawgs over Kentucky on Saturday.

The Weekend Slate

Greensboro, NC -- The weekend is finally here and I'll be busy with family in town. That won't stop me from checking out the following slate of games.

• Georgia at Kentucky, 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs need to rebound from the ugly lopsided loss to Florida. Lexington seems like the right place to get back on track. Also, before the Florida game, I was going to blog about Knowshon Moreno emerging as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He must have huge games here on out to be considered.
• Virginia at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. Saturday. I'll be attending this game at BB&T Field. Both of these teams have had roller coaster seasons. Wake, revealing their new stadium renovation and coming off of back-to-back bowl seasons, had huge expectations this year, especially since QB Riley Skinner is only a junior. It appears that the loss to Navy back in the end of September completely deflated their season.
• Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Can Texas Tech keep the magic going against the Cowboys from last week's thriller against Texas?
• Florida at Vandy, 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Last time that Florida played at Vandy, I was there! Let's see if Vandy can rebound from a very rough stretch of their schedule.
• New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30 p.m. Sunday. There are no other spicy matchups this weekend, plus the Skins have a bye. I imagine I'll tune into this game when Sunday's festivities are over.

Enjoy the weekend. See you next week in the Bistro.

The Curse de Rojo Jersey

Greensboro, NC -- I'm blaming the Redskins' latest loss on Monday Night Football to the preexisting, ubiquitous "Curse of the Burgundy Jersey." Back in the day when fashion statements weren't the trend in the NFL or any other sports' league for that matter, the only time when the Redskins wore the burgundy jersey was in Dallas and occassionally Philly would wear their white jerseys at home to anger us. The Skins' all-time record in Dallas is not very good (9-26 at Texas Stadium), so I equate those burgundy jerseys to heartbreaking losses.




In 2001, where everything was a little bizarre in "Martyball," Schottenheimer enforced the Skins to wear the burgundy at home; a cardinal sin in my book. In the subsequent years, Spurrier chose to wore burgundy at home on occassion, which I blame him for not knowing the Skins' tradition and history. When Joe Gibbs returned in 2004, order was restored -- the Redskins wear white home! I prefer to see the white jerseys with the burgundy pants, but this year, the Skins have appeared to return to late in the 2005 season (when they won 5 in a row) by wearing white on white. This past Monday, I liked the burgundy on burgundy (kind of high schoolish though), but I knew we were doomed.


I attempted a Google search this morning and came up empty in my attempt to discover the Redskins' all-time record in the burgundy jerseys. I also checked in at the Elias Sports Bureau, but unless you're ESPN or have a truckload of cash, you're not touching their odds and ends database. So for now, please Zorn Master, let this game teach you a lesson, the white jerseys should be worn for the rest of the year. Aside from Dallas and maybe Miami, we're the only team that likes to wear white at home. I feel exclusive that way.

The Newest NFL Fad

Greensboro, NC -- In the neverending copycat league also known as the NFL, we've seen a new trend in this decade; "team first." Created by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, the winning formula in the NFL, in addition to the X's and O's, has been implementing a team first mentality. During that famous Super Bowl (when U2 played the halftime show!), New England opted to enter the field as a team, rather than conduct individual player announcements. It made the Rams look foolish and full of themselves when they were later upset in the game. Since then, numerous teams now enter the field "as a team," such as the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, coincidentally against those same Patriots.

This point is further illustrated when players on losing teams voice their displeasure. The Redskins, for a better part of this decade, were a team assembled by free agency. Free agents usually have the "me first" mentality, putting their numbers (and future earnings) interest ahead of the team. In the limelight this year are the Cowboys, who Jerry Jones built through silly trades and free agency. Conversely, the Giants, who used all 7 of their 2007 draft picks in the playoffs last year, have employed the "team first" mentality. We'll just have to wait and see how much longer some of them can keep their egos in check before large paydays are sought.

How do you get players to adjust to this mindset? I believe that it's simply winning and proving yourself as a coach. Tom Coughlin had no respect from fans or players last year around this time. But Coughlin continued to preach his principles, coupled with a some road playoff wins, and he made some believers. Then, like Belichick, once you win the big game, you don't have to preach, you're in the position to lead.

Politics for One Day

Greensboro, NC -- One of the many charms living in a small town such as Greensboro is being able to walk into the polling station, cast your vote, collect your "I Voted" sticker, then leave in the span of a few minutes. I just casted my ballot for the next President of the United States, John McCain. Silly you might say. If McCain can hold onto Virginia and Florida or Ohio, he can still very much win. I'd be shocked if Obama took my "new" home state of North Carolina.

Virginia is the "wild card" of this election. They've had the loudest voice of disapproval in the past 4 years over the Bush Administration. While Senator Jim Webb may be the face of their disgust, this once Republican bevy has changed to a key battleground state. In my trip to Blacksburg this summer, I discovered that there were more "college town liberals" than pro-gun elephants. The population in Northern Virginia has grown dramatically over the years. The closer a population is to a major city (DC), the bluer one gets.

Should be an interesting night flipping through the channels. Let's see if there is another "upset" in the making. Remember in 2004 when Kerry had a solid lead of Bush in the polls? Hopefully, the pollsters broadened their scope of interviewees this year. Otherwise, we may see Chris Matthews foaming at the mouth once again around midnight.

Keys to Tonight's Game

Greensboro, NC -- Tonight's Monday Night Football matchup features two storied franchises squaring off on the eve of a critical election. To indicate just how far on the tip of the cusp we are to the election, Chris "Boomer" Berman will be interviewing both John McCain and Barack Obama at halftime; fitting since tonight's game is in Washington. The Redskins will play host to the Steelers tonight at 8:30 p.m. Let's look at the Skins' keys to the game.



On Defense

• Pressure Roethesberger. Just like fellow NFC East foes, the Giants and Eagles did in their games against the Steelers -- break through the weak offensive line. That means you Andre Carter!
• Prevent deep balls to WR's Hines Ward and Nate Washington. You cannot give up the big play and take the crowd out of the game.
• Contain whoever is playing running back. Parker and Mendenhall are banged up; let's capitalize on that.

On Offense

• Campbell needs to play like the 2008 Campbell. The Steelers have the number 1 ranked defense. Limit turnovers is a premium.
• Get Portis going. Whenever Portis runs wild, the Skins win. Of course, that is very difficult against the Steelers D.
• Have a trick play up the sleeve. I say let ex-Steeler Antwaan Randle El throw a flee flicker to Moss to throw the Steelers off.

I picked the Redskins to win this game 27-17 because they've played very well against good teams this year. They're also at home, which, excluding the Rams' clunker, has bode well for them. The NFL like any sport is a numbers' game. The Steelers, already 0-2 against the NFC East this year, surely wouldn't go 2-2 or 1-3 against a division in a season? I think that's the only factoid working against the Skins tonight. As the season goes on, the Redskins continue to get better. Let's hope another step is taken tonight. Hail to the Skins!

Mixing Politics and Sports

Greensboro, NC -- This article in the Washington Post caught my eye last week. I never really pay attention to the voting choices of non-political figures, such as athletes and celebrities. Most of them vote for the Democratic choice because they're in Hollywood, or they come from "Democratic backgrounds."

Mike Wise scoured through the Redskins' locker room, surveying the players of their presidential choice: 29 Obama, 8 McCain, 7 Undecided.

Money quote:

"Fred Smoot summed up this year's dilemma for
many of his teammates when the veteran cornerback told the AP, 'We're coming
from Democratic backgrounds, but we got Republican money right now.'"

Further, from the NBA article, money quote
from Wizards Center Etan "The Poet" Thomas:

"Although the NBA is predominantly African
American, the Wizards' Thomas said the enthusiasm for Obama has less to do with
him being black than with his views on the economy, health care and education.
Obama 'is . . . laying out the plans. He's not talking around the issues. There
is a sense that things will be different.'"

Ok, Poet, how is it not about "being black" and voting for Obama when you're making... err fleecing $6M / year? You're in Obama's 95th percentile, which means that you'll be subjugated to
being a member of his socialist club, "Spreading the Wealth." If it's not about the money, why were you intent on leaving the Wiz several years ago? Don't tell me that the city of Milwaukee is better than DC. And health care? Poet, you're part of the one of the nation's most powerful unions. I'm not sure how you can justify that Obama's socialist health care plan is better than McCain's. I'm not buying your poetry this time.

The Drought is Over

Greensboro, NC -- "Phinally!" read the cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia's premiere newspaper. In one of the most unconventional, bizarre World Series endings -- a 3 1/2 inning game -- this celebratory anticipation was on the same equator as the greater Philadelphia weather blanket. I believed that the Rays would win this Series with very little trouble because of their superior starting pitching, especially against the Games 3 and 4 mismatches: Garza vs. Moyer and Sonnanstine vs. Blanton. But "Stand Pat" Gillick proved me wrong because of his fortified bullpen. One of the few trading deadlines moves that Gillick did make was trading for Joe Blanton, the hero of Game 4. Everywhere "Stand Pat" is in charge, he's been a winner. If I had a vote for the Hall of Fame, he'd be a first ballot in the executive wing.



I was running through my head this morning all of the four-sport cities to see if DC now had the longest title drought. If I stand corrected, here's what I came up with: If you lump the San Jose Sharks into Oakland's "territory," the greater Oakland area would be a 4-sport region, making them the city possessing the longest title drought (Athletics, 1989 WS Champs). Otherwise, DC ties the Minneapolis region with the longest title drought of 17 years (Redskins were SB Champs and Twins won the WS in 1991). As a tiebreaker, other than a putrid Cinderella run by the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, no other DC sports team has come close to winning any title. Meanwhile, the Twins have won several division titles this decade, the Vikings make the playoffs off and on, and the Timberwolves advanced to the Conference Finals back in 2004 with KG. With Arenas out and the Nats in full rebuilding mode, it's up to the Skins and Caps to take DC to the promiseland.

The baseball season is officially over. One quick note -- the faces on the Rays players didn't show that much disappointment. Perhaps that's because they know they'll be back soon with their ultra talented nucleus of Longoria, Upton, Navarro, Crawford, Pena, Kazmir, Shields, Garza, and their secret weapon David Price.

Winter Kickball

Greensboro, NC -- One would have thought that's what the City of Greensboro kickball players had signed up for last night when rosters were composed back in August. With the temperature hovering in the low 40's and the wind chill in the 30's, the tension in the air only became thicker because of the postseason stakes and tight inning-by-inning scores.

With a three game skid in the regular season, followed by an opening postseason clunker, Ball Busters President of Kickball Operations Kasey (who had a different last name during the first half of the season) performed one of the most unselfish, yet surprising acts in the history of this league. She turned over her managerial duties to Paula Jackson ("Sarge"), who in turn, churned out a boffo lineup card night after night. The notion of this team has always been "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts," and Sarge reaffirmed just that. For one, we're a team of misfits -- strung together by the league a year ago, we didn't go to school together, we don't work together, we don't hold team tryouts or anything like that. As a lesser talented squad, using that motto, early success was reached by winning a ring in the first year, but high expectations became the carryover effect. With strategic kicking placements, a team-first attitude, and some smothering defense, the Ball Busters were able to rattle off four straight wins before succombing to Can I Kick It? on the back end of a doubleheader.

The theme of the postseason has been some shaky defense in the first two innings, followed by a comeback in the kicking department coupled with some suffocating D. That formula was put to work in game 1 last night against the Red Rockets. A 3-run homer and some cheap runs were not enough to deter the Ball Busters. While the rookie umpire was thrown into a highly tense atmosphere, blown calls affected both teams. Vociferous shouts and remarks following the game by a couple of Red Rocket players went unheard. A nifty 14-10 win in the nippy air for the Ball Busters.

There have been several misjudgments by the commissioner's office, even in its third year. In addition to placing a rookie umpire into the middle of a deep postseason game, and only having one umpire for that matter, the scheduling itself is flawed. Unless it's an early round game, I believe that the winning team shouldn't have to play more than once on a single night. There was very little... in fact, nothing other than 1 run, left in the Ball Buster's tank for their showcase showdown against Can I Kick It?. The play turned sloppy as the air became colder; a 21-1 shelling ensued. The defeat made pumpkins of us all before Halloween. But still, 8 days ago, we looked more like the team not participating in the tournament than bronze medal recipients.

In addition to the late postseason play, more player discoveries were made -- Chris continued to field bunts better than 911 calls, BGunns emerged as a solid infield player, Kristin's kicking was the most improved on the team, Jimmy "The Titan" shagged more flyballs than he did doling out low five's and "Let's go's." Brittany looked like a "lonestar" patroling left field in her first year of play. Not to mention, Gail Myrick should win the "Rolaids Relief Player of the Week" award for stepping in and pitching a gem against Hi-Gravs, who beat us in the regular season. Josh P. didn't need any prayers hauling in flyballs, and consequently, kicking flyballs and sacrifice flys this year. Clutch was nothing short of the nickname. I think the biggest improvement by any single player was BLewters. Primarily used as an outfielder in the first season, BLewters has emerged to superstar status in the infield. Losing John as the anchor at third sharpened every infielder's skills in a way. We had to make-up for his loss as a key cog to the defense.

It was a challenging year managing new people and suffering some heartbreak losses to teams that we have beaten in previous seasons. Let's strengthen our kicking and catching skills this offseason and lure some free agents. We need some kickers of the female race! Either one big bopper or a couple of girl kickers would greatly enhance our team this spring. But also keep this in mind, if you depart for the free agent riches that be of playing for another team, just remember, that particular team will be done playing in the postseason before us. The evidence is in the pudding. Seeya next year -- hopefully in above arctic temperatures!

Game 1 in the Books

Greensboro, NC -- Unlike the past couple of National League clubs to come out of the World Series gate, following a "long" layover, I thought that the Phillies would be ready to play. They have an American League style lineup that forces pitchers to grind through it. The Phils also had their ace, Cole Hamels, in full postseason lockdown mode.

The 3-2 score is a farce of how close the game really was. Philadelphia missed ample opportunities in the early innings to build a formidable lead. I am convinced that Scott Kazmir is not 100%. He has not pitched like his 2006 and 2007 form all year, and I think that dates back to his start on the DL earlier this year. But give Kazmir credit, the score could have been 8-0 after three innings if the Phillies could have produced some timely hitting.

The Series has just begun -- the Rays lost Game 1 of the ALCS at home, and then rattled off three straight victories. Also, Tampa Bay has the major advantage until Game 5 -- starting pitching. Myers vs. Shields tonight. Moyer and Blanton will square up against Garza and the underrated Sonnastine in Games 3 and 4, respectively. The starting pitching match-ups are the reason why I picked Tampa Bay to win.

Other Notes:

• Kevin Millar, just take a paycut, and become a bench player on the Red Sox already. The O's first baseman is obsessed with them -- see ESPN's World Series preview this year, and Millar's introductions of the Red Sox lineup in last year's Series.
• A spicy college football matchup tonight: Auburn at West Virginia. WVU has had a quiet season to this point. In fact, other than their Bowl victory over the Sooners last January, we haven't heard a peep from Morgantown. I'll take the Tigers tonight on the road.
• City of Greensboro Kickball Playoffs continue tonight with the quarterfinal rounds. The Ball Bustaz will be squaring up with SynerG 2 in the early game at 6:30 p.m.

Baseball Free Agency

Greensboro, NC -- With the World Series beginning tonight, many players will become eligible for free agency following the Rays' 5 game series win against the Phils. Unlike previous offseasons, this winter actually has a bevy of impact free agents. On top of all of that is the fact that Jake Peavy, 2007 NL Cy Young Winner, will probably be dealt as well. Reading an essay about Peavy two years ago, I highly doubt that he would waive his no trade clause to pitch in the Northeast. He's a southern boy from Alabama, and with the prospects that the Braves have in their stables, Peavy seems like a natural fit in Atlanta.

One free agent has already signed with their current team; Mark Ellis re-upped with the A's at 2 years-$11M. As J.C. Bradbury outlines in his excellent blog here, the A's got a steal.

Onto the big name free agents:

• Mark Teixeira -- I've read and researched a ton about this guy when he was with the Braves. This guy loves money, and by looking at his numbers driven work ethic, I think he rejects his hometown team's offer, and Boras works out a deal with his amicable Red Sox front office buddies. Youkilis moves to 3B, Lowell can shift to the DH position.
• A.J. Burnett -- It may be a cold winter in Baltimore, as I believe "Hank the Yank" blows the O's offer out of the water if Sabathia spurns them. A.J. may take Pavano's spot on the Yank's roster, both figuratively and literally.
• C.C. Sabathia -- The Dodgers are a natural fit; he's building a home in SoCal and he likes to hit. But the thrifty, big market Dodgers may resist considering Coletti's track record in free agency -- Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt, Nomar Garciaparra. I like the Angels here.
• K-Rod -- The Mets have to, and will, sign him. When the bullpen is the culprit two years in a row for missing the playoffs, you need stopgaps everywhere.
• Ben Sheets -- I think it's a toss-up here between the Astros and Braves. I say the Braves because if they don't land Peavy or another ace, they'll go after Sheets. Draytom McLane, the fickle Astros owner, becomes very bilpolar around this time of year; could he take the cheap route and stick with his current rotation or could he become part of the bidding and bring Sheets closer to his home?
• Manny -- Any reasonable and sane front office would shy away from him. That's why I'm picking the Dodgers as the front runners. However, there is pressure on the Nats' ownership to spend some money this offseason. DC's attendance will dip substantially if a highly regarded free agent is not signed. Look for the Nats to be a wild card in the Manny sweepstakes.
• Jason Giambi -- He needs to go back to Oakland, relax, and club 35 HR's and hit .300 again. At a reduced salary, he may just do it once all of the other free agents have been signed.
• Orlando Hudson -- His upbeat personality and infield D should be something that the Mets covet. If they're smart, they'd ink the O-dog as soon as the free agency gun is fired.
• Carlos Delgado -- What seemed like a no-brainer to decline his option back in May, it's now a no-brainer for the Mets to exercise the option.
• Andy Pettitte -- Yankees or bust. There will be no second homecoming in Houston. I see a cool 1 year-$8M deal on the table.

I'm just picking possible free agents off the top of my head. I do believe that the Yankees will be major players this offseason with all of the excess cash come off the books -- $80M -- and the new stadium opening up. But, as recent history has shown, star players sometimes don't thrive in New York. It's taken a string of no World Series championships to demonstrate that New York isn't a slice of heaven. Milwaukee, Baltimore, DC, and St. Louis are other teams no mentioned here, who have cash to spend this offseason. They could all be wild cards. It looks to be an eventful winter with free agency and trades, coupled with the second World Baseball Classic.

Thoughts/suggestions/ideas on the free agency landscape?

Thoughts on this weekend

Greensboro, NC -- It was a grand weekend of sports. I wasn't on the road for once, so I was able to catch most of the college football games on Saturday, including UGA's 24-14 win over Vandy, and some NFL action on Sunday. Some quick thoughts on this weekend:

• While there were no upsets in college football this weekend, both Alabama and Penn State (yes, they won by 3 TD's) looked shaky in their victories. Penn State was trailing Michigan by 3 deep into the 3rd quarter. It's amazing how some programs -- USC, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma -- are able to be successful year-in and year-out considering the constant turnover in player personnel. I'm a big believer in continuity, both in coaching staffs and in rosters, but maybe the roster part of the equation is only applicable to the NFL. When the Redskins stopped with the major free agent shopping sprees, they finally started winning consistently.


• Having a broken pinkie finger on my throwing hand earlier this year, I can confidently report to you that there's no chance that you're able to successfully complete balls with the same zip and accuracy as before. Not sure what Tony Romo is thinking for this Sunday, but I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of one-hoppers in the direction to T.O. Think about it this way, when you grip a handle, which finger has the tightest grip on it? Your pinkie, so I can't see throwing a football, let alone a baseball, being a wise move for Romo. We all love a little controversy in sports, but this year has been especially fun for me seeing both the Cowboys in football, and the Yankees in baseball (my two least favorite teams in all of sports) sink because of a hole the size of T.O.'s head.


• I like the Redskins this weekend against the Detroit. They always play them well, regardless of both of their records. However, how well they play will determine if I pick them for the Steelers' game on the following Monday night.


• I've been hearing the reports for two years now from B's Bistro's SEC baseball scout, "KLA" on how David Price is an ace in the making. The best pitching performance this postseason came from Price on Sunday night when he entered the game in the bottom of the 8th for the Rays with 2 on, 2 out. First pitch: slider 94 MPH. Second pitch: fastball 99 MPH. Third pitch: "wicked" slider 95 MPH. Strike three to J.D. Drew. After getting into a little bit of trouble in the 9th, Price picked up the save and ramroded the Rays to the World Series.


• The Rays have it all... starting pitching, defense, power, speed, and finally a bullpen. If I'm Ryan Howard or Chase Utley, I'm studying the tape against Price. While my good baseball buddy picked the Rays to sweep, I'm going to say "Rays in 5," with the one win for the Phillies coming when Cole Hamels pitches. The Rays are filthy. Plus, any manager who hugs Peter Gammons after an interview, I'm pulling for.

This photo may be a familiar site by next week, except expect that pigpile to occur in Philadelphia.

• 

Phantastic

Greensboro, NC -- As I watched the Phillies celebrate winning the National League pennant on Wednesday night, the notion popped into my head that yet another team has made it to the Big Show, while the Orioles (often picked on here in this web space) go home with another losing record this year. I've been to three Phillies' games in Philaldelphia in my lifetime, and the last trip was completely different than my first two visits.

My first two visits in 1999 and 2003 were to Veterans Stadium, which played host to some low budget, awful teams. At the time, and since their previous trip to the World Series, the Phillies win total beginning in 1994 was 54, 69, 67, 68, 75, 77, 65 (1994-2000). What made me question Boston's "desperate" hire of Terry Francona in 2004 was that Francona managed a bulk of the Phillies' teams in the late 90's. Their modest payrolls in the $40M range didn't help either. My question was always related to payroll and city population size -- why couldn't this New York-wannabe city be the upper tier of player payroll? Were the owners just cheap?

Since the move to the sparkling Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004, the Phillies wins' have been 86, 88, 85, 89, 92. But their secret cheese whiz hasn't been the ballpark; it's been the hiring of Pat Gillick. Gillick's trademark teams don't feature players who absorb a significant portion of payroll (goodbye Jim Thome). They also feature strong bullpens and a solid bench. Gillick's Blue Jays teams won two World Series and his Orioles teams could have won two if it weren't for Jeffrey Maier and an Armando Benitez gopher ball to the Indians' Tony Fernandez. Coupled with Gillick, the Phillies payroll rose in 2003 from $70M to $93M with the move to the new park. Since that time, their payroll has eclipsed the $88M mark in all four seasons, which is more in line with a midmarket to big market team. The owners have not changed since 1981.

One of Angelos's biggest blunders, and there's been plenty, was to let Gillick go following the 1998 season. The Orioles haven't had a winning season since. Whoever is able to capitalize on Gillick's knowledge and expertise next year -- possibly the Mariners -- is wise. Until then, there's a World Series to decide. Like last year's Rockies, I don't like the long layoff, so I'm going to take the Rays, assuming that they can win one more game at the Trop tomorrow or Sunday.

A Question for you NFL Experts

Greensboro, NC -- In the wake of the New England Patriots fall from grace this season, one legitimate question needs to be asked, "Why is the losing team of the previous Super Bowl awful every year?" This observation has been brought to NFL fans before, but I haven't heard any talk about it yet, maybe since the Patriots are still above 0.500 for the year. Take a look at the following teams' record following their loss in the previous season's Super Bowl:

• New England Patriots, 2008, 3-2
• Chicago Bears, 2007, 7-9
• Seattle Seahawks, 2006, 9-7
• Philadelphia Eagles, 2005, 6-10
• Carolina Panthers, 2004, 7-9
• Oakland Raiders, 2003, 4-12
• St. Louis Rams, 2002, 7-9
• New York Giants, 2001, 7-9

With the exception of the Seahawks in 2002 -- playing in the very weak NFC West -- what else is new with that division -- all of the Super Bowl losers have finished with a losing record. What are the causes of the "Super Bowl hangover?"

Does the losing team believe that they're very close to winning a championship and don't feel the neel to retool?

Is the losing team a victim of bad luck, such as injuries to key players like Tom Brady this season, and Donovan McNabb in 2005?

Is the quarterback the problem? Grossman for the Bears last year was awful. Gannon's arm nearly fell off from all of those side arm slings for the Raiders in 2003. It was the beginning of the demise for Kurt Warner in St. Louis (since his resurgence this year). Ditto Kerry Collins for the G-Men.

Were fans' expectations too high the next year? The mentality of "they were o-so-close this year, we'll win it next year!" doesn't work. Seattle, home of the 12th man; Philly, and their obnoxious fans; ditto the Giants.

My question is, why aren't teams who won the Super Bowl faltering at this pace? If David Tyree doesn't haul in that unbelievable catch during last year's Super Bowl, and the Patriots hang on for the win, we wouldn't be having this blog discussion.

"Unclassy"

Winston-Salem, NC -- We're in midseason in the City of Greensboro Fall Kickball League 2008. With the addition of four new teams, the league has blossomed into a boffo "after work" program. Half of the new teams are pretty darn good; one of those two good teams beat us in a solid, crisp, defense-dominated 7-2 game last week. A couple of recent UNCG grads anchor the team. However, the other two new teams are just plain awful. In a 17-4 rout last week, our team was called "unclassy" for running up the score. It was a high schooler versus elementary schooler match-up where we were trying to get out after the first inning. As the team pastor said, "The first person to claim that someone doesn't have 'class' usually doesn't have any." Our record is 2-2 with an archrival match-up against "Crush" tonight.

To make-up for the dreadful, black-out loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, the Washington Redskins closed out their Texas Stadium era with a big win on Sunday afternoon. Campbell is finally starting to feel comfortable (again, like his 13-0 season at Auburn) in the West Coast offense implemented by Jim Zorn. Let's see what the Skins can do in Philly this weekend. The Skins can never win there when McNabb is playing.

I'll get to the Nationals and their issues later on this week. I've discovered some articles relating to the shine coming off the Ted Lerner administration in DC. Just what the DC area needed... another hands-on, overaggressive owner who won't allow the baseball/football people to perform their job.

One last thought... I wish that MLB would wise-up and give the Cubs' ownership keys to Mark Cuban. The man is a marketing magician, who would boost revenues into Yankee territory. While outlandish and outspoken at times (he makes up for it by working at Dairy Queen!), Cuban is a rabid fan of his team. To contradict that sentiment, Hank Steinbrenner attended three games this year at Yankee Stadium. Cuban's enthusiasm and commitment to his team is unquestionable; the Cubs would shift some of that East Coast network bias to the Midwest. It would surely beat another addition to Bud's Poker Club.

The O's Won A Trade; huh?

Greensboro, NC -- Since the apex of Peter Angelos' reign as owner, the Orioles have been the devil dogs of Major League Baseball. Since the brilliant GM Pat Gillick was shown the door following the mediocre 1998 season, the Orioles have had a milquetoast in the GM's chair. But one can't help but notice when Angelos hired Andy MacPhail in the middle of last summer to usurp all GM duties from the bland Mike Flanagan as President of Baseball Operations that the O's misfortunes have turned a little bit.

Signing their two round 1 sections -- stud C Matt Wieters and ace-in-the-making lefty Brian Matusz -- are good moves for this moribund franchise. The massive 5 for 1 Tejada trade is too early to judge because all of the young players in the deal have yet to develop. But one deal that is looking like a steal is the Erik Bedard trade.

Bedard numbers this year: 6-4, 3.67 ERA, 72 K's, 81 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 37 BB's.

Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the deal, isn't lighting up the league -- yet -- but he has shown promise, especially when he began heating up along with the weather in mid-May: 0.270 BA, 9 HR's, 57 RBI's.

But what about George Sherrill, the All-Star? 31 saves and 55 K's in 50 innings. Maybe MacPhail can parlay his All-Star status into a trade for another grade A or B prospect or two?

Chris Tillman? Read this Keith Law article. He's tearing up the AA-Eastern League.

The lesson learned from this trade is that 3 for 1 or 5 for 1 trades never work. The Orioles haven't been on the "1" side since they were burned in that lopsided Glenn Davis trade in 1991. What's striking for the Mariners was the fact that while Bedard has always shown promise, he had only one, solid year under his belt. He has a chilly personality that the Orioles didn't need in their youth movement, which the Mariners are seeing now. He has one more year left before he's eligible for free agency. On top of all of this, he's out for 9 months with shoulder surgery. Those injuries take time, so don't expect him back when he's eligible to come off the DL.

What seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season is now a legitimate question... Should the Mariners non-tender Bedard this offseason? Why would you pay $10M for a pitcher who may come back for half the season, then depart via free agency?

Chalk up a "W" for MacPhail and the Orioles on this one.

Happy 1, SP.

Turn it up! A Look at The Traveling Wilburys

Greensboro, NC -- This past summer has been like no other, in that, I had the very fortunate ability to attend three future/current Rock N' Roll Hall-of-Fame artist's shows -- Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., and Tom Petty. Try to beat that in one summer! If I had more time, I would have tried to slide Rush in there too. By seeing these three artists, I rediscovered my fondness and appreciation for solid, fundamental 80's and 90's music. Tom Petty played the last of the three shows, and he mentioned to the crowd before playing his 10th song or so, "Here's an old Traveling Wilburys' hit..." My first reaction was, "Oh, that's easy... 'End of the Line'." The very first MTV video that I ever saw was indeed "End of the Line" with the Traveling Wilburys singing the tune in a moving train's boxcar. The ensuing chords took me back, needless to say.

Wanting to beef up my already impressive iTunes' library, I plucked the Traveling Wilburys' Volume I out of my parents' collection this past weekend. Along the drive from Ashton to Greensboro, I discovered another "lost art:" the art of playing an album from beginning to end with every song being radio worthy. This CD has one of the best track listings that I've heard in years! Like practically every U2 album (c'mon, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb are just that!), you can sing along to every song...

• Handle with Care -- Quite possibly Roy Orbison's finest piece of work; this song propelled the supergroup into recording an entire album, not just this single.
• Dirty World -- One of the coolest endings ever... it incorporates everyone's vocals gracefully.
• Last Night -- Very groovy bass line for this radio hit.
• End of the Line -- The most popular, but not the best, song on the album.

The other six tracks are just as creative, innovative, and fluid as these noteworthy four. I read that George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne were having lunch with Bob Dylan, and they talked about recording a song together. Harrison left his guitar at Tom Petty's house, so he was invited to collaborate on this one track project (Handle with Care). Because the song was so good, they decided that it couldn't be released as a single, so it was determined that a short album was in store. Subsequently, Volume I is the result of a polished product from five talented frontmen, who wanted to record an album together. Usually, when artists of this magnitude collaborate, their styles don't mix, and only one forgettable song is produced. This latter situation occurs when artists team up for raise awareness for an issue. You'll have 5 or 6 lead guitars because each frontman wants to bring their own lead guitarist. Volume I is a rare exception because the artists kept their egos in check, and serendipitously discovered that their own styles are not much different from each other's. The melodic grooves blend together so well... you just have to wonder what could had been if for not each member returning to their respective band. I still need to check out Volume III (yes, that was on purpose) to see how the follow-up went. For now, let me know what you think about supergroup's production.

A Lost Art; Album Artwork

Greensboro, NC -- When I downloaded the latest version of iTunes last night, I felt as though I finally caught up with the times. I had been using version 6.9 or something like that because I couldn't figure out how to turn off this overprotected popup blocker on my computer. If you have iTunes version 8.0, you'll notice that the program organizes your music by album, and not by song anymore. The albums are identified by the front cover, or if you want to be fancy, the "inset sleeve." One can surely determine that some artists take a considerable amount of time in planning their album cover. I've noticed over time that album covers have become a lost art. Nowadays, you'll only see a frontal photo of the band or singer. I miss the days of some colorful and tasteful artwork on the covers. So, let me unveil my all-time favorite album covers. You can click on the name of the album below to see what I'm referring to. And, while you're at it, please add your own favorites so that I can check them out. I only want albums which exemplify nifty artwork.

• U2 -- Achtung Baby -- I once met somebody who had the U and 2 rings on this cover.
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- Into the Great Wide Open -- My parents always had this album resting on top of their stereo.
• Nirvana -- Nevermind -- A popular favorite among Bistro readers.
• Green Day -- Dookie -- One of the first albums I ever bought; the meticulous cartoon-esque setting is pretty cool with the inclusion of Dookie.
• Pink Floyd -- The Dark Side of the Moon -- One of, if not the most, recognizable album covers of all-time.
• Prince -- Purple Rain -- Popular because of the movie.
• The Go-Go's -- Beauty and the Beat -- This album cover was recommended to me by a woman.
• Nick Drake -- Pink Moon -- Off beat; yes. Original; no.
• Talking Heads -- Little Creatures -- Talking Heads always have great album covers.
• The Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers -- Had to include a black n' white cover.
• Duran Duran -- Rio -- Had to include an album from my YOB.
• Elton John -- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy -- The name of the album is as unusual as its cover.
• Kiss -- Creatures of the Night -- Great cover (yes, it includes facials), but it completely depicts the name tastefully.

As an addendum to this blog, check out Trivia Tim's latest entry about how an album is recorded. Maybe, as an addition to this entry, he could include how the album artwork was selected and developed. The cover of his latest album is featured in this entry.

Stadium Economics, New York Style

Winston-Salem, NC -- Here's a link to a recent New York Times article about season ticket price woes for New York area fans. In summary, it's an awful way to treat your fans. If you paid thousands for a "seat license," you are stuck with (1) a lifetime of buying tix at any price set by the team, (2) abandoning your "investment" in the license or (3) trying to sell your license. I think the "value" for seating licenses is a bubble that will cave just like dot-com stocks in 2000 and Florida real estate in 2007.

As the fan says at the end of the article, if ownership can't afford to finance a new stadium on their own, they shouldn't be leaving Giants Stadium. Something for DC area politicians to remember when Danny (inevitably) tries to one-up the Giants and Cowboys with a new stadium! Yes, this is coming from me, a huge proponent of stadium building. Although, I can just see it now in the year 2017 (after 20 years of playing in the "outdated" FedEx Field), Danny buys the plot of land that RFK currently resides on and builds a University of Phoenix Stadium to trump the new Cowboys Stadium.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Greensboro, NC – After a jam-packed weekend of Murphy Nation festivities and zigzagging back and forth on the Tappan Zee Bridge, the vociferous conversation centered around such items as “How many points are the Giants favored by?,” “What? You’re a Skins fan?,” and “Be sure to catch the Super Bowl champs next week roll over your Skins.” A classy fan never boasts about his team. Plus, what should we expect out of the Jim Zorn Administration?

For once, there were no splashy free agent signings or top, lottery picks to showcase in Ashburn this year. Sure, there was the boffo trade for (former) sack machine Jason Taylor, but this current time frame of the Snyder reign is preaching continuity. It’s all fine and dandy when Greg Blache picks up the torch from “Double G” Williams, using the same defensive schemes. But what about the cornerback depth? Shawn Springs isn’t getting any younger, Carlos Rogers is coming off knee surgery, and Fred Smoot doesn’t cover the 70% of land that he proclaimed on draft day 2001.

Jason Campbell is expected to thrive in Zorn’s West Coast offense. As SI’s Peter King notes, expect big things from Campbell soon. WR depth was built through the draft. Clinton Portis is finally poised to carry the workload again and appears in good condition following his shoulder injury from 2006. But saying that Campbell will blossom and the D will continue to improve its top 10 finish from last year is like saying (in 2002) that the defensive with Marvin Lewis will be solid and The Ol’ Ball Coach will entrench an explosive offense equating to a double digit, playoff season. I have no idea what to expect from Zorn this year. I have no idea who the guy is, other than the people from Seattle love him. The team’s DNA under Gibbs was run the ball and play solid D. Now, short drop back passes are inked all over the playbook.

Tonight’s game is tough to predict. Sometimes the Redskins play very well in the Meadowlands. Sometimes they lay eggs. Coming off an exuberant Super Bowl victory, playing on national TV, and opening up the final season of Giants Stadium translates to an extremely ballyhooed crowd. This type of crowd could parallel the October 2005 game when Giants owner Wellington Mara passed, and the Giants used this emotion to propel them to a blowout victory. I love the Redskins, but for tonight, I’ll say:

Giants 24, Redskins 13

Hail to the Redskins!

Seeing Red

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'm sure many of you are eager for me to plunge the baseball blogs and move forward with my latest rumblings in the football world. Those posts will arrive shortly, but there's plenty of news to still muse over in the baseball world.

The Dodgers have had back-to-back nationally televised games on ESPN this week. For a "large market" team, they don't receive as much publicity as the East Coast teams. However, they've made plenty asplash this season with the hiring of Joe Torre, their reluctance to trade rookies, and their botched free agent signings. Frank McCourt, their over-aggressive team owner was an avid Red Sox fan before buying the Dodgers in 2004. Watching the Dodgers on TV is like watching a Red Sox reunion team. I can't believe how many ex-Soxers have worn a Dodgers' jersey since McCourt has taken over control of this team:

• Manny Ramirez, LF
• Derek Lowe, SP
• Nomar Garciaparra, IF
• Shea Hillenbrand, IF
• Grady Little, Mgr.
• David Wells, SP
• Bill Mueller, 3B
• Hideo Nomo, SP

2006, 2005 and earlier

Note: J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo both fled the Dodgers during the 2006-2007 offseason for the Red Sox. McCourt didn't mind.

The Dodgers are a prime case of why teams should only be sold to local ownership. It doesn't augment the situation either that McCourt is a "hands on" owner, constantly meddling in contract negotiations and trades (nixing a proposed deal for CC Sabathia). His dumbfounded move of firing Paul DePodesta (the unheralded star of the book, Moneyball) after his 2-year stint, and subsequently replacing him with the incompentent, former Giants rival, Asst. GM Ned Coletti, ranks as one of the stupidest moves in the 21st century. It's shown its repercussions already in the free agent world -- Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, etc. McCourt, please don't ruin this storied franchise with your meddlesome ways. If you have to, sell the team and become a minority owner of the Red Sox. Word out of Boston is that Larry Lucchino will be departing (to San Diego?) at season's end because he cannot coexist with GM Theo Epstein. The spot vacated could be yours, Frankie.

Maryland Bound

Winston-Salem, NC -- I'll be taking a few days off from blogging and such to return to "one of my homes" this weekend -- Maryland! Hopefully, I'll be able to hit up the Nats' game tomorrow night against the Rockies. I know that the Nats suck, but it's baseball, and it's a new ballpark. I read today that one MLB scout noted that half of the Nationals' roster shouldn't be in the major leagues right now. We all thought that last year's team was supposed to be this bad. The ground beneath Bowden must be getting warmer by the day. If you're around this weekend, feel free to ping me.

A crab feast on the Chesapeake Bay will ensue on Saturday. Hope to see all of you Maryland readers/fans at some point during the next three days.

In the meantime, answer this:

B's Bistro asks...

What's the best thing that you've ever gotten out of a gum ball machine?
a) Superball
b) Jewelry
c) Puffy Sticker
d) Joy Buzzer

Keeping Score

FROM Thurs., 8.7.2008, Greensboro, NC – Littered behind home plate of Newbridge Bank Ballpark in Greensboro tonight were packs of scouts from different baseball teams clocking and charting the two starting pitchers and subsequent relievers of the Grasshoppers-Sand Gnats game. The scene is nothing new to minor league parks, but sitting next to a rookie baseball fan, Kaylin Murphy, it shed some new light. Not to overwhelm a rookie fan with the metrics that scouts chart and why, I started with the basics; scorekeeping. IMO, I believe that there are standard ways of scoring a game, a la a grounder to short should read “6-3” in the book. But everyone has their own method of scoring beyond the standard 5-4-3 double play.

I’ve seen fans use highlighters, draw diagonal lines, use colored pens, and their own lettering system for recording outs. Some of my personal favorites include a grounder to first, “3U,” as my dad showed me that one two years ago. My other personal favorite is the “backwards K” for a strikeout looking. While working for the Frederick Keys during two summers, the scoreboard operator, Stan the Man, always had the sharpest pencils. But, he wrote the lineup card as such: right-handed batters would be in blue; left-handed batters would be in red. I record a flyout to right as “F9.” Others may write, “FO-9” or “F/9.” Do you distinguish between a lineout and a flyout to the outfield like me? “L7” vs. “F7.”

To the readers: do you have a personal method of scorekeeping or do you do one quirky thing out of the ordinary in your scorekeeping? I’d be interested to find out some new methods.

Sports Talk from last week

FROM 8.5.2008, Greensboro, NC – I had to take a rain check for this past weekend’s NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony and game. I’ve been on the road for the past several weeks and I’ll be in the Delmarva area next weekend, then up to New York/New Jersey for Labor Day weekend. A 7 hour drive to Canton in the span of 24 hours would not have been a good economic choice.

I caught Art Monk’s homily to the Lord, er… Hall of Fame speech. I missed Darrell Green’s words though. Can any of the readers – I’m looking at you closet reader Monty – fill me in on some Canton tidbits that we would not have obtained from reading Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback?

Speaking of Peter King, in his recent postcard from Redskins’ camp, he mentioned that Jason Campbell has looked very sharp in this West Coast offense. He showed just that in the Hall of Fame game by tossing a fluid TD pass to Randle El in the first quarter. King’s prediction for the Redskins… he has no idea; they could finish anywhere from 1st to 4th in the four team division.

Quick thoughts on the baseball trading deadline. Manny Ramirez is a loser. Whoever pays this clown $12M/year this offseason for 2-3 years is a fool. You’re bound to receive one good year out of him at best. Yes, the Sox had to surrender 2 prospects to obtain Jason Bay, but it’s a great move for them. Bay can rake when he’s healthy. Something else that nobody picked up on… the Rays didn’t make a move at the deadline. But, they have ex-Vandy star LHP David Price who’s dominating Double A and former All-Star OF Rocco Baldelli coming off the DL. Now that’s two huge boosts for the team that currently mans 1st place in the tough AL East. I was glad to see the Braves get something (Casey Kotchman and a future relief pitcher) for Tex. You just never know with draft picks these days.

I’ve started Is This A Great Game, Or What? by Bethesda, MD native Tim Kurkjian. It’s been tough to put the book down at night… review to follow soon.

The Chefs Fight Back

Greensboro, NC – I would apologize for the lack of blogs recently, but there’s nothing that I can really do about it. I’ve taken a new position within my company, following our downsize, that requires me to pick up the slack of two other people. Coupled with Kaylin’s parents being out of town, there’s been no time to hit up B’s Bistro.

I did see this hilarious clip last week on You Tube where the visitor chef on some boring talk show actually fights back! Sam The Cooking Guy was a guest on The Today Show and he was demonstrating how to make some gourmet dish. Well, after incessantly peppering chef with worthless questions (no pun intended), Mrs. Regis received a vociferous mouthful from the chef (again, no pun intended). Take a look at this clip and decide for yourself.

Ok, Kathy, if you’re going to interject and be obnoxious, at least be funny. Bringing a chef or some type of cook onto a show, whether it be a talk show, the morning news, or The Food Network is “the new thing” because everyone is trying to eat healthy nowadays. David Letterman even brought food preparers on his show and he would purposely mess up the ingredients and instructions. It’s funny when Letterman does it, but not when you have Kathy dispensing useless fodder while Sam The Cooking Guy is attempting to explain his gourmet dish. I bet all of the television chefs around America stood up and applauded when they saw this clip.

Bravo! Now Show's Over.

Greensboro, NC -- The trading season "madness" has reached its apex this week with the trading deadline set to expire at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 31st. For the past couple of weeks, teams have been gaging whether they're "buyers" or "sellers." While my favorite team, the Braves, have trotted along at 0.500 for the first couple of months this season and now they're 49-56 following tonight's game, they should be considered "sellers." However, Manager Bobby Cox, nearing the end of his coaching career, has alternative motives; he believes that the Braves should be buyers. And apparently, GM Frank Wren (former O's GM (1999)) is listening. A purported trade of 4 prospects would have been sent to the Pirates for OF Jason Bay.

Look, there is a copious amount of teams lined up for the Wild Card. Further, if the injuries to ace pitcher Tim Hudson, All-Star catcher Brian McCann, and All-Star 3B Chipper Jones this weekend aren't enough, how do you "mash" your way to the playoffs when the starting pitching is so thin?

Wren should do the following:

• Package Texeira in a deal that yields 3 prospects with 1 being a star, a la the C.C. Sabathia deal. Texeira will sign with the Orioles this offseason, so obtain some developed talent over the 2 compensatory draft picks.
• Trade lefty reliever Will Ohman for a young outfielder.
• With Hampton coming off the books this offseason, sign a outfielder to replace Texeira's production. Manny? Nahhhh. Dunn? Too many K's. Trade for Holliday? A possibility. Revisit the Bay talks? An outfield comprised of Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, and Frenchy just isn't very productive.

It's not the Braves' year, again. It's time to re-tool for next year, quite possibly Cox's last.

Analyzing the Washington Trades

Greensboro, NC -- Two Washington professional ballclubs made a trade this week with the Redskins acquiring star defensive end and "Dancing with the Star" Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2nd and a 5th round picks. The Nationals traded their closer Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks for 2B prospect Emilio Bonifacio. My thoughts...

• Throughout the sports talk history of this blog, I've preached that maintaining consistency and limiting roster turnover is the key to a team's long term success. Yes, the Skins changed coaching staff this offseason with Gibbs retiring. I was a bit displeased that Zorn was hired over Double G because the offense must learn an entire new playbook just when they were able to grapple Al Saunders' 700 page encyclopedia. But, I do like how the Skins used the draft this year, albeit heavy on picking WR's. They were also not a player in the free agent market for once. Trades and free agency should only be used to add the "final piece." And, if the Skins maintained the coaching staff, I believe that Taylor would have been that missing piece. During the past decade, the Skins have desperately needed a pass rusher, almost as much as a coveted franchise QB. I like this move because they didn't give up a 1st round pick and they addressed a dire need of concern on the defensive line. Two question marks that plague me...

1. What type of coach will Jim Zorn be? Can we rely on Greg Blache to be an effective defensive coordinator? Zorn and Blache have never been coordinators before.
2. Taylor is 34, which is getting up there in NFL years. He's also being moved to the right side of the line, not the left side where he played in Miami. He won't be rushing the QB from the QB's blind side, which could make a difference because the TE and RB are usually lined up on the right side as well.

• After commanding a steep price for Rauch and Chad Cordero during last season's trading deadline, the Nats settled for speed utility man Emilio Bonifacio. The ever-optimist GM Jim Bowden has already penciled Bonifacio in as the starter next season. Was this the guy who is supposed to replace Orlando Hudson on the DBacks when he leaves via free agency this offseason? I agree with ESPN's Keith Law's take on the deal:

For Washington, getting just Emilio Bonifacio for Rauch has to be seen as a letdown, although it's better than their trade-deadline results from 2007. The Nationals chose not to make any moves at that deadline, re-signing Dmitri Young and Ronnie Belliard to bizarre contract extensions while asking for so much for Rauch and Chad Cordero that teams were unwilling to even negotiate the prices down. One year later, Cordero's value has evaporated, Young and Belliard have both performed worse since signing their deals (with Young missing time on the DL due to back problems and issues with his weight, both not shocking developments at all), and now Rauch has fetched a utility infielder. Bonifacio can run and has a quick, slashing stroke, but his baseball instincts are poor and he's far too aggressive at the plate. He doesn't project to hit for enough power to play second base every day on a contending club. He's athletic enough to move around the diamond and serve as a pinch-runner, but it's a stretch to see him as a regular.

Meanwhile, learning nothing from the Young/Belliard mistakes, the Nationals re-upped Cristian Guzman for two years and $16 million. Guzman was a cipher in the first year of his four-year deal, then missed 2005 and most of '06 due to injury. His hot start in 2008 has masked the evaporation of his power (he's slugging .360 since June 1), and he has never had a lick of plate discipline. Like Young and Belliard before him, he was a candidate to be moved, not to be re-signed. Bad teams should not be locking up their mediocrities to long-term deals, but rather should be looking to convert them all into any kind of young players.

Could not agree more with that last sentence. Guzman possesses no power. He's the only player in the Nats lineup hitting over .250. I can't see Bowden last until the end of Guzman's new contract with these awful contracts -- Young, Belliard, and now Guzman. Place Bonifacio as Guzman's double play partner and you may have the weakest infield lineup in the majors for the next two seasons. What happened to "The Plan?"