Happy Birthday Tri!

In honor of Tri's Birthday, Brooks wanted to do this stretch!

In other news, thanks to the best website ever, UK's Daily Mail, Kris Hump was booed in his first appearance back with the Nets against the NY Knicks.

Also, only in Dubai... can you tee off 700ft above the ocean.

A Little NBA News

chrispaulworkout.com

Since we haven’t written anything about the NBA since they settled the labor dispute, I figured I would at least mention some of the “big” stories thus far this season.  The biggest story of the young season involves CP3.  New Orleans had worked out a 3 way trade that would’ve sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets and Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Lamar Odom, Goran Dragic and a first round 2012 pick to New Orleans.  Everything was set to go, but commissioner, David Stern stepped in and blocked the trade, basically saying it was best for the Hornets and the league if this trade didn’t happen.  It seems like nobody really knew Stern had this power, but I guess he does.  In the end, CP3 still went to California, but not as a Laker.  He is the newest member of the LA Clippers.  Lamar Odom ended up being dealt to the Mavericks, so I guess he and Khloe will be giving Dallas a try.

NBA.com

I love the Celtics, so I gotta mention what the latest is there.  Jeff Green, who they traded Kendrick Perkins for last year (as well as Krstic), is out for the entire season after it was discovered that he has an aortic aneurysm.  It was discovered during his preseason physical and it’s probably a really good thing.  Who knows what a season of playing would’ve done to his heart.  Obviously his life is more important than one season.  All Celtics fan remember what happened with Reggie Lewis and his heart situation.  Green is scheduled to have surgery next month and is expected to make a full recovery.  In other C’s news, they picked up Chris Wilcox which just makes me happy because I loved him in the year or so he was at Maryland (Remember that National Championship).  They also traded Big Baby Davis to the Magic for Brandon Bass.  I’m alright with this trade (not that it matters) since Big Baby had about 1 really good game ever with the Celtics.  Plus, KG made him cry on the bench.   Kind of don’t get over something like that.

Sportsbore.com

In local NBA news, the Wizards really sucked in their first game - SHOCKING.  The Wiz Kids lost by 25, but were down by 40 in the 3^rd when Flip Saunders yanked the starters and put in the second squad.  They were the ones who actually made the game a little closer.  They put up all of 17, 16 and 18 in the first 3 quarters, respectively.  They had 20 turnovers on the game.  And John Wall was seriously unimpressive.  He was 3 for 12 and scored 8 points, no rebounds, 3 assists and 6 turnovers.  As a point, that assist to turnover ratio is huge and his is totally headed in the wrong direction.  Coach Saunders said he was “terrible.  He was bad.”  To quote Michael Lee of the Washington Post, “He did have one electrifying moment, when he used a wicked crossover dribble to get separation from Turner, then threw down an emphatic dunk.  Wall flexed and cursed as he ran down the floor – after cutting the deficit to 38 points.”  I sincerely hope Mr. Wall and the rest of the team grow up in a hurry (except when they’re playing the Celtics). Maybe they did a little, because they played the 76ers again last night and this time only lost 101-94.

Redskins Recap - Bringing Down the Giants

Well, as odd as it seems, the Redskins actually swept the Giants this year with a big 23 to 10 victory last Sunday.  I guess if they can’t make the playoffs, then playing spoiler isn’t bad.  So let’s get down to it.  The game didn’t start off well, as Rex threw an interception on the very first offensive play.  But it was a bomb, which was nice to see them try.  Plus the Giants got it at their own 33, so it was kind of like a kick off with a decent return any way.  In their second offensive series, the Skins drove a ways and threw in a trick play or 2.  They struck first with a 36 yard field goal from Graham Gano.  The Giants ended their next drive with another punt.  Then on the next play, Rex stayed true to form and threw another interception.

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

The Redskins ended the first quarter and started the second quarter with the ball.   This drive ended in the end zone on a 20 yard TD pass from Grossman to Santana Moss.  This put the good guys up 10 – 0 over the G-Men.  On the Giants next drive, Eli Manning tossed an interception of his own to Atogwe, who then had a beautiful 26 yard return.  The Skins put together another drive (2 in a row – who knew) and scored another touchdown.  This time it was a Young run up the middle for 6.  After the extra point, the Skins were up 17-0.  After a couple of drives that ended with nothing, the Giants put up a field goal to end the half. 

The Giants got the ball to start the second, but their drive ended on an interception by D-Hall, who also had a really nice return.  They didn’t do much on this drive, but were able to put up a 43 yard Gano field goal.  The Giants attempted a field goal at the end of the end of their next drive, but they missed wide left.  The Skins were driving to end the 3^rd.

The 4^th quarter started with another Gano field goal from 25 yards, making the score 23-3.  On the Giants' next drive, the Skins got their 3^rd interception of the game when Wilson picked Manning in the end zone for a touchback.  The Redskins didn’t do anything with the ball and the Giants drove for a TD on their next possession.  BUT…….there was a penalty and then a big sack by Ryan Kerrigan and the Skins defensive held.  After a Skins punt on their possession, the Giants finally put a touchdown drive together and closed the score to 23-10.  However, with only 33 second left, this was pretty much it.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Grossman was 15-24 with a TD and 2 interceptions.  Helu was the leading rusher for 53 yards, adding 16 more yards receiving.  The leading receiver was Gaffney who caught 6 balls for 85 yards.  London Fletcher was the leading tackler again with 12, 10 of them being solo.  And as I already mentioned, Gano was 3 for 3.  

I know I don’t say this often, but they actually played pretty well in all areas last week.  The Giants weren’t at the top of their game, but the game still left me with a little hope for the rest of the season.  Next up is the last home game of the year – Christmas Eve versus the Vikings.  Hopefully they give us a nice Christmas present a little bit early.

Off The Field

It has been a while Cristiano, but I still love you.....even with that raspy voice and cocky attitude.  

Apparently he is advertising shoes..

Redskins Recap - Decent Effort, Same Outcome

A loss wasn’t exactly surprising this week.  What some people may have not expected is for the Redskins to put up the fight that they did.  They certainly didn’t look great and they made some very BIG mistakes, but at least they played tough…..at times.

AP Photo/Rich Lipski

The Skins had the ball for a good chunk of time in the first quarter.  But that is a bit deceptive, as the Patriots struck first.  Ex-Redskin Andre Carter got through the left side of the offensive line (where Trent Williams would’ve been if he wasn’t an idiot), and knocked the ball away from Rex Grossman in the end zone.  The Patriots recovered for a defensive touchdown.  After a Graham Gano field goal, the Pats scored again on a 2 play drive that included a play where D-Hall literally stood there and watched 2 of his teammates get beat and did absolutely nothing to help.  The Redskins scored 7 late in the first quarter on a Grossman to Gaffney 9-yard touchdown. 

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The second quarter started with a whole lot of Redskin fun!!  A little trick play allowed Brandon Banks to throw a 49 yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss.  The rest of the half was filled by mistakes and ridiculous penalties.  There was an outrageously bad Roughing the Passer call against London Fletcher that just reinforced why it’s called the “Tom Brady Rule.”  There had been a roughing call against the Patriots as well, but in the case of the call against the Skins, Brady was actually running the ball.  Man was the crowd loud on that one.  About as loud as I’ve heard it all year.  The score was tied at 20 at the half.

The Redskin’s David Anderson scored a touchdown in the 3^rd quarter on a pass from Grossman.  But Tom Brady, who wasn’t at the top of his game, seemed to have more answers than the Skins did.  Of course, Brady had his help, as D-Hall, once again proved he’s a true professional.  He got flagged for a 5 year penalty, but picked up the flag and threw it, adding another 15 yards onto the penalty.  The Patriots took advantage and took the lead, 34-27 in this quarter.

There was no scoring in the 4^th quarter.  Not that there weren’t opportunities.  Josh Wilson picked a Brady pass in the end zone.  Grossman actually hit Moss in the end zone for what appeared to be the game tying touchdown.  But the play was called back on an Offensive Interference call.  I haven’t seen the replay yet, but he was pretty freaking wide open, so I would guess he probably did it.  And then 2 plays later, Rex threw a pass that bounced off Santana’s hands and into those of a Patriot.  Game over. 

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Rex was 19 of 32 for 252 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception (should’ve been at least 2 interceptions).  Roy Helu had a great game with 27 runs for 126 yards.  His back up, Royster, also played well with 6 runs for 44 yards.  Gaffney and Stallworth both had big days with 92 and 96 yards respectively.  Santana Moss had 3 receptions for 81 yards. London Fletcher had 10 tackles and Perry Riley had 6, which included one gigantic hit that the crowd loved. 

My silver lining for the week is that the offense looked to be cohesive at times and, even with the mistakes, it really was a close game that was pretty fun to watch.  Next week the Skins are away against the Giants. 

One Man Show

There's no question that the Washington Capitals have been struggling a bit this season, but I've never doubted the boys will be fine and make there way back up the rankings.  They have far too much talent and although they hit some bumps in the road, it looks like dump and chase is out and pass possession in the offensive zone is back in!!  In case you missed Ovie's goal last night, here's another look.  Although the boys played great team hockey, Ovie has finally emerged as a leader and proved they he is still one of the best and craftiest players in the league!!

Let's Go Caps!

Ice Ice Baby

Who saw the Cowboys ice their own kicker and end their own winning streak this weekend???  So the Boys’ rookie kicker Dan Bailey has been nothing short of amazing this season.  He hit the kick to beat the Skins a couple of weeks back.  But this past weekend, he was in the position to win the game with 7 seconds left.  He lined up for a 49 yarder and as he kicked the ball, putting it right through the uprights, coach called a timeout.  Effectively icing his own kicker, Bailey came on the field after the timeout and missed the kick.  The game went into OT, AZ won the coin toss and they scored on their first drive.  GAME OVER – Cowboys Lose. We love to that point out.  

Redskins Recap - Winning Streak Comes to an End

Well kids, the winning streak came to an end at 1, as the Skins lost to the Jets 34 – 19.  It sounds like a pretty good ass kicking, and by all accounts, it was; but the Redskins were ahead by 3 with 6 minutes left in the game.  Kinda went downhill in a hurry from there.  But, let’s start from the beginning.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

The Skins opened the game with a really good looking drive that was capped with a 2 yard Roy Helu touchdown run and took an early 7-0 lead.  The Jets, however, put together a drive of their own that ended in a game tying touchdown and that truly took up the remainder of the first quarter.

The Skins were actually decent in the 2^nd quarter as well.  Graham Gano kicked 2 field goals (33 and 23 yards, respectively) and they were able to go the locker room with a 13 – 10 lead at the half.   Rex definitely would not be described as good in the first half.  Actually, at one point when he got flagged for intentional grounding, I heard a fan in the crowd yell “THAT WASN’T INTENTIONAL, HE JUST SUCKS.”  Ok, it was my dad’s buddy that yelled it, but I thought it was hilarious.

The second half was another story.  The Skins came out and just looked terrible.  They just didn’t take advantage of any opportunities and gave away even more.  They also went completely away from the run game, which had treated them pretty well in the first half.  The only scoring was a Jets field goal that tied the game at 13.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

And then we have the 4^th quarter.  The Redskins actually scored first with about 8 minutes left in the game.  They took a 16-13 lead.  Enter the Jets offense – who put up a touchdown immediately.  Then Rex threw an interception and it wasn’t long before the Jets scored again.  Graham Gano kicked another field goal, but the Jets scored yet another touchdown and brought the final score 34-19.  UGLY.

Instead of talking about the individual stats of the game, I’ll just go into the real “news.”  We also found out on Sunday that tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams will be suspended for the rest of the season for violating the NFL’s drug policy.  Apparently these dumbasses have both tested positive for marijuana for the 3^rd time this season.   Seriously I don’t understand why people who get paid so much money to play a game for a living can’t grow up and act like professionals.  Here is some advice that most of us learned in elementary schools:  A.  Follow the rules; B. Just say no;  C.  Three strikes, your’re out.