SPORTS


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013

WASHINGTON REDSKINS lose to MINNESOTA VIKINGS
 
It's hard to discribe what happened on Thursday Night Football between the Washington Redskins (3-5) and the Minnesota Vikings (1-7). The 'Skins were the odds on favorites to win the game; not by a blowout, but to just win the game and continue on the momentum they hoped they can carry for the rest of the season and go on a run, similar to last season. Instead, the 'Skins lose a 27-14 lead in the 2nd half, allowing the Vikings to score 20 unanswered, thus losing 34-27.

The 'Skins looked good early on, picking off Christian Ponder on the Vikings first drive, but the tell-tell sign of a 'malfunction' was on full display when the 'Skins couldn't take advantage of the turnover and only got 3 points out of it. But after a small back and forth in scoring, the 'Skins seemed to be on cruise control, controlling the ball for most of the game, taking a 27-14 lead into the 2nd half. But after that, they did nothing. Yes, they may have racked up a ton of yards, but their last 3 possessions into their final drive only netted 11 plays and -5 yards, 3 punts. The offense stalled yet again due to pressure from the opposing defense.

This is an ongoing issue with this team where opponents can simply rush the quarterback, causing him to scramble backwards for major loss of yards. The offensive line doesn't hold up throughout games and the defense is allowing too many big plays in the clutch.

It's hard watching the 'Skins team lose to a 1-7 depleted team, who hasn't won a game in the United States all season long. The Vikings lone victory came during Week 4 in London over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They've been in a couple close games, but their record speaks for itself. Yet, the 'Skins continue to fall for these trap games, where they should win against lowly teams trying to find themselves, and end up losing. History repeats itself with this franchise and these types of situations. It's hard to put a finger on why this continues to happen. The only thing that can be said is that something is wrong with both sides of the ball, and until it's properly addressed, there won't be a run like last season.

Next week, the 'Skins play the Philadelphia Eagles, who are starting to feel comfortable with their new quarterback, Nick Fowles. So lets see if another 2nd/3rd string quarterback shreds the secondary and the offensive sputters.

Until then, HAIL TO THE REDSKINS.

                                                                                                    

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2013

Rivalry: WASHINGTON REDSKINS vs. DALLAS COWBOYS
 
Tony Romo returns to the field after having the most impressive statistical game (500+ yards passing; Cowboys record) in a loss against the Denver Broncos, to take on a rested Washington Redskin team, who returns to the field after a BYE Week and a victory over the Oakland Raiders in Week 5.

Many say that Dallas would have beaten Denver if Romo didn't throw his trademark interception in the clutch or under pressure, but you can't take back what is done, over and over and over again.  Move forward, and enter Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins who are the defending NFC East Champions, and had swept the Cowboys last season.  There isn't much of a difference in team personnel from last season, with the exception that Dez Bryant of the Cowboys who is now regarded one of the best wide receivers in football; so he's now deemed a true threat.  Other than that, the DNA of this game should be no different from last season.


For the record, the Cowboys leads the all-time rivalry between the two teams 62-44-2; divisional championships 20-8; and Super Bowl victories 5-3.  But it goes much deeper than the numbers....

With Dallas allowing 51 points last week against Denver, and Washington's defense not being able to tackle on a consistent basis; we might see a high scoring affair between the two.  Yet, if Washington's offense can't score and convert 3rd downs, this might be extremely ugly.  Dallas has proven all season they can score, but it's the close games they should be concerned with.

There is also some concern on whether Robert Griffin III (RGIII) knee is holding up after off-season surgery, and that is where the jokes come in, and the only leg (pun intended) that Cowboys fans have to stand on when it comes to downplaying any Redskin pending success.  He's performed at a marginal level thus far this season, but it is evident that his knee is not 100%, but it's serviceable enough to be a threat.  Tony Romo, on the other hand, if the game is close, you can almost guarantee that he will choke; that's in his DNA, there's no getting around that.

Yet, here's to a fun fill game, and plenty of trash talking between fans.  Despise the Cowboys or hate the 'Skins, we all have our teams to route for tonight at 8PM in primetime.

                                                                                                    

MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2013

Top 5 NBA Dunks of the 2012-2013 Season
 
Vote for the best of the Top 5 on the right panel.

Harrison Barnes massive jam over Nikola Pekovic (November 24, 2012)


Gerald Henderson sky high throwdown over the LA Lakers (December 18, 2012)


Jamal Crawford sweet juggling between the legs alley oop to Blake Griffin (March 6, 2013)


DeAndre Jordan monster alley oop through Brandon Knight (March 10, 2013)


LeBron James shuts up Jason Terry for calling him "unimpressive" (March 18, 2013)


Remember to vote for the best of the Top 5 on the right panel.
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

Tiger Woods is STILL a N* Word to Many
 
Regardless of how much money a black man makes/has, in the eyes of anyone non-black, you are a NIGGER.  Even the non-whites, meaning, Hispanics, and any other ethnic race that did not originate from Europe, sees blacks as inferior to them because they wish to be equal with whites, or "the team that's winning".  It's their way of "kicking us while we're down and trying to get up"; it'll look cool to them and those they are trying to impress.  It's a sick, demented, way of climbing the racial and social ladder, to impress those you see as "the master", "the boss of things".

This is not the first time, in public, Tiger Woods has been put "in place", by classifying him by the foods people of darker skin color tend to eat.  The apology is hollow; it means nothing.  The apology Sergio made is just an attempt to maintain whatever sponsorship and endorsements he may have, and to take the heat off the clubhouse; because I'm pretty sure many in the clubhouse feel the same way about Tiger.  When Fuzzy Zoeller made the same type comment in 1997 after Tiger won The Masters, Zoeller lost endorsements; so Sergio is trying to hold on to what he has by quickly apologizing.

Tiger has to realize, and I think he's smart enough to know, that he's not "one of them".  He wants to live his life like "one of them", but they will NEVER accept any of the success he's earned on the golf course, they can respect his game, but NEVER accept it, and they'll NEVER accept him as an equal, meaning, as a man.  Tiger can date as many women of European descent as he pleases to feel equal to those who look down on him as inferior, but he's just digger a deeper hole for himself by dating them.  Men of power, that are of European descent, DO NOT condone non-whites taking their women.  That woman will be abandoned by those that support her, as if she's a leper; and that non-white that has swooned her will have that target that's already on his back and forehead, grow even larger; and it'll be easier to cut him down if he messes up at any point in his career or life.

To an extent, Tiger doesn't care.  As long as he remains consistent on the golf course, and stay out of major legal trouble, he'll maintain his sponsorship and endorsements.  The money, and seemingly, women of European descent, are his motivation.  He already knows he's better than the man who harnesses the political powers over him, at least on the golf course; and to an extent, Tiger, himself has gained power, through being the biggest draw in golf since Jack Nicklaus, and through media and endorsement backing.  When Tiger plays, and plays well, everyone benefits financially.  When Tiger plays, and plays awful, everyone benefits financially.  So "the man" can't be mad at him for too long, because as long as he's playing, they continue to get rich.  Healthy or injured, Tiger Woods generates cash.  The "powers that be" love that.  Yet, as long as he continues to play golf, slick comments, such as the fried chicken and collard green jokes will slip out of the mouths of those that truthfully look down on him because they don't care for him, except that he makes those indirectly involved, rich as well.

Is it racist? Yes it is; there's no apologizing for being racist.  People can chalk it up as Sergio just being immature (he's 33 years old) and speaking out of turn; but what it really is, is that Sergio is just trying to fit in.  I'm sure he got a pat on the head and a handshake from someone in the clubhouse that appreciated the comment; but at the same time, Sergio, himself, walks in the same shoes as Tiger; he's Hispanic, a non-white.  I think he fails to realize that, because he's blinded by what could possibly be beneficial for him, to publicly slander Tiger.  His golf game is going to have to improve to even be seen eye to eye with Tiger, but he's tinkered his entire career as what could have been, or the type of player that didn't play up to his predicted potential.  He's jealous, that this man of dark complexion, who many thought was down and out over the past 2 plus years, seemingly is on the way back up.  So to bring him back down, Sergio figures to slander him, and maybe it'll hurt his soul, his spirit, his ability to play; then maybe he'll start to play bad, and maybe the rest of the field will have a chance again to win.  Along the way, Sergio will start to believe he'll fit in where he wants to get in because he took down the almighty Tiger Woods.  But in actuality, he's just speaking for those who truly hate the two of them, deflecting that hate away from them, and making himself look bad.

I hope I'm not going too deep into the race issue, because it's been like this for a VERY long time.  It's not an accident that Sergio said that he wants to serve Tiger fried chicken at dinner; he most likely heard it from a man of European descent in the clubhouse, and just like a dunce or a small developing child, he repeated it; or he channeled his inner-Fuzzy Zoeller and re-quoted what Fuzzy said in 1997.  Racism is not an accident.  LL Cool J may think that it is, but it's not.  It's a state of mind, taught, and implanted into another individual by those with experience in hating all things not THEM.  A child may realize that something looks different than what they're used to seeing, but they're not going to HATE it, but it takes an adult to teach that child that since it's different, they're not supposed to like it.

We can eliminate racism by embracing all things different and learning from what's so different about them/it, soaking up that new knowledge, and expanding your own game.  It's stupid to hate on something because it doesn't look, sound, smell, or do what you do.  Just think about it.............what did I do to you to make you so mad?


Here's the ARTICLE run by MSN via Fox Sports

Willie D said it best.........


                                                                                                     

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Redskins survive Tampa Bay, 24-22
 
On a day where it seemed as if the Washington Redskins had the game in complete control, big plays against the secondary provided confidence for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half which allowed the game to go from a potential blowout to a nail biter.  In the end, it was on the suspect foot of Redskins kicker, Billy Cundiff (1-4 game; 6-10 on the season), to put the Redskins ahead with :03 seconds remaining after missing 3 previous field goal attempts during the game.

To say the game was a nail biter may be an understatement.  The first half was one that us Redskin fans simply said, "we got this one".  They moved the ball at will on the ground and in the air, the defense looked to have finally tightened up, and they looked to have full control of the football game.  Robert Griffin III rushed the ball out the pocket when needed and picked up big yards in doing so.  RGIII was extremely accurate on the passes, completing an extremely high percentage of his passes and never really looking hurried during the first half.  Running Back Alfred Morris ran the ball hard for the 'Skins, as a rushing game was virtually non-existent for the 'Bucs.  This gave the 'Skins the edge during the entire game, and it allowed the passing game to open up for them.  The 'Bucs looked like they were trying to play catch up the entire first half and never truly got their offensive working to achieve any sort of rhythm.  Was this because the defense of the Washington Redskins were clamping them down or was it because their offense was just pitiful?  At the half, Washington led 21-6, and in full control.

Then there was the early part of the second half, where it looked to be as if the 'Skins continued to have complete control of the game, but without scoring any points.  They controlled the clock, but would have to punt the ball several times, including a scary, near safety, that Washington had somewhat recovered from, but still had to punt due to a couple penalties.  Then the Tampa Bay offense started up with a big play from quarterback, Josh Freeman to Mike Williams for 65 yards.  The exploitation of the Washington secondary has now begun......

Despite kicker Billy Cundiff missing 2 field goal attempts in the 2nd quarter alone, Washington controlled much of the game for 2.5 quarters.  Tampa Bay started to get the ball moving through the air, taking advantage of the weak Washington secondary.  The big play from Freeman to Williams rejuvenated the 'Bucs as they went on to score on a pass from Freeman to Vincent Jackson with 2-minutes left in the 3rd quarter.  The much poised RGIII did not allow his team to get deterred by the lack of defense, as he marched the offense right back down the field and back into scoring position; even through a controversial forward pass that was challenged by the 'Bucs and upheld by replay.  It was a big play that got Washington down the field, but the offense stalled as they got into field goal range, where they had to rely on the foot of kicker Billy Cundiff once again, who failed to make the field goal, making him 0-3 on the day.

You can feel the tension building as Tampa was only down by 8 within 12 minutes to play.  And if you know how the 'Skins defense have played through the first 3 games, it's going to get scary out there.  And those nightmares continued, as the very next play of the Tampa possession, a big play to Vincent Jackson over DeAngelo Hall for 54 yards put Tampa on the Washington 25 yard line and in the drivers seat.  The Washington defense needs to learn to dictate these games, instead of allowing momentum shifting plays all the time.  If the secondary can take PRIDE in their game, the team could be undefeated right now, because RGIII and the offense are doing their part in scoring points to distance themselves, but the defense is a different story, allowing just as many points (see WHAT IN "D" HELL article on stats).  Then 2 plays later, Vincent Jackson burns DeAngelo Hall again for 22 more yards, which led to a Tampa touchdown 2 plays later.

It's hard at this point to not focus on the play of DeAngelo Hall.  He's getting burned week in and week out.  He can't blame anyone but himself, because he's been in this scheme for a while now and he continues to get burned, but yet, when asked about it, he blames the scheme or the coaches for "putting him out of position".  If he was out of position, then how is he able to make the tackle after the receiver outplays him for the ball?  There's no excuses for his lack of coverage anymore; he can't cover anyone, and I do remember him saying a season ago, "if I look at the tapes and see how horrible I've been playing, I would recommend releasing me".  Hey coaching staff, who you got on the radar to replace him and to help this guy clean out his locker........?

Now that the game is a 1-point affair, and after trading a set of punts, Tampa gets back into field goal range with 1:47 remaining and take a 2-point lead after a field goal.  After leading by 18 points at one point in time during the game, now our beloved Washington Redskins trail by 2-points.  There was a cut of Robert Griffin III on the sidelines, barking at his teammates, displaying the PRIDE and determination needed by a quarterback to get his team fired up.  Once back on the field, RGIII continued his accurate throwing by finding Santana Moss and Fred Davis on a few big completions, and scrambling for a big yard pickup to get the team into field goal position.  All heart, all PRIDE, all of which RGIII displayed to lead the team to PROSPERITY, now it's up to the kicker, Billy Cundiff, who has had an off day kicking to seal the deal.

All that was going through my mind was that if Cundiff misses this field goal, he'll be 0-4 on the day, and he'll be unemployed tomorrow morning.  It was high tension because not only was the game on the foot of a kicker who was 0'fer for the game, but the situation got no better when lineman, Kory Lichtensteiger, was whistled for a false start, sending the team back 5 more yards, creating an even bigger challenge for the kicker.  Fortunate enough, Cundiff kept his nerves, and made the field goal, putting the 'Skins up by 2, 24-22 with only :03 remaining in the game.  The ensuing kickoff was a circus, as the 'Bucs reverse lateral the ball several times until it was knocked out of bounds, giving the 'Skins a much needed victory.

The poise of rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III proved to be the POWER the Washington Redskins needed to achieve the goal of PROSPERITY in a game they let slip away.  He got them the team in scoring position in under 2-minutes, and the faith of the kicker, Billy Cundiff, sealed the victory for the team, evening their record at 2-2.  Though the defense once again collapsed, they held strong for a half.  They need to continue to work on tightening up and playing better coverage, because once the season gets into full swing, and they start to play division games and elite quarterbacks, it's not going to be a situation where the deficiency's of the opponents will allow them to eek out a victory.  And who's to say that RGIII won't hit the "rookie wall"?  Who's going to save them when/if this happens?  So right now, we'll have to take whatever wins, no matter how we obtain them, and focus on the corners and the secondary.  The offense is fine, especially with breakout running back, Alfred Morris, and RGIII commanding the offensive side of the ball; just who is going to take the lead on the defensive side?

                                                                                                     

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

NFL Referees are going back to work

It was only a matter of time before the scab referee's had worn out their welcome.  The NFL had seen enough on the field fiasco's and heard enough of the complaints about the scab referee's incompetence and lifted the lockout of the regular cast of officials.

Who is to say when and if the NFL would have agreed to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the referee's union if what happened on Monday Night F(iasco) between the Seattle Seahawks and the age-old and beloved Green Bay Packers did not happen.  The NFL seemed to have been taking their merry time in trying to resolve the issues with the referee's union and signing a new agreement.  Yes, the games would have continued on, but in a sloppy, incompetent, and ill-managed way.  Almost every game from Week 1 through Week 3 had some sort of controversy and/or took extra time to complete due to the scab referee's not knowing how to properly manage the game and constantly referring to video footage to make calls, and in some cases, make wrong calls that cost teams games, such as what happened on Monday night.

If you've been under a rock for the past 48 hours and missed the 'event'; this past Monday night was a nightmare for the NFL, the scab referees, and the Green Bay Packers.  The entire night was full of follies and fumbles, and not by the players on the field, but by the officials.  No bigger screw up can happen but at the end of the game on a hail mary pass by Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, where it appeared to be intercepted by Packers safety, M.D. Jennings, but it was ruled a touchdown by one of the officials, giving the Seahawks the 2-point victory, 14-12.  The controversy: well it seems as if M.D. Jennings caught the ball with both hands and hit the ground but Seahawks receiver, Golden Tate, had one hand on the ball, and when they both hit the ground, he wrapped his second arm around, which prompted the official to say he had possession and the Seahawks possessed the win in the end.  In the NFL, if there is simultaneous possession between receiver and defender, the receiver is granted the reception.  But in this case, it was not the case; as Jennings had clear possession of the ball, hit the ground, and Tate happened to wrap his arm around.  On top of this gaffe, the officials failed to call an obvious pass interference on Tate when he clearly pushed Packers corner back, Sam Shields in the back to attempt to make the catch.  There was just too much going on for the scabs to get the correct call.

In this public display of incompetence by the scab officials on the NFL's most watched game of the week, on a Monday Night Football broadcast, and against the Green Bay Packers, of all teams, the NFL was embarrassed enough to finally sit down with the referee's union and iron out an 8-year deal with the official officials and get them back to work.  Enough was enough, and a new CBA was agreed upon late Wednesday night.

The funny thing was that I was talking about the referee's during a broadcast of the P³ Entertainment Radio Show and how the NFL backed the botched call just to save face, because they brought those scabs into the league and they will defend their mistakes by backing whatever calls they make, but point out other issues that were hardly relevant to the outcome of some of the games.  Then as the broadcast was complete, the Bottom Line states that an agreement had been reached and the official officials are going back to work as soon as the Thursday night game between Baltimore and Cleveland.

It's funny seeing the owners with egg on their face, because they hate to admit they were wrong.  But when the integrity and image of the game starts to suffer, and fans start to turn and tune away from the mess that was called football games, they acted immediately to get the officials back into the game to save the games going forward.  But one thing you can say is that the owners have PRIDE and stood their ground, even though it was for a measly, few million dollars they didn't want to pay out.  The game itself suffered and lacked the ability to PROSPER going forward with the way the scabs were calling games; but in the end, good workers prevailed and they have obtained the POWER to respectfully call game once again, though only for another 8 years until the next CBA comes up.  Yet, this should be a lesson to the owners that you have to respect good workers, especially specialty workers whom you can not replace without the proper long term training and experience.  The owners may have the POWER to call the shots as they so please, but their ego, will and can make the overall game suffer, as displayed from Week 1 through Week 3.  Displaying that much PRIDE through a public display of POWER and ignoring the elements that make the game go, will ultimately cause a lack in PROSPERITY.

Let this be a lesson to everyone in the position to call the shots, and thinking that everyone can be replaced.  Everyone can not be replaced, because the next man off the street can not do what someone has been doing for decades, and on a higher level.  Sometimes, checking your own PRIDE is the only way to PROSPERITY.  Stop POWER-tripping, and everyone will continue to eat with no worries.

                                                                                                      

 
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

What In "D" Hell....?!!!?

The Washington Redskins lose their second straight game with a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, 38-31.  First year quarterback, Robert Griffin III had another spectacular game, throwing for 221 yards on 21/34 passing, and rushing for 85 yards.  As RGIII has shown poise, steady, and consistency as a first year quarterback, something the franchise has been missing in a long time, the issue now is the Washington defense.

Over the first three weeks of the season, the Washington defense has allowed, 32, 31, and 38 points; only for the team to walk away with a 1-2 record.  The offense seems to be fine, but the issue is what the defense is doing......or not doing.  The secondary is getting torn to shreds by opposing quarterbacks.  In Week 1, Drew Brees passed for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns; in Week 2, Sam Bradford passed for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 15 receptions for 160 yards from Danny Amendola; and in Week 3, Andy Dalton passed for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns.  That's 977 yards and 9 touchdowns that the Washington secondary has allowed in three weeks.  They are getting burned out there on the field, and it was somewhat expected since the team did not strongly address the issues with the secondary and also the defensive backs.  DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Madieu Williams, Reed Doughty, and Brandon Meriweather are getting burned week in and week out.  Quarterbacks are exploiting there weaknesses and it's nothing any of the named players can do to stop it.  Some may want to blame the defensive scheme of the Base 3-4 for the cause of so many yards being given up, but it is in the players play on the field to make plays, regardless of the scheme.  I've heard this week that it's Defensive Coordinator, Jim Haslett's fault for having the corners play so far back from the receivers, allowing so many passes to be caught under the secondary.  Yet, when the long ball is thrown, the secondary gets burned as well.  So something has to give that will allow the defense to successfully contend on every play and not give up so many big plays down field and even under.


During the offseason, the Redskins did not address lingering issues with an inadequate secondary.  Many experts predicted what is currently happening to the secondary, to happen.  Instead of addressing the issue of a fading and inadequate secondary, the team goes out and looks for more offensive weapons to place around RGIII.  The team went out and brought in and signed a few wide receivers and addressed weaknesses and holes in other areas, but the secondary remained a problem.  The same issues that plagued the secondary and defensive backs last season are being exploited this season.  It's going to continue all season long until there are some changes, either in the scheme or on-field personnel, or maybe with the coordinator himself.  But in replacing the coordinator on either side of the ball during the season will set the team back.  It's a risky move to do, and I doubt it will happen this season, but the defense should be evaluated during the rest of this season, and through the offseason.


This team will not experience PROSPERITY if they continue to get burned on passing plays.  In all sports, there is a saying that "defense wins championships", but the Redskins aren't playing defense well enough to win a game.  The Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints almost seems mute due to the Saints ending this week with an 0-3 record; so the efforts of the offense right now are carrying the team.  They are scoring more points at ease than any other year in recent memory.  They are averaging 33.0 points a game after three games to start the season, and that would be enough to win all of those games, but they are allowing just the same, and with the point disparity being even, there is a 50% chance of losing those games due to factors like, allowing big plays and penalties, to determine the outcome.  And with those factors coming into the Redskins' realm of game, they stand at 1-2 during this young season.


We shouldn't panic just yet, but the glaring deficiency of the defense to stop big plays and crucial moment plays will haunt them all season long unless they tighten up and make some stops.  We should believe in the team and that they will get it together, because if they don't, it's going to be a long season, and the smile that RGIII constantly shows will go away, and we will start to see another side of the franchise quarterback that many have not seen or didn't expect to see.  Losing does that to a competitor, and if he's carrying the team as much as he can on the offensive side of the ball, then the defense need to play their part and do the same.  If the defense steps up, as many experts hoped for them to do before the season started for this team to be successful, then the Washington Redskins will achieve POWER.  Right now, the offense is not the problem, they score points; it's the defense that needs to make stops and make plays on the ball.


It's funny that the defense had been the Washington Redskins staple for the last few years, and now that they got the quarterback to boost the offense, the defense has fallen off.  There has to be some sort of balance between the two, and at the same time.  Lets hope they have some sort of team meeting to discuss these issues and get back to winning some football games.  So at this point, all we can say is, "What in 'D' hell is going on wit the defense"?


                                                                                                     

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Washington Nationals secure playoff berth

The Washington Nationals have secured a playoff berth, the first in 79 years for the Washington based baseball franchise.

Not since 1933, has Washington DC had anything to celebrate when it comes to success on the baseball field. Last night, with a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Washington Nationals have given the city a chance to celebrate, as they are guaranteed a spot in this years MLB playoffs.

The expectations were well over exceeded for the team this season, as they surpassed their projected win total and they haven't looked back. Under first year manager, Davie Johnson, the Washington Nationals record currently stands at 91-58, a whopping 33 games over .500, and lead the Atlanta Braves by 5.5 games to win the division. The experts predicted them to win between 75 to 80 games, and they are still going full steam ahead. Yet, the story of the season is not of the success of the franchise, it's the story that they have shut down ace pitcher, Stephen Strasberg, for the rest of the season following medical advice to help with the healing process from Tommy John surgery.

Though Strasberg and the media were told at the top of the season of the inning count for the picture by Davey Johnson, no one would actually believe he would go through with the shutting down of the picture. He even shut the picture down a game earlier than schedule due to him seeing that Strasberg's head was not in the game and wasn't giving it his all. Strasberg expressed his displeasure with being shut down, especially during this playoff run, but it is for the best to preserve his career and look forward to next season. He'll get over it.....

With this years success with young talent currently on the main roster, and what is said to be a very healthy farm system, the Washington Nationals are poised to be a force in MLB for a long time. The 41,487 seat Nationals Park will be filled during this playoff run with true fans and bandwagon fans as well. Regardless of the authenticity of the fan base, it's all love, and a great thing to see for this Washington franchise. Since moving back to Washington from Montreal back in 2005, the franchise had been struggling to keep quality players and attracting quality players. Their record has been less than impressive, but with quality draft picks that brought in Stephen Strasberg and Bryce Harper, a flourishing farm system, and a couple quality free agent signings, this team is looking more like a contender. It's a surprise to many that they became this good so quickly, but when they're down for so long, working the draft smart and acquiring good free agents, the dark days will soon be behind them. Now we're seeing the fruits of their labor, a playoff berth; and with 13 games remaining, the teams magic number is 8 games to clinch the division.  

In doing so, they have shown the PRIDE in their plan to grow as a baseball team.  They did not allow many losing and embarrassing seasons deter them from their goals.  And because they stuck through with their plans, the Nationals now are enjoying the PROSPERITY that comes with staying on track and believing in their own system to achieve the success they are now enjoying.  If they continue to stick with the current model to build and maintain a winner, POWER will be theirs for the taking.  Many analysts are stating that they have the perfect blend to be a powerful team for many years, and that's due to the franchise believing in themselves and that they can be a consistent winner.

This has been a fun season to watch the team grow, as well as the Baltimore Orioles, who have also been down for so long. It's funny seeing both teams in the area blossom at the same time when they were equally as bad at the same time. Makes you think it's a conspiracy going on to always compete in the best of times and the worst. That's neither here nor there, but the fact is that we have a winner in the city, finally, and we all should go out and support during the rest of the season, because getting playoff tickets is going to be a mutha.


Enjoy the ride, support the team, and............

LETS GO NATS!!!!!

                                                                                                     

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
This past Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins receiver Josh Morgan made a bone head play that resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that took the team out of range for a game-tying field goal.  It also resulted in some threatening messages coming his way via his Twitter account.

Morgan told reporters today that he got messages on Twitter such as, “I will kill you in your sleep you autistic [expletive].”  Morgan told the Washington Times, “I heard everything, especially when they got you on Twitter and they start sending the death threats and wishing bad on your family and your first born and things like that, you see it all, you hear it all.”  “You don’t got no choice but to see it all and hear it all. But you never let it get to you, especially me being from D.C.”
Morgan said he’s not scared by the threats and doesn’t take them seriously; but they do reveal a part of the game for pro athletes or anyone who’s in the public eye, that regardless of what they do, good or bad, they have to deal with critics and passionate fans who will say just about anything, even threaten death, just to get the anger off their chests.  San Francisco 49ers receiver, Kyle Williams, who got death threats after fumbling in the NFC Championship Game last year had to deal with the threats, but time heals all wounds and they move on.  Some will never let you forget about that one mistake, even after much success afterwards.  Some will say that the individual could have had one more opportunity if they hadn't screwed up in such and such a year.  You can't please everyone.

Were these public displays of anger a result in these passionate fans wanting to continue their celebration of a victory during Week 1?  Was this anger directed towards Morgan because they wanted to see Robert Griffin III heralded once again during the daily and weekly sports programs, and this one blunder took that all away?  I truthfully never heard of a Redskins player being threatened before over any incident on or off the field.  Those threats must not have come from a true Washington native.  They must have come from a 'Skins fan from Detroit or Cleveland.  It's probably some fantasy football fan, geeked up over the incident and spazzed out.  I really don't know of any true Redskins fan who would say, "I'm going to kill this dude for costing us the game."  Are we that spoiled by a quarterback with Hall of Fame potential, that we're now willing to eliminate any obstacles along the way of getting a victory?  Boy, has it been that long since the city has experienced this much excitement over one player, and now we're hurdling threats of death towards another player because he made a mistake?  Though the mistake proved very costly, it's still only Week 2.  There's plenty of football to play.  Josh Morgan claims he has learned from this less and it won't happen again.

'Skins fans, if that's who you really are, chill out and enjoy the game.  This is going to be a long ride.

LETS GO SKINS!!!!!!

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