D.C. Sports Bog var SA_Message="SACategory=" + 'opinions'; if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & BANNER_FLEX_TOP ) == BANNER_FLEX_TOP ){ placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,1,'',true) ;} placeChannelNav(thisNode); makeBreadCrumbsUsingCss(thisNode); if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & TILE_RIGHT_TOP ) == TILE_RIGHT_TOP ){ placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,8,'',false) ;} if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & BIG_FLEX_RIGHT ) == BIG_FLEX_RIGHT ){ placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,6,'',true) ;}  » E-mail Dan with comments, ideas and questions | What the heck is this?  Today's Top 5 We read other blogs so you don't have to. 1 Snyder gets excited
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» KSK  Recent Posts Hip Hip Hoo....wah? Portis Says Skins Were Too Loose FireJimZorn.com = Epic Fail Sage Rosenfels: Unleash the Fury Morning Look: Backstrom's Refrigerator Art Stories By Date Full Story Archive  Categories Approval Ratings Athletes Are Silly Beer and Cheese Caps College Basketball College Football College Lacrosse College Soccer Corrections D.C. United Fighting Sports Gambling Golf Know Your Fans MLB Media Minor League Baseball Minor League Basketball Minor League Football Morning Look Mystics NASCAR NBA NFL NHL Nats Olympics Orioles Poetry Pro Softball Redskins Rugby Tennis Terps Weirdness What You Need to Know What You Really Need to Know Wizards Yester Look if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & SKY_LEFT ) == SKY_LEFT ){ placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,3,'',true) ;} Posted at 8:46 PM ET, 10/12/2008Hip Hip Hoo....wah?  (If you don't read this drivel, please watch today's Mayne Event feature on Hip Hip Hooray, which, even if you're sorta bummed out about this loss, still rates as high sporting hilarity. Via The Bald Spot, which, unlike me, can apparently embed Skins Park video.)If, as Clinton Portis suggested after today's loss, some of the Redskins were a tad hasty in overlooking the Rams, the same could perhaps be said of the team's fan base. "Hip Hip Hooray" may be the year's runaway sensation as a victory chant, popping up on message boards and network television alike, but yesterday, those three Zornish words made their appearance well before victory was assured. There was a Hip Hip Hooray banner at one prominent tailgate on the way into the stadium. There were at least three multi-signed "Hip Hip Hooray" tributes in the stands. There were Hip Hip Hooray t-shirts. There were Internet-based plans to start up the "Hip Hip Hooray" refrain at the two-minute warning, if the game was in hand. There was a "Hooray!" segment on Comcast SportsNet's "Redskins Kickoff," with one young fan shouting out "Hip Hip Hooray, baby!" and others being encouraged to call and respond. And there was a report of a "Hip Hip Hooray" chant rising up in the 200-level. During the first quarter. Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (1)Other Blogs' Comments: |  Technorati .fix-middle { background-image:url(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/widgetBlog_middle.gif); background-repeat:repeat-x; border-left:1px solid #ccc; border-right:1px solid #ccc; padding-top:10px; height:315px; } .fix-left { width:248px; margin-right:10px; margin-left:10px; float:left; } .fix-title { font-family:arial; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold; color:#333; } a.more { font-family:arial; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; color:#0C4790; text-decoration:none; } .fix-content { font-family:arial; font-size:13px; color:#333; line-height:20px; }  Add the Bog to Your SiteKeep up with the latest D.C. Sports news with an easy-to-use widget. It's simple to add to your Web site, and it will update every time there's a new installment of D.C. Sports Bog.Get This Widget >> Posted at 5:36 PM ET, 10/12/2008Portis Says Skins Were Too Loose  Portis's second touchdown ball goes into the crowd. (By Toni L. Sandys - TWP) Over the past month, the Redskins provided some of the greatest and strangest blogging material imaginable for the first month of an NFL season. As the days went on, they seemed happier and happier, more and more relaxed. Still, before today's game, one player and official after another insisted that they would not overlook this Rams team, that the focus would remain the same. Vinny Cerrato even said on ESPN 980's pre-game show that this week's practices were some of the team's best of the year. But after the stunning loss, Clinton Portis quite pointedly disagreed."I think it was loose," he said during a searingly honest post-game press conference. "It was people smiling everywhere: us, coach. Coach really got on us a lot this week, and in previous weeks he didn't have to. You know, I think we came in and we had a great, probably our best Saturday practice all year long, as far as knowing the game plan and knowing the stakes, but Friday I think we had some mistakes and coach had to get on us Thursday and Friday. We kind of just got loose."Later, he was asked whether today's offense seemed snake-bit, with the weird turnovers and the costly penalties, and he again pointedly disagreed, steering the conversation back to the issue of focus. Which is maybe not what you'd expect from a player who recently dressed up in camou to hunt fake Rams on Chris Cooley's blog.Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (5)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 3:17 PM ET, 10/ 9/2008FireJimZorn.com = Epic FailAs stated clearly in the header of FireJimZorn.com, Jim Zorn is destined to fail as the Redskins' new head coach:Jim Zorn has been put in a position to fail. He will ultimately fail, so why not just fire him now, and search for his permanent replacement to lead the Redskins to a Super Bowl Championship.Right. Lots of animosity and negativity pointed at the totally zen, totally medium, totally 4-1 coach of the Redskins in the header of FireJimZorn.com.But scroll down, and "Brett B," the site's proprietor, is as Horny for Zorny as the rest of Washington. The latest post, entitled "Redskins Dominate Eagles, 23-17," begins like this:The Redskins and Jim Zorn have completed the first quarter (and then some) of the 2008 NFL season in splendid fashion. The Redskins crushed the Eagles on Sunday to move to 4-1 and second-place in the NFC East. Two straight road wins versus division opponents is mighty impressive, as you most certainly realize."Brett B" goes on to call Zorn's play-calling "masterful" and praises his flexibility, until finally, he concedes:Look, Jim Zorn does not deserve to be, nor should he be fired. He is doing a great job leading this team. He is doing a much better job, more quickly than I ever thought he would be capable of this season. I think there were many Redskins fans who had my concerns during the off-season and pre-season. Those concerns have been completely destroyed during these first five weeks of the season.I will take down the site if the Redskins make the playoffs this season. While Jim is doing a great job, I want to make sure I believe he is capable at some point (not necessarily this season) of leading the Redskins to a Super Bowl Championship during his Redskins coaching career. I won't get a complete feel for this until late in the season, when I can see how this team reacts to late-season pressure and playoff pressure. ... Jim is doing a great job, and I had called for his ouster before he ever had coached a game in the NFL.And they all lived happy ever after.Posted by Lindsay Applebaum | Permalink| Comments (24)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 1:22 PM ET, 10/ 9/2008Sage Rosenfels: Unleash the Fury  Sage completes a touchdown pass, thereby unleashing aforementioned fury.James Nicoll was in the car, on his way to Caddies on Cordell in Bethesda to watch the Redskins-Eagles game, when he got the call from a friend: Matt Schaub was sick, and Sage Rosenfels was starting at quarterback for the Texans."I cut across the grass on River Road, turned around and went back home so I could get his good-luck picture," Nicoll said. "Also, I had to add him to my fantasy teams."Really? Sage Rosenfels?Yes. Sage Rosenfels, sincerely.Nicoll, a Redskins fan, has been following/worshipping Rosenfels, the Redskins' fourth-round pick of the 2001 draft, since the preseason of 2002. Rosenfels led a three-touchdown rally to help Washington overcome a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the visiting Steelers, 35-34, and it was love. "These guys in front of us were going ape[bleep]," Nicoll said. "They kept yelling, 'Sage Rosenfels, unleash the fury!' He destroyed the Steelers."But as the Sage saga goes, the Redskins traded away Rosenfels to the Dolphins a few days later, opting to stick with Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews ("[Coach Steve] Spurrier's pets," Nicoll said bitterly)."After that, [my friends and I] started following Sage's career," Nicoll said. "We were like, 'He has to get a shot to start at some point.' He's too good."Six years later, the shot hasn't really come. A career bench-warmer, Rosenfels's latest gig is backing up Schaub in Houston.Nicoll and a friend started a Facebook group -- "UNLEASH THE FURY: the legion of Sage Rosenfels fans" -- in the fall of 2006, hoping to share their unique love of Sage Rosenfels, along with bits of wisdom such as this:Sage Rosenfels is a hero to all who enjoy football. He has been unleashing his fury on the league in the preseason and in quarters of football at a time as 2nd string mana from heaven.His passes are carried by angels and his spirals are engineered by his perfect golden right arm. Sage Rosenfels' talent cannot be denied anymore. He is the chosen one. UNLEASH THE FURY SAGETo date, there are 352 people in the group, myself included (I joined ironically, like everyone else -- or so I thought). Other notable members include Rosenfels's sister, Sasha, and several other family members.Continue reading this post »Posted by Lindsay Applebaum | Permalink| Comments (21)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 10:55 AM ET, 10/ 9/2008Morning Look: Backstrom's Refrigerator Art  Backstrom's painting of Swedish goalie Johan Holmqvist, courtesy of Swedish Radio.It would appear as though Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom was commissioned to create some artwork to be auctioned off for charity tomorrow.  While painting, Backstrom listened to Raffi tapes and ate grilled cheese cut into fourths.I don't have too many details -- my Swedish is a little spotty -- but more can be found here.The painting, I'm told, is of Swedish goaltender Johan Holmqvist, who looks to be carrying a shopping bag and hearting the number one. Not sure, though. Now, if the Ikea people were smart, they'd get the copy machine going, crank out a few thousand of these puppies, slap a name on them ("höckey," maybe?) and sell them for five bucks a pop.Posted by Lindsay Applebaum | Permalink| Comments (17)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 5:21 PM ET, 10/ 8/2008Touring Smoot's House, Part II  There are plenty of attractions in Fred Smoot's basement, which he refers to as "The Underworld." There's a karaoke machine and a slot machine, a pool table and a steam room, a well-apportioned bar and plenty of mirrors. And what else?"I actually got a weight room down here, too," Smoot said as he showed us around The Underworld during our recent Smack Energy Bar tour.Um, Fred Smoot, lifting weights?"I didn't say I was lifting weights; I've got a weight room," he pointed out. "And as you see, the weights are new. They're still new, and they'll be new 10 years from now."You've never seen a weight room so perfect, every free weight gleaming and slotted in its place, the shiny new Nautilus machine with nary a smudge. And hiding far in the back corner is a cardboard cutout of that legendary D.C. sports figure, Rocky Balboa.Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (2)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 4:02 PM ET, 10/ 8/2008Will the Skins Ever Be Underdogs Again?  The Rams--worst in the NFL according to Vegas. (By Tom Gannam - AP) Two weeks ago, the Redskins were double-digit dogs on the road. Now, they're double-digit favorites at home.Does this have a lot to do with their opponents in those games, the Cowboys on the road and Rams at home? Sure it does. Vegas says Dallas is still the best team in the NFL, while St. Louis is the worst. But does it also have a lot to do with the fact that the Oddsmakers--here represented by Las Vegas Sports Consultants--have dubbed the Redskins the fourth-best team in the League? Hip Hip.The NFC East rose to its highest Vegas stature yet this week, with all four teams ranked among the six strongest in the NFL, and the Redskins rose to 4th, their highest Vegas ranking in years. Washington is now within 2.7 points of the top-ranked Cowboys, which would suggest their next meeting (at FedEx) would be a virtual pick'em. The Giants are 1.5 points better, also in pick'em territory for their visit here. Other than that, Washington would look to be favored at home against Philly, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cleveland, which are all ranked below the Skins by Vegas, and on the road against Baltimore, Detroit, Seattle, Cincinnati and San Fran, which are all ranked 21st or lower by Vegas. This actually raises the possibility that the Redskins could be favored in each of their remaining 11 games. (The LSVC projections have Washington finishing 10.8-5.2 and earning the NFC's second wild card, with a first-round trip to Chicago. But they give Washington a 77 percent chance of making the playoffs, second in the NFC behind only Dallas.)As for Bodog, I mentioned before the season that the Redskins' odds for division, conference and Super Bowl titles were 13-2, 18-1 and 40-1. The current listings are 3-1, 6-1 and 12-1. A 6-1 chance that the Hip Hip Hoorayride spends early February in Tampa? Like I said last week, Zoinks.Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (6)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 2:36 PM ET, 10/ 8/2008Gilbert Arenas Discusses Sarah Palin and Joe Biden  Gilbert, being non-crazy. (By Steve Helber - AP) Just a few minutes ago, I posted about how the past 24 hours have neatly summed up the Arenas Era in D.C.: costly injuries, pop-culture infiltration, pure goofballery and searing honesty. But I forgot one key item: cover-your-eyes LOL craziness coming from the leader of the circus. And, even using the standards of Gilbert's Crazy Meter, this next one was pretty much an 11.SLAM Online posted a lengthy Q&A with Gilbert this morning, and while it's all amazing, the political discussion is where the super amazing happens. Parts of it are too tasteless for me to quote here, but among other highlights, he calls himself "a demon player," chooses porn over video games, says Star Jones "has a Rottweiler's head on a Doberman Pinscher's body," says of Sarah Palin that "from what I can tell she's a moron," and says Hillary Clinton would "have you assassinated at any minute. She's just ready to get in there and push the button." Which led to this epic exchange:Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (18)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 1:49 PM ET, 10/ 8/2008Seattle Is Missing Zorn  Miss you!!!! (By Elaine Thompson - AP) Steve Kelley's column in the Seattle Times this morning, which muses about how the Seahawks missed the boat by letting Jim Zorn go, might be the most positive thing that's yet been written about the Z Man. To start 4-1 is one thing, but to be the subject of "we miss you!!!!!" hosannas is something else entirely. Kelly writes:Last year Zorn was the Seahawks' quarterbacks coach. He was Matt Hasselbeck's muse, a bundle of kinetic energy and sound coaching principles. After seven seasons as a Seahawks assistant, he was ready to become a head coach. And it could have happened here.Instead, Zorn, a Washington outsider, has become the ultimate Beltway insider. He has won the hearts and minds of fans there, not an easy task....Losing makes a town feel whimsical. And no city in America feels more pain and knows more about losing in 2008 than Seattle. And now losing Zorn hurts as much as losing games.Hey, D.C. gave you Bill Lazor. I mean, fair trade, right? But jeez, that's some serious "what might have been" angst. You can still watch him on TV, if it makes you feel better, or unrestricted on this fine Web site. Seahawks fans, what say you?Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (16)Other Blogs' Comments: | TechnoratiPosted at 12:36 PM ET, 10/ 8/2008Fred Smoot on Christmas Lights and Halloween  Smoot welcoming me to his home, in Comcast SportsNet footage. It occurs to me that there's just way too much stuff from my visit to Fred Smoot's house to cover in two parts, as I originally intended. So as a brief interlude, consider Fred Smoot's theory on Christmas lights. This came up when I approached his Great Falls abode and realized that there were still Christmas lights hanging from the roof. I turned to Smoot for assistance."Christmas is always on the way back around," he explained. "We ain't got, what, like three, four months to go?"Then he paused.'It was like that when I had 11 months to go, too," he admitted. "Why pull them down man? Christmas coming back."I also asked Smoot whether he holds parties at his house, since such a revelation probably wouldn't surprise the sporting public. Continue reading this post »Posted by Dan Steinberg | Permalink| Comments (1)Other Blogs' Comments: | Technorati RSS FeedSubscribe to The Post © 2007 The Washington Post Company if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & BANNER_FLEX_BOTTOM ) == BANNER_FLEX_BOTTOM ){ placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,2,'',true) ;} function getSPYear(date_string){ var re1 = new RegExp("\\w+,\\s(\\d{2,2})-(\\w{3,3})-(\\d{2,2})\\s(\\d{2,2}):(\\d{2,2}):(\\d{2,2})","g") ; date_string.match(re1) ; var year = (2000 + RegExp.$3/1) ; return new String(year) ;}var thisYear = 2005;var dateStr = getSPYear('Wednesday, 16-Mar-05 14:52:37 EST') ;if( dateStr.indexOf('2') != -1 ){ thisYear = dateStr;}function openWin(url){ var navWin = window.open(url,"NewWin", "scrollbars,toolbar=false,menubar=false,resizable=false,width=740,height=595,top=0,right=1000"); } placeChannelNav('article970');rs = (typeof thisNode != 'undefined')?thisNode.split("/")[0] + "/" + thisNode.split("/")[1]:null;DM_addToLoc("thisNode", rs);DM_tag();placeSiteMetrix(); |
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