D.C. Sports Guys

McGrath - If you do switch to FIOS, after the firs...

2009-09-30T16:40:51.764-04:00

McGrath - If you do switch to FIOS, after the first time you call customer service you will want to commit a violent crime.

If I had known there was a U2 concert, there is no...

2009-09-30T15:11:38.562-04:00

If I had known there was a U2 concert, there is no way I would have agreed to do the show on Tuesday. Even leaving straight from work, it would have taken 2 hours or more and I just can't take that. I would drive my car off a cliff.

I agree 100% that Snyder is at the heart of the pr...

2009-09-30T12:44:01.234-04:00

I agree 100% that Snyder is at the heart of the problem with the team, and he's too greedy/narcissitic/stubborn to realize his greatest strength, signing huge checks, has been the team's greatest weakness.

But I also think that Gibbs 2.0 brought some stability to the team, and there was potential (albeit limited) to build around that. His overall record wasnt great, but he made them competitive in every game he coached, and I believe that there were really only 2 games in that span that they didnt have any chance of winning - the Mara tribute game and the 07 Patriots massacre. Which is why they made the playoffs 2x in 4 years.

Obviously Zorn's system is not a good fit for this team, but in addition to just being a bad hire, I think its largely due to the fact that the veteran core has a limited life-cycle and the person(s) responsible for addressing that completely missed the boat. And instead of supplementing the core, they wasted all of their resources on marginal skill players, who were really destined to fail given the circumstances. QED we lose to the Lions. Which might be the tip of the iceberg, nobody knows how bad this can get.

Of course there is talent on the team, and if somehow they all pull together they can salvage some of this season, but nobody can convince me that the long-term forecast for this team is anything but bleak. Thank you, come again.

"But we were supposed to be improved and at least ...

2009-09-29T21:55:58.889-04:00

"But we were supposed to be improved and at least able to compete this season."

Ahh, but isnt that just it? Snyder makes his living selling the idea every year that the guys he just signed are the final pieces. And we all eat it up. And the team blows. And then it continues anew. Every year. Oh but next year we'll have ourselves a shiny new coach. Or more likely a retread. Cuz the fans are restless so a big name is needed. Nevermind that every coach will fail until the deficiencies in the owner's box are corrected.

I would love to see the younger guys get in there. And why did this team seem to think that they are such geniuses they could take a sack machine from college and completely change his position?

Biggest fear: "And with the #1 pick in the 2010 draft, the Washington Redskins select Tim Tebow from the University of Florida."

-Pines

Thanks, DCSG. I never know how bad I was at picki...

2009-09-21T10:06:07.189-04:00

Thanks, DCSG. I never know how bad I was at picking games until you made me put them down on paper.

kooky not cooky

2009-09-17T17:18:10.514-04:00

kooky not cooky

Excellent post. I agree 100%. I'm sick of player...

2009-09-17T17:15:05.758-04:00

Excellent post. I agree 100%. I'm sick of players like Arenas. They con the public into believing they're "cooky," when really they are just me-first nut bags. I think Clinton Portis is the same type of player. And there's not much difference between them and someone like Terrell Owens. They're all guys who say, "Yeah, I'll take responsibility. It's that guy's fault."

Well it's not fantasy football but I feel like the...

2009-09-14T09:01:22.735-04:00

Well it's not fantasy football but I feel like there will still be some trash talk (from me) come next show. It looks like I have an enormous edge in the picks. Oh wait, it's just one. Damn you google docs.

Still, it was strange how this game unfolded. One...

2009-09-11T11:25:27.421-04:00

Still, it was strange how this game unfolded. One of the most reliable kickers of the past few years misses a chip shot field goal which probably cost them the game, and one of the NFL’s most reliable receivers fumbled the ball at the end of the game. Pittsburgh wins the game, but loses their best player for at least 3-6 weeks. It’s going to be another interesting and surprising season.

Whew... close one. We all nearly fell 0-1 to star...

2009-09-11T00:27:39.745-04:00

Whew... close one. We all nearly fell 0-1 to start the season. That would have looked great!

An issue the O's always run into is that they play...

2009-09-03T14:15:17.429-04:00

An issue the O's always run into is that they play in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox. It's not so much that they play these teams on the field but the fact that both the Sox and the Yanks have the ability to buy away players pretty much whenever they want to. The O's have great young talent but will it all come together at the same time, or will teams with big pockets drop in and snag these guys away when their rookie contracts end? Will the O's be able to match those offers to keep this group of talent together? As TJ mentions they need to lock up their top young talent for long term affordable contracts as they did when they inked Markakis though 2014. The big problem is that what is "affordable" in the AL East is a bit different than anywhere else in baseball. Time will tell if they can catch lightning in a bottle like the Rays or put together a year to year contender, but things are being run a lot better up in Baltimore.

This is all true and I know we have talked about t...

2009-09-03T12:50:07.581-04:00

This is all true and I know we have talked about this on the show where both TJ and myself get all worked up over ignorant Oriole fans.

Alright McGrath, there's a blog post. Now start g...

2009-09-03T11:31:33.135-04:00

Alright McGrath, there's a blog post. Now start getting excited for fantasy football, dammit.

I knew I miss-spoke during the MMA segment and lis...

2009-09-02T11:22:41.235-04:00

I knew I miss-spoke during the MMA segment and listening back... I confirmed it. I still had Lyoto Machida in my head after talking about Thiago Silva when I said "The Carpenter (Clay Guida) vs. Machida was one of the best fights I saw all year". Obviously that fight never happened. I meant to say the Guida vs. Sanchez fight was one of the best fights year to date.

Its never too early to start on the Greivis bashin...

2009-08-19T10:55:22.960-04:00

Its never too early to start on the Greivis bashing...I can't wait to see how many times he lobs the ball out of bounds in early non-conference games...I think the Nova-Terps game could be a good one to get tickets to (its at Verizon).

Not to start the Greivis bashing early, but he has...

2009-08-19T10:03:36.713-04:00

Not to start the Greivis bashing early, but he has still yet to prove that he can make intelligent decisions with the basketball. Yes he is the most talented player on the Terps but he consistently drives haphazardly into the lane and forces himself to take bad shots. The turnovers that occur because of his bad decisions almost negate the point he scores in a game. If he can reign in the ego a bit this year and focus on being a participant in the offense maybe he can become a complete player.

good show...I agree with Kevin re: the Nats. I ha...

2009-07-16T09:24:04.864-04:00

good show...I agree with Kevin re: the Nats. I haven't been able to track down stats on the # of blown save opportunities or bullpen losses vs. rotation losses, but we all know what those numbers will show. At the season's start I had predicted the Nats would win 75 games this year, a roughly 15 win improvement on last season, and a record that would place them 6 games below .500. I think this could have happened had it not been for the bullpen woes we've seen so frequently. Nats start up play again tonight vs. the Cubs, so we'll see if Riggleman can jump start them a bit.

Stephenson is apparently the real deal, but it is ...

2009-07-13T17:42:05.944-04:00

Stephenson is apparently the real deal, but it is probably good for Terps fans that he won't be running down the floor in College Park this year. While I'm not sure he's going to help Cincy contend for the Big East title, he'll certainly get them a few more wins and for good or for bad, some more publicity.

Given the Nats' luck, Burnett will throw out his a...

2009-07-01T10:52:15.321-04:00

Given the Nats' luck, Burnett will throw out his arm in his first game, while Hanrahan will become a legendary closer in Pittsburgh. Stranger things have happened.

Should Nats fans be happy or sad that Burnett coul...

2009-07-01T08:03:43.892-04:00

Should Nats fans be happy or sad that Burnett could step in and instantly be the best the Nats have out of the bullpen.....

This was a trade between the Nationals and the Pir...

2009-06-30T21:37:26.261-04:00

This was a trade between the Nationals and the Pirates. Its just trading suck for suck.

instead of playing a partial song right before you...

2009-06-24T21:03:14.950-04:00

instead of playing a partial song right before you come back from "break".....play it for the entire time away from the mics

Had a good show with Big J. Video and audio will ...

2009-06-22T19:51:47.281-04:00

Had a good show with Big J. Video and audio will be posted later tonight.

Well, we now know this much...with 20 wins, the Na...

2009-06-22T13:34:02.774-04:00

Well, we now know this much...with 20 wins, the Nats will lose no more than 142 games...good stuff!

Now the Nats have a chance to sweep the Jays? Is t...

2009-06-21T01:51:42.124-04:00

Now the Nats have a chance to sweep the Jays? Is the world coming to end? Can they petition to switch to the AL East?