UPDATE
Tonight's show has been pushed back to 8pm.
LIVE D.C. Sports Guys Wed. 7/22 at 7:30pm
Go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com to watch The D.C. Sports Guys LIVE Wednesday, July 22, at 7:30pm. Before the show send an email to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com with any questions, comments or topics you would like the guys to discuss. During the show use the on-line form next to the live feed to send messages instantly to the guys.
The D.C. Sports Guys 7-15-2009
With the Wolfman and TJ on vacation and The Juicy One in training for worlds Kevin and Big J were left to hold down the show by themselves. Big J accidentally hits the off switch on his microphone while talking about the All Star Game. So he NEVER makes this mistake again we have uploaded the un-edited version of the show for all to watch and listen to. Feel free to lay the smack talk on nice and thick for this mistake. Watching the video for the show you might wonder why we even wear the headphones if Kevin can't realize that Big J's mic is out for over 7minutes.... Well for that one you would have to know how loud Big J actually talks. We already turn his input waaaaay down so it appears he is talking at the same level as the rest of us. If you are sitting next to him all bets are off.
After the snafu, Kevin and Big J re-group to discuss the Nats, UFC 100, the Capitals, NFL, the British Open, boxing and more.
As always, send your comments, suggestions, or ideas to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com
Podcast Times (not for video)
Intro
All Star Game: 00:01:30
Big J Mic goes out: 00:03:20
Big J Mic comes back: 00:10:45
Nats: 00:17:00
UFC 100: 00:29:40
Capitals: 01:00:00
NFL/Redskins: 01:20:00
Lance Stephenson: 01:33:00
British Open FAIL: 01:36:30
Other News: 01:45:00
End
LIVE D.C. Sports Guys tonight at 7:30
Go to http://www.dcsportsguys.com to watch The D.C. Sports Guys LIVE tonight (7/15) at 7:30. Before the show send an email to mailbag@dcsportsguys.com with any questions, comments or topics you would like the guys to discuss. During the show use the online form next to the live feed to send messages instantly.
Rizzo's Long-Term Strategy
Its not often you read about an interim GM's long-term plans for improving his current ballclub. Then again, its not often you hear the phrases "long-term improvement" and "Washington Nationals" in the same breath.
Ted Keith of SI.com's Inside Baseball put together an interesting article yesterday about this very topic. Its worth checking out.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ted_keith/07/13/nats.acta/index.html
After a lengthy and drawn out Home Run Derby last night, the stage is set for the 2009 MLB All-Star game in St. Louis. You may have to stay up late to see Nats' 3B Ryan Zimmerman get in the game, but the All-Star game is always an event worth catching (tonight, 8 p.m. on FOX).
For the serious baseball fans out there, the AAA All-Star game takes place tomorrow night at 10 p.m. from Portland, Ore. and will be televised on ESPN2. The Syracuse Chiefs, the Nationals AAA affiliate, are sending three representatives, OF Jorge Padilla, INF Seth Bynum, and SP J.D. Martin. Kind of a late start, but given the lack of any other televised sports tomorrow, it might be worth catching a few innings.
Ted Keith of SI.com's Inside Baseball put together an interesting article yesterday about this very topic. Its worth checking out.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ted_keith/07/13/nats.acta/index.html
After a lengthy and drawn out Home Run Derby last night, the stage is set for the 2009 MLB All-Star game in St. Louis. You may have to stay up late to see Nats' 3B Ryan Zimmerman get in the game, but the All-Star game is always an event worth catching (tonight, 8 p.m. on FOX).
For the serious baseball fans out there, the AAA All-Star game takes place tomorrow night at 10 p.m. from Portland, Ore. and will be televised on ESPN2. The Syracuse Chiefs, the Nationals AAA affiliate, are sending three representatives, OF Jorge Padilla, INF Seth Bynum, and SP J.D. Martin. Kind of a late start, but given the lack of any other televised sports tomorrow, it might be worth catching a few innings.
Nats Fire Acta, Issue Apology to Fans
In a long-anticipated move, the Nationals yesterday fired third-year manager Manny Acta following the team's 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros. Ironically enough, Acta's firing came a day after arguably one of the Nationals' best performances in recent memory, a 13-2 drubbing of Houston. Ultimately, the overly disappointing season, lackluster defense, and implorable bullpen management did Manny in.
Acta's job had been the topic of much speculation weeks ago, when media outlets prematurely speculated that he would be replaced by bench coach and veteran manager Jim Riggleman. After a better-than-expected performance in interleague play, which included series wins against both the Yankees and Blue Jays, it seemed as though Manny had been given one more chance. In the end, however, it appears as though the Nationals ultimately had to go with a new approach after returning from the All-Star break. After all, the fate of the manager of a team that is 26-60 and on a pace to win not even 50 games is pretty much a done deal.
Acta was 158-252 in 2 and a half seasons at the helm of the Nationals, his first MLB managerial job (he had also managed the Dominican Republic in the 2006 WBC, as well as some other winter league teams in the Dominican), but his few successes were frequently contradicted by his aloof approach to the media, where he seemed to stress how patience and maturation were virtues that would pay off for the Nationals in the long-run. This may very well be true, but unfortunately Manny won't be around to see it happen.
Bullpen woes have been the tail of the Nats' season, with a revolving door of mediocre relievers showing spots of stability, but far more frequent failures. A young starting pitching core and some evidence of offensive prowess both at the big league and minor league levels is what will ultimately impact the Nationals' success over the next several years. Even this though, remains questionable.
Riggleman brings a wealth of experience to the job from his previous managerial stints with the Padres, Cubs, and Mariners at an overall record of 522-652 in 9 seasons. He will be labeled with the infamous "interim" tag, but I don't expect him to be around next season. There has been talk (and who knows how likely this is) that former MLB manager Bobby Valentine will return to the big leagues after a successful several year run in Japan. Willie Randolph, former manager of the Mets, has also been talked about as a candidate for the managerial opening next year. Whoever takes the job next year will be stuck with what will likely look like the present day Nationals, save Nick Johnson, Ronnie Belliard, and a few others who are likely on their way out of D.C.
I have long thought (and continue to believe) that Manny Acta can someday be a good big league manager. He took a job in a low-pressure, small market situation, where a long-standing lack of talent and failed moves by former Jim Bowden left him stuck with little to work with. I think Acta should hone his game at the minor league level, managing for a few years in AAA and then resurfacing in the majors.
And so goes the sad and constantly in flux state of Washington Nationals baseball. In what might have been one of the Nats better PR moves of late, the team issued a statement to fans via email today. I'm not sure how true any of it is, but I guess they are just trying to be genuine. Read it here: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090713&content_id=5858516&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=wa
Acta's job had been the topic of much speculation weeks ago, when media outlets prematurely speculated that he would be replaced by bench coach and veteran manager Jim Riggleman. After a better-than-expected performance in interleague play, which included series wins against both the Yankees and Blue Jays, it seemed as though Manny had been given one more chance. In the end, however, it appears as though the Nationals ultimately had to go with a new approach after returning from the All-Star break. After all, the fate of the manager of a team that is 26-60 and on a pace to win not even 50 games is pretty much a done deal.
Acta was 158-252 in 2 and a half seasons at the helm of the Nationals, his first MLB managerial job (he had also managed the Dominican Republic in the 2006 WBC, as well as some other winter league teams in the Dominican), but his few successes were frequently contradicted by his aloof approach to the media, where he seemed to stress how patience and maturation were virtues that would pay off for the Nationals in the long-run. This may very well be true, but unfortunately Manny won't be around to see it happen.
Bullpen woes have been the tail of the Nats' season, with a revolving door of mediocre relievers showing spots of stability, but far more frequent failures. A young starting pitching core and some evidence of offensive prowess both at the big league and minor league levels is what will ultimately impact the Nationals' success over the next several years. Even this though, remains questionable.
Riggleman brings a wealth of experience to the job from his previous managerial stints with the Padres, Cubs, and Mariners at an overall record of 522-652 in 9 seasons. He will be labeled with the infamous "interim" tag, but I don't expect him to be around next season. There has been talk (and who knows how likely this is) that former MLB manager Bobby Valentine will return to the big leagues after a successful several year run in Japan. Willie Randolph, former manager of the Mets, has also been talked about as a candidate for the managerial opening next year. Whoever takes the job next year will be stuck with what will likely look like the present day Nationals, save Nick Johnson, Ronnie Belliard, and a few others who are likely on their way out of D.C.
I have long thought (and continue to believe) that Manny Acta can someday be a good big league manager. He took a job in a low-pressure, small market situation, where a long-standing lack of talent and failed moves by former Jim Bowden left him stuck with little to work with. I think Acta should hone his game at the minor league level, managing for a few years in AAA and then resurfacing in the majors.
And so goes the sad and constantly in flux state of Washington Nationals baseball. In what might have been one of the Nats better PR moves of late, the team issued a statement to fans via email today. I'm not sure how true any of it is, but I guess they are just trying to be genuine. Read it here: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090713&content_id=5858516&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=wa
UFC 100: Even post fight interviews live up to the hype
An advantage of having a DVR is that you can set an event, such as a UFC pay per view, to record, wait about an hour, then watch all the fighting goodness while fast forwarding though mind numbing filler like fighters breaking down the Mickey’s Replay. In general, post fight interviews follow a common pattern:
About 90% of the time missing the post fight interview will spare you from shaking your head while you ask “really is this necessary?” The other 10% of the time however, someone will actually have a “did he just say that” moment. During UFC 100 we got two of them. The first one came after Dan Henderson threw a right hand that might as well have started 300 miles back down I-15 at his gym in Temecula, CA before colliding with Bisping’s chin in Las Vegas. Bisping might have actually been knocked out by the sonic boom Henderson’s fist was able to create before he even made contact, but that is up for debate. After Bisping fell like, a sack of bricks, a stiff board, [enter other favorite knock out term here], Henderson was able to get in one last punch/forearm to Bisping’s chin before Mario Yamasaki was able to jump in to stop the fight. That last hit appeared to only add insult to injury, but as any fighter will tell you, anything can happen and you fight until the ref tells you to stop. Personally I’ve seen more than one occasion where a fighter has been out on their feet to only be jolted awake when they hit the mat. Sometimes the ref notices, sometimes the fight goes on. In almost all cases the victor usually has some words of sympathy, stating “I go until the fight is stopped, I hope he turns out okay.” Henderson though had some other choice words:
Coming from usually soft spoken level headed Henderson this was a bit shocking. Even after some of the most intense pre-fight lead-ins, such as the recent Guida vs. Sanchez fight, the fighters show a higher level of respect when the fight is over. Henderson however had enough of Bisping’s antics from season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. At one point Henderson compared Bisping to a pre-adolescent child. Bisping claimed his antics are done on purpose to get inside the other fighters head, but to most who watched the show he just came off as a annoying loud mouth. Henderson obviously took it the same way:
“I’ve had fans come up to me, from both the U.S. and the U.K., and say to me ‘I used to like him [Bisping] before the show,’ I don’t think he did himself any favors.”
After the event Henderson did begin to retract on his post-fight comments… kinda:
Now if the incredible knockout and post fight interview of the Henderson fight wasn’t enough for you, you were in luck. After GSP man-handled Thiago Alves for 5 rounds fans were in for yet another treat. Unlike Henderson, Brock Lesnar was coming into the fight as what they would call in the WWE world, the “Heel”. Both Mir and Lesnar had plenty to say about one another coming into UFC 100 and Lesner refused to touch gloves before the fight. At UFC 81 Mir caught Lesnar in a knee bar and Lesnar had been looking for redemption ever since. Late in the second round redemption was had when Lesnar had Mir on the ground in a corner where he proceeded to land right after right after right. The overpowered Mir was saved by Herb Dean, who stepped in before Mir had to book a hospital bed next to Bisping. What followed could only be described as a class ‘A’ WWE heel act. Brock had to be restrained from continuing to get in Mir’s face then proceeded to give the bird to all in attendance for booing his victory. During the post-fight interview Lesnar encouraged the boos to continue, stating “I love it, keep it coming.” He then told everyone why he felt the way he did:
At this point even Joe Rogan knows he needs to reign it in. In an effort to steer Lesnar in a more humble direction, Rogan talks about Brock’s work ethic and no nonsense fighting style. One problem, Lesnar doesn’t bite:
Bravo! Bravo! In just a few sentences Lesnar was able to keep the fans booing, criticize a UFC sponsor and let us all know where we can stick it while he is sticking it to Rena "Sable" Mero. Somewhere Vince McMahon has a huge smile on his face saying “I taught him that.”
Of course the fallout from both of these incidents has led Dana White to denounce both Henderson’s and Lesnar’s comments. Both Henderson and Lesnar have now come forward with their own retractions and have apologized in their own way. In the end I think UFC got something it needed, a ‘face’ to stand behind in Henderson and a ‘heel’ to get riled up at in Lesnar. Having personalities people can love and hate make fans convictions deep and willingness to watch an event strong. Now everyone will be pulling for someone to shut Lesnar up. Who will it be? We’ll all just have to sit back and watch.
Joe Rogan: What a fight, you said you were going to come in here and show everyone you could beat this guy and you did.
Fighter: Yeah, you know, WHOOOOO! I just, we had a great camp, we knew he had a weakness, I took advantage of it.
Joe Rogan: Take us though the replay here and tell us what you did.
ON SCREEN: Fighter kicks opponent
Fighter: Well I kicked him there…. Oooo look like that hurt him
ON SCREEN: Fighter takes down opponent
Fighter: Yeah, then I took him down
ON SCREEN: Fighter gets opponents back, puts opponent in rear naked choke
Fighter: Got his back there… and chocked him out. WHOOO!
Also at this time about 10 different people have distracted the winning fighter from giving any kind of decent answers by grabbing him, hugging him, or making sure he has his sponsors shirt, hat, drink, etc.. on and facing the right direction. The fighter will then thank his trainers, sponsors, and tell Dana White that he’s ready to move up to fight better opponents.
About 90% of the time missing the post fight interview will spare you from shaking your head while you ask “really is this necessary?” The other 10% of the time however, someone will actually have a “did he just say that” moment. During UFC 100 we got two of them. The first one came after Dan Henderson threw a right hand that might as well have started 300 miles back down I-15 at his gym in Temecula, CA before colliding with Bisping’s chin in Las Vegas. Bisping might have actually been knocked out by the sonic boom Henderson’s fist was able to create before he even made contact, but that is up for debate. After Bisping fell like, a sack of bricks, a stiff board, [enter other favorite knock out term here], Henderson was able to get in one last punch/forearm to Bisping’s chin before Mario Yamasaki was able to jump in to stop the fight. That last hit appeared to only add insult to injury, but as any fighter will tell you, anything can happen and you fight until the ref tells you to stop. Personally I’ve seen more than one occasion where a fighter has been out on their feet to only be jolted awake when they hit the mat. Sometimes the ref notices, sometimes the fight goes on. In almost all cases the victor usually has some words of sympathy, stating “I go until the fight is stopped, I hope he turns out okay.” Henderson though had some other choice words:
“I know when a fighter’s out. I knew he was out when I hit him. That one was just to shut him up a bit.”
Coming from usually soft spoken level headed Henderson this was a bit shocking. Even after some of the most intense pre-fight lead-ins, such as the recent Guida vs. Sanchez fight, the fighters show a higher level of respect when the fight is over. Henderson however had enough of Bisping’s antics from season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. At one point Henderson compared Bisping to a pre-adolescent child. Bisping claimed his antics are done on purpose to get inside the other fighters head, but to most who watched the show he just came off as a annoying loud mouth. Henderson obviously took it the same way:
“I’ve had fans come up to me, from both the U.S. and the U.K., and say to me ‘I used to like him [Bisping] before the show,’ I don’t think he did himself any favors.”
After the event Henderson did begin to retract on his post-fight comments… kinda:
“It wasn’t my intention to hit him after he was out and I don’t think I did, it’s my job to keep going until the ref stops us”Oh Dan, you hit him when he was out and fans all over the U.S. appreciated it.
Now if the incredible knockout and post fight interview of the Henderson fight wasn’t enough for you, you were in luck. After GSP man-handled Thiago Alves for 5 rounds fans were in for yet another treat. Unlike Henderson, Brock Lesnar was coming into the fight as what they would call in the WWE world, the “Heel”. Both Mir and Lesnar had plenty to say about one another coming into UFC 100 and Lesner refused to touch gloves before the fight. At UFC 81 Mir caught Lesnar in a knee bar and Lesnar had been looking for redemption ever since. Late in the second round redemption was had when Lesnar had Mir on the ground in a corner where he proceeded to land right after right after right. The overpowered Mir was saved by Herb Dean, who stepped in before Mir had to book a hospital bed next to Bisping. What followed could only be described as a class ‘A’ WWE heel act. Brock had to be restrained from continuing to get in Mir’s face then proceeded to give the bird to all in attendance for booing his victory. During the post-fight interview Lesnar encouraged the boos to continue, stating “I love it, keep it coming.” He then told everyone why he felt the way he did:
“Frand Mir had a horse shoe up his ass. I told him that a year ago. I pull that son-of-a-bitch out and I beat him over the head with it”
At this point even Joe Rogan knows he needs to reign it in. In an effort to steer Lesnar in a more humble direction, Rogan talks about Brock’s work ethic and no nonsense fighting style. One problem, Lesnar doesn’t bite:
“I’m going to go home tonight, I’m going to drink a Coors Light. That’s a Coors Light, because Bud Light won’t pay me nothing. I’m going to sit down with my friends and family and hell I might even get on top of my wife tonight.”
Bravo! Bravo! In just a few sentences Lesnar was able to keep the fans booing, criticize a UFC sponsor and let us all know where we can stick it while he is sticking it to Rena "Sable" Mero. Somewhere Vince McMahon has a huge smile on his face saying “I taught him that.”
Of course the fallout from both of these incidents has led Dana White to denounce both Henderson’s and Lesnar’s comments. Both Henderson and Lesnar have now come forward with their own retractions and have apologized in their own way. In the end I think UFC got something it needed, a ‘face’ to stand behind in Henderson and a ‘heel’ to get riled up at in Lesnar. Having personalities people can love and hate make fans convictions deep and willingness to watch an event strong. Now everyone will be pulling for someone to shut Lesnar up. Who will it be? We’ll all just have to sit back and watch.
Cincinnati waits for Lance Stephenson to jump one more hurdle
Lance Stephenson, who was once being recruited by schools such as Maryland, Memphis, Florida and Arizona, has jumped the first of two hurdles that forced those schools to back off the 6-6 forward out of New York's Lincoln High School. Stephenson has reached a deal with the State of New York by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused of groping a 17-year-old girl Oct. 3 2008 outside of Lincoln HS. The guilty plea requires Stephenson to perform three days of community service and seek counseling.
Still in front of Stephenson is an investigation from the NCAA into weather or not his family received money for the documentary, "Born Ready," which Stephenson starred in during his junior year in high school. Cincinnati's Mick Cronin does not appear to be concerned with the situation:
Will Cincinnati's gamble pay off? If the "Born Ready" acquisitions blow over will Stephenson be able to turn around a Cincinnati team that finished 10th in the Big East with a 8-10 conference record and 18-14 overall? Does Cincinnati become an instant contender making four other big name schools look foolish or will Stephenson prove to be the kryptonite other Universities chose to distance themselves from?
Still in front of Stephenson is an investigation from the NCAA into weather or not his family received money for the documentary, "Born Ready," which Stephenson starred in during his junior year in high school. Cincinnati's Mick Cronin does not appear to be concerned with the situation:
"We are very excited about Lance's decision to become a Bearcat. Lance has terrific talent as a basketball player, and is also a fierce competitor on the court. His desire to win will help us compete for a BIG EAST Championship."
Will Cincinnati's gamble pay off? If the "Born Ready" acquisitions blow over will Stephenson be able to turn around a Cincinnati team that finished 10th in the Big East with a 8-10 conference record and 18-14 overall? Does Cincinnati become an instant contender making four other big name schools look foolish or will Stephenson prove to be the kryptonite other Universities chose to distance themselves from?
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