Archive: February 10, 2008 - February 16, 2008
Mason Tailgate: Pig Snouts and Water Pong
One of three pie-eating heats. When Will Thomas made a free throw to move Mason into a tie with UNC Wilmington in the final six seconds tonight, the sold-out Patriot Dome got very, very loud. When T.J. Carter then drove the length of the floor to hit a game-winning...
By Dan Steinberg | February 16, 2008; 8:59 PM ET | Comments (10)
Duke-MD Cheer Sheets and Hoya Movie Quotes
Sports writers are fond of snarking message boards, but our locals have helped humanity progress this week in at least two crucial threads. 1) A Maryland fan posted what he claims to be the Duke cheer sheets from Wednesday night. If that thread makes your computer unhappy, check here and...
By Dan Steinberg | February 15, 2008; 2:07 PM ET | Comments (12)
John Feinstein on Colbert
There's not really much more to say than this: John Feinstein was on the Colbert Report last night (fourth or so clip). He was talking about steroids. He went with the "play it straight" strategy, pointing out that "children's heroes are athletes....they see these guys taking steroids and they say,...
By Dan Steinberg | February 15, 2008; 1:10 PM ET | Comments (5)
Rich Chvotkin Believes Wallace Got Fouled
Rich Chvotkin's 17-note "Hoyas Win" blast from last year's win over Vanderbilt was no doubt magisterial, and yet "Hoyas Win" has become fairly well expected by this point. Monday's last-second win over Villanova, though, offered something a bit different. You might need to watch this more than once to get...
By Dan Steinberg | February 15, 2008; 7:04 AM ET | Comments (17)
Jim Zorn Whitewater Kayaks
Away from the water.... "I just could not be more thrilled that the new coach of the Washington Redskins is a whitewater kayaker," said the message on my voice mail. The message was left by a former Olympic gold medalist. Named Joe Jacobi. It's been that kind of week,...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 2:51 PM ET | Comments (6)
Buckhantz and Chenier Bobblehead
Image courtesy the Wiz. After my spate of bobblehead news, a commenter noted below that the Wizards are giving away 8,000 Chipotle-sponsored Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier bobbleheads on April 4 against the Heat. If it were necessary to cut off half a pinky with a rusty daggerrrrrrrrrrrrr to...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 2:34 PM ET | Comments (14)
Archuleta's Dogs Poisoned
This story has been making the rounds, but here's from the Arizona Republic yesterday afternoon: Chandler Police have no leads in a backyard poisoning death that killed two Chihuahuas belonging to former Chandler High and current NFL player Adam Archuleta and his girlfriend. The two 12-year-old dogs belonged to Jennifer...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 2:28 PM ET | Comments (4)
Chad Johnson Being Held Hostage in Cincy
Clearly Chad Johnson deserves to be in Washington. He could shave mohawks into Mr. Snyder's hair, turn Fred Smoot into "the quiet guy," dress up in drag with Clinton Portis and wear short shorts with Chris Cooley. He could get unemployed "Monk for the Hall" grunts to join his...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 1:53 PM ET | Comments (3)
Caps Movie Quotes
This video appeared last week, but I only just got around to watching it. I think the Caps are certainly competing for best non-Redskins story in D.C. of 2008, and I've found them all to be pleasant-enough fellows, and if my bosses wanted to put me on full-time Caps blogging...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 1:09 PM ET | Comments (6)
Hoya Handshakes
DaJuan Summers and Pat Ewing Jr. also have a special handshake, but I'm not sure what it is. (Joel Richardson - TWP). Pat Ewing Jr., you may have noticed, has developed seven or eight unique handshakes that he dispenses to seven or eight different teammates. Each one is distinct....
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 12:21 PM ET | Comments (8)
Today's Top Five: Bobble Baby
Today we're focusing on giant heads! 1) This isn't a blog, but dang, check out the three-foot-tall Clinton Portis bobblehead for only $200. I don't care that it looks about as much like Clinton Portis as my baby daughter; this thing is a major bargain and would be a...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 10:59 AM ET | Comments (4)
Mason Homecoming: Pie and [No] Mechanical Bull
Homecoming week has already started at George Mason, and it's hard to decide when the pinnacle will arrive. With the mechanical bull that the Fairfax Social Club has promised to bring to the pre-game tailgate? The basketball shooting competition, in conjunction with New Line Cinema, complete with "Semi Pro"...
By Dan Steinberg | February 14, 2008; 10:33 AM ET | Comments (1)
Hibbert's Fro, and Presidential Politics
The 'fro, about two weeks ago. (By Toni Sandys - TWP) Yesterday's we examined the many hair styles of Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, tomorrow we'll pay tribute to the truly delightful look of Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg, but today it's on to Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, who last cut his...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 7:00 PM ET | Comments (5)
Duke Cracks Down on Fires
Fun without fire. This story concerns Duke-UNC games, but any Duke story involving post-game fires can only be made more apropos by a looming Maryland game.... From yesterday's Raleigh News-Observer: If Duke beats UNC in basketball March 8, its students may not be able to burn a bunch of...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 3:21 PM ET | Comments (11)
Burton vs. McNamee, the Video
In case you're curious what made me love these hearings so much that I started watching Whoopi:...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 2:10 PM ET | Comments (6)
New Skins Asst. Loves the Onside Kick, Jesus
New Skins offensive assistant Chris Meidt. A few things you should know about new Skins offensive assistant Chris Meidt, who fast-tracked his way from the Oles to a job with the Redskins as an offensive assistant. He appears to be a stats nerd; according to this article he "spent...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 1:37 PM ET | Comments (12)
Did Andrea Kremer Take a Shot at TK?
Photo from The Retriever Weekly; go there and support them. Andrea Kremer, talking to USA Today about the changing roles for Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber on MNF: "Don't you think some people would be more interested in hearing what they have to say than some other people on...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 12:53 PM ET | Comments (6)
Dan Burton vs. Brian McNamee
My goodness. (AP Photo) The proper thing for a sports blogger to do today would be to watch the Congressional hearings and blog like mad, but I can't take it. I just can't. I'd sooner watch Whoopi's Valentine's Day Parties feature on ABC while being forced to ingest the...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 11:51 AM ET | Comments (2)
Jim Fassel, Jim Zorn, and "Glib"
Either Jim Fassel doesn't know what "glib" means, I don't know what "glib" means, or Fassel is taking some major shots at the Redskins new coach. In speaking with Mike and the Mad Dog this week, he had this to say about the end game (and I'm sorry for the...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 11:16 AM ET | Comments (4)
Dmitri Young Bobblehead Night
Hopefully ours is a bit pudgier. The other day, good friend and Official Caps Beat Writer Tarik El-Bashir caused a major stir in the WaPo sports department by bringing his Caps toothless Potato Head and Rod Langway Bobblehead through the office. Seeing the frenzy, Tarik pointed out that were...
By Dan Steinberg | February 13, 2008; 9:27 AM ET | Comments (9)
Terps Speak of the Crazies
Costumes. Several notes from the Terps' last media appearance before facing Duke tomorrow night.... 1) As you'd expect, a popular question concerned chants at Cameron and those wacky Duke students. James Gist: "Since I've been at Maryland they haven't been able to get under anybody's skin. Even the times...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 5:26 PM ET | Comments (16)
Jim Fassel Blames the Bloggers
The reason Jim Fassel was not hired. (Leafblower photo stolen from Mr. Irrelevant) I believe Jim Fassel to be a great guy, and I think he probably got treated poorly over the past month, and I would have been fine with him as head coach, but just today the...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 3:45 PM ET | Comments (26)
Greivis Vasquez is Mr. GQ
The current look. (Toni Sandys - TWP) After his record-tying assists night in Maryland's win on Saturday--a win that has the Terps steaming their way toward the Top 25 (two votes this week!) and making American look better and better--lots of folks were talking Greivis Vasquez. "You need someone...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 1:37 PM ET | Comments (26)
Watch the Wiz Lose a 23-Point Lead
For the record, these games don't count until all the injured guys come back. This is just something we'll all look back and chuckle about after the victory parade down Pennsylvania Avenue....
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 12:44 PM ET | Comments (12)
UMES Shocks Hampton
Endorses UMES for MEAC title. (AP Photo) In a game with major Atlantic 11 and Potomac Primary implications (Michelle Obama visited UMES on the same day as Hampton), the Eastern Shore Hawks, 3-21 and in last place in the MEAC, somehow beat Local No. 8 Hampton last night. First...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 12:31 PM ET | Comments (4)
Bosh Still Channeling Gilbert
I thought Chris Mannix's SI story praising the hell out of Chris Bosh for his quirkiness and YouTube skills was fine enough, although I found it stunning that Gilbert Arenas wasn't mentioned once as the prototype. The best part of the piece: For a high school project Bosh once made...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 12:04 PM ET | Comments (3)
Jim Zorn Plays the Ukulele and is an Amateur DJ?
Your new Redskins coach. As I've gleefully collected mildly quirky Jim Zorn anecdotes in recent days, it never occurred to me that they might all be fake. But yesterday, in discussing Jim Zorn's solo viola performance with the Seattle Sympony, a colleague said to me, "don't you think it's...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (6)
Georgetown Gets Another Gift
Admittedly, this photo isn't fair. (John McDonnell - TWP) I still think Georgetown is the best local team, and I still think the Hoyas will go far in March (or, this year, April), and I still think they have a real knack for pulling out close games and would...
By Dan Steinberg | February 12, 2008; 10:24 AM ET | Comments (22)
Local Poll Week 13: Hoyas vs. Terps
As predicted, here come the Terps. They stole 3 first-place votes from Georgetown this week, giving the Hoyas, proportionally, their smallest share of first-place votes since...well, the record-keeper has stepped out, but it's been at least a few weeks. And for the first time this season, Georgetown and Maryland...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 7:01 PM ET | Comments (13)
Maryland Fans vs. Georgetown Fans
Yellow. Or gold. Or whatever. Having recently attended my first Maryland game of the season, and having also attended two Georgetown games (plus one American game) this year, I'd now like to make a series of completely unobjective and uninformed observations about certain notable or possibly imagined differences between...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 3:27 PM ET | Comments (37)
Today's Top Five: Gil = Puff, Zorn Shirts
1) Gilbert's blogging again, and he's talking about the Wizards (he's running at 70 percent, he needs a month of practice, he still wants to come off the bench) and talking about the league (he liked what the Suns and Lakers did and thinks David West's "West" all-star jersey...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 1:16 PM ET | Comments (1)
Jim Zorn Loves Children, Salmon, Art
I feel like just this one reference to the Hirshzorn has pretty much justified my salary today. As long as I can keep pumping out Jim Zorn minutiae, I can think of no higher calling. Here's a good one, from a Q&A with the Seahawks Web site: What is...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 11:19 AM ET | Comments (6)
Zorn's Maroon and Black Blowback
Mark Rothko's "Black on Maroon." As predicted here yesterday, there were 4 trillion news stories, blogs and columns this morning that seized upon Jim Zorn's "Maroon and Black" comment, to the point that two of the first four Google responses to that phrase now refer to the Redskins. Dan...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 10:12 AM ET | Comments (7)
Jim Zorn Makes QB's Puke, Skins Coyotes
I guess his hair is sorta interesting. (AP Photo) Four more fun Jim Zorn facts, culled from the archives. And I should note that in one of these stories, he attributes his weirdness to being left-handed. I wish I could find a list of previous left-handed NFL coaches, or...
By Dan Steinberg | February 11, 2008; 8:56 AM ET | Comments (3)
Jim Fassel Bites Back
I'd expect it'll get uglier than this at some point, but for now, here are a few of Fassel's pointed comments about Vinny Cerrato the Redskins, via CBSSports.com's Clark Judge "At the end of the day," said Fassel, "Dan wanted to make a big splash, and I think he...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 5:13 PM ET | Comments (37)
Jim Zorn Endorses Slip 'n Slides
At first I thought this entire Kenny Mayne video was fake, but actual news sources seem to indicate that Jim Zorn does indeed use both Slip 'n Slides and Dodge Ball drills at football practice. And also that he once invited Frank Tanana to a Lions practice to teach Charlie...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 5:02 PM ET | Comments (1)
Jim Zorn Plays Viola and Speedskates
Zorn, in a recent AP photo, not playing the viola. Since this is a WaPo story, I have no qualms about excerpting it in full. Easily the best read about Zorn I've encountered over the past 24 hours, and it's just 490 words long. The byline is Dave Brady,...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 4:43 PM ET | Comments (0)
Vintage Zorn
Dramatic rare footage of Jim Zorn from 1981, and it was too boring for me even to watch all the way through, but gosh darn it if you want to see your new coach in short shorts, this is the place. If, on the other hand, you want to see...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 4:27 PM ET | Comments (0)
Jim Zorn Presser Highlights
Zorn, in a Seattle Times file photo. My favorite parts of the Jim Zorn press conference: * "I've got to get our center to tweak his rear end up a bit." Really. Something about Jason Campbell being too tall, and having to squat down too low, and not being...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 4:02 PM ET | Comments (3)
Local Hoops: More Pith
Sorry, you're crazy if you don't love these unis. Just to give a little preview for tomorrow's poll, the state of Maryland shall rise again. Think about it. Maryland has won 10 out of 12 and become completely likeable (and does likeability just translate to wins and losses? I'm...
By Dan Steinberg | February 10, 2008; 11:07 AM ET | Comments (6)
