Vasher gone and Brown about to leave too

Nathan Vasher signed with the Chargers. Despite Robs claims that Vasher is still a Pro Bowl caliber player, the guy is not what he was and is out of Chicago and reunites with Rivera in San Diego. Maybe the change of scenery and the warm weather will help rejuvenate his career because he has been less than mediocre the last few years.

The Bears also will probably lose out on Alex Brown since they signed Peppers to the mega deal. Brown is a Chicago guy and is the same age as Peppers and had more tackles and only 4.5 sacks less than Peppers but I suppose the Bears felt that those 4.5 more sacks was worth $12M more per year.

Bradford to the Skins?

So there is a lot of posturing that goes on before the draft. Bradford apparently had a great workout in front of many teams including the Rams who have the overall top pick. St. Louis needs a QB and signs are pointing that he will go there.

However, there have been some rumors that the Rams may pursue Donovan McNabb although the rumors have apparently been untrue and the Raiders seem the front runner to get McNabb should he be traded.

All that said, if Bradford somehow slipped to the number 4 pick, I wouldn't mind the Redskins taking him. I would still prefer to go O line but if we were thinking about a QB, the only one I would really consider is Bradford. The Lions and Bucs have the #2 and #3 picks and they already have young QBs so they would not take Bradford. It seems either he would go to the Rams or else fall to #4.

I don't think QB is a need area for the Skins and again, would want O line as that is a dire need but I could be content with hearing Bradford's name. Frankly, should Bradford fall to #4, I wouldn't mind seeing us trade down for more picks and let someone who is in love with Bradford get him.

The absolute worst case scenario is Bradford goes to the Rams and we hear Jimmy Clausen's name at #4 or even worse Tim Tebow.

I suppose we will all find out in a few weeks.

Skins sign Phillip Buchanon

Interesting pickup. Got him on the cheap. He's a former first round pick and still in his 20s. Could provide competition for Double Move Rogers. At the very least, it provides some good depth for the Skins at CB.

UVA B-Ball LOSIN' IT!!!!

What started out as a very promising season and debut for Tony Bennett turned ugly as they lost 10 of their last 11 games.

Now Sylven Landesberg the Cavs leading scorer has decided to leave the team. He was suspended by Bennett for academic reasons and now he has decided to leave. Bad move. This has failure written all over it for Sylven. He will just end up being one of those guys that plays in the developmental league or some place in Europa.

For the Cavs, it marks the latest shakeup for the Cavaliers. Bennett announced Monday that freshman swingman Tristan Spurlock wouldn't return by mutual agreement. Earlier this season forward Jamil Tucker was dismissed for academic reasons and guard Calvin Baker left the team because of an ill family member.

Center Assane Sene was suspended for three games at the start of the season for conduct detrimental to the team.

Virginia lost 10 of its final 11 games and fell to Duke in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to finish 15-16 in Bennett's first season.

WAHOO! One HellUVA joke!

Skins sign Josh Bidwell to be punter

We have our missing piece.

I'm thinking SUPER BOWL, BABYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bracket BUSTED!!!

Tough weekend for me on the bracket. I only have 6 teams left in the Sweet 16. They include:

OSU
Syracuse
Butler
Kentucky
WVU
Purdue

I have already lost out on three teams in the Elite 8. They include:

Kansas
G'Town
Richmond

I have Kentucky and Syracuse playing in the final with Kentucky winning it all.

Frankly, as long as Duke doesn't win, I am happy.

NCAA Tourney - Day 1

So after yesterday, I am 11-5. The losses I took were:

G'town (lost to Ohio)
Vandy (lost to Murray St.)
Texas (lost to Wake)
Marquette (lost to Washington)
Richmond (lost to St. Mary's)

Some great last second heroics yesterday, particularly the Murray St. game. Love the tourney as you know buzzer beater upsets are going to happen every year.

Hopefully more good games today.

CAA rules!

Rule number one at the beginning of every NCAA tourney, ALWAYS pick the CAA team. We always win the opening round despite being the lower seed.

Today, ODU plucked off #6 seeded Notre Dame. The CAA is solid conference and is deserving of more than one team in the tourney.

Rexy is a Skin!

I have had my fair share of "comments" on Rexy; however, I actually like the move. The Skins were in need of a backup QB when they released Collins who was old and basically an Al Saunders guy. Rexy is young and capable (as KGB fully understands). He was broken in Chicago and was run out of town. He was in Houston last year and from all accounts was well liked and respected for his abilities. He understands Kyle Shanahan's offense and apparently even Houston wanted to retain him but had signed Orlovsky to a big deal and it didn't make sense to keep Rexy around. He fell in our laps (although KGB probably wishes he fell into his) for the cheap so I'm good with it.

Shanny said that he wanted to create competition at all positions so hopefully this pushes both Rexy and JC.

Here is my position on Rexy. No question the guy can play as he had games where he lit it up. But he also had games where he sucked (KGB knows that personally)! Rexy could go one week 20-25, 300+ yards passing, and 4 TDs to the next where it was 3 bad INTs, 4 fumbles, a few bad penalties, tripping over his own feet, showing that it is humanly possible to insert your head up your own arse. Hence the term Good Rexy, Bad Rexy was born. If he can be Good Rexy, I'm happy. If he is Bad Rexy, I am not. We'll see how it plays out but I think it is nice pickup and hopefully lessens the need to draft Clausen with pick #4 and instead go O line.

I'm sure KGB is sad to see Rexy go but maybe Demarcus Ware will find him equally appealing.

Tiger's Back

He will play in the Masters next month. No question it will be a loo loo.

The tournament is always a draw but with Tiger coming back will be interesting see what the larger story will be, the actual tournament or Tiger returning. Since golf is essentially Tiger, my guess is it will all be about Tiger. Will be interesting to see how the other competitors react to his return and all the questions they will be faced. Will also be interesting to see how well Tiger does in the tourney. As Max Mercy says, "Win or lose, he'll make one hell of a story."

Ovie suspended...AGAIN

Looked like an "iffy" call to me. I think it had more to do with Ovie's reputation than the actual hit. Looked like he got Campbell on the side and partial back and didn't hit him hard. Still, damage was done to Campbell (broken clavicle and some ribs) and he will be out for the rest of the regular season and some of the postseason. I don't like to see anyone hurt but didn't look like a vicious/illegal hit to me. Then again, I am an Ovie fan and don't understand all the rules of hockey so I may be completely wrong.

Aside from the hit, UNBELIEVABLE game against the Hawks. Caps down 3-0 in the third but manage to pull out a 4-3 win in OT. What I love about this Caps team is that they have this ability to just turn it on and when they do, they completely dominate. You could just see the pressure mount on Chicago in that third and you knew that we weren't out of it -- especially after our first goal and going into a 5-3. I was thinking we have to score on the 5-3 and we scored with about a second left in that advantage. At that point, you could see the Hawks were on their heels and the Caps were feeling it and the crowd was quieting down. After we tied it, the stadium was silent. The OT goal was a great end to end play by Backstrom.

Caps are just a really fun and exciting team to watch and hopefully they will make a good run to the Cup this year.

Skins sign LJ

Nice pickup. The Skins got rid of Betts so they needed a backup RB. LJ still has a little mileage left in him and we got him for cheap. Hopefully he is motivated by being on a new team and having to shed some of the damage he has done to his image.

I know there are some concerns about him causing problems in the locker room but his talent and for the price, I'm fine with it. If he acts up, cut him. He is not the player he was so we don't need to keep him.

What is wrong with Big Ben?

I think the picture and his shirt explain some of what is wrong with the guy. He's a good QB but seems to exercise some pretty poor judgement off the field. I'm all for him living it up. He's not the best looking guy in the world and wouldn't get nearly the attention he does from the ladies if he wasn't the Steelers QB.

Still, for the second time in a year, he is being accused of sexual abuse. I understand the latest accusations are coming from a 20 year old college girl so who knows what the truth is at this point. She may very well be opportunistic but then again, for Ben you have to be smarter about the choices you make and you would have thought he would have learned something from the first time there were accusations made against him.

COREY HAIM DEAD AT 38!!!

Why am I not surprised to hear this news.

Redskins moves

I like that we have been careful at the beginning of FA. It's a nice change of pace and it also gives a good indication that Danny boy is taking a back seat and allowing Shanny and Allen to drive. That is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

The signing of Hicks was a nice pick up. I will say that I am a little disappointed that we couldn't get Clifton and/or Pashos. I can only assume this means we will take Okung or another top lineman with our #4 pick in the draft.

I know we resigned Rabach (which I like) and Mike Williams (don't really care) but we could certainly use another quality O lineman in FA and then draft one. O line needs to be completely rebuilt.

I have agreed and enjoyed every move the Redskins have made since they fired Zorny so hopefully we continue to be smart.

In a side note, I was watching a 1985 Bear/Packer game on the NFL network last night and didn't realize Zorny played on GB. He was pathetic in the game. It was interesting because despite his VERY poor play, he had that same look to him that he did as a coach where it was like "I believe in my abilities and nothing else matters." I commend him for the attitude but at some point you just might not be good enough.

Skins tender JC

So the Skins gave a first round tender to JC and other FAs that include Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh.

JC took it in stride but apparently Rogers and McIntosh are not happy with it. I imagine it kind of sucks for them that their contracts just so happened to end this year. Still, it is what it is and you have to play by the rules.

In other news, the Skins are expected to be players in FA and are expected to make some cuts of notable Redskins that could possibly include:

Corny Griffin
Andre Carter
Smooooooooooot
Randle El
Randy Thomas
Rock Cartright

The only guy out of the group above that I would care to keep is Rock. He is a solid vet and good locker room guy. The others are either old, injury plagued, don't fit the system, or all of the above.

With FA set to begin tomorrow, will be interesting what takes place in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Jurcina is BACK!!

Oh sweet Milan how we've missed you! Actually it's good to get the big defenseman back. He is a solid guy back there and he knows the team so it's a great pickup. How happy must he be to come back from the Blue Jackets to the Caps a team he is familiar with AND is in first place.

On top of that, the Caps picked up defensman Joe Corvo from the Hurricanes.

Good job, McPhee for addressing defensive concerns as we make a run for the Cup.

Caps start back up tonight

Hopefully Ovie can put the Olympic debacle behind him and refocus on the NHL and the run for the Cup starting tonight. Caps go up against the Sabres and U.S. team goalie and Olympic hockey best player Ryan Miller. Looking forward to seeing the Caps after the extended break.

Caps picked up 36 year old F Scott Walker from the Hurricanes for a 7th round pick. Don't know the guy and not sure why he was brought in. He doesn't have great offensive numbers and he doesn't seem like a big guy so he doesn't seem like a goal scorer or enforcer type. Also, I think he is coming off of injury. The only thing I can think of is that he provides this young team some veteran presence. Even that though is a question because I don't think he has tons of playoff experience. Whatever, McPhee has done a tremendous job building this team so who am I to question his decisions?

Another issue over the next few weeks as we near the playoffs will be identifying the #1 goalie. Every contender is set with their #1. Whether it is Brodeur or Lundqvist or Miller or Andre-Fleury. We need to settle on that. I think they want Varly but need to make sure he is healthy. Hopefully he proves himself and earns that spot in the coming weeks. Playoffs are around the corner.

LET'S GO CAPS!!!!

Duke vs MD tonight

This rivalry has lost a little of its luster the last couple of years but it's still a good game. Duke thrashed MD earlier in the season down in Durham. It is senior night tonight and I'm sure MD will want to avenge the pathetic performance in their first game and do so in front of their home crowd. I always enjoy when these teams get together -- and when MD wins.

I still remember years ago when Duke was playing MD at MD and there was only like 20-40 seconds left in the game and MD was up by double digits. It was on a Saturday and I was planning on going out and I didn't feel like sitting through all the timeouts as it seemed like the game was put away at that point so I left. I came back late and decided to catch a little Sportscenter before I went to bed and saw on the ticker that Duke won. I did not know how this was even possible so I thought it was a mistake. I ended up staying awake to catch the highlights and saw how Jay Williams hit 3 after 3 after 3 and stole the game. It was a terrible way to go to sleep.

Hopefully MD can pull off the upset tonight. GO TERPS!!!

Skins interested in Peppers

So with an uncapped year coming up and FA to start in a couple of days, it will be interesting who lands where. There is discussion of the Skins being interested in Julius Peppers. Peppers is still a premier DE and has indicated his desire to go to a team that employs the 3-4 defense. The Skins are moving in that direction and Danny Boy certainly has deep pockets. Will be interesting to see if we pull the trigger on him.

Samuels to retire

Announcement to come Thursday. Too bad to see him go but it's time. He was getting a little long in the tooth and his spinal condition is just too big of a risk to continue playing. It's tough though to not really choose when you retire and to go out because of injury.

He was a stalwart at LT and a consummate professional. Will be interesting to see how the Skins address his position. Wonder if we will sign Levi or pick up someone in the draft.

HAIL SKINS!

Minor miracle

So my 6 year old is in kindergarten now and has been out of the daycare he used to be in for 6 months. It's been a little tough for him to adjust because he was in that daycare since he was less than one year old and grew up with the kids there.

He made some really good connections with a couple of the other kids particularly and it was sad to see them go their separate ways when they started kindergarten. My wife and I had been trying for the last month or so to get in touch with a couple of those kids and plan a play date with them. We were able to track down one of the kids but couldn't get in touch with the other one. Yesterday, we ended up meeting the one kid we got in touch with at Chuck E. Cheese and the two of them were very happy to see each other.

As they ran off to play, I stayed in the booth with one of my other kids. As I am sitting there, the kid who we had great difficulty even finding contact information on and had difficulty getting in touch with walks by my booth. It was crazy. We hadn't seen/heard from this kid in 6 months and we both ended up to just happen to be at Chuck E. Cheese the same day and time. Anyways, that kid saw my son and it was a pretty happy reunion. It actually was pretty neat to see them together and their reactions. My son ended up having a great time and was talking about seeing his friend the rest of the day. We were able to get that kid's contact information and hopefully we can set something up with him again.

Canada wins the Gold

HORRIBLE!! Exciting game. I actually was only able to watch the last part of the third period and then the OT. I suppose that was the best parts of the game. Unbelievable with the U.S. down 2-1 and pulling the goalie and scoring the tying goal with like 20 seconds remaining. The U.S. mounted a good attack there at the end of the third period.

Still, even during the intermission between end of regulation and the start of OT, I had a feeling Canada would win and Crosby of all people would be the one to end it. Sure enough, my premonitions came true. Honestly, Canada thoroughly outplayed the U.S. team in OT. We just didn't look like we could keep up with them. When it is 4 on 4, you can really see who the better skilled players are and who is the better team. We just looked overmatched. But WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE CROSBY?!!!! That guy has had an unbelievable career to date. Winning the Stanley Cup and now scoring the game winner in OT to win the Gold medal in Canada avenging their tough loss to the U.S. You couldn't write a better ending if you are a Crosby fan.

Meanwhile, I'm sure Ovie was at home and punched a hole in the wall. The comparisons of those two will always be there and even though Ovie may be the better player, Crosby has the championships, medals, etc. Hopefully Ovie can change that this year.