I was listening to the radio last night while coming back from campus, and I heard that Rip Hamilton was about to be coming on Jim Rome’s show. I haven’t listened to Rome in forever, and in all honesty I didn’t know that he was on the local DC-based WJFK affiliate. Nor did I realize that his show was on so late, as it was some time after 9p.m. last night.

Anyways, so I flip back over to Rome after the commercial to hear Hamiltion, and as Rome introduces the Detroit Pistons sharp-shooter, you could tell that Rip had a bad connection. He responded to Rome’s having asked him what’s up with a, “Nu—, I’m —.” The — in this example means undecipherable static. Read the rest »

The two remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination for the 2008 Presidential race have spoken a lot lately about beefy unemployment rates in this Country. David Carr, who was released on Wednesday by the Carolina Panthers, is the latest addition to the nation’s unemployment rate.

Carr is now six-years removed from being the number-one-overall-draft-choice by the Houston Texans. (It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but you know what they say. Time fly’s when you’re struggling as a quarterback). He’s now out of a job, after just one season in Carolina, and just a year after signing a two-year contract worth $6-million. Read the rest »

After two unproductive seasons in burgundy-and-gold, the Washington Redskins released Brandon Lloyd yesterday. It’s been two winters since the Skins traded for Lloyd, a five-year pro who is still considered to have major upside. But he never produced in Washington, which I blame more on the stuborness of his bosses than I do anything Lloyd did (or didn’t) do.   

But even with that said, I can hear the jokes being made now. He caught 24-passes in two-years they’ll say. He made $400,000 a catch they’ll suggest. He was a bust they’ll declare. And they will be wrong. They, in this case, is the vast majority of the Washington, D.C. based media. Read the rest »

Ryan Howard won his arbitration hearing — Good for him. He should have. He’s a beast. There are only two or three other hitters in baseball as feared as he is, and I’m not sure that there is another power-hitter as feared as Howard is. It was determined on Thursday that the Phillies will pay him $10 million this season, which ties Alfonso Soriano’s previous record for money recevied through the third-party system. Last year, Howard belted 47-homers and drove in 136 RBI. I’d anticipate those numbers to both rise slightly this year. Read the rest »

The Baltimore Orioles have finally begun to rebuild. Having not made the playoffs since 1997, the decision to get younger and to build from the bottom-up is way past due. But it’s better late than never.

Trading Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard - the most respected hitter and pitcher on the Orioles’ roster from a year ago respectively - this winter brought ten new players to Baltimore. Eight of those players are minor-leaguers, evidence that the team has finally gone all-out in rebuilding effort. Read the rest »

Brandon Phillips signed a four-year extension with the Reds on Friday that will pay him a little over $27 million. A year ago, while playing for a salary that netted him less than a half-million dollars, Phillips put himself on the map as one of the National League’s top second-baseman.

The 26-year-old’s memorable 2007-campaign was accentuated when he became the second two-bagger to ever join the illustrious 30-30 club. Phillips’ 30-homers and 32-steals surpassed even his expectations. Don’t believe me? He said on XM Radio this week that he was aiming to go 20-20 this season. The North Carolina native also thanked his teammated and friend Ken Griffey Jr. for motivating him to set his goals higher. Read the rest »

Jim Zorn’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins last week was both enlightening and entertaining. It seemed like Zorn, a 53-year-old former assistant in Seattle, was as surprised that he was offered Washington’s head-coaching gig as the team’s fan base.

It’s normal to dissect a new head-coach’s opening press conference. After all, they say that the first impression is the most lasting. (I’ve always wondered who “they” are though, haven’t you?) And per that norm, Zorn’s opening remarks to the media in Ashburn a week ago have been analyzed word-for-word. Read the rest »