i-rant

1. Josh Wilson – CB for Seattle
2. Shawne Merriman – LB San Diego
3. Shaun Hill – QB San Francisco
4. E.J. Henderson – LB Minnesota
5. Vernon Davis – TE San Francisco
6. Domonique Foxworth – CB Denver (kids met him)
7. Adam Podlesh – P Jacksonville
8. Jeff Dugan – TE Minnesota
9. Matt Murphy – TE for Buffalo
10. Melvin Fowler – C for Buffalo
11. Al Wallace – DE for Buffalo
12. Lewis Sanders – CB for Atlanta
13. Jared Gaither – OD for Baltimore
14. Kris Jenkins – DL Carolina
15. Madieu Williams – S Cincinnati
16. D’Qwell Jackson – LB Cleveland
17. Curome Cox – S Houston
18. Chad Scott – CB New England
19. Eric Hicks – DE New York Jets
20. Eric Barton – LB New York Jets
21. LaMont Jordan – RB Oakland
22. Jon Condo – DE Oakland
23. Randy Starks – DT Tennessee
24. Stephon Heyer – OL Washington
25. Shaun Hill is with SF
26. Conrad Bolston – Minn
27. Leon Joe – Buff
28. William Kershaw – KC

The entire list is here:  http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/041400aaa.html

I love this sport and I love to watch John Smoltz play. Pitching 6 shutout innings and then at bat he hits a double. “if you can keep your head when all those about you are ….” The Braves are in a deep sand trap at this half way point but with leaders like him why not come back. Here’s to catching the amazing Mets. The Atlanta Braves are up 11 to nothing at this moment and Smoltz is still going in the 7th with two up and two down. Make that three. 11 in a row out. Still a long way to go but today the Mets and Phillies lost.

Update – Sunday morning:

“I’ve seen enough of Smoltz,” Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. “It is remarkable how well he is throwing the ball. Great command. I don’t know if there is a better athlete on the field.”

I have to tell you – if they weren’t 12 games back, it would be so easy to be optimistic after that game last night. Either way – I love watching guys like Smoltz play, not just pitch. As I turn into an “old guy” watching a 19 year veteran pitch and play the game is what brings you back. Andrew and Chpper helped the cause and the young boys did their part too. That was the team I figured had a chance this year. Damn Mets.

Jeff,

You are really sounding like one crotchety old man. I’m no spring chicken, 41 this year, but I can at least remember what it was like to have a heart.  No I was never an athlete at the level of these kids, perhaps you were, but I was an athlete in high school and I know what it takes to excel and what it is like when you don’t.  From your first article on Michele Kwan to the blabbering about people falling on ice and how you think this is a medocre olympics.   To today’s again negative tyrade about Miller. I just stop reading now after the first paragraph and move on.  You are clueless!  The first day you ripped Michele Kwan – do you research your subjects? Do you even listen to the announcers.  They say she is probably the best figure scater, ever.  She has won more titles then anyone.  She is an athlete and has an ego and if she felt there was a chance for her to get a gold after so many years she should try. Come on, be realistic – she wasn’t hurting anyone, really. Hughes is young and terrific and just glad to be there – she will shine in the next four years.  And what Kwan did to step down was not egotistical, it was good and right.  I’m not an eternal optimist lost in a panacea of happy thoughts – I was sad when Cohen fell and amazed that she won – but again I have to listen to you blubber about mediocrity when her scores were clearly higher in all but one of the categories – she dances with the grace of a ballerina not today’s obsession with more more more and perfection. Think about what she did do – so many people would give up after her start and fall – she only got better in the “long” program – it was truly amazing and maybe a turning point.  I don’t watch these things year to year – only in the olympics.  I have two daughters, though and they thought she and the other skaters were amazing – in the short and the long.  I saw it in their eyes.

Finally, I don’t know if you noticed Ohno’s race yesterday but wouldn’t it be nice to write about his triumph over the rigors and challenges of that sport. Oh, and Hedrick’s rookie year – and his amazing wins of three medals.  Ego and infighting aside, that’s all media hype – he had a great olympics and next time it will be even better.  How about this – look for good, when you look for good everyone gets a little happier.  Look for bad, you score some points with the synics but in the end everyone feels a little sadder.  Maybe not every article but some try and look for good – opinions are like.. well you know the rest.  We pay you for yours, how about mixing it up a bit.

I am very much a speed scater, snow boarder fan but I do have two daughters and they love the girls on ice. I must say – Sasha Cohen, Emily Hughes and her sister Sarah Hughes? The couples on ice – Ice dancer Melissa Gregory, Jamie Silverstein.

I thought we were a desert dwelling folk?! Well my POV – the sport is that of dedicated, driven kids who tend to overachieve. And the generations these days can probably afford to support these endevours.

Sasha Cohen is unbelievable – her mother’s Ballet past shows in her grace and flexiblity and she is strong – and so damn cute. I hope she wins today.

…Merriman had perhaps his best game as a pro, finishing with seven tackles. He was credited with two sacks as got Manning by himself once and shared a pair with Igor Olshansky. “Shawne plays with tremendous power,” Schottenheimer said. “You saw that today. He really came through for us.”

OK, do my friends from Baltimore still hate the Colts for leaving? Shawne made UMD proud today. He is going to be amazing.

Then I had to watch the Southern “birds” get wracked in 14 degrees by my childhood team – da Bears. Urlacher is a classic Bears linebacker – he was everywhere! What a great player. And I love watching Michael Vick – today there was nothing to watch. Still, I hope the Falcons make it to the playoffs.

It was a great week for University of Maryland sports. This Terrapin is a proud Alum

MARYLAND
Maryland Tops BC to Open ACC –
Ekene Ibekwe scores 21 points, Chris McCray has 16, and No. 19 Maryland ruins Boston College’s Atlantic Coast Conference debut with a 73-71 victory.
(By Eric Prisbell, The Washington Post)

No. 9 Terps, Coleman Rout Arizona –
Woman’s Basketball: Maryland 92, Arizona 67
(The Washington Post)

Terrapins Finally Play the Title Role –
They Nab 1st Soccer Crown Since 1968 : Maryland 1, New Mexico 0
(The Washington Post)

The Terps played a decent football game Saturday against Clemson. I was particularly impressed with Sam Hollenbach, the QB. He has grown tremendously since last year showing poise and smarts in his play. He ran out of steem in the end, or perhaps his line support did but I think this is going to be an ok year and a terrific start toward the next few years. Vernon Davis a “physically-gifted” junior as the site says, really impressed me. At one point he had a pile of Clemson linebackers on his back and he just kept going! He is strong and smart and I’m excited (as you can tell) to watch him play this year. We need to continue to execute passing but that won’t help if we don’t fix the defensive line and our running game.
Clemson ran on us at will, holes were opened for Merriweather to simply drive down field. That was my observation –

I hope Ralph can fix it for next week.

Go Terps!

What do you think? National League MVP and Rookie of the Year?

Pretty good game last night, cheers to Andrew for matching Hank’s record. Especially since they could have stayed in a funk from the game Friday. But I now realize why I like the Braves so much more this year then last 8 since I moved here. Pitching has always been fantastic and Sosa is a good example of that but I love these rookies. Brian McCann, Ryan Langerhans and did anyone go to the game last night and see the Frank’s rooting for Francoeur? Those guys would be Phi Sigs at UMD – they drove all night to hang out in left field and root him on (Francoeur said he might fly them to Philly!). Francoeur is an all american and has sold more jersey’s here in Atlanta then anyone else on the team this year.