Posted
on December 28, 2009, 10:34 pm,
by JC,
under Uncategorized.
It’s been fun – the friends and associates made through blogging Baltimore-Washington sports have been incredible to say the least. But Diamond City is the true mecca of sports blogging – and I find that more and more, I am not the best disciple to deliver its timeless story of struggle and hope.
It would be unfair to name each and every blog that I have grown to love over the last two years, because the frailty of my mind would not allow for the most exhaustive list possible. But if you track the history of the more than 1700 posts I’ve written, you’ll recognize the regular cast of characters I follow and in whose mold I have tried to model my semi-career as a blogger.
And to do that project justice, it requires much more of my time than I’ve been affording it.
So that’s about it. For your readership, your comments, your advice, your links, your mentions and your support, I thank you sincerely. I won’t kill the domain or the site, so feel free to peruse my two-year long diary of Baltimore-Washington sports fandom anytime.
As for my Baltimore-Washington sports fix, hopefully you’ll find me as a guest or contributing blogger on some of my favorite sites. That’s of course, if they’ll have me. And if you’d like to keep up with the blog that I pray will become a legitimate news source and lifelong career path, visit www.hbcusportsblog.com. Often.
Posted
on December 28, 2009, 3:31 pm,
by JC,
under NFL.
Troy Smith wants to be traded from Baltimore. Not the least bit surprising for a former Heisman Trophy winner who has held his own in relief duty from the Ravens.
Posted
on December 28, 2009, 1:00 pm,
by JC,
under NFL.
Part of the reason that Daniel Snyder continues to bring in coach after coach, free agent after free agent, and losing season after losing season is because its profitable for him. For as much as thousands of fans lament the sad state of the franchise, and its inability to find continuity beyond its annual coronation as offseason Super Bowl champs, there are hundreds of thousands more too willing to pledge their undying love to the franchise.
And once again, Snyder has made the calculated mistake of playing to what he perceives are the emotional ties of his flock of fans. He has hired Bruce Allen as GM, son of the beloved former Redskins coach George Allen, who made it cool for Jim Zorn to strike up the ‘Hip-Hip-Hooray’ chant before it all fell down.
But there’s one sure thing that Daniel Snyder could do to make this team immediately better, and reintroduce it s community value beyond concession and parking fees. A man whom Snyder trusts inherently, and while he has turned down the offer to be a team builder, would not reject the prospect of being a team owner.
Synder should sell a minority stake in the Redskins to Joe Gibbs.
Posted
on December 28, 2009, 12:00 pm,
by JC,
under NCAA.
The good news for the Maryland Terrapins is that they defeated Florida Atlantic going away to raise their record to 8-3 and distance themselves against winter mid-major meltdowns of the past.
Fortunately for those rocking the Terrapin red, there’s more good news than bad for this year’s edition of Maryland men’s basketball. They’ve looked sporadic, but not lost. They’ve looked out of sorts with their guard-heavy rotation at times, but never out of control. Even against higher competition in Cincinnati, Wisconsin and Villanova, the Terps have yet to be outclassed by a comparable D-I opponent.
And that, in comparison to the last few seasons, is great news.
For all the things Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts did well in their CBS telecast of Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, I can’t get past Enberg repeatedly referring to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as “Big Ben.” I stopped counting after the tenth time he said “Big Ben” instead of Roethlisberger in the first half, and I would have turned the sound off right then, If I didn’t have to review the telecast.
Posted
on December 28, 2009, 10:00 am,
by JC,
under NBA.
Just don’t. They get a big win, they follow it up with one of the worst losses you could ever imagine watching. They have enough characters in which you could emotionally invest, but short of a 12-game winning streak, there are few redeemable qualities in this team that could hold your attention, let alone your rooting interest.
So for this year at least, pretend its 1989 and Bernard King will soon be coming back from a knee injury. It won’t be a playoff berth, but it’s something more worth the brain power than trying to figure out why this team is so bad, and why its leadership is so unwilling to blow it up.
Posted
on December 28, 2009, 9:00 am,
by JC,
under NFL.
What exactly has the Baltimore Ravens infatuated with penalties? Is it that they absolutely have to protect the brand of defense they’ve built over the year? Are they not able to be fast and furious without a late hit out of bounds?
Are they so unsure of their blocking technique that they have to hold or block in the back at the most inopportune times?
Posted
on December 27, 2009, 3:12 pm,
by JC,
under NFL.
Maybe Albert Haynesworth hates Greg Blache, and maybe he’s exactly right to require a better system by which the Redskins can wreak havoc. And yes; maybe $100 million dollars should buy him a little more input on how to improve a system that is pretty darn good.
But even if the Redskins’ defensive scheme was the worst in the league, is it a stretch to ask one of the best defensive players in the league toiling in it to suck it up and roll with the punches?
I mean, what does he have to lose? Pride? Nothing he couldn’t rebuild with a couple of Five Guys franchises to his name. Stats? His is a career not built on numbers, but physically impressive play that game film hugs like his Christmas sweater from 2001.
Is it his right as an American to do so? Absolutely. But anyone whose lived the life of Gilbert Arenas – particularly the last three years – should be self-aware about what they might be prone to do with firearms at their disposal.
Again, it’s not a discussion about rights as it is who is a right fit for a gun. No one wants those who don’t value their intended purpose to have them, but for Bible-thumpers and thugs alike, the law trumps the common sense of the common man when it comes to weaponry for the citizenry.
And then you have Gilbert Arenas; a man whom basketball angels have blessed, and the world’s demons have tortured. His recent struggles – private and professional – seemed to have found a safe harbor to dock, and his play has shown the effects of a beaten-back emotional tide.
Troy Smith wants to be traded from Baltimore. Not the least bit surprising for a former Heisman Trophy winner who has held his own in relief duty from the Ravens.
Part of the reason that Daniel Snyder continues to bring in coach after coach, free agent after free agent, and losing season after losing season is because its profitable for him. For as much as thousands of fans lament the sad state of the franchise, and its inability to find continuity beyond its annual coronation as offseason Super Bowl champs, there are hundreds of thousands more too willing to pledge their undying love to the franchise.
The good news for the Maryland Terrapins is that 
It’s one thing for network commentators to openly display man crushes for Ben Roethlisberger. It’s another when 
Just don’t. They get a big win, they follow it up with 
What exactly has the Baltimore Ravens infatuated with penalties? Is it that they absolutely have to protect the brand of defense they’ve built over the year? Are they not able to be fast and furious without a late hit out of bounds?
Maybe 
