The Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

Six Degrees of Fatpickled is a weekly rundown of 6 items that I have enjoyed. Make sure you check them out.



After 10 years of steady service, the Skins release Jon Jansen. (Redskins Blog)

I gave these guys a shout out a couple weeks ago, here's another. The more time I spend at JoeSportsFan.com, the more I think it may be the greatest site on the Internet. Check out the fake MySpace pages. (JoeSportsFan)



I cannot recall the last time I watched a women's tennis match? It would appear that there's a couple of things I've been missing. And to Simona, don't do it. (Deadspin) ps G-O-O-G-L-E

These guys might be the only folks more excited about Matt Wieters than I am. (MattWietersFacts)

Michael Silver from Yahoo Sports wrote this article, which spurred this one from me.

Cheers and Hail

O Say Can You See The Future

Wipe your eyes, the future is bright!

picture via The Baltimore Sun

In case you haven't been paying attention, the Orioles future is officially here. And the Orioles future is a lot better than recent past. I'm not just optimistic because I'm a fan, the talent that is upon us is the real deal!

Friday marks the debut of the #1 prospect in all of baseball, Matt Wieters. He has played like a man among boys in the minors for a little over a year, and as Macphail said "it's time." He's a switch hitting 6'5" 230lb BAD-ASS!

Pictured above is rookie Nolan Reimold. His walk-off 3 run homer today was his 4th HR in his short 2 week career. He seems to be a keeper. Center Fielder Adam Jones appears to be the next Eric Davis (healthy in his prime, Eric Davis.) Jones has a .354-11-34 line so far this season. Oh yeah, he's playing like a gold glover defensively. You know Markakis is a stud, I'll just remind you he is only 25 years old!

So far this season the Orioles have saw 3 rookie pitchers win their major league debuts, they'll go for #4 tomorrow when David Hernandez takes the hill. Hernandez was 3-1 with 2.91 ERA in the minors this season, along with 60 strikeouts in only 43 innings. He struck out 14 in his last start at Norfolk. In the next 4 games against Detroit the Orioles will stroll out 3 rookies with only 9 games experience under their belts...and I couldn't be happier. No Eaton, no Hendrickson.

But, the future talent doesn't stop there, the O's minor league system is loaded. Chris Tillman (5-0 2.13 ERA) and Troy Patton (5-1 1.62 ERA) will be in Baltimore before the end of the year. Last years 1st rounder, pitcher Brian Matusz, and 2005 1st rounder, 1B Brandon Snyder will be up next season. Pitcher Jake Arrieta will also be making his prescience felt soon.

It's a great time to be an Oriole fan. Although there are still some growing pains ahead of us, it's obvious that the next 10 years will be better than the last.

Amen to that.

Cheers and Hail

LazyJC: An Idiot's Retort

Recently some donk came on FatPickled and enlightened us about how much better the NBA is then NCAA basketball. Certainly, we're all better for it, because, as we know, in this day and age, no one could be interested in good, old fashioned amateur sports. We must have the watered down, boring-beyond-belief professional version of what used to be a great game. I could go on a lengthy diatribe on how wrong the preceding post is, but to keep things relatively short, and relatively fair, I'll just respond to each point made:

They play 3x as many games - I get sick of hearing people saying that college kids try harder. If your wife asks you to lay the wood once a day you'd go all out. Let her ask you to lay it 3x a day and see if you're pulling out all the usual tricks each time.
- Right, the college kids that are diving for every loose ball, battling for every rebound, taking charges left and right aren't playing harder then the pros who walk up and down the court most of the game. True, the pro game is longer, and the season is, too (who's fault is that? they get paid to play that many games), but the reasoning for the style of play is simple. The NBA fills seats by giving the thrill seeking audiences they're trying to attract dunks and 3-pointers. No reason to waste energy on defense, when no one forking up hundreds of dollars for good seats wants to see it, anyway.

There are way too many white guys in college basketball...at times it almost seems unrealistic to me
-Not sure how to respond to this, does anyone think these white kids are taking roster spots from minority kids? Maybe they can play a bit, too. Regardless of their leaping ability.


College basketball never had LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, or Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady...should I keep going?
-Yes, college basketball also never had Martell Webster, Gerald Green, Shaun Livingston, Robert Swift, or Dorell Wright. Who are they? A few other first rounders out of high school. They've etched out a few years of getting paid, but none have developed into even a solid contributor. There's a few more who have stuck around for a while, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, come to mind. Again, no stars, just lost potential. You think a year or two of college may have helped their game (and career)? Now, perhaps they didn't have the grades for college, but that's why there's the University of Texas, and Ohio State. Hell, Kobe's recently spoken about how he regrets not playing in college.

High school players try pretty hard and want to win...does that mean I should compare them with NBA players?
-???

Sit courtside at a college game and then at a NBA game...the speed of the game is like comparing apples to oranges or better yet...women to men
-No, what you notice is the difference in strength, and the explosiveness that almost every player possesses. It's like comparing men to, young men. It's called maturation, and it steps up at each level. There's no comparison in the athleticism and skill of the average NBA'er to the average college player. Still, when you walk the ball up the court every possession, how much added excitement does it generate? Half of the "highlight" plays that occur in the pro game is a result of an elite offensive player being guarded by an awful defensive player, and the rules of the game forbidding the defender from getting help. They're trying to sell posters, too, you know.

It's a possibility your girlfriend would bang Tyler Hansbrough...it's a certainty your girlfriend would bang Dwayne Wade
- Most likely your girlfriend in college would have banged the Big Man on Campus, just for the notoriety. It's a lock your girlfriend/wife would bang Dwayne Wade, he's worth $100 million. So what? They'd bang Donald Trump, for the same reason.

There are 347 Division I teams consisting of about 4,200 college basketball players. Only sixty players are drafted into the NBA each year. That means only 1.4% of these kids are even good enough to ever step foot on an NBA floor
-Go through any NBA roster, and you'll find an undrafted player. The NBA draft is as much of a crapshoot as any other professional league. Again, skill alone doesn't guarantee quality of play.

I'm guessing you still want amateur players to represent USA in the Olympics?
-My personal favorite. When the world got sick of losing to our amateurs, they developed basketball programs that copied the likes of Russell, Chamberlain, Irving, Alcinder, Bird, Johnson and Jordan. In other words, players who were excellent basketball players, not just physical freaks who could dunk. Once our younger generation of players became more concerned with garnering shoe contracts, then perfecting their games, we had to send pros to win international competitions. And in case you didn't notice in Athens, our second tier pros can't win. That's how bad the quality of basketball has fallen in the U.S. That's why USA Basketball hired a college coach to win back the gold.

Name one NBA player that is so skinny he has to wear a t-shirt under his jersey
-Its called league uniform policy violation. Although, with all the obscene tats we see, they may want to re-think it.

Name one NBA player with pimples
-The ones who leave after one year of college (not Greg Odom, though. I'm convinced he's really 35).

ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM...like Shaq says, Lebron should be a cheat code
-Agreed. So why is the league so boring?

One question for basketball fans (and idiots) out there; you can attend one more sporting event in your life. You can choose between half-court floor seats at Game 7 of the NBA Finals, or seats behind either bench at Duke-UNC at Cameron Indoor. What would it be?
The Association has the better athletes, and players, of course. But does it have the atmosphere? Does it have the passion? There's a reason Dick Vitale covers the college game, while Dr. Jack Ramsay speaks for the pros. It's just a difference in attitude, and I'll take the Madness over the organized dunk contest that the NBA has become. Decide for yourself. Just don't listen to your bartender :)

E4three32: NBA Vs. NCAA Basketball? Everything and More

Recently some donk came in where I bartend and started talking about how much better NCAA basketball is than the NBA. All the while I stood there politely nodding my head and holding back my thoughts on the topic, hoping that by pretending to be interested in what this guy was saying I might be able to get a pretty good tip. But the fact of the matter is...this guy is an idiot, and if you feel the same way this guy does, guess what...you're an idiot too! Now it wouldn't be fair to just call you an idiot and that be the end of it, rather I'm going to list the numerous reasons why the NBA is flatout just better than college basketball...

• They play 3x as many games - I get sick of hearing people saying that college kids try harder. If your wife asks you to lay the wood once a day you'd go all out. Let her ask you to lay it 3x a day and see if you're pulling out all the usual tricks each time



• There are way too many white guys in college basketball...at times it almost seems unrealistic to me











• College basketball never had LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, or Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady...should I keep going?



• High school players try pretty hard and want to win...does that mean I should compare them with NBA players?



• Sit courtside at a college game and then at a NBA game...the speed of the game is like comparing apples to oranges or better yet...women to men








• It's a possibility your girlfriend would bang Tyler Hansbrough...it's a certainty your gilfriend would bang Dwayne Wade




• There are 347 Division I teams consisting of about 4,200 college basketball players. Only sixty players are drafted into the NBA each year. That means only 1.4% of these kids are even good enough to ever step foot on an NBA floor



• I'm guessing you still want amatuer players to represent USA in the olympics?



• Name one NBA player that is so skinny he has to wear a t-shirt under his jersey



• Name one NBA player with pimples



• ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICSIM...like Shaq says, Lebron should be a cheat code

Damn...that tip wasn't worth it.

Until Next time,

E4three32

"I'm Good Twice A Year For That"

I've watched this video about a half dozen times today, and I've laughed harder with each viewing. A couple of things I've taken away from the video.

#1 George Brett tells a good story.

#2 number 2, number 2 at the Bellagio.

#3 George should never attempt this.

Hat tip to the Burly Sports Show for tweeting this on Twitter, and to Deadspin for posting another funny Brett clip.

Cheers and Hail

Your Caddyshack Cast Is Revealed

(special thanks to Oliver Morris for the great photoshop work)

The votes were tallied and the results are in. We have successfully cast the remake of Caddyshack (now lets hope they never remake it!). A few surprises if you ask me, my picks are in quotation marks. This also allows me the chance to post more pictures of Cuthbert and Fox, enjoy.

Ty Webb - The biggest surprise in my opinion, Paul Rudd edged out Will Ferrell by 1%. I never knew there were so many Rudd fans out there. (Ferrell)

Judge Smails - The majority agreed that Christopher Walken was a natural fit. (Walker)

Al Czervick - Vince Vaughn won by the largest margin. (Vaughn)

Carl Spackler - John C Reilly is your winner, how can we have him but no Ferrell? (Jim Carey)

Danny Noonan - Michael Cera by 1% over Justin Timberlake, are you kidding me? (Timberlake)

Maggie O'Hooligan - Megan Fox needs to work on her Irish accent. (Kunis)

Lacey Underall - I'm not going to complain about Elisha Cuthbert winning, but I think I omitted a natural Lacey...Kate Hudson. (Cuthbert)

Dr. Beeper - Jason Bateman wins the popular vote. (Richard Jenkins, looks just like him)

Lou Loomis - Jon Favreau, probably my 4th choice. (Danny Mcbride...does nobody watch East Bound & Down?)

Spaulding Smails - Jon Heder, born to play this role. (Heder)

Thanks for playing along everybody.

Cheers and Hail

Happy Anniversary To The Danny

10 years ago this month we met the new owner of the Washington Redskins. He was 34 years old, wearing a Redskin's belt buckle and a burgundy and gold tie. He was also wearing a smile that no one could wipe away.

What a difference 10 years makes! Some highlights from the interview.

* Obviously he loves the Redskins. Skins belt buckle, burgundy and gold tie, and the reason for buying the Skins, "I love the Redskins."

* 10 years ago Dan Rooney and the other old school owners thought Dan was awesome and gave him a standing ovation when his approval was announced. Now...not so much.

* Mr. Snyder is a "team player."

* #1 priority day 1, "to get the Redskins back where they belong." I'm assuming this meant the Super Bowl, not 8-8.

* Was afraid he was going to wake up any minute and find out he's not the owner of the Skins. I've spent the past 10 years hoping I was going to wake up and find out he's not the owner of the Skins!

* "We are not going to sit around idle, we are action takers." Who is the we? Does he have a mouse in his pocket? Or maybe he has a mini-me? Or maybe he's the mini me?

* The rumors of finding "sexy" names to become members of the Redskins organization started from day 1...Don Shula?

I hope to see Dan being interviewed soon with a Super Bowl Champion hat on and a smile from ear to ear. Happy Anniversary!

Cheers and Hail

The Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

Six Degrees of Fatpickled is a weekly rundown of 6 items that I have enjoyed. Make sure you check them out.



How could I write a blog about partying with athletes, and not include this guy? (Deadspin)


Darrius Heyward-Bey is s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g. (Shutdown Corner)


Comcast sports reporter Lisa Hillary sees a rat at Verizon Center during live broadcast. (DC Sports Bog)


Cal Ripken wins big at the Derby with Mine That Bird. (Baltimore Sun) Also won in 2006 with Barbaro, both horses won from post position 8.


I have a love hate relationship with Peter King, this week (like most)...hate. (SI.com)


The last sports team that made me truly happy, thank you Juan Dixon. (YouTube)


Cheers and Hail

The Golden Rule

Bro's before Hoes

Calvin Borel is poised to become the first jockey to ride the Derby winner, then hop on another horse for the Preakness. Of course there's a female involved. He has a "special connection," and "history" with a 3 year old Filly, Rachel Alexandra. I haven't seen this much commotion over a chick named Rachel, since Ross and Rachel were "on a break."

One of the greatest things about horse racing is the gambling. I don't like Calvin and Rachel's odds. A Filly hasn't won the Preakness is 84 years. One of the cool things about the Preakness, is pulling for the horse that won the derby for triple crown purposes. So I want Borel riding Mine that Bird and I want to bet on it. I don't think anyone can get the most out of that horse like he can (certainly not take him to the rail.) If Borel rides Rachel, Mine that Bird has no shot, then you pull for the Filly. Totally confusing. There is one simple fix, one rule for Borel to live by.

Bro's before Hoes!

Cheers and Hail

Classic YouTubes: Orioles, Redskins, Caps

This is an awesome story about Wild Bill Hagy from 30 years ago. It's a little long, but it's almost like watching Any Which Way But Loose. The old cars, the old beer cans...great stuff.




Hard to believe its going on 19 seasons since the Skins last Superbowl. Here is a quick look back at the 91 team that was one of the best ever.




Here is a short clip from one of my favorite movies ever, Slapshot. What makes this interesting? The player wearing #7 for the opposing team, who scores twice in the clip, is Bruce Boudreau, head coach of the Washington Capitals.

Look It's Billy Bob Thornton...Horses And Hockey Edition

Calvin Borel

Jim Varney (Ernest)

Dan Bylsma

Carmine Giovinazzo (CSI NY)


Alex Ovechkin/Richard Kiel (Jaws)

Sidney Crosby

Nancy Mckeon (The Facts of Life)

Cheers and Hail

1999 Redskins: Where Are They Now?

1999 was a strange year for the Washington Redskins, on and off the field. The team was sold by the trust of Jack Kent Cooke to Dan Snyder in May. The team started the season playing at Jack Kent Cooke Stdium in Raljon, MD. During the course of the season, the stadium changed names twice. Temporarily Redskins Park, and later Fedex Field. Raljon even changed to Landover. The 1999 Washington Redskins went 10-6 and won the NFC East, the last Skins team to do so. This Redskins team played in, and won, the only playoff game hosted at Fedex field.

Coached by Norv Turner, they were 2nd in the NFL in scoring at 27.7PPG. The season started with a crazy overtime loss to the Cowboys, a game the Skins were winning by 3TD's late. They lost 41-35. The season ended in another crazy game, a loss to Tampa Bay. The Skins had a chance to win the game with a last second field goal, but a botched snap ruined it. The offensive stars were Brad Johnson (4000+ yds passing,) Stephen Davis (1405yds 17td,) Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell (both over 1100yds receiving.) Defensively they were led by "Big Daddy" Dan Wilkinson, Hall of Famer Darrell Green and a rookie named Champ Bailey.
That was 10 long years ago...so the question is, where are they now?

QB - Brad Johnson - Free Agent, played last season for the Dallas Cowboys

RB - Stephen Davis - Signed a 1 day contract with Carolina last year, so he could retire as a Panther? Played 99 games with Skins(signed first $100 million NFL contract) versus 29 with Panthers.

FB - Larry Centers - Owner of LV Associates, a real estate firm in Dallas, TX.

WR - Michael Westbrook - Fighting midgets in MMA matches.

WR - Albert Connell - According to his Twitter account, he is "getting back to being me." Whether that involves stealing from Deuce Mcallister, I'm not sure.

TE - Stephen Alexander - Recently retired from Broncos after 10 year career.

LT - Andy Heck - O-Line Coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

RT - Jon Jansen - RT for the 2009 Washington Redskins.

LG - Keith Sims - Owner of several Dunkin Donuts.

RG - Tre Johnson - History teacher and coach at the Landon School in Bethesda, MD.

C - Cory Raymer - ??, probably drinking beers at The Ashburn Pub.

K - Brett Conway - Real estate consultant and owner of a fitness studio.

P - Matt Turk - Punter for the Houston Texans.

DE - Kenard Lang - Head football coach for Jones High School in Orlando, FL.

DE - Marco Coleman - Educational speaker for the National Collegiate Scouting Association.

DT - Dan Wilkinson - Reportedly living in Northern VA, failed to report to Broncos after Dolphins traded him there in 2007.

DT - Dana Stubblefield - D-Line coach at Valley Christian High School in California. Recently plead guilty to perjury in the Balco case.

LB - Greg Jones - ????? It's tough to search for a Greg Jones, especially since several played in the NFL.

MLB - Derek Smith - LB for Miami Dolphins

LB - Shawn Barber - Free Agent, on IR with the Texans last year.

CB - Darrell Green - Owns several business ventures, still donating time and money to DC area charities. www.darrellgreen.com

CB - Champ Bailey - CB Denver Broncos, future Hall of Famer.

SS - Sam Shade - Assistant coach for Samford University

FS - Matt Stevens - Sad story, he was paralyzed from the chest down after a motorcycle accident in 2004.

KR - Brian Mitchell - TV and radio personality in the DC area.

Cheers and Hail

Hoof Hearted

I'm in the middle of researching and writing a couple post that will be up soon. In the meantime, in honor of the Kentucky Derby, I give you the most famous horse racing call ever.

Cheers and Hail