As Seen On TV?

Guessing by the 2.8 million views on YouTube, I'm way behind on this one...but who invented this? Jenna Jameson? Tony Romo?

Ladies, you don't have to spend $19.95 plus shipping for this, I'm pretty sure you have something similar lying around the house...in fact it's sitting in the lazy-boy under a laptop in our house right now!

Now, maybe you may need to alternate hands instead of using both at the same time and maybe your workout will not last 6 minutes, but you have to start somewhere. Build those biceps, it works...just look at my forearms.


Cheers and Hail

2/24-26: Happy Bday Eddie Murray & Steve Blake

Happy birthday Eddie Murray. “Ed-die, Ed-die,” played 13 seasons from 1977-88 and 1996. Eddie was a 3-time Gold Glove winner, 7-time All-Star and the 1977 ROY as an Oriole. Eddie is one of only 4 players in the history of MLB to have 500+ HR’s and 3,000+ hits (Aaron, Mays & Palmeiro.) Look, I can go on forever about Eddie’s accolades…quite simply he’s one of the greatest players to ever play for the Orioles or MLB for that matter. He’s also one of my favorite players of all time, you can check the back of my little league baseball card from 1985 if you want proof. Happy 54th Mr. Murray.





Happy birthday Steve Blake. Steve played 4 seasons for the Maryland Terps and 2 seasons for the Wizards from 2000-05. Steve was the first ACC player to ever compile 1,000 pts, 800 assist, 400 rebs and 200 stls in a career. Steve averaged 7.9 pts in the Terps 2002 NCAA Championship season. Steve’s #25 was retired by Maryland in 2003. Happy 30th Mr. Blake.



Cheers and Hail

@ 4 Skins Draft...

No thanks!



Maybe?

Yes, I am stupid, I name the blog post "4 Skins," it was that are "Dirty 4's."

It's the time of the year to get lost in 40 yard dash times and mock drafts. The combine starts this weekend and the Redskins are, in the words of Bruce Allen, "moving Redskins Park to Indianapolis for the week." And although the Skins have a new regime in place, I'm still reading that the Skins are looking for the best available player...same plan Vinny had. Now, I'm not bashing anything yet...but picking the best "player" available is how we ended up with Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly and Fred Davis.

Most mock drafts have the Skins picking either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen. I'm totally out on Bradford and lukewarm on Clausen. Truth be told, I probably could be sold on Clausen. If I were running the Redskins draft? I'd trade the pick down and pick up a lower 1st round pick and add an extra 2nd rounder. Use the 1st round pick to grab one of the 7 OT's projected to go in the 1st round, then you have 2 picks to spend on your choice of CB, QB or RB...quality players will be available. In fact, besides the depth at OT available in the first round, CB's are especially deep (a need position for the Skins.) And I'm not opposed to trying on a Tebow or Pike QB pick in the 2nd.

But, let's assume the Skins are going to draft a QB...here's my take on Sam and Jimmy.

Sam Bradford: He's coming off shoulder surgery and any shoulder surgery to the throwing arm of a NFL QB is MAJOR shoulder surgery. Bradford has proved to be injury prone in college, suffering concussions and breaking his wrist as well. Bradford needs to pack on major muscle to possibly withstand the rigors of being a NFL QB. Especially a QB who has no O-line, he can consult with Jason Campbell about that. Lastly, Sam has a problem with the Redskins name and I can understand that being that he is a Native American. There's no need to complicate that whole deal.

Jimmy Clausen: Clausen has all the tools and has played in a pro-style offense for the past 3 years under Charlie Weiss. Initially, I had a problem with a QB who lost 6 games his senior season at Notre Dame. But, Clausen threw 15TD's and had only 2 INT's in those 6 losses. He does need a new bathing suit.

Clausen (maybe) or trade down. What do you think? Do you like Bradford...tell me what you want the Skins to do in the comments section or on Twitter/Facebook.

Cheers and Hail

Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

I've been swamped with "real world" stuff so I'm sorry for the lack of updates. Look forward to an Orioles and Redskins feature in the next couple days. In the meantime check out these great items I've been reading.



Scott Van Pelt gets pranked by a Howard Stern fan. (Hot Clicks)

Kornheiser suspended from ESPN for saying Chris Berman is fat and Hannah Storm dresses like a cheap hooker. (Deadspin)

Brian Roberts has a herniated disc; Roberts and the O's are downplaying the injury. (Balt Sun)

The pros/cons of Jimmy Clausen. (Hogs Haven)

Redskins are gearing up for the combine, Skins Blogger Matt Terl will try to find the answers to your questions (leave them in the comments section.) (Redskins Blog)

Where does Greivis stand among All-time Terps? (Mister Irrelevant)

Cheers and Hail

Feb 21-23: Happy Bdays

Happy birthday John Shelby. “T-bone” was an OF who played 7 seasons for the Orioles from 1981-87. John was a 1st round pick who wore #37 (thirty-seven!) John was an excellent defensive player who batted .239-31-138 during his Orioles tenure. John was traded during the 87’ season to the Dodgers in exchange for Tom Niedenfuer. John was a 2-time World Series champion. In retirement John got into coaching and is currently the Orioles 1B coach. John also has a son who plays for the White Sox organization. Happy 52nd Mr. Shelby.



Happy birthday Bobby Bonilla. Bobby played 2 seasons for the Orioles from 1995-96. Bobby came to the Orioles in a trade with the Mets in exchange for Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa…a trade that proved to be a steal for the O’s. Bobby played OF-3B-DH for the Orioles and wore #26. Bobby hit .300-38-162 during his Oriole tenure. Bobby retired after the 2001 season as a 6-time All-Star. Happy 47th Mr. Bonilla.



Happy birthday Terry Allen. Terry played 4 seasons for the Redskins from 1995-98. #21 rushed for 4,086 yards during his tenure and was a Pro Bowler in 96‘. During that 96’ season Terry had 1,547 yards and 21TD’s…can you say fantasy stud? Terry is one the 70 Greatest Redskins. Happy 42nd Mr. Allen.

Cheers and Hail

The Tiger Woods Interview

You don't have to wait till 11am on Friday to see what Tiger has to say about his "indiscretions" here's a sneak peak...a Fatpickled exclusive:



Cheers and Hail

Janikowski Can Buy Lots Of Roofies

Sebastion Janikowski just inked up on the largest contract in the history of the NFL for a Kicker, worth $16 million over 4 years with $9 million guaranteed. So, we have a kicker with a history of drinking, getting arrested and who in 2 years may weigh close to 3 bills. What owner would sign such a player to such an unheard of some of money? The same guy who became the first owner in 20 years to draft a kicker in the 1st round and the same owner who last off-season awarded the largest contract in the history of the league to a punter. And that man, of course...is Al Davis (the Church Lady.) Oh well, it pays to be a special teamer in Oakland. And in Janikowski's defense he has played very well the past couple seasons. He also has a bad ass nickname, C-Bass. Congrats SJ, $14 million will buy a lot of potato Vodka.

Orioles...Magic?

I have all kinds of reasons to be excited and optimistic about the 2010 Orioles. The O's are loaded with young talent, they've added some key veterans and have moved their spring training home to within an hour drive or so from my house. Sure they haven't had a winning record in the last 12 years and I've dropped a $1,000.00 or more watching a 60-70 win team play on the MLB ticket during that time...but this is the time of year that I can be excited for my O's.

It's not unrealistic to think the Orioles have a chance to make a run at the wild card, just look at the 2008 Rays as an example. I know playing in the AL East makes it extremely difficult to break .500, let alone make the playoffs...but this O's squad has talent.

OK, maybe I'm talking out my ass about the playoffs, but take a look around the diamond with me concerning the talent.



C- Matt Wieters - Batted .288-9-43 last season. No reason to believe that he can't double those numbers this year. He'll be moving up in the lineup, playing a full season and he's only going to get better.

1B- Garret Atkins - No question Garret had a sub-par 2009 season, but Terry Crowley is known to get the best out of hitters. In the 3 previous seasons to 09' Atkins averaged .305-25-110. If he approaches those numbers in 2010, he'll be a steal for the O's.



2B- Brian Roberts - Everyone loves Brian for good reason, he's just a hard nosed, gritty and talented ballplayer entering his 10th season in an Oriole's uniform. You can book him to score 100 runs, steal 30+ bases and hit 50+ extra base hits.

SS- Cesar Izturis - Cesar is not going to put up big offensive #'s, but he does play solid defense and handles the bat well. Cesar struck out less than 10% of the time last season and if he can duplicate that again this year while stealing 15+ bases...I'll take it.

3B- Miguel Tejada - I'm happy to see Iggy back in an O's uniform. The power may be gone..hmmmm, I wonder why...but he's still a pure hitter. I expect Iggy to make the adjustment well to 3B and hit somewhere in the neighborhood of .300-15-80.



LF- Nolan Reimold - After years of stalling in the minors, Nolan got his chance last season and made the most out of it. I think his game fits well at Camden Yards and he reminds me of Bill Ripken...so I naturally love him. I'm still not sold completely.

CF- Adam Jones - Adam broke out in a big way last year, making his first All-Star team and showing all of his 5-tool abilities. Expect more this season. 30-30...I'm just sayin.

RF- Nick Markakis - My current favorite player, you can write it in cement that he hits .300-20-100 or better. I hope the beard is gone for spring training.

DH- Luke Scott - He may be the streakiest hitter I've ever seen. He can hit 5HR's one week, and not get 2 hits the next...just bat him in the middle of the lineup when he's hot.

OK, that's the good news...unfortunately you have to pitch in baseball, more on that later.

Cheers and Hail

Happy Bday Darrell Green

Who's to say Darrell couldn't run down Seattle Slew?

Happy birthday Darrell Green...Darrell turns 50 today. What can I say about this HOF player and person? A NFL record 20 seasons with 1 team, our team. I am totally convinced this guy could shutdown 75% of the WR's in the NFL, right now! At the age of 40 Darrell was still the fastest guy on the Redskins roster and he's been threatening on Twitter for months to run it again on his 50th...my money says he runs a sub 4.5. Happy 50th Mr. Green and thanks for the memories.



Happy birthday Patrick Ramsey. Patrick played 4 seasons for the Redskins from 2002-05. #11 appeared in 34 games at QB, going 10-14 as a starter. Patrick threw for 5,649 yards and 34 TD's during his Redskins tenure. Patrick was a 1st round draft pick out of Tulane, hand picked by Spurrier, Snyder or was it Cerrato? A lot of finger pointing on that one. Patrick is currently playing for the Lions. Happy 31st Mr. Ramsey.

Happy birthday Brig Owens. Brig played all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Redskins from 1966-77. #23 appeared in 158 games and intercepted 36 balls during his career. Brig is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins. In retirement Brig finished law school and went to work for the NFL Players Association. Happy 67th Mr. Owens.


(WARNING! STRONG LANGUAGE)

Happy birthday Terry Crowley. Terry played 12 seasons for the Orioles from 1969-82. Terry has also served another 15 years as the Orioles batting coach. Terry batted .253 with 40 HR's and 194 RBI's during his O's tenure. The beauty of Terry's birthday is that it allows me to play Earl Weaver's Manager's Corner. Earl gives a better description of Terry than I ever could. Happy 63rd (he's looked 63 for 20 years) Mr. Crowley.

Cheers and Hail

Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

Above, a must see, Wade Phillips doing the YMCA. (FWG NFL)

One of my favorite athletes ever has tested positive for steroids...does it count if it happened in Spain? (Balt Sun)

Orioles pitcher Brad Bergesen hurt himself while filming a commercial, a commercial for the Orioles and their upcoming season...of course he did. (Deadspin)

Top 10 Sexy Valentines of the Sports World. (The Wife Hates Sports)

Mayne Street is back. (ESPN)

Jimmy Buffett may be a part owner of the Dolphins, but he's a Saints fan. (Hot Clicks)

Cheers and Hail

Feb 7-10 Happy Bdays

Happy birthday Raleigh McKenzie. Raleigh played 10 seasons for the Redskins from 1985-94. #63 played every position on the line but played most of his 144 games as a Redskin at center or guard. Raleigh is a 2-time Super Bowl Champion and one of the 70Greatest Redskins. In retirement this "Hog" became a teacher and high school football coach in Herndon, VA. Happy 47th Mr. McKenzie.



Happy birthday Joe Lavender. Joe played 7 seasons for the Redskins from 1976-82. Joe was a 2-time Pro-Bowler at cornerback for the Redskins. #20 appeared in 99 games and accumulated 29 INT's (5th all-time) during his Redskins tenure. Joe is a Super Bowl Champion. Happy 61st Mr. Lavender.



Happy birthday Juwan Howard. Juwan played 7 seasons for the Bullets/Wizards from 1994-01. Juwan was drafted #5 overall and wore #5 while playing Forward for the Wiz. Juwan averaged 18.4 PPG 7.4 RPG and 3.3 APG. Juwan was an All Star in 96' and was rewarded with a $105 million contract (after briefly signing with the Heat.) Juwan is currently playing for the Trailblazers, in his 16th NBA season. Happy 37th Mr. Howard.



Happy birthday Felix Pie. Felix is entering his second season as an Oriole, having finished the 2009 season strong. Felix looked lost at the plate early last year, but hard work with O's hitting coach Terry Crowley produced final #'s of .266-9-29. Felix also became only the 4th Oriole to hit for the cycle last season. Happy 25th Mr. Pie.



Happy birthday Lenny Webster. Lenny played 3 seasons for the Orioles from 1997-99. The former catcher was the last Oriole to wear #42 before the # was retired by MLB in honor of Jackie Robinson. Lenny batted .265-17-86 during his Orioles tenure. A native of New Orleans I'm assuming Lenny is pretty happy about the Saints right now. Happy 45th Mr. Webster.



Happy birthday Benny Ayala. Benny was a DH/OF who wore #27 and played 6 seasons for the Orioles from 1979-84. Benny batted .257 with 33 HR’s and 120 RBI’s during his O’s tenure and had a WS ring from the 83’ Champs. His best season came in 1980 when he went .265-10-33. In retirement Benny recently sold his WS ring, so I’m going to assume he’s not doing to well. Happy 59th Mr. Ayala.

Cheers and Hail

Lorenzo Alexander's Charity Benefit

It didn't take me long to figure out that I was going to be a big fan of Lorenzo Alexander. The first time I saw him play he was running 15 yards down-field with no helmet on to tackle a running back...in an exhibition game! You can see the NFL.com video of that right here (complete with reaction from Gregg Williams.) I also enjoyed the commentary of the lady who filmed the play from the stands:



"Oh, but he still tackled him." "Why did he do that?"
Because he is a hard-nosed bad-ass football player...and yes he is bleeding.

And of course, the hits just keep on coming:



The guy plays offense, defense and special teams...I wish the Redskins had 53 Lorenzo Alexanders. Lorenzo has also become big in the community and has a charitable foundation named ACES. ACES currently has 4 charity events planned for 2010, 1 of which takes place this Thursday, February 11 at Jaxx in Springfield, VA from 6pm-10pm.

Ahhh Jaxx...takes me way back in time to a place where a single Fatpickle frequented this establishment, it was quite the spot back then (Jah Works is playing, that takes me back also.) A silent auction is scheduled to take place as well as appearances by celebrities and Redskins players.

So if you get a chance stop by and help a good guy help out a good cause.

Cheers and Hail

Hog Of Famer

Russ Grimm became the first (possibly last) member of the Hogs to gain entry into the HOF Saturday evening (click here for video.) I’ve been on record before about my feelings for Russ as a player and a coach, so here’s what some of his peers have to say about the 2010 Hall of Famer.

Chris Cooley (recounting a pre-game speech by Gibbs)

Joe Gibbs describing why playing against Pittsburg would be tough in 2006. "Russ Grimm believes in a lot of the same things we do. Tough, physical, smart. Up here, hey, ya gotta have a pair."

Don Warren

He was a hard-nosed player. He was a fierce, fierce competitor. He wouldn't let injuries knock him down at all. He was a guy that I saw get punched in the eye, get stitches, and get carted off the field. He had blood rolling down his face, had stitches, and within 10 minutes, you look in the huddle, and he's right back next to you. He's a fierce competitor, and just a tough guy."

Joe Bugel

"The Super Hog has been Russ Grimm," Bugel said on the day of his retirement. "He has ended up being a heck of a football coach, and I loved coaching him. He was allergic to the weight room, he was allergic to conditioning, but liked him because he had the ugliest body I've ever seen, and he was a good football player."

When you combine those 3 quotes you find a guy who didn’t look pretty playing, played hurt, played smart, played physical, was coachable and “had a pair.” When you form a core group of players like that…you win 3 Super Bowls. Congrats Russ.

You would be doing yourself a disservice if you do not visit the great Russ Grimm stories at the Redskins Blog, D.C. Sports Bog and the Washington Examiner.

Cheers and Hail

Super Bowl XLIV: Pickin On The NFL

Who dat? Dat be the Super Bowl champions? No…really? For the past 2 weeks I’ve told anyone who asked for my opinion that the Colts would win the game. In fact, I told my co-workers this morning the Colts would win by 2 touchdowns. I mean…it’s hard not to believe that if Tony Dungy believes it. But, I guess I drank the Saint’s Kool-Aid for breakfast because I’m officially going on record as picking the Saints to win the game.



Picking the Saints definitely puts me in the minority as most of the experts are picking the Colts; even most of the celebrities are picking the Colts. But hey, I’m in good company…if the Saints are good enough for Phyllis Diller, they’re good enough for me! Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir (what’s that guy been smoking) even picks the same final score as I do…Saints 30 Colts 28. Who cares what the “experts” think with all their breaking down game film and well-informed information? I feel like I’m in good company with Phyllis and Bob.



It’s tough to pick against Peyton Manning, he may be the best I ever saw. The key to game will come early, with the Saints needing to do 1 of 2 things. The Saints need to come up with a couple of stops early, or if not, they need to answer the Colts scores. The Saints falling behind early would not be a good recipe for winning. Hopefully, Gregg Williams will bring a solid defensive game plan to the table and try to create some confusion for Manning…something that is not easy to do. I’m predicting a Joseph Addai fumble at some point in this game to swing things in the Saints favor.

So there you have it…put some Jambalaya in the crock pot, cue up ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ and enjoy the game. Maybe I'll cruise on over to Orlando this week and see Drew Brees at Disneyworld.

Saints 30 Colts 28

Cheers and Hail

Oriole Birthdays

Happy birthday Roberto Alomar. Roberto played 3 seasons at 2B for the Orioles from 1996-98. Robbie was a switch hitter who wore #12. During his O’s tenure Robbie batted .310 with 50HR’s and 210 RBI’s. Robbie made the All-Star team all the 3 years as an Oriole and won the Gold Glove twice. Robbie narrowly missed first ballot introduction to the Hall of Fame recently, missing by just 8 votes…I expect to see him voted in next year. In retirement Robbie has kept a fairly low profile besides the whole AIDS thing. I don’t know about that but the joke back in the day was Robbie spits and Brady swallows. Happy 42nd Mr. Alomar.



Happy birthday Fred Lynn. Fred played 4 season for the O’s from 1985-88. An center fielder who wore #19, Fred was known to sacrifice his body running into the outfield walls to make amazing catches. During his O’s tenure Fred batted .265 with 87 HR’s and 232 RBI’s. Fred was traded to the Tigers at the trading deadline in 88’ for Chris Hoiles. For his career Fred was a 9 time All-Star, won 4 Gold Gloves and was the first player to win the ROY and MVP awards in the same season. In retirement Fred has devoted much of his time to charity work. Happy 58th Mr. Lynn.



Happy birthday Melvin Mora. Melvin played 10 seasons for the Orioles from 2000-09. Melvin came to the Orioles in a trade with the Mets in exchange for Mike Bordick. Initially a utility player, Melvin settled into the 3B in 2004 and wound up appearing in more games there in an Orioles uniform…other than some Robinson guy. During his O’s tenure Melvin batted .280 with 158 HR’s and 662 RBI’s. Melvin’s best season came in 2004 when he batted .340-27-104. Melvin recently signed with the Colorado Rockies. Happy 38th Mr. Mora.



Happy birthday Scott Erickson. Scott played 7 seasons for the O’s from 1995-02. A tall(6’4”) righty who wore #19, Scott came to the Orioles in a trade with the Twins. During his O’s tenure Scott won 79 games and had a 4.73 ERA. His best season came in 97’ when he went 16-7 with a 3.69 ERA. Scott didn’t make any All-Star teams or win any Cy Young’s as an Oriole…but he was on People magazines most beautiful list of 2000. In retirement Scott married television reporter Lisa Guerrero and started a production company. Happy 42nd Mr. Erickson.

Cheers and Hail

The Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

Six Degrees of Fatpickled is a list of 6 links I recommend you check out...



Cooley (Ron Burgundy) is working for OCNN covering the Super Bowl. (Cooley Zone)

Analyzing the Redskins options at QB. (Real Redskins)

Remembering the dumbest question (Doug Williams) ever at media day...a question that was never asked. (Redskins Blog)

Why the Bullets are now the Wizards. (D.C. Sports Bog)

This Rick Majerus story is kinda old, but it's so disturbing I've been unable to get it out of my head. (Deadspin)

A must see video below of a Packer fan who announces he will be back to drink another year. (The Onion via Hot Clicks)


Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season

Cheers and Hail

Music Monday: Better Than Ezra

I’ve chosen one my favorite all-time bands for today’s edition of “Music Monday,” Better Than Ezra. My first memories of BTE are from 1995 when I first heard ‘Good’ on WHFS. I remember driving in my car and horribly singing the lines “aha, it was good living with you, aha.” At the time BTE had already been making music for 7 years and they are still going strong today, after 22 years. ‘Good’ was the first and only #1 song for BTE (to date,) but the truth of the matter is, as “good” as ‘Good’ was…BTE has gotten better with age.

BTE has released 7 studio albums to date and in my opinion they started really hitting their stride with album #4 Closer. Don’t get me wrong BTE’s first 3 albums rocked, including the underrated How Does You’re Garden Grow? However, Closer is on a different level and it’s one of my desert island albums…it’s also an album that my 5 year old has been enjoying lately, we’re wearing out ‘Misunderstood.’

In addition to churning out great albums, BTE still tours regularly. They are a bad ass live band with their shows featuring various covers and medleys. My wife and I never miss a chance to see BTE. It’s no surprise that our 5 year old loves BTE…it was his first concert…when he was still in his mommy’s tummy.

The past couple weeks have been very good to BTE, they are natives of New Orleans and huge Saints fans…so they got that going for them, which is nice. In addition, Taylor Swift (a big BTE fan) performed a cover of their song ‘Breathless’ on the Hope For Haiti Now Telethon.

I recommend all of BTE’s music, but you can start your BTE collection by purchasing some of the tunes listed below. GO SAINTS!

PS- 15 years later I’m still singing “aha, it was good,” and I still sound horrible.

Good

Desperately Wanting

Extra Ordinary

A Lifetime

In The Blood

Breathless

Absolutely Still

Just One Day

At The Stars

Misunderstood

Daylight

A Southern Thing

Under You

Our Last Night

Hollow







Cheers and Hail