August 5/6: Happy Bday Laron Profit

Happy birthday Laron Profit. Laron played for both the Terps and the Wizards. Laron was a 3-year starter at Maryland and ranks in the top 20 in several career statistical categories for them. He had a solid all around game and averaged 12.5 pts, 4.6 rebs and 2.3 ast per game. He played 110 of his 135 career NBA games with the Wizards, spread out over 3 seasons. Take a look at the 3 pointer he hit at the buzzer to beat the Tim Duncan led Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Happy 32nd Mr. Profit..



Happy birthday Pierson Prioleau. Pierson played for the Skins from 2005-2007, playing in 31 games. He played very well on special teams and stepped up at safety after the awful Adam Archuleta debacle. Pierson played for Greg Williams in Buffalo, Washington, Jacksonville and now New Orleans. Pierson is definitely a Williams’s guy. I like Pierson and I’m glad he fought back from the gruesome knee injury he suffered in game 1 of the 2006 season. Pierson also played at Virginia Tech. Happy 32nd Mr. Prioleau.

Happy birthday Darwin Cook. Darwin played for the Bullets during the 87-87 season. He played in all 82 games that year as a backup guard, averaging 7.5 pts. He retired after the 88-89 season (his 8th) with a career avg of 9.5 pts and 3.7 ast per game. In retirement Darwin coached as an assistant at UNLV and Pepperdine. Happy 51st Mr. Cook.

Happy birthday Otis Thorpe. Otis played 1 of his 15 season with the Washington Wizards, in the 98-99 season. He came to the Wizards along with Mitch Richmond, in the trade that sent Chris Webber to the Kings. Otis averaged 11.3 pts and 6.8 rebs in his lone season in DC. For his career he had averages of 14 and 8. Otis ranks in the top 20 all time in several NBA categories including games played and rebounds. Happy 47th Mr. Thorpe.

Cheers and Hail

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Over the next few weeks I will be randomly posting about my favorite things. For instance, this post is about my favorite all-time NCAA basketball player, Juan Dixon. Moving forward you'll see my favorites in all walks of sports. But enough about that, lets talk about Juan.

Dixon was the 2002 ACC Player of the Year award winner on his way to leading my beloved Terps to the 2002 title. Despite being undersized at a billed 6’3” and 164 lbs, Dixon overcompensated by having “the heart of a tiger” as quoted by his Coach Gary Williams. He holds countless career and single season records at Maryland.

Dixon played a role that I always find myself rooting for, a true underdog. He overcame family tragedy on his way to College Park. It’s well documented that both his parents died from the AIDS virus. He was also lightly recruited out of high school despite a stellar career.

I will never forget the big wins over Duke, and the way he led the underdog Terps to their only title. He turned around so many games with a clutch shot or a big steal. I remember jumping for joy when Michael Jordan made him a first round pick for the Wizards.

Although Juan's pro career has never reached the heights it did in college, he will always have a special place in my heart as my all-time favorite NCAA player.

Apologies to Len Bias, Patrick Ewing, Nik Caner-Medley, Keith Booth, Alonzo Mourning

Trivia: Juan Dixon's older brother Phil lived in the dorm room directly beside Fatpickle in college. Phil was a D-III All-American.

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

Great Names For DC Area Sports Blogs

When I named my blog I put about 15 seconds of thought into it. Lets see, I'll take my username and add a D, yep that works. I didn't come up with that catchy blog name that incorporates humor with an athlete. Well, here's a few that have come to mind from the beltway sports area. Do you have ideas for others? Let me know in the comments section. I also might have a few ideas coming soon about teams and players that I dislike, stay tuned...

Jacoby's TheaterVision

There's An Arenas Between Us

The Skin's Traded A 2nd Round Pick For This Blog

Alomar Spits Brady Swallows

Bend Yoder And I'll Show You

Gary's Pit Stains

Cooley's Playbook

Alice Sweet's Tomato Plant

Alonzo Mourning Wood

Cheers and Hail

Let The Madness Begin

There it is.. my official bracket. The madness starts tomorrow and I'll probably see more college basketball tomorrow than I have all year (I have watched zero NBA!) This bracket was filled out in one swift stroke of the pen. No scratch-outs, no crumpled up brackets thrown in the trash, and no other brackets lying around with different picks. I feel pretty good about it.

Tomorrow is also the day that results in more people calling in sick to work than any other day. I don't know the number of lost profit that results from the lack of manpower, but I'm hoping our fragile economy can handle it. I actually think it's a great day for the economy. Workers will be paid to sit at their favorite Pubs to eat, drink and be merry. The bars make $$, the waiters/waitresses make $$, and the bookies make lots of $$!

Since I've started this blog I haven't spent a lot of time talking about my love for the Terps. I'm a huge fan and feel that they are the one team that has let me down the least in the past 10-15 years. NCAA Champs, ACC Champs, and even when they have down years they find a way to beat Duke and UNC! Go TERPS!!

Cinderella story...

Cheers and Hail