BreezyG's Sports Page

Fantasy

2026-09-07T08:44:27.772-07:00

Today I awaken (thanking the creator), a day after starting my fourth decade into the madness that is fantasy football. In a day that I totally dedicate this virtual interactive game to, I am one of the 42 million (roughly one out of ten Americans and Canadians – who I still consider our friends) people who participate for both fun and profit.

I isolate myself from everyone on draft day. I don’t watch TV. I don’t go outside. Fortunately, my better half does feed me. She just throws the food in and quickly closes the door.

It is one of the things that I am truly passionate about. While I stream movies at home, I don’t do movies, concerts or go anywhere on a regular basis. And before you ask, yes, I do have friends that do not participate at all with this “thing of mines” and could care less. Why the passion? On the one hand it’s obvious. I like football. I like competing. I enjoy socializing, despite what I just said.

It started innocently enough at work. I joined a group of co-workers. In my first ever draft that I did with my co-owner (KG – shout out to him), We took quarterbacks with our first two picks. Regular players understand the foolishness of that. Yet, despite that inauspicious start, we actually finished the season 6-10.

From there, a couple of things in me developed. My competitive gene developed. Combined with my “Trekian” desire to continually attempt to improve helped as well. From there, we won three championships over the next five years.

To take the phrase from one of my favorite comics, “I’m not looking for any applause, I’m just trying to tell you a story.”

Thirty years later, I’m still doing it. I am the Commissioner of the league that I originally joined as well as running two other leagues. In fact, all of my leagues have both men and women. Aside from the reasons that I mentioned earlier, I am still not sure why I’m still caught up in it like a one-night love affair.

I guess part of it goes back to my love of sports in general that I cited in my first blog post more than 16 years ago: It beats the heck out of heroin.

Tomorrow

2026-08-07T15:54:19.413-07:00

There I go, getting hyped again about my Nats. Just when I thought maybe, just maybe, we would have a chance to have a playoff game. Now I understand we were four games out of the wild card spot, and we were just one game above .500 at the All-Star break.

But it wasn’t just wishful thinking. Our offence leads the league in both home runs and RBI’s, led by James Wood (currently 7^th in HR’s) and our super shortstop C.J. Abrams, who leads the league with 88 runs batted in. Even though our overall pitching hasn’t been anything to brag about, we still had an All-Star in starter Foster Griffin, who is still in the top five with his twelve wins.

Then tomorrow came. What do I mean by this? Since our World Series win seven years ago, we have developed a habit of moving our star players today with the hope of getting better players tomorrow.

This year’s go-around began with the moving of our first baseman Luis Garcia (.283 batting average, 24 HR’s and 78 RBI’s). To add insult to injury, he actually started his career with the Nats. Next, we moved our best pitcher to the Guardians. The total return for our top players are for players in the hope they will get better…tomorrow.

For me, it’s not a coincidence that Griffin was let go in his contract year. The Nats have to learn that you have to pay to play to compete. I’m not even talking about spending on the Dodgers level. Even though they are currently working on their third straight title.

In either case, as a Nats fan, I have just one question: When is tomorrow?

Nats

2026-07-22T16:16:06.218-07:00

Going into today’s game, the Washington Nations are playing .500 ball (51-51). They are just a game and a half out of the wild card spot. And I couldn’t be more excited.

Why do you ask? Read on.

Despite having the second worse team pitching record in the National League, the Nats have a top five league leading pitcher in NL All-Star Foster Griffin. Griffin, a former first round pick of the KC Royals, has won 11 (against two losses) of his twenty starts this season. This is the first major pickup from our new President of Operations Paul Toboni.

Now to pour some more water in my glass. Today’s Nats fun fact: Washington leads Major League Baseball in home runs, RBI’s and runs scored. Not just the National League. Major League Baseball. For those of you where math is your friend, 17% of their 884 hits (currently fourth in the league) are “taters”.

I have always wanted to use the word “taters” in a sentence since I started blogging. Crossing this off my communicational bucket list.

While I didn’t want to trade Juan Soto at the time, the trade has worked out. From it we got right fielder James Wood and shortstop C.J. Abrams, both All-Stars this year. Abrams currently leads the league with 76 RBI’s and Wood is just outside of the top five in home runs with 28.

While I think that I’m all-in with my home teams in general, there is one word that’s keeping me from really going all-in... Tanking. My question: Will the Nats be buyers or sellers coming up to the trading deadline?

Excuse the DC Fan in me, but my position is clear. Try to make the playoffs every year. In any sport. Not going to get into a debate about who to add or trade for except to say that they shouldn’t touch our current nucleus of stars. For me, I’m fine with seeing what happens with what we got.

Seven years from our World Series championship, I think it is time for another title run.

By the way, correction on the team record. After today, the Nats are now 52-51 on the year.

Draft

2026-06-21T13:28:48.734-07:00

This upcoming Tuesday is the NBA draft. This year’s crop has a group of players that has the potential to make an immediate impact on next season’s squads.

At the top of this years hit parade are my Washington Wizards, who admittedly did not give their best effort to win games these past few seasons as a franchise.

In other words, they tanked.

Well, this year they have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. They got what they wanted: this year’s #1 pick.

In reviewing the Wiz recent 1^st round picks, they have been not that bad. Last year’s first rounder Tre Johnson (#6) from Texas played 60 games, averaged 12 points per game while shooting just under the league 3-pt percentage of 36% (35.8%). 2024 pick Will Riley (Illinois) averaged double digits this past season as well, shooting 44% from the field overall in 74 games this year. The previous picks before them, big man Alex Sarr (averaging 14pts and 7 rebounds in his 115 game Wizards career) and Baltimore native Bub Carrington both made All-Rookie teams.

Now we come to this year’s pick…our first #1 pick since John Wall in the 2010 draft. Full transparency, I did not have a problem with that pick.

The consensus selection is Brigham Young player A.J. Dybantsa, who was the leading D-1 player in scoring, shooting 51% from the field. Also on the short list is Kansas guard Darryn Peterson who averaged 20 a game in (only) 24 games this past year for the Jayhawks. As of this post, ESPN just moved Peterson past A.J. on their big board. Something else to note: the only team that Peterson worked out for was Washington.

Now for my choice.

First, I would trade (that’s right, I said it trade) the pick to Utah, who has the #2 pick. He wants to go to Utah (see Brigham Young) and Utah wants him. And I think that Utah is willing to pay big for him. Aside from their #2 pick, I would want at least one player (someone like maybe Ace Bailey) or for me Brice Sensabaugh who is a 38% career 3pt shooter who averaged just under 15 a game this past season. And next year’s picks (Utah has only the one pick in this year’s draft) to continue the rebuild.

My selection is 6’ 10” big man Caleb Wilson from North Carolina. While I can blog for myself, Here’s ESPN’s take: Athletic frontcourt players who compete the way Wilson does are always in high demand. He's exceptionally quick off the floor and should contribute in several areas other than scoring. The midrange touch and passing instincts he has shown point to his underlying talent. Although injuries ended his season early, his transition to college was impressively smooth. He has excellent potential to tap into long-term, with his competitiveness inspiring confidence that he'll reach it.

In the 24 games that he played this past season(limited by breaking both of his hands), he averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 boards for the season.

And to be clear, if Utah doesn’t want to deal, I still want him.

This upcoming pick for the Wizards will be franchise changing. One way or another.

Tanking

2026-04-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

It has been rough for Washington D.C. sports teams the last few years. Aside from the flash of lightning that left us one game from the Super Bowl a little more than a year ago, we as DC fans don’t have too much to stick our chests out about. But there is one thing that I can hang my hat on in the case of the Commanders, Capitals and Nationals: they try to win the game.

Sure, we have had it rough the last few seasons, but in my football, hockey and baseball worlds, I have no problem putting down a couple of bucks to see my home teams compete and making a sincere effort to win the game. In one of my favorite lines from the movie Casino, “otherwise, what’s the point?” Even my Washington Capitals have made the playoffs in the last two years.

Then we come to the Washington Wizards. For the last three years, they have done the complete opposite. Not only do they lose regularly, the wear the label like a badge of honor. As of this post, the Wizards have won a total of fifty out of 241 games in the last three seasons.

Fifty. Total. With math being my friend, they have just won one out of every five games.

Their reason? They want to better position themselves to get quality players from the annual NBA drafts. Now, while I’m just a blogger, I thought that you just scout and evaluate players and just select them, regardless of when you pick them. Some players take years to develop. In fact, during the last three seasons, only three players from the last three draft classes have played in the All-Star game. Our last player to play was Bradley Beal who was our third overall pick in the 2012 draft.

In speaking to ticket holders, their frustration comes from both the product on the court as well as the annual price increases.

It is a disservice to the fans to promote losing in the league. It also defeats the purpose of why we play (and watch) the games…hello?

Madness

2026-03-17T19:42:06.429-07:00

As a U.S. President once said, “…well my fellow Americans, it’s that time again.” March Madness has begun to determine this year’s Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball champions. As I do each year, the following are my annual picks on the men’s side of the coin. Don’t look for any incredible analysis on my part, other my personal POV and eye test. So, without further adieu:

East Region: This region has the overall #1 seed in the Duke Blue Devils. They come into the tournament with two starters probably out. It’s a region of haves and have nots. While I see the usual suspects advancing, for me, Tom Izzo’s Michigan State teams always play their best this time of year. They are my final four pick from this region defeating a strong St. Johns team in the regional final.

South Region: This region has the defending champions in the Florida Gators. Aside from the second seeded Houston Cougars (another final four team from last year’s tourney), nobody really sticks out. But that also means that this division is up for grabs with teams who have had solid seasons, such as Vanderbilt and Illinois. At the end of this day, Houston will beat Illinois and Florida will beat the Commodores to reach the regional final with Florida making a return trip to the Final Four.

Midwest: This region is also a mixed bag of teams that can win it with a hot streak. For me, teams that fit this bill include fourth seed Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas Tech. While I am very tempted to pick my upset special here, I’m staying “chalky” with a Michigan/Iowa St. regional final. For Iowa St., this will be their furthest advance since their sweet sixteen appearance in 2024. More on this Final Four pick later.

West: I call this region the Blue Blood division. From Villanova to Gonzaga to Purdue, some think that the champion will come from this region. While it looks like a wild card region, I still think (?) that the cream will rise to the top with an Arizona vs. Gonzaga regional final. While I would not be surprised by a different outcome, I am still going with the Wildcats in the Final Four.

As for the Final Four, I’ll make it plain: Iowa State will defeat Michigan State in the title game to win their first national championship in their school’s history.

As always, this is for entertainment purposes only, so please, no wagering.

Rooting

2026-03-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

In my previous life as an Assistant Sports Editor for my college newspaper back when there were more newspapers than blogs (The Towerlight), one of the many beats I covered included Men’s Varsity Basketball. It was during this time that I met Mike Dukes. He was one of the leading scorers for Division I Towson University as well as team captain.

But before knowing Mike the student athlete, I personally knew Mike from being on the “yard.” Whether between classes or seeing him down at the “Union”, I always enjoyed when we were, as the kids now say, “chopping it up”. So, when one of my other college friends told me about what he was up to these days, I knew I had to give him a shout-out.

He is currently the Women’s Head Coach of the Pikesville Panthers in the Maryland High School Class 1A division. This upcoming Saturday his team (24-2), currently ranked 10^th in the state, will be going for their sixth league title, their fifth in a row. His team’s calls it the “Drive for Five.”

They have won 16 out of their last 17 games, including winning twenty games this year by 23 points or more. Since joining the team in 2017, his teams have won more than 85% of their games.

How does he do it? “You know, we need to stay grounded and focused. Grounded and focused,” Dukes said in a recent interview, repeating it for emphasis. “Our mindset is we are going to work harder. We know that people are certainly trying to amp it up and that bull’s-eye on our back is bigger. It’s bigger than ever.”

Knowing Mike, I know that this is already too much talk about him. But I just want him to know that I wish him the best of luck and continued success in the future.

Pursuit

2026-03-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

This week’s blog post is about pressure. And I’m not talking about the songs by Billy Joel and Ari Lennox. I’m talking about pressure on the most critical position on the football field: quarterback. If the recent Super Bowls have proven anything, defense is back in style. More precisely, effective pass rushing. Six of the top ten sack leaders this season were on playoff teams. In fact, the top five teams that led the league in quarterback pressures this past season were playoff teams. The Denver Broncos (who set a record with a 42.9% pressure rate) had only six more than the second-place team, this year’s Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

You don’t even have to sack the quarterback to be effective. You only have to threaten to sack him.

Because I’m a Law & Order guy at heart, I don’t believe in coincidences. Apparently, the league is also catching the vapors. In the mock drafts that I’ve been perusing, the emphasis is on this year’s crop of edge rushers. In speaking at the recent NFL combine, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (who’s team was 22^nd in pressures this season) made it plain: “You want to see someone who has demonstrated speed and initial quickness to beat somebody on the field.”

Here is a quick look at the ones that I will have an eye on in this year's draft:

· David Bailey (Texas Tech): Led the nation in sacks. Also had the fastest time in the 40 yd. dash at his position. Most of the mock drafts I have seen have him in the top three players to be selected overall.

· Rueben Bain (University of Miami): Had 9.5 sacks this past season. Played half of the season against the top 20 teams in the country, including an eight tackle (1 sack) performance in this year’s national championship game.

· Here's a two for one: Arvell Reese (6.5 sacks) and Sonny Styles from Ohio State. Hard to separate the two even though Reese was the edge guy and Styles was the linebacker. What peaked my interest was that the previous year Styles had 100 tackles and six sacks before switching to linebacker.

· My dark horse candidate is Cashius Howell from Texas A&M. He had 11.5 sacks this past season and was clocked running ten yards in 1.58 seconds at the combine. Not a typo. Less than two seconds.

Here’s hoping that your team gets the guy that they want. And always, this is for entertainment purposes only so please, no wagering.

Goals

2026-02-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Regular readers of my blog know that I like “first” stories. In the many years of competing athletically in different sports, it is something to say to be the first of something.

Take Laila Edwards. With the completion of the recent Olympics, she became the first Black American woman to receive a gold medal in hockey. She was a defenseman on this year’s squad that won their third such medal in our country’s history.

Now that I got that out of the way, let me tell you the rest of the story.

She actually started as a figure skater before switching to ice hockey around the age of five. Her love for the game came from her father. When there were no youth hockey teams for girls, she joined the boys’ team. She left her hometown of Cleavland to attend the elite hockey program at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester New York. While there she scored 413 points (147 goals) in 287 games.

She started her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, making the All-Rookie team while helping the Badgers win their seventh national championship. She also made the All-Tournament Team. Two years later, she scored a nation leading 35 goals, helping Wisconsin win their second title in three years. She also won the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award, given annually by USA Hockey to the outstanding American-born female ice hockey player.

Fast forward to this year’s Games in Italy. She scored two goals and six assists in the tournament, including assisting on the game tying goal against Canada that sent that game into overtime enroute to the gold medal game.

Ms. Edwards understood the importance of her achievements. "I am just so honored to be able to inspire anyone, but more specifically girls of color." Edwards said. "It's incredible to break a barrier. For me, it’s always been hockey. But now I understand it’s never just been hockey.”

It never is.

Confession

2026-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

They say that confession is good for the soul. Well, it’s my turn. Going into the second half of the NBA season, I have not seen one complete game this season. Sure, a quarter here, an entire half there. But an entire game from start to finish? Nope.

Why? To quote Tom Hagen from the movie “The Godfather,” “…take this into consideration.”

First, the positive. Today’s players are taking the game athletically to the next level. They play hard and you see the spirit of competing most nights.

But then there are the other nights.

My first beef with the league starts with two words: Load Management. The technical definition is the strategic resting of healthy star players, popularized by teams like the San Antonio Spurs around 2010 to reduce physiological stress, prevent injury, and maximize performance for playoffs. My POV on that is while the treatment and care of players has improved medically, it has to be noted that in the first 62 years the NBA named an MVP, 32 of the recipients logged at least 80 games and only two winners (Bob Cousy in 1956-57 and Bill Walton in 1977-78) appeared in fewer than 90% of his team’s games. In fact, in a study conducted by the league itself, one of the doctor’s that conducted the study (Dr. Christina Mack) indicated that she “did not see a lower injury rate when players rested.”

Between the 1990s to today, the average number of games missed per season by those defined as star players rose considerably. In the ‘90s, it was 10.6 games. In the 2020s, it’s 23.9 games. That’s just under 30% of the league 82 regular season game schedule.

Understand, I am from the era when stars like Michael Jordan played 87% of the possible regular season games for his career. Out of his 15 years in the league, he played all 82 games in nine different seasons. To quote Jordan, …"You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that I felt like the fans were there watching me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his [butt] off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket."

Yet another reason why I like Mike.

My other concern with the league is teams tanking. Simply put, tanking is the practice of teams losing intentionally to ensure a better draft pick. One of the more blatant examples of this occurred in April 2023, when the Mavericks were still mathematically alive for a play-in spot but owed a top-10-protected 2023 first-round pick to the Knicks. Dallas elected to rest Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic against the San Antonio Spurs in its last game. In the previous game against the Chicago Bulls, Irving did not play and Doncic played 12 minutes. The Mavericks lost both games.

I’ll just say two things. The last #1 pick that was on a championship team was Andrew Wiggins, who was the #1 pick by Cleveland in 2014. By the way, he got his ring with Golden State. He wasn’t even a starter on that squad.

And excuse me for being a competitive purist, but to quote Herm Edwards, “…you play to win the game…Hello?” To paraphrase Sam Rothstein from the movie Casino, otherwise, what’s the point?

For me, at the end of the day, it comes down to effective overall roster management, chemistry, coaching, and luck.

In either case, I am ending my unofficial “boycott.” For me, the season has just begun.

Excel

2026-02-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

While this is a sports blog, the essence of it deals with competing. Just line up and do the best you can and see what happens. This blog does not just deal with the literal sense of athletic endeavors. Competing comes in various forms whether physically, mentally, or both.

Take the recent college Excel championships that were held in Las Vegas earlier this month. That’s right, competitive spreadsheeting. This is the third year of the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (MECC), that had to be upgraded from the original location that was held in Tucson because of the demand.

And before you ask, yes there is a professional level to this competition that began in 2021. To quote one of my boyz, while this is not the pros, it is the varsity.

Of this year’s 64 contestants and teams, the winning team members win two grand each while the individual winner pockets five grand. And yes, even one team (University of Tennessee) has an NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal. Their school won the 2024 team title.

Can’t help but think of the Rick Ross song, “Every day, I’m hustling.”

This year’s event didn’t seem any different than a March Madness introduction. The contestants come down through a hype tunnel and do their poses and dances just like the athletes on a big screen. Sponsored on YouTube, it is complete with commentators and fans holding up signs like “Trust Your Cells.”

Some of the cases that the participants try to solve include sorting giant datasets in specific ways to working through a visual puzzle, using Excel to solve 20 Sudoku puzzles at the same time and preventing an animated bird from flying into certain cells of a spreadsheet.

I didn’t even know that birds could be included in a spreadsheet.

To paraphrase the commercial, while these students will not be known for their notoriety, they will be All-Stars in things other than sports.

Memorial

2026-02-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Shock. Disbelief. Stunning.

The Washington Post, the newspaper and one of my media sources for DC (as well as world) news, announced this week that they are eliminating the Sports department in its entirety. Not cutting back. Not just making layoffs. Eliminating totally.

Not to sound corny, but I literally grew up with the Post. From the Washington Bullets heydays of the 70’s to the Washington Redskins dynasty years of the 80’s to their great Olympic coverage and investigative reporting, the Post was it for me in general and for sports in particular. I didn’t realize at the time, but I think the Post planted the seeds in my future development.

I think that it was working in the background of my mind by the time I got to college. I ended up majoring (and getting) my degree in Mass Communications. While there, I worked for the school newspaper, earning the position of Assistant Sports Editor. I was the “beat” guy for both the major school sports such as football and basketball as well as covering sports such as women’s field hockey and lacrosse. I then expanded my range with various internships with local TV and radio stations as well as eventually having my own weekly jazz radio show.

To paraphrase one of my favorite comics, “I’m not looking for no applause, I’m trying to tell you a story.”

Why didn’t I try to go farther with it? Well, when it came time to decide whether to be a starving intern working for nothing or a paying job, to quote Randy Moss, straight cash homie.

I didn’t have any big dreams to be a big-time media guy. I just thought it was something cool to do while I was trying to figure things out.

I think that the Post remnants are still in my head. July 2^nd will mark the 16^th year (what?) since my first blog post. While it’s been an on and off thing during that time, I still like doing it. Unlike one of my favorite all-time players, Allen Iverson, I am talking about practice.

Competing

2026-01-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Part of my DNA as a person comes from my desire to compete. While I’m not fanatical when it comes to winning, I do like to win. I mean, who doesn’t? Whether it’s in my small competitive world ranging from winning flag football championships in my previous life as a collegiate intramural athlete to winning fantasy football championships now, I enjoy winning as much as the next guy. One of my personal favorite sayings is that you never get tired of winning championships.

What I take from winning in general is that I won fair and square. I didn’t cheat. I still hear the ringing in my ears decades later from the voice of one of my Boy’s Club baseball coaches who always asked me, “Did you do the best you could today?”

My point is that you want to answer that question on a level playing field. Just roll the ball out there and wait for it…compete. With the players, do the best you can and with the coaches coach the best you can.

Within the rules.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. As a coach, he won eight championships, including six as a head coach. Heck, he won more championships than the coach who the league trophy is named after. No doubt or debate. Hall of Fame coach.

If you acknowledge all of that, you also have to acknowledge Spygate.

Spygate wasn’t just a misinterpretation of the rules. It was a controversy that brought into question the integrity of the game. It is here that I must mention videotaping opposing teams is not illegal in general; there are just designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping.

In the case of Spygate, those rules were simply not good enough.

I must say that I am not singling him out other than to say that he was caught. I am not that naive to think that he was only one doing this. There is no bias against his team (my team has actually won seven of twelve games against him for his career). No beef with him or his team at all.

While I could say so much more about this, for me, for Belichick not getting in on the first ballot is not that big of a deal. It’s a small price to pay.

1%

2026-01-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

At this time in my life, I’ve decided to make a relatively new change in my life. After 18 years with the same company, I was forced out. Now understand, I get business decisions and I’m not looking for any sympathy. As my older brother always used to tell me, that’s life.

It still started a floundering process for me. I admit, I was resentful. I could see if I was I guy that came to work late regularly, wasn’t a team player or a rebel rouser in general. I wasn’t. I kept my nose clean, stayed out of trouble and wanted nothing more than success for my organization and my teammates. The way it ended for me there did make me feel a certain way.

But again, that’s life.

I say all of this to just to give you background and color to this moment. Still, now what?

Vince Lombardi was of the most successful coaches in NFL history. He won five championships (including the first two Super Bowls), won almost three of four games for his career and only lost one playoff game. The league trophy is called the Lombardi trophy. Some of his more memorable quotes are:

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

“Winners never quit and quitters never win”

The one quote attributed to him that I have taken closer to heart is related to the speech he gave his team, the Green Bay Packers, when he took over the head coaching job. The previous year the Packers won just one of twelve games. The story goes that he walked into room and told the players:

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we will catch excellence.”

The following year, the Packers won the Western Conference.

To use the poker vernacular, I’m going all in. What does that mean? I don’t know. While I understand that’s confusing, I don’t know. Again, confusing. I’m going to work on improving myself to be the best I can be. In whatever that is. Whatever it is will include a have sports (or competitive) slant to it. With myself . After all, this is a sports blog isn’t it?

Here’s the risk. As the new jacks say, I’m putting myself “on blast”. While at the end of the day you are accountable to yourself, I want you to be partners with me on this. Again, I’ll let this lie like this and go forward.

Again, I don’t know. But I do know this: enough of this floundering.

Time

2025-07-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

While I enjoy sports as much as the next person, there are times during the year when I go through a recharging period. The NBA playoffs have ended, and NFL camps have not officially started. For me, mini camps and OTA’s don’t count. While the baseball junkie in me keeps my adrenaline going, it’s not the same for a sport that has passed the midpoint of its season.

Well, the recharging period is over. Rookies have reported to NFL camps and the second half of the baseball season has begun. The grind is back.

The grind is back for me for so many reasons on so many different levels. While I grew up with a love of Baseball, I believe the pigskin has replaced it as my current #1 love. It may tie in with my fanatical love with fantasy football, which has been well documented on my blog.

While I would usually love to blog with you more extensively, like I said, it’s time.

We’ll talk.

Fathers

2025-06-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

When it comes to DC sports teams, I am an unabashed homer. From the Nationals baseball team to the Washington Kastles tennis team, I root for the home team. This includes the Commanders football team, despite the name.

While today’s blog is about championship football, it’s not what you think. I am celebrating the DC Defenders winning the United Football League championship. This league, which was created following the merger of the latest incarnations of the XFL and United States Football League (USFL), started play in March 2024. Notable league owners include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In their 58-34 win over the Michigan Panthers, the Defenders were led by game MVP Jordan Ta’amu, who was on the Washington Football Team practice squad back in 2021. He went 21 for 28 for 390 yards and four TDs.

It is the first professional championship team for the District since the Washington Spirit won the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) title in 2021.

Before you trivialize these championships, think about the blood and sweat these players provided in their search of competition and achievement. I have a personal saying from my fantasy football life which says you never get tired of winning championships.

In wishing a happy Father’s Day to the dad’s (both in blood and by example), I feel the need to again talk about my own father/son dynamic. In my relationship with my father, it wasn’t the best. I always say that I didn’t know how to be a son to him just as much as didn’t know how to be a father to me…emotionally. But you need to know that there was always food on the table, clothes on my back and he gave me the opportunity for success by helping me earn a quality high school Jesuit education as well as helping me earn my college degree. I also suspect that I got the ‘work ethic’ gene from him that pushes me to try to improve myself to this day. Growing up, there were many times that by the time I got up for school, he had already left for his construction job.

I still wish he had come to just one of my games.

Still, when my father fell ill, my paternal instincts kicked in and I tried to be there for him. We came together at the end the best we could. He passed the day after Father’s Day.

What am I saying? Find time to support your kids when they compete. Whether it’s the field hockey game or spelling bee, you could be surprised the heights they can reach when they feel that someone believes in them.

Shoes

2025-06-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

The other shoe has fallen.

In a ruling made by judge Claudia Wilken, the court agreed with Arizona State swimmer Grant House who argued that there should not be any restrictions on revenue sharing between student athletes and colleges. In other words, schools can directly pay student athletes to play sports at their universities. Or as Hall-of-Famer Randy Moss put it, “straight cash homie.”

No more cloak and dagger under the trench coat, no show jobs, and workarounds of that nature. While there is an initial “salary cap” of 20.5 million that schools will have to work with (that will increase in subsequent years), the phrase “play for pay” will go to a much higher level.

And by the way, let us not cry a river for these “big” schools that will get the lion’s share of these top players. The top five athletic programs (Ohio St., University of Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Bama) have a combined valuation of almost six billion dollars. Thirteen other schools have valuations above $900 million.

They can afford it.

I’m happy for the student athletes. Aside from the opportunity to get a first-class education, they also will have a great financial head start to start from.

As for the other side of the coin, I have discussed that in previous blog posts. Just type in NCAA in the search box for my previous points of view.

I’m just happy that the student athletes can now eat at the grown folks table when it’s time to feast.

Now

2025-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn’t wait.

Usually, as the Commissioner of two (now three) fantasy football leagues, I generally don’t open my league offices until the start of training camp.

Not this year.

This blog signifies the opening of my 30^th year of my fantasy football experience. And in case you’re wondering, things have not changed in terms of my passion for the game.

While my overall passion has not waned, I don’t consider myself your typical junkie. I am as intense as Kobe watching tape when I get started, usually from July to December. But at the end of the season, I totally shut it down. I don’t listen to podcasts, read magazines, or watch YouTube shows. I just stop cold turkey.

This year, however, is different. Maybe it’s because I was appointed the Commissioner of one of the leagues that I have been in for more than ten years and it has a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the competitive nature in myself that I have always had. Maybe I just didn’t want to wait, period.

Whatever the reason, I’m in…earlier than usual. I’m not trying to figure out the who or why. I’m just ready like Kano.

Winning

2023-07-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the Netflix special about NBA icon Bill Russell. Despite all the things I didn't know about him that I thought I knew, one of the things that I didn't know was that while K.C. Jones was a teammate of his during his pro career with the Boston Celtics, he was also his teammate (and roommate) during his college career at the University of San Francisco.

For me, sometimes it's the little things.

Aside from his civil rights "career" that I also learned about him, another thing that I learned was his passion for winning. I know, easy to say for a guy that won a combined 16 championships at the collegiate, Olympic and professional level during his career.

This caused me to reflect on my own perspective on the concept. While I choose to be on the "half - full" equation of the concept, there are others who are on the other side. To be clear, I have no stones to throw at them. The phrase "point of view" comes to mind.

In fact, they have somewhat of a point. In my life career record, while none of the championships that I have won will not even come close to any of the big record books, they did help me develop as a person. While my ego (or lack of one) prevents me to note some of my accomplishments, what I will say is I’m sure that I have not won most of the time. I understand what greats like Mike and Kobe said when they did not make the game winning shot.

But what I do get from winning (or lack thereof) is my spirit of competing. Whether on or off the sporting field, it helps to bring out the best in me. To paraphrase Sam Rothstein from the movie Casino, “When you’re in a competition, you are trying to win. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Preparation

2022-08-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

As I start my 27th year of fantasy football competition, I'm always looking for an edge. Some experts say to have a successful season, a third of the formula is having a successful draft. While you don't necessary win your championship on draft day, you can defiantly lose it by having a poor one. So, it is worth it to put in the work off the top for a better chance at success.

In recent years, one of the more prevalent strategies that is used is the drafting of a solid and reliable running back in the first round. Getting one of these guys can give you stability and help to get your team off to a good start on game day.

It's here where I say that I don't claim to be the all-knowing expert. But I have won my share of championships and compete every year.

So, what are some characteristics in the more successful running backs? Here's a few:

This past year, running backs that had more than 350 touches finished as a top 5 back. Even if that number is reduced to 320 touches, that back still finished in the top 12.

In the last nine years, the RB1 backs, were 25 or younger. In the past five years, the top six backs were 26 or younger.

These numbers are based on standard scoring in most leagues. Here are my league's top 5 from last year (NFL.com):

1- Jonathan Taylor

2- Austin Ekeler

3- Najee Harris

4 - Joe Mixon

5 - James Connor

Just something to think about.

Spring Cleaning

2021-04-04T12:04:00.002-07:00

COVID. Generally one word names are positive. Prince. Madonna. Serena. COVID, not so much. The sports world has not been exempted from the loop that we have all been knocked for this past year. But as we start this upcoming spring, there are some things to look forward to regarding our local sports teams.

The Washington Nationals, two years removed from a championship, are picked second by the pundits behind the Atlanta Braves for the division title. This year's fresh face is free agent signee Josh Bell. Bell is entering his age 28 season coming off a 37 HR 116 RBI season two years earlier. He adds some pop to a solid lineup that includes MVP candidate Juan Soto, who had 34/110 in his last full season himself in 2019. For us to have a successful season, it still will have to come from our starting pitching featuring Stephen Strasburg (18-6 in 2019) and our most "intense" thrower Max Scherzer.

When I look at the Washington Capitals, I go to my personal checklist for seasonal success. Do they have the superstar? Future Hall-of-Famer Alex Ovechkin's 18 goals is seventh in the league. Check. Do they have a enforcer who protects their stars? Can you say Tom Wilson, who is just outside the top ten in fighting major penalties. Like I said, my checklist. Vitek Vanecek is in the top five among goaltenders. I smell another playoff run in the making.

As for the Wizards, I've become more of a Russell Westbrook fan and I hope Bradley Beal gives us one more year for us to get our act together.

That's all I got.

I just hope I'm able to venture out and enjoy my teams safely later this year.

Goals

2020-10-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Achievement and greatness come in many forms. You never know where the next champion will come from.

I had just finished getting my fantasy football fix when the next program involving weightlifting came on. I paused because besides being a sports guy in general, I really enjoy individual achievement. As one of my boyz says, this is the varsity.

I was even more intrigued when I discovered that the first event involved women. I would just have to miss the kickoff of today’s football games.

In the dead lift competition, what you must do is lift the designated weight off the ground initially and then lift it above your head and hold it for a designated period. But you got to hear the story first.

Andrea Thompson from Briton was a twenty something back in 2013 who stated in an interview that she could not even walk up a flight of stairs before getting short of breath. Later that year, her sister asked her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. Wanting to get in shape for the wedding, the two signed up for Cross Fit sessions. By the time of her sister’s wedding in July of next year, she had dropped from a size 20 to a size 14. From there, she signed up with a personal training for twice weekly sessions. Within a year, she was competing in strongest women competitions. She won that competition in 2018.

Trick footage withstanding, I saw her in a 2016 YouTube video pulling a truck.

Fast forward to 2020. Ms. Thompson set her third world record this year by successfully deadlifting 280kg. That’s 616 pounds. She even improved on her record by then lifting 290kg (636 pounds).

And I saw her do that with my own eyes.

To paraphrase Jaime Foxx from the movie “Ray”, “You know what I like individual achievements? The stories, man…”

Soldier

2020-10-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

I talk all the time about how this is a sports blog. I try to use this as a tool for educating as well as an escape from the day to day things called life. You never know how sports can be part of American life and history. While Jim Brown is considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, he is also considered one of the greatest lacrosse players in collegiate history while at Syracuse. The entertainer Prince played junior varsity basketball as a freshman while in high school. His coach at the time said he was an excellent player for his size (5’ 2”).

You know the rest of that story.

And then there is the story of Doris Miller. A native of Waco Texas, Miller played fullback in high school. A month before his 20^th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He earned a promotion to Mess Attendant Second Class. The significance of this is that this position was one of the few ratings open at the time to black sailors. In 1940, he was transferred to the battleship West Virginia where he became the ship’s heavyweight boxing champion.

On December 7^th, 1941, his ship came under heavy fire from the infamous attack. During the attack, Miller helped to save the life of his superior officer, attacked the enemy by using anti-aircraft machine guns (even though he had never used one before) and according to the actual ship’s Action Report, “unquestionably saving the lives of a number of people who might otherwise have been lost.”

Miller was presented with the Navy Cross, at the time the third-highest Navy award for gallantry during combat, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. The citation reads as follows:

For distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. While at the side of his Captain on the bridge, Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of a serious fire, assisted in moving his Captain, who had been mortally wounded, to a place of greater safety, and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge.

The Navy will be creating a new supercarrier that will be called the USS Dorie Miller. It will be the first supercarrier named for an enlisted sailor and the first to be named after an African American. Dr. Regina Akers, a historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command summed it up best:

"Despite the fact that he was denied certain basic constitutional rights because of the racism in our society at the time, Dorie didn't let that deter him," she said. "It didn't lessen his patriotism, his love for country, his determination to serve and to give the Navy his very best, and that says a lot."

It sure does.

Obsession

2020-09-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

One of my best memories was going to the ballpark to watch baseball games. I always made it a point to carry my glove in the hope of catching either a home run or foul ball. While I always had my hopes, I never got the opportunity. Still, it is a rite of passage for all baseball lovers.

While I took my glove for sentimental reasons and dreams, you also have people like Zack Hample.

Hample, a self-described native New Yorker, has turned it into a business/obsession. According to his website, he has collected more than 11,000 baseballs in his tour of more than 58 different major league baseball stadiums. Some of his more famous collected baseballs include Mike Trout’s first career home run and Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000^th hit.

As for the business side, he has a YouTube channel, deals with corporate sponsors, is the author of three books and has a business in which he takes people to baseball games with the guarantee of, wait for it, catching at least one baseball.

And don’t forget the t-shirts.

Now for the other side. His methods for getting baseballs have come under controversy. While my descriptions wouldn’t do it justice, let’s just say they have been on the more aggressive side. This behavior involves young kids. Back in 2016, he attended a game that was the first sports game played on a military base. The problem was that the game was only for Department of Defense personnel only. This did not sit well with the numbers of veterans that were in attendance. He tried to make things right by making a $100 donation to the America Veterans association for each ball he caught that night ($1,100).

He still kept one ball for his self.

On the face of it, the word obsession has a negative connotation. In the case of Zack Hample, I cannot hate the player or the game.

Underdog

2020-09-19T18:48:00.003-07:00

I almost always root for the underdog. It comes from people not believing in the power of the human spirit. It doesn’t always happen, but it happens enough to make me believe. Ask Mike Tyson about taking their opponents lightly.

The latest case in point are the Denver Nuggets. They are in the NBA Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by their version of Batman and Robin, Lebron James and Anthony Davis. This duo are the first teammates to both make first team All-NBA in the same year in 13 years.

The Nuggets were 2,000-to-one pre-season favorites to win the title. For non-gamblers, that means that for every $100 you wager, you would win two grand. The Nuggets are eight wins from winning that bet. These guys are led by two foreign born players: Canadian born Jamal Murray, who is averaging a solid 24 points per game (including shooting almost 50% from three point range) this playoff and Serbian born Nikola Jokic better known as “The Joker”. He is averaging 25 points per game himself.

This year’s Denver team is the first team to overcome two 3-1 deficits in route to their first conference finals appearance since 2009. They are one of eight NBA teams that have yet to win a league title.

The Lakers were the second team most likely to win the title, getting 450-to-1 odds. The preseason favorite was the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that Denver beat to get to the finals.

The Lakers came out strong taking Game 1 convincingly. Game 2 will say a lot. But remember, even if they lose, Denver has been there before.