Worst Redskin Jerseys Ever

We had no idea how hard this was going to be. I thought we'd get a bunch of good ideas and rank them, but there has been endless debate about this list amongst the DCLS writers. This will be the first in a series of worst jerseys for all of our beloved professional DC-area teams (yes, the Nats are included despite their lack of belovedness). We are also considering a 'best jerseys', but first things first. So here is the criteria:

The jersey must be one that would make fellow fans either:

1. Angry
2. Disgusted
3. Think the guy wearing the jersey is an idiot

Please note that any jerseys that are funny bad are not included. Without further adieu, our bottom 10 in reverse order (least terrible to most terrible):

10. Danny Wuerffel #17 - Was anyone really on this bandwagon?

9. Shane Matthews #6 - This was actually a worse bandwagon.

8. Jeff George #3 - I am actually scared to write this because he wants to come back and the Skins want a new qb so lets just move on......

7. Deion Sanders #21 - Primetime has come to symbolize all the extravagant and failed free agent signings of the Snyder era.

6. Jeremiah Trotter #54 - See Sanders, Deion.

5. Michael Westbrook #82 - I think he really has a bright future due to his athleticism.......oh wait, that's his MMA career.

4. Jason Taylor #55 - Only in traditional colors, as a pink one would be funny.

3. Brandon Lloyd #85 - I actually think he is worse than Archuletta as on top of his significant contract, we traded for him! Not for a bag of footballs either, but 3rd and 4th round picks! I think my eyes are bleeding.

2. Adam Archuleta #40- It pains me to even type this name. The Skins get too much shit for their free agent signings, which haven't been all-bad, but this was an absolute disaster. If we hadn't been able to trade him, this may have been the worst signing in team history. The picture above actually makes me naseous. Now a #40 "PUNT PROTECTOR" jersey might make our list of best jerseys.

1. Mark Sanchez #6 - Really? I know it's rare, but I know one dweebus who's name rhymes with shman shnyder who jerks off into one each night. This jersey is symbolic of the Cerrato/Snyder brain freeze, anyone who supported this move is an idiot.

Also considered (excluded mostly because they are funny bad):

• Heath Shuler #5
• Albert Connell #83 (Just a little too funny for me, but if you see his jersey somewhere, it's probably a steal..........................i'll be here all night)
• Desmond Howard #80
• Tony Banks #12
• Ricky Williams #1 (yeah, that Ricky Williams, the one we basically traded for a future #1, which eventually became Lavar, who became nothing)
• Gus Frerotte #12

Let the argument continue! Anyone we missed or who doesn't belong? While you think about it I am going to go pour some boiling water down my throat to clear out the puke.

(Image courtesy of WashingtonPost.com)

The Wizard XXX Factor Is.......

We already bashed the Wizards' offseason moves, but the roster is close to being set so it's high time for some analysis. Everyone is talking about Arenas's rebound and the fit of Mike Miller as the determining factors in this team's success, but the DCLS has a different guy pinned.

Nick Young?!..........that's right, Nick Young! Amidst the mass of all-offense/no-defense (apologies to Brendan Haywood) I see a guy who generally fits that mold, but has the athleticism and upside to fill the perimeter stopper role that has been void in our lineup for several years. Conveniently disregarding a ton of variables, Young allowed the 2nd fewest ppg by his opponent last season and, more importantly, had the lowest team defensive ppg on the Wiz. I am not saying he is an elite defender, but there are some statistical signs to go with the physical/scouting evidence. He also has a sweet mohawk and a personality that is easy to support.

The Wiz have put a giant roadblock in front of him in the form of Mike Miller, but I think Young can step-up and take that position. As Matt Wilson (the bully) in the incredibly rewatchable Encino Man says, "Some of us pump, and some of us slump. (what?)" Young is at a turning point in his career and needs to "pump"; the Wiz season may hinge on it.

Say it with me now............Nick Young!

WAPO Joins the Crowd

Not sure how many of you caught this, but the WAPO ran a 1-page piece today on DCLS favorites Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta. I can't find a link online, but take my word that they are now following ESPN.com, who followed us. Yeah, that's right.

In other news, Matusz was pulled after 1 inning from his last double-A start, not because he was pitching poorly, but rather to save him for what should be his first major league start on Tuesday night.

To recap, the cavalry is arriving, Wieters is heating up, the DCLS rules, and hell is a frosty 32 degrees.

(Photo courtesy of the Washington Post)

Monthly Forecast: July '09 [Revisited]

How'd we do this month?

• Manny Acta will lose his job. Yes, I will predict this until he gets fired. Correct!
  

• The Nats will add at least one more fail to this impressive list. Correct! And Correct again!

• George McPhee will trade for an affordable role player. Incorrect, although he did sign one in Brendan Morrison.

• John Carlson will dominate Capitals' rookie camp (July 11-18). Correct!

• Andray Blatche and Nick Young will absolutely crush the Vegas Summer League...Correct! (Young: 23.8 ppg; Blatche: 19.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg).
  

• ...on and off the court. Inconclusive...for now.

• Ted Leonsis will blog about successful business practices while not-so-subtly plugging one of his own projects. Inconclusive.

• Matt Wieters will surpass Nolan Reimold and Brad Bergesen as the AL Rookie of the Year favorite. Incorrect, but he's heating up. Jinxed. Uh oh.

• O's manager William Shatner Dave Trembley will appear in several priceline.com commercials. Correct!

• Some moron will suggest that the Redskins are capable of winning the Super Bowl. Correct!

• That moron will be a DCLS writer. Correct! I'm sayin' it now, punks.

July: 7-2-2
Overall: 13-7-3

Here Comes Gandalf (Chris Tillman) To Save The Day!

Tonight the Orioles' #1 starting pitching prospect Chris Tillman debuts against the Royals. He joins fellow rookie starters Brad Bergesen, David Hernandez, and Jason Berken in the rotation hopefully through the end of this season and beyond. Like Gandalf, he will lead the charge that will eventually wipe out the evil armies of the AL East with some nasty curveballs and 94 MPH heat.

Here are his AAA stats:

18 games started, 8-6 (W-L), 2.70 ERA, 96.2 IP (5.1 Innings/start), 99 Ks, 22 BBs, 1.15 WHIP.

Erik Bedard Erik Shmedard. Gimme Tillman, Jones and George Sherill any day. Hail MacPhail!

Shocking, Stunning, Unpredictable Development: Vick-to-'Skins is Rumour Du Jour

The day Mike Vick was connected to dog-fighting was the day he became a Redskin's acquisition target. Let's face it: a tantalizing talent and merchandise mover of Vick's caliber was born to play for Dan Snyder's fantasy football playteam, and few other owners out there are as star horny as DannyBoy, who probably has "there's no such thing as bad publicity" tattooed across his forehead, right underneath his "Vinny's Lips Go Here" tattoo.

Everyone and their mother with internet access and a twitter account is providing beef for the "VICK WILL BE A REDSKIN!! AGAGGAHHHH!" rumor fodder today. Tanner Cooley saw Vick in Ashburn. Mike Fiorio of Pro Football Talk is hearing that a deal is close, sort of. 106.7 The Fan's Redskins' beat reporter Chris Russell saw Vick's rep in Ashburn and is pretty confident it's happening.

Back in May, we provided six reasons why Vick to the 'Skins would be a good idea. If he is bought on the cheap and for a one year deal, we thought it'd be worth giving him a look at wide receiver. But the idea here seems to be to phase him in at quarterback and see if he's ready to compete for the full-time gig starting next season, assuming Campbell isn't the guy. And assuming Campbell isn't the guy has been the front office's M.O. from Day 1 this offseason, so it's easy to see right through Snyderrato's pea-brained plans here.

And if this is in fact the case, to keep him at QB, we cannot endorse this move. He's too far removed from his years as an overrated QB for there to be hope he can develop into a championship one. To take this risk at the expense of your current starter and his budding relationship with your head coach is nothing short of season sabatoge. That's like slowly phasing Ari out of "Entourage" and replacing him with Al Pacino. Pacino's day is done, and you're gonna kill the chemistry between the show's two most compelling characters at this point (Ari and Lloyd). Stupid. If you want to give Pacino a small recurring role though, say, at slot receiver, until he finds his comfort zone and smaller contributing role, that's another story.

[Image via Bleacher Fan]

Cool Video

Wizards Sign C Fabricio Oberto

He's won a gold medal. He's won an NBA championship. He's officially the biggest winner on the Wizards. For that, we'll take him at the biannual exception. Whatever.

Mike Wise on Sports Towns: "I'd Take DC Over L.A., Miami, Seattle, Denver and yes, Dallas"

New 106.7 The Fan radio host and super tall Washington Post columnist Mike Wise answered a few questions at Mr. Irrelevant today about his new gig. He's excited, nervous, hopeful, blah blah etc. The most interesting part, to me, came in his assessment of DC as a sports town:

"The idea that D.C. is a lousy sports town is what I’ve heard since I got to town five years ago. Measured against the passion of Philly, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York or Chicago, yeah, I agree. Beyond the football team, it doesn’t have as many zealots or characters or crackling passion for the games and the people that play them as those cities. I would still take D.C. over L.A., Miami, Seattle, Denver and, yes, Dallas."

I've lived in DC, Denver, Philly and New York. I've seen "zealots", "characters," "crackling passion" at pro and college games in each city, listened to local radio, watched local TV, followed local sports coverage in all of these places. And I can say with unequivocal honesty that ranking sports cities based on fan "passion" is complete and utter baloney.

I might be alone on this. It just irks me when I hear DC called a "bandwagon" sports town, and then as soon as the Knicks drop below .500 in New York it's like they don't exist. I get steamed when DC fans are labeled "average," meanwhile the Philadelphia airwaves are filled with people lambasting their players 24/7. No one in New York City gives a hoot about the Rangers anymore; most bartenders at sports bars never knew a Rangers game was on. In Manhattan. During the playoffs.

The strength of a city's fanbase comes down to three basic things in my view: 1.) winning; 2.) heritage; 3.) The Star. One of the three, and any city can go bonkers for its team. Take it all away, and a place like Chicago can become a sports siberia. Just look at the Blackhawks. They lost their stars in 1995, they started to lose, and they fell off the face of the earth. Now they're good again, have the stars again, and Chicagoans are pretending they were there all along. But no one's calling them bandwagon fans. Huh.

Most of the fanbases Wise puts ahead of DC also are blessed with heritage that comes from having been around for so damn long. Throughout the 20th century, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago were vibrant cities with blue collar people. Sports were affordable and a subway ride away at most. The teams became embedded in the culture and civic identities were formed around what felt like the neighborhood squad. Having been around so long, with so few other teams in each league, also brought multiple championships and multiple generations of followers. Fandom in those cities is passed down from father to son pretty easily.

That's just impossible to have in an expansion city - meanwhile those very same places, especially in the South - go buckwild rabid for their college teams. Because there's heritage there. DC has had one team around more than 35 years: the Redskins. And you see the passion there. You think that's a coincidence?

Passionate Pittsburgh fans displaying their loyalty at a Pirates game. Image via Fedje Baseball Tour.

Here's the bottom line: every city has great sports fans, zealots, characters, and every city has fickle, fair-weather morons. How many there are is mostly tied to heritage, and how passionate they are at any given time depends on how successful they are currently or whether the star player is still around (see Iverson, Ripken Jr., Sakic). And a lot of it is just plain luck. Wilbon lauds Pittsburgh fans like his morning jelly doughnut, meanwhile the Pirates have been awful and no one has been going to their games for like 18 years, even with their shiny new stadium.

Give it 20 more years. Let Ovechkin have a few victory parades, the Zorn Star to deliver a Super Bowl or two, the Nats to win more than 90 games, and the Wizards to shed The Curse 'O Lez Boulez just once, and DC will be an orgy of sports passion. It will happen. And I can't wait.

Happy Trails, Brent Johnson

Yesterday, George McPhee said what most of us already knew: Brent Johnson would not be a member of the Washington Capitals in 2009. Today, it became official: Johnson is a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins after signing a one-year deal.

Former Capitals goalie Brent Johnson.

Brought in before the 2005 season, Johnson suffered through the first two post-lockout seasons as Olaf Kolzig's back-up, weathering the rebuild years with professionalism and class, playing behind a shaky defense that boasted names like Bryan Muir, Jamie Heward and Mathieu Biron. Then, at the height of the team's sprint to the playoffs in 2008, Johnson was essentially put on hold; the team's acquisition of Cristobal Huet made Johnny a press-box fixture from early March through the end of the season.

In 2008, Johnson was back in his normal backup role, this time behind the newly-acquired Jose Theodore. It didn't take very long for Johnny to make a strong push for the team's No. 1 slot, going 8-5-0 before suffering a hip injury during a Nov. 12 game at Carolina. Injuries have never been kind to Mr. Johnson.

Johnson's final record as a Washington Capital: 34-41-12. Hardly the stuff of legends. However, he was a fan favorite because of his steady demeanor and underdog status. He helped guide the team through several dark winters and, despite the obvious fact that there was no longer room for him on a team with Simeon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth waiting in the wings, he badly wanted to play for this team.

Quality teammate, quality person and, with decent health, a quality backup on a quality team: three cheers for Johnny on the Spot.

But now that he's a Penguin, let us never speak his name again.

[Getty Images via NHL.com]