By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Don’t look now, but Washington has a contender for the crown, a
challenger for the title of NFL’s most dysfunctional organization.
Have you considered the New York Jets? Their fans must view the Redskins
as also-rans when it comes to incompetent management. (Yes, the Jets have five seasons
with 10-or-more wins since 2000, compared to only a couple for the ‘Skins, but let’s
play along anyway.)
Owner Dan Snyder and team president Bruce Allen have created a unique strain
of suffering among the fan base, but they’ve been one-upped by Jets’
administrators recently. Hard to believe, but New York has done some things even
Washington might not pull off.
For instance, we know left tackle Trent Williams has trust issues with
the ‘Skins’ medical staff. His lack of faith and confidence in their ability reportedly
was part of the reason he held out this season. At least one player suggested that
Williams isn’t alone in his feelings toward the medical staff.
Jets management looked at that situation and said, “hold our beer.”
Former Pro Bowl guard Kelechi Osemele, who sustained a torn labrum earlier
this season, told New York the pain was unbearable and he needed surgery right
away. But the Jets deemed the injury tolerable, something he could play through
with the help of pain killers and delay surgery until the offseason. The team began
issuing weekly fines equal to his game check ($579,000) because he wasn’t
practicing, labeling his unavailability as “conduct detrimental to the team.”
On Friday, after informing the Jets of his intentions but not receiving their
blessing, Osemele flew to Boston and underwent the operation. ESPN’s Adam
Schefter reported that the surgery was successful and the damage to Osemele’s
shoulder was “more extensive than anticipated.”
On Saturday, the Jets released him,
The Associated Press, citing a person with direct knowledge of the
situation, said Osemele was cut for an “unexcused absence” and having unauthorized
surgery.
So much for caring about their players, huh?
“Obviously not an ideal situation for either party,” Jets general
manager Joe Douglas told reporters Tuesday in his first public remarks since
the transaction. “We felt we did what was best for the team. The one thing I
will clarify: The safety and well-being of all of our players is paramount.”
That comment should’ve been followed by a rim shot and laugh track.
The Jets’ paramount concern was keeping Osemele on the field, not making
sure he was healthy. The player told reporters he received treatment and
anti-inflammatory drugs early in the season, but the effectiveness had worn off
and he struggled to raise his arm.
“A
lot of guys play through injuries,” he said last week before his surgery. “But
once it stops working and it doesn’t do anything for you anymore, then you’re
at the point of, ‘What do I do now?’ Do I take Vicodin? Where is the line? How
much should a player play through pain? Am I just supposed to be in pain and
miserable every day?”
To which the Jets would counter, “Suck it up.”
Williams’ ordeal with the ‘Skins is just another reason prospective free
agents might think twice about relocating to Ashburn. I imagine New York’s treatment
of Osemele is even more off-putting. The Jets – already a low-rent brand before
this debacle – look worse than ever to NFL players contemplating career moves.
After all, what organization lets a general manager run the draft and
spend more than $125 million on free agents, only to fire him prior to the
season and replace him with a new general manager, the fourth in eight years?
J-E-T-S, Mess, Mess, Mess!
Still don’t think they’re worthy contenders to the ‘Skins throne?
Osemele told reporters last week that Douglass admitted sending doctors blank
MRIs of the injured player’s shoulder, with the GM calling the mishap “an
honest mistake.” That same day, Adam Gase confirmed that he hadn’t talked to
Osemele in weeks. “He hasn’t asked to speak to me,” the coach said.
That’s some first-rate dysfunction right there, even by Washington’s high
standards.
Osemele’s agents and the NFL Players Association are considering legal
action against the Jets’ team doctors for violation state medical board regulations.
The player also has filed a grievance against the team.
“They owe him the balance of his contract both under the standard injury
guarantee provision of the player contract and under termination pay,” agent
Andrew Kessler said in a statement. “We will pursue through that and all fines
to be rescinded through grievances.”
It would be great if fans could file grievances, too. Folks in this area
can’t always tell from here, but they’re not alone.
They have green-and-white company at the bottom.
— Brooklyn-born and Howard-educated, Deron Snyder writes his award-winning
column for The Washington Times on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. Follow him on Twitter @DeronSnyder.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Mathematical psychologist Anatol Rapoport, a founder of general systems theory, once used an amusing baseball anecdote to illustrate knowledge certainty.
One umpire said, “Some is strikes and some is balls, and I calls them as they is.” Another umpire said, “Some is strikes and some is balls, and I calls them as I sees them. The third umpire, whom Rapoport labeled the wisest, said “Some is strikes and some is balls, but they ain’t nothing till I calls them.”
The latter ump is hilarious and I’d love to hear his stand-up routine.
Technically, he’s absolutely correct: Pitches are nothing until he says so.
But folks make their own ruling before he opens his mouth. And his
pronouncement never changes opposing points of view, especially when
replays confirm his erroneous verdicts.
Presented with pitch graphs from Game 5 of the World Series, I’m sure
home plate umpire Lance Barksdale would admit what millions of us already know
– he blew several ball-strike calls that played a role in Houston’s 7-1 victory
against Washington. While no performance behind the plate is likely to top Eric
Gregg’s legendary malpractice in Game 5 of the 1997 National League Championship
Series, Barksdale merits Dishonorable Mention based on the severity and the
stakes.
Unlike Gregg – whose Dade County-sized zone seemed to favor Florida’s
Livan Hernandez (15 strikeouts) compared to Atlanta’s Greg Maddux (nine) –
Barksdale was an equal-opportunity offender Sunday.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The Houston Astros didn’t look much like themselves in dropping two
World Series games at home. So they resembled the Washington Nationals a bit in
Game 3.
During his interview session on Thursday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch remarked on the Nationals’ outburst in Game 2, noting that some hits “were pretty low contact, low velocity.” He didn’t mention the shaky fielding defense that Washington capitalized on, but we all saw it. A bobble here and an errant throw there, all of which helped put Houston in an 0-2 Series hole.
But on Friday, the Astros were the recipients of good fortune and the punishers
of bad mistakes, slowly building a lead and holding on for a 4-1 victory at frenetic
Nationals Park.
Houston quickly made it clear that Washington starter Anibal Sanchez
would not reprise his last outing – a no-hitter through seven innings against St.
Louis in the National League Championship Series. Center fielder George
Springer led off with an infield single, a ball that Sanchez tried and failed
to field cleanly.
No damage came as a result, but the Astros used a line drive and bloop
single to score a run in the second. Thus a pattern was established, death by a
thousand cuts and a string of lone runs.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Houston has been lauded for its acumen
in analytics, its ability to gather and dissect data in determining the best
moves – on and off the field. The Astros’ new-school approach, once
revolutionary, nowadays is commonplace in major-league front offices, largely
run by Ivy League grads with degrees in business and finance.
But for all of the organization’s smarts
in crunching numbers, poring over video, and analyzing trends, Houston proved fairly
dumb this week in handling human relations and crisis communications.
An incident that could’ve blown over
with an upfront admission of guilt and sincere apology, instead became an unwelcome
storyline and World Series distraction. Major League Baseball has launched an
investigation and disciplinary action is expected by week’s end.
The Astros have no one to blame but assistant
general manager Brandon Taubman and themselves, respectively, for committing the
original offense and attempting a cover-up.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The Washington Nationals need to beat the Houston Astros in the World Series.
Not
just for 94-year-old Ted Lerner and the ownership group he formed to bring
baseball back to D.C. Not just for their fans near and far, including many who rooted
for two incarnations of the Washington Senators decades ago. And not just for the
Nats’ former players and employees who suffered throughout the RFK Era into early
seasons on South Capitol Street.
Yes,
those stakeholders would be absolutely thrilled if the Nats prevail against the
American League champions.
But
other onlookers, less obvious, will secretly pull for Washington, too, based on
their self-interests and problems on the job. They include MLB commissioner Rob
Manfred and counterparts Roger Goodell (NFL) and Adam Silver (NBA).
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER, Md. – The San Francisco 49ers came to FedEx Field Sunday and Bay Area weather tagged along. With conditions to remind them of home – wet, windy and chilly – the Niners displayed a mindset directly from the school of positive psychology, finding sunshine on a rainy day.
Meanwhile,
the elements provided a perfect reflection for the Washington Redskins’ damp
and dreary season, which is already a washout less than halfway through.
When
quarterback Case Keenum was sacked on the final play, capping a hopeless
situation with Washington trailing, 9-0, the Niners turned the drenched field
into their personal Slip N Slide. First, defensive end Nick Bosa hydroplaned on
his belly to celebrate the game-ending sack. A few teammates on the field
joined in, with defensive tackle D.J. Jones creating a splash with his hook
slide.
Then,
multiple players on San Francisco’s sideline dove and slid onto the field as Washington
coach Bill Callahan walked to meet his counterpart for the postgame handshake
at midfield. He almost had to wait because Niners coach Kyle Shanahan contemplated
taking a plunge with his players.
“It
was definitely fun watching our whole team slide across the field at the end,” Shanahan
said. “I did think about joining, but I don’t think I would’ve done it right.”
While
the visitors and their fans frolicked in the wet conditions, the ‘Skins departed
to dry out quickly and begin preparations for Thursday’s game at Minnesota.
“The
only thing I’m thinking about right now is that it’s going to be about 70
degrees with zero chance of rain,” Keenum said about facing the team he led to
the NFC title game two seasons ago.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Not everything is worth the wait.
Folks can spend hours waiting in line to enter a new establishment but proceed to have a terrible time once inside. A person can invest weeks getting to know someone via phone and cyberspace, only to experience a first date that couldn’t end fast enough. Or, there might be something they looked forward to for decades – maybe landing a particular job or moving to a certain city – only to learn that the reality isn’t close to their fantasy.
But in sports, the reward is often sweeter the longer the delay.
The Cubs went 108 years between World Series wins, and no one in Chicago
felt unfulfilled after the wait. The Red Sox won World Series 86 years apart,
and New Englanders toasted the drought along with the trophy. If the Cleveland
Indians eventually break through (they haven’t won a title in 71 years), their
fans would be overcome with too much joy to fret about the lag.
Such is the case for Washington baseball fans today. The Nationals have
won the pennant. The D.C. team has advanced to the World Series. The pain endured
in the 86 years along the way no longer matters. All is well; all is forgiven.
WASHINGTON – After opening with a performance at the Symphony Center in Chicago, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra visits the nation’s capital. But this week’s show at the Kennedy Center isn’t the only option for D.C. classical music fans who want a taste of Australia.
They
can get a bargain – and support emerging musicians at the same time – by attending
a performance at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Members of the MSO will
be in concert with the DESA String Orchestra at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. The
evening will include works by Bartok, William Grant Still, and Elena
Kats-Chernin.
“It
has been nearly 50 years since the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra last performed
in the United States,” MSO Concertmaster Dale Barltrop said. “We are beyond
excited at the prospect of returning to fly the Australian flag in some of the
world’s most iconic music venues.”
The
MSO tour, featuring Melbourne’s finest musicians, celebrates more than a
century of “mateship” between Australia and the United States. General
admission tickets for the Ellington concert are $15 and student tickets are $10l
they can be purchase onsite or at www.ellingtonschool.org/boxoffice.
MSO’s
residency at Ellington is courtesy of Washington Performing Arts. The entire
orchestra performs at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Oct. 16.
In a season that couldn’t be much worse – beating Miami on Sunday was
like putting a Band-Aid on a spouting jugular – thank goodness for Terry
McLaurin. Washington’s rookie wide receiver is the gift that keeps giving.
Meanwhile, the team as a whole remains the toilet that keeps overflowing.
The 17-16 victory kept the Redskins from continuing down the road to 0-16,
leaving the Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals alone in walking that path. It
should be noted that Miami came within a failed two-point conversion attempt of
winning, after eschewing a point-after kick that could’ve forced overtime.
Interim coach Bill Callahan improved his career record to 16-17. The
bulk of those wins came in his first season as Oakland Raiders coach, when he
went 11-5 after replacing Jon Gruden. Mathematically, the ‘Skins could finish
11-5 now that Callahan has replaced Jay Gruden.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Bill Callahan, in his initial comments Monday as Washington Redskins
interim coach, said rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins “will be in the lineup at some point in time,
whether it’s this year or next year.”
Next year?
The same day, on ESPN’s “Get Up,” reporter Dianna Russini said sources say
Haskins struggles to call plays and identify defenses. “One coach said to me, ‘Not
only is he not ready right now,’” she said, “’but it could be a year, maybe
even two more years before he can actually be a starter.’”
Two years?
The Jay Gruden era has come and gone, but this truth remains: If Haskins
doesn’t play this season, let alone in 2020, something is terribly wrong with
him, his coaches, or both.
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