By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
In
“The Godfather,” after an emotional discussion on possibly gunning down a rival
gangster and dirty cop, Michael Corleone utters a classic line: “It’s not
personal. It’s strictly business.”
That
might be Washington left tackle Trent Williams’ favorite part of the movie.
Williams
has spent his entire nine-year career in D.C. No current player has a longer
tenure. He has established himself among
the NFL’s elite at his position. “He’s the best tackle in pro football,” coach
Jay Gruden said Tuesday. “He’s a great player for us, a great leader.”
If
president Bruce Allen and senior vice president of football operations Eric
Schaffer winced a bit upon hearing such laudation, it’s understandable.
Williams doesn’t need any more leverage as he skips mandatory minicamp in hopes
of a new contract.
The
seven-time Pro Bowler already has the team by its proverbial short hairs.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Golden
State plays a beautiful brand of basketball. It arguably has the NBA’s sweetest-shooting
backcourt ever, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The ball and the Warriors move with
speed and grace, on slick passes and sharp cuts, often resulting in easy layups
or open jumpers.
It’s
accurate to call their style of play pretty. But don’t be fooled:
The
Warriors are also plenty gritty.
Their
fluid offense, pace-and-space with small-ball lineups, can at times obscure
their toughness and resiliency – traits more commonly associated with plodding bruisers.
Nothing about Golden State is physically imposing. Even former scowl master
DeMarcus Cousins is a softer and gentler version of himself.
However,
when you peel away the transition baskets, three-pointers, back doors, swing passes,
slipped screens, and other aesthetically pleasing optics, you’re left with a
team that’s just as comfortable fighting and clawing as it is running and
gunning.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
“This is the best important open job in all of
sports right now.” – owner Ted Leonsis on Wizards’ GM vacancy.
It’s
quite possible that no else in the world agreed with Leonsis when he made that
statement on April 3. And there’s good reason to wonder how much he truly
believed it himself.
“Open”
is the only part of the job assessment that was universally accepted as
accurate.
Eight
weeks later, nothing else has changed. The position remains unfilled and (to candidates
with options) unappealing.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Ladies
and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting edition of America’s favorite sports
pastime, The Blame Game!
Today’s
contestants hail from the Washington Nationals, whom several prognosticators picked
to reach World Series. When we last left
the Nats, they were coming off a disappointing 82-80 season in Dave Martinez’s
inaugural campaign as a major-league skipper.
Now
in his second year at the helm, Martinez is a favorite to win MDB honors – Most
Deserving of Blame. Also in the hunt are the Lerners, general manager Mike
Rizzo, and the injury bug. Each has played a key role in Washington’s 14-21 mark
entering Wednesday, the NL’s second-worst record and the Nationals’ worst winning
percentage since September 2011.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
With
all due respect to No. 2-seed Denver and No. 3-seed Portland, there’s a sense
that the Western Conference finals are underway as we speak, even while the aforementioned
teams toil to advance.
The
Nuggets and Trail Blazers have produced a scintillating back-and-forth in their
semifinal matchup, particularly Game 3’s instant-classic, four-overtime
thriller. Neither squad has won consecutive contests and neither has protected its
homecourt, with Denver’s road win Sunday knotting the series at two games
apiece.
Great
stuff.
But
most attention is focused on the other Western conference semi, featuring
three-time champion Golden State and would-be nemesis Houston. Denver and
Portland have plenty of talent between them, but not the star power of Kevin
Durant and James Harden, nor the teams’ recent history and bad blood.
In
Durant and Harden, we’re witnessing the reigning MVPs for the NBA Finals and
NBA regular season. Durant is staking his claim as the league’s best player and
Harden is right behind him, pushing like he did when they battled in practice
as Oklahoma City teammates.
“Hopefully,
he pulled a couple of things from me, but I probably pulled way more things
from him than he got from me,” Durant said via The San Francisco Chronicle.
A
rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, the Warriors-Rockets series
was looked forward to with great anticipation all season. Unfortunately, Denver
won 54 games to Houston’s 53 (clinching the second seed), while Portland also
won 53 games (securing the third seed on tiebreakers), leading to an
earlier-than-expected reprise.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Here
we go again … with a twist.
Another
athlete has made national headlines for his political views, for stances that drew
attention from the White House. But this time, President Trump has sung the
player’s praises instead of calling him an SOB.
“Congratulations
to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft,” POTUS tweeted last
week after San Francisco selected the Ohio State defensive end. “You will be a
great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San
Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Ha!
You thought sports and politics don’t mix!
Actually,
this is good. Anything that causes us to look inward and ask difficult questions
– like who we really are and what we really believe – is welcome. Maybe some of
us will pull our heads from wherever and open our eyes.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The
NFL has a laundry list of things done poorly, including its handling of concussions,
player discipline and Colin Kaepernick. But there’s no denying the league has mastered
at least one thing:
Making
a buck.
The
Super Bowl once was just a championship game. Now kickoff merely culminates a
weeklong festival, giving host cities a boost that puts major conventions to
shame. The early offseason once was a dead zone. Now the annual Scouting
Combine is circled on calendars, sort of an Olympics for NFL hopefuls in shorts
and T-shirts.
And
then there’s the draft.
It
once was a dull, drab event held in unvarnished ballrooms. Now the “NFL Draft
Experience” is a slick production that takes place over three days, drawing hundreds
of thousands of fans for interactive festivities. Held in Nashville this year,
beginning Thursday, “the Experience will be the largest to date and the first
to integrate a free concert series,” the league said in a statement.
Considering
the draft’s expense and the attention it draws in the ramp up – let alone on national
TV when the first round gets underway – there’s no way the NFL wants Arizona’s
intentions known ahead of time.
That
would be a waste of perfectly fine drama, suspense and intrigue, even if the
Cardinals know exactly what they plan to do once they’re on the clock. “We’re
still working through things,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters
Tuesday. “It is a process. I wouldn’t say the hay is in the barn.”
Either
way, the league likely told them to keep the barn doors closed until Thursday, when
the dominoes – and maybe the quarterbacks – start falling.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Maybe
it’s not completely his fault. But I blame agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Nearly
14 years ago, standing alongside client Terrell Owens in front of the star
receiver’s home, Rosenhaus answered several consecutive questions with a dismissive
phrase that pops up sometimes when interview subjects object to the query:
“Next
question.”
Owens
had just read an apology in hopes of returning to the Philadelphia Eagles, who dismissed
him the day before facing Washington in Week 8. Rosenhaus stepped forward after
Owens’ statement and proceeded to embarrass himself in front of the assembled
media, repeatedly uttering the unprofessional and unclever response.
(Rosenhaus
obviously had a different take on the matter, considering that he later wrote a
book titled “Next Question.” The best one that day in New Jersey was from a
reporter who asked what Rosenhaus had accomplished exactly – in eight months as
Owens’ representative – besides getting him kicked off the team. Classic.)
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
I’m not a big fan of fighting, not on street corners, in bars, on pay-per-view, or in hockey. But, yeah, I’ll watch pro athletes exchange blows on occasion (while ignoring the gratuitous videos of random brawls between random people).
My
affection for boxing has waned over the years, and mixed-martial arts never
completely grabbed me. However, I do understand that tempers can flare and
emotions can run hot in the heat of sports where fighting isn’t the be-all and
end-all.
In
hockey, it’s a given, a longstanding tradition that players will at times drop
their gloves and throw punches.
True
confession: In my lifetime I have visited hockeyfights.com and scrolled through
some of the featured bouts. Something about the fact that guys are throwing
haymakers, keeping their balance, and trying to defend themselves on ice skates
– ICE SKATES! – makes hockey fisticuffs a different, more-intriguing breed.
(P.S.:
The website asks visitors to declare the winner. Amazingly, in Monday’s bout
between Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, four
jokers called the beatdown a draw. Two other knuckleheads voted for the guy who
got knocked the bleep out!)
There’s
no debating who won that clash. But the sight of Ovechkin – 33 years old and
235 pounds – pummeling the face of Svechnikov – 19 years old and 195 pounds –
has re-ignited the timeworn discussion on fighting and its place in hockey.
By DERON SNYDER: (as published in The Washington Times)
His
first official Nike commercial, way back in 1996 – before anyone imagined the
incredible highs and devastating lows ahead – was brilliant in capturing what
Tiger Woods meant to golf and the outside world.
The
ad featured roughly four dozen youngsters, boys and girls of various hues and
ages. They walked city streets and picturesque courses. Some of the kids swung
golf clubs. Others carried golf bags. The rest looked directly into the camera
and made a simple declaration:
“I’m
Tiger Woods.”
If
he was inspiring back then as a 19-year-old – fresh off a five-year, $40
million contract that instantly made him the highest-paid black golfer in
history – what can we say about him as a 43-year-old – fresh off his first
Masters win since 2005 and first major triumph in 11 years?
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