By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Keep it simple, yes.
But don’t be stupid.
You want a reason for the Wizards’ five-game winning streak without point guard John Wall. You want an explanation for Washington averaging 32 assists per game during the streak, eight more than its season average.
You want an answer for the squad’s dramatic rise in productivity; only one game during the run didn’t feature at least five Wizards with double-figures scoring.
I understand. But a crazy notion has bubbled underneath the surface and it must be stomped down before it grows stronger.
No, no – to the umpteenth degree – no. Wall’s absence is not a good thing.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The 2017 season was a rough one for the NFL, full of political potshots, lower TV ratings, higher fan apathy, questionable replay rulings and controversial concussion protocols.
The league needed a great Super Bowl to drown its sorrow, at least for one night, and Philadelphia and New England delivered (unless you’re an aficionado of stout defenses).
That’s not to suggest the NFL’s troubles magically disappeared in the Eagles’ 41-33 upset over the Patriots.
President Trump was at it again, releasing a pre-game message about our freedom “as we proudly stand for the National Anthem.” Protesters blocked a light-rail line to the stadium. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Friday concluded that the league’s core audience has suffered a 9% decrease in interest since 2014.
There was no escape from familiar on-the-field woes either.
New England wideout Brandin Cooks absorbed a wicked-hard helmet-to-helmet hit early in the second quarter and didn’t return. He was diagnosed with “a head injury,” presumably a kinder-gentler euphemism for concussions. (Maybe the NFL will follow hockey’s lead and describe all future injuries as head, lower body or upper body).
Unfortunately,
Atlanta appears on the Wizards’ schedule just one more time.
But if Washington
can replicate the style of play exhibited in Saturday’s rout against the Hawks,
it’s OK that other opponents won’t have the Eastern Conference’s worst
record.
With John Wall
sitting out due to a sore left knee, the Wizards turned in one of their best
performances. They tied a franchise record (set earlier this season) by
connecting on 18 3-pointers. Of their 49 field goals, 40 were via assists; the
franchise hadn’t recorded that many assists since 1992. They shot 57 percent
from the field and 56 percent from behind the arc.
“I think everybody
just picked up the slack for John Wall not playing,” Hawks coach Mike
Budenholzer told reporters after the 129-104 blowout.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
I have two daughters, one at Morgan State.
The other goes to Michigan State.
But no matter where my girls attended college – be it Mississippi State, Montana State, Missouri State, or a school that doesn’t have MSU for initials – I would be just as concerned about them and other female students on campus.
Having spent part of my young adulthood in dorms and at college parties, I understand the dangerous situations young women can face at institutions of higher education. Being away from home and on their own – surrounded by mind-altering substances and men often with one thing in mind – is risky enough.
The peril only increases when those young men are athletes in revenue sports.
First, the NBA All-Star draft definitely should have been televised.
Don’t talk to me about hurt feelings. The final player selected would have no choice but to get over it. Someone must be last when captains pick squads on the playground; besides, it’s better than not being chosen at all.
Considering how Stephen Curry had the penultimate selection in Thursday’s draft, I figure either Kevin Love or Kyle Lowry was left to become LeBron James’ “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Accused of being a shadow GM in Cleveland, James might have a future in the position. The consensus is he made Curry look like Ernie Grunfeld. In an era where increasingly-shorter players are used to spread the floor, James will turn the notion upside down with his starting lineup.
His frontcourt measures 6-foot-9 (Kevin Durant), 6-foot-10 (Anthony Davis) and 6-foot-11 (DeMarcus Cousins, who’s out with a season-ending injury suffered Friday).
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The late Dennis Green unleashed a classic rant following his Arizona Cardinals’ defeat against the Chicago Bears in 2006.
“They are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook,” Green shouted after Arizona blew a 20-0 halftime lead. “… If you want to crown them, then crown their (expletive).”
The Washington Wizards are the exact opposite.
They are not what we thought they were. We cannot let them off the hook. And we have no desire to crown their (expletive), unless the title is NBA’s Most Schizophrenic.
In terms of star power, the Wizards have met expectations. Bradley Beal on Tuesday was named to his first All-Star Game. Backcourt mate John Wall earned his fifth consecutive selection. Eastern Conference head coaches picked the pair, acknowledging their status as top-tier guards.
But the Wizards were drubbed a day earlier by one of the league’s worst teams, Dallas. The Mavericks shot 44 percent compared to the visitors’ 31 percent in a 98-75 rout.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Baseball’s hot stove might as well be a deep freezer this offseason.
Based on CBS Sports’ ranking, eight of the top 10 and 12 of the top 20 free agents remain unsigned with spring training a few weeks away. The word “collusion” has reared its ugly head as players who expected to break the bank – J.D. Martinez, Yu Darvish and Eric Hosmer among them – wait impatiently by the phone.
The calls will come, eventually, though for a variety of reasons the dollars could be fewer than expected.
Many of the top free agents are older with worrisome injury histories. Agent Scott Boras controls an inordinate slice of the top tier. Additionally, lots of teams are either tanking/rebuilding, enjoying their revenue-sharing profits without trying to compete, or waiting for next year’s mind-boggling free-agent class.
Those factors undoubtedly contribute to the slow pace of signings. Another is front offices’ growing reliance on analytics, which are less-than-flattering when applied to several of this crop’s leading names. So instead of prices continuing to rise unabated, regardless of who’s available, the market is undergoing a slight correction.
In short, teams appear to be wising up.
Unless we’re talking about the Washington Nationals.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Athletic competition can teach us a lot. Through sports, we’re able to learn about athletes and fans, as well as coaches and owners.
The most obvious lessons center on principles like sacrifice, dedication and commitment. No one comes close to, or reaches, championships without paying a price, whether in team or individual sports.
But some of the most important takeaways have nothing to do with our fun and games.
Instead, we’re presented valuable instruction on real life and death, issues like human rights and civil liberties.
Reaching the Super Bowl is hard enough for an NFL coach, who must fend off 15 contenders in his conference.
The odds of his brother doing likewise in the other conference, in the same season, are astronomical. Mainly because his brother would never coach an NFL team, in any season.
But five years ago, the sun, stars and moon aligned just right, giving us Baltimore and San Francisco in Super Bowl 47, aka the “Harbaugh Bowl.” It was a family affair, with Ravens coach John Harbaugh pitted against his little brother, then-49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.
Brothers had never coached against each in the Super Bowl. Harbaugh Bowl II is out of the question with Jim now coaching the University of Michigan. But with Oakland’s newly hired head coach, it’s possible that the NFL one year will witness another sibling rivalry on the sidelines on the first Sunday in February.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The adage about quarterbacks receiving too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses doesn’t fully explain weekend results in the NFL playoffs.
Four quarterbacks who played in a Super Bowl took the field. Three had won a Super Bowl and two had enjoyed multiple victories. All were former league MVPs.
The other half of the QB field was a motley crew of mediocrity, a quartet of pedestrian passers. Their careers were either long enough to be typecast as so-so, or short-and-not-sweet enough to lean in that direction.
Either Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Dew Brees or Matt Ryan have participated in nine of the last 14 Super Bowls. Entering the weekend Case Keenum, Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Marcus Mariota combined had one game of playoff experience.
That proved to be irrelevant. The quarterbacks in Sunday’s conference championships will form history’s all-time easiest, “Which of these don’t belong?”
Follow
