Esteban Ochocinco

Chad Johnson, aka Chad Ochocinco, now has a new alias. Esteban Ochocinco, his soccer-loving kicker alter-ego. Why did this come up? Well, the man kicked an extra point in the Bengals preseason win over the Patriots yesterday. Check it out here. Right down the middle. As if that wasn't enough, he also handled the kickoff duties right after. Fantastic.

FHF

With the NFL regular season rapidly approaching, I decided to use FHF to highlight last year's Super Bowl winning QB, Ben Roethlisberger. Congrats.

Favre....

Ok, he is back again. Favre signed with the Vikings. That is all I am going to say about it for now, because I am tired of him.

Boswell on Strasburg

Thomas Boswell is rapidly becoming a must-read for me. His columns dealing with the Strasburg situation have been fantastic. Here is his latest, and it doesn't disappoint.

Paulus Starting

Greg Paulus is officially the starting QB for my Syracuse Orange. Not only could this be the best decision for on-field production, it is also a great PR move. Paulus will draw interest from his hometown crowd, and they should see great attendance for the opener against Minnesota on September 5th. If he plays well, I take back everything I have ever said about him. GO ORANGE!

A Letter from the Nationals

Here is a copy of the e-mail that the Nationals sent out to their subscribed fans. It warms my heart. Enjoy:

Dear Nationals Fans:

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have signed Major League Baseball's 2009 Number One draft choice, Stephen Strasburg to a long-term contract. Stephen, as we are sure you know, has been widely touted as one of the best big league pitching prospects to be draft eligible in years. The big, 6-4, 220-lb. right-hander, was a consensus All-American and College Player of the Year while leading San Diego State to its first NCAA Regional berth since 1992, posting a 13-1 record with a 1.32 ERA, and averaging 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Last summer he also pitched for Team USA in the Beijing Summer Olympics, becoming the first collegiate member of that team since professional players were permitted to participate in the games.

Stephen Strasburg is a special talent with unlimited potential. He will be joining our other MLB Top 10 draft choice for 2009, pitcher Drew Storen, as the newest member of what we believe is one of the most interesting, and deepest staffs of young pitching prospects in all of baseball. John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Craig Stammen, J.D. Martin, Ross Detwiler, Garrett Mock, Collin Balester, Shairon Martis, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard and now Strasburg and Storen, along with a group of other young minor league talents, promise to represent an intimidating rotation for the Nationals for years to come.

We are extremely proud of the strides the Nationals have made on the field since the 2009 All-Star break and believe some of the roster moves we've made only complement the fine young talents that have been the nucleus for our team since baseball returned to the Capital City. Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham and Nyjer Morgan have brought excitement, power, veteran leadership and respected run production to a team that already offered threats like Ryan Zimmerman, Cristian Guzman, Jesus Flores and Elijah Dukes. From the top of the batting order through the eighth spot, the Nationals now have the kind of offense that is capable of scoring runs with anyone in the National League.

The signing today of Stephen Strasburg represents, we believe, another important step towards building a winning franchise in Washington DC. He represents our commitment to building a pitching staff that can become one of the best in baseball and, coupled with our offensive weapons, should make the National Pastime in the Nation's Capital the absolutely most intriguing place to watch baseball in all of America.

We all enjoyed our recent eight-game winning streak. We believe the signing today, plus the building blocks we have been steadily assembling over the last three years, promises to make that kind of winning more frequent.

There are still plenty of major league thrills left in the 2009 season at Nationals Park. Please join us as we encourage the new young stars of NatsTown as they grow into some of the brightest talents in the game. You'll want to say you were there at the beginning.

-The Lerner Family and the Washington Nationals Baseball Club

GOT HIM

The Nationals actually did it. At what had to be 11:59.59 PM, the Nats signed #1 pick Stephen Strasburg to a 4 year- $15.7 million contract. This also includes a signing bonus, reports have it at either $7.5 or $15 million, that will be easily made up by the attendance that Strasburg brings. My hats off to the Lerner's for spending money but not breaking the bank, Stan Kasten for helping to get this once-bare cupboard back on track and Mike Rizzo for getting the deal sealed. Now, Rizzo should be appointed the new GM, removing the interim tag from his name. The Nyjer Morgan deal, coupled with Strasburg's signing, has the Nats headed in the right direction. Let' hope Stephen can come in and gel with the teammates that he started to piss off when he was holding out. And let's hope that his arm can last the duration of this contract... GO NATS!

Still More Strasburg

This kid is making no friends in the Nats organization. He already pissed off unofficial team captain Ryan Zimmerman, and now color commentator and former pitcher Rob Dibble is getting in on the action in his blog. The word is that we have offered $17 million with incentives to push it over $20 million. Who walks away from that? Here comes midnight.

More Strasburg

Excellent column by Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell as the Strasburg/Nats deadline comes ever closer. Enjoy here.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

NFL Preseason is here, and every team is dreaming about being at the Super Bowl in February. Here are some thoughts on the preseason so far, from what I have watched:

- The Atlanta Falcons may finally end the streak of the ever-changing NFC South Champion. Matt Ryan looked crisp today, Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White look happy, and Burner Turner looks unstoppable.

- The Redskins offense needs Clinton Portis. They just look lost without that steady running game.

- Jay Cutler looks like he is relying on Devin Hester way too much.

- Sage Rosenfels can get the Vikings deep into the playoffs.

- Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez look like the real thing, but both need to learn how to read coverages better.

More thoughts as the preseason goes on.

The Ball is in Boras' Court

It is official- The Washington Nationals have offered a new record-breaking contract to rookie pitcher and #1 pick Stephen Strasburg. It is now on the shoulders of Boras and Strasburg to either accept this amazing offer, or turn it down and show how greedy and money-hungry they are. The Nats have done their part, now it is time for the player and agent to join the majors, or cost themselves millions of dollars.

The best point I have seen made about this situation is about the millions Straburg would lose if he decided to not sign and re-enter the draft. The Nats are going to have the #1 pick in next year's draft too. They will not re-draft Strasburg. Instead, they will be given the #2 pick as compensation for Strasburg not signing, forcing the pitcher to be picked no higher than #3. He would lose MILLIONS if he went that route. The #3 pick will not make more than $6 or $7 million, and right now he is being offered at least $12. So if a 21 year old kid can turn down that kind of money, then by all means, do it, cause we don't need that type of cocky attitude in Washington.

My Day at PTI

Got to live a little piece of the dream today. I spent the afternoon at Atlantic Video watching a taping of my favorite show, Pardon the Interruption. Got to meet Bob Ryan, Tony Reali and see my sports writing idol Michael Wilbon for the second time (the last was 7 years ago). It was a true pleasure, and I hopefully will be doing it again in December, meeting Mr. Tony himself. Here are some pics of my fantastic day:

FHF

To celebrate his reinstatement into the NFL and his signing with the Eagles, the FHF award goes to Michael Vick. We wish him the best in his second stint with in the NFL, as long as he doesn't beat the Skins and doesn't take my boy McNabb's job.

Vick's New Nest

Michael Vick is officially back in the NFL. Today he signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He gets just over $1 million for the first year and has a second year option for over $5 million. Not sure what this will mean for my boy McNabb in Philly, but we now know that the former Falcon is an Eagle.

Maybe the Nationals Aren't That Dumb

The MLB Draft Signing deadline is Monday night at midnight. And while a lot of people will be talking about how every single first round client Scott Boras represents (including #1 pick Stephen Strasburg) has yet to sign, I will instead focus on someone who re-entered the draft after not signing with my Nationals last year. That young man would be Aaron Crow. As you may remember, the Nats failed to sign Crow last year, saying he was demanding too much money. Crow played in the independent league and returned to this year's draft, being selected in the first round by the KC Royals. Now, according to ESPN, Crow is holding out from the Royals for even more money. This kid just doesn't get it. Whoever is advising him is doing nothing but getting him blacklisted. He has never pitched in the majors, and yet wants more than the $3 million that KC is offering. Unbelievable. Oh, and the player the Nats took with the supplemental pick that they got for not drafting Crow, Drew Storen? Well, ESPN says it all-

"The Nationals other first-round pick, RHP Drew Storen is making the club look good for taking him 15 spots higher than most clubs ranked him. The former Stanford closer was lights out in Hagerstown (26-0 K/BB ratio) in 11 games, so Washington challenged him with a promotion to Potomac in the Carolina League. Storen responded with 10 more strong innings and an 11-2 K/BB ratio in seven appearances, earning him yet another promotion. Storen made his debut for Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, predictably tossing a scoreless inning of relief."

Now if the Nats can sign Strasburg, then they will be looking good in the near future.

The Last Act of a Desperate Team

So the Red Soxs got in a big brawl yesterday after Kevin Youkilis was hit with a pitch and charged the mound. Really, how desperate are the Soxs for inspiration now. People are getting hit, it seems, more and more, but none of them are charging the mound. Maybe Youk is trying to get his team pumped up, like some of their previous fights have, en route to playoff appearances and championships. But still, the man went about it all wrong. Even if he had to charge the mound, here is what he should have done:

- Drop bat and batting helmet to the ground immediately. Do not use them as weapons. (He threw his helmet.)

2- Either come out swinging or get ready to make a true form tackle (He did neither)

3- Don't let the pitcher take you down (Umm... Sorry Youk, but Porcello owned you)

The Soxs won a game, but I really think that this is a reaction to the spanking they received by the Yankees last week. That lead is pretty big. So maybe the Soxs should stop fighting and start trying to win.

No Comment

Just a quick comment to say that I have no comment or thoughts on Louisville basketball coach Rick Petino's personal troubles. They are not related to sports. So no comment.

Lions and Tigers and Vick? Oh My...

I think I have a new perfect fit for one Michael Vick. The Chicago Bears have Jay Cutler at QB... and that's pretty much it. Kyle Orton is starting in Denver, and Sexy Rexy is in Houston. I believe the Bears backup is Caleb Hanie. So, clearly they need some depth at that position. They can never be sure when Cutler's diabetes will act up. Vick can come in, be a solid backup to a solid starter, and help run the wildcat (wild bear?) offense. I suggest calling it the Grizzly, because a backfield of Vick and Devin Hester could be pretty ferocious.

FHF

Facial Hair Friday time. A lot of people are tired of our winner this week, or maybe just jealous cause he has it all. Well, he did have it all- a Heisman, two National Championships, his speech on the side of his teams stadium. That's right, I am talking Tim Tebow. Now, the man really has it all, because he has a beard and a FHF award. Congrats Mr. Tebow.

In related news, the defending champ Gators are ranked #1 in the Pre-Season Coaching Poll. Out of the 22 teams that have played for the BCS Championship in the past 11 years, 16 of them started out ranked in the top 5. Therefore, the odds on favorite have to be Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Alabama.

My 5 sleeper picks to crack the BCS, whether at large or by winning their conference:

1. Ole Miss (Ranked #10)

2. Miami, FL (Unranked)

3. South Florida (Unranked)

4. TCU (Ranked #17)

5. Central Michigan (Unranked)

Gonzaga and Dematha = Dominance

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference may be the toughest High School sports conference in the East half of the United States. Some proof of this? My alma mater, Gonzaga, and are nemesis, Dematha were ranked the #1 High School Athletic programs in Washington DC and Maryland, respectively, by SI. We are dominant. This dominance is seen in practically every sport. So congrats to my Eagles and those hated Stags.

DON'T PITCH TO HIM!

Albert Pujols hit his 5th grand slam last night. Not for his career. OF THE SEASON! There are times when the opposing manager needs to just take the run and walk Albert, because that will result in less damage. He is a Machine, and is the best player hitter alive.

FAB MELO

Syracuse got a big commitment today from Fabricio de Melo, now known as Fab Melo, one of the top centers in the 2010 class. He is 7'0 270 with a 7-3 wingspan. He has excellent footwork and mechanics, a baby hook and a turn-around. I am extremely happy about this, and you should be too. GO CUSE!