Don't Laugh, People

It has been a long, difficult journey. The fans who couldn't stay seated on the wagon leaped off and tried to land on their feet cheering for a number of other teams. We don't welcome those fans back, and we know who you are. Instead we cherish our own, who can enjoy this moment for what it's worth; the relief of years of misery and torture. This 7-game run has been the absolute answer to all of our prayers.
I was barely four and a half years old on January 26, 1992 when the Washington Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. 21 years ago. I knew what the Redskins did, but I don't know that I appreciated it or what it meant for the area. Since that Super Bowl, we have lived through a lot as Redskins fans.
20 starting quarterbacks have donned the burgundy and gold, promised to be our next leader. Guys like Heath Shuler, Gus Frerotte, Trent Green, Brad Johnson, Tony Banks, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, Danny Weurffel, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Coll…

The Washington Redskins control their own destiny in week 17 of the NFL season; they can win the division and earn a home game in January, something that hasn't happened since 1999. And by the grace of [football] God(s), the game to determine the NFC East is against arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, and the Redskins play host. So what do the Skins need to do in order to secure victory, the division title, and a playoff appearance?

1. Fans must be in full force! FedEx Field needs to finally feel like a place that opponents hate to play. This game needs to be all about the Redskins in the stands. Fans must be loud. They must stomp. They must fight for each other if security tells them they're too rowdy. Dan Snyder needs to cut back his rules, and prices, for one night only (won't happen, but it feels good saying it in case it spreads to him). The fans must be so loud when the Cowboys are on offense that even London Fletcher is considering calling timeouts before the snap. The fans…

Alright, I'm a Redskins fan. Die-hard. I love the team more than I like any other sports team, period. If I were a player in any sport, I wouldn't love my team as much as I love the Redskins. But anyone who has ever had a single discussion with me about football, knows I can keep it real about the NFL as much as anyone.
All homerism aside. Alfred Morris was easily the biggest snub in this year's NFL Pro Bowl. Don't get me wrong, there are some other big snubs, even Dez Bryant, who easily could have been named in place of Victor Cruz. This, once again, proves that the Pro Bowl is just a popularity contest. But to my point...
Alfred "Alf" Morris ranks among running backs as follows:
(NFL; NFC; Rookies) Attempts - 302: 3rd; 2nd; 1st Yards - 1,413: 4th; 3rd; 1st Yards Per Carry - 4.7: 4th; 3rd; 1st Yards Per Game - 94.2: 4th; 3rd; 1st Touchdowns - 10: T-5th; T-3rd; T-2nd First Downs - 71: 4th; 2nd; 1st 20+ Yard Runs - 7: T-8th; T-4th; 2nd
I'm not crazy, righ…

I haven't blogged in a while, and didn't yesterday.
I'm safe and sound here in London (or, Wimbledon to be exact). The flight (British Airways) was a long, agonizing journey. Walking through the terminal to board the plane, some lady decided she was just going to sneeze germs all over the place and pocketed her hands to do so like it was some sort of compulsive disorder. I immediately felt my immune system going to work to fight her damn germs. She sneezed multiple times on the plane as well. I was beside a lady on the plane who sang the entire way. Oddly enough, she had a very beautiful voice, but there's only so many songs in a row I can listen to by a single person before I go nuts... not to mention we took off at 10:30pm EST and landed at 10:30am local time at Heathrow... so it wasn't that joyful hearing singing all night when I intended to get some sleep. Speaking of sleep, there's absolutely no way imaginable to get comfortable in British Airways Economy…

Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Washington Redskins, deserves respect and all the credit in the world.
I was looking over the Redskins’ roster last night, when I noticed the vast majority of this team is less than 28 years old. That really put quite a few things in perspective for me, one of the most important, that there are a lot of guys on this team who won’t see their prime begin for a few more seasons.
When Mike Shanahan took over this team, the Redskins were, on average, one of the five oldest teams in the entire NFL. Shanahan even made the team older, going with running backs Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, WR Joey Galloway, and QB Donovan McNabb over Jason Campbell.
Redskins fans look back on year one in disgust. I’m quick to remind them we were transitioning to a 3-4 defense, a move that is never easy and instantly successful. I’m also quick to remind people of the following: Mike Shanahan had no other answer at Quarterback.
Redskins fans wanted Jake Locker and Mark Sanchez. Th…

I've spent the greater part of this day witnessing anger, shock and teary-eyed grief. The loss of lives that had barely begun is a loss too tragic for words. But I sit here and I wonder... What will come of the outrage? What will come of our collective pain? Tweets? Facebook updates? Blog posts? Will that be the end of it?
I do not intend to disparage the internet. I recognize that it is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. The internet raises the accessibility of information and makes communication easier with its instantaneity. I understand that some don't see the need for high accessibility or instantaneous communication on a truly global scale. Misuse of information and fraud are what open both of those benefits of the internet to criticism. But for those of us who have designs on public positions in society, this tool is beyond invaluable. To take it a step farther, the internet may just be the only tool average men and women have left to reestablish the freedom…

When I first heard news of the Jovan Belcher incident (before the reports that he had taken the life of his child's mother), one of my initial reactions was, "maybe he wasn't mentally functional." Since learning the details, I believe it's safe to assume that perhaps that wasn't the case, but I brought up something that I wanted people to consider. Professional athletes should have regular, mandatory mental evaluations.
This could be applied to any profession. People need to be properly diagnosed for any number of issues, stress and familial included. But athletes, I believe, could be at a higher risk for doing things the average citizen may not do.
That's not to say that I believe every professional athlete is a murderer. Far from it. But perhaps evaluations could have prevented deceased Bengals' WR Chris Henry from making a decision to put himself into a situation that ultimately cost him his life. Maybe Plaxico Burress doesn't carry a handgun …

In order for there to be freedom, human curiosity cannot be limited. To be human is to seek understanding. In understanding there is love, there is camaraderie, there is friendship, there is community, there is togetherness and there is wholeness. Yet throughout human history, humankind has worked diligently to inhibit our most natural inclination. The inevitable consequence of limiting curiosity is the emergence of the harbinger of our intellectual, moral and physical deaths: Apathy. With each passing decade, Apathy grows ever stronger, enveloping our minds, deadening our hearts and destroying our souls. The apathetic are empty, they are devoid of the emotions that characterize humanity, they seek nothing, pursue nothing and do nothing, they are perpetually depressed and incapable of discovering why. Apathy thrives in America and it is the greatest cause for the physical, intellectual and moral deterioration of our nation. To stave off the inevitable cataclysm that such a decline wil…

Having just eclipsed the 30,000 point mark and being only the 5th player in the NBA's 66 year existence to do so, Bean has been anointed by analysts as the greatest to ever don the purple and gold.

Even Magic Johnson, arguably the greatest point guard to have ever played the game, has given Bean the nod. But I believe Earvin is simply crediting a younger man, and by association, the present generation, over a past athlete. That's something I understand and respect, very admirable of him to step aside and hand the title over to Kobe. But since we are spectators, we don't have to honor such things. So to begin this argument, let's take a look at the franchise leaders for the Lakers.

Los Angeles Laker Franchise Records
All-Time Leader in Seasons Played: Kobe Bryant (17)
All-Time Leader in Games Played: Kobe Bryant (1,107)
All-Time Leader in Minutes Played: Kobe Bryant (42,888)
All-Time Leader in Points Scored: Kobe Bryant (30,016)
All-Time Leader in Rebounds: Kareem Abdul…