The Bitterness of Brian Mitchell

The Delusions of Grandeur tour continues for former ESPN 980 mouthpiece Brian Mitchell. For anyone who will listen, Mitchell has been espousing the ills of 980, and their effort to control the message that Washington football sucks.

The Washington Times is now in on the fun, recounting a conversation Mitchell had here in Baltimore with Jerry Coleman. Among the choicest of the sour-grapes:

On having to change his style to remain on 980: “If I can’t be me, I don’t want to be there anyway.”

On the behind-the-scenes decision making: “I know a lot of things that went down prior to [his firing] that proves it had nothing to do with the economy.”

On the Redskins under Dan Snyder: “What have they really done in the playoffs to make people believe they’ve gotten better? Nothing.”

On Redskins fans: “Fans believed more what I said than they believed the message of the people they put in place to give the message out.”

On who’s the better GM—Ozzie Newsome or Vinny Cerrato: “Ozzie Newsome, hands down. He knows football. He doesn’t look at football as being fantasy football.”

Here are a few critical things to remember about this situation; primarily, that Brian Mitchell is a hostile guy with bitterness against a team that cut him years ago. Interestingly, it’s the same team with an ownership that owns 980, which has the right to eject an ignorant former player with anger issues should it see fit.

The most important thing? Can you imagine another station employing the service of Brian Mitchell? It certainly wasn’t perspective that made him a draw on 980; it was his status as a former player, and his tough guy persona.

I revile Washington football, and even I thought he was often too tough on his former squad.

Locally, who would take a chance on a guy with a history of bickering with current players on air, and bashing his former employer? Maybe JFK, as they are siphoning off local media types left and right these days.

B-Mitch’s bad attitude is growing old, rather quickly. Even though it has been a pleasure to listen to criticism of the Daniel Snyder subsidiary, the bitter tangents that made him appealing as an analyst now make him worthless as a bitter outsider.

Technorati Tags: Brian Mitchell, ESPN 980

Frank Walker Is Practically Giving Cars Away

No, he doesn’t own a car dealership. Ravens cornerback Frank Walker is just that much of a baller.

Rather than spending the night with random chicks from the club, he gives them his cars. (Via his Twitter)

1. @MissMEsq bc i dm show wasnt bout tostay at her crib lol hellll nawwwww about 1 hour ago from web in reply to MissMEsq
2. @MissMEsq i wass sleepy so i told this random chick iiwas talking t in the club to take it ome and rode home with my bi t roc about 1 hour ago from web in reply to MissMEsq
3. just finished my first grind. gave my car to a complete stranger last night on the way to go get it. I was sleepy, and she seemed cool

That’s right Frank, you don’t want to lamp out with the chick? Give her your car and then Tweet about not wanting to stay at her crib. That’s a sure way to make Baltimore Magazine’s 100 Most Eligible Bachelors.

Brian Mitchell, Go Away

It wasn’t enough for former Washington football special teamer Brian Mitchell to be cut from the hosting roster at ESPN 980, he now has to insinuate the obvious. Mitchell insists he was forced out for his bias against the franchise he regularly covered.

The story originates from a USA Today piece in which Brian Mitchell says that fans, “want to hear what they truly see.” Confusing two of the five senses aside, that is true. What is false is that fans want to hear you bash the team and executives with clear and prolific jealousy and animosity. That’s just not attractive.

So, go away Brian Mitchell.

You were a special teams star and little else.

You’re commentary is old, your importance to the Washington sports community has dwindled, and everyone has moved on except you.

I’m sure Philadelphia will welcome you and your “straight talk.”

No Impeaching the Clinton Portis Administration

 

Fans are upset about the rumors of Clinton Portis and his rejection of Washington head coach Jim Zorn. Why this is a surprise, no one knows; I mean, Mike Florio started it, so it must have some truth, right?

But seriously, even if there was a legitimate beef between Portis and Zorn, which Portis and others have said doesn’t exist, what would be the final result? A trade?

Please.

There is no getting rid of Clinton Portis. Eccentricities, candor, and yards are all part of his package here in Washington. Whether he gets along with the coach or not, he won’t be the one to depart a team searching for an offensive identity and relevance in the rock em’ sock em’ NFC East.

You can’t trade a running back like Portis who is in elite company when it comes to career rushing production. With about three years of legitimate contribution left in his legs, Portis could emerge as the greatest running back in Washington history, and among the greatest in NFL history.

No controversy is worth getting rid of that, be it directed at the coach or anyone else.

There’s always something to pick at about an athlete willing to open his mouth on a given subject, and it’s highly likely that it rubbed Jim Zorn the wrong way in year one. But they need each other to have long-term success in D.C.; Zorn needs Portis’ best to open up the potential of his passing attack, and Portis needs Zorn to find a role that will add games and years to his career and eyes to his legacy as a player.

Just call them the Odd Couple. A conservatively-erratic coach and an erratically-consistent back, joined together by the Snyder-bitten fortunes of a franchise in flux.

Technorati Tags: Clinton Portis, Jim Zorn

James Thrash: Released Redskin Receiver Hard to Trash

In many ways, he was the anti-Freddie Mitchell; a man of minimal talent overshadowed by a dogged work ethic and penchant for “right place, right time” plays.

And now that he’s out of Washington and likely on the brink of retirement, how can Washington football fans bring themselves to cherish Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas in James Thrash’s place?

The greatest compliment you can pay James Thrash is that he did his job and nothing less. Nobody ever expected him to be more than a third receiver and a special teams asset, and he never raised expectations beyond that.

I would imagine that many coaches in D.C. and Philadelphia wanted to cut him annually for a speedier, flashier upgrade. Imagine their angst when they couldn’t quit his drive and knowledge of the game, and their pride when he actually made a good play or two every week.

He had his moments of glory along with moments of illegal motion agony. Through it all, he remained a professional that teammates could look to for consistency, and fans could look to for what’s right with pro sports.

It was always easy to clown Thrash when he was a member of the team, but now that he’s gone, it’s going to be a lot harder to find a better representative of what is good about the Washington franchise.

Technorati Tags: James Thrash

Orioles Draft Joe Flacco’s Brother

Wouldn’t you know it, the Baltimore Orioles have some PR savvy in the front office. They went out and got Mike Flacco, a third baseman from Catonsville Community College and the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

Isn’t that deliciously perfect?

The interesting part? Mike Flacco and his brother believe that he is much better than the 926th pick overall. And he is going to be eager to prove it.

“Yeah, I was disappointed that I didn’t go sooner,” said Flacco, the CCBC-Catonsville third baseman. “I thought I did pretty well at my workout at Camden Yards last week. Joe was pretty mad, too. But being ticked off is good motivation.”

So, instead of a feel good story of two brothers playing for the town’s beloved teams, there’s a bit of acrimony towards the Orioles for making Mike Flacco little more than a spoke in the media relations wheel.

If they are savvy enough, local reporters will be more than willing to drive this angst right up to the front gates of Camden Yards, where Joe Flacco will be waiting with a comment along the lines of “What the eff took so long to call him up? You didn’t waste any time with Wieters, and look how he started out.”

This is a happy day for Orioles and Ravens fans who enjoy sap being poured all over their morning headlines. But it’s an even better day for the cynics, who can’t wait for the first step of Mike Flacco’s “Stick it to the Orioles” tour to begin.

Forgiving Joe Flacco

You have to admire Joe Flacco.

He’s in his second year as the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, and in his first year of comfort in the position. So comfortable, that he’s making public declarations of support for his receiving corps of Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams.

You have to admire him for taking an active role of leadership. But Ozzie Newsome is a lot better off without Flacco questioning his maneuvering for more pieces to the championship puzzle, particularly when Cool Joe has no clue about what he’s talking about.

He says the receivers they have are good enough, and under normal circumstances of talent and possibility, they would be. Unfortunately, Derrick Mason is facing injury that might keep him out until the regular season.

Williams hasn’t appeared in more than 10 games in the last two years, and hasn’t had more than 22 catches in any of his three seasons in Baltimore.

And Clayton, while durable and capable of making a big play in a number of ways, is not the prototypical No. 1 receiver. While he is fast, there’s no imminent threat-factor to his game that widens things in the short field for Mason and Williams.

Maybe in time, Mason will recover well enough to be as productive as he was last season. Perhaps Clayton will develop to be more than a deep threat on any given down, and Williams will work the slot in a threatening offensive position on the field.

But as currently composed, for as much as we’ve seen, the Ravens pursuing another receiver is not such a bad idea.

The Anquan Boldin sweepstakes appear to be dead, but the Ravens have brought in four receivers who were mediocre in previous stops, but may be solid in a run-oriented offense with pass-fancy tendencies. Should the opportunity present itself to get a quality threat, such as a Chad Johnson, it may not be a reprehensible pursuit to look into it – even if Flacco thinks otherwise.

Both sides are doing exactly what needs to be done—Flacco needs to stick up for his teammates, and the team needs to be tactful and discreet about the way the bring in new players. Class all around for everyone involved.

Some teams could learn a lesson from the way Purple City does business.

The New England Patriots Dig Navy Football

Maybe it’s a bit of a tribute to his late father or maybe they are just quality players…

Whatever the reason, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick can’t get enough of Navy football players, having signed three from the Academy who each have military commitments ahead of them.

This year, it was running back Eric Kettani and wide receivers Shun White and Tyree Barnes.

A couple of seasons ago, it was legendary Midshipman fullback and general douche Kyle Eckel.

Turns out, Belichick’s late father Steve was an assistant with Navy football for many years, so it seems pretty natural that the Patriots load up the practice squad with disciplined players from a program with which Belichick has a personal connection.

Still, signing guys that have years to give for their country in military service gives a new definition to “stockpiling talent.”

Chase Daniel Attacked by D.C. Radio Host

Honestly, I had never even heard of this Chad Dukes guy until I read this story this morning, but he’s likely someone I’ll never put any stock in listening to beyond this post.

Dukes is a local radio personality in Washington D.C. and co-host of The Big O and Dukes Show. He got into a Tweet scrap with newly signed Redskins quarterback Chase Daniel, for reasons that immediately appear designed to get Daniel on his show.

Now, I can just anticipate fans of Dukes commenting and e-mailing with, “Nobody ever heard of this piece of sh*t blog until today,” or, “who the f*ck are you to say anything?”

Profanity aside, the truth is Dukes comes off like somebody desperate for a big scoop and yearning to get his name out there any way he can, which is the last thing you’d like to do if you truly want to build a loyal audience.

People who like Daniel now hate Dukes. People who like Dukes now hate Daniel.

I can almost guarantee the people siding with the quarterback far outnumber those supporting the radio host, which doesn’t make good business sense for Dukes in the long run because he gets posts like this written about him, and linkage like this and that.

In the end, trashing Daniel adversely affects Dukes’ intent of drawing publicity. In most cases in sports and entertainment, any publicity is good publicity.

In the blogosphere, bad publicity renders days of scorn and mockery, which eventually leads to being completely ignored by key communicators with a popular following.

So, all of that is said to communicate one big message: Daniel has upped his appeal locally and nationally, while Dukes has diminished his.

Daniel has increased his image in his field, while Dukes has injured his with misplaced logic and a heightened sense of importance.

The saddest part? The person with the most to lose thinks that he is the winner.

Redskins Season Ticket List is a Sham

Yet another reason to hate the money-grubbing, parking fee gouging Washington Redskins? Decent folks who have been waiting for season tickets for years are likley being bamboozled.

Deadspin airs them out real proper like with a H/T to the Washington City Paper’s expose’ on a Redskins season ticket list that shouldn’t exist in the face of disappointing seasons, a broken-down economy, and the team’s solicitation for ticket purchases from people not even on the list.

Shame on you, Daniel Snyder, for your greed and insistence that Johnny Rockets is worth it’s exorbitant prices.

Hail indeed.

Oh, and they linked to the Superskin post from earlier this morning.

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