Matt Vasgersian's not a racist, he's just not funny

If you haven't seen this clip yet, it includes the MLB Network's Matt Vasgersian making a bad joke at the wrong time -- when Colorado Rockies right fielder Brad Hawpe is about to be carted off the field with an apparent neck injury.



There's nothing racist about the joke; it just wasn't funny -- that guy doesn't look like Donovan McNabb. Vasgersian certainly made a poor decision to go with a joke at that exact moment, but it really should have been a non-issue. But apparently, Vasgersian was forced to issue an on-air apology to say that he was sorry for ever making the joke in the first place.

Hopefully it's all over with now though. And if you're curious, Jason Whitlock has weighed in on the matter in his own unique way.

Cowherd tries to take a shot at Steinberg -- and fails

I don't listen to ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd -- and I honestly don't know anyone who does -- but according to Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog, Cowherd mentioned Steinberg today on his show and even called him "an odd bird." Shockingly, it came while Cowherd was telling some long-winded story that involved bloggers.

Basically, Cowherd was saying that when he starts talking about bloggers on the air, he gets mentioned all the time in the blogosphere -- which must obviously mean he's really popular and doing something right. During his rant, Cowherd managed to compare himself to Alex Rodriguez by saying that people write bad stuff about him too, and his example in this case was something Steinberg wrote:

Remember that guy, about a year ago, it was two years ago...When was the Super Bowl in Phoenix? It wasn't last year, it was two years ago.

So there was a guy from the Washington Post, I don't know if he's still there, Dave or Dan. He was sort of a quiet guy, he was a bald guy with glasses, and apparently he was just writing terrible things about me in The Washington Post. 'Blah blah blah.'

So he comes up to me and he goes, 'I've written terrible things about you, I've just been very harsh to you, would you mind talking?' And he was sort of an odd bird, but I said, 'You know, go ahead, I don't care. You're a blogger, you have a right to rip me. People rip me all the time, I don't care.'

Steinberg linked to the Cowherd post he wrote back in January of 2008, and it hardly "rips [Cowherd] to shreds" as he says.

But anyway, the funniest part comes at the end:

You know, all these blogosphere guys, take shots at me. You're not doing that about the overnight guy at Fox Sports Radio. Same with Alex Rodriguez. Hell, you can write a book about him, I'll buy it. He's interesting. You're not writing books about guys with the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres. So yeah, you've got to be careful about all this stuff.

"Blogosphere guys" (and many non-bloggers) take shots at Cowherd because they can't understand how he's on the radio. Sure, he may bring in plenty of listeners, but he also says stupid things for no reason and is extremely annoying. There's so many cases of Cowherd saying outlandish things that it's not even worth noting -- well, maybe just one awesome one.

I used to listen to sports talk radio all the time in the morning, but ESPN Radio's combination of Mike and Mike followed by Cowherd is unbearable.

So Cowherd, keep thinking that you're sports talk radio's version of A-Rod and believing that everyone is out to get you. In reality, you're just making a fool of yourself -- especially with this bizarre hatred of bloggers.

Weekly Rundown: Orakpo, Braxton Dupree, Hillenbrand

Weekly Rundown is a combination of links and brief comments on stories and topics that I couldn't get to during the week. If there's something important that I missed, don't hesitate to send an email or leave a comment.

• With the 13th pick in the first round, the Redskins took defensive end Brian Orakpo, who many analysts figured would already be off the board. Orakpo should see lots of playing time, especially since his main competition is Renaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels. [Redskins Insider]


• Should the O's top prospects be promoted to the majors as soon as possible? Rick Maese thinks it couldn't hurt, though using Brad Bergesen's first start as an example isn't really a strong argument. My opinion: Andy MacPhail knows what he's doing. [Baltimore Sun]


• Braxton Dupree intends to transfer from Maryland. [Baltimore Sun]


• Keith Law doesn't understand the contract the Nationals gave Ryan Zimmerman:

  
  Ryan (Richmond): Is it possible that Jim Bowden kidnapped Rizzo and is still showing up to work every day in a Rizzo mask? Sending down Milledge, all this uproar over the Dukes thing, giving Zim that huge deal. None of this seems productive to me.
  
  Keith Law: Don't forget the release of Shawn Hill, too. That Zimmerman contract ... wow. They gave him Markakis money and he's maybe half the player Markakis is. They gave him more than Youkilis got (adjusting for the years covered - Alex Speier pointed this out on WEEI.com) and he's not half the player Youkilis is. There should be no "face of the franchise" premium. If that's your face, put some damn makeup on. [ESPN]
  



• Amy K. Nelson describes the curious case of former first-round pick Matt Harrington, who turned down three big contracts and now works at Costco. [ESPN]


• Check out this article and video of a three-year-old baseball-hitting prodigy. [SweetSpot]


• Remember Shea Hillenbrand? Here's a fascinating feature on what he's doing now and what happened during his playing career, including his infamous confrontation with then-Blue Jays coach John Gibbons:
  

  
  Hillenbrand said the atmosphere in Toronto was 'circus-like' and to him it seemed like some of the players, despite the team's struggles on the field, were constantly joking.
  
  "It was like they weren't respecting the game," he said. "The team had just spent a lot of money and we weren't producing as a team. We were going downhill and the atmosphere in the clubhouse was circus-like. We had a players-only meeting and I was put in a position where I felt they wanted me to leave. I wrote 'the ship is sinking' on the board and another player wrote something like 'play for your paycheck.' The hitting coach saw it on the board and left, and then the manager (John Gibbons) came in and asked who did it. I said I did it. He tried to fight me there, calling me out in front of everyone.
  
  "Do I regret writing that? Yes. It's something I shouldn’t have done. But when a player gets put in a position where the team doesn't allow you to go visit your family, you stand up for yourself. I stood up for myself and I stood up for my teammates – and I'm the bad guy?"
  

  
  But that's just one part, and the article is definitely worth a read. [The Herald News via MLB Trade Rumors]

Redskins pre-draft day notes

No one knows exactly what's going to happen in the 2009 NFL Draft tomorrow for the Redskins, but it probably won't be good. Many signs are pointing to the Redskins making some kind of noise tomorrow, whether it's moving up to draft Mark Sanchez or something else. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Dan Snyder says that the Redskins will not trade its 2010 first-round pick: "We're really not as a franchise comfortable trading first-round draft picks. I don't think it's a wise move to keep trading that pick. It's always a little bit risky." You'll understand if I don't exactly take your word for it, right Dan? [PFT]


• Jamie Mottram lays out three possible scenarios if the Redskins do draft Sanchez -- and he isn't pleased with any of them. [Mr. Irrelevant]


• Jason Campbell would apparently want a trade out of Washington if the Redskins do find a way to select Sanchez in the draft tomorrow -- which is interesting, because despite the fact that it would make sense for him to think that way, I haven't seen a quote from him saying that yet. [Washington Post]


• The Redskins still have interest in defensive ends Brian Orakpo and Everette Brown. [Redskins Insider]


• And some wishful thinking: Maybe the Redskins aren't taking Sanchez and are fooling everyone instead. Not likely, but maybe. [Hogs Haven]

That should just about do it. By the way, the Redskins need offensive linemen, defensive linemen, and linebackers -- if that actually matters to Snyder and Vinny Cerrato or not, I can't be sure.

Anyway, like I said before, no one knows what's going to happen tomorrow, so be ready for a bunch of random stuff go down. If there's a positive in all of this, it's that Peter King has the Redskins moving up to the No. 8 spot to take Sanchez in his latest mock draft -- and he's almost always wrong. So, hooray!

Enjoy the draft.

Eaton steps up in O's win

Adam Eaton, who had managed to pitch only four innings in each of his first two starts, tossed seven and a third innings tonight against the White Sox in a 6-2 Orioles win. The win improved the Orioles' record to 8-8 on the season -- which includes an 0-4 record against the Red Sox and an 8-4 record (and four series wins) against the Yankees, Rays, Rangers, and White Sox.

On offense, the O's were able to get to Bartolo Colon quickly, knocking him out of the game after three innings with eight hits and five runs. Aubrey Huff, Ty Wigginton, and Felix Pie all had two hits apiece; Pie's multi-hit effort raised his batting average to a robust .171. And one of Wigginton's hits, an RBI-double, was his first extra-base hit of the season.

The season is young, but Eaton's performance was definitely impressive. And when an Orioles starter pitches well, it's definitely worth noting. In those seven-plus innings, Eaton gave up six hits and two runs (Jim Johnson allowed two inherited runners to score), and he struck out nine batters while walking none. In 102 pitches, he threw 74 for strikes, relentlessly attacking the strike zone and repeatedly getting ahead of opposing batters.

The solid outing lowered Eaton's ERA to 7.04 -- but could be something to build on. A pitcher like Eaton is certainly expendable for the Orioles if he struggles in some of his starts down the road, but more efforts like this one could be very useful/helpful to a thin staff that has already lost Alfredo Simon for the year. Eaton doesn't have to be an ace, but if he can eat some innings and give the Orioles' younger pitchers in the farm system more time to develop, his presence on the team will be relatively positive.

Then again, it was just one outing. Hopefully he can duplicate it in his next start.

AP Photo/Rob Carr

Shanahan to Washington in 2010?

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks the Redskins may be positioning for a possible run at coach Mike Shanahan in the 2010 offseason:

In the end, Shanahan’s final destination might come down to money. Specifically, the question will be the extent to which any team is willing to exceed the $7 million that Shanahan is due to receive from the Broncos regardless of whether he works next season.

So maybe, just maybe, the team’s flirtation with USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has less to do with making an impact in 2009, and more to do with helping set the table for Shanahan in 2010.

I have absolutely no doubt that Dan Snyder wants to make this move, but it's going to come down to how the team performs this year. If the Redskins finish 8-8 again and miss the playoffs, then Zorn will surely get fired, meaning Snyder can throw a ton of cash Shanahan's way to try to bring him to Washington. But if the Redskins make the playoffs and perform well, Snyder can't get rid of Zorn and Jason Campbell, which would ruin Snyder's strategy of trying to make a big offseason splash every year. And I honestly don't know if Snyder would rather win football games or be offseason champions.

If Snyder is really looking ahead to 2010, it makes more sense (not that anything Snyder does makes sense) to have Sanchez since he would be a young quarterback for Shanahan to build his offense around; Campbell probably wouldn't be a good fit.

Finding out that Snyder wants to hire Shanahan wouldn't shock many Redskins fans if it eventually turns out to be true, but I'd still be surprised if the Redskins draft Sanchez because he makes no sense for the 2009 team. The Redskins have plenty of holes at offensive line, defensive line, and linebacker, and wasting a pick on a quarterback would be ridiculous.

So, with that in mind, expect the Redskins to go after Sanchez.

Weekly Rundown: Garnett, Paulus, Madden

Weekly Rundown is a combination of links and brief comments on stories and topics that I couldn't get to during the week. If there's something important that I missed, don't hesitate to send an email or leave a comment.

• The Celtics' chances to repeat as NBA champions took a big hit with the news that Kevin Garnett could miss the entire postseason with a lingering knee injury. Bill Simmons gives his own thoughts on the KG situation, handicaps the Celtics' chances to win without Garnett, and offers an insightful discussion on the continuing demise of the newspaper industry. [ESPN]


• Greg Paulus will apparently be given a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job at Michigan. Duke coach David Cutcliffe offered Paulus a chance to try out for the team -- but at wide receiver, not quarterback. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez must really be desperate. [ESPN]


• John Madden has decided to retire from broadcasting. Mike Florio offers some comments from Madden and toots his own horn for predicting in January that Cris Collinsworth would take over for Madden after the season. [PFT]


• Redskins fans really want Mark Sanchez. Or not. [Redskins Insider]


• Truth provides some end-of-the-season thoughts on Antawn Jamison and now former coach Ed Tapscott. [Truth About It]


• The Nationals just can't seem to get anything right. They're 1-10, they can't spell "Nationals" correctly on all of their jerseys, and they even suspended outfielder Elijah Dukes for showing up five minutes late after doing some charity work. [Big League Stew]
  
• ESPN's Rob Neyer wasn't a big fan of MLB's Jackie Robinson celebration idea, in which every player, coach, and umpire wore No. 42 in honor of Robinson on Wednesday. Neyer: "Never underestimate the ability of the commissioner to take a pretty sweet idea and just drive it into the ground until it's dead." [SweetSpot]


• ESPN actually being reasonable and willing to acknowledge criticism? This can't be right. [Awful Announcing]


• Peter Schmuck thinks umpire Doug Eddings did a horrible job behind the plate on Saturday: "Eddings needs to go back to one of the umpire academies and learn the strike zone." [The Schmuck Stops Here]

Quite frankly, Stephen A. Smith is leaving ESPN

It's a sad day, indeed. According to The Big Lead, writer and on-air personality Stephen A. Smith has only about six weeks left at ESPN, when his contract will then expire. The two sides couldn't agree on a deal that fits Smith's different (and loud), if not hilarious, qualities:

Within the last month, a source says that ESPN and Smith went to the negotiating table and couldn’t reach an agreement. Apparently, ESPN’s offer was considerably lower than Smith’s previous contracts - which were multi-media faceted - and Smith passed. He was then offered the decision to work through the remainder of his contract, or walk away and still get paid, and a source says Smith decided to work.

If Smith does, in fact, have only six weeks left, then it will be cutting it pretty close to whether he'll be working the NBA Draft or not. I guess he probably won't be involved, but I definitely hope he is -- if not just for more moments like this.