Florio: Hall should retire

I almost missed this Sporting News article by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio titled "10 NFL players who should retire now," but I was confused by DeAngelo Hall's inclusion at No. 5:

In human years, he's 25. In "pain in the butt" years, he's like 84.

It seems as if DeAngelo Hall has been around the NFL a lot longer than five seasons, due in large part that he's routinely popping off about something.

Most recently, he chided the team that paid him $1 million per game for eight games last year before giving him the ability to hit the open market again.

While he now has a fat new contract from the Redskins, we wonder when they'll realize that he's simply not an elite cover corner, and he's eventually more trouble than he's worth.

Was this written by Colin Cowherd? I'm with Florio on the fact that giving Hall a big contract -- six years, $54 million ($22.5 million guaranteed) -- was a risk this offseason, especially given his track record with the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders, but really, he should retire?

I agree with most of the names on the list, not all of them, but Hall's inclusion made the least sense. I don't recall the Redskins ever saying that Hall was "an elite cover corner," but he does provide an upgrade at the starting position opposite Carlos Rogers over the oft-injured Shawn Springs. Hall isn't as good of a cover corner as Springs, but he came in last season and was very effective in Washington's zone schemes, which is what he's best at anyway. Hall even admitted as much in an interview with the Junkies on WJFK earlier in May:

"Going from somewhere that really didn't have any scheme or any direction to a defense that just said, hey, we're going to put you in this position, we're going to ask you to make plays, but at the same time, we're going to give you a chance and put you in a scheme that's going to allow you to make plays. It kind of was relieving... I kind of had that swagger back. I was like, this is easy, this is fun, instead of feeling like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and we're running this particular coverage and they're max protecting -- it just didn't make sense in Oakland. I come to Washington, and it's like, man, this makes sense. Like, this is what made me love football because this is the fun part. This is the part [where] all you do is go out and play."

The Raiders signed Hall to a huge contract and then asked him to do something he wasn't best at: play a lot of man-to-man coverage. Granted, Hall may not be the best guy in the world or the best teammate, but that was just a stupid move on their part.

With a much-improved defensive line and a defensive scheme that fits his abilities, Hall should have no problem producing more-than-acceptable numbers in Washington.

Redskins release Jansen

The Redskins released veteran offensive tackle Jon Jansen on Friday, a move that will result in an approximate cap hit of $6 million:

Coach Jim Zorn and a group of offensive assistants -- led by offensive coordinator Sherman Smith and offensive line coach Joe Bugel -- reached the decision about Jansen after evaluating performances during the team's minicamp and other workouts earlier this spring. That process culminated in a meeting yesterday morning at Redskins Park, for which Snyder dispatched his private plane to pick up Jansen, who makes his offseason home in Michigan.

"What we try to do is look at all the offensive linemen," Zorn said by phone yesterday. "You not only grade them, but you rank them. You go back and forth. What's the future look like here? The future looks more like it's the battle of Stephon Heyer, Mike Williams and Jeremy Bridges."

The Heyer-Williams-Bridges trio doesn't seem too reassuring, especially since Williams is currently still weighing in at 384 pounds after not playing for the last two seasons, but Jansen couldn't stay healthy and obviously wasn't the same player anymore, particularly in the pass-blocking department.

But Jansen, who played in Washington for 10 seasons, was quickly signed by the Detroit Lions. Now, he'll get the chance to earn a starting spot with another team while also returning home to Michigan.

In the face of such news, Jansen still remained the consummate professional that he was with the Redskins for those 10 years:

"When the day started, the hardest thing was finding out I wasn't going to be a Redskin anymore," Jansen said by phone. "And then the day took a pretty good turn for the better. . . . I think the timing [of the release] could've been better, but I don't think the result could've been better."

Hopefully Jansen is able to stay healthy and play a few more seasons in Detroit. If anyone has earned a second chance in the league, it's him.

La Canfora heading to NFL Network

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Redskins beat writer Jason La Canfora is leaving The Washington Post to join the NFL Network. Florio adds:

La Canfora will join a stable of NFL reporters that has been filling the shoes previously occupied by Adam Schefter.

Schefter, though still technically employed by NFLN, will be moving to ESPN after his contract expires in August.

Because the network is owned by the league, it’s essentially owned in equally-sized 1/32nd chunks by the teams. And so, in a roundabout way, La Canfora will be working for the franchise whose Executive V.P. of Football Operations he accused of slander last year.

Florio is, of course, talking about Vinny Cerrato, but that's another point entirely. La Canfora did a great job covering the Redskins, though he was often quick to criticize the team and front office, sometimes for no apparent reason.

Still, the Post's Redskins coverage will certainly be different without him, which is both a good and bad thing. Good luck, Jason.

Memphis charged with 'major violations'

The shady recruiting tactics of now-former Memphis head basketball coach John Calipari have been hinted at many times, but now the program may be facing some serious punishment from the NCAA. According to ESPN:

The allegations include "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.

The wording of the report indicates the player in question only competed during the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. The player's name was redacted in the report due to privacy laws, The Commercial Appeal reported.

If the NCAA allegations are proven true, Memphis might have to forfeit their NCAA-record 38 victories and Final Four appearance.

Calipari did a great job at Memphis; he recruited great players and won lots of games. But it's times like these when I'm glad that Gary Williams is coaching Maryland.

Wieters to make debut on Friday

The much-anticipated arrival of top O's prospect Matt Wieters is now just a few days away.

According to Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations for the Orioles, Wieters will make his major league debut on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. And when Wieters does arrive, the Orioles will most likely release veteran catcher Chad Moeller.

Even though the move comes a little earlier than many thought it would happen, the decision to bring Wieters up makes sense. Two young pitchers, Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken (who's making his own major league debut tonight), are already on the O's roster, and more (is David Hernandez next?) will be making their way to Baltimore as the season rolls along. Not only does Wieters appear to be ready, but by adding him to the roster now, he'll have the chance to work with those young pitchers even more and they can all learn, grow, and improve together. Having the chance to work with Gregg Zaun should also help Wieters perfect his catching skills.

Oh, and Wieters is obviously a huge upgrade offensively behind the plate. How's this for a potential lineup?

Roberts, 2B
Jones, CF
Markakis, RF
Huff, 1B
Mora, 3B
Scott, DH
Wieters, C
Reimold, LF
Izturis, SS

Luke Scott should be back soon after a brief rehab stint, and he's also a big upgrade over the disappointing Ty Wigginton.

Anyway, I'm excited to see Wieters in an Orioles uniform, even if he doesn't start out on fire.

Weekly Rundown: Kornheiser, Brandon Snyder, John Wall

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.

• Jon Gruden is taking Tony Kornheiser's spot on Monday Night Football, which is probably a good thing. Funny guys don't really work in the booth, especially if they don't know that much about football to begin with. Though, to be honest, it's really not surprising that once ESPN stopped bringing in random celebrities to interview during the game and had the announcing trio focus, for the most part, on the game, that the product improved immensely. Anyway, if you think the decision to leave was solely Kornheiser's, you're crazy. The Washington Post's Leonard Sharpiro offers his thoughts on the whole thing. [ESPN]


• If Brandon Snyder keeps hitting like he is, the Orioles won't have a problem finding room for him. [Baltimore Sun]


• World Series and ALCS games will start about 40 minutes earlier this year, so, hey, that's cool. [ESPN]


• Consensus No. 1 prospect John Wall has decided to play for John Calipari at Kentucky. Though Wall will only stay for one season, it's official: Kentucky is loaded. [Rivals]


• Think the Washington Redskins should change their team name? Michael Silver agrees with you. [Yahoo! Sports]


• The Orioles aren't the only team that makes horrible baserunning mistakes; the Mets do it too. [Big League Stew]


• Send Phil Hughes to the bullpen? Not a bad idea. [SweetSpot]


• The Nationals have had a strange season both on and off the field, and now there's this: exploding hot dog buns:
  

  
  "It's just funny to watch hot dog rolls explode and come down on people," agreed James Timmermeyer, one of several fans to comment in this space about the malfunction of Nick's Sausage Shooter during Saturday's matinee, just a few hours before the tarp failed to deploy. "I would actually like to see that again. I'd want it to go awry every time."
  
  The Nats declined to comment on any sausage failure, so I'll go by some first-person accounts. Screech came out on a Segway, as he always does for this promotion, and set up shop down the right-field line. (The sausage shooter is used irregularly, but is a season-long promotion that has occurred before and is scheduled to occur again.) This time, though, hot dogs (wrapped in bun, foil and t-shirt, along with a flyer) weren't soaring into the stands with the majesty of a Roethlisberger bomb. This was the Danny Wuerffel version.
  
  "Every time you would see one fire, you would almost see shotgun pellets of stuff come out of it, stuff would explode everywhere," said Alex Zeese, who was sitting in 222. "You would see bits of hot dog bun lying in the field. A guy in front of me caught one, he opens it up, the whole thing was just crushed, and the sausage casing was pretty much the only thing left. It had been torn down the center, all you saw was little bits of meat stuck to the casing. It was basically gutted. I don't think anyone would eat that. I'm just glad there was no mustard in that stuff."
  
  There was at least one report of a sausage flying into the Phillies bullpen, to great amusement of the residents. One commenter said the grounds crew had to retrieve pieces of bun from the field, and that Garrett Mock was showered with the stuff. That's unconfirmed, but it would certainly fit in with the other reports.
  

  
  Long quote, I know, but it's hilarious nonetheless. What's next, Nationals? Spelling a former president's name wrong on a bobblehead? Apparently, yes. [D.C. Sports Bog]


• This just in: Nick Markakis is really good -- and humble, too. [Washington Post]

Orioles release Eaton

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles have released Adam Eaton and recalled Matt Albers from Triple-A Norfolk.

The move comes after yet another bad start from Eaton yesterday, when he allowed eight hits and seven runs in 4.2 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Yankees. Not only did Eaton pitch poorly for the Orioles -- 2-5 record, 8.56 ERA, 1.47 K/BB, 1.98 HR/9, .326 BAA -- but in his eight starts, he only pitched for more than five innings in two of them. And since he was pitching poorly and not eating up many innings, Eaton got the boot.

Asked about why the Orioles released Eaton, manager Dave Trembley said:

"The record and the way he pitched is pretty self-evident what the factors were.

"I just didn't see him being able to locate his pitches on a repetitive basis. The guy's pitched for a long time and knew what he wanted to do and worked at it. The hits just came in succession. It just seemed like big innings were what he couldn't stay away from. I don't think it was stuff or lack of stuff, I think it was the inability to locate."

Albers, though, will not take Eaton's place in the rotation; instead, he'll pitch out of the bullpen. The Orioles apparently will call up a starter from Norfolk to pitch on Tuesday.

After a decent 2008 season (3.49 ERA) that was cut short by a labrum tear, Albers hasn't looked the same. Opting to rehab the injury instead of having shoulder surgery, Albers struggled in the beginning of the season (7.71 ERA) before being sent down to Triple-A.

Albers will never strike out a lot of batters, but he's most effective when throwing strikes with his two-seamer and not giving up many walks. He also does a good job of keeping the ball in the ballpark.

In a brief and effective stint in the minor leagues, Albers posted much better numbers: 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 9 Ks, 3 BBs. If he's able to find his 2008 form, he could give the bullpen a much-needed lift.

Guthrie's struggles continue

Jeremy Guthrie hasn't looked right this season, and that trend didn't change last night in an 11-4 loss to the Yankees. Guthrie gave up five runs (and three home runs in back-to-back-to-back fashion) in seven innings, so he wasn't terrible. But he walked more batters than he struck out (three to two), and his record on the season fell to 3-4.

Guthrie's 5.37 ERA looks pretty bad considering his last two seasons with the O's when his ERA totals were 3.70 and 3.63, respectively. It doesn't look particularly horrible when comparing it to the rest of the pitching staff, though Koji Uehara (4.34 ERA) is pitching better than Guthrie, Brad Bergesen (5.35 ERA) has been OK, and Rich Hill looked pretty good in his Orioles debut.

But back to Guthrie: His strikeouts are down (5.20 K/9 down from 6.31 and 5.66), his walks are up (3.19 BB/9 up from 2.41 and 2.74), his home runs allowed are up (1.84 HR/9 up from 1.18 and 1.13), and opponents are hitting for a better average against him than before (.277 BAA up from .250 and .247). (Random question: Is it possible that pitching in the World Baseball Classic before the season has affected Guthrie a bit?)

Also, Guthrie only has one start this year in which he's allowed fewer than three runs: April 11 against Tampa Bay -- 6 IP, 0 ER.

Now, all, or most, Orioles fans know that pitching help seems to be available in the minors, and many of the young guys will be up in the next year or two. But for right now, Guthrie's struggles are certainly concerning, especially when he's supposed to be the ace of the staff.