This morning I caught the tail end of Federer’s French Open Finals victory over Robin Soderling. This is significant for a number of reasons.

Reason number 1, with this Grand Slam victory, Federer tied Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam wins.  Additionally, Federer did something Sampras never did: win on the clay at Roland Garros.  During the post-match commentary John McEnroe declared the Federer the best tennis player of all time unequivocally.

Reason number 2, no  Rafael Nadal in the French Open Finals.  Perhaps not coincidentally it was Robin Soderling  who defeated Nadal in the 4th Round.  Nadal has been struggling with knee injuries this year and may even miss Wimbledon. This makes Federer’s victory a bit bittersweet in my eyes; getting his 14th Grand Slam and his first French Open title against his greatest rival would have been poetic.  With Nadal not at full strength, that makes Federer’s pursuit of a record-making 15th Grand Slam title much easier.

Reason number 3, Robin Soderling. I really haven’t been able to keep up with the French Open, but ending Nadal’s streak on clay is incredibly impressive. Nadal was practically a god on clay, and defeating him  on his surface, at his tournament is an accomplishment even if he was injured.  And even though Soderling lost to Federer in straight sets he pushed the champ at times, and looked capable of beating the greatest. During the award ceremony Soderling joked that even though Federer beat him 10 times in a row, no one beats him 11 times in a row.  Here’s hoping that Soderling continues to improve and is able to challenge both Federer and Nadal in the future.  There should be some interesting tennis going on for the next couple of years if all three players continue to play at the same level.

So what does everybody think? Does this make Federer the Greatest of All Time?

Jansen Cut Today

Career In DC.

This morning Jon Jansen was cut by the Redskins after Zorn didn’t see Jansen in the Skins’ future plans.  Snyder flew Jansen into DC from his Michigan home to tell him of the situation in person and Snyder offered Jansen the chance to retire a Redskin.  Jansen rejected it and preferred being cut.

Jansen was here with the Skins for 10 years and had a pretty solid career here.  The past few years he had injury problems but it was hard not to like him.  He was drafted by the Skins in 1999 in the 2nd Round out of Michigan and was steady for the majority of his career.  If you remember, Jansen has been a major force to be reckoned with on the O-line for the majority of his career, especially in the running game.  Last year he was benched before the season started in favor of Stephon Heyer.  After Heyer got injured last season, Jansen found his way back in the lineup and held onto the position for the remainder of the year.  Out of 126 games Jansen played in, he started in 123.  Also how can we forget when he battled on the front lines with not one, but TWO broken thumbs?!

The Reasons.

Injuries and Youth-  As noted above, Jansen has had injury issues the past 4-5 years.  After rupturing his achilles tendon in 2004, fighting with 2 broken thumbs in 2005,  and other injuries the past few years, Jansen’s body has taken quite a toll.  The Skins want to get younger on the offensive line and you can’t develop potential star Stephon Heyer if he’s second string.  Jansen wasn’t keen about being benched last year in favor of Heyer (how could a warrior such as Jansen ever be fine with losing a spot?).  Zorn and Joe Bugel apparently tried to work him as a center and guard as a backup option but didn’t like what they saw.

What do the Redskins Gain and Lose?

Gains

• Roster Spot and Extra Evaluation time- The release of Jansen allows for Offensive Line Coach Joe Bugel to spend more time evaluating new potential answers for the spot, Jeremy Bridges and Mike Williams or Stephon Heyer.  This also allows the Skins another spot to use on the roster before cuts come later in the offseason.
• A Younger Line- The Skins are aging on the Offensive line and many believe that even though it’s a tough thing to lose Jansen, this is a step in the right direction.  Guys like Stephon Heyer and Chad Rinehart should get more playing time.  Heyer earned it in his first year and has put in some major work this offseason to make sure he’s ready to roll.

Losses

• Veteran Leadership- Jon Jansen was a 10 year pillar on the line for the Skins.  Always the fighter and warrior, his grittiness earned him the nickname of “Rock“.  He also hated to lose more than most on the team.  It’s too bad the Skins didn’t get further with him here in DC.
• Salary Cap Flexibility- There have been different reports on the effects of Jansen’s release.  We’ll see what the specifics are but it appears that the Skins are going to take a hit by cutting him.

What now?

For the Skins-  The fight for the Right Tackle spot gets a little less crowded but not less competitive.  Zorn is keeping an open mind  and I think he’s hoping to see Mike Williams drop some more weight to be a real factor.  If I had to bet money on it, I’d put my money on Heyer.  

For Jon Jansen- Jansen scored a deal with the Detroit Lions hours the same day he was cut by the Skins.  This is a great situation for both sides.  Jansen gets to finish his career in Michigan and the Lions get a veteran guard with some fight still left in him for the veteran minimum.

Thanks Jansen for your hard work and blue-collar approach to a tough job, good luck in Detroit, they really need your help!

Hey everyone, Mark here.

Just that I’d give everyone a quick update on what’s going on, and to let you know, that yes, right now the Washington Sportsjam podcast  is on indefinite hiatus.  Matt, David, and I just have not been able to find the time lately to record a podcast, and you may have noticed that before the last one the gaps between episodes was getting wider and wider. We’re scattered in three places now and have all gotten busier for various reasons. As if this moment we have no podcasts planned or scheduled.  Hopefully, in the summer we’ll have some time out, and be able to record a podcast,  but I don’t think we’ll ever reach our goal of a monthly podcast. And again right now nothing is planned.

However, on the brightside, we are going to be putting some more time into the blog. You’ll notice Matt has jumped on and has posted fairly frequently. Also, check out our twitter feed. We ‘ll post our quick thoughts up there as often as possible and try to tweet during any major sporting events we’re watching. Matt and I have already tweeted during Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s been fun, and thanks for everyone who listened. I still have a small bonus episode of outtakes to release at some point. We hope that we can back to the podcast stronger than ever and really deliver a quality product. But until we can, please forgive our absence. Please, keep following this blog for podcast information and also if you want to continue to hear our thoughts on different sports matters.  This blog will become more of an outlet for our thoughts than before. And please continue commenting and sharing your ideas. Making a great community for D.C. sportsfans has always been my biggest goal.

Mark out.

Big Story this week: Vick released from prison.

Apparently this is a pretty heated issue: Should Vick be able to play in the NFL again?

I’m going to come right out and say it right off the bat: Vick served his time, now let him play.  It’s that simple to me.  He’s served time in jail, lost his job and lost millions upon millions of dollars from the Falcons as well as endorsement deals.

However, the questions still persists and it almost seems as though the real focus is whether Vick deserves to play.

A surprising amount of writers believe  he does not.  Dogfighting is so heinous (yes, I really wanted to use that word) that he should never be allowed to step on a football field again.

from TSN Mike Florio writes:

Vick intentionally, deliberately, and soberly embarked on a hobby that violated multiple federal and state laws, and that was premised on the cold-blooded torture and killing of dogs.

And then he lied about his conduct, to anyone who wanted to know the truth. He even tried to deceive about the killing of underperforming dogs after pleading guilty, and while strapped to a polygraph.

If it were up to us, Vick wouldn’t play for the Bears or any other NFL team. Ever.

Also from TSN, Spencer Hall “Mike Vick has a disease and there is no cure.”

The point is not to dismiss this possibility, but to remember that the actor in question suffers from an incurable condition for which there is no cure: stupidity. It may flare up at any point without warning, and its side effects are endless. Take your chances with him at your own risk.

Okay, so:  1. He had a dogfighting ring that was cruel and 2. that was stupid.  That pretty much sums it up.  Oh wait, no we need to make sure he’s paid his debt to society.  The Humane Society wants to help out, which is nice for Vick because that certainly would help his public image.  Vick apparently sat down with the Humane Society recently and told them of his growing up with pit bull fighting and how he never questioned it as a child.  What I like about the Humane Society’s approach is this statement: “For me, it’s not about Michael Vick and providing endless punitive treatment. It’s about stopping other young people from going down the road Vick took.”

But here’s what I don’t like: “He needs to prove himself to us and the rest of the country.”

Really?  What kind of price to society should dogfighting bring?  I mean Goodell and the NFL has given wife-beaters, drunk drivers, pot-smokers and crack heads second chances?  But not Vick?  People couldn’t possibly believe that dog-fighting is worse than say, killing someone while driving drunk or could they?  Well Florio of TSN thinks that because the actions after you are drunk driving are unintentional it is less reprehensible.  He calls it a question of intent.  He’s right, Vick was sober when he had dogs killed and someone like Stallworth was not when he hit and killed someone.  But I think we should also take into account the loss or is that not post-modern enough?  Dogs being killed is sad and wrong, but people being hurt and killed is tragic.

Okay, enough of what the bloggers and writers think!  How about the pro’s?

• Arthur Blank, Falcons owner (though set at quarterback) believes that Vick has paid his debt to society.
• Sam Huff quoting Clark Gable, “frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
• Tony Dungy: Believes Vick should get a second chance in life, is happy that he’ll be living differently. (I think Dungy wants him to be able to play again, honestly.)
• Lovie Smith:”Mike made a mistake, and he’s paying the price for that mistake. Once you’ve paid your debt to society, you have to say, ‘OK, let’s go on from there.” Oh yeah, he also said Vick was like Martha Stewart ha.

Okay, what do YOU think?  Should Michael Vick be allowed back in the league, should he do more to “pay” society, do you even care?

And no, we will not even entertain Vick to the Redskins to replace Campbell nonsense

After a season long of FAILURE without Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood (as well as other players suffering numerous injuries through the entire year) there was a glimmer of hope: the NBA Lottery Draft (Here’s a helpful explanation of the NBA Lottery).  

Besides the thought that next year might be the year where the Wizards might finally be healthy for a season (oh yeah and the trouncing of Cleveland when we DID have a starting lineup) was the fact that although they only won 19 games out of 82 it wouldn’t go to waste.  No, at least they’d get a good draft pick out of it.  

I, for one spent the remaining games of the Wizards season gleefully imagining Blake Griffin getting some of those sweet assists Arenas was tossing out in the two games he played at the end of the season.  But I wasn’t the only one, the Wizards front office had imagined it too.

Not so fast though, tied for the second worst record in the league doesn’t guarantee anything other than a top 5 pick.  This isn’t the NFL, the lottery reigns.  

So what did the lottery say to the fans in the nation’s capital?

“SCREW YOU WASHINGTON“and ping pong balls of sadness fell to the Clippers tonight.

Now what?  Many think Ernie Grunfeld will try and package the pick with a player or two(Etan Thomas?) to get a veteran to help out.  Michael Lee with the Wizards Insider thinks they should draft James Harden  (The NY Times likes him at least).

If you need a laugh, continue with the links and reading below.

As always, Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog makes me smile in a sad situation:

Dan Steinberg via twitter:

“Ah, the week that was for D.C. sports fans. Too much joy than 140 characters can contain. http://tr.im/lPER “

CURSED

Jamie Mottram of Mister Irrelevant via twitter:

Maybe the Wiz could get Taylor Griffin with the 5th pick, and Blake could come visit sometime?