Great Day At Maryland

Yesterday Maryland played my alma mater Elon in basketball at Comcast Center. It wasn't supposed to be much of a game but sometimes strange things happen and the little team knocks off the favorite. See December 22, 2007 when American University came into Comcast Center with a chip on its shoulder so to speak and knocked off the Terps. I was able to get sweet courtside seats from my prior employer and I arrived in College Park at 4:30 for an 8:00 game because Maryland was playing in the Humanitarian Bowl vs Nevada and I wanted to watch that before heading into the arena.

I went to one of the local bars, got a seat and I watched as Maryland and Nevada battled it out. I thought it was a victory for Maryland when they were up 28-14 in the third quarter, but QB Chris Turner turned the ball over three times and when I left to go to the arena it was tied 28-28. Upon arrival at Comcast Center, I went to a lounge area and it was 42-28 Terps. Maryland won 42-35 to finish the season 8-5 and they are 4-2 in bowl games under Head Coach Ralph Friedgen.

More on the game here:

The Washington Post

UM Terps web site.

Around the Harbor

At 8:00 PM Maryland and Elon tipped off. From the start it wasn't a pretty game as both teams shot poorly and Elon turned the ball over a lot. Elon had the lead by four early on but the Terps were the bigger and faster squad and they led by 13 at the half. Elon was scrappy in the second half, trailing by 7 with fifteen minutes left but Maryland's outside shooting, led by Greivis Vasquez (17 points) got the Terps on a 21-2 run that sealed the ball game. Final score Maryland 76, Elon 50.

For more on the game:
Washington Post

UM Terps

It was a fun evening, I talked with a few DC area Elon alum who were at a little gathering at the bar I was at. The organizer of their outing was wondering why the place was so crowded with fans and I explained that Maryland's football team was playing and none of us could afford (or really wanted) to go to Boise for the game. She was thinking prior to the event with students being away they'd have a good portion of the place to themselves. Still, I was impressed by the turnout of Elon fans at the game. Hopefully this game will help them when conference play starts. For 10-2 Maryland, they have two more out of conference games before ACC competition starts.

Some photos I took:

Tipoff


Maryland's Gary Williams, still barking out instructions with his team up by 25


Final score of the first meeting between the two schools


Post game handshakes


Benjamin wearing his new Terps shirt


Now I begin work on getting tickets to see that other school in North Carolina whose name has four letters in it...

Benjamin's Gift To Us

Benjamin's class made these for the parents at day care and ours was laminated and wrapped in nice, green holiday wrapping paper. I think this is the best gift we will get this holiday season. Benjamin is showing incredible progress at his new day care and he's really enjoying himself by participating in a lot of activities and making new friends. His teachers are telling us how quickly he learns. He does have the occasional mishap as all three year olds are prone to do. We were concerned about how the added cost would affect us but through careful budgeting and spending, we are doing fine and are pleased we made the change. Forget the stock market, 401-k or retirement accounts. Benjamin is our best investment and the returns are always huge! We are looking forward to 2009.

Sometimes I get all dirty
As I run and play
And I leave my handprints
All along the way
But with each day I grow a bit
And one day I'll be tall
And all my dirty handprints
Will be cleaned off the wall
So here is one for you to keep
To help your recall
Exactly what my hand looked like
When I was very small

Enjoy the holiday's everyone!

Maryland 2008 NCAA Soccer Champions

The best team in the ACC and the best team in the nation. The Terps did it! They won their third NCAA soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over ACC rival North Carolina.

Graham Zusi's second-half goal from about 20 yards out was the difference as Maryland beat the Tar Heels for the third time this season. Today's final was the first all-Atlantic Coast Conference final in the 50-year history of the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

Maryland (23-3-0) finished the season with a 16-game winning streak and in doing so, denied North Carolina a sweep of the men's and women's titles. UNC's women beat Notre Dame last Sunday.

The Terps won this title with a dominant defense. During the 16 game winning streak, they won by a combined score of 28-6. In their eight ACC and NCAA tournament games the combined score was 10-1.

Bottom line: The Terps defense came up HUGE since their last loss, 5-3 at Clemson on October 3rd. In that game Maryland surrendered three goals in a minute and a half late in the game to lose. To Head Coach Sasho Cirovski's credit, he didn't make any major adjustments. They just worked on details that were being overlooked and the defense started communicating better. As a result, the Terps have their second national title in four years.

Game links:
UM Terps

The Washington Post

NCAA Soccer Final: Maryland vs North Carolina

Graham Zusi's Game-Winner in Second Overtime Lifts Terps to Title Game. Maryland defeats St. John's, 1-0, in College Cup semifinal action.

Tonight's game is why I love college sports. What a fantastic, gutwrenching, up and down emotional roller coaster ride of a game. I loved every minute of it!

Much like last weekend against Creighton, the Terps dominated play tonight but were stymied by a fantastic performance by St. John's goalkeeper Neil Kitson. With 6:00 left in the second OT and all of us Terps fans posting on TSR message board dreading penalty kicks, Zusi curled a free kick into the top left corner from 25 yards out that commentator John Harkes called "Beckham-esque" and the Terps advance to play for their second title in four years.

The Terps (22-3) opponent will be North Carolina (15-7-1), who defeated #1 Wake Forest 1-0 in the earlier semifinal. Game time is 1:00 PM Sunday and can be seen on ESPN2. The Terps already beat UNC twice this year, once at home 2-1 on 11/7 and in their first game of the ACC tournament five days later 1-0. UNC's had an incredible NCAA tournament run and the ACC Champion Terps have a 15 game winning streak. It promises to be an awesome final.

Recap

Around the Harbor

The Washington Post

Benjamin's NFL Lock This Weekend

Benjamin and I were driving to day care this AM and listening to Steve Czaban's FOX Sports Radio show on XM. They were doing a "Lock and Load" segment on who their favorite football picks were in this weekend's games. There is a sound bite of a football player yelling "Lock and Load!"

So Benjamin yells out "Lock and Load, Daddy!" as we drive in.

I said "Ok, who do you like?" and he thought about it and said "the G-men Daddy!"

"The G-Men? Why?

At this point I'm wondering where he got that, then thought he must have heard Chris Berman say it when we were watching ESPN the other day.

"Because they are the blue team that your friend Dave likes"

So take the Giants over the Cowboys this Sunday at 8:00 PM. I'm amazed daily at the things he learns and retains.

Christmas Show

Today was a special day for Benjamin. First he had his Winter Wonderland Show with his classmates at day care. We got there twenty minutes before the show started and the best seats we could get were in the back of the gym. I tried taking pictures but nothing really came out great as the stage was dark and several other people were taking pictures and videos of their kids also. I was able to get a minute and a half of video from my digital camera towards the end of the show that came out pretty good, so we were enjoying that this evening.

Benjamin's group was the first on stage and they sang the following songs:

Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Chocolate (in Spanish)
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Benjamin was singing, dancing and clapping along with his class. I was impressed with his stage presence as I estimate the audience at 75. I don't recall ever getting on any stage when I was in school, so Benjamin is one up on his old man. Next stop American Idol.

We also decided to take him the the mall to see Santa Claus. He hung out with Santa for a few minutes, talking about cars, Power Rangers and soccer. He promised to be a good boy. He gave Santa a high five and a hug.

Merry Christmas from Benjamin!

We decorated the tree this weekend and before church yesterday Benjamin was goofing off with the Santa hat and I was able to get this pic.

His holiday show at day care is this Wednesday at 3:00 PM. We can't wait. His class will be singing a couple songs, one of them is Jolly Old St. Nicholas. We have been listening to this in the car (He loves NRBQ's version) and he's got it memorized.

Humanitarian Bowl: December 30th

Well, it's Boise and it's a bowl game. I was really hoping the Terps would be playing in Charlotte, NC December 27 as I'll be in NC then and could have gone.

So the Terps play Tuesday, December 30th in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. Their opponent will be the University of Nevada and kickoff is set for 4:30 PM ET (ESPN).

Nevada (7-5, 5-3) finished in a three-way tie for second in the Western Athletic Conference behind undefeated and ninth-ranked Boise State (12-0). The Wolf Pack is making its ninth bowl game appearance, including fourth straight. Nevada has played in this bowl before, losing to Miami, 21-20 in 2006.

The Terps (7-5, 4-4 ACC) have won three of their last four bowl games.

Nevada, winners of three of its last four regular-season games, has one of the top offenses in the nation, ranking fifth in total offense (510.6 yards per game) and second in rushing (291.4 ypg). Nevada RB Vai Taua has rushed for 1,420 yards, while QB Colin Kaepernick has posted for 1,115 rushing yards and thrown for 2,479 yards.

The Wolf Pack also stops the run well, ranking fifth in the country in rushing defense (74.5 ypg).

The Terps have their hands full especially after learning this weekend that Defensive Coordinator Chris Cosh has left Maryland, effective immediately, for the same position at Kansas State. Also last week Special Teams coach Danny Pearman left for Clemson.

This is the first ever meeting between Maryland and Nevada.

NCAA Soccer: #3 Maryland 1, #2 Creighton 0

Maryland's Rodney Wallace scored midway through the first half today as the #3 ranked Terps defeated #2 ranked Creighton, 1-0 at Ludwig Field. The Terps to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time in seven years. The Terps (21-3) won their 14th straight game and beat a Creighton team that had just one loss all season.

Wallace headed in Michael Marchiano's free kick and that was enough to give the Terps the victory. They could have won this game 3 or 4-0 as one shot hit the crossbar and several others were saved by Creighton's goalkeeper, 5' 8" Brian Holt. See the scoreboard picture below (click to enlarge) to see how Maryland dominated this game.

It was cold but not as cold as the Florida State-Maryland football game a couple weeks ago. There was even some snow flurries late in the game. A fun atmosphere at Ludwig Field. This is one of the DC area's more entertaining teams and values (ten bucks admission) and judging from some publications I've read and people I've spoken with, the Terps promise to have a stronger team next season.

There is still some unfinished business left though. Maryland will play St. John's in the NCAA semifinals at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas on Friday. The other semifinal has #1 Wake Forest vs North Carolina. The Terps won the National Championship in 2005







Steven Goff of The Washington Post article

One Year Later.....

I’m approaching the one year anniversary of when I collapsed and blacked out in my basement (December 5th). Since that day there have been a lot of changes in my life including my diabetes diagnosis. To battle that, I’ve been watching what I eat, exercising a lot and monitoring my blood glucose. In October, my A1C was 5.5. When I was diagnosed in July with diabetes, I’ve lost 23 pounds. My blood pressure and cholesterol are at normal levels now thanks to my diet and medication I’m on. This past month my blood glucose averaged under 100 for the first time since July when I began taking readings.

It was also the first Thanksgiving where I had only one helping of food and said no to traditional favorites like pumpkin pie and other sweets. Prior to our meal I set a personal record of 62 minutes straight running on the treadmill. That was an incredible feeling.

I still have a long way to go where I want to be weight wise (25 more pounds to drop to get to 170 pounds) but I’m in no real hurry and my next appointment with my doctor isn’t until late April. Meanwhile, each day I alternate exercising at our rec. center and the basement, where I’ve got a treadmill and exercise ball I use to do sit-ups. Perhaps when Spring arrives I’ll take up bicycling the local trails again. I’m also toying with the idea of entering some 5 or 10k races but that depends on how I progress over the Winter.

Stay tuned...

Boston College 28, Maryland 21

Sad how this team went from 6-2 and controlling their destiny for a possible ACC championship, to a so-so 7-5 record and waiting for another mediocre bowl to call them. I probably should be grateful this team has a bowl to prepare for as it gives these guys an extra month of practice but I can't help but think of what got away from this team. ACC championships don't come around too often, just witness the gap from 1985 to 2001 which were the Terps last two ACC championships. Florida State, Miami and Clemson will not be down for much longer.

That said, it's time for the Maryland Athletic Department to seriously assess Ralph Friedgen and his coaching staff this off season. Since 2004, Coach Ralph Friedgen's record is as follows: 5-6, 5-6, 9-4, 6-7 and 7-5 for a total of 32-28. Not very impressive in my opinion. Maybe Coach Friedgen's a victim of setting the bar too high when he came in and won the ACC Championship in his first season. He then followed that up with ten win seasons in 2002 and 2003 while winning the Peach and Gator Bowl's respectively. While at the Maryland soccer game today, I passed by Byrd Stadium and checked out the progress of the new suites, which I read are just 50 percent sold. 32-28 with bids to the Emerald Bowl will not have alumni opening their checkbooks to fill those new suites anytime soon.

So the Terps close out the season 28-21 losers. I'll admit I didn't follow this game too carefully as I was still deflated by last week's performance vs Florida State and I had spent the afternoon at the soccer game. Boston College with the win, plays Virginia Tech for the ACC title next Saturday while Maryland awaits their post season fate. I'd love it if they'd play in the new Eagle Bank Bowl here at RFK Stadium but from what I read it looks like the Terps are Boise bound for the Humanitarian Bowl or Music City Bowl bound in Nashville TN.

The Good:
Wide Receiver's Danny Oquendo (9 catches for 111 yards and a TD) and Torrey Smith (8 catches, 115 yards and a TD).

The Bad:
Maryland didn't have Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey today due to a leg injury.

No rushing attack today (-6 yards), so Chris Turner threw 57 passes, competing 33 for 360 yards and 2 TD's.

Another interception returned for a TD given up to Boston College. Seems like the Terps give up one a year to them.

The Ugly:
The Offensive Line was terrible again today. I think Turner was sacked five times

Maryland getting smoked on a fake field goal by Billy Flutie. Yes, he's the nephew of that Flutie (Former BC QB and Heisman winner Doug) as ABC pointed this out to the audience 7,357 times.

The ABC announcing crew for this game was so bad I switched to the Maryland radio network and dealt with the seven second delay.

Post recap

NCAA Soccer: Maryland 2, California 1

It was a beautiful day outside so I drove out to University of Maryland's Ludwig Field to check out the Terps 3rd round NCAA Tournament game vs California. Ten bucks got a general admission seat and I ended up meeting a couple friends there who were seated at midfield.

Since winning the 2005 National Championship, the Terps have seen their season end in the third round the past two years. Not today as the Terps beat Cal 2-1 to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Maryland (20-3-0) took the lead as 6' 5" Omar Gonzalez scored on a header. It remained 1-0 Terps at the break.

California (12-4-5) worked hard in the second half, putting together a couple good scoring opportunities but the Maryland defense held them scoreless. Maryland made it 2-0 as Jeremy Hall scored his 14th goal of the year.

Cal finally scored with 23 minutes left in the game when Andrew Wiedeman flicked a ball over Maryland keeper Zac MacMath into the back of the net. It is the first goal the Maryland defense has given up in the past four games.

Tension mounting and Cal nearly scored the game tying goal two minutes later but MacMath made an incredible sliding save to preserve the Terrapin lead. Cal continued to apply offensive pressure until the game ended and almost tied it late but their shot went just wide of the post.

The win, Maryland's 20th, ties the school record and Maryland was able to redeem itself for losing earlier in the year to Cal 1-0.

The Terps next game is Saturday vs Creighton at Ludwig Field, 1:00 PM

Florida State 37, #22 Maryland 3

Maryland was outclassed by Florida State in all aspects of the game. This game, the worst home loss since 2000 (Florida State 59-7) really wasn't as close as the score indicates. With the loss and the Boston College win over Wake Forest, the Terps have officially been eliminated from the ACC Atlantic Division race. Either Florida State or Boston College will win this now.

Florida State and their defensive pressure was too much for the Terps (FSU 21 points off turnovers) and the Terps just had no answer. Maryland couldn’t get their running game going, they had just one yard gained on the ground at the half. QB Chris Turner was just getting hammered. He was sacked six times, intercepted twice and seen running for his life every other play.

I know I should probably write more but I'm still thawing out. It's Sunday morning as I crank this out and I really want to forget about this game.

It's not going be easy to get things together as the Terps (7-4, 4-3 ACC) head to Boston College to play for bowl position next week. Turner is probably still shocked from the pounding he took last night. The Terps have rebounded nicely from all their prior losses all season, but I'm wondering if they can bounce back from this one.

The Good:
Honoring the 30 seniors on the team before the game. One of the reasons I love being a season ticket holder is seeing these kids progress. Every season has ups and downs but I appreciate the effort these kids put into this team and tonight was our chance to salute them.

Florida State safety Myron Rolle earned a Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday evening, then boarded a plane and joined his team in the second half. Rolle is an aspiring neurosurgeon and he will be entitled to study for two years at the University of Oxford in England. Very cool honor.

The Bad:
No chance at an ACC Championship with the loss.

The Terps entered the game with a perfect 6-0 record at home and finished the season 6-1.

RB Da'Rel Scott fumbled twice. True the Florida State defense was all over the place but Scott's not fully recovered from his shoulder injury he suffered in October.

The Ugly:
Not sure where to put this one but for the record Maryland is 4-0 against Top 25 teams, 3-4 against unranked teams and 0-4 at night.

The crowd exiting midway through the third quarter. I know it was cold and I know it was a Florida State beat down of the Terps but at least stick it out. At the end of the game all who were left besides your's truly were several hundred FSU fans and the Maryland Band.

Post recap

Blackout This Saturday!

Maryland vs Florida State



It's going to be cold, it's going to be loud! This is what you want as a fan, a chance at a championship in your team's stadium. Saturday can't come fast enough!

Maryland 17, #17 North Carolina 15

Question: Name the only team in NCAA Division One football who has beaten four top 25 teams this season?

Answer: The Maryland Terrapins. They added North Carolina to the list today when Obi Egekezie connected on a 26 yard field goal with a 1:42 left to give the Terps a 17-15 victory over the Tar Heels in rainy Byrd Stadium today. For the record, that's six wins over Top 25 teams dating back to last season.

This team is a roller coaster. The 7-3 Terps have followed each of their three losses to unranked schools with victories over Top 25 teams the following week. In the post game comments, Maryland Offensive coordinator James Franklin said he hoped Florida State will be ranked when the Seminoles come into Byrd Stadium next week. I'm not sure about Florida State's ranking now as Boston College knocked off the Seminoles tonight 27-17.

It was as tense as any football game I've been to but deep down I knew that the Terps would come back despite trailing 15-14 for almost the entire second half. They are an unbeaten 6-0 at home so far this season.

Maryland won because:
The Terps held the ball over 40 minutes, keeping the North Carolina offense on the sidelines and the 'Heels never really got in sync today.

North Carolina was 1 of 11 on third down plays while Maryland was 9 of 18.

Maryland’s running game returned. The Terps, which had -12 yards vs Virginia Tech in their last game, rushed for a net 195 yards today. Da'Rel Scott rushed for 129 yards and Davin Meggett chipped in with 86 yards. Both scored TD's.

Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen and Defensive Coordinator Chris Cosh revamped the defense this week in practice and it paid off. The defense, which gave up 253 rushing yards to Virginia Tech's RB Darren Evans, stepped up and played very well today. The Tar Heels rushed for just 75 yards and had 285 yards total offense.

There were several plays that were critical to the Terps victory today. Here goes:

1. Maryland Defensive End Mack Frost sack on North Carolina QB Cameron Sexton on 2nd down on the Tar Heels final drive. There was a holding penalty on North Carolina, but at this point they were near midfield and creeping into field goal range. The next play Sexton was intercepted by Cornerback Jamari McCollough and that was the ball game.

2. Maryland QB Chris Turner's 4th down run. Great awareness, he knew where the first down marker was and he got it. He needed five yards and got nine. In the post game comments, Chris said he saw no one was open, it was his last option so he just took off.

3. Maryland Defensive Back Antwine Perez stop of Sexton on 3rd down in the 4th quarter. Just a hell of a play. From my seats in Section 19 it looked like Sexton would easily run for the first down but Perez shed the block and made the tackle, leaving the Tar Heels short. Maryland received the punt and went on a 19 play, 73 yard drive, taking 8:43 off the clock before Egekezie's game winning kick.

4. Maryland Wide receiver Ronnie Tyler (see above photo) keeps Maryland's game winning drive alive with an amazing 18 yard catch on 3rd and 10.

Heads Up Play of the Game:
Maryland Punter Travis Baltz, after an errant snap, diving into the end zone for the safety and two points--instead of falling on the ball and giving the Tar Heels an opportunity for a touchdown. Turns out the Tar Heels ended up with 5 points on that sequence instead of 7.

The Good:
Maryland's Defense, the Offensive Line and running games. Maryland held the ball for 40:29 in time of possession against North Carolina, easily their best mark of the season.

Luck-North Carolina's usually reliable kicker Casey Barth clanged a 28 yard attempt off the left upright in the third quarter.

Maryland QB Chris Turner didn't turn the ball over despite the miserable conditions. His last interception came late in the fourth quarter at Virginia on October 4th.

Everyone rushing the field after the game, including your's truly (when I saw the security guards letting people do this). Last time I was on the field after a Maryland victory was October 1983 when the Terps and QB Boomer Esiason, upset the Tar Heels who were in the Top 10 at the time. Today I just wanted to high five folks and let out a big sigh of relief. Then order was peacefully restored after about fifteen minutes and people filed out of the stadium. It was fun!

The Bad:
The weather. Today's game was played under a tornado watch. It rained off and on during the first half, but stopped.

The first eight seats in my row were empty as was a third of the upper deck. 46,113 was the official attendance. This is a team in contention and fighting for an ACC title, support them!

The Ugly:
Heavy winds before the game put an end to the large inflated Testudo mascot that is usually set up near the end zone at the Gossett Field House end of Byrd Stadium.

The ACC Standings

So next Saturday the Terps take on Florida State at Byrd Stadium at 7:45 PM. A win would be a HUGE step for the Terps ACC championship hopes.


Washington Post recap

Benjamin's New Day Care

Benjamin's been at his new day care a little over a week now and he's really enjoying it. He's in the three's group and his day is structured so he participates in a variety of activities each day.

Based on his daily progress reports, here is a sampling of what he has done the past week.

Morning
Art-He loves coloring and making crafts. He's finger painted and done some actual cutting and pasting (not the way Mommy and Daddy do it at work on their computer). Our refrigerator is loaded with drawings.

Spanish-He's been counting to 30 now (!), yes you read that correctly. He can read some Spanish words off cards and sang and danced to Spanish songs. Note: Daddy could barely count to ten in Spanish...in Junior High!

Creative Movement-Currently his class is practicing for their Winter Show. They will be singing holiday songs. Last week among the activities he did was play soccer, he did some jumping and skipping exercises and learned how to tumble with supervision. Daddy's taught him how to throw a ball and he can swing a kids bat. He can catch pretty much anything thrown to him and he loves to run. They have a nice gym there so all the kids can run and play.

Math & Science: Benjamin's learning to add and subtract with his fingers and today they were using flashlights to make shadows. He's learning about the weather, mountains, volcanos, clouds and trees. He's also fairly well versed in dinosaurs, a requirement for all kids as you got to know your dinos.

He sleeps up to a couple hours after lunch. They provide the linens while at the other place, we had to.

Afternoon
Music/Drama-Singing, marching and puppet shows.

Social Studies-Geography and current events. He can point to the state where he lives on a map and when I picked him up one day last week I was stunned when he asked me if I knew who Barack Obama was. Obviously I knew and told him but you don't expect a three year old boy to know who the next President of the United States is.

Language Development-He's learned some new words thanks to their story time and a board they use to put pictures on it. I've been amazed at what he retains. For example, D.C. United hasn't played a soccer game in two weeks as their season is over but he still remembers his favorite players ( For the record: Fred, Bryan Namoff, Jaime Moreno and Zach Wells).

Computer-Benjamin's been learning mouse skills on the computer and they have been using educational software to get him familiar with the computer. Today it was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Pretty soon he will be a contributing writer to this blog.

His day ends around 5:30 when his group is in the music room singing. It's neat to go inside to see him singing and participating in their activities.

Usually when I pick him up, he gives me a big hug and then I speak with his teachers about his day and what he learned, etc. While it will cost Weena and I a little more each month, it's going to be worth it as we've noticed a change in just a week.

We believe the key to his learning has been the time both Weena and I take to read to him on a daily basis. We go to the library every couple weeks and he loves checking out books. These are exciting times in our household now and we're very blessed!

Virginia Tech 23, #23 Maryland 13

We've heard all about how well the Maryland football team plays against top 25 opponents, having won five straight games dating back to last season. Last night the Terps were the team ranked in the top 25 for the first time in awhile and their opponent Virginia Tech was not ranked. Adding to the fun was the fact this game was played at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, which Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen probably still has nightmares from the 55-6 beat down Tech put on his Terps in 2004.

Tonight the Terps looked terrible on both sides of the ball. They were down at one point in the game 20-3 but to their credit they hung around and had a shot to win this game down 20-13 in the 4th quarter. Here goes:

The Terps defense resembled a matador at a bull fight. Wave the red cape and let the bull, in this case Freshman RB Darren Evans and his school record 253 yards run right on through. Evans, who had never had a 100-yard game before last night, had runs of 50 and 45 yards to do in the Terps (6-3, 3-2 ACC).

The offense, except for Darrius Heyward-Bey catching a short pass from QB Chris Turner, then running 60 yards for the Terps only touchdown reception, was non-existent. RB Da'Rel Scott finished with 10 carries for 11 yards. As a team, Maryland rushed for minus 12 yards. Scott's been suffering from a bad shoulder and the decision to start him over Davin Meggett against a tough Virginia Tech defense baffled me.

But as Coach Friedgen pointed out after the game, that -12 is misleading because sacks count against a team's rushing total. Great Coach. Maybe if the Offensive Line showed up to play tonight it might have been different as your QB was sacked three times and on several instances, was seen running for his life. Turner (19-31, 240 yards) said he could not evaluate the offensive line's performance because he had yet to see the game film. It's not hard Chris; you had maroon in your face all night. The OL weren't there for you, period.

However, as bad as this loss was, all is not lost for the Terps. Here's why:
Maryland is 6-3 and 3-2 in the ACC Atlantic Division, tied with Florida State and Wake Forest. Win their last three games (Home to UNC and Florida State, at Boston College) and they play for the ACC title. In other words, the Terps control their destiny.

Positive Thought of the Day: Terps stunk it up in away night games vs Middle Tennessee State and Virginia earlier this season but were able to bounce back from those by beating California and Wake Forest at home in the afternoon. The Terps lost to Virginia Tech and it was a night game. The Terps next game is Saturday November 15th vs North Carolina at home, 3:30 in the afternoon.

Hopefully the players and coaching staff can rally and get it together so the Terps can take care of business down the stretch. Maryland has talent to win all three remaining games but they have to play a hell of a lot better than they did at Blacksburg last night.

The Good:
Heyward-Bey Highlight of the Week Because you will see him playing on Sunday's in the NFL, Hey-Bey caught a screen pass and ran 60 yards for the Terps only TD.

Maryland's Special Teams: Blocked one punt and when down 20-10, recovered a fumble off another punt deep in Virginia Tech territory. However, the Terps could not find the end zone and settled for an Obi Egekeze field goal.

The Bad:
The Terps Offensive Line didn't come to play tonight as Chris Turner was sacked three times.

Maryland's Defense surrendered 400 total yards to a Virginia Tech offense that had been struggling and didn't have either of its top QB's healthy.

Maryland giving up 253 rushing yards to a redshirt freshman.

The Ugly:
Virginia Tech RB Darren Evans had more rushing yards, 253, than the Terps had total offense, 228.

4th Quarter Time of Possession: Virginia Tech 12:26, Maryland 2:34

Washington Post recap.

Big Kick aka Super Toe

Benjamin got a Big Kick for his birthday from one of his friends from day care. We had this game back when we were kids, it was called Super Toe and we spent hours kicking field goals.



So when we open the box, I set it up and started booting field goals. I was on a roll when Benjamin yelled out "Daddy I want to try it!"

Daddy will definitely have fun with this gift, ha ha!



Benjamin uses two hands here for more power.



This one is wide left so we adjusted and Benjamin made the next one! We spent an hour goofing off with this and Benjamin was bummed when it was bed time. We'll get up early tomorrow and boot some more field goals before heading off to day care.

Benjamin 3; Maryland 27, N.C. State 24

Today was Benjamin's third birthday. Today was also Maryland's Homecoming game vs N.C. State. Obviously I didn't get to Byrd Stadium, this game was not on television and I just got to hear the last 7:00 of the game on radio as we had Benjamin's birthday party at Sports Bounce of Loudoun, followed by another family outing to go to afterward.

In a game with a lot of rain, Maryland won on a last second field goal by Obi Egekeze to improve to 6-2. I will post recaps here and here. Plus check out this link from a new blog I've added on the My Favorites side of the page called Around The Harbor.

So instead of a Maryland football write up, I'll post a party recap similar to how I've written about the Maryland games.

Benjamin's Sports Bounce party:
He had eighteen classmates, friends and relatives there with the adults watching. For a little over an hour they got to run, jump and bounce around the facility. He also played Pop-a-shot basketball with Daddy and laughed at the goofy mirrors similar to what you see at a carnival. The pizza arrived and the group headed into their party room where we all feasted on pizza, water, juice and then we had cake and sang Happy Birthday. Everyone loved the give aways and overall we had a great time. Once we loaded everything back in the car, Benjamin was fast asleep on the ride home. We liked the Sports Bounce because they were organized and did all the work. We did not have a house to clean up if he had all his friends over to celebrate. That was big!

The Good:
Benjamin turns three, he was surrounded by family and friends and all of us had a wonderful time. No clean up for us afterwards. The cake Weena bought was great as I put my diet and exercise routine aside for a day and even got to dig in!

The Bad:
The day ended.

The Ugly:
Today's weather was cold and rainy. I would easily be suffering from a cold if I sat in Section 19 today (I traded my tickets with my aisle mate as he needed more for Homecoming). Props to the fans who did stick it out.

Enjoy the photos!

Cake preview


Playtime!


Cut that cake!

Happy Third Birthday Benjamin!

Today Benjamin turns three years old. Here are his Fall portraits from day care.



A look back at prior birthdays:

2007


2006


2005 (He is a day old here, this is one of my favorites)


Happy Birthday to my little buddy!

Maryland 26, #21 Wake Forest 0

The good Terps team showed up today. Not the bad Terps team that was on the receiving end of a 31-0 beat down by Virginia two weeks ago or the bad Terps team that was embarassed by Middle Tennessee State in September. Today the Terps were prepared and ready to play from the opening kickoff. This was easily the best game the Terps have played all year and the 26-0 win over Wake Forest was their third straight victory over a team ranked in the top 25 this season.

Where to start? First, it's always fun writing about this team after seeing such a convincing victory in person from my seats in Section 19 on what was a picture perfect Fall day at Byrd Stadium.

Second, all facets of this team were clicking today. On offense, QB Chris Turner threw for a career high 321 yards on 28-for-41 and one TD. I looked up at the scoreboard near the end of the game and saw these numbers and couldn't believe it. This is two games worth of stats for Turner. Impressive.

The Terps needed to get WR Darrius Heyward-Bey more involved in the offense and today they did. Result: A career high 11 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Hey-Bey Highlight of the Day was an incredible catch he made where in mid-route he adjusted at the last second to make an unbelievable 41-yard catch in double coverage. Think of the classic highlight of the Steelers Lynn Swann in the Super Bowl vs Dallas.



The defense applied pressure all day, sacking Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner four times. Skinner, the ACC's leading passer, was just 14-30 for 127 yards. This was only the second time in Skinner's career he completed under 50 percent of his passes. Skinner is the one who keeps Wake's offense on track and the pressure he felt today by the Maryland defense threw him off his game.

Special teams: Kicker Obi Egekeze is back on track now, having made nine straight field goals since he started off the year missing five straight. During pre-game warm ups he was nailing kicks steady from 45 yards and in. For the record, his kicks today were from 40, 39, 35 and 26 yards.

All in all, a great effort by this team today. Two weeks ago I was as fed up as could be after watching the debacle at Virginia. Hopefully the bad Terps are finished for this season. Quote of the day was from Head Coach Ralph Friedgen addressing the media during his press conference when he said about N.C. State, Maryland's opponent next Saturday: "Any way you guys can put them into the top 25?"

The Good: Finally getting Darrius Heyward-Bey involved in the offense. The defense getting a shut out and Obi Egekeze making four FG's in a row. You'd love to see your offense cash it in for touchdowns but if you can't, get the three.

The Bad: RB Da'Rel Scott fumbling, not once, not twice but three times in the first half today. Fridge didn't give up on him though as Scott finished with 73 yards rushing and he also threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Heyward-Bey for Maryland's first score.

An injury to cornerback Kevin Barnes.

The Ugly: Where was everyone today? The announced attendance was 46,257. I hate seeing empty seats in the upper deck. I was ticked after the Virginia loss but come on fans, don't give up. Come to the game.

The Champs Bowl patch Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow had on her red blazer as representatives from this bowl were in attendance. It's a nice, mid level bowl the Terps went to in 2006 but this team at 5-2 can still snag a more prestigious Peach or Gator Bowl bid. If everything falls into place and the Terps can win the ACC Championship, the Orange Bowl bid is there for them.

As long as the bad Maryland team doesn't re-appear.

Washington Post recap here

Picnic Time!

This past Saturday was my company picnic. As you can see Benjamin had a fun time. We played a little soccer after having fun in the moon bounce. Beautiful weather outside!

Seve Ballesteros

Seve Ballesteros, one of the greatest golfers ever, found out this week he has a brain tumor after briefly collapsing last week.

The five time major winner is 51 years old. Flash back to December and pretty much the same thing happened to me as I collapsed briefly while working on my computer. I'm 46 years old and went through a variety of tests this year before it was determined I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Thankfully I did not have a heart attack, heart murmur, brain damage or stroke.

I've been working on lowering my cholesterol and blood pressure as well as exercising and monitoring my diet. I am down twenty pounds since July. I have a follow up doctors appointment on the 22nd and will write more on that after the appointment.

Just want to take this time to wish Seve Ballesteros best wishes as the two of us are close in age. The only time I ever saw him play golf live was when I worked as a marshal at the 1982 Kemper Open at Congressional Country Club. On the final Sunday he was in near the lead so he was in the last threesome with Craig Stadler and a fellow you may have heard of, Jack Nicklaus. At the 12th tee I stood about fifteen feet from this trio holding up the Quiet Please sign. I was shaking like a leaf but didn't drop the sign.

Get well Seve!

Benjamin Update

First, those Terp faithful who are looking for an update, there is none as the Terps had a bye week. Next game is Saturday the 18th at home vs Wake Forest at noon.

Couple things involving Benjamin. First, in three weeks he will be moving to a new day care facility. While we liked where he was at, there were no plans to move him into the three's group until the first of the year at the earliest. He's been in the two's since last September and we felt he would be spinning his wheels there so to speak. Weena and I had a disagreement with the Principal over this last week. We have found a place where we believe he will thrive and after taking a tour and observing how things work there, we signed on. (Please contact me via e-mail if you'd like the name of the facility)

Also, Benjamin had his first dental appointment Friday. All went well. He has twenty teeth and x-rays show he will probably start losing teeth in a few months. He was very good during his cleaning and loved the experience there.

He does needs a procedure though – a part of his tongue tissue needs to be clipped so that he can talk properly then after the procedure he needs to go through some speech therapy as he’s not used to rolling his tongue upwards. It's nothing to worry about, it's a 30-45 minute procedure and it is scheduled for the first week of November.

In two weeks our little guy turns three!

UVA 31, Maryland 0

I'm sorry but the earlier loss to Middle Tennessee State University has nothing on this debacle. This was an absolutely gutless performance by Ralph Friedgen's Maryland football team. This team is, apologies to Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Football Teams with tonight being the Worst of Teams.

Let's review: Maryland got their rear ends handed to them by a Virginia team that lost to Duke 31-3 the week before. This same UVA team that had scored 36 points in their first four games.

Maryland was clearly not prepared and did not show up to play tonight. Everyone and I mean everyone associated with the University of Maryland football team should be embarrassed at this. It just hurts seeing this team play with heart, guts and emotion in a great victory at Clemson one week and then come into UVA and get slapped around by the Cavs who, let's be honest, were a terrible 1-3 football team. I am done describing this mess of a game simply because I switched to D.C. United and later to baseball midway through the third quarter.

The Good:
No game next week as the Terps have a bye week.

The Bad:
Switching from this game to D.C. United's game. They lost at home to Chivas USA 3-0 and their playoff hopes have pretty much been extinguished with that debacle.

The Ugly
A shutout against UVA in their place a week after beating the #20 team in the nation.

2008 Light the Night Walk in Reston VA

First time I've recycled a blog post but there is time to make a donation for Weena, Benjamin and myself as we're participating with my employer. Weather looks to be great so a lot of pics of us will be posted later. Looking forward to this!



Light The Night Walk

Reston VA

October 4, 2008

7:00 PM

The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide walk to raise awareness and funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma as well as to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $550.8 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Although research is responsible for increasing survival rates for these diseases, there's still work to be done. Since I've been looking for ways to get and stay fit, I decided to join our group at work and will be participating in the walk, along with Weena and Benjamin.

Here's a little history of the event from the Light the Night Reston web site.

For the 8th consecutive year, balloons will light up the night sky of Reston, VA during the 2008 Light The Night Walk. Thousands of Walkers will once again fill The Reston Town Center and surrounding streets, enjoying an evening full of family fun as we celebrate and commemorate lives touched by blood cancers. The Reston, VA Walk is one of five Walks hosted by the National Capital Area Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This nationally recognized campaign consists of evening walks that take place in all 50 states and helps build awareness of blood cancers as well raise funds for cures. In 2007, the efforts of Walk Teams and Individuals came together to the tune of $540,800 just at the Reston Walk alone, $1.84 million in the DC Metro Area, and nearly $40 million nation-wide!

This year, we hope to raise $2 million in the National Capital Area and we are well on our way. Dario Marquez, CEO of MVM, Inc. has joined Light The Night this year as the 2008 Reston Corporate Walk Chair and is working to help secure the support of companies and businesses in the Northern Virginia area. Additionally, our Executive Volunteer Planning Committee is already hard at work garnering additional sponsorships, in-kind donations and volunteer support in the area.

I've set up a web page if you wish to contribute and help the cause. You may access it here. If you have further questions or wish to send a donation via mail, please click the View My Complete Profile section to the left of the blog and contact me.

Thank you very much. Full report after the walk.

Goodbye Texas Stadium!

The Redskins beat the Cowboys today 26-24. Since this is the last year of Texas Stadium, it was the last time the Redskins would play there in a regular season game.

Jason Campbell was very efficient today, going 20-31 and throwing for 231 yards and two TD's. Santana Moss caught 8 passes for 145 yards and Clinton Portis was typical Clinton Portis, running with ferocity (21 carries, 121 yards) and Chris Cooley was money today late in the 4th quarter getting a couple key catches that kept the Redskins last scoring drive alive. Most important, our house was amped up and Weena, Benjamin and I were cheering throughout the game. Just a fantastic game to watch.

Now I can say that with this Redskins victory in Texas Stadium today that the following demons are now purged from this Redskin fans memory. And they've been there a long, long time too.

Thanksgiving 1974 getting spoiled by Clint Longley to Drew Pearson. The 35-34 Cowboy victory in December 1979 which Roger Staubach led the Cowboy comeback from 13 points down late in the 4th quarter. That loss eliminated the Redskins from playoff contention.

Post game recap

Maryland 20, #20 Clemson 17

At the half, Maryland was down 17-6 and getting hammered. The Terps were having trouble with Clemson QB Cullen Harper's multiple fakes and their spread offense- four receivers at times, just stymied the Terps. Clemson had 17 first downs to just 6 for Maryland. They had 195 rushing yards to Maryland's 28. If not for three Clemson turnovers it could have been a lot worse for Maryland. Two penalties pushed the Terps back when they were inside the Clemson 20 and threatening to score a touchdown. Both times they settled for field goals. Brutal!

Long story, short, Clemson really hit the Terps hard during the first half. For the Terps they were a mad bunch going into the locker room.

So in the second half, the Terps came out a much different team, especially the defense. In the first half, Clemson RB's James Davis had 11 carries for 100 yards, and C.J. Spiller had 93 yards in ten carries. In the second half, Davis carried six times for 26 yards, Spiller four times for 5 yards. They kept Clemson off the scoreboard.

The offense woke up too. In one of the more beautiful plays I've seen as a Terps football fan and season ticket holder, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey took an end around, cut toward the middle of the field and ran 76 yards to the Clemson 4 yard line. The Terps scored two plays later as WR Torrey Smith caught a TD pass from QB Chris Turner to cut the Clemson lead to 17-13. Momentum clearly on Maryland's side as everything changed after Heyward-Bey's run. Clemson, which had 260 yards total offense in the first half, punted the next three series after Maryland's score. A 1 yard TD run by Da'Rel Scott with 10:25 left in the game gave Maryland the lead 20-17.

Clemson still had time and they moved the ball to the Maryland 40. However, Clemson was faced with a 4th down and a yard. Everyone seemed to know Clemson would try a quarterback sneak. Everyone tries this on 4th and a yard. Terps LB Alex Wujciak hammered the Clemson QB short of the first-down. The Terps sideline was fired up but there was still work left to be done to put away the game.

Playing with an injured shoulder, RB Da'Rel Scott is a flat out warrior. The stats show 23 carries for just 39 yards but he came up big a couple times today. One was on Maryland’s last scoring drive when the Terps needed a key first down, he got it. Later he scored the go-ahead touchdown. After the Terps defense stopped Clemson and got the ball back they ran out the clock. However, at one point on this possession they were faced with a 3rd and 7 with a little over a minute to go. Scott caught a pass, got the first down and that was it. No way was Da'Rel 100% today but he did what he had to do help his team win.

The Terps (4-1) are at Virginia (1-3) next Saturday 10/4 at 7:00 PM.

Quote of the Day:
Maryland Defensive Lineman Dean Muhtadi as he turned to his teammates on the sideline and said: "Hear that? Nothing. We just shut up 85,000 fans in their own stadium."

Fact of the Day:
Maryland has beaten four straight ranked opponents. Rutgers and Boston College in 2007, California and Clemson in 2008.

The Good:
Darrius Heyward-Bey had just one touch this entire game but that 76 yard end around changed the game's momentum for the Terps.

Chris Turner managed the game well again. 16-30 for 172 yards and 1 TD.

Obi Egekeze made two field goals and has now hit five in a row after missing his first five to start the season.

The Bad:
First half dominance by Clemson, 260 yards in total offense.

In the first half, on two possessions inside the Clemson 20 yard line when the Terps were trying to get a touchdown, they were penalized twice. Instead of a TD, they ended up with field goals.

The Ugly:
Channel 20 losing the feed for this game. The game time was 12:00 PM and it didn't come on until 12:30 PM. Just reading the Terps Message Board while this was happening was ugly enough.

Coach Ralph Friedgen's voice after the game during an interview. There wasn't much left.

It's Dallas Week!

My little guy is ready!

Sunday September 28th
4:00 PM on FOX
Washington (2-1) at Dallas (3-0)

Yankee Stadium

Tonight is the final game at Yankee Stadium. I'm a baseball fan and I was fortunate to have been to a pair of games during the 1987 season. I rode up with Miller Young and other friends from The Malt Shop, a bar above the Dancing Crab restaurant which was my favorite drinking establishment at the time. While I was there I visited Monument Park and snapped a bunch of photos. Ushers there were nice enough to let me invade the box seat area and take pics during batting practice. These photos are tucked way in a drawer and I remember writing on the back of them the date, the opponent and score. Thanks to Retrosheet baseball fans can go back and review box scores from years past. I did that here and posted them.

Here are the two games I saw at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees vs Twins on May 10, 1987 and Yankees vs Indians on August 16, 1987

Two other games from Yankee Stadium I will never forget that I watched on TV are:

Reggie Jackson hits three homers in game 6 of the 1977 World Series on October 18, 1977

The day after Yankee Captain and Catcher Thurman Munson died, Yankees vs Orioles on August 3, 1979

This blog, Sliding Into Home has been an excellent read all year.

NRBQ, one of my favorite bands even named an album At Yankee Stadium



So many great events were held there since it opened in 1923. Baseball games, boxing matches, pro and college football games. The Pope said Mass there three times. Yankee Stadium, and Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain are two legendary landmarks I'm happy and fortunate to have visited.

Maryland 51, Eastern Michigan 24

Today the Terps ended the non-conference part of their schedule and enjoyed themselves on their way to a 51-24 victory. They ran gadget plays, they got backup quarterback Josh Portis more involved in the offense and he responded by rushing for 98 yards and scoring his first touchdown. They blocked their first punt since 2006. When the game was over, some players leaped into the student section to celebrate.

The Maryland Defense gave up 453 total yards, including 282 passing yards. Despite missing three starters (Terrell Skinner, Nolan Carroll and Richard Taylor), EMU was able to move the ball effectively and that has to be of concern to the Terps, who begin their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule next week at Clemson.

Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey had another fine game, rushing for 81 yards on end-arounds of 46 and 35 yards. He also caught a 32 yard scoring pass from Chris Turner (2 TD passes) that put the Terps up 24-7 in the second quarter.

The coolest play of the game occurred midway through the fourth quarter. Maryland was ahead 37-24 and Heyward-Bey took a handoff and lateraled to wide receiver Danny Oquendo. Oquendo launched a 43-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Isaiah Williams.

Overall a great day in College Park for the 3-1 Terps but a tough test is ahead at Clemson next Saturday at noon and the following week at Virginia.

The Good: Kicker Obi Egekeze finally made a field goal, going 3 for 3 today.
Special teams blocked a punt for the first time since 2006 (Josh Wilson against William and Mary). Running Back Morgan Green has his first two career touchdowns.

The Bad: EMU had three touchdown drives of 80 yards.

The Ugly: The Terps had so much fun after the Oquendo touchdown pass that they were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration. Come on refs, lighten up. Let the kids have some fun.

Postgame quotes

The Post's Eric Prisbell's recap