Miscellaneous Sports Pictures

Went to two games during the last week of 2010. On December 28th I went to the Caps vs Canadiens game and the next day I went to what's now called "Historic" RFK Stadium to see Maryland in the Military Bowl. RFK Stadium turns 50 years old this year. Here are some random shots I took at both games. Caps and Maryland both won.

December 28, 2010: Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens

Caps greats


Would love to see a Stanley Cup Champs banner one day


Bullets won it all in 1978. I was in 10th grade at the time.


The tools of their trade for the Caps.


Alex Ovechkin with his traditional pregame ice splash.


Canadian National Anthem


A scene from Animal House fires up the crowd.


December 29, 2010: Maryland Terrapins vs East Carolina Pirates

Game pics here

The colors


Fly over


Field and stands


Maryland extra point attempt


Game action


Upper deck at RFK Stadium


End zone. There used to be temporary seats and a beer stand when the Redskins played here. It got real loud there.


Sadly there is no more end zone seating in RFK Stadium. Replaced by hospitality barns. Boo!


Here is where I stood and took my game pics. Decent view and I blocked no one.


Lower bowl shots in what is probably my final trip ever at RFK.

Saturday Sports Day & Movie Night

First, Benjamin's soccer. He had his first game and they won. Not sure what the score was but Benjamin had a goal and an assist and while he loves to score, he was also aware that his team needed defense so he often stayed in the back and when the other team was attacking, Benjamin made sure to defend. He's got the mind of a midfielder and is having a good time so far this Fall season.

Pregame instruction and drills






Game time!






Benjamin scores his first goal! Some of the kids were trying to figure out what to do during throw in's and corner kicks when the ball goes out of bounds. This was the case here. Benjamin saw the opportunity and took advantage. It's all for fun but it was cool seeing him score.


My star midfielder!


After his soccer session ended, Benjamin and Mommy spent the day together while I drove over to College Park MD for the Maryland-Florida International football game starting at noon. Maryland won 42-28. Here are a couple shots I took. More can be found on my Terps Football Blog, Section 19.

Terps Defense


Tony Logan returns this punt for a TD


QB Danny O'Brien back to pass


QB Danny O'Brien hands off to RB Davin Meggett




After dinner, Weena and I went to see this:



It's a sequel to the 1987 movie Wall Street. I won't spoil this for those who haven't seen it as it just opened up this weekend. It's about an ambitious young investment banker Jacob Moore (played by Shia LaBeouf) ahd he discovers that greed is still the name of the game when he works with with former Wall Street icon Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), who was released from prison after serving time for securities fraud and insider trading.

Three and a half stars out of four. Good movie, we both really liked it.

Top Ten D.C. Area Sports Moments 2000-2009

10. Michael Jordan returns and plays for the Wizards.



Jordan generated a ton of interest and revenue for a struggling NBA franchise. Not much of a front office executive though.

9. Georgetown returns to the NCAA Final Four in 2007.



What's interesting about this story is the Hoyas were coached by John Thompson III, the son of the long time Hoya coach who went to three Final Four's and won the NCAA title in 1984.

8. Maryland Football wins the 2001 ACC Championship



Under new head coach Ralph Friedgen, the Terps came out of nowhere and surprised everyone by winning their first ACC title since 1985 and going to the Orange Bowl. Prior to the 2001 season, Maryland's last bowl game was the 1990 Independence Bowl.

7. Wizards beat the Bulls 4 games to 2 in the first round of the 2005 NBA playoffs.



Prior to this, the Wizards had made the playoffs once (1997) since 1988 and their last playoff series win was in 1982 when they beat New Jersey in the first round.

6. Joe Gibbs returns to coach the Redskins in 2004.



The results were mixed, two playoff appearances (2005, 2007) but the overall record was 31-36 including a 1-2 record in playoff games.

5. George Mason goes to the Final Four in 2006.



This team barely got in the NCAA tournament, then shocked former champs Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut on their way to an unlikely Final Four. They lost to eventual champion Florida. This run to the Final Four had a huge impact on the school today as enrollment is up and there are new buildings being constructed on campus.

4. Alex Ovechkin



Drafted by the Capitals in 2004, he's won two NHL Most Valuable Player awards and is easily the most exciting player in hockey today. Caps have gone from barely filling Verizon Center post NHL lockout, to selling out every game this season. The Caps are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender right now.

3. Baseball returns to Washington DC.



The Montreal Expos move here and play at RFK Stadium from 2005-2007 before moving to Nationals Park at the beginning of the 2008 season. We lost the Senators in 1971 and had nothing until the Expos came here (I became a Baltimore Orioles fan after that) There's a long way to go before this team is competitive but it's great to be able to go to the ball yard again.

2. Maryland Basketball: 2001 Final Four, 2002 National Championship



Terps finally get to the Final Four, then win it all the next year. I followed this team all my life and it was tough seeing them lose to Duke in 2001 but great to see them beat Indiana for the title the next season. Remember, Gary Williams brough this program came back from the dark days following the death of Len Bias and NCAA probation.

1. Redskins Darrell Green and Art Monk make the NFL Hall of Fame in 2008.



Monk and Green going into the Hall of Fame in 2008 is my #1 because those two had great careers here and I was able to see them in person a lot at RFK Stadium. Two class acts in what is easily the greatest era in Redskins history.

Art Monk finished his career with 940 receptions for 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns in 224 career games. He was the first NFL player to catch more than 900 career passes and he retired as the game’s all-time leader in receptions. He was the first NFL player to record more than 100 receptions in a season. He also caught at least one pass in 183 consecutive games. Monk was clutch when the Redskins needed a catch to keep a drive alive.

Darrell Green played 20 seasons for the Redskins, recording 1,321 tackles, 59 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. He also scored 11 touchdowns (eight by interception return, two by fumble return and one on a punt return). Green earned seven trips to the Pro Bowl, was named NFL Man of the Year in 1996 for community service and won the NFL Humanitarian Award as well.

It was a thrill seeing both of them enter the Hall of Fame together.

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...

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.

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