NATIONAL ALERT: Don't Become the Next UNC Walk-on

Dear future North Carolina basketball walk-ons,

I know playing for a Division I University with a storied hardwood history such as UNC  is very enticing. Especially for 18 or 19 year old kids. But please think about your options before trying out for the mighty Tar Heels.

After witnessing what took place last week between UNC & Florida State I couldn't help but get a little pissed off when thinking about the 5 young men that not only the rest of the team left hanging, but also their "almighty" coach Roy Williams left them to get trampled on by over 7,000 FSU students & fans.

After the game Williams was quoted saying that he was worried about his female team managers getting knocked down again. Yet you take all but 5 players back to the locker room before the game ends? This display by Roy Williams & UNC was nothing short of an embarrassment to not only the team but the whole University.

If I were one of those 5 players left to fend for myself while the rest of my teammates were chilling in the locker room with my "Hall of Fame" coach...I would've picked up my stuff and walked right out on them. They showed you their lack of respect for you not only as a basketball player, but also for your well-being. How can a coach be more worried about himself getting hurt than his walk-ons who bust their asses everyday in practice?

So, in conclusion, to you future college bench-warmers, try coming to a real team & University like Maryland. We don't walk out on each other in a team game. And Coach Turgeon damn sure wouldn't turn his back on you, & start running for the tunnel while you try to fight off an entire gym full of crazy ass fans.

Sincerely,

FightOnDMV

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The Heart of a Turtle

My expectations for Maryland's basketball team this year were as low as they've ever been in my lifetime, thanks to this guy. I was hoping that at the very least the team would learn from their experiences this year, and the young Terps would mature into more rounded players.
They've had their ups/downs so far through 6 games, but I've been very impressed with the maturation of the team. Coach Turgeon has been a pleasant surprise, and his coaching style slightly echoes that of Gary Williams. He's intense, smart, and best of all..the team seems to be buying into his ways.
The Terrapins will be offensively challenged this year (outside of Terrell Stoglin) but I'm more concentrated on the effort they give on defense, and rebounding.
Pleasant surprises so far this year have been the emergence of James Padgett..especially on the offensive side, and Ashton Pankey, the redshirt freshman who missed all of last year with an injury. A couple players to keep an eye on are Nick Faust (frosh), and Mychael Parker (soph)...they need to be sound on both sides of the court because they'll have a huge impact on our guard situation the next few years.
This team has a lot of fight in it, and I believe it starts with their coach. It may be hard to watch this team this year, especially against Duke and UNC...but with my expectations low, I'm finding it fun to watch them improve every game win or lose. The coaches and players knew it could be a brutal year, but they're showing one thing you can't teach...heart.

Fight On Colli Park!

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The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly on TV Tonight

There's plenty to look forward to tonight in the DMV, and I've broken the most important events to watch into 3 categories.

First off, the ugly...

For some reason a genius at ESPN thought it would be a good idea to put this years Terps on national television @ 7:30pm/est vs. Illinois. Doesn't sound too promising...but may be a good way to kill the intermission time during the Caps game!

Prediction:     Maryland  55  -  Illinois  74

Now, the bad...

The reason this is considered "the bad" is because right now, well, the Caps suck. Pretty excited to see Dale Hunter behind the bench tonight though vs. St. Louis. Definitely worthy of my Tuesday evening.

Prediction:     Caps  4 - Blues  2

And finally, the good...

You can't go wrong with the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 10pm/est on CBS. Just in time to flip over after watching my man Alan May break down the Caps first win with Coach Hunter in charge on CSN.

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Randy Edsall...Drop and Give Me 10

For a team that finished last year with 9 wins, and in the top 25...this year was nothing short of an embarrassment. Randy Edsall took over in January for Ralph Friedgen, and immediately started to implement his militaristic coaching style.
At first, when reports came out that players wanted to transfer, or quit..all I thought was that these kids need to grow up and maybe they had it too easy with The Fridge. But the more and more I take a look back at this season, I can't help but wonder what exactly Edsall is trying to do. Having a military type mindset is fine...when you're winning, but when you lose 8 straight in your first year, and there's anarchy in the locker room..maaaaybe it's time to change it up.
There is absolutely no way that MD will let him go after one year, they have too much invested in him...plus the fact that they bought out Ralph's hefty a$$...I mean contract.
I'm not a fan of AD Kevin Anderson for many reasons. Most notably, the hiring of an average coach (at best) to lead the football program to the next level..doesn't make sense. Not to mention he just cut 6 different sports programs (8 teams) all in his first 2 years. Congratulations! Now go back to Army!
Someone needs to put Randy Edsall in line..not only has he embarrassed the entire state of Terp nation, but he doesn't seem to think any of it is his fault. Needless to say it's going to be an interesting offseason. Keep an eye out for player transfers, recruiting, and Edsall's take on the changes needed for the upcoming season.

Here's a clip of the Terrapins new recruiting video to show High School recruits the typical football practice run by Edsall: Enjoy!


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Socca Flocka

Casey Townsend has been a straight stud all year long for the UMD Men's Soccer Team, and he looks to continue his hot streak this Sunday in the Third Round of the NCAA Tourney. It's the 10th straight year the Terps have made it this far, and they look to build off of Townsend's hat trick last week vs. Dub.V.U.
The Terps will be at home Sunday vs. Louisville at 5pm and I'm looking for Casey to keep this ride going!
The game will be on TerpsTV...so if you get the chance check it out!

GO TERPS!

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Prideful Play

This season has had its ups & downs for Maryland (2-7 1-5ACC). Technically it had only one up vs. Miami, & we've been heading downhill faster than the Jamaican Bobsled Team ever since. Tonight's game vs. Notre Dame (6-3) at FedEx Field gives the Terps a final shot to prove to the entire nation that they aren't just a team to be looked over. The Fighting Irish have been on a roll lately though, and they'll look to improve their overall record since losing their first two games of the season.

Randy Edsall announced that the Terps will be donning their "Pride" uniforms tonight. They also rocked these against Miami and received plenty of attention across the nation for it. Yes, they stole the idea from a ladies roller derby team, but f*ck it...I LOVE THEM! Supposedly Notre Dame will have a change in uniform tonight as well. So we'll see who wins the uni battle. Here's a quick look at their new helmet.

My hope is that these battered & bruised Terrapins can have more pride in their play, than in their gear tonight! Tune in at 7:30pm on NBC for the action!

Prediction: Maryland 20 Notre Dame 38

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Terps stole the idea for their jersey's from WHO?

"WTF! Moment of the Day"

I thought these uni's were sick the first time I saw them vs. Miami, I kept thinking it's so original! WRONG

The roller derby's Charm City All Stars have been rocking these same helmets far longer. They also look like they can beat the sh!t out of MD..kinda like everyone else has this year...

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Maryland vs. Virginia Preview

Today's game at Byrd Stadium is going to be a tight one...well, for at least the first 5 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I love my Terps, but man are they hard to watch this year. I would be lying if I said my hopes weren't high going into the year. Randy Edsall had the best QB in recent memory at UMD coming back for at least one more season, a Defense which was returning star players in Kenny Tate & Joe Vellano, and hard nosed running backs in Davin Meggett & D.J. Adams.

That now seems like an eternity ago. Now we're staring down a quarterback battle, a shaky offensive line, and an injury riddled Defense. Oh yeah, and we've lost 4 in a row. The defense has given up 146 points in those 4 games, and our offense is either hitting or completely missing.

Virginia comes in (5-3 2-2ACC) and within reaching distance of first place in the Coastal division. They had a big win last week in Miami, and look to roll over the Terps today.

It's almost gametime so I'm going to try to catch the first few minutes, like I said before, that may be the only part worth watching.

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The Curse of J-Will...

On October 21st, 2008 Gary Williams, unbeknownst to him, would sign a player who would ultimately decide his fate as head coach at the University of Maryland. Some may say that's a little harsh, but I say F*ck that jingo jango. A mid-level recruit named Jordan Williams was out of "the land of steady habits" aka Connecticut. The only steady habit Jordan Williams had was eating...a lot! Word around town was that they wouldn't let him in the locker room until he did the truffle shuffle. Now let's fast forward a bit to two years later, and Jordan McWendys turns into a straight beast! Cutting weight and becoming an imposing inside presence in his sophomore year, he was starting to blossom into the best post-presence since Bambale "Boom" Osb...I mean Lonny Baxter. Many Terps fans thought the sky was the limit for Jordan and this young Terp squad. With talented freshmen guards in Terrell Stoglin and Pe'shon Howard getting key minutes, and young players such as Mychael Parker and Hawk Paulsson ready to break out, Maryland could see a very bright future. Adding to that future within the next two years would be Nick Faust, Martin Breunig, Sterling Gibbs, & Top 25 recruit Justin Anderson. This mix of players with the coaching experience of Gary led me to believe one thing..National Champions! Annnd I totally just went from 6 to midnight..BUT HANG ON..I once again have led myself to get too excited prematurely...story of my life!

Once the 2010-11 season had ended, Jordan said he had a very difficult decision to make, either go to the NBA and make millions of dollars, or come back to College Park and help end the sports recession of the DMV. My man dipped out quicker than Shawn Kemp after finding out he was about to have his 47th kid. A huge shot to the hearts of the Terrapin faithful, and little did we know Coach Williams was already packing his bags the moment the announcement was made. You can't blame Coach for this one..he got the raw end of the deal with the whole Gilchrist, McCray, Garrison, & Caner-Medley class, and now knowing his last shot was going to be riding on J-Will's shoulders...game over. Little by little everything started to fall apart. Here's a little reminder of how:
1.) Jordan Williams enters the NBA Draft
2.) Gary Williams retires
3.) Sean Miller, Brad Stevens, & Mike Brey turn down coaching job
4.) Hawk Paulsson leaves to play overseas
5.) Sterling Gibbs, Martin Bruenig & Justin Anderson de-commit
6.) Pe'shon Howard breaks his foot
7.) .....

So in conclusion, I want to give a little shout out to you Jordan Williams. Thank you for reminding us where we live, the fact that we can't get too excited about our teams, & for making me re-enroll in anger management classes. I take solace in knowing that because of the NBA lockout, everyone in the DMV makes more money than you do right now. Until the next player/team breaks our hearts...

Fight on DMV!

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Pregame Bullsheet

What Up Sports World,

My name is Rick, an avid sports fan of our beloved DMV (actually just the D&M, but I won't discriminate). I grew up playing every sport you can think of...doesn't matter if I was actually good at them or not, so shut up! I'm born and raised in MD and have loved our Skins, Caps, Bullets, Terps, DC United, & Orioles since forever. And no, I am not a Nationals fan. Just because a new team rolls into town doesn't mean you jump ship! If that were the case, I would've been a Ravens fan a long time ago...but F*ck that noise. If you are one of these unfortunate Natty or Purple Nurple fans have no fear..I'll still give you all a shout out from time to time.

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