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7:00 pm
NHL: Montreal Canadiens @ Capitals
7:30 pm
My Life 365 With Allen Iverson
8:00 pm
NBA: Wizards @ Oklahoma City Thunder
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Redskins Nation
The Redskins 09 regular season record will be:
: 12-4 or better
: 11-5
: 10-6
: 9-7
: 8-8
: 7-9 or worse


Joe Yasharoff grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walt Whitman HS and the University of Maryland. He's the Managing Editor at Comcast SportsNet and the creator/Executive Producer of "Tee Time", a weekly, summer golf show. He also created the "Ovech-kam" for Capitals games. Joe's been working in TV for over 20 years in DC. Prior to CSN, he was the Executive Sports Producer at Fox5. He has won 10 Emmys. Joe is a golf fanatic but his handicap would suggest otherwise.

 

  


 

Earl Boykins: A Short Story


November 13, 2009, 10:16 am
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By Joe Yasharoff
CSNwashington.com Contributor

The MASH unit that is the Washington Wizards just signed Earl Boykins to fill the void while guards Randy Foye, Mike James and Javaris Crittendon mend their injuries. You may not know much about Boykins except about his height. Or lack thereof. He stands 5'5" which makes him the second shortest NBA player of all-time next to Muggsy Bogues who was 5'3". And at 133 pounds, Boykins is the lightest player in league history. He's big for a jockey or a gymnast but for an NBA player? Not so much.

I like Earl Boykins. Always have. What's not to like about a 5'5" guard in the NBA where the average height per player is about 6'8". I've always been fascinated by short players in a tall man's league. Spud Webb at 5'7" and Nate Robinson at 5'9" are two of the most memorable players of diminutive stature. Both amazingly won NBA Slam Dunk contests. And of course there's the king of the VCP (vertically-challenged players), Bogues, who played 14 years in the Association carving out a very nice career for himself.

Boykins is no slouch either although you might think he's slouching. Okay, no more short jokes. I promise. He has averaged over 9 points and 3 assists per game with 8 teams over an 11-year NBA career. You may recall that three years ago while playing with Denver, he torched the Wizards for 29 points leading the Nuggets to victory even though they were without 7 players that night due to suspensions for a fight with the Knicks two days prior. Boykins' career free throw shooting percentage is .879. That's right up there in Rick Barry/Larry Bird/Reggie Miller territory ranking him as one of the most accurate free throw marksmen of all-time. So the kid can play. Okay he's not a kid. He's 33 years old. He just looks like a kid and I promised I wouldn't make any more short jokes. Sorry about that.

To put things in further perspective, Boykins, at 5'5" is a half-inch taller than my mom for crying out loud. She stands 5' 4 1/2" (but she plays about 5'6"). And when the Wizards play the Cavs next Wednesday, Boykins will be giving up about 16 inches and 130 pounds to LeBron James and about 20 inches and 200 pounds to Shaquille O'Neal. I'm guessing that given his history, Boykins is not sweating it too much. To him, it will be just another day in the land of the giants.


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javaris crittenton
it's "javaris crittenton", not "james crittendon"
Posted by alex at 11:26 am Nov 13, 2009

Yasharoff: Why Everybody Should Be A Navy Fan


November 9, 2009, 8:55 pm
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I'm supposed to be objective but I can't be when it comes to the Navy football team. I admit that I am totally in the tank for the Midshipmen and have been for years long before their win over Notre Dame on Saturday. How in the world does a service academy beat a team with the talent and tradition of the Fighting Irish for the second time in three years?  How does a team that's significantly smaller, slower and less athletic at every position beat a top 20 team with a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback? I haven't a clue. I guess it starts with heart and ends with good coaching and a triple option offense that can be befuddling.

I wasn't even planning on watching much of the Navy game on Saturday truth be told. Sure I'd flip over to catch the score but I had my eyes on the SEC clash between Alabama and LSU and the key Big 10 match-up pitting Ohio State and Penn State. I figured Navy couldn't beat Notre Dame again like they did two years ago. Not this year, not this time I thought. Wrong again. I ended up watching very little of the SEC and Big 10 games as my eyes became glued to the brewing upset in South Bend. Final score: Navy 23, Notre Dame 21.

The final result spoke volumes about the direction of both programs. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis couldn't figure out how to stop Navy's triple option offense and may soon be figuring out what his next career move will be. Navy qualified for a bowl game for the seventh consecutive season. Think about that. Seven straight bowl games for a school that does not get any top recruits. They will play in the Texas Bowl to be played on New Year's Eve in Houston. No disrespect meant but I would love to see the Middies play in a higher profile bowl. They could give a top 20 a run for their money as Notre Dame found out.

I salute head coach Kenny Niumatalolo for what he's done. Two years ago, Navy head coach Paul Johnson left to take over at Georgia Tech. Coach Kenny as he is affectionately called by those who can't spell or pronounce his last name hasn't missed a beat keeping the same offensive system in place and keeping the program's momentum going. And he's a very laid back and likable guy, which is not the normal profile for a college football head coach.

So if you're depressed about your Terps or your Cavs or disappointed that your Hokies are no longer in contention for a BCS berth, you might do well to jump on Navy's bandwagon. You could do a lot worse. You'd be rooting for a successful program that churns out brave young men who will be defending our country in the coming years. Do yourself a favor and become a Navy fan. Go see the march on and fly-over at a Navy home game. Add the Army-Navy game to your bucket list. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.


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