Redskins Blow Chance To Beat Bengals In OT

By Mark Bacon

"That's a long way to go to kiss your sister" - Bengals radio broadcaster Dave Lapham

While many of the NFL’s previous 17 regular season games in London have been damp squibs, Sunday’s contest was a bloody thrill, warts (22 combined penalties, dreadful kicking, turnovers), tie and all. One minute you’re about to give the Redskins credit for a terrific rally; the next minute you’re looking at all the wasted chances because there were many. What the Redskins don’t want is to look back on the season and feel the same way, but that’s where they’re headed.

The Skins traded blows with the Bengals but neither team could deliver the final blow in a 27-27 tie on Sunday. Washington had three of the five total possessions in the 15-minute overtime, but neither team could score, and the game became the NFL’s second tie this week.

Place kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 34-yard field goal with 2 minutes 9 seconds left in overtime that would’ve given the Redskins the victory. Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis successfully iced the kicker, as Hopkins drilled his first attempt after the timeout was called, but hooked his second attempt wide left. The Bengals never came close to attempting a field goal in overtime, as their three possessions ended with a punt and a turnover when defensive end Anthony Lanier recovered quarterback Andy Dalton’s fumble with 1:02 left.

The Redskins overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to grab the lead on two drives longer than 80 yards. Cousins connected with tight end Jordan Reed, who reversed field after the play to dive into the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown. Then he found wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who was wide open for a 33-yard score, to give Washington a 24-20 lead with nine and a half minutes left in regulation. The Redskins gained a combined 173 yards on those drives as Cousins was effective on intermediate throws against the Bengals.

Jeremy Hill helped Cincinnati retake the lead, 27-24, with 6:54 left, and Hopkins made a 40-yard field goal with 2:08 left to tie the game at 27.

The Redskins led 10-7 at halftime, but they had opportunities to head into the locker room with a larger advantage. The offense was able to move the ball, outgaining Cincinnati 226-82, but Washington scored just one touchdown on three trips to the red zone. After an impressive 15-play drive to start the game that ended on a four-yard touchdown run from Rob Kelley, the Redskins offense on the ensuing two possessions failed to convert on fourth and one at the 18 and settled for a field goal two yards away from the end zone.

While Cincinnati finished with 415 total yards, it had just 82 in the first half. The Bengals scored their only first-half touchdown on their first possession following a 65-yard kick return from Alex Erickson. Bengals running back Giovani Bernard scored on an eight-yard touchdown seven plays later. Cincinnati finished with 152 rushing yards.

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NBA Opening Night

The Warriors will not go 82-0; The King Is In No Mood To Cede The Throne

By Mark Bacon

New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James picked up right where he left off, posting a triple-double in his Cavaliers’ season-opening win Tuesday over the Knicks, just as he had during June’s NBA title-clinching win over the Warriors. James also used the return of NBA action to dunk all over New York.

James threw down six jams in all, just one off his career high.

The aerial assault was part of a 19-point outing, on 9-of-14 shooting (lots of high-percentage looks Tuesday). James added 14 assists and 11 rebounds — for the 43rd triple-double of his career and the first on the NBA’s opening night since Jason Kidd in 2006 — and he notched a game-high plus/minus of +24 in just over 32 minutes of play, as his Cavs throttled the Knicks, 117-88.

Cleveland’s night began with the hoisting of its championship banner and the handing out of the championship hardware. Having gotten his hard-earned ring, James then proceeded to assault the rims, serving notice to the rest of the league that the King was in no mood to cede his throne.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors

So much for the Golden State Warriors going 82-0.

Tuesday night’s season opener for the Warriors against the San Antonio Spurs here at Oracle Arena was supposed to be a festive occasion and a chance to see Kevin Durant play with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green for the first time in a game that counted. Instead, it turned into a bloodbath, with the Spurs leading wire-to-wire and obliterating the Warriors to the tune of a 129-100 victory in front of a shell-shocked sellout crowd.

There was no reason for them to stick around. The Warriors struggled in all phases of the game: going 7 for 33 from three-point range, giving up 21 offensive rebounds — they were outscored 24-4 in second chance points — and being outrebounded 55-35 overall. The result, combined with Kawhi Leonard looking like MVP candidate with a career-high 35 points and LaMarcus Aldridge adding 26 points and 14 rebounds, was Golden State spent the vast majority of the game trailing by double-digits and looking to be far from the super team they have been billed as — and almost certainly will become — since signing Durant back in July.

San Antonio relentlessly attacked the offensive glass throughout the game, and the Warriors didn’t show nearly enough energy and effort in trying to combat them. The result was the Spurs creating one extra possession after another, and in turn, getting plenty of easy baskets at the rim. Meanwhile, the Warriors consistently struggled to stop the Spurs in transition, to the point where San Antonio actually outscored Golden State 24-20 in fast break points — a stat no one would have guessed before the game.

(As a quick aside: Just how amazing are the Spurs? No Tim Duncan, no Danny Green, and the Spurs come into Oracle Arena and absolutely throttle the Warriors anyway. Leonard was spectacular, going 15 for 15 from the foul line and getting five steals with his Velcro-covered hands, while Aldridge had eight offensive rebounds and gave Golden State’s front line all kinds of trouble. The Spurs might still be all right this season, even as they adjust to playing without Duncan for the first time in two decades).

No, this game didn’t end Golden State’s season, or diminish this team’s status as the obvious title favorites. What it did show, however, is there is still plenty of work to be done.

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How I Spent My Weekend: Three Football Games in 27.5 Hours

By Mark Bacon

Three football games in 27.5 hours, spanning Kentucky’s two largest cities, and covering over 225 miles, was not a long-planned odyssey. I had no clue it was about to unfold until the third quarter of Game One. But when the final whistle blew at Game Three yesterday afternoon, I was able to look back at one of the most satisfying journeys I have been part of. The joy of spontaneity and improvisation joined the spirit and community, or fellowship, of athletes and their fans was manifest by 4 p.m. on a glorious Autumn afternoon.

As a matter of fact, the 27+ hours showcased picture perfect Autumn weather. Perfect football weather. The journey found me in the company of four of my closest friends and many thousands of others, clad predominantly in red, black, blue, green and white. But loyalties, not color, heart and soul, not appearance, were the highest emotions displayed. Good sportsmanship, hard work, commitment to excellence, and happiness ruled the long gridiron day-plus. An American Microcosm of our country at its best. Allowing an escape from the turmoil we as a people are embroiled in.

GAME ONE: NC STATE AT LOUISVILLE
The first leg of the gridiron odyssey was the only planned portion of the weekend. It became more than that; it became the jump off point for the two games that followed. Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium (PJCS) was filled with the Louisville faithful clad in red and black. Mother Nature provided a postcard perfect Autumn day under clear blue skies and colorful trees clad in reds, yellows, and browns.

My impressions are the obvious and not-so-obvious. It was obvious within 90+ seconds that the Louisville Cardinals were the better, yea dominant, team. My hometown’s Heisman hopeful displayed the dazzling talent that has catapulted him into the national discussion. Lamar Jackson, the Cards’ quarterback, blew past Wolfpack defenders with ease 1:33 into the contest, giving Louisville its first score. More, many more, would follow, and by halftime, the score was 44-0. Game over. It was actually over when Jackson and Co. took the field against their overmatched opponents.

Jackson’s passing, not running, was the overall impression of the sophomore QB’s afternoon. The Cards’ Cause was bolstered by a suffocating Louisville defense. The mood in PJCS was ebullient. Joyous. Relief, too, that the Cards had re-energized their brand of football into the “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” style fans have come to expect early on in the season. The Ali video before the game was apt. Energizing. Emotional. And said it all. What I didn’t get was the music pumped into the stadium. So much heavy metal, a White musical genre for a predominantly Black athletes’ game. I wanted Dilla. Madlib. Kanye… something that I felt the players, many fans and I were wanting to aurally depict the game. Not to be, really, other than a few sanitized “Rap” artists.

Can’t have it all my way; I was content with the domination Louisville displayed against their overmatched opponents from North Carolina. In the third quarter, so complete was the dismantling of NC State, that a text to three other very dear friends began to move the wheels to the next game. In Lexington, KY.

GAME TWO: MISSISSIPPI STATE AT KENTUCKY
I have never seen the University of Kentucky (UK) play a single football game in Lexington’s Commonwealth Stadium. Never expected to, until my Game One friend’s girlfriend called an audible on weekend plans. Causing me to text message another friend to see what his Saturday night plans were. (Mine didn’t include the 2.5 hour drive back to Wolf Creek.) He had two free tickets to UK’s game that evening; did I want to go? Yes!

Game One was over by halftime, so leaving PJCS, climbing into my car and driving 35 miles or so to my UK alumni pal, was the plan for the rest of the day. Before leaving for Lexington, the chance to see a third game in a little over 24 hours was hatched. But first? We scored a free parking pass from a nice cat on a Lexington sidewalk when we him asked for directions… to, uh, parking. Commonwealth Stadium: the facelift on the facility looked great. It was an expected sea of blue and white (very) fans. Very different in many ways from Louisville’s fans. But all united by love for their respective teams.

Entering the stadium, I was immediately blown away. Kanye West’s “Power” was blaring over the loudspeakers and delighted my ears. Other than the volume, which makes ears bleed. But hey, the mood was set. All night, I was shocked at tasteful musical selections, read: Hip Hop. It seemed at odds with what the Wildcat faithful were listening to before to after the game. My thought was “the players gotta dig this!!” I did. Other impressions are the lack of any food worth putting in one’s mouth, let alone stomach, sold there. It was dismal. The worst. As were the cold aluminum bleachers on a cold Autumn night. Note to self: bring a cushion, dress much warmer. Did I mention it was cold?

UK doesn’t share the national respect Louisville has garnered on a football field in the last decade or so. But the team is a collective of athletes united to rep the university and raise the bar for the program. It was a game where few would have predicted the outcome correctly. UK has a losing football culture—and mentality for fans. The paradigm shifted as time expired.

In a seesaw contest, UK had the chance to go up by almost 3 touchdowns, but a Mississippi State strip of Cats’ QB Stevie Johnson doused that dream, and it was deja vu all over again, as they say. Or not?

Not.

Kentucky kicker Austin MacGinnis won the game with a 51-yard field goal at the buzzer. “I knew it was going,” MacGinnis said before pausing. “Unless it was going to hit the crossbar, it was going.” Doubt is part of the culture. It may be changing.

A long drive back to Louisville in the inky darkness of I-64, and a warm house at the destination, were our reward.

GAME THREE: ST. MARTHA'S AT CENTRAL CATHOLIC, LOUISVILLE, KY
My hosts, and great friends in Louisville got us started on another postcard perfect day with a training table breakfast NFL teams would envy. And the star of the afternoon, their sixth grader son, was playing for St. Martha’s Shamrock squad. The son, JK, is a sixth grader, and plays at the JV level in the Catholic Youth Football League. But he suits up for games against the older eighth graders at middle linebacker, QB or other positions he’s needed at. JK is a hard worker who pays attention.

That attention was rewarded with his insertion into a game that soon presented a positive outcome for the ‘Rocks faithful, myself included. To hear “tackle by JK” over the loudspeakers made my day, his parents’ day and I’m sure JK’s. That was cool. I also may have glimpsed the future of Louisville Prep football. His name is KG. His stature is larger than his classmates and teammates, as is his skill sets at running and defensive back. His focus and determination can easily be seen. On the field and on the scoreboard. He shed tacklers like one brushes away gnats. He touched the ball 5 times on offense; that generated 3 touchdowns. KG is what they call a “stud.” He is.

Also on display were a shining sense of community within these school’s fan base. Add good sportsmanship, hard work, never say quit attitude and a lot of heart and soul. I was blessed to see the contest (which St. Martha won) causing me to think it was the best of the three contests on the gridiron.

And all three games demonstrated the best in character, determination and cooperation the United States has to offer. THAT was a welcome oasis in today’s national climate.

I can’t wait until next Sunday… Go KG, JK and the Rocks!!!

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Louisville Sleepwalks To Victory Over Duke

By Mark Bacon

Friday night many people tuned in to see one of the Nation’s hottest college football teams; The Louisville Cardinals hosted the Duke Blue Devils. What we saw, however? To paraphrase Haven Harrington, Louisville looked like the Clemson loss nearly sucked the life out of them. They were sloppy and sleepwalking. The stadium sounded quiet on TV. If the Dookies beat them? The life WOULD be sucked out of the team’s Playoff hopes.

Instead, behind who else? Lamar Jackson, the Cards survived Duke, 24-14. The same Blue Devil team who lost to Northwestern. No one loses to Northwestern.

The rain played a role, but everything seemed off. There were many miscues and errors caused by Duke’s defense, who deserve credit. Their blitz packages and heavy jumbo sets threw off the rhythm of LJax most of the evening.

Then fate intervened. Louisville benefited from Duke’s late roughing-the-kicker penalty and got a big rushing night from Lamar Jackson to escape Duke. After the Blue Devils’ personal foul on a missed field-goal try kept U of L’s drive alive, Jackson ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 1:32 left to give U of L (5-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) enough cushion to win in a game in which the Cardinals were 34.5-point favorites.

Jackson had 144 of Louisville’s 288 rushing yards and completed 13 of 26 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, and Jeremy Smith ran for an 80-yard touchdown to help the Cards survive the Dookies (3-4, 0-3.

Duke’s offense was never too explosive, averaging just four yards per play, but it succeeded in converting enough third downs to eat up the clock and keep Jackson sidelined. The Blue Devils led U of L in time of possession 37:12 to 22:48. Duke’s slow-down game sped up the process, as the game finished in 2 hours, 52 minutes. It was a masterful game plan by Duke coach David Cutcliffe.

The strategy put a scare into the Cards. Daniel Jones’ 20-yard touchdown pass to Johnathan Lloyd with 6:34 left capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive of 8 minutes, 54 seconds and cut U of L’s lead to 17-14.

Looking for a touchdown to put the game away, Louisville drove back down the field and reached Duke’s 17, but Traveon Samuel and Jackson were tackled for losses on back-to-back plays, and U of L, eventually facing fourth-and-22, brought out Evan O’Hara for a 46-yard field-goal attempt with 2:05 left. O’Hara’s kick missed wide left, but Duke’s Breon Borders dived and rolled into O’Hara, who fell forward onto him. The 15-yard penalty gave U of L an automatic first down.

U of L was given new life at the Duke 14-yard line, Jackson ran for 12 yards, then 2 yards for the TD.

Now… Final Four? Heisman? It’s not going to happen. Last night was a reality check and a step into a world of increased expectations that, for one evening, seemed out of reach.

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Washington's Whack Winning Ways

By Mark Bacon

The Washington Redskins are imperfect yet maddeningly flaky, and oddly enjoyable. They’re the prototypical good, bad NFL East team.

They do have a 3-2 record. But serve as physical comedy every week. You’re not sure whether you’re laughing at them or laughing with them. They’re not sure, either. But they have a quality, no matter how difficult to quantify, that keeps them on the right side of mediocrity. They have a gift not only for winning ugly but for winning cray-cray. The crazier the game, the more likely they are to prevail. They have been this way for about a year now, and for all the confused facial expressions they cause, wacky works for them.

If you want to encapsulate Washington’s 16-10 victory Sunday over Baltimore in one play, fast forward the 6:09 mark of the third quarter. With Washington leading 13-10 at M&T Bank Stadium, Kirk Cousins threw an interception to Baltimore linebacker C.J. Mosley, who leaped high to snag the pass at the Washington 13-yard line. Then Mosley weaved toward the end zone, en route to one of those plays that would incite another round of DC quarterback bashing. And just when you knew that Cousins was being fitted yet again for goat’s horns, Mosley fumbled at the 1-yard line. The ball trickled through the end zone and out of bounds. It was a touchback. It was so apropos for this game.

Redskins held off the Ravens, 16-10, for third straight win

This is the NFL at its best — or its worst, depending on your blood pressure. The upper echelon is almost deserted, the slums are just as uncongested, and the middle tier is overpopulated and reeks. The middle can seem like purgatory. It’s full of bad games that produce good drama, and a team’s fate is determined by how well or poorly it handles playing bad football.
Every year, there are playoff teams that have this mystical knack for collecting wins in this manner. Every year, there are teams that finish 7-9 or 8-8 and curse how close they were to two or three more victories.

The Ravens won three close games to start the season, and now they have lost two straight close ones. Washington’s route to 3-2: Lose the first two, then claim three straight games that could have gone either way. Two of those victories have been on the road.

On Sunday, one foot was the difference between winning and losing. With 33 seconds remaining, Ravens QB Joe Flacco seemed to complete a 23-yard touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman, who made the catch over cornerback Josh Norman. But the replay showed that Perriman had only one foot inbounds. The initial touchdown call was reversed, and the pass was ruled incomplete. Baltimore went from being an extra point from winning to losing in painful fashion.

What does Washington do consistently well? What’s the one thing that you can depend on an entire unit of this team to excel at, regardless of the opponent? Unless there’s a stat for persuading opponents to join you in making stupefying errors, Washington is a team without a constant strength. Still, it knows how to manipulate a scoreboard in its favor.

Through five games, Washington has scored seven fewer points than its opponents. But it has won two of three games that have been decided by six points or fewer. The offense still abandons the run too often, especially in short-yardage situations. The defense still starts too slowly. The entire team still does too many incomprehensible things on the field.

But it also has the talent to execute an 85-yard punt return touchdown from Jamison Crowder and a beautiful 21-yard Cousins touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon. And it has the toughness that leads Norman to play the final three quarters as “the one-hand bandit” after a right wrist injury. It has the persistence to deliver its best defensive performance when the criticism is most extreme.

They don’t perform. They play football games. Judge them like you’re at the movies, and you will be disappointed. Judge them on competitiveness, and, well, they’re not beyond disappointing you there, either. Still, they keep playing and correcting. They keep winning, too.

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Hurricane Relief for Haiti

By Mark Bacon

No, this is not a sports post. It is a Human Post. An appeal to all of you to reach into your hearts and souls, and help the people of Haiti in the devastating wake of Hurricane Matthew.

As many of you know, on January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake rocked the capitol of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. The island nation was totally unprepared for such calamity, and so poor, that the resources simply did not—and do not—exist for them to adequately cope with the aftermath. The situation there today is still grim. Not much has changed for the better. For the worse? Yes. Cholera, a disease that is pretty treatable, is widespread. For all the world, it seems like every nation has more or less turned their collective backs on the continuing problems there. A true 21st Century tragedy.

This week, another devastating natural disaster struck Haiti head on; Hurricane Matthew smashed into the impoverished island nation as a category 4 hurricane. As of this writing, over 435 people are dead. The death toll will certainly climb, perhaps double.

I made to Haiti in May, 2010. I traveled to Port-au-Prince, Petitionville and Croix-de-Bouquet, Haiti, to try and make a small difference in the lives of students there, and elsewhere. It taught me a lot. Especially about the meaning of the word “profound.” It WAS a profoundly moving experience.
Today, I wanted to remind people that things are still very bad there, and they need our help. There are many ways to do that.

I have registered with All Hands Volunteers (hands.org) to go to Haiti and directly assist in hurricane recovery efforts. I need your help; help with airfare. I have established a Go Fund Me page to raise money purely for my airfare to and from Haiti. Additional funds will be given to relief efforts on the ground, be it purchasing a wheelbarrow or water. The need for help is widespread and beyond comprehension.

It is a mission of mine to raise the level of quality of life for the citizens of the island nation. I am personally baffled as to why the Western Hemisphere turns its back on the country. Think about it: We have it good in our hemisphere. There are two main languages (Spanish and English; yes, French and Portuguese are also spoken, but the plurality of languages is not like the polyglot of the Eastern Hemisphere.) We have two main religions: Christianity and Paganism. We are all relatively blessed with natural riches.

And, with the exception of the treatment of the Venezuelan, Haitian, and until recently, Cuban governments, we all get along. My dream is a hemisphere united and in possession of the basic materials we all need to live: water, food and shelter.

I am but one person. My efforts are small. But I know they make a difference. And in the near future, The Main Event Sports Foundation will be rolling up our sleeves to assist Haiti in terms of quality of life, though sports. But for now, the clean up and rescue missions are paramount.

Will you please consider helping me raise the money I need to purchase airfare to Haiti and help in Hurricane Matthew Recovery Efforts? Please visit my Go Fund Me page: gofundme.com/2t7dgvq8

Thank you very much. Blessings and peace to you all.

Pray for Haiti.