Wizards

Happy Bday: Juan Dixon, Keith Booth & Brian Roberts

Happy birthday Juan Dixon. I’ve already written a post about Juan being my favorite college basketball player of all time, you can read it here. Happy 31st Mr. Dixon!

Happy birthday Brian Roberts. Brian just finished his 9th season with the Orioles, another stellar performance for one of baseball’s best 2nd basemen. Brian batted .289-16-79 last season and added 30 SB’s and 56 doubles! Brian also scored a career high 110 runs last season, his 3rd consecutive season of 100+. Brian is fast moving up the Orioles all time offensive records, ranking in or near the top ten in several categories including 3rd all time in steals. With the likely departure of Melvin Mora, Brian will become the longest tenured Oriole. I hope the O’s can turn it around before Brian’s gone; he’s a hard-nosed ball player that deserves to win. Happy 32nd Mr. Roberts.

Cheers and Hail

10/5 Happy Bday Rex Chapman & Chris Whitney

(photo courtesy of D.C. Sports Bog)

Happy birthday Rex Chapman. Rex played 3 seasons with the Bullets from 92-94’. Rex is one of my favorite basketball players of all-time. He could take you to the hole and dunk on you, or hit fall away 3’s from 30 feet. I especially liked his jump shots that seem to arch all the way up to the rafters before swishing thru the net. Rex won many a game with last second 3’s (search on YouTube,) including the season opener in 94’ against Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic. Rex’s amazing hops also earned him a spot in the NBA’s dunk contest where he dunked 2 balls (one with each hand.) During his tenure Rex averaged 15.6 points per game. Rex retired after 12seasons in the NBA and now serves as VP of player personnel for the Denver Nuggets. Happy 42nd Mr. Chapman.

Happy birthday Chris Whitney. Chris played 8 seasons for the Bullets/Wizards from 95-04’. Chris appeared in all 82 games 4 times during that span. Chris ranks 1st all time in FT % for Washington at .879, and 3rd all time in 3 pointers with 489. His best season came in the 01-02 when he averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 assists. In retirement Chris started a company with former teammate Jahidi White. Happy 38th Mr. Whitney.

Cheers and Hail

August 3: Happy Birthdays

Happy birthday Don Breaux. Don coached in the NFL for 27 seasons, 17 of those in DC. He has 3 Super Bowl rings from his 2 separate tenures with Washington, Gibbs I and Gibbs II. During Gibbs I he was running backs coach, helping 4 different RB’s reach 1,000+ yards in a season (Riggins, Rogers, Byner and Brooks.) In Gibbs II he was the pseudo offensive coordinator, though Gibbs and Al Saunders called the plays. Don retired from the Skins right before the season last year, citing a heart condition. Don also played 2 seasons in the NFL as a QB with the Broncos and Chargers. Happy 69th Mr. Breaux.

Happy birthday Doug Overton. Doug spent the first 3 seasons of his 11 year career with the Washington Bullets, from 1992-95. His best season came in 94-95’, when he played in all 82 games, averaging 7 points and 3 assist per game. Overall, Doug played in 188 games with the Bullets averaging 6.1PTS. He was traded (along with Don Maclean) for Robert Pack in 1995. In retirement, Doug got into coaching and is now an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets. Happy 40th Mr. Overton.

Happy birthday N.D. Kalu. N.D. played defensive end for 3 seasons with the Redskins from 1998-200. N.D. appeared in 40 games and registered 7.5 sacks and 35 tackles. I was a fan of N.D’s because he wore #72, and reminded me a little of Dexter…well very little actually. N.D. played last season in Houston and has played 11 total seasons in the NFL; he’s currently a free agent. Check out the YouTube below of the Skins 2000 defense. Happy 34th Mr. Kalu.

Cheers and Hail

July 30: Happy Birthday Jim Mcllvaine

July 28: Happy Birthdays

On a daily basis, Fatpickled recognizes the birthdays of the men who have played, and currently play for, my favorite teams. The Redskins, Orioles, Wizards, and Terps.

Happy birthday Doug Collins. Doug was handpicked by Michael Jordan to coach the Wizards in 2000. With the arrival of Collins and Jordan’s decision to return to the court, big things were expected. 2 short years and a pair of 37-45 seasons later, both were gone.
No glory, no titles, not even any playoff appearances. Overall Doug coached 8 seasons in the NBA, including Jordan’s Bulls from 1986-89. Collin’s teams were great in the regular season, underachievers in the post season. The Bulls considered bringing back Collins this year to coach again but he removed his name as a candidate late in the process. As a player, Doug was chosen #1 overall in the 1973 draft y the 76ers. He was a 4 time All Star and averaged 17.9 pts per game over his 8 year career, but he sucks at H-O-R-S-E (watch below.) Doug currently analyzes games for TNT and NBC, and does a good job at it. Happy 58th Mr. Collins.

photo courtesy of oriolescards

Happy birthday Bob Milacki. Bob pitched 5 seasons for the Orioles from 1988-92. Bob had an incredible September call up in 1988. In 3 games he went 2-0 with a 0.72ERA including a complete game shutout. He followed that up with a stellar rookie campaign in 1989. In 89’ Bob went 14-12 with a 3.74ERA. His career never reached the same level from that point on and he retired after the 96’ season. Bob finished his career with 39 wins, 37 with the Orioles. In retirement Bob got into coaching and is currently the pitching coach for the Lakewood Blueclaws, a single A affiliate of the Phillies. Happy 45th Mr. Milacki!

Cheers and Hail

July 25: Happy Birthdays