Happy Birthday!

6/28-29 Happy Bdays

Happy birthday Jay Schroeder. Jay played 4 seasons for the Redskins from 1984-87 appearing in 36 regular season games. #10 was a Pro Bowler in 1986 and was 24-7 as a starter for the Skins. Jay was the #3 overall pick in the MLB draft in 1979 by the Blue Jays. He played several seasons in minors before switching back to football and was drafted in the 3rd round of the 84’ draft by the Redskins, despite starting only one game at UCLA. Jay was traded to the Raiders before the 88’ season in exchange for Jim Lachey. In retirement Jay coaches high school football and is a motivational speaker. Happy 49th Mr. Schroeder.

Happy birthday Don Baylor. Don played 6 seasons for the Orioles from 1970-75. Don appeared in 511 games as an Oriole, batting .274 with 57 HR’s. His best season came in 1975 when he put up a .282-25-76 line. Don was traded to the A’s in 1976 in exchange for Reggie Jackson. Don would go on to play 19 seasons before retiring in 1988. Don retired with 338 home runs and was the 1979 MVP. In retirement Don has coached and managed in the majors and has recently been linked with the open Oriole’s managerial position. Happy 61st Mr. Baylor.

Happy birthday Jeff Conine. Jeff played 6 seasons for the Orioles from 1999-2006. As an Oriole, Jeff appeared in 751 games batting .287 with 79 HR’s. His best season came in 2001 when he batted .311-14-97. Jeff was a versatile player who played at all the corner infield and outfield positions. Jeff retired after the 2007 season as a 2-time All-Star. In retirement Jeff works in the front office for the Florida Marlins and competes in triathlons. Happy 44th Mr. Conine.

Happy birthday Jeff Malone. Jeff played 7 seasons for the Bullets from 1983-90, he’s one of my favorite players of all-time. Jeff was a 2-time All-Star during his Bullets tenure and averaged 20+ PPG. Jeff was traded to the Nuggets after the 1990 season in exchange for Pervis Ellison. In retirement Jeff has spent some time coaching in the NBA’s development league. Happy 49th Mr. Malone.

Cheers and Hail

6/22-23 Happy Birthday Dave Butz & Champ Bailey

Happy birthday Dave Butz. Dave played 14 seasons for the Redskins 1975-88. #65 appeared in 203 regular season games for the Redskins and won 2 Super Bowls. Tackles and sacks weren’t official stats for most of Dave’s career but I can tell you this…he made a lot of them. Dave is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins and was a Pro Bowler in 1983. Dave once played 176 consecutive games and never missed a practice during that streak…or in other words he’s the opposite of Albert Haynesworth. In retirement Dave has served on the board for the NRA and also enjoys drinking and hunting. Happy 60th Mr. Butz!

Happy birthday Champ Bailey. Champ played 5 seasons for the Redskins from 1999-2003. Champ made the Pro Bowl in 4 of those seasons and appeared in all 80 games during that span. Champ intercepted 18 balls and had 314 tackles in DC. Champ is now a 9-time Pro Bowler and a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Who knows…he’s in his contract year, maybe he will reunite with the Redskins and Shanahan in 2011. Happy 32nd Mr. Bailey.

Cheers and Hail

Happy Bday Larry Centers & Santana Moss

Happy birthday Santana Moss. Santana is entering his 6th season as a Washington Redskin. He has averaged 70 receptions and 1,005 yards a season in DC, pretty solid numbers. Despite playing banged up a lot and being an undersized WR, Santana has missed just 4 games in the past 5 years which happens to be the number of games he may be suspended to start the 2010 season (hopefully not.) Santana will most likely crack the Redskins all-time top 5 career leaders in both receptions and yardage during the 2010 season. He’s provided many big time and memorable plays in his career, below are some highlights of those plays. Happy 31st Mr. Moss.

Happy birthday Larry Centers. Larry played 2 seasons for the Redskins from 1999-2000, appearing in 31 games. #37 caught 150 balls in those 2 seasons, none bigger than the 33 yard TD in overtime against the 49ers that clinched the 99′ NFC East title for the Skins. The 3-time Pro Bowler holds the record for most career receptions by a running back with 827. I still rembemer the bizarre experience Larry encountered at the Pro Bowl in 1996…some say it was a religious experience or he was momentarily posessed like in the Exorcist…my guess is he was tripping on some serious drugs. Happy 42nd Mr. Centers.

Cheers and Hail

4/16-4/18 Happy Bdays

Happy birthday Wilber Marshall. Wilber played 5 seasons for the Redskins from 1988-92. Marshall played in all 80 games over that span, despite battling many injuries during that time. Marshall tallied 621 tackles, 24.5 sacks, 12 int’s and 13 forced fumbles during his Redskins career. I’ve written before about how I feel about Wilber, he had an 8 year span where he was one of the best linebackers in the game and is a Hall of Famer in my mind. Happy 48th Mr. Marshall.

Happy birthday Fred Smoot. Fred played 7 seasons for the Redskins from 2001-2009. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft by Marty Schottenheimer, Fred would go on to appear in 104 games as a Redskin. Fred totaled 346 tackles and 18 int’s during his Redskins tenure. Although he was a fan favorite for his outgoing personality and quotable interviews, Fred’s skills had diminished the past couple seasons and he was released in March of this year. Happy 31st Mr. Smoot.

Happy birthday Richie Petitbon. Richie played 2 seasons at safety for the Redskins from 71-72. He’s more well known for spending 16 seasons on the Redskins coaching staff which included succeeding Joe Gibbs as head coach in 93’. Although the 93’ season was a disaster, Richie should be remembered as one of the great defensive coordinators of his time. For over a decade his teams ranked consistently in the top 10 each season in total defense. He was committed to the Redskins and turned down several head coaching jobs during his Redskins coaching career, that loyalty got him fired after 1 season at the helm. To my surprise, Richie has never coached in the NFL or football of any kind since then. Thought for sure some team would lure him back out of retirement. A quick look at his statistics as a player shows that he played 14 seasons in 3 different decades, intercepted 48 balls and was a 4 time Pro Bowler. He also returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown…can you see old Richie lumbering 101 yards? Happy 72nd Mr. Petitbon.

Happy birthday Walt Williams. “The Wizard” played 4 seasons for the Terps from 1988-92. The fact that Walt stayed all 4 years is what makes him one of my favorite Terps of all-time. During his tenure the Terps were facing heavy NCAA sanctions and the program was in the dumps. Besides turning down the chance to transfer to another school, Walt also decided against turning pro early. This helped the Terps stay competitive and the program to start restoring its legacy on the national level. Walt was a forward/guard who wore #42. His game was similar, in my opinion, to Magic Johnson’s. Walt could pass, rebound and shoot well inside or outside. He averaged 26.8 ppg, 5.6rpg and 3.6 apg his senior season. Walt would take his high socks to the NBA and had a decent 11 year career. Happy 40th Mr. Williams.

Cheers and Hail

Editor’s note: I’m not 100% sure what the correct way to spell Wilber Marshall’s first name is, Wilber or Wilbur? Not sure, it’s spelled both ways in many diffrent publications on the net. I’m going with the Redskins spelling of his name, from their official website and his page on the 70 Greatest Redskins list. Surely the Redskins wouldn’t misspell the name of one of their greatest players would they? If someone is 100% sure of the correct spelling, let me know. Thanks

4/8-4/12 Happy Bdays

Happy birthday Charles Mann. Charles played defensive end for the Redskins for 11 seasons from 1983-93. #71 was a 4-time Pro Bowler who appeared in 163 games as a Redskin. Charles finished his Skins career with 82 sacks and 784 tackles. Charles also is a member of the Redskins Ring of Fame and one of the 70 Greatest Redskins. In retirement Charles started a business with Art Monk. Happy 49th Mr. Mann.

Happy birthday Mike Nelms. Mike played 5 seasons for the Redskins from 1980-84. Mike was an excellent punt/kick returner and backup defensive back who wore #21. Mike appeared in 68 games as a Redskin and was a 3-time Pro Bowler. Mike’s best season came in 1981 when he averaged 29.7 yards per kick return and 10.9 per punt return including 2 TD’s. Mike was also a member of the NFL’s 1980’s All Decade Team and one of the 70 Greatest Redskins. In retirement Mike was the long time owner of a Toyota dealership in Culpepper, VA. Happy 55th Mr. Nelms.

Happy birthday Mike Devereaux. Mike played 7 seasons for the Orioles over 2 separate stints between 1989-96. #12 came to the Orioles from the Dodgers in exchange for Mike Morgan and appeared in 878 games during his O’s tenure. Mike hit .251 with 94 HR’s and 403 RBI’s playing mostly CF for the Orioles. His best season came in 92’ when he hit .276-24-107. In retirement Mike now serves as a coach for the Orioles single A affiliate the Delmarva Shorebirds. Happy 47th Mr. Devereaux.

Happy birthday Lee Lacy. Lee played 3 seasons for the Orioles from 1985-87. #27 appeared in 338 games for the O’s, batting .280 with 27 HR’s and 123 RBI’s. Lee retired after the 87’ season, his 16th season in the bigs. Happy 62nd Mr. Lacy.

3/20-3/23 Happy Bday

Happy birthday Moses Malone. Moses played 2 seasons for the Bullets from 1986-88. The Petersburg, VA native came to the Bullets (along w/ Terry Catledge & Harvey Grant) from the 76er’s in exchange for Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland. Moses made the All-Star team both of seasons in D.C. and the Bullets made the playoffs both seasons. Moses averaged 22.2 PPG and 11.2 RPG as a Bullet. Moses retired after the 95’ season as a 13 time All-Star, 3 time MVP and one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Happy birthday Chris Hoiles. Chris played 10 seasons with the Orioles from 1989-1998. Chris is a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame and widely regarded one of the Orioles greatest all-time catchers. Chris came to the Orioles in a trade with Detroit, in exchange for Fred Lynn. Chris would go on to appear in 894 games as an Oriole, batting .262 with 151 HR’s and 449 RBI’s. His best season came in 1993 when he batted .310-29-82. In retirement Chris managed the York Revolution of the Independent League and also runs a hunting “fantasy camp.” Happy 45th Mr. Hoiles.

Happy birthday Manny Alexander. Manny played parts of 4 seasons with the O’s from 1992-96. Manny at one time was appointed the heir apparent to Cal Ripken at shortstop; he ended up starting just 6 games at SS for the Orioles. Manny made 3 errors in those 6 starts, Cal made 3 the entire 1990 season. #6 appeared in 154 games as an Oriole, batting just .206. Manny was later linked to steroids…he must have had a horrible supplier; he hit 15 homeruns in 11 seasons. Most recently Manny played in Italy and the minors for the Phillies. Happy 39th (he’s probably 45) Mr. Alexander.

Happy birthday Brad Edwards. Brad played 4 seasons as hard-hitting safety for the Redskins from 1990-93. Brad appeared in all 64 games during his Redskins tenure. Brad collected 13 INT’s and 498 tackles as a Redskin. Brad had an incredible game in the 91’ Super Bowl, intercepting 2 passes and making several bone-crushing hits. In retirement Brad does some radio work and also serves as the AD for Newberry College. Happy 44th Mr. Edwards.

Happy birthday Joe Salave’a. Joe played 3 seasons for the Redskins from 2004-06. #95 was a defensive tackle and a fan favorite. The American Samoan had 2.5 sacks and 70 tackles during his Redskins tenure. After 9 years in the NFL Joe retired and is now an assistant coach at San Jose State. Happy 35th Mr. Salave’a.

Cheers and Hail