[Ed. Note: I'm going to warn you. Rashad is about to divulge himself as a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Please, do not be outraged. I already knew this and it is okay. He's a fine young man (who's older than me) and you should not hold his fandom of a certain team about 140 miles north against him. Now Mr. Mobley is going to explain why the Bobcats are worth checking out, aside from wondering if Gerald Wallace is going to injure yet another Wizard. -Kyle W.]

I have been a Philadelphia Eagles fan since 1985 when I saw Randall Cunningham running and passing his way to superstardom.   And although they have just one Super Bowl appearance and no titles during my 25 years of  loyalty, my allegiance remains strong.

Unfortunately,  since sports is mostly about business and not fan loyalty, some of my favorite players have left the Eagles via trade, free agency or waivers.  Randall Cunningham retired as an Eagle and then unretired and played for Minnesota; Reggie White left for Green Bay via free agency; Terrell Owens was released and then he signed with Dallas; and just this past summer, Donovan McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins.

{Antawn looks confused about Cleveland}

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Now that the franchise worst 16-game losing streak has departed, it’s time to remember the players who have departed the Wizards this season — via trade or release, not suspension or injury, and only those who actually received minutes.

Below you will find portraits of the departed along with their story from the night pictured and a video clip of a selected quote. Enjoy … I think.

{DeShawn Stevenson}

Depart Date: February 13, 2010

On Halloween Night after the Wizards defeated the New Jersey Nets 123-104 in their home opener, pushing their record to 2-1, (the only time it would be better than .500 this season), Stevenson spoke about how, unlike last season, everybody now wants tickets to Wizards games and that he wasn’t going to dress up for All Hallows Eve.

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Before they lost to the Thunder and before Flip Saunders got extremely perturbed, bumping a 40-game evaluation period down to 30 games when it was originally 20 games, I asked various Wizards what was their favorite present that they gave someone else for Christmas/the holidays. Several of them, such as Dominic McGuire, Fabricio Oberto, Mike James, Mike Miller, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Andray Blatche, Caron Butler, and Gilbert Arenas answered.

It’s just Wizards being Wizards y’all.

At 10-20, with more than a record’s reason to be distraught, i.e., read this piece on Hardwood Paroxysm by Matt Moore, people ask me if it’s hard covering the team. I say …

1) I’ll always love the Wizards.

2) For the reason(s) below, being around this team will continue to be fun. {And we must remember, even though they get paid a lot^4 more money than you and me, they are people too. Not basketball playing robots. That being said, I wish the Wizards would start earning their goddamn salary. (So does Flip Saunders, more from Thursday’s practice to come.)}

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No, this isn't Ernie Grunfeld, it's Keith Sweat (clearly) - flickr/gwen

This Wizards lost their second summer league game against the Nuggets, and as a unit, they did not look good. But Ernie Grunfeld’s not sweating. He’s probably sitting poolside at the Hard Rock, requesting that the waitress blast some Skynard “Simple Man” over the sound system while he snacks on a cucumber and plays it cool in the 108 degree Vegas heat.

But should the Wizards’ Pres. of B-Ball Ops. (GM) be breaking a sweat over what he’s seen so far in Sin City?

On one hand, as we keep telling ourselves, it’s just a summer league game. The roster players out there will be playing vastly different roles come the regular season. They will be asked to do specialized acts and play within themselves, leaving the bulk of the scoring/defensive/creating duties to the ‘big boy’ players.

On the other hand, Grunfeld must be wondering, “are we really depending on JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and Dominic McGuire (who might be counted upon to play the four spot) to be key cogs, supporting the efforts of Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison down low where the dirty work is done?”

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A great man once said that a picture is worth a thousand words…I could be wrong, but I think that great man was Jesus.

And, my game blogs, which have become noticeably sparse, tend to be very, very lengthy.

So, in lieu, I present what went down last night via screen shots.

Enjoy America.

Oh yea, part one of this is on Bullets Forever……go there first and then come back here.

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U dead cat.

Hey you!….jerk Wizards fan (pointing to myself in mirror)….What, you have nothing to look forward to? (aside from the season ending)

Oh…I forgot, you’re all jazzed about Gilbert Arenas playing on Saturday. Keep it in your pants hot shot, that’s a ‘believe it when you see it’ situation.

I’m not talking three days from now, I’m talking TONIGHT!

Wait…..that’s right, you’re all BLAH, BLAH, BLAH…. “I want Dominic McGuire to score!!!”

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Somebody asked me, “Did you stay up for the game?”

“Yea…,” I slowly answered….and then I realized (or recalled)…the Wizards lost that effing game last night.

Did they, or did they not, have any business losing?

The answer is obvious: of course.

Still, those damn kids started off so well…dunking the ball all over the damn place.

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Q1

7:14: Andray Blatche gets blocked by Mehmet Okur…..a very sad scene to witness. Okur barely jumped, if at all, and Andray took it to the hoop like a four-year old girl chasing after a puppy.

4th Minute: JaVale McGee has got a couple nice offensive boards, but doesn’t use his body/leverage to his advantage. He’s trying to be all arms and hops. So on one, he missed a forced hook and on the second, he got blocked byOkur (who the hell is this guy, Mutombo?).

In the first…..Utah’s passing looks good (6 assists on 9 made FGs = Swiss Cheese Wiz D)….but Deron Williams has four turnovers (two on the first two possessions of the game) to only one assist.

2:00: McGee gets an offensive rebound with two hands, keeps the ball high with both hands on it, and gets fouled on a missed attempt….now that’s the way to do things.

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Started to watch the beginning of the Wizards-Thunder game last night…but fell asleep, bloggers need naps too. I’d intended on waking up at some point and watching from the start…..but then thought, am I really missing anything?

So, the game blog picks at the end of the 2nd quarter.

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Why do they play “Whomp, There It Is!” when good things happen at OKC games? (well, when Russell Westbrook does good things) Bet that’s the only hip-hop song (wait, is that song considered hip-hop?) that’s “safe” for the white people in Oklahoma.

As soon as I turn the game on, you got 10-0 Thunder runs, Wizards matador defense, Russell Westbrook dunks…..36-35 OKC.

Of course, the Thunder are in a competition with the Wiz to see who can turn the ball over more.

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I watched most of the Wizards game before heading out for the night. They simply didn’t entice me to stay with their lack of energy, effort, and patience/ball movement on offense. So, watching the rest of the game on Sunday, I pick the game blog up here:

5:00 left in the 3rd, the Wizards are down 13 on the road….do they have what it takes?

Well, to start off, Songaila is scrapping, in the paint on the floor, in the midst of a fray of humanity, and comes away with the ball for an assist from his back to Caron Butler for a dunk. 72-61 Bucks.

4:16: Wiz get another turnover….Butler jets down the court, goes straight under the rim, puts Charlie Bell on his back and becomes a very easy target for a pass from Mike James. 73-63 Bucks.

Mbah a Moute muscles Butler under the rim…Blatche goes to help and that leaves Gadzuric available for the put-back. 75-63 Bucks.

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He came in cool wearing black and chewing gum.

The headlines today say that Obama should attend more Wizards games…..sure, why not?

But dammit if the Wizards shouldn’t give that kind of effort and energy all the time…..the guy only lives in the same city.

But props to the President….he sat court side, had himself a beer, and seemed to take a bit of heckling well (he was openly cheering for the Bulls).

[Check the game blog on Bullets Forever here]

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Q1

You’d think that it’d get to the point where when Phil Chenier discusses ‘Keys to the Game’, he’d just say, “don’t lose” — but I guess that’d be lazy.
Tonight’s key: Mike James…yes, an NBA vagabond is our freaking key to the game.

8:43: Caron turnover trying to pass to Jamison….that was just a horrible angle…..basketball instinct diminishing.

7:32: I don’t understand how the Wizards can appear to be pointing and communicating, yet completely turn their back on Igoudala who gets a lob from Miller and dunks. 10-7 Sixers.

7:05: Again…basic defensive principles. Mike James shoots, his man, Miller, runs…Butler, being the other guard, needs to take responsibility in getting back on D…against A RUN–NING TEAM. But he doesn’t…..enough of this “I’m not used to playing shooting guard” B.S. — pay attention (I know, he just doesn’t care to).

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Q1

8:08: Dom McGuire has gotten good at the corner jumper…..as long as he omits that hitch he has in his shot at times. 9-4 Wiz.

D-Mac, of course, can potentially be a great defender, but really must work on his lateral movement.

7:37: Blatche spin and gets in air, but the Wiz (Mike James in this instance) are making better cuts, and it’s an easy pass for a layup. 11-6 Wiz.

Wiz start 1-5 on FGs, but go 5-5 since…thanks to the fact that Brad Miller cannot guard Andray…who has 9 points on 3-4 shooting.

5:46: Butler is having his own issues with Salmons, who just drove by him for a dunk. 17-13 Wiz.

Did the Kings just not account for Blatche in their game plan at all? Is Brad Miller that bad of a defender? Is he being left on an island? Don’t know, but Andray has 8 points already.

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This Wizards lost again and all that…..surprise, surprise. Your web hits are below.

“We met the opposition and it was us.”
-Ed Tapscott

[Wizards Game 34 Blog vs. Toronto Raptors: Groundhog Day Continues - Bullets Forever]

[Wizards Outlet]
Another game, another slow start, and more inability to climb out of it because you’re physically and mentally spent from just trying to get even again. That is the position the Washington Wizards again found themselves in tonight.

[Wizards Insider]
Toronto, one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, finished with a 39-28 edge on the boards, made three more three-pointers and seven more free throws.

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