The Toughest Day Ever in Redskin Nation

Most of the time, this blog is all NASCAR. But as a long time, passionate fan of the Washington Redskins, today is different. Today is bigger than NASCAR, bigger than the NFL and bigger than sports.

A man many thought of as invincible was shown to be a mere mortal.

He is a freak of nature -- carrying a size with speed rarely if ever seen.

He is one of the most fearsome players to ever don a uniform.

He is larger than life in so many ways.

The idea that 24 year old Redskins Safety Sean Taylor is now "clinging to life" after being shot in an apparent home invasion is nothing short of unbelievable.

You can read the full post at Epic Carnival.

UPDATE:  The Washington Post is reporting that Taylor has opened his eyes and is responding to doctors requests.  This is the first positive news on Taylor so far. 

Mad Props and much love to the Post's Jason La Canfora for the outstanding job he has done using his blog to keep this story updated.

CC Rider's Favorite Sports Posts of the Week

Some people think getting a black flag is a bad thing. Let's be real. A black flag is street cred. Besides, chicks don't dig the long ball, they dig the bad boys (and in your case, Sarah, the bad girls).

So I'm giving my favorite sports posts this week a black flag.

Odell v. Goodell
Sarah at Strike Zones and End Zones writes a piece for The Naughty American about Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman's suit against the NFL under the Americans with Disabilities Act, challenging his suspension by citing his alcoholism as a disability (tsk, tsk, Sarah -- writing for The Naughty American -- and I thought you were a good girl).

Jared Allen's Mullet Wins and Award
Someone who did NOT sue the NFL for his suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy is Jared Allen. Allen was named AFC Defensive Player of the month and Arrowhead Addict reports Allen is now giving his mullet credit for the award. His mullet did it. Roger Goodell needs to get the #### man out to Arrowhead and check Allen's progress in recovery.

Baby Bull vs. Midget
I did not find this post from Chris over at Blog of Hilarity in any way shape or form funny or enjoyable. In fact, I'm really offended on behalf of the midget. And the poor baby bull. That's exactly why I'm linking it here.

The Chief's Power Rankings
The Chief provides his absolutely hilarious NFL power rankings for Hugging Harold Reynolds. MEMO TO SPORTS ILLUSTRATED AND THE NFL HALL OF FAME: Fire that fat pig Peter King and hire The Chief. Today.

KLValus is off to Texas Motor Speedway for Miller Lite and FoxSports.com
Winner of Miller Lite and FoxSports.com's version of a Florida election (somehow FoxSports.com completely #### up and the right person won) and judge of The Black Flag-DirecTV NASCAR Hotpass Moment Contest at Epic Carnival has over drugged her patients for the weekend so she can head off to Texas Motor Speedway and hang with NASCAR bad boy Kurt Busch.

Two Words Redskins Fans Never Want to Hear Again: Heath Shuler
At First and Ten Inches, the Ghost of Heath Shuler Stirs a QB Controversy in Miami during their quest for their second and greatest perfect season. Not sure which is scarier this Halloween week. Thoughts of Shuler and his room temperature IQ in the NFL or in Congress. A biopic of his life could be called dumb and dumber. The NFL is a thinking man's sport, but Shuler is right in his element in Congress.

Not the Usual Black Flag-- This One is Serious, Personal and Potentially Life Saving.

UPDATE (3:47P.M. Eastern - 9/24):  CJ does NOT have retinoblastoma or any other form of cancer.  He is having surgery on Wednesday, but his condition is not in any way life threatening.  There is so much more to this, but I wanted to get this much out as soon as I could.  I'm going to try for a new post later tonight with more.

The outpouring of support we have gotten from this community is something we will never forget. 

On May 7th, point guard Derek Fisher missed the first game of the Utah Jazz's playoffs against the Golden State Warriors. He rejoined his team three days later in the middle of the third quarter during the second game in Salt Lake City.

Fisher provided a key fourth quarter turnover in that game and hit a three pointer in overtime to help the Jazz take a 2-0 lead over the Warriors.

Fisher had left a hospital in New York City that afternoon where his 10 month old daughter Tatum had just been diagnosed with and was being treated for a disease called retinoblastoma -- cancer of the retina. It is a rare, life threatening disease that only 350 children a year are diagnosed with in the United States.

On Wednesday this week, my four year old son CJ joined Tatum Fisher in being one of those 350 kids who will get that diagnosis this year.

Without a doubt, Wednesday was a day of shock. Thursday and Friday have been about reality.

To give you an idea of how rare this is, there are only eight medical practices in the entire country who deal with retinoblastoma.

The odds on having this disease are pretty close to what they were during a poker tournament when I flopped four 8's and had runners on the turn and river to lose to four jacks.

We live in Richmond, VA. On Monday we travel to Philadelphia to spend the day with one of those specialists.

As a longtime Redskins fan, I have a firm policy of not exposing my son to large numbers of Eagles fans.

But we've done our research, and we're very confident that this doctor is highly skilled and a real pioneer when it comes to dealing with this disease (even though it means dealing with this in the town that booed and threw snow balls at Santa Clause).

So, why am I writing about this?

Regular readers of The Black Flag come here expecting to read me goofing on somebody in NASCAR. This is a humor blog about NASCAR. In fact, right now I have the Kasey Kahne PR machine in meltdown over my Budman post, using paid shills to make comments on it.

Obviously, this piece isn't what you are used to getting here (although even in this post I couldn't stop myself taking a few shots).

The key to surviving retinoblastoma is early detection. That's the entire ballgame.

There is only one reason why we even had him checked out: my wife's cousin, Cheri saw something in a photograph. Then she said something about it.

Cheri can't even remember where she heard about this, but she just knew she had.

See the white glow in the left eye? That is the symptom. That's what to look for. Sure, it could be something else. But that is the number one way it is detected -- flash photography.

So if you see it in a child's photo, say something.

If you know someone who is a professional children's photographer, ask them to be on the lookout for this. People you know who work with children, tell them about this.

But most of all, if you have kids, look at their pictures.

Right now, we don't know for certain that we have caught CJ's in time. We think we have. We have a number of reasons to be optimistic we have. We'll probably know on Monday.

But the only reason we even know there is a problem is that somebody did him a life saving favor. So I need to do what I can to try and repay that favor to somebody else.

There are enough people who read TBF (by people I do mean in addition to the sports spy agency over at Sports Media Challenge that according to my log files monitors The Black Flag with the enthusiasm of the NSA keeping tabs on Al-Qaeda) to get the word out to make a life changing difference for somebody.

Sure, Derek Fisher has been able to reach far more people than I can, but I know I can get to a bunch he didn't. What I'd like to do is just get to the right one.

It's easy to do. It's just that very few people even know what to look for. I sure didn't. In CJ's case, nobody had even noticed any problems. He's an otherwise healthy kid and he's not in any pain.

As it stands now, CJ is coming into this as someone who has a fantastic attitude.

I've written before that about how his favorite NASCAR driver is somebody who handles himself at the track with a great attitude -- Jeff Burton.

CJ has some tough days coming down the road and they are coming real fast.

His attitude and that of everyone around him will are going to make a difference in how he comes out of this thing.

There are quite a few things we don't know right now, but one of the things we have been told is that he will be legally blind in his right eye for life.

As strange as it sounds, that's an outcome we'll happily accept. What matters is that he pulls through this. There are plenty of kids who have to face far, far worse.

As tough as this has been, we've been touched and amazingly blessed by so many people who have already reached out to help and have done so in ways we couldn't expect or didn't even know to ask for.

For those you who want to know what you can do to help....

First off, prayer helps, prayer matters. By my last count, the only deity who isn't getting an earful from a whole bunch of people about CJ is Mohammad. He can always use more.

If you are involved in an organization that helps with cancer, sick children, blindness, or something else that makes this a good fit and you want to get in touch with me, contact me through this link here (if you want to push some alternative medical therapy, please don't -- I promise you that my reaction to that will be something you won't enjoy).

At this point, we still don't know which way is up and what all he is going to need. So we don't know what to ask for. I might not have a clue about what all is going to happen next, but I already know we can't do this on our own.

We wouldn't even to be getting him what he needs on Monday without the help we've already gotten.

But more than anything else you can do, next time you see a picture of a kid, just take a look at the eyes. You might just save their life.

As you might gather, over the next week or two you probably won't be seeing as much from me as you normally would.

However, much to the chagrin of the NSA types at Sports Media Challenge (KGB types if they have any IRL clients), I will be back soon and bringing the smack and the funny down harder than ever.

Do Changes and Leadership Problems in the Family Business Signal a Change in 2008?

This is an issue alluded to earlier this week in my piece on the pending marriage between Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.

J.D. Gibbs, the president of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), has had his hands full this season.

From the outside looking in, Joe Gibbs Racing has appeared to suffer from a significant lack of leadership.

The issues came crashing into the headlines in July when Tony Stewart wrecked team mate and then race leader Denny Hamlin from behind in the Pepsi 400 then promptly started trashing Hamlin from his car radio.

As soon as he pulled into the garage, he proceeded to rip Hamlin and blame the wreck on him.

Drama ensued. J.D. Gibbs wasn't able to get the problem resolved in house. He had to pull in one of the greatest team builders in history to fix it. Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs took a detour from his pre-training camp vacation to straighten up the mess J.D. Gibbs couldn't (not an insignificant sacrifice).

Hamlin later said he'd never seen the Coach that angry. You have to wonder, angry at who? Stewart? Hamlin? Both? Or was he really just upset that the guy he left in charge couldn't get the job done?

Even with Gibbs intervention in Chicago, you have to wonder based on a column Hamlin wrote this week if Hamlin is really over it.

Now, JGR is adding Kyle Busch to the team for 2008.

If you thought you had drama with Stewart and Hamlin (someone who had never publicly said anything short of glowing about Stewart prior to the Pepsi 400), what do you think is going to happen when you pair Stewart with someone he has been feuding with since he came into NEXTEL Cup racing?

What are they thinking at JGR? Look, Busch couldn't play nice with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Stewart couldn't play nice with Hamlin. Do the math. JGR has smart people on board. You know somebody over there knows what is coming.

Do they really think they have what they need to handle team chemistry in place under those circumstances?

There is only one way they do. If they don't, the Gibbs family business is about to experience some serious upheaval in 2008.

Joe Gibbs has to retire from the Redskins at the end of this season and return to NASCAR.

If Gibbs leaving the Skins wasn't in the plans already, it is hard to see how JGR makes the effort to sign Busch.

JGR is also in transition in other areas as well. There are reports the team is leaving Chevy for Toyota. The team also needs to grow from three cars to four in order to stay competitive.

From the perspective of the Redskins, they are already stocked internally with prospective new head coaches. It isn't a devastating loss to Washington from a football perspective.

When Gibbs came back to the NFL, it was with a five year contract. This season will put him just one year short of that.

If the Redskins miss the playoffs this year, change may be coming regardless at the "suggestion" of team owner Daniel Snyder. If they do make the playoffs, it might be Gibbs opportunity to go out on a high note.

Either way, Joe Gibbs does have a family business to think about.

Is a Day Trip to Massachusetts in the Future for NASCAR's Two Baddest Bad Boys?

Dave Moody at Motorsports Soapbox reports that Kyle Busch will be moving to JGR in 2008 putting Busch under the same roof as Tony Stewart.

At this point, this report is merely a blog report without any sources quoted for attribution.

Although there is no confirmation as of this writing, there is no marriage I have hoped to see more than this one.

If it happens, I will be crashing the wedding and shamelessly shedding tears of joy.

Juan Pablo Montoya (although he has been behaving himself lately), Tony Stewart and the Busch Brothers comprise The Holy Trinity for any good NASCAR blogger.

If one of them isn't making news, it's usually because two of the others are.

Having Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch in such close proximity of would be my wildest dream coming true.

It isn't like they have gotten along that well publicly till now either. There have been plenty of signs that they needed to get a room and just get it over with.

Short of Jimmy Spencer leaving SPEED to sit on top of Stewart's pit box, there is nothing I can imagine that would be a more explosive mixture of dangerous chemicals.

Unless of course it was Jimmy Spencer becoming Kyle Busch's crew chief at JGR. It'll never happen, but I didn't think this one would either.

It's a real interesting choice at an organization founded by one of the greatest team builders in history.

J.D. Gibbs had to call his Daddy to bail him out just to prevent a homicide between Stewart and (by all accounts a relatively easy to get along with) Denny Hamlin.

If he couldn't make the chemistry work between Stewart and Hamlin, how is Gibbs the younger going to handle Stewart and Busch?

I'M JUST HOPING HE DOESN'T.

The image that keeps popping into my mind is the video from the 1960 Daytona 500 where they started 68 cars and took out 37 in one wreck.

That's what I'm counting on here.

Then again, maybe what J.D. Gibbs is counting on is the current head coach of the Redskins retiring at the end of the coming NFL season and being available in time for Daytona.

Just for the record, I'm not saying anything about Stewart or Busch like what Junior fans like to say about Jeff Gordon.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I've Painted Myself Into a Corner. I Need to Find a Loophole or Renegotiate.

Seven years ago, before I married the hottest member of NASCAR MILF Nation, we verbally entered into a pre-nuptial agreement.

It addressed one single, but very important issue in having a happy marriage. It is an issue that is a source of conflict between tens of millions of couples: sports.

The idea was that she wouldn't become a sports widow and I wouldn't have to become a complete-chick-flick-watching-loser-gelding (like the execs over at Anheuser-Busch).

It is a very simple deal. Here it is:

The husband is entitled to one sport and one sport league of his choice. The wife will not interfere with the husband's fanatical following the selected sport. Efforts will be made by the wife to prevent any conflicts or interference of the husband watching said televised events of the selected sport. If practical, the husband's attendance at live events of the selected sport will be supported and facilitated by the wife. The husband has no right to watch or attend televised or live sporting events which are not part of the selected sport. Although such activities on an irregular basis are not prohibited, they shall happen at the discretion of the wife.

The pre-nup was working great and everyone was happy. It was a good deal for everyone Then something changed.

See, when we got married, my choice was the NFL.

That's what I stuck with. I didn't push it.

I'm a huge Redskins fan. The NFL TV schedule was factored into timing for family events. My wife was so supportive that she worked it out so my daughter was born during the Skins bye week that year (that is some amazing planning on her part) .

Then my son turned two.

Which is when he decided that NASCAR is the greatest thing ever. He still does.

Those bright colors on the cars, pre-race flyovers, loud engines, wild crashes. That stuff is like catnip to a little kid.

Being the good daddy I am, we started watching races together. It's a bonding thing.

For a four year old, the kid's NASCAR knowledge is absolutely amazing. He can tell you what every single flag means. His hero is Jeff Burton (he picked with no input from me when he was two). He can recognize Richard Petty and knows he is The King. He can look at most of the top 20 drivers or their cars and tell you who it is.

He'll even see a FedEx, duPont, Lowe's or Home Depot logo and say, "I just saw Denny Hamlin's (or whoever) logo". However, I can no longer take him to Home Depot without fear of getting my #### kicked because he will always pipe up at the top of his lungs, "There's the crybaby."

Then my wife started watching with us and became an enthusiastic fan. My daughter even decided to become a Junior fan (although having to answer questions about what happened to his daddy was a bit rough).

So race day became family fun and nobody said anything about this being an issue with the pre-nup for over two years.

Then something clicked, my wife called me out on the pre-nup and announced I've got to pick.

She even says something about it to a business associate of hers. A huge Dolphins fan, he tried to help me out with a loophole. This man is a great American who clearly understands Man Law.

He told her, "CCR isn't breaking your pre-nup. NASCAR isn't a sport."

Amazing. Such a heroic effort. But is there any way I can even think about using that one without having my fellow NASCAR fans run a Gitmo style Code Red on me?

Besides, I'm kind of way out there on a limb saying NASCAR is a sport. I'm not sure I can get away with even trying to sell that one to her.

Training camp has started for the NFL. I've got to figure something out and I've got to do it fast.

There has to be another loophole.

Of course, I do have one piece of leverage I can use. I can drop the big one. It's guaranteed to work -- it always does when she uses it.


I'll just start withholding sex.