And we’re back! At the start of this season, I visited 23 out of the 30 major league stadiums for True Blue LA. The following is my field report from revisiting Washington, D.C., and visiting Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the first time.

Love is the death of duty

Washington, D.C. will always have a soft spot in my heart. D.C. was the place where I accepted the idea of becoming an attorney. Also, for a not-significant portion of my thirties, my final goal was to work, and ultimately, build a life, while serving my country. Needless to say, the above did not happen, but there are no regrets.

It did not happen for want of talent. In fact, even after all the networking I had done in D.C. was undone six weeks after the inauguration of 2017. I did end up getting a couple of offers to work in D.C., which I turned down for various reasons.

The primary reason was that I chose love over duty. Even though said love did not work out, I never regretted that decision to choose love — not once, not ever.

In this spirit, it was odd to return to D.C., which has never been the warmest of cities emotionally. I could have done well there but I certainly would not be writing for True Blue LA had I chosen duty. Plus, this trip is the first one since Dad died. Such was the baggage I carried with me to the ballpark, which melted once I saw this view.

It was fitting to return to the second ballpark I ever visited for which I went to the latter two games of the recent three-game series with the Washington Nationals. Nats Park has started allowing souvenir sodas to be refilled as often as possible during the game with dispensers you use yourself. This fact was also true in Toronto but you had to have someone refill your soda for you. Truly our eastern cousins have much to teach us.

An 11-2 blowout to start the season is always nice, but frankly, it’s generally not memorable, apart from hanging out with the bullpen and seeing Shohei Ohtani be Shohei Ohtani.

The most memorable moment from these games was the shock of Yoshinobu Yamamoto nearly getting his head knocked off from a comebacker. Ironically enough, the Nationals stadium decal commemorating the 2019 World Series victory exploded earlier that game when a foul ball was hit straight back. Truly, this World Series was cursed.

In the half-inning before the comebacker, I wanted to get a snack as I am wont to do. I saw that I was near the 2019 World Series trophy. I decided to have my picture taken with it again before returning to my seat. At the literal exact moment the photo was taken, the comebacker occurred. Sometimes life comes at you fast.

I tried to track down the ball to add to my collection of “cursed” Dodger memorabilia, but unfortunately, the Nationals do not sell specific game-used balls to the public, instead employing a random grab bag element and auctioning off the choice items. C’est la vie.

Poutine on the Ritz

Going to Toronto is something that has been on my radar since the schedule was announced in August 2023. Since my international travels in 2016, I had not been outside the United States before this part of the trip.

Admittedly, Toronto is pretty nice, and had I gone to Canada first all those years ago the culture shock I experienced all those years ago would have been greatly mitigated. As it stands, I found no culture shock being in Toronto to see the Dodgers play.

Toronto is just a more liberal, more French, and more hockey-obsessed version of the United States…where the U.S. Dollar is about 40% stronger than the Canadian dollar. Finding a reasonably priced hotel near Rogers Centre was a challenge. For the life of me, I could not find one and I could not figure out why until I arrived.

Oh — playoff hockey, the damned Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs and their almost sixty years of playoff futility were inflating hotel prices. Describing the ongoing futility of the Leafs is like describing an amalgam of the Chicago Cubs, the Dallas Cowboys, the anti-New York Yankees, and yes, our Los Angeles Dodgers. Let me put it this way, the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, Sandy Koufax was still a regular in the Dodgers’ rotation.

All of that newly acquired high-end talent ends up going absolutely AWOL when it matters most. If that last sentence about a hockey team strikes a chord, just file that thought away.

At the time of this trip, the final outcome of the Leafs playoff series was not yet known. (Shocker, they lost.) After all, this franchise once lost to a 42-year-old Zamboni driver…who worked for them a couple of years ago, which merits its own examination but we must move on.

What do I remember about Toronto? Apart from the above, all of the poutine you can eat.

It is not a dirty word, but something regional to eat: fries, gravy, and cheese curds. I had a ridiculous amount while I was up north. The Blue Jays had a signature poutine dog, which oddly was worse than the sum of its parts.

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Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA

What stood out in Toronto was the Blue Jays’ completely unjustified agita towards Shohei Ohtani. 29 teams were always going to be left out of the Ohtani sweepstakes. If the Toronto faithful wanted to be mad at someone, they should be angry with reporter J.P. Hoornstra for getting the reporting wrong that indicated that Ohtani would sign with Toronto.

Needless to say, the Toronto faithful let Ohtani have it throughout the series, starting at the first at-bat. Ohtani quickly responded in kind.

And Twitter being Twitter, this juxtaposition was almost lost to time.

The main feature of Rogers Centre is arguably the Marriott hotel that can be seen overlooking the centerfield of the ballpark. One would imagine that the hotel would be connected to the ballpark; that belief is entirely incorrect as one has to leave the hotel to get to the ballpark.

As rooms go, it’s a gimmick. It’s a fun gimmick; it’s an expensive gimmick (even with the strong American dollar, it’s an expensive gimmick), but considering the humidity issues in Toronto, it was nice to duck back into the hotel halfway through the Sunday finale to have a unique view from my pseudo-skybox.

The problem with this view, apart from having maintenance workers start cleaning the ballpark at midnight and reminding yourself that everyone can literally see you, is that like sitting on the Green Monster in Fenway, you have a pretty big blind spot.

All told, having the Dodgers win four of five was a nice change of pace from my previous adventures, which continue this July in the Motor City. See you then!

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

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Zach Ertz

Washington’s tight end room is led by 11-year veteran Zach Ertz, who spent most of his previous pro career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He appears to have ended up in Washington, however, due to his connection to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was Ertz’s head coach in Arizona in 2021-22. Three of Ertz’s last four seasons (2020, ‘22, ‘23) were marred by injury. Rather than attempting to recount the career of a player most Commanders fans are quite familiar with, I’ll just post his career stats.

Ben Sinnott

I’ll defer to Ben Sinnott’s biggest fan to explain who he is and his expected role with the Commanders.

In his four years at Kansas State, Sinnott never put up gaudy numbers, though his 2023 stats were very solid, catching 49 balls for 676 yards and 6 TDs (better numbers than Sanders and All, it should be said). It was enough to earn him Honorable Mention All-American recognition as well as First Team All Big 12 honors.

With measurables that comp pretty closely to former first round pick TJ Hockenson and LaPorta, it was (and still is) baffling to me that people weren’t drawing the parallels.

When most fans think about tight ends, they usually want to envision the splashy plays: Oversized slot receivers grabbing a ball over the middle and taking it to the house, ideally having smashed some diminutive defensive back into oblivion on the way there. And, don’t get me wrong, I love that too. But that’s generally not how young tight ends get their break in the pros.

Coaches have a decision with their inexperienced TEs:

Do we risk our pass protection, and our quarterback, by testing a tight end who’s not quite ready? Or do we ease that tight end into the lineup, and hope that slowing down the process produces results down the road?

Generally speaking, coaches choose option two. So when you see a college player who is a talented pass catcher, and can do this, you pay attention:

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Sinnott offers a bit of positional flexibility, being reminiscent of the Joe Gibbs “H” back. Here’s what Chris Cooley had to say about Sinnott this past week:

“I will tell you right now, Joe Gibbs would love Ben Sinnott. This would be his guy. He would draft this guy. This is his H-back who can play receiver and tight end. He is a versatile tight end.”

That kind of versatility could end up allowing the Commanders to keep 4 players at the tight end position, with Sinnott moving around the formation in a variety of roles.

Armani Rogers

On May 18, 2022, I was so excited about Armani Rogers that I devoted an entire 5 O’Clock Club post to him.

Here’s how I summarized that article:

In 2022, Armani Rogers was targeted 6 times. Five of those passes were completed for 64 yards (12.8 average) and 4 first downs.

Washington was 3-0 in games in which Rogers was targeted.

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Like Logan Thomas, 25-year-old Armani Rogers is a converted college quarterback (UNLV). He was undrafted last year, and played well in training camp and the preseason. He was one of 5 tight ends on the initial 53-man roster.

What I see in these 6 plays is a guy with good hands, an understanding for how to get open, an ability to get north and south in a hurry, awareness of where the first down marker is, and an ability to break tackles.

As you can see from his film clips above, Rogers was having a pretty good rookie season, but missed several games due to injury — he was on IR from Week 11 to Week 17. I’m thinking that Eric Bieniemy might be excited when he sees these plays by the young 2nd-year tight end.

At that time, I expected Armani Rogers to develop into a good NFL tight end during the ‘23 season, and then take over as the team’s No. 1 option this season. Of course, all of that came to a crashing halt when Rogers tore his Achilles tendon in the team’s first OTA session of the ‘23 offseason in late May.

He isn’t quite a year removed from his injury, though Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins each suffered Achilles tears in the regular season and are expected to play this season, so I am cautiously optimistic that Armani will be able to participate in OTAs, attend training camp, and earn a spot as one of the team’s tight ends this season.

Right now, there’s little to base that hope on other than a handful of regular season snaps from 2022 and good reports from coaches and beat reporters about what he showed in practice, but if he is able to come back healthy and get back on his earlier track, Rogers could provide a strong element to the TE group.

John Bates

I may be the biggest John Bates fan among the Washington faithful. I like what he did in college and I like what he adds to the Commanders roster. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 draft by the Washington Football team.

Here’s what Hogs Haven said about Bates in July last year, ahead of the ‘23 season:

While Bates’ 2022 performance fell below that threshold, his rookie performance, in 2021, exceeded it. His 2021 numbers, 20 receptions for 249 yards and 1 TD were among the best in his draft class, and they would have placed him 12th in receptions and 8th in yardage among TE2s in 2022.

As a tight end primarily drafted for his blocking proficiency, I’m not sure anyone ever expected Bates to be among the most productive tight ends in the league. However, during his initial – admittedly short – two season sample, he certainly appears capable of performing as a decent TE2 in the league, in terms of offensive performance.

The only thing that can really be said for John Bates’ receiving stats in 2023 is that they were slightly better than his 2022 stats.

Personally, I think Bates has a role on an NFL team, and I’d like it to be in Washington. Looking beyond this season to 2025, when Zach Ertz may well be retired from the NFL, it would be good to have Bates returning as a home-grown free agent.

But if we assume that Ertz and Sinnott are roster locks, then Bates could find himself fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster in the final year of his rookie contract.

Cole Turner

Cole Turner was a big receiver (listed by the Commanders at 6’6”, 240 pounds) who converted to tight end as a college sophomore in 2020.

Much was expected from Turner in his rookie season after being drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 draft by the Washington Commanders. That season, however, turned out to be rather disappointing, as he was often inactive or unused due to a chronic hamstring injury. He ended up being targeted only 9 times, and ended up with 2 receptions for 23 yards.

Last year, Turner showed up to training camp sporting a new look that was both stronger and leaner.

Expectations were again high going into the ‘23 season with new offensive coordinator Eric BIeniemy. Again, Turner’s actual production was disappointing, seeing just 142 offensive snaps (17%). He had 11 receptions on 15 targets for 120 yards, but he was all but invisible in the team’s offense. It seemed like he was ‘in the doghouse’ with coaches because there was no clear reason for how scarcely he was used.

If the Commanders keep only 3 tight ends (and even if they keep 4), Turner could find himself as the odd man out, being a less capable blocker than John Bates. His role as a little-used receiving target who also plays only about 25% of special teams snaps is unlikely to endear him to coaches unless he impresses mightily in minicamps, OTAs and training camp.

Colson Yankoff

Like Cole Turner, Yankoff is a big(ish) former receiver (6’3”, 233 pounds) who changed positions — first to running back for his final two seasons at UCLA, and now to an aspiring tight end, a position he never played in college.

As an undrafted college free agent, Yankoff’s best-case scenario for his rookie season is to end up on the practice squad.

Based on this profile from Lance Zierlein, Yankoff’s chances of sticking around while he develops his skills as a tight end seem to rely almost solely on his special teams skills.

Yankoff’s talent rests in his ability to get down the field to find and tackle punt and kick returners. He has adequate top-end speed as an F tight end, but he has very little practical experience as a route runner. He will need to prove his ball skills and show he can wall off defenders as a run blocker in space. His experience as a running back should help him after the catch. Unless a team decides to use him exclusively as a special-teams ace, he will need to prove to be at least functional at an offensive position to secure a roster spot.

This is mirrored in a slightly more enthusiastic summary of his play published in mid-April:

The former four-star recruit at quarterback (and Elite 11 participant) committed to Washington before transferring to Westwood after redshirting his first year. Yankoff moved to wide receiver in 2020, then to running back in 2022. He’s clearly a projection at tight end, but he showcased the necessary skills and tested well at the Bruins’ pro day. If given an opportunity, he could become a special teams ace — Yankoff produced 10 tackles in 2023. Projected: PFA

(JTA) — Police in Washington, DC cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment from the campus of George Washington University and arrested 33 people early Wednesday, hours before a Congressional hearing was set to pressure local leaders on their response to the protest.

Shortly after the arrests, the Republican-led congressional committee canceled the hearing. Lawmakers had planned to grill DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and police chief Pamela Smith on why, prior to Wednesday morning’s arrests, the district had not clamped down on “unlawful activity and antisemitism” at the encampment. Washington police had previously rejected the university’s pleas to intervene on campus, citing the optics of disciplining protesters.

The arrests also follow the publication of dueling faculty letters supporting and opposing the encampment. One of the professors who had circulated the anti-encampment letter backed the arrests. 

“It’s always upsetting when police have to get involved in this way, but I think there was no alternative,” Daniel Schwartz, a professor of Jewish history at GWU, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Their presence was a disturbance to many students, especially given the location. Final exams were being moved.”

Concerns about campus antisemitism

The letter Schwartz and a non-Jewish GWU colleague, Eric Arnesen, had circulated was signed by more than 100 university faculty and staff, many of them Jewish and most from the DC area.

The letter endorsed protecting peaceful protest but expressed concern about the allegations of antisemitism and said the demonstrations weren’t representative of the campus as a whole.

“While we oppose any attempt to ascribe antisemitic intent to all or even most of the protesters, it is indisputable that there have been numerous cases of harassment, abuse, and even physical violence against Jewish students on college campuses since October 7,” Schwartz and Ernesen’s open letter states. Later, they write, “We agree that student speech and protest should be respected — provided they follow reasonable university regulations and do not veer into the realm of harassment.”

A separate open letter from area faculty that had expressed support for the encampments, and downplayed reports of antisemitism among their participants, was signed by more than 500 people.

Universities across the country have struggled to find the right response to the encampments, which have gone up at dozens of schools over the past few weeks. Some have struck deals to clear them peacefully, and others have sent in law enforcement to break them up, leading to more than 2,500 arrests nationwide. 

Jewish students and faculty on campuses with encampments have reported being harassed by protesters and say they create a hostile atmosphere, while many of the protests have featured Jewish contingents.

Protests at GWU over the Israel-Hamas war have often taken on a more aggressive tone than similar campus protests. Last fall the school suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, and the White House specifically called out the activists’ actions, after “Glory to our martyrs” was projected onto the side of a campus building named after a Jewish donor. 

The campus had calmed down since the fall, but tensions flared up again with the recent encampments, Schwartz said. Recent encampment behavior has reportedly included blocking students’ ability to move through campus, replacing an American flag with a Palestinian flag and putting a keffiyeh onto a campus statue of George Washington. GWU President Ellen Granberg has also been a direct target of the protesters, both at fundraisers and on campus. 

When the encampments sprang up in late April, GW Hillel called for the university “to take all needed actions to maintain a safe campus environment for all,” calling them “an embrace of hate” and stating, “We say unequivocally that no student’s rights to be safe, to pursue their education, and to be proud Jews should be compromised in response to another student’s actions.”

Days before the arrests, Granberg made a plea to DC law enforcement to help manage the “illegal” protests. Both Granberg and police said they gave the protesters several warnings to leave the encampment before arrests were made and offered an alternative protest site. Granberg wrote in a message to campus that the administration had “conducted regular and sustained dialogues” with encampment leaders.

“I fully support and encourage our community to speak out and engage in controversial and critical dialogues on these crucial issues — as long as they occur within the limits of our university’s policies and the District’s laws,” she wrote. “However, what is currently happening at GW is not a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment or our university’s policies. The demonstration, like many around the country, has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property.”

Prior to their arrest, members of the recent encampment at the school chanted slogans linking the Israel Defense Forces to the Ku Klux Klan, according to the Hatchet, the student newspaper. 

Granberg “deserves a lot of credit for how she’s handled this,” Schwartz said. “And I’m certain she’ll be taking an enormous amount of flak, not only from students but from faculty.”