If you can’t trust a man who you have seen on TV your entire life hosting a show that makes you feel dumber every time you watch it, whom can you trust? Alex Trebek has been hosting Jeopardy since 1984. He has learned more random facts over the past 28 years than any of us would learn in 28 lifetimes. But does he know sports? If the people of Washington, D.C. trust Trebek’s opinion of their teams, 2012 is going to be a phenomenal year.
Trebek sat down for an interview with ABC7’s Alex Parker this week and shared his thoughts on the Redskins, Nationals, and other D.C. teams. One of the subjects he touched on was the Redskins potentially drafting Robert Griffin III, whom Trebek can envision leading the Skins to a 12-win season.
“(Robert) Griffin is going to be something special,” Trebek said. “He is something special because he is multi-talented. He can pass, he can run, he can do a lot of things. I think Washington is going to be very happy if they get him.”
Maybe Rex Grossman’s ridiculous claim about the 2011 Redskins wasn’t so ridiculous. Parker asked Trebek why he thought Griffin would work out when so many others like Donovan McNabb, Deion Sanders, and Albert Haynesworth have failed in Washington, and the Jeopardy host provided a simple explanation.
“This is the era of young, talented quarterbacks — Eli Manning, the kid in San Francisco (Alex Smith), Luck. Quarterbacks really do have a major impact on football teams. I think more than any other individual player in a particular sport.”
Toward the end of his segment, Trebek predicted that the Nationals will ride their hot start all the way to their first ever postseason appearance in 2012. Three playoff appearances in one year for the nation’s capital? Dare I say that would clear out the stench the Wizards have left behind? I think it’s safe to say Trebek is the most optimistic sports fan in the D.C. area.
