By Rebecca
‘Battle of the Beltways’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’
The Nationals’ Screech? Or the Orioles’ The Bird?
Well, in the battle over D.C. TV ratings, our neighbors to the north have won. According to the Washington Business Journal, “D.C. is the only TV market in the country where a team from another city (the O’s) gets better ratings than the hometown team.” That’s sad.
What’s sadder still is that the two teams combined for 201 losses. :(
By Tom Bridge
‘DC United vs Rapids’
courtesy of ‘veni markovski’
D.C. United
Record: 6-3-9
Last Two Weeks: 2-0-0
Place: 2nd in the East
Just two games for United these past two weeks, an MLS win against the Colorado Rapids and an Open Cup win against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Sure, Brian Namoff put one in his own net against the Rapids, but overall, it’s looking better and better for United. They’re headed to the Open Cup quarterfinals this Tuesday night against the Rochester Rhino at the SoccerPlex, then it’s out west against the Quakes in San Jose, then a CONCACAF Champions League game against the C.D L.A. Firpo. Three leagues, four games, two weeks. Here’s hoping that Namoff can keep up his scoring streak, and not just on his own goal…
Kastles
Record: 5-6
Last Two Weeks: 5-4
Place: 2nd in the East by a half match
There are just three matches left in the swift 2009 World TeamTennis league: one on the road versus the undefeated Springfield Lasers, and a pair at home against the Lasers and the New York Buzz. On the line? A playoff spot and a winning record for the season. While the Kastles are in 2nd place in the East, it’s a precarious position just a half match ahead of the Boston Lobsters, and a game and a half in front of the Freedoms and Buzz. It’s going to take some “Refuse to Lose,” to make sure they make it to the Playoffs.
By Kirk
‘Friday night fireworks at Nationals Park’
courtesy of ‘randomduck’
It seems that the great-fireworks controversy at Nationals Park has drawn to an end a mere 24 hours after it started. You may recall that DC Fire Chief Dennis Rubin suspended the displays after debris fell on him during a game on Sunday. After what must have been some intense negotiations, Nats officials caved and agreed to change the firing angle slightly to better protect the crowd. Hooray.
By Kirk
‘Syringe 1 With Drops’
courtesy of ‘ZaldyImg’
According to WUSA 9, the bust of a major steroid distributor in Florida has implicated teams in D.C. as buyers. While no specific players were named, the incarcerated dealer did admit to selling anabolic steroids to the Nationals and Capitals sports clubs. I would be inclined to attribute the Caps’ recent success to this, but given that the Nats were sold (presumably) the same drug, my judgement is that this dealer’s stock wasn’t of the highest quality. Will D.C. be the next target of media and legal ‘roid rage? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
By jasmine
‘Teddy and Teddy’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
It’s too early for giant-headed past presidents. Still in my morning pre-coffee stupor, I got off the escalator at Chinatown only to be greeted by good ol’ Teddy, the running prez. He was handing out 25% off coupons to the Memorial Day weekend games, which is always nice. He also informed me that there are post-game fireworks this Friday and free hats to the first 20,000 fans on Saturday. Thanks, Teddy. Now, if only you were handing out coffee…
By Tom Bridge
‘Rock the Red’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Capitals
2nd Round: 2-3, facing Game 6 on Monday night in Pittsburgh.
It’s down to the raggedy edge again for the Caps. After starting 2-0 against the Penguins, the Pens have picked up 3 running, two of them in Overtime. The Caps are short on momentum right now, and that may well be their undoing. Ovechkin has been en fuego, and leads the NHL in post-season goals, but a pair of costly mistakes have cost the Caps their lead on the series.
Tonight, they’ll face elimination in Pittsburgh, much as they faced it two weeks ago in New York. Varlamov will need to be superlative, and the Caps will have to play aggressive & razor-sharp hockey. The good news is, Brashear’s coming off the bench after the end of his suspension, so that’ll return some hard-hitting power to the Caps’ side. The puck drops at 7pm, and can be seen on Versus. C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS! Endanger the Penguins!
Nationals
Record: 10-19
Last Two Weeks: 6-6
Place: Last in the NL East
Well, we’re still the worst team in major league baseball. But, in the last two weeks, the Nats have played a lot better than their opening two weeks. Shairon Martis has been pretty much amazing, his last outing with a 5-hit complete game over the Cardinals last week. Jordan Zimmermann’s still 2-1, and though his ERA is over 5, he’s still got a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. And, of course, mid-season number-one-draft-pick-to-be Stephen Strasburg threw a no-hitter last week against Air Force. If the Nats can get together with a decent deal with Scott Boras, he’ll be up and pitching in DC by the end of the summer. Ryan Zimmerman’s got a 28-game hitting streak as it stands right now, as well. Get that up to 30 games and maybe he’ll get the credit he’s due. The Nats have three more games on the road against the Giants before coming home for a long homestand. Just think, 9 more wins and they’re at .500.
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By Tom Bridge
‘Capitol – In Pre-Dawn Light – 3-9-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
Tomorrow pits the best of DC sports against the best of New York sports:
So, who’s for taking down those feckless thugs in New York? Bring the spirit DC! See you at the sports bars!
By jasmine
‘outta here for Harry the K’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
After an earlier announcement that the DC government did not have the money to keep Metro open for Nationals games that run late, the deputy mayor told the Washington Post last night that they would “work something out.” Good thing, because the alternatives (stranding people at the stadium or making them drive) sure aren’t pretty.
By Tom Bridge
‘00001201’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
Wizards
Record: 17-59
Last Two Weeks: 1-8
Place: Last. Still and Always.
It’s nice to see that Gilbert Arenas is back off the bench and in uniform again, but I’ve got to ask: shouldn’t we let him wait so we can guarantee a #1 draft pick? I mean, it was great to see him on the court on Saturday, putting up 15 points and 10 assists at the Phone Booth, but shouldn’t we be conserving at this point? I don’t mean throw in the towel and throw the games, but c’mon. Let Agent 0 play in the summer leagues, don’t risk our draft pick, okay?
Just six games left for the Wizards, and I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen just about the worst performance in years. If they take 3 of the last 6 games, they’ll tie for the worst record in the 36 years they’re been here in DC. I’d put good money that they don’t win more than 2. Sad.
Capitals
Record: 47-23-7
Last Two Weeks: 4-2-1
Place: 2nd in the East, 1st in the Southeast
The Caps have clinched their playoff spot, and with just 5 games left in the season, it’s all about jockeying for opponents in the first round. As it stands, the Caps would face the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs, a team they’re 3-1 against this season, outscoring them 14-11. In the unlikely event they finish in third, they’d be facing Carolina, who they’re more evenly matched with.
Can Ovi lead the Caps to the Stanley Cup? We’ll see.
By Tom Bridge
Ovechkin Celebrates by clydeorama
Capitals
Record: 26-11-3
Last Two Weeks: 6-0
Place: First in the Southeast
The Caps roared through the holidays, racking up a six-game win streak and handily beating down the Rangers on Saturday in a defensive slugfest. The 2-1 victory saw the return of Alexander Semin as well as Semin’s first (slap)fight of his NHL career. With the injury bug now behind them, the Caps are in prime position to pull away from the ‘Canes (10 points behind) and cement their playoff position for April.
Ovechkin and company have the best 40-game start in franchise history, another feather in Coach Boudreau’s cap. However, Ovechkin was snubbed on Saturday when the NHL All-Star teams were announced; due to Montreal fan chicanery, Ovie finished sixth in the overall voting and won’t be on the starting lineup. Boudreau’s quote on ESPN: “It’s dumb. It’s not right the best player in the game is not a starter.”
All of us here at WLDC totally agree (even Ben!). Ovie should be joining Crosby and Malkin on the top line, not on-again-off-again Kovalev, oft-injured Koivu or flash-in-the-pan Tanguay. But alas, Habs fans are rabid and were out to fix the voting, hence Ovie receiving less than 500,000 votes (compared to the 1.2 million each Habs player received). We’ll see who the real All-Star is come January 25th.
By Tom Bridge
DC United
This Week: 0-2
Current Record: 11-15-4
Current Place: Out of the Playoffs
It’s a game of inches, sometimes, and yesterday’s final & decisive match against the Columbus Crew came down to the ruler. Unfortunately for us, the two near misses for United, with both shots hitting the goal posts, lead United to elimination. The last week’s been something of a rollercoaster for the club, as it was looking fairly grim a week ago that they’d even have the chance to make the playoffs under their own steam. However, it all lead up to yesterday’s showdown with the Crew. The loss moves United out of the playoff picture entirely, for the first time since 2002. DC’s winningest franchise is done for the season. It’s not all bad, though, as the return of Santino Quaranta is nothing short of amazing. He’s almost a shoo-in for the Comeback Player of the Year, after his multi-year bout with addiction.
The Redskins
This Week: Victory.
Current Record: 6-2
Current Place: 2nd in the NFC East
Another victory for the Skins this weekend in Detroit, but it was probably the ugliest I’ve seen. At halftime, they were down to the Lions. The Lions! The Hapless Lions! I’ve got a feeling it takes a special level of emotional resilience to be a Skins fan. At one point, things were getting pretty tense on the sidelines, as Jim Zorn let Clinton Portis have it with both barrels on the sideline as the star running back swooped a towel over his head and ignored the head coach.
It was Santana Moss who got things going for the Skins in the second half, with a pair of TDs. His 50-yard TD reception, burning the Detroit secondary like so many rioters burning houses, got things off on to a good start in the second half. His second TD, an 80 yarder, on a punt return, took the last of the fight from the Lions. Jason Campbell looked solid again, over 300 yards and just five incompletes against Detroit’s last in the universe Defense. They’ll face the Steelers in an election-week grudge-match that will likely have die-hard Skins and Steelers fans rooting for the other guys. The Redskins are one of the best sports/politics indicators. If the Redskins win the week before the election, the incumbent party keeps the White House. If they lose, it goes to the challenger. So, Skins fans, will you be putting your fanaticism before party, or vice versa?
Read on for Capitals, Wizards & Nationals News
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By Tom Bridge
Nationals Red Neon
Originally uploaded by tbridge
The Nationals and the City have finally resolved their differences regarding rent at Nationals Park. The Lerner family has promised to pay $3,500,000 or so in rent payments for this year’s games to the City on Monday. Bout damn time, guys. If I was this late on a mortgage payment, Sheriff would’ve come by and thrown my ass out.
By Tom Bridge
Crazed Fan by Leediehr
26-24. Sorry, Cowboys, no 4 & 0 for you. The Redskins looked quite good in Dallas today, with Jason Campbell starting to look like the Quarterback that the Redskins had hoped he’d become. Two TDs and 230 yards, all without a single pick. Clinton Portis came up big with 121 yards over 21 carries. It was the kind of victory that kept the TV on and the fans cheering right down to the last play. Fortunately, Shaun Suisham’s leg was up to the task, with four Field Goals and a pair of extra points.
Great day for Jim Zorn, and for the Skins as a whole, with the last Redskins Regular Season Game in Texas Stadium coming up a big victory for us. But that’s not all the sporting news…
By Max
this jersey says it all by dharmabumx
As August comes to a close, we should all be thankful for the amazing weather we’ve had this summer in DC. Sure, there were a few weeks with temperatures in the high 90’s and Vietnam-like humidity, but for the most part we’ve had many reasonable days in the 80’s – perfect weather for baseball and beer. Well, pretty much perfect weather for anything and beer, but when I look at this photo I want to Metro over to the Nationals stadium, buy a ticket, gorge myself with a halfsmoke from Ben’s, and wash it down with a really expensive cup of beer, all the while knowing that our team is destined to find a way to lose.
With only a month left of baseball for the Nats, why not go drink some beer in our new stadium? Might as well get as much out of your tax dollars as you can. They host the Dodgers tonight through Thursday followed by a series against the Braves through the weekend. Be sure to memorize the lyrics to Sweet Caroline for an extra good time.
By Tom Bridge
It’s hard to say good things about the Nationals. Last in the NL East, and 15 games back of the Mets. 23 games under .500.
But, hey, we won 2 of 3 from the Braves in Atlanta. And, Sunday’s win, much like Saturday’s, was proof that the Nationals do, in fact, have an offense that can produce some serious runs when the stars align. Unfortunately, most of the time, we’re in discord.
By Carl Weaver
I had never seen beer this expensive before going to a Nationals game. Sure I had a good time, but that $7.50 beer stuck in my craw a little. I just got invited to go to another game and will likely go but will likely not buy a beer or even a bottle of water, since the water costs what a beer should cost.
What do you do to enjoy a cool drink at the ball game? Do you bend over and pay the $7.50? Drain a 12-pack on Metro on the way over? Smuggle a flask into the ballpark? I’d love to hear your solutions to this.
By brownpau
From WaPo: Open Top Sightseeing, purveyors of double-decker bus tours, has suspended its Nationals shuttle service after two people were killed standing on the upper deck as the bus went through an underpass.
Condolences go out to the families of those killed.
It’s unclear if there was sufficient clearance for the bus, or if the two guys who died were standing on the floor or on their seats, and the whole thing is being investigated; but I think we can all agree: don’t stand while riding the upper deck, and if you are standing, for heaven’s sake please sit down if you see a tunnel or bridge approaching.
