‘00205875’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

Redskins
Record: 0-1
Past Two Weeks: 0-2
Place: Last in the East

Well, that was a delight. The only good play in the whole of the first half came from Hunter Smith, who managed to run in a 4th & 8 field goal decoy for a touchdown. Jason Campbell threw for 211 yards, but got sacked for a touchdown and gave up another INT, not a fine performance from the Skins QB. Losing a conference matchup on the opening Sunday is not the way you want to start your season, but the Giants are a pretty formidable foe, so this isn’t the end of the world. What do the Skins need to do before next week?

How about some hands drills? Listening to the game on the radio this afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice the Skins couldn’t hold on to the ball, either on the receiving end, or on the ground. A fumble returned for a touchdown isn’t going to win you any friends, Mr. Campbell. Not even if you buy them an Admiral TV.

Up next? Pay for slay. The Rams are coming to Washington, and that’s going to be a good old-fashioned seal-clubbing.

Nationals
Record: 50-93
Past Two Weeks: 4-8
Place: Dead Last, but First in the Bryce Harper Race…

There are just 19 games left in the 2009 season, and the Nats will need to win at least 10 of them in order to beat last year’s deeply unsuccessful record. Of course, they’re not playing so great right now, so that’s not even close to a given. The Nats are off Monday before heading to Philly for 3 (predicted 0-3) and then 3 in New York against the Mets (predicted 2-1) before they come home for a 9-game final homestand against LA, Atlanta and the Mets. Get your baseball while you can, DC. The Nationals aren’t much to watch, but at least they’re still ours, and the tickets on stubhub are cheap as can be.

‘DSC00662’
courtesy of ‘aharden’

D.C. United
Record: 8-6-12
Past Two Weeks: 1-1-1
Place: 3rd in the East

With 20,000 on hand this Saturday night, D.C. United sought revenge against Seattle for their defeat in the Open Cup. Josh Wicks didn’t jump on their attacker this time, but the result was the same, a 2-1 loss. With just four MLS matches left in their season, United is perilously perched at 3rd in the East. They’ll face division rival Columbus once more as well as San Jose, currently 2nd in the West, and they’ll need to win at least one of those to assure a spot in the playoffs. I think they’ll need at least five points in their last four MLS matches to make a showing in the post-season. Can they do it? Let’s hope so.

Soccer, though, isn’t as convenient as the other majors, and United will face other tests from four CONCACAF matches interspersed with their MLS matches. Travel to Toluca and San Juan will take its toll, in addition to the trip to Kansas City for their final match. United has played much stronger at home than away, so that much is in their favor.

Mystics
Record: 16-18
Past Two Weeks: 2-3
Place: 4th in the East

Congratulations to the Mystics on making the Playoffs! Their Saturday victory over the Atlanta Dream locked up their spot in the post-season. However, it looks like they’re going to face Indiana in the first round, a team they’re 0-4 against this season. They’ll play a race-to-two starting at the Comcast Center on Thursday. Here’s hoping that they’ll find some strength in the post-season play!

Tom Bridge

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.