Category Archives: Sports Fix

Sports Fix
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Week 8 Recap – Skins vs. Lions

Photo courtesy of
‘Purple Redskins cap’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

For the second straight season, the Redskins went to Detroit and lost. That by itself would have been reason enough to question the team heading into their bye week but this loss came with something extra. With the Skins trailing 31-26 and just less than 2 minutes remaining, Mike Shanahan benched Donovan McNabb and replaced him with Rex Grossman. It was a curious move because McNabb was not injured and hadn’t played poorly. On Grossman’s first play, he was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Ndomukong Suh for a touchdown. So instead of just making adjustments and getting players healthy, Shanahan will be bombarded with questions about the McNabb benching for the next two weeks.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Extra: Wizards Hoops 2010-11 Season Preview

Photo courtesy of

‘20090930-6799’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

League wide, the 2010-2011 NBA season is a little bit of a smoke and mirrors act. While there have been plenty of offseason story lines that we finally get to see in action on the court, for all intents and purposes, the list of title contenders is shorter than any in recent memory. Not a surprise: this year’s Wizards aren’t on that list, and as a young and rebuilding team, that isn’t necessarily the expectation. Even if the Wiz aren’t quite ready to join the league’s elite four squads (the Lakers out West, and the Celtics, Magic and Heat in the East), the upward projection of the squad is going to be much more than a dead cat bounce.

I’ll be one half of the WLDC Wizards team this season, joined by the great Patrick Pho to recap the on and off court action all season long. While sometimes a forgotten team among the other three DC squads, we will do our best to keep you up to pace with all of the hardwood action at the Verizon Center. In honor of the season tip-off for the Wiz tonight in Orlando, we’re proud to bring you this recap of changes and a preview of what’s to come in 2010-2011.

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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: How many turnovers?

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_5748’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Capitals
Record: 5-3
Place: 2nd in the Southeast, 1 point back of Tampa
Last Two Weeks: 4-2

With two losses back to back to the Bruins, to listen to some Caps fans, it was time to throw in the towel. Sanity prevailed Saturday night at the Phone Booth as the Caps put together an overtime victory against Atlanta on a beautiful goal by Tomas “Flash” Fleischmann. Alexander Semin chalked up his fourth career hat trick, as well, giving Caps fans every reason to be happy.

It’s not all sunshine and lollipops in Caps-land, though, and there’s reason to be a little concerned. The Caps were shooting just 4.9% over a three game span, which is about 10% under “normal,” and their puckhandling has left a lot to be desired in the last few starts, with a lot of sloppy play. It’s early yet, and if October hockey is the worst we see, I think we’ll be in for another great season.

The Caps are on a little road jaunt this week, heading down to Carolina, Minnesota and then off West to Calgary before coming home next week to face Toronto, Boston and the hated Flyers of Philadelphia. Continue reading →

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Week 7 Recap – Skins vs. Bears

Photo courtesy of
‘DeAngelo Hall Intercepts Mark Sanchez’

courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

In what was a very sloppy game, the Redskins overcame some close calls and played opportunistic ball as they defeated the Bears 17-14. Both teams combined for 9 turnovers, 13 penalties, and 4 third down conversions on 23 attempts. Basically, who ever wanted it more would win this game. After trailing 14-10 in the first half, the Skins got two breaks in the 3rd quarter. First, an apparent touchdown sneak by Jay Cutler was not called by the officials and, even more surprisingly, the Bears did not challenge the call. Albert Haynesworth caused a fumble on that play but right after the Skins took possession, Donovan McNabb threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown…except it was called back due to a delay of game on the offense. As bad as McNabb looked at times, Cutler looked worse. He had 281 yards passing, but threw 4 interceptions and lost a fumble. With the victory the Skins improve to 4-3 and get their first road win on the season. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features, We Love Arts
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The Washington Legacy of Damn Yankees

If the court pleases, I’d like to enter Exhibit A into the record, the Venn Diagram that leads this post. In it, you’ll note two circles demonstrating a fairly obscure, but relevant point for the upcoming article: the population of baseball fans that intersects with those who are likely to read about Broadway musicals is not large. However, your honor, what I hope to show is that, while the overlap is obscure at best, there is a little something for everyone here in the following examination:

Later this afternoon, the Texas Rangers will take the field at Yankee Stadium for game five of the ALCS. They lead three games to one, and the long defeated franchise stands on the doorstep of the World Series, ready to wave the team’s first pennant. As written here late last week (partially to get a reaction, partially because the history is fun), this organization has some ties to DC, as they were once the Washington Senators, version 2.0. It wasn’t a comprehensive look at the history of the 2nd Senators to grace DC, nor other ties between the Texas Rangers and Washington baseball (notably, the fact that Texas Ace Cliff Lee was a prospect in the Expos’ system and traded away for little long before his rise of the last few years), but really just some fun thoughts to help find a rooting interest this postseason.

In that vein – and to give fair ink to all parts of the Washington baseball past – there’s one other part of Senators history from the first iteration of the franchise that also could be entertaingly relevant: the 1955 musical Damn Yankees.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Jaime Moreno, DC Soccer Legend

Jaime Moreno, DC Legend

For those that don’t follow soccer, it’s hard to put into appropriate terms what Jaime Moreno means to D.C. United and the MLS as a whole.  As crucial as Riggins and Sonny Jurgensen are to the Redskins success a generation as ago, Moreno means more than that to United.  As important as Ovechkin is to the Caps, or Strasburg to the Nationals, Moreno is all that and more.

Moreno’s contributions to Major League Soccer are on par with Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron’s to baseball.  In his 14-year MLS career, he’s the only member of the 100-goal, 100-assist club, and is tied for the all-time lead for goals with 132.  He gets a shot at 133 this Saturday, and we’d like to send you and a friend to go see the game.  Leave your name in the comments with a valid email address in the appropriate field and we’ll pick at random on Thursday afternoon.

The team has been celebrating Moreno for the last month, and their archive of coverage is deeply impressive. Moreno has been the constant leading presence for the team from its creation through its four MLS Cup Championships and through the denouement of United over the last two years.  In many ways, Jaime Moreno is D.C. United, and it’s hard to picture the state of the franchise without him as part.

The team has a number of events planned for Saturday, culminating with a special honoring of Jaime Moreno by the 2011 Season Ticket Holders with all of the earned trophies during Moreno’s career.  Moreno is probably the least-celebrated DC star athlete, which is a shame.  Get out to RFK on Saturday afternoon and give Moreno the attention he deserves.

Sports Fix
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Week 5 Recap: Skins vs. Packers

Photo courtesy of
‘Big men hitting hard’
courtesy of ‘joelrivlin’

For three quarters yesterday, the Redskins offense could not produce any spark and the defense let Aaron Rodgers spread the ball around the field. In the fourth quarter, the offense woke up and the defense attacked Rodgers with a mission. Donovan McNabb threw a 48-yard touchdown to Anthony Armstrong. The defense had 4 sacks (two by Brian Orakpo) and made key stops on third down. After Graham Gano’s 45-yard field goal sent the game into overtime, Laron Landry came up a difficult interception and Gano kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Skins a 16-13 victory over Green Bay. They are now 3-2 and still on top of the NFC East. A Sunday night matchup with the Colts looms but in the meantime, this is another conference win to savor. Continue reading →

capitals hockey, Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Extra: Capitals Hockey 2010-11 Season Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘All alone in the net’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Tomorrow is the start of the 2010-11 NHL regular season, pretty much the only sport that matters in my household. Around the DC area, the Washington Capitals are becoming – if not already – the number two sports franchise, and with good reason: unlike many of the other pro teams in the area, the Caps have been consistent winners the last several years.

Today’s date, actually, should probably be declared a local holiday. Why? Well, five years ago on October 5, some rookie with the number 8 on his sweater hit the Verizon Center ice in the season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Forty seconds into the game, Alexander Ovechkin – the rookie in question – hit defenseman Radoslav Suchy so hard against the glass that one of the supports broke loose and hit the ice. A portent of things to come? If so, Ovechkin had two more signs to stamp his arrival to the NHL that night – his first two goals of his career, one of them a great one-timer from Jeff Halpern. At the end of that game, there was no doubt: Ovechkin – and the Capitals – had arrived at the next level.

It’s been an Ovechkin-fueled rocket ship ride for the Capitals since, with no sign of stopping.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Season Wrap-Up: The Nationals

Photo courtesy of
‘Friday Night Fireworks’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

The baseball season is over and done with.  Hockey starts Friday, and Basketball in a few weeks. The beginnings of winter are incumbent upon us to respect, and the end of the baseball season is a part of that winterizing process.  This was a season of growth for the Nationals in many ways, and there’s a lot to respect in terms of significant process. There’s also a lot that we’ll have to see changed in order for this to become a contending franchise in the next decade.

This is a turning point for the Nationals, and there’s a real opportunity for this club to take what it’s spent the last five years working on and put it to good use.  The Nationals are not a complete franchise, right now, but in two or three years, they could be a .500+ club with a shot at the Wild Card.  Will they get there? I hope so, but I fear for the worst.  Losing the head of their front office will be a big test for this club that has relied upon his experience so extensively.  There is, as in many cases, both crisis and opportunity in this change.  The Nats finally have a solid GM in place, someone who can handle baseball operations and contract negotiations without giving away the farm, in Mike Rizzo, and the addition of Andrew Feffer as the Nats’ Chief Operating Office this past off-season gives them someone who understands the intricacies of running the ballpark operations side of things for the Nationals.

Stan Kasten is right: DC could be a baseball town. There’s an audience, yes, but they’re going to have to be shown that the product’s worth watching.  This season? It was too volatile to promise to a good audience.  If the Nats want to draw 2-2.5M fans each year, they’re going to have to put out there something that people want to watch.  And generally speaking, those people shouldn’t just be in from out of town.  Let’s take a look at the lineup this season and see how everyone did, shall we?

 

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Can The 2K11 Version Of John Wall Do This?

Happy NBA 2K11 day basketball fans! While you maybe lining up to get the latest 2K b-ball title, excited to play as Michael Jordan (before he joined the Wizards,) let’s not forget that the real-life Washington Wizards can still be as electric as any video game franchise.

Thanks to John Wall.

Just take a look at this clip of John Wall from the Fan Fest scrimmage:

YouTube Preview Image

Can the 2K11 version of Wall do this? Maybe, but it’s way more fun to see it in real life.

[h/t Wizards Extreme]

Sports Fix
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Week 4 Recap: Skins vs. Eagles

Photo courtesy of
‘Stranger in a Strange Jersey’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

The Skins kicked off a brutal stretch in their schedule with a tough victory over the Eagles in Philly. I was expecting Donovan McNabb to get a rude reception from Eagle fans much like the one he received at the ’99 draft. Instead, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The rest of the game did not go as smoothly. It was physical, mistake-filled, and left some key casualties for both teams. Michael Vick was injured in the first half and did not return to the game. Kevin Kolb stepped in and played admirably, but the Skins defense held him in check when it mattered most. Clinton Portis was also injured and sat out most of the second half. Despite this setback, the Skins ran the ball effectively, caused a couple of turnovers, and won the game 17-12. The Skins are now 2-0 in the NFC East after losing all six division games last season.

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capitals hockey, Sports Fix, The Features
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Back to the Future at the Caps Convention

Caps Jersey for 2011 Winter Classic

The Caps unveiled their uniforms for the NHL New Years Day Winter Classic today at the Caps Convention at the DC Convention Center. In keeping with the theme of embracing the past even as they push for greater glory, the Capitals’ Winter Classic jersey hearkens back to the original red, white and blue away jersey with the six stars above the original logo, with red and blue horizontal bands at the waist. In a nod to the elder statesmen, former captains Yvon Labre and Rod Langway took the stage ahead of current captain Alex Ovechkin in modeling the Winter Classic jersey.

Indeed, the past was present today, and the several thousand season ticket holders and red-clad fans showed their appreciation. At least 16 former players, including fan favorites Mike Gartner, Peter Bondra and Olie Kolzig were in the house, bringing together 35 years of hockey history. Addressing a large audience of Caps fans, Ted Leonsis said he is looking for generational excellence out of the current team. The team’s new slogan “Building America’s Hockey Capital” and Leonsis’s focus on bringing the Stanley Cup to Washington shows an ambition beyond selling out the Verizon Center every night. Let the games begin!

Here is some more good news for the future: Leonsis mentioned that with Monumental Sports now owning the Verizon Center the ice surface (and the ambient air) will be kept colder, addressing the perennial player complaint of soft ice. So put on your sweaters and get ready for fast ice at the home opener next Saturday night.

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Fall is Coming Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘BIG PAYBACK #27’
courtesy of ‘Danilo.Lewis|Fotography’

Redskins
Record: 1-2
Last Two Weeks: 0-2
Place: Tied for second with Dallas & New York

Play not to lose, and you end up doing exactly that. The Redskins have played not to lose for the last three weeks, and their 1-2 record is reflective of a franchise that has yet to play to win a football game. The Skins’ on-field presence has been lackluster, and their off-field shenanigans, with the battle over Albert Haynesworth’s heart and “mind” still proceeding, and a number of player shakeups.

This is a team that is going to dominate the news cycle despite not deserving an iota of your attention, so get used to it, unless they can find a way to put together the will to win. I’m not saying that can’t happen, I’m saying that they don’t seem to have it at this point. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Week 3 Recap: Skins vs. Rams

Photo courtesy of
‘bale to the redskins’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

Early on in this game the Redskins knew they would have a long day ahead of them. After allowing a 42-yard touchdown run by Stephen Jackson on the opening drive, the Skins fumbled the ball on their first possession and the Rams quickly responded with a touchdown pass by Sam Bradford to take a 14-0 lead after just six minutes elapsed in the first quarter. The Skins did score 13 unanswered points and Philip Daniels blocked a field goal to end the first half, but the rest of the game belonged to Bradford and the Rams defense. Donovan McNabb had a frustrating day because the Skins defense could not get off the field and they allowed the Rams to gain 133 rushing yards. The Skins also turned over the ball twice, had a punt blocked, and the offensive line looked disjointed partly due to Trent Williams’ injury. The 30-16 victory by the Rams is only their second in the last 19 games. While the 1-2 start should not cause panic at Ashburn, there are some major concerns about the Skins’ inability to stop opposing offenses and the lack of depth at key positions. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Maya falls apart as Braves top Nats 5-0

Heyward hits Ramos
Photo by Ian Koski / Nationals Daily News

Before the game today, when asked about Yunesky Maya, Jim Riggleman said that he’d settled down.  Jim was right until the top of the sixth today.  The wheels came flying off Maya’s bus, as he gave up a walk, advanced the runner to second on a wild pitch, and gave up a double, a single and a 3-run homer before getting the hook.  The start of the game had been so promising, with Maya retiring the side in the first on just 11 pitches, 9 of them strikes.  After that dominant first inning, though, Maya would begin to lose his razor sharp placement, especially when the Braves had runners aboard.

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nationals win third straight, beat Astros 7-2

Photo courtesy of
‘Friday Night Fireworks’
courtesy of ‘alykat’

If you’d told me the Nats would, without Ryan Zimmerman or Adam Dunn in the lineup, score seven runs, I’d have asked you if you meant in a single game, or over a whole week.  The Nats got a boost from unexpected sources this afternoon, grabbing home runs from Roger Bernadina and Danny Espinosa as well as Michael Morse in their 7-2 victory.  The win was their third straight, and they’ve got some momentum together as the Braves and Phillies come to DC for a pair of series that will end their home season.

The businessman’s special today meant a very light turnout at Nats Park, officially 14,633 but in reality more like 5,000, but those who came out saw the Nationals’ infield of Gonzalez, Desmond, Espinosa and Kennedy put on a defensive workshop.  Each of the infielders today had a play that should be on tonight’s SportsCenter.  In the 7th, Gonzalez speared a ball to his right, came up and rifled the ball across the diamond to the outstretched glove of Adam Kennedy.  In the 3rd, Ian Desmond leapt for a ball just over his head, snagged the out, and threw to Kennedy to double off the pitcher Nelson Figueroa.  Danny Espinosa would lay all the way out for a ball to his left in the 6th and flip it to Kennedy to get Michaels at first.

 

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nats take night off against Houston, drop game 8-2

Livan Hernandez looks disgusted with himself
Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nats News Network

The Nationals appeared to have left their collective team heart elsewhere Monday night when playing the Houston Astros in Washington. It’s painfully obvious at this point in September that whatever underdog grit this team had after going 20-15 to start the season is long gone.

Livan Hernandez looked sharp on the mound retiring all six of the first batters he faced, but that two inning no-hitter took a turn for the worst with some deplorable defensive plays in the fifth. The worst of it all is that the Nationals scored two runs in the top of the first. They were winning to start things off but couldn’t hold on for dear life.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Week 2 Recap: Skins vs. Texans

Photo courtesy of
‘Our seats in the upper deck’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

One thing is certain about the Redskins: they are rarely boring to watch. After giving up a 17-point lead in the second half and nearly 500 yards passing, the Skins fell to the Texans 30-27 in overtime. Both teams played very well for the most part but a few mistakes cost the Skins a victory. The blocked field goal in the 4th quarter, the holding penalty on Stephon Heyer after a critical 23-yard catch by Santana Moss, and the offsides call on Chris Horton were among the biggest blunders. Two key injuries also affected the game as Laron Landry and Trent Williams tweaked their left wrist and knee respectively. The overtime itself was torture for Skins fans as the team went for a 52-yard field goal, which Graham Gano made, but Texans’ coach Gary Kubiak called a timeout just before the snap. Gano’s second attempt was way off the mark. When the Texans got possession of the ball, they moved it to the 18-yard line and Neil Rackers hit a 35-yard field goal giving Houston a victory after 71 ½ minutes of football. There is no question that the Skins gave a full effort in this game. It’s just a matter of holding a lead and finishing plays late in the game that they need to improve upon.

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Sports Fix
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Week 1 Recap: Skins vs. Cowboys

Photo courtesy of
‘WE WANT DALLAS!’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

If there’s one thing NFL fans are guaranteed it’s that when ever the Skins meet the Cowboys in primetime, the game is sure to be filled with unusual plays and often a thrilling finish. Last night was no exception. While the first half was mostly a dull affair (the Skins had only 104 yards in the half), the stadium woke up when DeAngelo Hall stripped the ball from Tashard Choice, recovered the fumble, and then ran 32 yards for the TD to give the Skins a 10-0 lead at halftime. Both offenses faired better in the second half. The Skins ran the ball more effectively and were able to get into the redzone on the opening drive of the half. However, after missing two good opportunities to get the TD, they botched the snap on the field goal attempt and Dallas was able to stay in the game. Both teams traded scores and when the Cowboys gained possession of the ball with 1:50 left in the game, the stage was set for a classic finish. Carlos Rogers and Laron Landry dropped two sure interceptions, and Miles Austin had a huge 4th down catch to put Dallas in the redzone with 12 seconds remaining. On the very last play, Tony Romo was pressured out of the pocket and delivered a pass to Roy Williams for the game-winning TD…except it was called back by a holding penalty on Alex Barron. Game over. The Skins beat the Cowboys 13-7 as the fog rolled through FedEx Field.

Positives – Offensively, the Skins O-line did a good job handling the Cowboys pass rush and Trent Williams looked impressive in his debut. He only gave up one sack to DeMarcus Ware but had few mistakes in general. Clinton Portis played solid as well. He found some good cut-back lanes and showed a burst we haven’t seen in a couple of years. Donovan McNabb was on target for the most part and could have had more completions if not for some drops by the receivers. He had good protection particularly in the second half and the physical blocking wore out the Cowboys D-lineman. Defensively, the Skins were bend-don’t-break but made key stops while keeping the Cowboys out of the redzone for most of the game. The new 3-4 defense that Jim Haslett has installed showed very few hiccups. At times, the Skins had only two down lineman or none at all. They would blitz corners, safeties, and linebackers from different angles, either in bunches or individually. It was a well-executed game plan by Haslett. Also, credit Mike Shanahan for his decision to kick the 49-yard field goal late in the game rather than punt. It was a gutsy call but the right one.

Negatives – Most people think a long snapper has little impact on a game but they are an important part of the special teams. Last night proved why. Nick Sundberg was brought in this year to replace long-time Pro Bowl long snapper Ethan Albright and he had a terrible night. The botched field goal was a result of his high snap and he even had a low snap on the last made field goal. He struggled throughout training camp and may get the boot if his troubles continue. While the Skins were able to move the ball on offense, this area is still a work in progress. McNabb needs to improve his timing with the receivers and they need to do a better job concentrating on the catch. It was also unusual to see Fred Davis and Joey Galloway not targeted through most of the game. This offense will need a few games to gel.

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Fall’s Arrival Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Cowboys versus Redskins’
courtesy of ‘Anthroscribe’

Redskins
Record: 1-0
Last Two Weeks: 1-0

It wasn’t the offensive explosion that everyone was hoping for, but the Redskins dispatched the hated Cowboys last night at FedEx field before a crowd of over 90,000 fans. The highlights will be covered by new columnist Arjun Murthy tomorrow, but the euphoria of another football season in Washington was palpable this afternoon, as Redskins and Cowboy jerseys and other team logo gear outnumbered pretty much every other article of clothing.

Donovan McNabb, slim and fit, worked well behind center, and showed some serious hustle. He picked up 173 passing yards, and ran for another 17. Sadly, he wasn’t able to connect with any of his receivers in the end zone. Chris Cooley and Santana Mass each had 6 receptions.

Defensive highlight of the day came from DeAngelo Hall, who returned a fumble for a touchdown right at the end of the first half, to send the Skins to the locker room up 10-0 on the Cowboys at the half. The 3-4 defense worked well tonight, largely keeping Dallas from putting together serious momentum. It’s tough, though, to see what role Albert Haynesworth will have in the 3-4. At times last night, he separated himself from the rest of the defensive huddle on the sidelines, and largely kept out of team affairs. Not exactly the sort of encouraging behavior you’d want to see.

Next week? Houston. 4:35pm start here at FedEx. Continue reading →