Category Archives: Sports Fix

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Olympic Hangover Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Up in the rafters’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Whew. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but today I am an emotional mess.  That overtime gold medal hockey game yesterday was a heart-wrencher, a true rollercoaster run.  But, that means the Olympics are now done, and we can return to cheering for the Caps and Wizards, and to start thinking about the Baseball season.

Capitals

Record: 41-13-8 (90pts)
Last Two Weeks: None
Place: 1st in the East

The Caps have begun to reassemble, skating yesterday and today at Kettler, and getting ready to head up to Buffalo for Wednesday night’s first game back against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. The Caps then come back to the Phone Booth to face off with Tampa Thursday night, and then the Rangers on Saturday. Hopefully the Caps will be able to move past their three-loss streak heading into the Olympic break, and clinch their title quickly. The Caps have a 13-point lead on their nearest conference foe, and 27 on their nearest division rival. It’s been a pretty amazing run for the Caps, let’s hope it’s an easy and injury-free road to the Playoffs.

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Try Out for the National Anthem at Nats Park

Photo courtesy of

‘US Flag waving at Nationals Park’
courtesy of ‘daveynin’

One of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had singing the National Anthem came at the Nats Tryouts in 2008.  It’s time to tryout again and the Nats are offering 75 tryout slots to the average Joe and Jane musicians of DC.  So if you’ve got an awesome rendition for ukulele, saxophone and triangle, go sign up, it’s free, just be prepared to back it up with a sweet headshot and performance resume.  And remember, people, the National Anthem isn’t something for you to put your stamp on, it’s something to honor our nation.  It’s a drinking song, not a funeral dirge.  Over-modulate, over-embellish, and frankly, I’m gonna boo you for trying to own the Star-Spangled Banner.  No 12-minute Bleeding Gums Murphy editions, okay?

Life in the Capital, Sports Fix
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Curling: Sweeping the Nation’s Capital

Photo courtesy of
‘Dave Drags the Foot 3’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

I’ve talked a very big game all week when it comes to curling. Inspired by the perfect combination of Norwegian pants, live broadcasts online and the sheer novelty of the sport, I have tried to throw all of my perceived curling expertise around whenever I got a chance. I’ve made my puns about throwing rocks at houses and bacon curling in pans (including overusing the #CurlingRocks hashtag). I have cheered loudly and emphatically for the US teams in Vancouver, and have conversely made criticisms of John Shuster that would make Byung-Hyun Kim say, “alright, easy there.”

It’s been a wonderful hobby for the week; part of the appeal of the sport is not only how often it is on during the Olympics, but the accessibility of it. “That totally seems like something I could do.” I gave it in my first run on a modified, synthetic sheet on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn’s weekend long expo. After a well-documented victory over DCist’s Aaron Morrissey, my confidence was at an all time high. I still believed I had a handle on the sport.

And then I took my first steps on the sheet out at Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, Md., and I finally had to admit that this whole thing is just a tinge harder than it looks. Confidence swept away, all my hopes and dreams for a birth on the Sochi 2014 team were on thin ice.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wizards Conducting Fire Sale

Photo courtesy of
‘fire sale’
courtesy of ‘it290’

The shouts from the Phone Booth tonight went something like, “Everything must go! No players reserved! WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD!” and that resulted in the departure today of Antawn Jamison, as he was traded to the Cavaliers for Zydrunas Ilgauskas (whose name is just as fun to say as it is to spell!) and a first round draft pick.

That adds to the list of 2009/2010 Wizards who are no longer Wizards: Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, Drew Gooden (even if he stayed just 3 days), and DeShawn Stevenson. If you add in Gilbert Arenas, who I think has seen last time in a Wizards uniforms, then you’ve got three of their five opening day starters who are gone, and several more reserves.

The addition of Ilgauskas as a big man in the middle for the Wizards is great, it’s just that there’s hardly anyone to throw the ball to at this point. You could say that the team has all the chemistry of an elementary school science textbook right now, and you’d probably be right. It’s going to be a rough, rough rest of the season for the Wiz.

Entertainment, People, Special Events, Sports Fix
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Capitals Hockey, 2010 Vancouver Games, and You

Photo courtesy of
‘Hockey Helmet from 1980 Olympics’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

As you read this, Olympic hockey has begun for the 2010 games in Vancouver. So what does it have to do with DC?

For Caps fans, everything. Think of these next two weeks as less an NHL break and more of an intermission show that has the makings of an epic Game 7 Stanley Cup Final every night during the playoff round. The Capitals have five players in the tournament, scattered across three national teams. And depending on how they do and where they place, the Caps may have quite the motivator when these players return the first week in March.

Tomas Fleischmann: Czech Republic (CZE) In the middle of a breakthrough season with 17 goals and 41 points through 48 games, “Flash” will most likely end up on the second line working with the likes of Martin Havlat, Tomas Plekanec, or Jaromir Jagr. However, with several capable forwards on the Czech team this year, Fleischmann will have no problems slipping into a groove on any of the scoring lines. The Czech team is not expected to medal this Olympics, but if goalie Tomas Vokoun stands on his head and gets into a zone, they have a good shot at a medal upset. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Gearing Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Center Ice’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics kicking off Friday night and continuing throughout the weekend, it’s kind of hard to recall the significant happenings that have occurred over the last two weeks in DC sports.

Capitals
Record: 41-13
Last Two Weeks: 4-3
Place:1st in the Eastern Conference

The Caps continued their winning streak with spectacular W’s against both the Penguins and the Rangers, but were stopped at 14 wins on February 10th by the Montreal Canadians in a 5-6 squeaker in OT.

Since their loss to the Canadians, the Caps have lost their last 3 games heading into the two week break for the Olympic games. They still lead the Eastern Conference with 90 points, and their next game will be away versus the Sabres on March 3.

Despite this minor downturn, Mr. Ovechkin is still the NHL’s leading offensive player in both goals (42) and overall points (89). And Alexandar Semin is on a super hot streak, sniping goals left and right, and racking up 5 goals and 4 assists in the last 4 games. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Kastles: Now With More Williams!


Venus Williams by Max Cook

As if having the world’s #1 women’s tennis player on our team wasn’t enough, the Washington Kastles have added the #5 player as well.  That’s right, both Serena and Venus Williams will be playing for the Kastles this season almost assuring another successful run at the World TeamTennis Championship.  With arguably the best sibling duo in tennis history, the Kastles roster now boasts a combined 61 Grand Slam titles.

In other exciting news for Kastles fans, coach Murphy Jensen will be back again to see if lighting can strike twice.  “It takes world-class talent to win championships and there are no more accomplished athletes than Serena and Venus,” said Murphy, “Last summer was truly a dream season for us, and come July 5, the dream continues in DC.”

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Capitals vs Penguins: Rivalry of the Ages

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin and Crosby – New Best Friends Forever’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

So did you see the big game on NBC yesterday?

You heard me right.

Yesterday’s big game wasn’t played in Miami, aired on CBS, filled with cheesy, stupid commercials. It was right here in DC, in the heart of snowmageddon. It was the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capitals. And yesterday, that game lived up to every fan’s dream, regardless which side of center ice they were on.

Seriously. Four times a year these two rivals meet – and I wouldn’t be presumptuous at all to claim that both the Pens and the Caps see it as an archrivalry. It’s probably one of the most intense regular-season contest series in all of hockey, and yesterday was no exception. (To drive home the point – I climbed up on my roof to clear it of snow just so my DirecTV dish could receive the game. No AM radio for me!) Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Ovechkin Racks up 500th Point

Alex Ovechkin is really, really good at Hockey. He’s probably the best skating the ice in the NHL right now, and very possibly the world. Check out his 500th point, scored last night in the waning seconds of the 2nd period at MSG. Ovi flicks the puck, one hand on his stick, right over the goalie’s shoulder and into the Net. Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

The Caps picked up their 12th straight win, and head into Sunday’s grudge match hotter than the core of the sun. They go for 13 against the Thrashers tonight, and then 14 against the filthy Penguins on Sunday.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Win Tickets to the Georgetown/’Nova Game Saturday!

Photo courtesy of
‘Marquette at Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘bhenak’

Not afraid of a little snow? Love yourself some Hoyas Basketball? Us too! We’ve got a great contest to give away five pairs of awesome tickets to Saturday’s game courtesy of DC Lottery (Hey, Powerball’s up to $140M! That buys a LOT of snow removal!) and all you have to do is leave a comment to enter! We’ll pick five lucky winners tomorrow morning at 10am and coordinate tickets with DC Lottery.

See you at the game! Thanks DC Lottery!

DCLottery.jpg

Essential DC, Special Events, Sports Fix, The Features
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NatsFest 2010: If You Build It, They Will Come

DSC01023

Imagine a quiet Sunday morning. The city is silent from the few inches of snow that stuck to the ground yesterday. Most everyone’s either still asleep or in the comfort of their own homes trying to keep warm. It’s the last day of the first month of 2010. So, you choose to lounge around. Huge mistake. Why? You’re missing out on the most pristine, once in a lifetime moment baseball fans in DC have had since the game’s big move back to town.

NatsFest 2010 was — in a word — awesome. Although it’s easy to doubt their dedication during the season, fans turned out in the hundreds (and early!) for a fun-filled fan fest hosted by their favorite men in red. Nationals fans of all-ages wrapped themselves around the park entrance for close to an hour before the 11 a.m. start time of NatsFest. Their devotion was somewhat shocking considering their team’s losing for the past five years, but let us all  remember that the Nationals are still teenagers by baseball standards. They’re new. They’re in their awkward, “growing-up” phase. Can you really blame them for trying to find out who they are among all of the other big kids playing the game?

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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: The Heat Is On

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_4085’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

It’s been a busy and eventful last two weeks in the Washington DC sports world.   The Caps are ON FIRE!!!  The Wizards might be getting there. And we’ve had  some solid developments for those out-of-season teams, some expected, some not so much.

Capitals
Record: 37-12
Last Two Weeks: 7-0
Place:1st in the Eastern Conference

With yesterday’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Capitals are on a 10 game wining streak tying their 1984 franchise record.

Defender Mike Green will be out for the next two games for an elbow to the head of Michael Frolik during Friday night’s game. Green’s absence yesterday was a huge disadvantage for Washington, as Green is the league’s leading defensive scorer. However, with Ovechkin’s third period goal, they managed to pull out the victory.

Over the next two weeks, the Caps are out of town quite a bit, traveling to Boston, Ottawa and Atlanta. Look for a solid match against the Penguins at the Verizon Center on February 7th.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Leonsis Offer for Wizards May Be In Trouble

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Chamber of Commerce Gala oct 17 2009’
courtesy of ‘ShashiBellamkonda’

…but it’s not a fault of the offer or the team, it seems. The threat to the peaceful transfer of the Wizards is coming from Washington Sports & Entertainment, who insist they should have the right to accept outside public offers for the Wizards as part of the sale. Negotiations have been (publicly) civil between Leonsis and the Pollin family, who’ve both retained investment banks to assist in the valuation of the Wizards franchise (right now? I’d give ’em a nickel.) and the Verizon Center.

What had previously been released was that Leonsis, and his company Lincoln Holdings, had an exclusive period in which to make an offer for the team and the Verizon Center, after which things could be opened to the public. The President of WS&E, though, believes that not to be the case, and he’s gone public with a memo sent to the Pollin estate and Leonsis.

What had been a peaceful process just got a whole lot of potential to get ugly. Thanks, jackass.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Where to Watch the Super Bowl

Photo courtesy of
‘Acadiana Restaurant’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

One of the great things about DC is that, unlike many cities, there’s a place for just about every sports team in the US here. You want Steelers football? The Pour House on Capitol Hill. You want Red Sox baseball? Rhino Bar. You want Penguins Hockey? …Okay, maybe not every sports team in the US. But, DC has some really great spots to watch the Colts take on the Saints next weekend, and we reached out to some of our favorites to get all the details for Super Sunday.

Why are we telling you now? Well, this weekend’s the Pro Bowl (yeah, I know, it’s weird to see it before the Super Bowl) and you might as well go out and try some of the places out this weekend to find just the right spot for the big day. So click on through and see what DC’s got to offer for Super Sunday. These are just a couple options for the dedicated fan that don’t involve the traditional sportsbar. Where are you watching the game?
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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps Clip Ducks 5-1

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_0371’
courtesy of ‘jsmjr’

Settling into one’s seat last night at the Verizon Center, one would wonder what roller coaster the Washington Capitals had planned next? Visiting the seven-game-streaking Caps were the Anaheim Ducks on a six game road trip. The Caps, fresh off a 7-2 blowout of the New York Islanders on Tuesday where seemingly everyone grabbed a point except captain Alex Ovechkin, were looking to lengthen their 19 point lead in the Southeast Conference and remain atop the East as the NHL drove towards the Olympic break.

Ovie had to have felt left out of the fun on Long Island and let it show early by burying the puck only 36 seconds into the game. A solid twelve minute run through the first period saw the Caps dominating in the Duck’s zone, racking up a 13-3 shots on goal advantage before Anaheim’s offense settled down. The Caps ended the period with a season-high matching 19 shots on goal, peppering Jean-Sebastien Giguere in spurts during his first game back in over two weeks.

The game settled down in the second; both Giguere and Michal Neuvirth had some terrific saves as both teams hammered into the zones. Dan Sexton managed to finally get one past Neuvirth and it looked as if the game would settle into a classic low-scoring goalie duel. But everything flipped in the span of less than three minutes as the third period unfolded.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Gilbert Arenas Suspended for Rest of 2010 Season

Photo courtesy of
‘Introducing Gilbert Arenas’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

The news has just about come down from NBA Commissioner David Stern, Gilbert Arenas has been suspended for the rest of the season after pleading guilty to felony firearms charges. The official word from the Wizards isn’t expected for a while yet, but David Stern expected to face the press soon.

Here’s hoping the Wizards cut this joker loose.

Fun & Games, News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps 4, Coyotes 2: the Streak Continues

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Tosses First Star Puck to Crowd’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

Perhaps this is a silly prejudice, but I feel like hockey teams from warm places have something to prove.  I know, I know, hockey teams don’t recruit from their localities and, like every other professional athlete, hockey players go to where the money is, but it doesn’t change the fact that I expect less from a hockey team from Arizona.  If the Phoenix Coyotes did have anything to prove, they’re certainly doing it this year.  With an impressive record, they came to DC, last night, as a very real threat to the Capitals five game winning streak.

The Capitals, with their aforementioned win streak and Ovechkin’s impressive scoring record, were definitely the team to beat and the Coyotes were determined to cut them down to size. The game opened with Phoenix playing aggressively and keeping the puck near the Capitals goal for most of the 1st period.  The Caps looked a bit tentative, early on, but managed to take advantage of their first power play, with Brooks Laich to scoring in the opening minutes.  The Coyotes answered in the 13th minute of the period, tying game. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Ovi vs Crosby Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Caps/Pens: Game 1 (2009 NHL Playoffs) – 17’
courtesy of ‘Garyisajoke’

In case you’re not a big hockey fan, you may not have recognized that tonight is the Caps vs the Penguins in a steel cage death match in Pittsburgh. You want rivalry? We got rivalry. These are two teams lead by charismatic and skilled young players and grizzled old veterans who eat nails for breakfast. Tonight, Puck Daddy and Japers Rink are hosting a watch party for the game at Bailey’s in Ballston at 6pm and they’re giving out prizes.

Rock the Red!

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: The Dark Times

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Tosses First Star Puck to Crowd’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

With the Skins done for the year, and the Nats and United not due to report for weeks yet, and the horrific season for the Wizards, our only highlight this year is the Caps. In fact, with things as dismal as they are, I’d venture to say unless the Caps can press hard for Lord Stanley’s Cup, this would be as dire a year in Washington Sports as we’ve seen in some time.

Capitals
Record: 30-12-6
Last Two Weeks: 6-1
Place: 1st in the Eastern Conference

The Capitals averaged more than 5 goals a game for the last two weeks. Five! Hell, that’s practically more runs than the Nationals were scoring for long periods of last season. Part of that is Ovie/Semin/Backstrom, but the trade for Jason Chimera has paid off, as he is gelling well into the third line, picking up 5 points in the last two weeks. His pickup has made some of the difference for the Caps in both a physical, and an offensive sense.

The Caps have also recalled defenseman John Carlson to the bench, fresh off leading the US National Junior Team to the World Junior Championship gold-medal game, where he picked up a pair of goals, including the game winner.

I’m looking forward, though, to the return of Semyon Varlamov to the goal, as Jose Theodore is a rough stand-in for the far more agile young Russian. Varlamov aggravated a groin injury in a rehab game at Hershey, but he should return to the squad this week or next. The Caps face the Red Wings on Tuesday, look for Ben Rome’s very first behind the scenes game report on Wednesday.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Arenas Charged With Felony

Photo courtesy of
‘Felony Franks (#1)’
courtesy of ‘JOE M500’

Gilbert Arenas is now facing felony weapons charges related to the gun events in the Wizards locker room. The Post is reporting that Arenas is also seeking a plea deal related to the case.

Throw the book at ’em, DC.

Update: The max he’s facing is five years and a fine for his trouble, which would indicate it’s just a single charge instead of one charge per gun, which was initially bandied about. The Post has further detail about the incident which was previously not released:

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton’s locker with a note that said “pick one.”