D.C. Sports Bog - By The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg - October 5, 2008

FireJimZorn.com = Epic Fail

As stated clearly in the header of FireJimZorn.com, Jim Zorn is destined to fail as the Redskins' new head coach: Jim Zorn has been put in a position to fail. He will ultimately fail, so why not just fire him now, and search for his permanent replacement to lead the...

By Lindsay Applebaum | October 9, 2008; 3:17 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Redskins
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Sage Rosenfels: Unleash the Fury

Sage completes a touchdown pass, thereby unleashing aforementioned fury. James Nicoll was in the car, on his way to Caddies on Cordell in Bethesda to watch the Redskins-Eagles game, when he got the call from a friend: Matt Schaub was sick, and Sage Rosenfels was starting at quarterback for...

By Lindsay Applebaum | October 9, 2008; 1:22 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: NFL , Redskins , Weirdness
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Morning Look: Backstrom's Refrigerator Art

Backstrom's painting of Swedish goalie Johan Holmqvist, courtesy of Swedish Radio. It would appear as though Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom was commissioned to create some artwork to be auctioned off for charity tomorrow. While painting, Backstrom listened to Raffi tapes and ate grilled cheese cut into fourths. I don't...

By Lindsay Applebaum | October 9, 2008; 10:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Caps , Morning Look
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Touring Smoot's House, Part II

There are plenty of attractions in Fred Smoot's basement, which he refers to as "The Underworld." There's a karaoke machine and a slot machine, a pool table and a steam room, a well-apportioned bar and plenty of mirrors. And what else? "I actually got a weight room down here,...

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 5:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Redskins
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Will the Skins Ever Be Underdogs Again?

The Rams--worst in the NFL according to Vegas. (By Tom Gannam - AP) Two weeks ago, the Redskins were double-digit dogs on the road. Now, they're double-digit favorites at home. Does this have a lot to do with their opponents in those games, the Cowboys on the road and...

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 4:02 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: NFL , Redskins
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Gilbert Arenas Discusses Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

Gilbert, being non-crazy. (By Steve Helber - AP) Just a few minutes ago, I posted about how the past 24 hours have neatly summed up the Arenas Era in D.C.: costly injuries, pop-culture infiltration, pure goofballery and searing honesty. But I forgot one key item: cover-your-eyes LOL craziness coming...

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 2:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Wizards
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Seattle Is Missing Zorn

Miss you!!!! (By Elaine Thompson - AP) Steve Kelley's column in the Seattle Times this morning, which muses about how the Seahawks missed the boat by letting Jim Zorn go, might be the most positive thing that's yet been written about the Z Man. To start 4-1 is one...

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 1:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Redskins
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Fred Smoot on Christmas Lights and Halloween

Smoot welcoming me to his home, in Comcast SportsNet footage. It occurs to me that there's just way too much stuff from my visit to Fred Smoot's house to cover in two parts, as I originally intended. So as a brief interlude, consider Fred Smoot's theory on Christmas lights....

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 12:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Redskins
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Gilbert Discusses His Mother

The Arenas Era: Sad. (By LM Otero - AP) It'd be hard to think of a 30-hour span that more completely encapsulates D.C.'s Arenas Era than the one we just saw. There was pop-culture penetration, as Gilbert and his nicknames showed up on Jeopardy. There was massive on-court disappointment,...

By Dan Steinberg | October 8, 2008; 11:02 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Wizards
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Touring Smoot's House, Part I

I believe we were looking at the decorative candles in his sitting room when Fred Smoot first explained to me that the public might be suffering from some misapprehensions concerning his personality. "You've got to really learn Fred Smoot," he counseled me. "I'm not always the loudmouth, edgy-type guy....

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 5:25 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Redskins
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The Fan With the Hip Hip Hooray Sign

The man with the sign is named John Woloshen, and he's on board the Hip Hip Hoorayride with both feet. (By Preston Keres - TWP) The latest passenger on this autumn's Hip Hip Hoorayride? Meet John Woloshen, the man with the sign at Sunday's game. Woloshen grew up in...

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 2:46 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Redskins
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Today's Hair Styles, With Ovie and Tarik

Ok, time for some more commercial endorsements. Yes, that's right, in advance of the Caps' season opener OvieStyle.com is now up and running. That's the micro site promoting Alex Ovechkin's involvement with Hair Cuttery. (Programming note: everyone in any way affiliated with the Washington Capitals will be on a...

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 12:43 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Caps
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Jason Campbell's Also a TV Star

So Gilbert's on Jeopardy, and Bruce Boudreau is hawking luxury cup holders, and now added to today's list of D.C. sports personalities in slightly awkward televised moments is Jason Candle, whose co-workers now include both Caveman Sellers and the Geico Caveman. Since the whole joke with Campbell here is that...

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 11:26 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Redskins
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Boudreau's Cup Holders Revealed

Sorry for getting to this two days after the rest of the world, but...you know... Anyhow, time to judge who's the better Mercedes actor, Bruce Boudreau or Eddie "T-Shirt Gun" Jordan. Kinda like deciding who's the tougher NFL opponent, the Rams or the Lions. Or which is the more popular...

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 10:52 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Caps
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Agent Zero On Jeopardy

Since Agent Zero had already conquered the streets of Beijing, I guess it was inevitable that he would eventually make his way onto America's most vanillarific game show. Alex Trebek showed that he has phenomenal swag. The three contestants, not so much. The category was Sports Nicknames, the amount was...

By Dan Steinberg | October 7, 2008; 8:33 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Wizards
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Today in Zornisms: Swag With the Best of Them

Swag, and swaggier. (By Toni L. Sandys - TWP) "We're 1-0 in the second quarter of this football season," Jim Zorn said to conclude his press gathering today. "That's all I'm thinking about. We accomplished a major goal of [beating] a division opponent on their field in the second...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 6:01 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Redskins
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From the Skins Locker Room: Justice League and Ahnold

Random notes from a non-Victory Monday Redskins locker room. * Jason Campbell wore a gray track suit with blindingly yellow stripes and these blindingly yellow shoes to the Park today. Or "blindingly gold," if you prefer. Maybe he just likes the color, but feel free to decide that this...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 4:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Redskins
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College Poll Voters Still Like Maryland

The look of a rank-able team. (By John McDonnell - TWP) We've already seen hundreds if not thousands of examples proving that college football coaches SIDs and Harris Interactive pod persons are unfit to determine which college football teams should play for the national championship. Today was just the...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 3:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: College Football , Terps
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About Those Philly Fan Egging the Team Bus

Eagles fans, earlier this year. (By Chris Gardner - Getty) During his appearance on Elliot In The Morning today, Chris Cooley discussed yesterday's egging of his team bus by Eagles fans in admiring tones: "You know what, though, they're good shots," he said of the Philly fans. "They've been...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 2:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Redskins
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Jim Zorn Has Guts

The man with the moxie. (By Toni L. Sandys - TWP) When you're sitting there watching Jim Zorn go for yet another fourth-quarter fourth down--this one a fourth-and-a-long-one at the Philly 38 with the two-minute warning approaching--there's only one word that enters your mind. It's not, sadly, a word...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 10:53 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Redskins
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Watch Daniel Snyder's Excitement

Goodness, Daniel Snyder gets excited sometimes, doesn't he? Goodness, Laron Landry has some impressive swagger, doesn't he? The state-emblem bling is what I was talking about a few weeks back. Goodness, Chris Cooley has an interesting pre-game set list. Ani Defranco? Ben Folds? No Gin Blossoms? Goodness, Donovan McNabb has...

By Dan Steinberg | October 6, 2008; 8:19 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Redskins
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Redskins Hip Hip Hooray Again

I'm pretty sure there will be more where this came from. (By Preston Keres - TWP) Another week, another road game, another hefty Vegas line, another NFC East foe, another win. Anything else? Oh yeah, there was another "Hip Hip Hooray" chant loudly pouring out from a Redskins team...

By Dan Steinberg | October 5, 2008; 6:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Redskins
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The Redskins Are Excited

Chris Samuels as he leaves the field. (By Preston Keres - TWP) Last week in Dallas, following their victory, the Redskins (sans Daniel Snyder) seemed strangely subdued, at least in the portions of their celebration that were open to the public. And this week? Well, they hip hip hoorayed...

By Dan Steinberg | October 5, 2008; 5:02 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Redskins
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D.C. Sports Bog: October 5, 2008 - October 11, 2008