D.C. Sports Bog: April 12, 2009 - April 18, 2009
This Thing Ain't Over
Not. Over. Yet. (By Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP In which I pretend to be optimistic about the Caps' playoff chances....No, seriously, read on.... "We have two wins and we're playing against a very good hockey club and we cannot, we cannot lose our edge as far as what...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 18, 2009; 5:47 PM ET |
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Nationals Uniform Fail
(Image via Comcast SportsyNet) Brutal loss tonight for the Nats. Great start from John Lannan, one-run lead with the closer on at home, and then dinger in the top of the ninth, extra innings, three singles leading to a Marlins run, and a bottom-of-the-tenth-no-outs runner stranded at second. Oh...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 17, 2009; 11:26 PM ET |
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Video Friday: Boudreau, Portis and Ovechkin
E:60 Alex Ovechkin Preview from ESPN Communications on Vimeo. Noted briefly while my daughter naps.....Above, the preview for Tuesday's E:60 segment on Alex Ovechkin. Highlights: Don Cherry praising, Mike Green calling him "Superstar," Ovechkin saying "It's good to be Ovie." (Via FanHouse)...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 17, 2009; 1:56 PM ET |
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More Game One Images
Amazing that within 24 hours, you can see both this poster and a message board thread comparing Boudreau to Glen Hanlon. Bad: Sean Avery in Jose Theodore's face. Good: Those red stanchion things, seen here as the broken glass was replaced. Better: the guy who ran down to the...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 5:45 PM ET |
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Wizards Discuss the Caps and the Playoffs
Olechkin and Nick Young. (AP and TWP Photos) The Rangers and Wizards addressed the media at virtually the same time today, in the same building, separated only by a small hallway. Indeed, the visiting NHL locker room is virtually adjoining to the home NBA locker room. But the only...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 4:44 PM ET |
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Dubinsky Describes His Game-Winning Move
Brandon Dubinsky's game-winner last night (see above, but turn the sound down) prompted a depressing debate among Caps fans: who was more to blame, Jeff Schultz or Jose Theodore. Schultz, you'll recall, saw the puck go through his legs and then fell to the ice, while Dubinsky earned NHL.com's...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 3:29 PM ET |
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Gilbert On Being Called Uncoachable
Gilbert dislikes the "uncoachable" talk. (By Preston Keres -TWP) You'll read much in the local media today and tomorrow about Gilbert Arenas's speech to some younger teammates this week about how the fun and games have to end. "There's gonna be no young group, there's gonna be no old...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 2:35 PM ET |
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Caps Game 1 Ratings Up 43 Percent
People seem to be interested in the Caps. (By John McDonnell - TWP) Not a ton of good vibes coming out of the Caps' 4-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 1, but if you're looking for a reason to smile, you could check out the TV ratings. I...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 1:19 PM ET |
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Brent Johnson: Rehab, Rehab and Movies
(By Preston Keres -TWP) Seven million words will be written about Jose Theodore and Simeon Varlamov between now and Saturday afternoon. In a different world, some of those words would have been diverted in Brent Johnson's direction. Bruce Boudreau has said Johnson--who has been facing shots in practice--isn't close...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 16, 2009; 11:21 AM ET |
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Morning Bog: Torts Gets ID'd
Who am I? (By Seth Wenig - AP) An exciting two-fer at Verizon Center today: the Rangers will hold their-morning after practice at the same time the Wizards are doing the garbage bag routine, clearing out their lockers and addressing the media for the last time. I walked into...
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Jake DiGregorio
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April 16, 2009; 10:05 AM ET |
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Avery: "It's The Playoffs, Bro"
Mike Green and Sean Avery exchange pleasantries. (By Evan Vucci - AP) The two players it was impossible to stop watching tonight were Alex Ovechkin and Sean Avery. Ovechkin, for obvious reasons: every time he intercepts the puck and swoops toward the net, the crowd inhales. Heck, Avery for...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 10:27 PM ET |
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Wrong Color, Mr. Mayor
Love the enthusiasm. Not sure about wearing his own name on the back, especially paired with Brent Johnson's number. Dude's injured, not dead. And I'm especially not sure about wearing white on Rock the Red day. Of course, with the mess that's enveloped the mayor and his tickets for...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 7:26 PM ET |
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Slapshot Has a Mohawk
Say this for the Caps: once they come up with a marketing scheme. they're not all that shy about carrying it out....
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 6:04 PM ET |
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So I Guess People Are Interested in Hockey
Viewer's guide to today's Washington Post sports front. 1 - Caps column 2 - Caps preview 3 - Caps column 4 - Caps multimedia key 5 - Redskins schedule is released (!!!!!!!!) 6 - Nats demote starting center fielder and leadoff hitter...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 4:46 PM ET |
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Rock the Red (Rope Light)
Time does pass slowly out here, no? Man. At least they could play the new playoff open video on continuous loop, to keep us entertained. Sure, someone just sent me a Complex interview in which Mike Green says his favorite brand of shoes is DC and doctors once had...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 4:15 PM ET |
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Mike Green and Tom Poti Talk Playoffs
Mike Green in the playoffs. (By John McDonnell - TWP) What's that? You're stuck at your desk for one more hour, and have decided that you'd really like to pass the time reading more canned quotes about what the playoffs are like, plus watch a video featuring my head...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 3:17 PM ET |
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More Caps Metal Bands, and More
* D.C. United players hang out with the Redskins at the White House! Three of these men kick things for a living, and the fourth pushes people. I'll let you guess which is which. (Behind the Badge) * The metal-bands-loving-Caps thing is now a genuine trend, with at least...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 2:18 PM ET |
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John Tortorella Breaks Down the Goalie Matchup
At least for another six hours, one of the two primary story lines of tonight's playoff series is Theodore vs. Lundqvist. After that, people will actually play hockey, and then we can figure out what the actual story lines should be. But while we wait, Rangers Coach John Tortorella...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 12:51 PM ET |
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Ovechkin, Green Dye Hair Red
Pre-red, unfortunately. Because there really wasn't enough excitement yet in this town about that color.... So Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green went on XM 204 yesterday afternoon to accept their fan-voted "Espo" awards during Phil Esposito and Mike Ross's "In the Slot." The hosts asked Green about his mohawk....
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 10:03 AM ET |
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When John Druce Was Loose
(Image from the SI Vault.) Sometime during April of 1990, when John Druce was busy helping the Caps knock the Rangers out of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, he received a letter from a Blueshirts fan. "You leave the rink," the letter read, "you better...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 15, 2009; 6:49 AM ET |
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Chris Cooley Has a Reality Show
If reality television had only existed during the Dexter Manley and John Riggins years. Though Chris Cooley is a pretty fair choice. For marginal taste issues, you'll have to click through to see the preview. UPDATE: I guess "Margaret," who e-mailed me this clip, sent it to all the bloggers....
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 7:06 PM ET |
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The Making of Unleash the Fury
Scott Brooks started his collegiate life as a cross-country runner for Berry College in Georgia. Berry's athletic teams were all called the Vikings, but for some reason each team also had a personalized nickname. For example, Brooks's cross-country team was called the Rage. And the Berry soccer team was...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 4:21 PM ET |
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Donald Brashear Talks About Seeking Glory
Donald Brashear, in the playoffs. (By Preston Keres - TWP) After the mob dissipated from Alex Ovechkin's stall this afternoon, I stopped by Donald Brashear's workspace to ask him about the difference between the regular season and the playoffs. (Previously: Matt Bradley on the same issue.) "I think the...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 3:12 PM ET |
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Nicklas Backstrom Curses in Swedish
I'll confess that I don't speak Swedish, and maybe this is old news, since the clip is several years old, but here's a nervous Nicklas Backstrom, apparently, from what I've told, according to sources, swearing in Swedish. Any native speakers, give a holler if that's incorrect. From what I...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 2:21 PM ET |
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Playoff Reflections: Matt Bradley
Matt Bradley, in the playoffs. (2008 photo by Toni L. Sandys - TWP) "You could say that we forced our way through the last few games of the regular season," Alex Ovechkin said to Sovetsky Sport this week. (Via Japers) "It wasn't interesting, there wasn't any motivation to play...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 1:20 PM ET |
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Playoff Beards and Mohawks Begin
We had one good beard, and one good mohawk at Caps practice today. The beard was provided not by any players, though a few are already scruffy, but by this older gentleman who showed up with a strap-on. I asked him six, seven, eight questions and he refused to...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 12:42 PM ET |
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D.C. vs. New York in the Postseason
It's been so long since they played in the playoffs, I can't find a photo. This is '95 regular season. (By Ray Stubblebine - Reuters) Chatting at 11. Submit questions now. For all the years of stupid NY-DC city comparisons, and for all the talk about those cities as...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 11:03 AM ET |
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More D.C. United Roommate Tales
Rodney Wallace. (By Michael Brandy - AP via Deseret News) Having recorded the tales of five D.C. United rookies in one house (2007) and Ben Olsen being Zach Wells's landlord (2008), I could hardly ignore the fact that Rodney Wallace and Chris Pontius, starters for this year's squad, are...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 14, 2009; 10:10 AM ET |
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Morning Bog: Smoke 'Em If You've Got 'Em
Intern Jake chimes in with some morning links. There are certain early-season signs that your team might not be doing so well. The fact that the opposing team manages to beat you as their players are enjoying a nice, soothing menthol is one of those signs. Of course, an...
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Jake DiGregorio
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April 14, 2009; 9:31 AM ET |
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The First Home Run Ball and Harry Kalas
After my screed about how D.C. folks don't want or need to be taunted any more about the visiting elements in their ballparks, I planned on ignoring Phillies fans today. Then the Harry Kalas thing happened, which made the devil horns recede a bit, especially when they write tributes...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 8:29 PM ET |
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Nats SuperFans
With more than 40,000 folks in the building, it figures there'd be a few of the unusual type of fans. Here are their stories. (The usual type of fans, by the way, are the kind that were giving Daniel Cabrera mock cheers after strikes. By the second inning. And...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 4:10 PM ET |
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Signs of the Times at Nats Park
I'm done with the whole Phillies fans angle. Anyhow, there are too many of them to count, and too many their colors are too similar to the Nats to tell people apart. Plus, there are a decent number of people in equally impossible to distinguish Maryland red. As long...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 2:25 PM ET |
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Adam Dunn Keeps it Positive
(By Al Messerschmidt - Getty) Before batting practice this afternoon, a local reporter went up and introduced himself to Adam Dunn. Dunn, as always, was very friendly, and then asked the writer whether he was a positive or a negative sort of guy. "Stay positive," Dunn said, when the...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 1:07 PM ET |
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Philly vs. DC: Barbs Still Flying
Well, this was inevitable. Who knows whether any unpleasantries will be exchanged in the bleachers today, but the barbs have already started flying in this morning's papers. First, check out from the Philly Inquirer's John Gonzalez, who's attempting to convince us that all those things we've read about our Northern...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 11:33 AM ET |
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Gilbert's Vendetta Against Flip Saunders
(2006 photo by Jonathan Newton - TWP) At this point, if the Wiz wanted to hire a coach against whom Gilbert Arenas has never declared a vendetta, they'd have to pluck the video assistant from Red Star Belgrade. So take all this with a grain of salt. Still, it...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 11:02 AM ET |
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Wikipedia Says the Redskins Are Unique
The Redskins used to have a GM. How'd that work out? (1981 AP photo) Adding to the list of things to be proud of if you're a Washington Redskins fan: Wikipedia has dubbed your franchise nearly unique among the NFL's 32 squads. Each team has a line for "GM"...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 10:29 AM ET |
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Morning Bog: Doin' the Bull Dance. Feelin' the Flow.
Morning links from Intern Jake.... Ted wants Caps fans to go to their happy place. In a post complete with not one, but two smiley faces, and no less than three uses of the phrase "jerk it out," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis urges fans to go a little Happy Gilmore....
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Jake DiGregorio
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April 13, 2009; 8:48 AM ET |
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A Short History of Winless MLB Starts
Wire photogs already moving pics like this after one week. (By Al Messerschmidt - Getty) Look, I'm dang sure going to Nats Park today, because there's no possible better way to spend a late afternoon in mid-April. Also, unlike many of you, I'm getting paid to do this. That...
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Dan Steinberg
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April 13, 2009; 6:47 AM ET |
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