D.C. Sports Bog - By The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg - August 29, 2010

Shanahan confident McNabb will start vs. Dallas

During a summer of Redskins stories that went national, one of the oddest came last week, concerning Donovan McNabb's week one availability. After McNabb missed a string of practices with his sore ankle, Mike Shanahan said his status was "day-to-day," and that "I really don't know for sure" if McNabb...

By Dan Steinberg | September 4, 2010; 10:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Media , Redskins
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ESPN personalities defend Rob Dibble

By this point, most of you surely have your own opinions about Rob Dibble's hiring and subsequent firing by the Nats. His fitness as a broadcaster has been one of the biggest online Nats debates for more than a year, which is why many of you, I'm sure, would prefer...

By Dan Steinberg | September 3, 2010; 2:51 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Redskins market Ring of Fame merchandise

With the Redskins inviting alumni to practices, campaigning for them to make the Hall of Fame and involving them in opening game festivities, it only figures that they'd also be selling their jerseys. The above ad went out from the Redskins Shop this week; if you follow the appropriate...

By Dan Steinberg | September 3, 2010; 2:11 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Redskins
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Warren Sapp breaks down Bruce Allen's role

Warren Sapp may never have worked for Bruce Allen, but they made two identical career stops, in Tampa and Oakland. Plus, Sapp has no shortage of opinions. So when he was on with my co-worker LaVar Arrington this week, Sapp didn't shy away from the Bruce Allen question. "You...

By Dan Steinberg | September 3, 2010; 12:29 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Media , Redskins
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Redskins announce Dallas Week festivities

Burning a Cowboys hat. (Photos by Toni L. Sandys - TWP) My first clue that the Redskins were planning something special for the first week of this NFL season came on the first day of training camp, when Larry Michael was interviewing Daniel Snyder for ESPN 980. Suddenly, as...

By Dan Steinberg | September 3, 2010; 9:33 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (58)
Categories: Redskins
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Ernie Baur, unsung hero of D.C. sports, retires

Among the dozens of iconic Ernie Baur stories, I still think this one is my favorite. As the MVP of Super Bowl XVII, John Riggins was required to stay in Southern California longer than his teammates. He flew back to Washington on Tuesday, arriving at something like 11 or 12....

By Dan Steinberg | September 2, 2010; 4:14 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Media , Redskins
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McNabb and Ovechkin co-star in Capital One commercial

Not long after posting the brand new Alex Ovechkin Capital One vikings commercial, re-posted above, I learned two fascinating things: 1) They're not vikings. They're Visigoths. Apologies to any Capital One employees and/or Ostrogoths who may have been offended. 2) That isn't the only television ad Ovechkin taped for...

By Dan Steinberg | September 2, 2010; 1:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Caps , Redskins
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Gaby Sanchez says Morgan violated unwritten rule

(By Wilfredo Lee - AP) The problem with unwritten rules in baseball is they're not really written down anywhere. Someone should work on that. If "literally" can mean figuratively, there's no reason unwritten rules can't be written down. Because when people want to have a good old-fashioned throwdown due...

By Dan Steinberg | September 2, 2010; 11:51 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (45)
Categories: Nats
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Rob Dibble on the Nyjer Morgan brawl

Chris Volstad, post-fight. (Via this video.) Early Wednesday evening, the Nats announced that they were cutting ties with Rob Dibble. Later Wednesday night, the Nats and Nyjer Morgan engaged in that benches-clearing, clothes-line filled, ripped-uniform brawl, in which giant blobs of testosterone came flying out of your television set...

By Dan Steinberg | September 2, 2010; 10:16 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Rob Dibble talks about leaving MASN

The Nats announced on Wednesday that Rob Dibble was permanently leaving the MASN booth -- as Josh DuLac put it in The Post, the team "laid down the smack 'em, yack 'em, sack 'em" on its controversial color man. Dibble, as far as I can tell, did not comment on...

By Dan Steinberg | September 2, 2010; 7:29 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones film a Papa John's commercial

Sports teams don't really hate each other, even hated rivals. For the most part, hated rivals crack jokes on Twitter, hug before and after games, hang out during the offseason and generally behave as civilized adults. And that, obviously, is as it should be. This is sports. It ain't...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 10:51 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Redskins
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Nyjer Morgan charges the mound

(By Wilfredo Lee - AP) To get everyone in Major League baseball talking about you when you're a marginal leadoff hitter for a last-place team is no small feat. But playing the heel has always required a unique skill-set, and Nyjer Morgan has that talent. From plowing over one...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 10:04 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (70)
Categories: Nats
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Dexter Manley's He-Man poster

Having never seen 10 seconds of Dexter Manley's upcoming TV show, I have no way to judge the quality. But I can dang sure judge the quality of the set's props. In addition to the Dexter bobblehead and the white lab smock and the stuffed animals and the talking...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 4:12 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Redskins
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Danny Smith's bubble gum habit

If you're watching the Redskins preseason finale on Thursday night, you might see a shot of special teams coach Danny Smith being animated. He's often animated. And while he's being animated, you'll almost certainly see him chomping the hell out of a golf-ball sized wad of gum. "He's got...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 2:53 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Redskins
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Lisa Hillary's greatest hits

When I mentioned on Tuesday that Lisa Hillary was approaching her last night at Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, I accurately predicted that her final appearance would be "emotional," as they say. What I failed to predict was that it would also involve Chick Hernandez lobbing bombs at Philadelphia, Michael Jenkins...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 2:12 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Media
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Kornheiser and Wilbon critique Strasburg injury coverage

I can't say I read every Washington-based report on Stephen Strasburg's injury and his potential for recovery, but I've read a lot of them, and they all seemed to strike the right tone. Kilgore: After one of the most electrifying beginnings to a baseball career in memory and after validating...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 1:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Nyjer Morgan curses out a Marlins fan

Last week, Nyjer Morgan was suspended seven games for throwing a ball into the Philadelphia stands after engaging in "an ongoing dialogue" with a Phillies fan, as Kilgore reported. The league said his actions were inappropriate. He's appealing the suspension. You might think this would be a time for Morgan...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 12:35 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (32)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Goodbye to GrandPa Hogette

(1997 photo by James A. Parcell - TWP) When Ralph Campbell first told his three daughters that he was going to start wearing dresses and pig snouts to Redskins games, they weren't sure exactly how to respond. "I was a teenager," recalled Lori Cole, Campbell's youngest daughter. "It was...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 12:08 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Redskins
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Virginia Tech's black FedEx Field uniforms

Via HokieSports. I've always been sort of lukewarm about including Virginia Tech in the D.C. Sports Bog. Fine for The Washington Post, if reader interest demands it, but slightly odd for a blog with "D.C." in its name. But Virginia Tech's opener is at FedEx Field, and it's the...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 10:24 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: College Football
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Ovechkin's Capital One vikings commercial

Put three seconds of video of Alex Ovechkin on the ice with Vikings, and the world goes mad. I got e-mails, Twitter alerts, and space rays from concerned aliens over night, asking about the new Capital One ad featuring vikings, vikings, vikings, vikings, vikings, and Alex Ovechkin checking a...

By Dan Steinberg | September 1, 2010; 7:44 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Caps
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Lots of people at the Nats-Marlins game

This is what it looks like when the Marlins host a last-place team on the verge of September after a three hour rain delay. In other words: fun! Via Reader David. In other Nats things I wanted to link to. * TBD sports columnist David Aldridge has at the...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 5:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Anthony Armstrong regulates McNabb's locker

(By John McDonnell - TWP) Wide receiver Anthony Armstrong has been one of the summer favorites for Redskins fans, but he's actually been with the team since the end of last season. He was thus well-settled in his current locker location entering the spring. Chad Rinehart's locker was initially...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 4:44 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Redskins
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Larry Johnson's Maryland flag tattoo

When I saw this photo of Larry Johnson by The Post's Jonathan Newton, I of course wondered about that pseudo NFL shield. Turns out it refers to both his father and grandfather, with the initials standing for "A Son Never Forgets," which Johnson said he borrowed from "Men of...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 3:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Redskins
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Mike Wise's statement

Below is the statement Mike Wise used to start his radio show on Tuesday. Figure I should include it here, although others from The Post will also be weighing in on the topic. And for the record, I honestly believe Mike Wise does things for our newspaper's sports section that...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 2:16 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Media
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Lisa Hillary leaves CSN Washington for Philly

Tuesday night will be Lisa Hillary's final shift at Comcast SportsNet's Bethesda studio. She'll co-host SportsNite, and, if I'm being honest, she might get a bit emotional. And by next week, she'll be anchoring shows for CSN in Philly. Hillary will be covering the Flyers in Philly, which of...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 12:56 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Caps , Media
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DeAngelo Hall's Meadowlands hot dog

Whether you believe Deadspin's story behind this photograph -- that DeAngelo Hall requested a hot dog from a fan during the Jets game and exchanged an autograph for it -- is up to you. What's inarguable, though, is that any time a photograph is produced starring a Redskins player...

By Dan Steinberg | August 31, 2010; 11:32 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Redskins
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Dibble situation still unclear

In a situation that remains odd, to use one word, MASN color analyst Rob Dibble did not join the Nats on their road trip this week. The official explanation is still that he asked for some days off and has been granted them. It's unclear how many days off he...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 11:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (53)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Redskins already marketing "Beat Dallas" tees

The Redskins Store e-mailed this ad earlier this week. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the NFL season only has 16 weeks, and you might as well turn every weekend into its own special event. On the other hand, it's kind of quaint to imagine...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 10:47 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Redskins
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Mike Wise's twitter hoax

UPDATE: Wise was suspended by The Post for a month. His full statement and apology from Tuesday's show is here. The sad part about this item is that the only point of Twitter hoaxes is to gain attention for their originators, and as a non-fan of Twitter hoaxes, I'd prefer...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 7:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (67)
Categories: Media
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The Redskins and their hyperbaric chambers

The view from inside DeAngelo Hall's hyperbaric tent. (Via @BrendenHill) Santonio Holmes owns a hyperbaric chamber. So does Maurice Jones-Drew. Hines Ward told Pittsburgh reporters it was his "fountain of youth," while Terrell Owens famously said his chamber helped speed his recovery from a broken leg. Zach Thomas and...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 3:56 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Redskins
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Chris Cooley's Redskins fantasy football preview

The Redskins' second-, third- and fourth-best fantasy options. (By Jason Reed - Reuters) I had my first fantasy football draft of the season on Sunday night. It was with a lot of Redskins blogger types. Redskins were overvalued. So I wanted to ask noted fantasy geek Chris Cooley for...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 2:29 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Redskins
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The Verizon Center's new banner

When Ted Leonsis visited The Post's offices this spring, I asked him about the Verizon Center's East wall, which has typically celebrated the Wizards most times of the year. He told me he hoped that spot will reference all the building's tenants simultaneously: the Wizards, the Caps, the Mystics,...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 1:48 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Caps , Media , Wizards
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DeAngelo Hall asks reporter to remove her heels

Here's Kelli Johnson interviewing Rex Grossman on Friday night. The quarterback is listed at 6-1. As you can see, Johnson appears to be just a tad shorter than him....

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 11:38 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (28)
Categories: Media , Redskins
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Larry Johnson's dunk

(By Toni L. Sandys - TWP) If you slogged through the fourth quarter of the Redskins' third preseason game, you were richly rewarded by seeing Larry Johnson score the go-ahead touchdown, then dunk the football, then throw up the Roc sign. Who knows how many more touchdowns Johnson will...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 10:42 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Redskins
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Tommy John wants to help Stephen Strasburg

(By Nick Wass - AP) With everyone in baseball talking Tommy John, the Surgery even more than usual last week, Tommy John, the Guy became a popular interview request. He told Bloomberg that his phone was "ringing off the wall" because of Stephen Strasburg's upcoming surgery, adding that "The...

By Dan Steinberg | August 30, 2010; 9:43 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Media , Nats
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Network News

D.C. Sports Bog: August 29, 2010 - September 4, 2010