D.C. Sports Dish: 1/14/13

This is a new weekly segment I'm trying out. Hope you enjoy!

DC Diggs: Caps Gear Up, Fletcher Talks Future

-It wouldn't really feel like the Washington Redskins if London Fletcher wasn't there, but the linebacker will take some time to consider his football future. [Redskins]

-And because you can't get enough #RGKnee, the NFLPA is close to deciding whether or not to open an investigation into the injury. WHY IS THE WHITE HOUSE SO SILENT ON THIS MATTER?! DODGING THE IMPORTANT ISSUES?! ...can you tell I'm over it? [The Insider]

-Brooks Laich is one of the few in the NHL actually addressing how the lockout hurt the growth of the game. [Caps Insider]

-And the fun has officially started, since Alex Ovechkin has a new Gillette commercial out. [Alex Ovetjkin]

-Don't look now, but the Wizards are getting healthy. [Wizards Insider]

-That health (and play style) could be what the team needs to turn the corner the fan base has been waiting for since John Wall came aboard. [Truth About It]

-We look at Bryce Harper's INTENSE campaign to get on the cover of MLB The Show. [KG's District]

-The Nats are also spending more than they ever have before. Will it pay off? [Hardball Talk]

Bryce Harper Really REALLY Wants the Cover

A preview of what the cover will
look like with Harper.

In case you haven't heard, Bryce Harper is up for the cover of the video game MLB Th Show 2013.  There is an open vote to see who gets the cover, and one way you can vote is through Twitter.

Remember, there was a time when Bryce Harper went off Twitter for fear of saying something actually interesting and therefore detrimental to his brand and career.  But he is back on social media and making a strong push for his candidacy for the cover.

Harper has been campaigning hard.  Nearly every tweet he has sent since it was announced January 6 contains the hashtag "mlb13harper," which is what fans can use to vote for Harper to make the cover.  How bad does he want it, exactly? He's tweeted the hashtag 145 times in three days. Yeah, 145 times.

Here are some of examples:

 @Bharper3407: Are we trending yet!? Let's get it all day! #mlb13harper

@Bharper3407: I'm probably really annoying right now, but that's okay! I won't tweet for a while after this is over!hah #mlb13harper

DC Diggs: RGKnee, Caps Trickling In

-In case you were curious, everything bad that's ever happened has to do with the Redskins' name. [Wash Post]

-There has been lots of discussion about RGIII's recovery time from the surgery he is having this morning to repair his ACL and LCL. Really, that's only because random people with no knowledge of the case keep weighing in. [Pro Football Talk]

-Nicklas Backstrom may have come back from Russia with a souvenir injury that could affect his season. [CSN Washington]

-Alex Ovechkin showed up in a pretty fantastic shirt. [DC Sports Bog]

-Looking at how free agents for the Wizards have delivered. [Bullets Forever]

-Bradley Beal has been gaining confidence in his rookie season. That's usually what a game-winning shot with 0.3 secs left against the best team in the league will do for you. [Wizards Insider]

-From us yesterday, the Nats have signed Adam LaRoche on for two more years. [KG's District]

-With the signing of LaRoche and Michael Morse's probably move, he does NOT was to be a DH. Because, you know, he's an actual baseball player. [Hardball Talk]

Nats Ink LaRoche for 2 More Years; Trade for Morse?

LaRoche will be in D.C. 2 more years. (NESN)

The Nationals made another big move of the offseason, locking up first baseman Adam LaRoche for two more years.  The Golden Glove and Sliver Slugger winner hit 33 home runs and had a .271 batting average last season.

Last year, LaRoche was responding to a 2011 season that saw him produce very little before being shut down for the year with a shoulder injury.  In 2012, he bounced back to show Nats fans why the team signed him to such a hefty contract in the first place.  LaRoche was a major part of the Nats playoff run this past fall.

Talks had been slow, but LaRoche is happy to be staying in the District.

LaRoche told the Washington Times' Amanda Comak:

"You know me, I wasn't stressing a lot. But I'm glad it's with Washington and not somewhere else."

DC Digs: Wiz Beat OKC, RGIII Knee Talk

-Bradley Beal knocked Kevin Durant and the Thunder with this buzzer-beater. The Wizards are now 5-28 [Wash Post]

-All those rumors about RGIII's knee? ALL FRED SMOOT'S FAULT. [Deadspin]

-The official non-Fred Smoot diagnosis right now is partial ACL and LCL tears, but a second opinion is scheduled. [Pro Football Talk]

-Ovi's back (and more photos of the players returning) [Caps Overtime]

-Giving Jordan Zimmermann some much-deserved credit. [Federal Baseball]

-Bryce Harper is up for being on the cover of MLB Showdown. [Nats Enquirer]

-From the way-back file, everyone remember Caps defenseman Tom Poti? He is hoping to be healthy and ready to go for training camp. [Wash Times]

From us...

-Finding blame for the Redskins loss to the Seahawks.

-A reminder of what the Caps did last offseason.

Annnnnnd We're Back!

Hey there guys! So, it's been a little while.  I got caught up writing for other websites and responsibilities.  But lucky for you all, I am back in business!  News and commentary about the DC sports scene is on the way in full force, with more multimedia elements than ever before. Get ready to get back to work!  I look forward to hearing from all of you and moving forward with each and every reader.  Enjoy!

What Are You Thankful For?

Hey DC sports fans! What are you guys thankful for this season? A winning hockey team? A revived spirit in the Wizards and Redskins? Hope for the Nationals future?

Email me at kgsdistrict@gmail.com and let me know what you're thankful for this sporting season.  You may include your name if you want, but you can also choose to remain anonymous.  I hope to put them together into a post for Thanksgiving.

So please, write me and let me know what you are thankful for!

A Hockey Fan's Guide to Redskins Training Camp

Let’s be honest, hockey fans are pretty much one-track minds.  We like winter.  We like cold.  We like ice.  We don’t really know what to do with ourselves between June and September.  Therefore, I direct you all to the Kings of Summer, Offseason Champs, our very own Washington Redskins.

Since we as hockey fans don’t really know all of the details of the complex alternate universe that is the Redskins organization, I have put together a quick guide to get to know the characters of Wonderland.  Welcome down the Rabbit Hole.  We have cookies.

A Comeback of Epic Proportions

The last 18 innings Stephen Strasburg has pitched for the Washington Nationals, the team has scored a grand total of zero runs. His last three starts, this had translated into losses for the star rookie. However, a team determination and never-give-up attitude changed that yesterday when the Nats came back from being down 5-3 after the 8^th inning and won the game 6-5 in the bottom of the 9^th. It was Strasburg’s first no-decision of his major league career, and one he couldn’t be happier about.

The Nationals have not been very good lately. Their games have been riddled with errors and a dreadful offensive drought. The team seemed to have given up after a series of heartbreaking losses. That’s why they needed this game. It was important for Strasburg’s and the team’s confidence.

Strasburg, who had been pitching excellence but receiving no support from the rest of the team, needed to know that he could have an off day and the team would have his back. He needed to know he didn’t have to pitch a shutout for the team to win. He got that reassurance yesterday when Pudge Rodriguez hit his walk-off single.

The team needed to know they could come back. They needed to believe they could get themselves out of a hole and continue to play in the late innings. In the future, the team will look at this game and say “See, we’ve done it before, now let’s go out and do it again.”

This timing of this game is significant too. Around this time last year, Jim Riggleman replaced Manny Acta as manager. After the All-Star break, which is next weekend, the team went on a tear. With the way things have been going for the Nationals lately, their due for some good fortune. Hopefully, the 4^th of July magic can give them the spark they need.

Strasmas

Last night was easily the most highly anticipated night in D.C. sports in recent memory. Only the Redskins’ Super Bowl games could even hope to surpass the kind of hype that was directed toward 21-year-old Washington Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg leading up to his first start in Major League Baseball. Not only was the entire city talking about a team that endured 100 losses in each of the last two seasons, but for the first time in a long while national attention was directed toward the District for a positive reason: to witness the beginning of an era.

Strasburg took the mound to vociferous cheers from the standing-room-only crowd that pack themselves into Nationals Park like sardines. They waited, and as they held their collective breath, Strasburg threw the first major league pitch of what should be a long and prosperous career: and it was a ball. Cheers for the wunderkind quickly morphed into boos for the umpire. Strasburg threw a ball inside, and a ball outside before McCutchen hit into a lineout.

Getting that one out was all Strasburg needed to get comfortable. Once the first hitter was out of the way, he settled in. He got Walker to groundout before striking out ex-Nat Lastings Milledge for his first major league K. That would be the first 14 K’s he would earn on the night in 94 pitches throughout 7 innings.

The game would not be without struggle, as Strasburg allowed 4 hits. The low point of the night would be in the fourth inning when Young hit a 2-run homer that landed in the first row of the seats in center field. After that home run, Strasburg really locked in. He only threw 7 balls the rest of his outing, while striking out 8 batters. He struck out the final 7 batters he faced.

The team had originally said that Strasburg would be limited to 90 pitches and 6 innings, but after retiring the slid in straight strikeouts, and at only 80 pitches, Riggleman decided to send him back out for the seventh inning. The team, which was behind 2-1 at the time, took this as an opportunity to make the night even more memorable for the kid and the crowd: they wanted to give him his first win. In the bottom of the sixth, the Nationals scored three runs to be ahead 4-2 when Strasburg went out to finish his outing at 7 innings.

If this was a glimpse into the future, then the future is looking very bright for baseball’s worst teams the last two years. Strasburg not only matched the hype, he found a way to do the impossible: exceed it. This kid is very, very good. And should his arm hold out, he will be for a very, very long time.

A Changing of the Guard

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the death of the worst team in baseball, the 2008/2009 Washington Natinals Nationals. There were few things in life as consistent and reliable as you blowing three-run leads, committing two errors, and generally finding any possibly way to lose. It was refreshing to know that when reality seemed to turn upside-down, we could always count on you to lose. You didn’t discriminate. You lost to the best and worst alike. You lost to rich clubs, you lost to poor clubs. You lost when the weather was bad, you lost when the weather was perfect. If you scored 10 runs, you always allowed at least 11. That kind of consistency is hard to find, and with teams as bipolar as the Wizards and the Redskins, we Washington sports fans appreciated it.

Now your existence is finally starting to pay off. Back-to-back 100-loss seasons have delivered us Steven Strasburg, Drew Storen, and Bryce Harper. Seeing this light at the end of the tunnel, the team has been over-achieving in 2010 in anticipation of these superstars riding in on white horses as their saviors. Your 2010 version is a mere 4 games under .500, and despite the last few games, there is hope for a win when they bring a lead into the 8^th or 9^th inning!

Repeated high draft picks are slowly filling gaps in Nationals’ lineup, and once Strasburg takes the mound tomorrow night, it will end one era and begin another. This team will immediately command more respect in the closest division in Major League Baseball. Hopefully the presence of Strasburg will pick this team up. I’m not saying Strasburg should be a leader, in fact, I think it is more important to have Ivan Rodriguez catching him and help complete his development. What I mean is that hopefully the team will feel they need to play better for Strasburg. Ideally, they will feel the need to play better and not let their pitching down. They will want to support a young player who will hopefully be a part of their franchise for a long time.

Whether they play like it or not, this Nationals team will never be the same after tomorrow night. Expectations will be higher, stakes will be higher, and (hopefully) their performance will be higher. Adding another starter to the rotation is something the Nats need, especially considering how inconsistent this bullpen has been. Maybe it’s exactly what they need to get out of this funk. Answers will being to come tomorrow night, and while it would be ridiculous to expect a sudden flip of the switch, it is not to think that the tide will begin to turn. This team will never be the same, and hopefully that change is for the better.

And the Summer Begins

Since the Capitals made their Cinderella run to the playoffs in 2008, April has been one of my favorite times of the year. Nothing matches the intensity of playoff hockey. Nothing. No other sport's playoffs are as high-energy and captivating as that of the NHL. Teams battle tooth and nail, both mentally as physically, beating each other down until the team that is fortunate enough to be bleeding less wins four games. And then they get to look forward to doing it again. And again. And again. Four rounds. Sixteen wins grants your team the honor of being engraved on the oldest, most historical, most traditional trophy in all of sports: the Stanley Cup. From playoff beards to superstitions, no other sport has as much playoff tradition and culture at hockey. It is the most difficult trophy to win. It is also special because teams change in the playoffs. The entire game changes. In baseball and basketball (and to a certain extent football), a team can play the same way throughout the regular season and playoffs and still be successful. This is not true in hockey. A team must adjust to the new style of play: tighter checking, more suffocating defense, and perhaps most important, hot goaltending. A team in hockey that doesn't adjust to playoff style will never win the Holy Grail, and that drama to me is the most captivating in all of sports.

While the team may be terrible, I love the Nationals in the spring. Being an eternal optimist, I always have faith in them in the spring. After see the Capitals rise from the ashes after the lockout, I know that a team can't be that terrible forever. And every spring, I blissfully wonder if this is the year. Before they spell their own name wrong on their jerseys, before they fire everyone, before they lose 100 games, I have hope. Knowing it won't last, I milk it for all it is worth. Could this be the year they only lose 90?

For the same reason I enjoy the Nationals in the spring, I also enjoy the Redskins. Seeing the offseason moves they make, I have the same optimism: maybe this is the right team. Maybe this is just the combination needed to win. It is particularly exciting this year because of the new coaching and front office staffs. Could Snyder finally be leaving football operations to football people? Could Shanahan finally be the guy who knows how to get the most out of this ever under-achieving team? I'm not asking for a Super Bowl or even necessarily a playoff appearance, but at least a winning record to show the team is headed in the right direction. Spring makes everything excited. We don't know for sure that these teams will lose yet, so we allow ourselves to hope for the best and get excited for a new season, hoping this season will wash away the failures of the past.

Oh yeah, and there are Cherry Blossoms and pretty flowers too.