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.

NHL Lockout is Over, In Case You Forgot What the Caps Did...

Alex Ovechkin will be in his 4th season as captain
of the Capitals. (Backhand Shelf/The Score)

Early yesterday morning, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to a framework for their a new CBA after nearly 4 months of a lockout.  It's been about six months since hockey's offseason, and the sports world has kept on turning.  That's six months of little to no hockey news outside of the CBA negotiations.

In case you forgot what the Caps did, here's a refresher...

New Man at the Helm

Despite a two round-deep playoff run, Dale Hunter will not be back to coach the Capitals.  The organization is now in the hands of another Caps alum: Adam Oates.  Oates came as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils.  This will be his first season as a head coach.

The players who have spoken with him (including Alex Ovechkin) have said that he has a more offensive mentality, something the Caps have missed since Bruce Boudreau was fired.  No one knows quite what to expect, but Oates has been preparing for his debut by serving as co-head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears (the Caps affiliate).

The Morning After: Seahawks Eliminate Redskins

RGIII's 4th quarter injury took him out of the
game for good. (Sporting News/AP photo)

We all needed a night to let it sink in.  After the Washington Redskins jumped out to a quick 14-0 start, Robert Griffin III tweaked his injured knee in the second quarter.  He would try to play the rest of the game to no avail, unable to score as the Seattle Seahawks crept back before halftime.  The defense was able to hold on to a 14-13 lead until the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks finally pulled away, followed closely by RGIII being taken out of the game for good after re-injuring his knee again.  The final score was 24-14.

That's what you can get from the newspapers.  Reactions last night were a mix of disappointment from the game and RGIII's injury and gratitude for this unexpectedly successful season.  In true Day 2 fashion, today will be about one thing: blame.

Blame will be fairly equally distributed:

• RGIII's injury
• Mike Shanahan for not taking him out of the game sooner
• RGIII for not taking himself out of the game
• Blown calls against the Seahawks
• Kirk Cousins for not scoring 10 points in the final 6 minutes
• Redskins receivers for missed catches throughout the second half

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!

Playoff Predictions Round 1: Western Conference

Here are my picks for the West's first round.  Who do you guys have?
Be sure to check out my Eastern Conference Predictions too!

Playoff Predictions Round 1: Eastern Conference

Here are my picks for 1st round winners in the East, who do you guys have?

Win Your Kid a Day with the Cup!

Every hockey player’s dream is to hoist the Stanley Cup.  It’s what you play for in pickup as children, what you doodle in class, and what you make replicas of while you cheer on your favorite team.

For the first time ever, Discover is offering a chance for one player aged 13 or younger to spend a day with the Stanley Cup. Yes, the real Stanley Cup.  The NHL has never done anything like this before, allowed exclusive access to youth hockey players.

Here’s how to enter: send in a short video of your child’s most memorable hockey moment to facebook.com/doscover before April 13th.  Between April 15 and April 21, the videos will be online for viewing and rating by fans.  The three videos receiving the highest number of votes will be the finalists, and those videos will be submitted to a panel of judges who will decide the winner.  The judges will decide the winner based on enthusiasm, appropriateness of theme, originality, creativity, and sincerity.