Seamus
@ Dupont Circle
Q:If your dog was a celebrity, who would it be?
A:"He's Seamus. He's a celebrity within himself."
ONE OF THE BIGGEST names on the Washington Kastles' (Washingtonkastles.com) roster isn't actually playing for the tennis team. But Murphy Jensen, former French Open doubles champ and current Tennis Channel star, will be serving — as coach. Look for him at home games (starting July 7, at 11th and H streets NW) while he leads the likes of Serena Williams.
» EXPRESS: What's the strategy when you coach a team with such stars?
» KASTLES: I have to keep them motivated to win. Someone like Serena Williams, she has to feel like it's her first professional game. And I think the No. 1 thing is going to be creating a winning, fun, family atmosphere. For the average tennis player, that's the most important thing, too — having fun and finding people you enjoy playing with.
» EXPRESS: How do average players become better players?
» KASTLES: Find a coach, and ask what your coach's best move is. That's one they'll definitely teach well. And find a coach who has a similar style of play to yours.
In BOSTON EARLIER this season, Washington Capital Alex Ovechkin was wheeling through the offensive zone when he lost control, drove a shoulder into the boards and collapsed. But the crowd, anxiously awaiting signs of movement, didn't hold their breath long — he soon stood up and stormed down the tunnel, healthy enough to whip his helmet to the floor, aggravated by the collision.
That's what Ovechkin does: He gets up and keeps playing. He's missed only three games in his four 82-game NHL seasons. It's an impressive stat directly connected to another: Ovechkin has dished out 204 hits this year, sixth most in the league — and he's often on the receiving end too.
So, how does he escape injuries while acting like a battering ram? "He is one of probably the top three that I have ever trained in terms of physical, god-given ability," which helps, proclaims Capitals strength coach Mark Nemish. Nemish, the owner/director of Dynamic Sports Performance in Ashburn, Va., began working with the Nashville Predators in 1998 before joining the Capitals in 2007.
Continue Reading "How He Rules the Rink: Capital Alex Ovechkin" »
THE WASHINGTON POST'S late Sunday Source section once published some reader nominations for the D.C. areas most objectionable eyesores. While I am no particular fan of the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, I nonetheless believe there are uglier things in Washington than the local architecture.
Even though the Kennedy Center is a bit boxy and boring, and the Washington Monument has little to offer besides an overstated phallic resemblance, you can always do a lot worse than well-lit white marble.
In tribute to Robert C. Weaver, his embattled Federal Building, and the late Sunday Source, here is my own highly subjective list of things in Washington I would prefer not to look at.
Continue Reading "Monumental Eyesores: The D.C. Area's Most Disgusting Sights" »
FOUR WORDS: clowns running from bulls. Poor life choices, comic relief, and all the intensity you can cram into eight seconds, comes with the Professional Bull Riders to the Patriot Center on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy hat not included.
» Patriot Center, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax; Sat. , Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m. & Sun., Jan. 25, 2:30 p.m., $20-$65; 800-551-7328.
Written by Express' Eric Anderson
IT WASN'T THAT long ago that the Washington Wizards were on the verge of something great and the Washington Capitals were on the cusp of what must have felt like Siberia.
Things change quickly, don't they? Now it is the Capitals who are the team to see at Verizon Center, and the Wizards will soon have to adopt the old Bullets' marketing strategy of promoting the other team.
While there is still room to grow — Alex Ovechkin's snub from the All-Star Game shows Caps fans can be a bit more aggressive — the city seems to be catching on. There have already been more sellouts this season than there were all of last year.
A three-game losing streak was a big deal this week. In recent years, it was common.
It looks like the Capitals are on the same fast track the Pittsburgh Penguins were on in reaching the Stanley Cup finals three years after Sidney Crosby joined the squad.
Ovechkin is the star, but Washington has plenty of good, young players around him such as Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin.
Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh seems a bit more important than a typical victory. For one, it ended the recent slide and Ovechkin's scoring slump. But also, the symbolism of beating the Penguins should not be overlooked.
Pittsburgh is falling behind this year while Washington is making progress.
Dare we dream of a Stanley Cup? It's certainly within reach.
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/TWP
IF VINNY CERRATO needs some direction about how to build the Redskins into a consistently winning team, he should look north.
There have been few franchises as successful as the Baltimore Ravens' this decade. Led by a rookie quarterback, Baltimore is one win away from its second Super Bowl this decade. It's hardly a fluke, either.
The Ravens have achieved at least nine wins in six seasons since 2000. So sound is the organization that even with a rookie coach leading first-year quarterback Joe Flacco, the team product on the field has rarely been better.
There is no great secret to Baltimore's success.
A front office guided by Ozzie Newsome drafts extremely well.
Among this year's stars who have never played for another team are Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Todd Heap. Flacco looks to join that list of long-term Ravens after his tremendous start to the year.
When a group of key players can stay together, a team can overcome any instability brought by a coaching change or one down season. That’s why you draft your future stars rather than poach them in free agency.
Even in coaching decisions, the Ravens are sound. Brian Billick may have been a liability at the end of his tenure, but he did win a Super Bowl. John Harbaugh outdid the Redskins’ Jim Zorn by miles this season.
Baltimore’s charmed road isn't an accident. The Ravens are clearly a model franchise.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
IF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS wants to show it has guts, it should name Utah this year's college football champion.
In protest of the infamous BCS, the news agency withdrew its poll from consideration for the flawed system. So, it names its own champ a day after the BCS title game. There's been no better year than this to make the AP's point.
Two excellent teams will square off this week when Oklahoma faces Florida. But that cloud you see hanging over the game is the "What if?" factor. As in, "What if Texas had been given the spot in the Big 12 title game over Oklahoma, which had the same record as the Longhorns but lost in the Red River Shootout?"
And what if Southern Cal wasn't punished for a faulty perception that the Pac 10 was weak? The Trojans also sport a one-loss record and have one of the best defenses in college football history. No one can convince me Oklahoma or Florida would fare much better than Penn State did against USC in the Rose Bowl.
That brings us back to Utah. It didn't have one loss. The Utes were a perfect 13-0 and slammed Alabama — No. 1 much of the year — in the Sugar Bowl.
We'll never know how Utah could beat Oklahoma or Florida, because it wasn't given the chance to compete against either. But the Utes did something no other team did: go undefeated.
That sounds like championship material to me.
Photo By Chris Graythen/Getty Images
IT WAS A MEANINGLESS win for the Redskins this season, yet Sunday's result could have both a very positive, and a very negative, effect on their future.
Since it's the holidays, let's start with the positive. LaRon Landry's tackle at the one-yard line could be the difference between the Philadelphia Eagles making a Super Bowl run and blowing up their team as we know it.
If the Eagles miss the playoffs, as seems likely, our bet is the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era is over. And while the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl in their 10 years together, Philadelphia has been the class of the NFC East.
The Redskins are better off if the Eagles start over.
Now for the down side — and no, it has nothing to do with draft status.
Should Washington beat the 49ers on Sunday and finish on a two-game winning streak with a 9-7 record, there may be temptation to feel too good about this group.
Major work needs to be done on both lines and a serious evaluation of Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell is needed.
As currently constructed, the Redskins can't win the Super Bowl next year.
A dramatic move like firing the coach or quarterback may not be needed, but a lot needs to be done in a short time.
A window of opportunity may arise with Philly's demise. The Redskins can't afford to fool themselves in a crucial offseason.
Photo by Preston Keres/TWP
WITH ALL THIS TALK of Jim Zorn's imminent — or not — firing, it occurs to me that a change may be needed higher up to fix the Redskins.
A team that virtually ignores the draft — and forgets it hasn't had a pass rush this decade — would be better off with a different decision maker.
And while it may be easy to say Vinny Cerrato must go — doesn't that have a nice ring to it? — the search for a replacement could begin and end with one man.
He' the person who, in Houston, bypassed the obvious pick of Reggie Bush and went with Mario Williams with the No. 1 overall choice three years ago. And when he was in Washington previously, he fought the temptation to draft Ricky Williams and instead traded down and got Champ Bailey. Both look like great moves now.
Yes — Charlie Casserly is the right man for the job. Better yet, he's available (he currently works for CBS as an analyst).
Growing up professionally during the Redskins' heyday, he knows the way to build a winner is through the draft and through shoring up both lines.
Cerrato has brought talent here, but the wrong kind. By relying on free agency and trades, there is a constant Band-Aid solution for the Redskins' biggest hole.
The defensive front is a constant problem; the offensive line is aging rapidly. That is where the center of Washington's offseason must be.
Casserly would know the right players to take. A return to the past might give the Redskins a steady hand for the future.
Photo by Bill Baptist/Getty Images
"WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR" is a phrase that used to be most associated with the Brooklyn Diodgers but is now applicable to the Redskins.
Since Dan Snyder took over his favorite team, the future has always looked better than the present.
We were almost fooled this season. A 6-2 start made those of us who predicted a 6-10 record — or worse — look foolish. Now the naysayers are off by only one win while the Redskins free-fall toward 2008's end.
The snap judgment from Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the dreadful Bengals is to question whether Jim Zorn really knows what he's doing or, at the very least, whether quarterback Jason Campbell is the right fit for Zorn's West Coast offense.
Now let's be realistic. Washington appears to lack the talent to compete on the highest of levels.
It seems likely Zorn had this team overachieving the first half of the season. And one more victory would match Joe Gibbs' total this year in his initial tenure (i.e. the good one).
Traditionally, it takes two to three years to successfully install a new offense, especially the West Coast attack.
Barring a firing, Zorn will get a second year to adjust the Redskins to his schemes. Production should improve, as should Campbell.
If we look at this year as building the foundation, next year should be better. If it isn't better, it will be time to start over — and then the future will look bright again.
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post
Addison Road