WHAT'S LEFT to say about the Redskins?
They stink. They are a joke. And, yes, they are going to fire their coach — maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.
At least DeAngelo Hall's being faked on by Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme Sunday saved a legion of fans from dreaded false hope. Let's face it: Washington should have beaten Carolina. It ought to defeat winless Kansas City next week, too.
THERE WAS A stay of execution this week at FedEx Field.
The Redskins' 16-13 victory over the Buccaneers Sunday was nothing more and nothing less.
Quarterback Jason Campbell was about as awful as coach Jim Zorn's play-calling in the first half. And, once again, Washington found itself in a hole against a winless team. The only difference is the Redskins got lucky that the Bucs don't have an NFL-caliber kicker.
Fortunate to still be in the game and on the verge of losing any remaining fans, Campbell and Zorn put together their best quarter of the season. So — for a week — there won't be a coaching debate, nor will there be the always-popular quarterback controversy.
LET THE RECORD show that as the calendar turned to October, the nation's capital was far more energized by the Washington Capitals than by its beloved Redskins.
With talk of a Stanley Cup in the brisk air, the Capitals own this city like never before. Want a ticket to a game? Wait till next year. For now, find a seat on your couch for Saturday's home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Before we get too caught up in red fever, let's remember a couple things as this new season begins.
THERE'S NO JOY in Mudville these days.
Maybe it's the Redskins' losing to the lowly Lions, but Gilbert Arenas looked absolutely morose at the Wizards media day on Monday.
Speaking to Washington reporters for the first time since blasting his team for not saving him from himself when rebabbing from his knee injuries, Arenas was Agent Zero — as in no smiles.
Arenas the entertainer, as we knew him, is dead. Now he's Mr. Serious.
RALPH FRIEDGEN is not the only coach in this area feeling the heat.
He is, however, the only one with a track record of winning.
It's important to keep this in mind during what appears to be a dreadful season for the University of Maryland.
The Terrapins (1-2) are lucky to have a win this season despite facing would-be patsies James Madison and Middle Tennessee State in consecutive weeks.
A three- or four-win year is not out of the question, leaving many to already debate whether Friedgen should be asked to return for a 10th season.
Such talk means it's time to call in the perspective police.
DAN SNYDER must have felt like a genius.
There he was — having picked a no-name assistant with no head-coaching experience to replace Joe Gibbs — sitting on a 6-2 record halfway through the 2008 season.
Owners everywhere must have been asking how they missed out on Jim Zorn, who hadn't even served as an offensive coordinator — the job he was originally tapped for in Washington.
Ten regular-season games and nearly one year later, it makes a lot more sense why Zorn had never been a top assistant, let alone a head coach. Simply put, he doesn't seem to inspire a team.
THURSDAY: This weekend is the eighth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and Nationals Park is memorializing the day at its Nats-Phillies game Thursday night. There will be some on-field homages to firefighters and members of the Alexandria and Arlington fire departments will take to the field before the game.
Additionally, all active military, police, firefighters and EMTs can get half-price tickets to the game, with valid ID.
» Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE; Thu., Sept. 10, 6:45 p.m., $5-$325; 202-675-6287. (Navy Yard)
ONE EXERCISE IS good. Two exercises are better. And a whole slew of exercises strung together with just short breaks in between? That's the best — because with circuit training, you're engaging more muscles and elevating your heart rate, which ups your calorie burn and results in a superior overall workout. This theory is nothing new, but combine it with another familiar method, and the result may just be revolutionary: Pilates circuit training.
» What It Is
The Pilates studio at Adams Morgan's Mint Fitness is plenty big for private lessons, but when it comes to group sessions, the cozy space has been limiting. Joseph Pilates' full system relies on a series of often-bulky devices and accessories, and when there's not much room for duplicates, it's practically impossible to keep students in synch. So Pilates director Timea Presley was stuck with only one group offering, a class using reformers (bed-shaped machines with a sliding padded board and two straps).
But that changed recently when Presley came up with the notion of rotating her pupils through several apparatus one at a time. As she sets up each of four students on a piece of equipment, the others watch to see what they'll be doing when it's their turn.
JUST WATCHING GAELIC football is exhausting. The sport, a cross between rugby, soccer and basketball, has no breaks or timeouts. When the ball goes out of bounds, the game is immediately restarted with a new ball. When one team scores, the goalie scoops the ball out of the net and puts it back in play. "I've never run as hard as I do in these games," says D.C. Gaels (Wdcgaels.com) women's football team captain Margaret Gaine, who played basketball and competed in triathlons before joining the club.
Even though Gaine — and many of her teammates — had never played before joining the Gaels, they apparently have the luck of the Irish. They're the defending national champions, and they're headed to the mid-Atlantic regionals this weekend.
Continue Reading "Irish Thighs are Smilin': The D.C. Gaels" »
ONCE UPON A time, the only way to make completing a half-marathon doable was training almost every day for months. But that seemed like, um, a lot of work. So, the folks behind the Rock 'N' Roll series have come up with another idea for runners eager to get to that 13.1-mile distance: For the Virginia Beach race Sept. 6 (Rnrvb.com), they're letting participants split it relay-style.
"These shorter race distances are a stepping stone," explains event manager Megan Bitsoff, who says Rock 'N'Roll first tried out the concept in San Diego earlier this summer with great success.
The idea is to lure people to the race, show them how much fun it can be — the Rock 'N' Roll series is well known for having live entertainment along the course (there will be 800 cheerleaders and a slew of bands lined up in Virginia Beach) — and convince them it's worth the extra effort to sign up solo.
Continue Reading "Halve It Your Way: Sign Up For a Relay Race" »
Addison Road