YOU WANT TO know how important signing Stephen Strasburg — yes, we're still talking about him — was for the Washington Nationals?
Look no further than Thursday's press conference, in which Mike Rizzo deservedly shed the interim tag from his general manager's title.
As recently as Wednesday, there were rumors that team President Stan Kasten was going to go outside the organization for a permanent replacement for Jim Bowden.
While the rumors were clearly false, there probably was a grain of truth in there at some point.
Could it be that Rizzo's performance was being evaluated solely on his ability to close a deal with Scott Boras?
This week's generally positive feeling about the organization can be traced back to that.
Not to mention, the team has been a whole lot better during the second half of the year — mostly due to a trade for Nyjer Morgan and the replacement of Manny Acta with Jim Riggleman as manager.
Rizzo isn't flashy, nor does he look to make a big splash with each move. He's the kind of guy who goes out and gets the job done.
In other words, he's just what the Nationals needed.
Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post
TIGER LOST. That fact is still sinking in around the PGA.
No longer is the greatest front-runner in sports invincible.
For years, Tiger's sheer persona was enough to scare away anyone near contention.
Then came Y.E. Yang, who outdueled the world's best golfer at the PGA Championship on Sunday. His eagle in the 14th hole was the shot heard round the world.
Tiger, who started the day two strokes ahead, was suddenly two strokes behind the soon-to-be next golf star. Tiger birdied the same hole yet never caught up.
And now the criticism will mount. Has Tiger lost it? It's a preposterous question, but, surely, someone will actually ask it.
The reality is Tiger is human. He was going to lose a last-round lead at some point.
Personally, I think he let his guard slip earlier in the week with a deserved pat on the back when acknowledging this was a great year for him already.
A younger Tiger would never have allowed such complacency, though. It's doubtful he'll make the same mistake again.
Part of Jack Nicklaus' legacy was his 19 second-place finishes at majors. Tiger is starting to catch up, even if he doesn't want to.
I'd expect to see Tiger back where he belongs at a major next year. The fact he lost Sunday will just make us appreciate the feat more.
Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
IT IS SUPPOSED to be the highest-stakes negotiations in the brief history of the Washington Nationals.
Yet here we sit days before Monday's deadline and there is nary a peep about Stephen Strasburg's status.
When the former San Diego State ace was drafted, agent Scott Boras more or less proclaimed the prospect God's gift to baseball and said he expected unworldly compensation. The number floated was $50 million back in June.
Since then, Boras and the Nats have been tight-lipped. Presumably, they are both waiting for the drop-dead date to reach a deal.
The alternative is a bust for both sides.
Strasburg doesn't want to pass on whatever record amount Washington is offering. What if his high-priced arm gets hurt while he waits to re-enter the draft next year? The Nationals, too, have a lot on the line. Mostly, their reputation, as in the organization needs to prove it can deliver on adding talent to its relatively barren system.
By running on silent mode, interim GM Mike Rizzo at least has not alienated Boras and Strasburg. There should be no ill will when the real talks pick up.
Silence, in this case, may be golden. And if it's not, there is going to be a whole lot of shouting from the Nationals in the days that follow.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
WHO IS THE real Jim Zorn?
Is he the coach who surprised the NFL by leading the Redskins to a 6-2 start last season? Or is he the man who refused to acknowledge his schemes might not suit his roster while Washington floundered to an 8-8 finish?
The answer is probably somewhere in between. Depending on which side Zorn leans toward, he may hear a lot year about being replaced by the likes of Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan.
Having never been a coordinator on the pro level before, let alone a head coach, Zorn certainly exceeded expectations in his first season in the nation's capital.
His frankness is refreshing, if unnerving to stars with sensitive egos such as Clinton Portis.
The stubbornness demonstrated in the late swoon is not uncommon, yet the truly exceptional leader can adjust his principles to fit the players around him.
Perhaps that's what Zorn has done this off-season.
While the front office was busy chasing quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez, maybe Zorn was adjusting his playbook to accommodate Jason Campbell.
If Campbell flops Zorn is in trouble. Zorn won't survive a losing season here, if the past is a reliable way to gauge Snyder's patience.
It's time for the real Zorn to, please, step up.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
DAN SNYDER. No two words evoke such rage, contempt and frustration in Washington as the name of the Redskins' owner.
Vilified years ago, Snyder's reputation can probably be saved at this point only by winning a championship.
At least, that's the one thing fans can't complain about: Snyder wants to win. He just doesn't know how.
Just like he doesn't seem to know how to treat someone like a person.
While, at 34, he was young to be an NFL owner when he took over his childhood team 10 years, that's no excuse for the mean-spirited attacks and ugly firings (one and off the field) common at Redskins Park.
Snyder has matured, sure. He and Joe Gibbs did the franchise proud with their actions in the wake of Sean Taylor's death.
Hiring Gibbs brought stability and respectability, if not excellence, back to D.C.
Some lessons have been learned; more need to sink for Washington to win its fourth Super Bowl.
Snyder still prefers to throw around his weight with his mighty checkbook, overpaying free agents rather than building through the draft that model organizations such as the Steelers, Colts and Ravens have shown works.
Two playoff appearances in four years and an 8-8 record under Jim Zorn last year show Snyder has made progress.
His second 10 years will show whether Snyder, the man and the owner, was prematurely turned into a villain.
Photo by John McDonnell/The Washinton Post
LANCE ARMSTRONG is not going to win the Tour de France. Boo hoo.
It's an interesting thing. The cycling fans I know — yes, they exist — share the same sarcastic sentiments as mine above. Such is our fickle sports nation.
Armstrong has been the most inspiring sports story in my lifetime, having overcome near-fatal cancer to win one of most grueling endurance tests seven times.
Even at 37-years-old and after a broken collarbone slowed his training schedule, Armstrong — in third place as of Thursday — is amazing.
Still, this run feels different.
Is it that we, as sports fans, grow sick of the trend of athletes' coming out of retirement? We're looking at you, Brett Favre.
That may be part of it, but that doesn't explain the malaise surrounding Armstrong's comeback. The fact that his sport is cycling — something most like to do but not watch — is part of it.
But here is my theory: Armstrong has been in the spotlight so long that his flaws have come out.
For as great an athlete as he is, Armstrong comes across as an arrogant jerk sometimes. His interviews can be condescending, as are his tweets.
So it is. A man capable of superhero-type accomplishments is still just an imperfect man.
It's less fun cheering for Clark Kent than Superman, isn't it, Lance?
Photo by Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images
SPORTS ARE all about competition. So, it makes sense that a little competition among sports radio stations would be a good thing in the nation's capital.
On Monday, venerable WJFK officially changed formats to challenge SportsTalk 980, the industry standard in D.C.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder decided to challenge 980 in 2006 with his Red Zebra Broadcasting before buying 980 last year. As he promised, the Danny has basically let hosts bash — sometimes at will — his beloved Redskins, though some local favorites such as Al Koken were let go in cost-cutting maneuvers.
By virtue of Snyder's involvement, 980 will always have more access to the Redskins, and rights to broadcast all of their games. That's the big kahuna in Washington.
The new 106.7 seems to be trying to grab the rest of the area's teams and already locked in the Wizards. Not wanting to ignore the Redskins, the Fan — as it is regrettably known — hired former star linebacker LaVar Arrington for the 2-6 p.m. slot.
But the big edge the new station has is the Sports Junkies, who are the best in show in D.C. sports talk land.
Nevertheless, look for the station that has the Redskins to win every time. Other teams' games are great, but isn't that what satellite radio is for?
Photo courtesy WJFK
WITH ONE MONTH, to the day, to sign Stephen Strasburg, you would think the Washington Nationals would be knee-deep in negotiations with their top draft pick.
You'd be wrong.
This week, The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell reported that the Nationals have yet to contact Strasburg about a contract offer. Washington, it seems, has been busy firing a manager and crafting a public apology to its fans after an abysmal first half.
I wonder if there's a draft for a new letter explaining why the team couldn't come to terms with Strasburg. Maybe the Nats figure that since they'll get the No. 1 pick again next year, no one will notice if a top prospect slips through their fingers.
Of course, that's exactly what happened last year when Aaron Crow didn't sign. Going 0-for-2 shouldn't sound too appealing. Then again, maybe neither does paying Strasburg a record amount.
The bickering about high salary demands ended as soon as the Nats took Strasburg. They knew agent Scott Boras would demand a ridiculous salary, and by taking the pitcher, Washington committed to its fan base that it would sign him.
If the Lerners don't have the stomach to confront Boras, they should get out of the business. Failure is not an option.
Photo by Getty Images
MANNY ACTA had Jim Bowden to thank for his job, just as he has Bowden to blame for his firing on Monday.
Bowden tapped the former Mets and Expos assistant to lead the last-place Nationals two and a half seasons ago. Acta is leaving not just a bad team, but the worst team in baseball for two-straight seasons.
The horrid fielding is something that the manager can be faulted for, yet the list of all the Nationals' problems is not Acta's fault.
Bowden built a lousy club. He never followed team President Stan Kasten's rebuilding plan, and, worse, he convinced the Lerner family he was doing a good job.
It took a scandal over a prospect's fake identification for the Nationals' owners to notice their general manager couldn't build a bullpen, let alone field a competitive team.
Since then, Kasten and acting GM Mike Rizzo have been cleaning up Bowden's mess. A new start was needed, and that meant Acta would have to go at some point.
No one blames Acta for the Nats' 26-61 record. If anything, his dignity in the dugout showed that this could be a first-class organization someday.
He never had a chance to succeed here. When Acta gets another job, hopefully, it will be with a more competitive squad.
The Nats are taking a new shape. Now that the general manager and manager have been fired, can the Lerners show they've learned from their mistakes?
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
THE FATE OF American's men's tennis is in Andy Roddick's hands.
Such a prospect seemed frightening two weeks ago.
But if his performance in a courageous defeat by Roger Federer at Wimbledon is any indication, Roddick may have finally matured enough to become the player many envisioned.
The 2003 U.S. Open champion never has lived up to his billing. The country's 0-for-the past 23 in Grand Slam events is mostly his fault, seeing as he's the most talented player the U.S. has produced since Andre Agassi.
Agassi, too, broke onto the scene when he wasn't ready to succeed at the highest level. Only when the locks gave way to a shaved head did Agassi emerge as a glorious champion who won each of tennis' four major events.
Roddick had previously made Wimbledon's final twice, only to suffer blowout losses to Federer.
Sunday's match was different, though. Roddick showed poise he didn't seem capable of. He held serve for the equivalent of six sets before the climactic 77th game of the match. Roddick needn't hold his head in shame; he simply needs to maintain that intensity the rest of his career.
A country looking for a tennis champion may have found one. Can Roddick live up to expectations this time around?
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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