Here are the latest reports from The Washington Posts ‘DC Sports’.
Navy’s goat mascot Bill XXXV dies after battle with illness
Bill XXXV, one of Navy’s real-life mascots, died at the age of two, the Naval Academy announced Wednesday. Survived by his brother, Bill XXXVI, and the recently retired Bill XXXIII and Bill XXXIV, who both served as Navy mascots since 2007, the white, purebred Angora goat spent 2015 as a “Navy mascot in training,” making his debut on the sideline […]
Wearing her five Olympic medals, Katie Ledecky gets a hero’s welcome in return to U.S.
After swimming for five Olympic medals — four gold and one silver — in Rio, Katie Ledecky is finally home. The 19-year-old Bethesda native returned Wednesday to the United States after dominating the Rio Games. But to many of the fans and friends waiting for the swimmer at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the international […]
Kirk Cousins’s conversion van is back in business
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins’s stated goal of being the San Antonio Spurs of the NFL — “super boring” and quite good, that is — just got a little easier thanks to the good folks at AAA. In what qualified as drama at one of the most drama-free Redskins training camps in recent memory, Cousins, who […]
Jonathan Papelbon’s acquisition was a mistake Nats fans saw coming
Fans don’t always get it right. They got it right with Jonathan Papelbon. Washington Nationals supporters were aghast at last summer’s bullpen addition from the moment he arrived. They were skeptical because of his boorish reputation, because of years spent rooting against him on the Philadelphia Phillies, because the move displaced the popular Drew Storen (and […]
As Redskins miss an injured teammate, ‘your heart breaks’
RICHMOND — Scot McCloughan is fond of praising his unheralded young contributors, and so the Redskins general manager was ticking them off during a recent television appearance. There’s guard Brandon Scherff. Linebacker Preston Smith. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder. “Poor Kyshoen, of course, getting hurt kills me,” McCloughan said. “Poor Kyshoen” would be Kyshoen Jarrett, among last season’s biggest surprises, […]
Rough night for Nats fans but at least they got to see Katie Ledecky’s world record
The Washington Nationals didn’t have their best night by a long shot on Friday when they lost to the last-place Atlanta Braves, 8-5, for the first time this season. But fans did get to watch hometown hero Katie Ledecky break her own world record in the women’s 800-meter freestyle at the Rio Olympics. The Nationals […]
Washingtonians chose the Olympics over preseason football
Two of America’s biggest televised sports behemoths went head-to-head in Washington on Thursday night: the Olympics and the NFL. Well, sort of. The Redskins and Ravens both played their preseason openers Thursday night, which meant only a few appearances from actual starters. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins threw five passes. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco didn’t play. The offensive […]
Kirk Cousins: ‘I don’t want to make it about me or be about self promotion’
One time last fall, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins said “You Like That” after a football game. Since then, Cousins has been asked about once saying those words at least at least 30 or 40 times, and that’s probably a conservative estimate. And each time it happens, his grimace gets a little more pained. Cousins has said […]
The Ravens stopped their preseason game to watch Michael Phelps win the 200 IM
Facing off against the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Thursday night’s preseason opener, the Ravens knew their fans would want to celebrate hometown hero Michael Phelps in his 200-meter individual medley and they were ready for it. The team gave fans signs that read “Ravens Flock For Phelps” and promoted the race at M&T Bank Stadium. In the fourth quarter, […]
Star Wars Day returns to Nats Park, this time with less sun
Star Wars Day returns to Nationals Park on Saturday as the Nationals host the cellar-dwelling Braves. The Force is not strong with this opponent, whose 75 home runs are the fewest in the league by far and barely more than half the Nationals’ total (149). Anyone who attended last year’s sweltering Star Wars Day at the ballpark, including […]
Sloppiness aside, these Redskins are doing the preseason right
ATLANTA — NFL preseasons won’t often thrill you, but they can sure cause some gut-ripping indigestion. Last summer, for example, the Redskins began their preseason schedule by losing tight end Niles Paul for the season with a broken ankle. Then things got worse. No, I’m not going to recite the nonsense that consumed us all last […]
Best and worst moments from the Redskins’ preseason opener
Best and worst moments from the Redskins’ 23-17 preseason loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. Best excitement: Martrell Spaight was more pumped for Thursday’s preseason opener than you were. Just trust me on this one. “It’s time, 2016 starts today,” the third-year linebacker, who really should invest in a calendar, yelled in the Georgia Dome tunnel before the […]
At Georgetown, athletic center named after Big John Thompson is open for business
The Georgetown men’s basketball team has been able to attract some of the most coveted high school recruits in the country over the past several decades despite dated on-campus facilities. With the nearly complete John Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center up and running, Hoyas Coach John Thompson III now has a state-of-the-art building as his […]
Forget Team USA, Team Maryland is dominating the Olympics
Of all the impressive performances in these Olympics — from the Iron Lady to the swimmer dude with the dad bod, from the horrifically named Final Five to Rio’s pool technicians, from the Chinese divers to the Tongan flag bearer — the most impressive showing has likely come from our own little corner of the […]
Should we be more excited about the Nationals? Readers respond.
My off-the-cuff thoughts on whether the first-place Nats are generating sufficient local excitement prompted as much feedback as anything I’ve written this summer — far more than any of my pieces about Redskins training camp, if you don’t count bike-safety advocates who were upset that I showed Redskins coaches riding bikes without helmets. To be […]
Baltimore loves hometown hero Michael Phelps so much it’ll air his race at the Ravens game
The most exciting battle at the Ravens’ preseason opener against the Panthers on Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium won’t be the one on the field, but the one on the video board. The Ravens announced Wednesday that in addition to watching quarterbacks Ryan Mallett, Jerrod Johnson and Josh Johnson compete to be Joe Flacco’s backup, fans […]
The Redskins see Matt Jones as potential breakout star; NFL observers are less convinced
RICHMOND — Hang around an NFL training camp long enough, and you’ll start to feel like you’re visiting an elementary school band concert. To those most invested, everything looks magical and sounds beautiful. Outsiders might cock an eye, if they’re not covering their ears. Well, Matt Jones is now carrying his oboe onto the stage. Washington’s […]
Mike Rizzo says Tim Tebow reaching the big leagues ‘would defy all odds’
On the one hand, Tim Tebow’s proposed mid-career embrace of a professional baseball journey feels awfully publicity-stunty, the kind of thing that makes great (or maybe “great”) copy during the summer doldrums but seems unlikely to amount to much. No, I have no experience with this, why do you ask? On the other hand, the […]
Faces for radio? The Sports Junkies will now be all over CSN
“Our goal,” J.P. Flaim said in 1996, “is to keep improving, to gain legitimacy and someday maybe to get a show on HTS.” A show on the local regional sports network? This was in the infancy of the Sports Junkies, who were then doing a no-budget, 30-minute cable-access program in Bowie, and getting their first […]
Michael Wilbon on the Redskins: ‘This dysfunction is who they are’
Here’s Michael Wilbon, talking about the appearance that Redskins Coach Jay Gruden did not know Redskins cornerback Josh Norman would be making occasional appearances on Fox’s pregame show this season. “I love this,” Wilbon said on PTI Tuesday afternoon. “This is the Redskins. This is what they do. I know they made the playoffs last […]
Baltimore’s National Anthem ‘Oh!’ gives Michael Phelps a gold-medal laugh
One of the noisiest yet most beloved traditions in Baltimore (and sometimes Washington) sports made its way to Rio on Tuesday night, and then to NBC’s national Olympics audience, and then to social media, thanks to Michael Phelps and his friends. Phelps, a proud Baltimorean, had just notched his 21th Olympic gold medal with a […]
Josh Norman says everything he does is now scrutinized
Josh Norman’s introduction to Redskins training camp has been mild, by the standards of recent big-name Redskins free agents. But still, there have been a few headlines. Norman’s performance in one-on-one drills against Washington’s receivers became a topic for faux debate shows. His new deal as a Fox pre-game commentator caused a few hours of chatter. He […]
Redskins GM: Backup tackle Ty Nsekhe would start for half the NFL’s teams
If you can believe this, there hasn’t been a ton of attention focused on Redskins backup tackle Ty Nsekhe this summer. I know, crazy, right? The massive 6-foot-8 335-pound backup started two games last season, and entered training camp as a virtual roster lock, but with Trent Williams and Morgan Moses entrenched as the starters, and […]
Explaining the Redskins’ color-based personnel rankings
If you’ve listened to Scot McCloughan’s radio and television appearances this summer — and I think I’ve heard them all — you’ll have noticed how he sometimes talks about players as reds and blues. Reds are good, solid, reliable contributors. Blues are superstars. Every team wants many blues, of course, and they’re the ones […]
Redskins GM: Rookie Josh Doctson’s injury is ‘not going to be a long-term thing’
If there’s been one major concern at Redskins training camp — other than Junior Galette’s season-ending Achilles’ injury — it’s been that wide receiver Josh Doctson still hasn’t been cleared to practice. Washington’s first-round pick is already assured of missing the team’s first preseason game, and some fans have worried that his entire rookie season […]
Who is Chubby Cox and why can’t Marv Albert stop talking about him?
During the U.S. men’s basketball team’s game against Venezuela on Monday, NBC announcer Marv Albert couldn’t say enough about Chubby Cox, the father of Venezuela guard John Cox and uncle of Kobe Bryant. John “Chubby” Cox, who turned 60 last year, was an eighth-round selection of the Chicago Bulls in the 1978 NBA draft after finishing his […]
Josh Norman has another new job, this one on television
Josh Norman is a fascinating quote. He talks about football in metaphors, unique expressions and with a personality that has made him a spark plug and a target for rival Odell Beckham Jr. over the course of his breakout 2015 season. It was only a matter of time until television executives were going to notice. Norman […]
Sports radio host: RGIII’s return to D.C. is the biggest Washington sports story of 2016
A few hours after I asked whether people should be more excited about the Nationals, I happened to be listening to the Junkies on 106.7 The Fan, just after Robert Griffin III was named Cleveland’s starting quarterback. Now, for weeks, the hosts have been rooting for that result, under the assumption that a Griffin vs. […]
Should we be more excited about the Nationals?
The Nationals have the second-best record in baseball. They seem certain to finish in first place for the third time in five years, something no Washington baseball team has ever done. They’re on pace to finish with their best run differential since baseball returned to Washington. They have at least one MVP candidate, at least […]
Jonathan Papelbon catches some rays in the Nats’ bullpen
The seven combined hits in Sunday’s series finale between the Nationals and Giants at Nationals Park may have been disappointing for fans of offense, but most of the crowd went home happy after Washington’s 1-0 win. Displaced closer Jonathan Papelbon sure seemed to make the most of the classic pitchers’ duel. During the bottom of the eighth […]
Three innings, three home runs for Orioles’ Manny Machado
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado hit a home run in each of the first three innings of Baltimore’s 10-2 win over the White Sox on Sunday, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat in 86 years. Machado grounded into a double play in his fourth at-bat and finished 3 for 6 with seven RBI, failing to […]
For Redskins, era of low expectations already has ended
And now, a short list of potential Redskins excellence, in the words of the Redskins: * The defensive secondary? “The best group I’ve been around,” DeAngelo Hall said. “Once we get going, if we stay healthy, who says we can’t be the number one secondary in the league?” Josh Norman added. * Starting tight end […]
Virginia governor says state is ‘in very serious negotiations’ for a Redskins stadium
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe continued his public courtship with the Redskins this week, touting the virtues of a possible new stadium in Virginia during a lengthy interview with the team’s official radio station. “I view this as a Virginia team,” the governor said on ESPN 980 Friday morning, during an appearance at the team’s training camp facilities in Richmond. “I […]
Josh Norman practice videos inspire nonsensical Stephen A. Smith speech about trolling
A football story, in five acts. Better make sure you’re sitting down for this one. And cover up all your orifices to keep any especially feisty bits of brain matter from fleeing. (Note: this blog item has no redeeming value.) ACT ONE A few days ago, there were some six-second video clips showing Josh Norman […]
P-Nats hope mock election, and Donald Trump bobbleheads, will be huge
Two months before America decides its next commander-in-chief, the Potomac Nationals are staging a mock presidential election at Pfitzner Stadium with official voting booths, ballot boxes and a staple of most successful minor league baseball promotions — bobbleheads. As part of the P-Nats’ effort to Make Voting Fun Again, all fans of legal voting age […]
DeSean Jackson isn’t happy Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson is talking about him
Redskins receiver DeSean Jackson and Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson probably won’t be engaging in a John Legend sing-along before their game in Arizona on Dec. 4. Jackson took offense to Peterson mentioning his name on Twitter on Wednesday after Redskins teammate Josh Norman made a not-so-thinly veiled referenced to the time Jackson burned Peterson for a touchdown […]
Do the Redskins have the least starpower of any D.C. team?
“This team’s boring, man,” a local media personality said to me inside the Redskins’s Richmond media center one morning this week. This observation has rapidly calcified into an incontrovertible truth. “Why is camp so boring this year?” a national media personality texted me out of the blue this week. “It’s downright boring here at Redskins training […]
The Redskins had a team John Legend sing-along, and it was amazing
With the exception of a couple of upsetting injuries, this Redskins training camp has been about peace, love and harmony. Now you can say that literally. The team’s summer rookie skits continued Wednesday night with a Nila Kasitati performance of John Legend’s “All of Me.” The video evidence, provided by Will Compton, shows that the rookie […]
Remember when DeSean Jackson got the best of Patrick Peterson? Josh Norman does
Over the weekend, Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson used a couple of videos of Redskins cornerback Josh Norman getting beat by DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in one-on-one drills at training camp as an opportunity to question Norman’s status as the highest-rated cornerback in the “Madden NFL 17″ video game. Norman fired back on Twitter with a screenshot […]
For Redskins coaches, every day is bike-to-work day
RICHMOND — Richmond’s sleepy morning commute was just about over on Wednesday when a few stragglers emerged into the sunlight and began making their way to the office. As the downtown workday began, about a dozen colleagues trickled into the city’s core in ones and twos, maneuvered their bikes around a few barriers, adjusted their backpacks and then […]
Redskins’ original Hog is a big fan of Hogs 2.0
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams paid for his fellow offensive linemen to train with him in Texas last month and printed Hogs 2.0 T-shirts for the group as a nod to the past, but he didn’t think to ask Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby or any other member of the Redskins’ dominant offensive line from the […]
Redskins GM: Washington will never do ‘Hard Knocks’
For fans of just about any NFL team, an appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” means unparalleled access and nonstop insight into how decisions get made and rosters are formed. For the teams themselves, the benefits are less obvious. That’s likely why some franchises have seemed less than anxious to open up their training camp to the […]
Throwback Caps jersey from Alex Ovechkin’s NHL debut up for auction
The jersey that Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin wore during the first period of his first NHL game on Oct. 5, 2005 is up for auction again. The black jersey features an “NHL Cares: Katrina Relief Fund” patch, which every player sported during the first period of his team’s home opener that season. The NHL auctioned off the jerseys after […]
NFL analyst: Kirk Cousins is the worst starting quarterback in the NFC East
Back in May, NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly declared the Redskins’ collection of pass-catchers the best in the league. But the former Redskins and Texans general manager isn’t quite as enamored with the man who will be throwing the ball to that group, ranking Kirk Cousins as the fourth-best quarterback in the four-team NFC East, behind Dallas’s […]
‘It was purely business:’ Irene Pollin on her husband’s dismissal of Michael Jordan
Irene Pollin’s new self-published memoir examines in detail both her personal life with husband Abe Pollin, and their shared lives as civic leaders in Washington. The book, which took six years to produce, thus examines many of the biggest moments in Washington sports history: the arrival of the Capitals, the NBA title won by the […]
Guess whose face is on the tickets for RGIII’s first game against Redskins?
One of the best annual traditions in D.C. sports continued this week: the careful studying of Redskins season tickets to try to find possible hidden meanings in which player is pictured on which ticket. Two years in a row, of course, the Redskins have put DeSean Jackson’s image on the tickets for their home game […]
The Nats blew out the Diamondbacks, but Matt Williams was still a winner
Matt Williams, who returned to coaching third base for the Arizona Diamondbacks after he was fired as manger of the Washington Nationals after the 2015 season, was a winner in his first game against his former team on Monday. The victory just doesn’t appear in the box score, which features a lot of crooked numbers in […]
Bryce Harper has the itch to pitch in Game 7 of the World Series
The Nationals got their closer for the playoff stretch when they acquired Mark Melancon from the Pirates last week. Should the 31-year-old right-hander falter or just need a breather come late October, Bryce Harper would happily volunteer to fill his role. Harper and Anthony Rendon were featured guests on the latest episode of MLB Network’s kids-focused show “Play […]
Redskins’ Colt McCoy stays ready, waiting on an ‘if’
RICHMOND — The last man off the Redskins practice field Monday afternoon was strolling back to the locker room when two fans stopped him. One was wearing a Colt McCoy Redskins jersey. The other mentioned to the real-life quarterback how much he enjoyed his Monday Night Football win over the Cowboys in 2014. Wasn’t that something, […]
ESPN analyst: Nats did a ‘terrible job’ at trade deadline
The Nationals got their trade deadline shopping out of the way early on when they acquired Pirates closer Mark Melancon on Saturday afternoon. While Washington addressed its biggest need by finding a replacement for ineffective closer Jonathan Papelbon and didn’t have to trade one of the organization’s most coveted prospects to do so, a couple of […]
Teammate: Jordan Reed is the best receiving tight end in the NFL
August is the perfect time for NFL superlatives, and the Redskins are attempting to provide their fair share. One of the latest came Monday morning, when tight end Niles Paul was asked whether Jordan Reed is among the NFL’s best receiving tight ends. “In my opinion, he’s the best receiving tight end in the league,” Paul […]
Josh Norman’s worth, as debated on ‘First Take’ one week into training camp
The Redskins made Josh Norman the highest paid cornerback in the NFL this offseason with a five-year, $75 million contract. If you read too much into a couple of videos of Norman from training camp that were posted by the Redskins’ social media team, it’s already apparent that the signing was a franchise-crippling mistake. Albert Haynesworth all […]
Niles Paul, and his viking-style beard, is back to claim his spot on the Redskins
RICHMOND — Here’s how to find Niles Paul at Redskins training camp: Look for the cactus-sized beard surrounding the electric gold grill. If the bearer of said grill is throwing punches, you’ve probably found Paul. “He’s a grizzly man,” starting tight end Jordan Reed said of his presumed backup. “That’s the type of person he […]
If you thought Kirk Cousins was corny before, look at this
This fall, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will share at least one thing in common with Taylor Swift: a corn maze cut in his likeness. Wayside Farm in Berryville, Va., which is located about 40 minutes west of Redskins Park, announced its Cousins-themed design on Facebook on Sunday. The maze will feature Cousins’s signature celebration (“You like that?!”) and […]
Patrick Peterson disses Redskins’ Josh Norman over training camp video
Redskins cornerback Josh Norman’s rivalry with Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. garners most of the headlines, and for good reason, but the growing feud between Norman and Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has potential. You may recall that Peterson tweeted “Know your worth” after the Panthers rescinded the non-exclusive franchise tag on Norman in April, making him a […]
Junior Galette’s Achilles’ tendons are Crying Jordans
If his Twitter account is any indication, Redskins outside linebacker Junior Galette has maintained a remarkably positive outlook for someone whose season ended before it began for a second consecutive year because of a torn Achilles’ tendon. Last week, Galette shared his appreciation to all the well-wishers and the doubters in the wake of his latest setback. Over the weekend, he cracked jokes […]
Redskins veterans go old-school on Su’a Cravens for sub-par rookie skit
Rookie skit night isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, if you’re new to the Redskins, you better have a thick skin — literally — because if your talent fails to impress on rookie skit night, the veterans will stone you. If yo rookie skit is trash, you get stoned <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72x72/1f602.png" alt="