Midatlantic Sports Fan Blog

Top draft pick Stephen Strasburg has made his spring training debut for the Washington Nationals, pitching two scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers.

Starting for Washington, Strasburg threw 15 of his 27 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits, successive two-out singles by Don Kelly and Alex Avila in the second. But the right-hander finished off Brent Dlugach with a bending, 81 mph breaking ball for an inning-ending strikeout.

Strasburg’s four-seam fastball was consistently measured in the 97-98 mph range and he struck out two Tuesday. But he had some problems with location and threw first-pitch strikes to only two of the eight batters he faced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

José Theodore had managed to keep his personal tragedy as far from the ice as possible. The Washington Capitals goalie didn’t want to make his teammates uncomfortable, and the rink was a place where, for three hours a day, he could go to escape.

But last week, Theodore sat on the bench at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, took a deep breath and, through tears, gave the first interview about his 2-month-old son Chace, who died in August from respiratory complications related to a premature birth.

“Obviously, it’s a tough story for anybody,” he said. “It’s not something people are comfortable talking about. People say to me, ‘I can’t imagine.’ To be honest, they can’t imagine. They can try to imagine. But until you are there, you can’t put yourself in those people’s shoes.”

Click here to read the full article – By Washington Post

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“A half-hour after Saturday’s shootout loss in St. Louis, Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green emerged limping from the visitors’ dressing room at Scottrade Center.

“This is going to be good for us,” said Green, who is still feeling the effects of a bruised right knee he suffered Jan. 29 against Florida. “I have some bumps and bruises that need some rest.”

As Green hobbled toward the team bus, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Semyon Varlamov, Nicklas Backstrom and Tomas Fleischmann — the five Capitals who will represent their countries in Vancouver — scurried around, gathering up equipment, bubble wrapping sticks and stuffing oversized red bags with rolls of tape.

There is no rest for Washington’s weary Olympians; on Sunday morning, they boarded a flight to Vancouver for a 12-nation tournament that will rival the intensity of the NHL playoffs.

The 18 others returned to Washington before scattering across North America. Some were scheduled to travel south in search of sun and palm trees. Others planned to visit family. All, however, welcome a respite from the mental and physical toll exerted by their pressure-packed pursuit of Pittsburgh’s league-record 17 consecutive victories, a chase that came up three wins short.

Click here to read the full article – By Washington Post

Washington Capitals License Plate

Washington Capitals License Plate

Brooks Laich scored with 19 seconds remaining in regulation to rally the Washington Capitals from a three-goal deficit and force the game to overtime Wednesday night. But, as it turned out, his third goal of the night only delayed the demise of a historic run.

Tomas Plekanec capitalized on a defensive zone breakdown, in a game full of them for the Capitals, with eight seconds left in the extra session to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-5 win at Bell Centre that ended Washington’s winning streak at 14 games.

“This is 14 times worse than just one loss,” winger Tomas Fleischmann said. “This one hurts worse that the others. I’m really upset right now. We had opportunities to win it, but we played really sloppy on our defensive zone. You can’t win if you play that sloppy.”

After falling behind 5-2 late in the second period, the Capitals put fans on the edge of their seats with goals from Mike Green, on the power play, and Laich, on an odd man break, that whittled Washington’s deficit to a single goal.

Laich then completed his hat trick when he redirected a pass between Carey Price’s pads. But the Capitals faltered in the waning seconds of a wide open, four-on-four overtime period. Plekanec sneaked down low and scored his second goal of the game, tapping in a crossing pass from Sergei Kostitsyn (three assists) on a play Coach Bruce Boudreau said underscored a poor effort by his blueliners.

Click here to read the full article – By Washington Post

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Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau finds it hard to believe his club has won a franchise record 11 straight games. Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien feels the same about his team’s eight-game losing streak.


In what loomed as a mismatch between the highest and lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, the Capitals finally took their first lead in the third period and beat the Bruins 4-1 on Tuesday night.

The Capitals’ record winning streak of 10 games set 26 years ago had been surpassed.

“It’s pretty mind boggling,” Boudreau said. “It’s a good milestone for these guys and you could see when they got the lead we finally started playing better.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Ten current Capitals were not even born the last time the organization won 10 games in a row.

It’s been 26 years since Washington had a hockey team this hot. On Tuesday night, that old mark could fall for good as the Caps go for a record 11 wins in a row when they travel to Boston to play the struggling Bruins.

The players are enjoying the streak. But making history takes a back seat to a deep playoff run this spring. What happens now will have little to do with what happens when the games really matter.

“If you allow yourself to get caught up in it or think about it too much you’re in trouble,” said Caps center Brendan Morrison. “Don’t worry about a winning streak. Worry about preparing. Worry about playing consistent, which we’ve been doing pretty well almost every game. The big thing is taking care of the details.”

Click here to read the full article – By Washington Examiner

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NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Washington Wizards guards Gilbert Arenas and for the remainder of the NBA season Wednesday, and ESPN.com learned that Arenas has agreed not to appeal the punishment.

Stern’s disciplinary actions were announced Wednesday afternoon after Arenas met face-to-face with Stern for the first time since the gun incident that put Arenas’ future with the Wizards in doubt.

The Washington Post first reported the length of the Arenas suspension, and a source with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com that Arenas told Stern that he expected and deserved to be suspended for the rest of the season.

Another source divulged to ESPN that Crittenton has not yet agreed to accept the suspension and that his counsel and the players union are in discussions on how they might challenge it.

Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein and Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com

Forty minutes of Detroit domination wasn’t enough to subdue the streaking Washington Capitals, whose offense finally came to life deep in the third period.


Nicklas Backstrom and Dave Steckel scored 46 seconds apart late in game, rallying the Capitals past the Red Wings 3-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

“They pretty much took it to us the whole game,” Steckel said. “I mean, that’s the bottom line. I thought we could have played better, but to their credit, they prevented us from playing pretty well.”

Until a tripping call on Todd Bertuzzi set the Capitals’ comeback in motion.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed said Saturday that he’s “50-50″ on whether he will retire or return to the Baltimore Ravens for another NFL season.

Reed, 31, admits that Baltimore’s 20-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts stings and that he doesn’t want to make an emotional decision. But after dealing with a serious neck injury for the past few seasons, Reed said that retirement is an option.

“It’s 50-50,” Reed said. “I got great doctors that I deal with. So I’m going to re-evaluate things and see how it goes. … At the end of the day, it’s my decision to play with injuries going forward for my career.”

Ravens No. 1 receiver Derrick Mason also said Saturday night that he’s undecided on his playing future.

Mason, 36, completed the final year of his contract with Baltimore and will become a free agent in March.

Click here to read the full article – By James Walker of ESPN.com

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has been charged with a felony in connection with last month’s locker room confrontation with a teammate.

But, Arenas has reached a plea agreement that would result in little or no jail time, several sources close to the case told The Washington Post. The newspaper had reported if convicted, Arenas could face a maximum five years in jail and a fine.


Arenas is expected to plead guilty Friday afternoon before D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin, The Post reported. His court appearance is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.

Arenas, who last week was suspended indefinitely without pay by NBA commissioner David Stern, was charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business.

The charges were filed in D.C. Superior Court in an “information,” a document that generally signals a plea deal. The charge came directly from prosecutors and not in the form of an indictment.

“We are aware of the charge filed against Gilbert Arenas today and will continue to follow the ongoing legal process very carefully,” the Wizards said in a statement issued Thursday. “We will also continue to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA.”

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com