Posted on October 19th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
I’ll be honest. This was one of my first thoughts Wednesday night after the Wizards’ season opener against the 76ers:
Phew! No one suffered a grotesque injury!
Gordon Hayward’s unfortunate break, the night before in Cleveland, was still in my head. And I didn’t even see it in real-time or later via replay. The look on spectators’ faces and a single image of Boston’s prize free agent – his foot and ankle at painfully implausible angles – did the trick.
Look, I still have visions of witnessing Moises Alou’s severe fracture nearly 25 years ago and that’s enough.
The Hayward incident reminded us that prospects for a season can be fragile, like bones and ligaments if we’re unlucky. The Celtics’ chances of repeating as No. 1 seed in the East dimmed while the Wizards’ outlook for claiming the top spot brightened, LeBron James and Cleveland notwithstanding.
Aside from the forward Jason Smith’s sprained shoulder, the Wizards came away with a clean of bill of health. That’s as important as anything else derived from Washington’s 120-115 victory.
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Posted on October 18th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Just like winter, the end of one-and-done is coming.
I don’t long for the cold weather, but the NBA’s inevitable shift will warm my heart.
Commissioner Adam Silver is a sharp guy. He’s smart enough to acknowledge the flaws in a system where premier talent uses the NCAA as a 35-game waiting room. Although improving college basketball isn’t his concern, he realizes his league would benefit from a different structure, too.
However, unlike many who bemoan the exodus of freshmen signing contracts for NBA riches, Silver recognizes the inherent unfairness of asking elite players to delay their paydays while coaches, administrators and the NCAA rake in millions upon millions of dollars.
“Of course, the issue for the top college kids is whether they should be paid,” Silver said Monday on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” show. “It may be the case at this point, given the amount of money that is generated by their performances, that we as the NBA have to take a serious look at paying them.”
Two-way contracts constituted a step. For the first time, each NBA team this season can carry two roster spots for players in the G League. Depending on how much time they spend with their NBA team, those players can earn up to $250,000.
Yes, a scholarship might be worth more. But it doesn’t replace lint in your pockets.
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Posted on October 16th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The NBA season is upon us.
Feels like it never left. Instead, the action picked up as superstars packed up after the games ended.
Two of the biggest movers-and-shakers will model their new uniforms Tuesday in a doubleheader featuring conference finals favorites. Kyrie Irving leads the Celtics against his former team, the Cavaliers. LeBron James is questionable with an ankle injury, though he’d probably hop around on one leg for a chance to beat Irving.
The nightcap features Houston’s Chris Paul, the former longtime Los Angeles Clippers point guard, joining forces with James Harden to take on Golden State. While Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City are gunning for their title in the Western Conference, the Warriors are low-key threats to approach their NBA-record 73 victories.
In the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards look around and notice several missing faces. Indiana no longer has Paul George, who’s running with Russell Westbrook in OKC. The same goes for Carmelo Anthony, who finally made his escape from New York and makes the Thunder a legitimate threat.
Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap are two more All-Stars who moved from east to west, respectively, Chicago to Minnesota and Atlanta to Denver. The offseason talent drain only increased the intraconference disparity. If the NBA threw all 16 playoff teams into a single bracket, chances are the East wouldn’t have a squad that reaches the Final Four.
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Posted on October 16th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Everyone knows appearances can be deceiving. We look at the NFL schedule when it’s released and we circle dates that figure to have the most significance.
We note the appointments with division foes, the match-ups against high-profile teams and the contests slated for prime-time broadcasts. Adjustments can and will be made when some teams perform worse than expected as the season progresses, but at least a handful of matchups always remain in the low-anticipation, high-yawn category as kickoff draws near.
The San Francisco 49ers, Sunday’s visitors at FedEx Field, were the perfect example. Arguably the least-attractive home date before the season began, the Niners’ 0-5 record only added to the blasé feelings they generated. With Washington coming off a bye, feeling good about being 2-2 and looking forward to Monday night’s tilt against Philadelphia, San Francisco should’ve been a gimme.
But in actuality, this was a big game, as big as they come. It would’ve been even bigger if Washington didn’t hold on for a 26-24 victory.
It’s hard to fathom the damage that would’ve resulted from falling to a winless team, at home, while trying to establish playoff bona fides, with back-to-back division opponents up next. A defeat under those circumstances would’ve been a devastating blow to all the progress Washington has exhibited thus far.
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Posted on October 13th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER (as published on 106.7 The Fan)
In a funny 1997 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, the former, speaking to a group of depressed psychiatric patients, asks a sobering question:
“What if this is as good as it gets?”
Washington sports fans must wonder the same thing about the Nationals (not to mention the Capitals, Wizards and local NFL team).
Since 2012, the Nats have won four division titles and compiled the second-best record in the majors. That plus some tickets would get them to the National League Championship Series.
Another trip to the playoffs has ended with another short-lived run, despite fielding arguably their best overall team.
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Posted on October 12th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List™” – Things I Don’t Understand:
*How the U.S. men whiffed on World Cup bid
All things considered, reaching the World Cup should’ve been the least of our concerns. Soccer has exploded in popularity in the U.S. We hadn’t failed to qualify since the 1986 cycle. The opponent on Tuesday, Trinidad & Tobago, had nothing to play for. According to FiveThirtyEight, the American men hadn’t lost a match with such a high probability of winning since 1885.
No wonder our soccer is clowned around the globe.
*Why President Trump needled the local hockey team
The Pittsburgh Penguins brought the Stanley Cup Tuesday as they visited the White House. Trump rubbed it for D.C. fans. “Are they tough, the Washington Capitals?” he jovially asked the Penguins. “Are they tough? What do you think, huh?” Pittsburgh defeated Washington in the playoffs the last two seasons. Overall, the Pens have won nine of 10 postseason series against the Caps.
The only thing tough when they meet is the Caps’ luck.
*How forced adherence equals unity
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Posted on October 9th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
The reality is, plenty of folks could use less football in their lives.
The same energy, passion, and devotion they generate for the NFL could be used elsewhere, for more meaningful matters like family and community. If real-life issues rose to the same level of importance as football for some people, the world would be a much better place.
Vice President Mike Pence walked out of an NFL game Sunday.
Good for him!
I’m sure he had more pressing business that required his attention. He shouldn’t have been there in the first place, considering he flew from Nevada to Indianapolis for the game, only to fly back west to California. That was a waste in more ways than one; he knew he was exiting after the national anthem and the Los Angeles Rams played at home the same day. He could’ve saved a lot of time and money.
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Posted on October 6th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
Most prognosticators have the Capitals returning to the pack after back-to-back Metropolitan Division titles and President’s Trophies. The forecast is based on the numerous veterans from last year who now wear different sweaters, including Marcus Johannsson, Justin Williams and Karl Alzner.
Additionally, Alex Ovechkin apparently showed his age in scoring just 33 goals last season, his second-lowest total in a full campaign. The 32-year-old “Great Eight,” entering his 13th season, is supposed to be a shell of his former self. Adjusting his style of play and making a new commitment training would be his only hope of remaining an elite scorer.
All those things might be true.
But for at least two games, Ovi reminded everyone of his generational greatness. He just became the first NHL player in 100 years to open a season with back-to-back hat tricks.
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Posted on October 5th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
Thursday and Friday bring a tale of two seasons to the DMV, one getting underway and one possibly ending next week.
The Washington Capitals, coming off back-to-back division titles, open the regular season 900 miles away in Ottawa. In Southeast DC, the Washington Nationals begin the postseason after winning their second consecutive division crown.
The two franchises share more than a city and jittery fan base. Each has a recent history of being uncommonly good … except when it matters the most.
For the Nats, winning the NL East four times in six years is overshadowed by the Division Series-eliminations in each instance. Their failure to advance hangs over Nationals Park and will fly with them to Wrigley Field, where the 2016 World Series banner waves.
Considering how the Cubs’ went 108 years between championships, Chicago knows a little about quests for postseason success.
“I definitely think there’s probably a little bit more pressure on them,” Chicago utilityman Ben Zobrist told reporters Tuesday. “They haven’t been out of this first series yet. Obviously, they’re very motivated to try to do that. But they know it’s a very, very big moment for them and their organization.”
For the Caps, beginning their fourth season under coach Barry Trotz, Thursday feels like the exact opposite.
Their anxiety and tension is six months away, when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. Washington’s performance between now and then is figuratively meaningless, just like the seven first-place finishes in the last 10 years. None of those seasons reached even the conference finals.
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Posted on October 3rd, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
Growing up as a young football fan in Brooklyn, I didn’t realize what I was missing. The revelation came upon leaving for Washington to attend Howard University.
There was more to NFL Sundays than Giants and Jets games.
Who knew?
Unfortunately, some children in Los Angeles might grow up believing that the league revolves around the Rams and Chargers. Their parents will long for the days when L.A. didn’t have franchises of its own, meaning the two or three most-appealing NFL contests were beamed into their homes every Sunday.
That’s not what I enjoyed when I arrived on campus, as Washington games were a constant. But this new, one-team market left room for the marquee matchups I previously only read about. And when the Colts moved to Indianapolis shortly thereafter, proximity to Baltimore became a bonus.
Between the TV stations there and in D.C., I had the opportunity to watch as many as five different games on a given Sunday!
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