Posted on April 19th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Three games, two countries, and one city, the latter full of angst-ridden fans watching from afar.
Or in other words, Tuesday night in D.C.
Trepidation always follows when the calendar conspires to put the Capitals, Wizards and Nationals in action on the same date. Such occurrences typically serve as a warmup act for autumn’s solo performance, when the Nats face all the playoff pressure with none of the emotional support from fellow home teams.
We know how these stories usually end once they untwine.
Take last year, for instance, when the Nats recorded a walk-off win against Baltimore on May 10. Unfortunately, in second-round matchups the same night, Pittsburgh bounced the Caps in Game 7 and Boston throttled the Wizards in Game 5. Five months later at Nationals Park, the Chicago Cubs extended the Nats’ streak of first-round misery.
If this year is going to be different, you couldn’t tell entering Tuesday night.
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Posted on April 17th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
According to a popular theory entering the NBA playoffs, Wizards-Raptors isn’t your typical No. 1 vs. No. 8 series.
Toronto struggled against Washington in the regular season, splitting four games in which the Wizards’ best player, John Wall, played none. The Raptors also carried bad memories of the teams’ last playoff encounter, a sweep three seasons ago.
That series, which began in Toronto, was part of the Raptors’ 10-game losing streak in playoff openers. Six of those series started at home. Embarking on the 2018 postseason with the Wizards in town, the Raptors faced visions of the past, the weight of being No. 1, and the necessity to treat the opener – in All-Star guard Kyle Lowry’s words – “like a Game 7.”
Conversely, Washington treated Saturday’s contest like the eighth game … of the regular season. Like some nondescript matchup against the Orlando Magic or Sacramento Kings in November, when teams are still feeling themselves out.
The Raptors’ 114-106 victory was about as close as the score suggested. Washington’s three-point lead early in the final quarter was erased by an 18-6 run after forward Mike Scott’s flagrant foul on Lowry. The spurt included four 3-pointers, a pair each from role players C.J. Miles and Delon Wright.
The nearest defender on some of those shots and others (the Raptors hit 16 of 30 from long distance) appeared to be stuck in Customs at the border.
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Posted on April 12th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” – Things I Don’t Understand:
*HOW BARRY TROTZ COULD MAKE A BAD CHOICE IN GOAL.
The Capitals coach tabbed Philip Grubauer to open the playoffs in net, not Braden Holtby. It seems like an easy decision given Grubauer’s fine play down the stretch. But Holtby is among the game’s best goalies.
And though the Caps’ postseason history is depressing, the veteran’s goals-against-average in the playoffs is 2.00. Trotz said he’ll choose his goaltender “game by game.”
That’s how we’ll grade his decisions, too.
*WHY BEN SIMMONS IS CONSIDERED A ROOKIE.
Blake Griffin won a Rookie of the Year award, but we shouldn’t repeat the mistake of honoring a second-year player this season. Like Griffin, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons was injured and didn’t play during his first year in the league.
But playing time shouldn’t be factor … unless rookies glued to the bench by their coach remain eligible for ROY the following season. Injuries kept you off the court?
Oh well, that’s the way the rookie crumbles.
*HOW THE MARLINS REALLY BELONG TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.
This might be the most egregious example of “lawyering up” ever: An MLB team claims to be from the British Virgin Islands. Just disregard “Miami” on the uniform.
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Posted on April 9th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
OK, I need another reminder: Why is it that we don’t see two-way baseball players again?
Whatever the reasons, they sound like lame excuses and tired rationalizations after Shohei Ohtani’s performance thus far with the Los Angeles Angels. The 23-year-old who pitched and slugged his way to stardom in Japan is turning convention upside down in the States.
A couple of weeks ago, there were legitimate questions whether he should make the Opening Day roster. Beginning in the minors seemed logical for a youngster adapting to a new culture while struggling mightily on the mound and at the plate. The 27.00 ERA and .125 batting average during spring training couldn’t have done much for his confidence.
The lights at Triple-A Salt Lake City don’t shine nearly as brightly as they do at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Giving Ohtani time to adjust, before placing him under the big-league spotlight, seemed like the considerate thing to do, prudence and protection for his psyche as well as the Angels’ investment.
But Los Angeles ignored his spring, instead putting faith in his raw tools and five awesome seasons in Japan.
Good call.
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Posted on April 6th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Having already recorded his first victory as a manager – followed by his first series sweep, first four-game winning streak and first two losses – Washington manager Dave Martinez donned the home whites at Nationals Park for the first time.
News of general manager Mike Rizzo’s contract extension stole some of Martinez’s shine Thursday, but it was welcomed. That was one less thing to wonder about.
But what were his expectations entering his inaugural contest as the skipper on South Capitol Street?
He predicted more of what he experienced during his last visit – the feeling, not the emotions in the first-base dugout at game’s end.
“This is gonna be fun,” Martinez said prior to the Nats’ 8-2 home-opening defeat against the New York Mets.
He was wrong, unless you’re entertained by seventh-inning grand slams by Jay Bruce. But let’s say Martinez was speaking in general about managing high-interest games in Washington.
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Posted on April 4th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Well, that was nice.
Villanova won the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with an old-fashioned college team, nary a one-and-done in sight. Vanquished Michigan was constructed in similar fashion by John Beilein, voted the sport’s cleanest coach in a CBS poll of 100 coaches last year.
Loyola Chicago, which hasn’t produced an NBA player since 1987 – Andre Moore, whose career totaled one season, two teams and 10 games – reached the Final Four despite being an 11-seed. And in the tournament’s most heart-warming story ever, UMBC made history by advancing as a 16-seed.
It was almost enough to make you think the tourney is played by nonprofessionals.
Technically, that’s correct. Every player who stepped on the court is an amateur, from UMBC’s 5-foot-8 guard K.J. Maura, to Arizona’s seven-foot center (and potential No. 1 draft pick) DeAndre Ayton. They are student-athletes who play for love of the game, while receiving scholarships in return.
That’s what separates college players from NBA players. That’s where NCAA president Mark Emmert and his accomplices want us to focus. That’s why the championship run by Villanova and Michigan’s was so vital as the FBI probes.
Did you see NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice during the tournament? He appeared in an NCAA TV commercial, “Opportunity,” that aired several times. It’s part of the organization’s longstanding effort to divert attention from the folks counting money behind closed doors.
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Posted on April 2nd, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
If you’re like me, you didn’t watch much women’s basketball this season.
“None” is probably more accurate.
But as someone who appreciates the drama of live sports most when championships are at stake, I tuned into the Final Four over the weekend. Granted, I expected to see Connecticut cap another undefeated season with another national title.
Dynasties are fascinating in any sport, whether it’s the Yankees in baseball, the Patriots in football, the Celtics in basketball, or the Canadiens in hockey. Sustained runs of excellence are even more impressive in college, where eligibility limits star performers to four seasons.
So, it doesn’t matter that Geno Auriemma coaches UConn’s women team, compared to the legendary John Wooden, who coached the UCLA men. Dominance is dominance, regardless of gender. Auriemma was shooting for his 12th national title and seventh perfect season. Wooden captured 11 national titles and recorded four undefeated seasons.
But I digress.
Turns out that the women’s Final Four wasn’t about the Huskies. They were stunned in the semifinals on a buzzer-beating jumper in overtime to finish at 36-1 … after being stunned in last year’s semifinals on a buzzer-beating jumper in overtime to finish at 36-1.
This Final Four was about tight, tense, edge-of-your-seat basketball. And a cold-blooded shooter from Notre Dame, which won its second national championship.
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Posted on March 28th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Opening.
Day.
The words in concert unleash a flood of emotions.
They’re comforting and reassuring. They’re thrilling and exhilarating. They’re full of new hope for old dreams and new life for dead teams.
This is one aspect of baseball – spring training is another – that remains virtually unspoiled and unsoiled. No matter how much damage MLB has inflicted over the years with civic extortion, inflated statistics, silly labor disputes, tiny ballparks, laughable drug policies, runaway salaries, shrinking strike zones, irresponsible owners and late-night World Series, all seems right again when Game 1 of 162 arrives.
The Nationals start their season Thursday in Cincinnati. Along with the Reds, they will have plenty of company across the country. For the first time since 1968, Opening Day features a full slate. All 30 teams are in action, playing on the earliest start date for domestic games in history.
Washington’s outlook is as rosy as it’s been the last six years, four of which featured National League East titles. Dave Martinez has a loaded roster to direct as a rookie manager and he isn’t shying from the pressure. “From day one I told them,” Martinez said, via The Washington Post. “I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to play the last game of the World Series and win. That’s what our expectations are.’”
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Posted on March 27th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Earlier this month, the Wizards were among a few teams yet to suffer a three-game losing streak this season, despite missing John Wall for 26 contests at that point.
Now, with Wall nearing a return, Washington has endured its second three-game skid in three weeks. The team had dropped from fourth to sixth in the fight for playoff position, with the Milwaukee Bucks and “60 Minutes” star Giannis Antetokounmpo breathing down its neck.
And, oh yeah: The San Antonio Spurs visit Capital One Arena Tuesday.
You might notice a difference in the level of competition compared to Sunday’s opponent, the New York Knicks. But there’s no telling if the Wizards will see the difference. The Knicks came to D.C. with nothing to play for and nothing to lose, but they left with a 101-97 victory and a measure of vindication for former Wizards guard Trey Burke.
“I don’t want to make it about me,” Burke told reporters after scoring 19 points in his first start in three years. “We won the game and that’s the biggest thing.”
The Knicks improved to 20 games under .500, reminding us that the Wizards have struggled at times with sup-par teams. Washington’s record against teams below the break-even mark is 19-11, worst among the Eastern Conference’s top 10 teams.
Slogging through the schedule in late January before the All-Star break is one thing. Failing to play inspired basketball down the stretch with the playoffs looming is something else altogether.
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Posted on March 21st, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
First, an admission.
My father isn’t a legendary figure in sports broadcasting history. I didn’t build a Hall of Fame career as an NFL general manager or a Super Bowl champion. I have no stake in any Silicon Valley investment firms.
Nonetheless, I think we need another football league like cable TV needs another channel.
Others, like folks in the aforementioned categories, disagree.
Three fledgling enterprises are now on the clock, including the Alliance of American Football, announced Tuesday. It joins the upcoming revival of Vince McMahon’s XFL, and a new development league being started by agent Don Yee, who represents New England QB Tom Brady.
The AAF, which plans to start playing a week after Super Bowl 53 next February, is helmed by television and movie producer Charlie Ebersol, and longtime NFL executive Bill Polian. Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is among the former NFL players involved (Hines Ward and Justin Tuck are others).
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