D2
EZ SU
THE SIDELINE M
aybe 30 minutes after theHall of Fame induction ceremony
ended on Saturday night, I wandered away from Canton, Ohio’s Fawcett Stadium, wriggled past the line for Jerry Rice’s flashy reception, and stumbled directly into your childhood dreams. At the center of the Russ
Grimm after-party was a bar adorned with a large sign reading “5 O’clock Club.” In one corner was a huge rendition of the iconicHogs Night Out poster, which all the offensive linemen eventually autographed. There were huge buckets everywhere filled with ice-cold cans of Bud Light, and towering platters of Redskins-themed chocolate
Quick Fix Excerpts from
washingtonpost.com/sports
ALL-METSPORTS.COM Coolidge QB’s transfer is Randolph’s first crisis
Even before her first practice
as Coolidge football coach, Natalie Randolph had to deal with her first crisis. Senior Stephon Stevens, who
had played quarterback throughout the summer with the Colts in several 7-on-7 passing league tournaments, transferred to Dunbar last Thursday, a day beforeD.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association schools began fall practice. Randolph said she and her
staff were surprised by Stevens’s decision to transfer, but added, “It happens, but we’ll get over it.” She said she has about four others competing to for the role. Stevens is allowed to make
the move because ofD.C. Public QUOTABLE
‘I make some tough decisions every day, but I never decided on an onside kick in the second half of the Super
Bowl.’ President Obama, who welcomed the NFL champion New Orleans Saints to the White House on Monday.
Schools’ out-of-boundary transfer rules. Dunbar Coach Craig Jefferies
said both of Stevens’s parents graduated from Dunbar and he is cousins with Crimson Tide seniors Vance and Vernard Roberts, who have both orally committed toWest Virginia. Coolidge’s coaches said
during the summer that Stevens was perhaps their top all-around player, and wanted to maximize his talents by putting him at quarterback. Jefferies said Stevens told him he didn’t want to play both quarterback and cornerback, fearing it might be too much of a physical burden. Coming to Dunbar, Stevens
won’t have to worry about lining up under center; sophomore LamelMatthews is entering his second season as the starter. Alan Goldenbach
DAN STEINBERG D.C. Sports Bog
cupcakes. Just about everyone in attendance was wearing some sort of burgundy-and-gold homage to the 1980s. And as you wandered around
the tent, you would run into Joe Theismann andNeal Olkewicz, Joe Jacoby and Jeff Bostic, George Starke and Rick “Doc” Walker, DonnieWarren and Jim Lachey, Bruce Allen and Bubba
KLMNO 6
3
Tyer, ArtMonk and Darrell Green, Curtis Jordan andKen Houston, Joe Gibbs and Joe Bugel. “For Redskins fans like me,
it’s a dream come true, the start of theHogs getting in,” said Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who hosted the party in Grimm’s honor. I don’t want to pretend this
event transported me back tomy youth; you all know very well that I didn’t grow up inD.C., with posters of large mustachioed men onmy bedroom walls. But when you see TheWashington Post’s archives come to life in front of you, see the men step out of the highlight reels and stand in front of you with their arms around each other and their
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2010
WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS First Things First: Join columnist Tracee Hamil- ton weekday mornings at 9:30 to discuss the hottest topics from the world of sports.
Old-school Redskins go Hog wild in Canton
hands around cans of beer, maybe you start shivering a little bit, and not because of the temperature of those Bud Lights. So there’s Jacoby, towering
over the giggling crowd as Jordan resumes his role as team comedian. There’s Grimm, walking around in a beat-up baseball hat, camaraderie leaking out his pores. There’s Walker, cigar jutting out of his mouth, and Theismann, hair as glorious as ever. And oh yeah, there are the
Hogs in a tight circle, each raising up a can of adult beverage over the head of the grinning Bugel, and then tipping them back in a group celebration. “The friendships don’t say
goodbye, they kind of go on hold, you know?” Lachey said. “Personalities don’t change, man, over the years.We had a lot of fun back then and we have a lot of fun now.” Indeed, the whole thing had a
family reunion vibe, complete with corny group hats and repeated hearty hugs. Grimm acknowledged Snyder during his acceptance speech, and he did so again at the party, grabbing the owner by the hand and saying “thanks for everything.” At some point, the guy with the microphone announced that Grimm would not be signing any more autographs for the night, so that he could kick back and enjoy the celebration. Fans posed for photos by the bust, which
gazed out over the party from next to the old-school photos. But even though that statue was just of one guy’s head, players said the day represented something more. “I think everybody feels a
little piece of them being in there now,” Bostic said. “This is something you’ll
never forget the rest of your life,” Bugel said, the crevices in his face locked into that giddy grin. “Me personally, being able to introduce Russ Grimm, that’s the highlight ofmy football career. That’s the icing on the cake right there. And to have a kind of party like this, to see everybody, how happy they are, this reminds me of the old times.”
steinbergd@washpost.com
WASHINGTONPOST LIVEWITH IVAN CARTER 5 P.M. ON COMCAST SPORTSNET Denny Neagle and live guests from Redskins training camp join The Post’s MikeWise and Rick Maese.
More at
washingtonpost.com/mysticsinsiderHot Topic Mystics
JESSICA HILL/ASSOCIATED PRESS TheMystics andMonique Currie (25) find themselves in a competitive race for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Playoff push comes to shove TELEVISIONANDRADIO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 7 p.m.
7 p.m. 10 p.m.
WNBA 7 p.m.
10 p.m.
SOCCER 8 p.m.
Florida atWashington » MASN2, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)
Baltimore at Cleveland » MASN, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
Chicago Cubs at San Francisco » WGN
Connecticut atWashington » Comcast SportsNet Indiana at Los Angeles » ESPN2
Friendly, Brazil at United States » ESPN
LITTLE LEAGUEWORLD SERIES 3 p.m.
6 p.m.
Southwestern region semifinal » ESPN2 Southwestern region semifinal » ESPN2
BY KATIE CARRERA After consecutive losses against fellow
Eastern Conference playoff contenders, theWashingtonMystics return to Verizon Center fully understanding the urgency required to secure a berth in theWNBA playoffs. Washington has six regular season
only from Comcast. ΠPROBASKETBALL
At induction, Jordan will again flank Pippen Fittingly, Scottie Pippen will
have Michael Jordan by his side again when he goes into the Hall of Fame. Pippen will be presented by
his former Chicago Bulls team- mate when he is inducted Friday night. Each inductee is present- ed by a current Hall of Famer. Jordan was enshrined last year. Pippen will be inducted twice
Friday. Pippen and Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, were part of the Dream Team that highlights the class, along with Karl Malone and the 1960 U.S. Olympic team. . . . The NBA is taking regular-
season games to Europe for the first time. Commissioner David Stern
announced Monday that the To- ronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets will play a pair of regular- season games in London this season. The teamswill face each other March 4 and 5 at the O2 Arena,
contests remaining, beginning with a 7 p.m. rematch on Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun (14-14), which defeated theMystics, 76-67, on Sunday and trails Washington (16-12) by two games for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East. “This game against Connecticut is absolutely huge,”Mystics forward Monique Currie said. “They’re chasing us
DIGEST
Jersey Devils. The league had rejected the
the same venue that has hosted preseason games over the last several years. . . . Center Joakim Noah and the
Bulls are discussing a possible contract extension and hope to have an agreement by the start of the season. Noah’s agent, Donald Dell,
confirmed a report that the two sides have begun talks. Noah is due $3.1 million next season, the fourth of his rookie contract. . . . The Nets signed free agent
forward Sean May. . . . Mike Ilitch, the Little Caesars
pizza mogul who already owns the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, said he wants to buy the Pistons in part to make sure another buyer doesn’t move the NBA franchise out of town.
HOCKEY An arbitrator ruled that the
NHL acted correctly in voiding Ilya Kovalchuk’s landmark $102 million contract with the New
17-year contract, saying the lon- gest deal in league history violat- ed its salary cap. The NHL Play- ers Association filed a grievance against the league.Ahearingwas held last week and arbiter Rich- ard Bloch sided with the league. The decision puts Kovalchuk
back on the free agent market. . . .
Teemu Selanne is returning
to the AnaheimDucks. The teamsaid the 40-year-old
right winger has signed a one- year deal through the 2010-11 season. . . . Philadelphia Flyers forward
Riley Cote has retired and will stay with the organization as an assistant coach for the team’s AHL affiliate.
COLLEGEFOOTBALL Aftermissing all of last season
fighting cancer, Boston College linebackerMark Herzlichmissed the Eagles’ opening practicewith a foot injury. Herzlich had an X-ray on his right foot, and it was negative.
. . . NickBecton, listed asVirginia
Tech’s starting left tackle on the preseason depth chart, will be sidelined at least two weeks by a right toe injury. . . . Syracuse Coach Doug Mar-
rone announced that star run- ning back Delone Carter is re- turning and tailback Averin Col- lier, who would have been a junior, would not be back be- cause of academic issues. . . . The Texas appeals court han-
dling former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach’s lawsuit against the university over his 2009 firing has set Oct. 7 for oral arguments.
TOM CRUZE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
MISC. Virginia and Virginia Tech are
taking part in this year’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge on the basketball court. Virginia will play atMinneso-
ta on Nov. 29. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Purdue’s game at Virginia Tech on Dec. 1 will be shown on ESPN. . . . Rachel Rohanna, an all-Big
Ten golfer atOhio State, set aU.S. Women’s Amateur scoring re-
Michael Jordan, left, will present Scottie Pippen as his longtime sidekick in Chicago joins him in the BasketballHall of Fame.
cord with a 65 during a muggy first round. . . . Martin O’Neill has resigned as
manager of Aston Villa, just five days before the start of the Premier League soccer season. . . .
James Blake and his rowdy
“J-Block” group of fans are re- turning to the Pilot Pen tennis
tournament in New Haven, Conn. Blake, who grew up in nearby Greenwich, accepted an invitation to the event, which begins Aug. 20. . . . Croatian tennis players Ivo
Karlovic and Mario Ancic have withdrawn from the U.S. Open because of injuries. — Fromnews services
tightly bunched teams duke it out for postseason berths
In Eastern Conference,
at the moment and we need to control anything we can down the stretch.We had a good game plan against them [Sunday] but in the fourth quarter they came out and played harder than we did.We just have to want it more.” The top five teams in the six-team
Eastern Conference are within four games of one another, with Indiana (18-10) leading the way. Even sixth-place Chicago, which at 12-17 is 61/2
games back, is still
mathematically alive for the playoffs. The top four finishers qualify for the postseason with the top two earning home-court advantage. No team may better understand the
immediate impact of a result in the East thanWashington. Less than two weeks ago, theMystics held the top position in the standings, but have gone 3-5 since to jeopardize their chances of simply reaching the postseason. Needing to win late in the season is not
an unfamiliar situation forWashington. “Last year we were waiting on teams to
lose and that’s the most horrible feeling in the world,” point guard LindseyHarding said. “We don’t want to have other teams control our future. Right now things are in our hands.We have the control. If we win them all we’re in, if we win most of them we should be in.We need to win.” Luckily for theMystics, they will play
four of these final six games at Verizon Center, where they are 9-4 this season. “We were all talking about that,”
forward Crystal Langhorne said. “We play well at home and we have to take advantage of that.We’re all aware of what the standings look like and know we need to take care of business.” Washington is bidding for a second
consecutive postseason appearance and the team’s sixth trip to the playoffs in its 13-year history. Also within reach is a franchise record for wins. The 2006 team finished 18-16, one of only three times in the 12 previous seasons that theMystics have surpassed 16 victories.
carrerak@washpost.com
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