ABCDE SPORTS thursday, september 23, 2010 COLLEGEFOOTBALL
It’s not ‘rocket science’ Navy says its sudden offensive turnaround has more to do with finishing drives than any specific adjustment it made. D8
HIGHSCHOOLS
Staying motivated Episcopal’s boys haven’t lost in 45 matches, yet they still feel they have something to prove. D8
BLOGS,MULTIMEDIAANDCHATS
washingtonpost.com/sports First Things First Today, 9:30 a.m. Tracee Hamilton kicks off Thursday morning with a Q&A. Ask Boswell Today, 11 a.m. The columnist will be online to talk about the Nats, Redskins and more. Capitals Insider Highlights and next-day reaction from the preseason opener in Columbus.
HOCKEY
Gordon sees an opening Right wing Andrew Gordon has been great in the AHL, and he finally sees his chance to catch on with the Capitals. D3
Johnson touched the ball all of five times before the Redskins decided he didn’t fit the scheme?” LaVar Arrington, questioning the choice to cut former Pro Bowler Larry Johnson. D2
Stern orders Arenas to not discuss gun incident THOMAS BOSWELL
Is Kasten’s time with Nats over?
F
or the past five years, the public face of theWashington Nationals has been President
Stan Kasten. Like a pit bull with a law degree, he has stood on the front step of Nationals Park and defended the teamand its owners, the Lerner family, fromevery criticism. Will he still be there, on guard,
next opening day? Or, after a season of agonizing
about his future, will he leave after his obligations to the Nats are over at the end of this year? “I can honestly tell you that no
decision has beenmade,” Kasten said. “Remember, I amthemaster of misdirection.” Although friends, family and
baseball associates know he has been reconsidering his future with the Nats formonths, and some are certain he already has decided to leave, Kastenmay still want to keep his options open. And as a result, he will continue to have asmuch influence as possible on the Lerner family, whomhe has tried, with mixed success, tomove toward his less-frugal way of thinking. In the past, Kasten has never
publicly said the Nats should increase payroll or be aggressive in
boswell continued onD3
Commissioner’s request also extends
to Wizards organization BY MICHAEL LEE
TheNBAand theWashington Wizards
are hoping Gilbert Arenas will be able to reconnect with fans more through his actions than his words. The three-time all-star is returning after serving a 50- game suspension and a month in a halfway house after bringing guns into
the Wizards’ locker room at Verizon Center, but anyone expecting the loqua- cious Arenas to open up more about what led to that embarrassing incident and the aftermath might be sorely disap- pointed. NBACommissionerDavid Stern spoke
with Arenas on Tuesday to express his excitement about having Arenas back in the league after the lengthy banishment, and he told Arenas he can talk about anything going forward — except the infamous dispute last December involv-
ing guns. Stern later called Wizards owner Ted Leonsis to inform him public comments from the organization about the situation are also off limits. Stern wants Arenas and the Wizards to put it all behind them. “It’s time to move on, rather than
obsess about the past,” Stern said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “It’s just that it’s been discussed, and dis- cussed, and discussed. It’s been written about, and written about, and written about on each occasion— his release, his
l Expect growing pains forWashington this season. Story, D2 It’s all on the line
sentencing, my ruling or what have you —and at some point, it’s time tomoveon. I think he’s entitled to do that. And I’m supportive of him. We’re lucky he’s well and we like the way he’s worked with various groups over the summer. And we think it’s time. Millions and millions of dollars later, and a new season later, I think it’s time to move on. And that’s what I told him.” Leonsis is set to begin his first full
season as majority owner of the Wizards and said he had no problem with Stern’s
arenas continued onD6 D EZ SU
TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Nationals President Stan Kasten has been reconsidering his future with the team for months.
Espinosa’s home run propels Nats past Astros
BY ADAM KILGORE Danny Espinosa may well become
the Washington Nationals’ second baseman next spring, and this month he is learning on the job. The start to his big league career was a fantasy sprung to life. Next came the cold reality that the majors is not all grand slams and curtain calls. It is, he learned, a grind. WhenEspinosa walked to the plate
for his second at-bat Wednesday night, he had five hits in his previous 51 at-bats. By the time the Nationals had secured a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros, he was giving an interview in front of the Nationals dugout after smacking a triple and bashing a game-winning, two-run home run in the seventh inning. Espinosa, in front of 12,213 at
NationalsPark, lifted theNationals to their second straight victory, allow- ing Tyler Clippard to scoop up his team-leading 11th victory despite blowing a lead in the seventh.He also checked off one more item on his September to-do list:Hehadsurvived his first slump. While theNationals won, theymay
have lost Adam Dunn for a game. nationals continued onD5
Redskins’ offensive line already in a state of flux after just two games
BY RICKMAESE As Trent Williams walked toward
the locker room, the weight on his giant frameshiftedunevenly from side to side as he favored a sore left knee. The rookie left tackle wasn’t in a talking mood. “Nah, not today,” Williams said,
swatting away questions with a just a couple of words. But the questions don’t go away. For
the Redskins’ offensive line, there are suddenly more heading into the third game of the season than they’ve faced since early in the offseason. Williams’s status for Sunday’s game
at the St. Louis Rams is up in the air. He suffered a knee contusion and sprained a toe in last Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans and was not able to participate in practiceWednesday. “We’ll evaluate him every day,”
Redskins at Rams
When: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
CoachMike Shanahan said. “Hopeful- ly, he’ll be ready to go.” If Williams isn’t, it seems increas-
ingly likely that Stephon Heyer — not Jammal Brown — would replace him at left tackle. Shanahan would offer no cluesWednesday, but Brown, who ap- peared in two Pro Bowls as a left tackle, said he hasn’t taken any reps on the left side since joining the Redskins in June. “Trent’s a good player, but Stephon
is over there, too,” Brown said. With a rushing attack ranked last in
the NFL, regardless of Williams’s sta- tus on Sunday, there are question marks at two other positions on the line as well. At left guard, coaches have been
alternating Derrick Dockery and Kory Lichtensteiger. Two games into the season, it doesn’t appear they have settled on one over the other.
redskins continued onD7
PHOTOS BY JOHN MCDONNELL/ THE WASHINGTON POST
Jammal Brown
Converted left tackle is still learning how to play on the right side in a zone-blocking scheme, and Sunday he may have to play four full quarters for the first time since 2008.
and Casey Rabach
Set to continue roles as right guard and center, respectively, but pair has not been able to prevent team from having league-worst rushing attack.
Artis Hicks
Derrick Dockery
Despite 111 straight NFL starts, he may be replaced at left guard by Kory Lichtensteiger, below, who some feel is a better fit for the team’s new blocking system.
TrentWilliams
Prized rookie left tackle missed practiceWednesday with knee and ankle injuries that could force him to sit out the Rams game in favor of Stephon Heyer.
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