D2
EZ SU THE SIDELINE CHATREWIND
“Don’t be surprised if [Stephen] Strasburg starts 15 games—in the majors and minors—next year.
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
Thomas Boswell, talking about the Nationals, in his weekly online Q&A.
TELEVISION AND RADIO
TODAY NBA 7 p.m.
8 p.m.
Portland atWashington » Comcast SportsNet,WJFK (106.7 FM) Chicago at Boston » ESPN
10:30 p.m. Dallas at Utah » ESPN
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 7 p.m.
8:30 p.m. 11 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 7 p.m.
10:15 p.m.
Maryland Baltimore County at Connecticut » MASN St. Joseph’s at Villanova » ESPNU
Kansas State atWashington State » Comcast SportsNet
MAC championship game, Northern Illinois vs. Miami (Ohio) » ESPN2 Illinois at Fresno State » ESPN2
WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER 4 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
GOLF 1:30 p.m.
4 p.m.
BOXING 11:05 p.m.
College Cup, Notre Dame vs. Ohio State » ESPN2 College Cup, Boston College vs. Stanford » ESPNU
LPGA Tour Championship » Golf Channel ChevronWorld Challenge » Golf Channel
Cruiserweight bout, Lateef Kayode vs. Ed Perry » Showtime SATURDAY
NHL 7 p.m.
SOCCER 10 a.m.
NBA 8 p.m.
8:30 p.m. Atlanta atWashington » Comcast SportsNet, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM) English Premier League, Chelsea at Everton » ESPN2 TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Houston at Chicago » WGN Orlando at Milwaukee » NBA TV
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Noon
Noon
Utah State at Georgetown » ESPNU, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)
William&Mary at Virginia Commonwealth » Comcast SportsNet
12:30 p.m. Kentucky atNorth Carolina »WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13),WSPZ (570 AM) 1 p.m. 2 p.m.
3:15 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 4 p.m.
5:15 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m.
Harvard at Michigan » Big Ten Network California at Iowa State » Comcast SportsNet Butler at Duke » ESPN
Alabama at Purdue » ESPN2
Texas Tech atWashington » Comcast SportsNet Illinois at Gonzaga » ESPN
North Carolina State at Syracuse » ESPN2 Duquesne at Penn State » Big Ten Network Savannah State at Indiana » ESPNU
North CarolinaWilmington at George Mason » MASN Cornell at Minnesota » Big Ten Network Southern Mississippi at Mississippi » ESPNU
9:30 p.m. Rider at Pittsburgh (same-day taped) » MASN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Noon
Noon Noon Noon
2 p.m.
3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
4 p.m. 7 p.m.
7:45 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m.
GOLF 3 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY NFL 1 p.m.
1 p.m. 4 p.m.
4:15 p.m. 8:15 p.m.
NBA 7 p.m.
8 p.m.
Conference USA championship game, Southern Methodist at Central Florida » ESPN2
I-AA playoffs,Western Illinois at Appalachian State » MASN Pittsburgh at Cincinnati » ESPN
Rutgers atWest Virginia » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2) Troy at Florida Atlantic » ESPNU
Oregon at Oregon State » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2) I-AA playoffs, Villanova at Stephen F. Austin » MASN
SEC championship game, South Carolina vs. Auburn » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13), WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM) Washington atWashington State » Versus
ACC championship game, Florida State vs. Virginia Tech » ESPN
Big 12 championship game, Oklahoma vs. Nebraska » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2), WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM) Connecticut at South Florida » ESPN2
10:30 p.m. Southern California at UCLA » Comcast SportsNet DIGEST
ChevronWorld Challenge » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11) LPGA Tour Championship » Golf Channel
COLLEGEFOOTBALL
ACC’s runner-up will make trip to Atlanta The Chick-fil-A Bowl an-
Washington at NewYork Giants » WTTG (Channel 5), WBFF (Channel 45), WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM) Cleveland at Miami » WJZ (Channel 13) Oakland at San Diego » WUSA (Channel 9)
Dallas at Indianapolis » WTTG (Channel 5), WBFF (Channel 45)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11), WIYY (97.9 FM), WZAA (1050 AM),WBAL (1090 AM)
NewOrleans at San Antonio » NBA TV Washington at Phoenix » Comcast SportsNet,WJFK (106.7 FM)
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2:30 p.m. BB&T Classic, Florida vs. American » MASN, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)
5 p.m. 6 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
BB&T Classic, GeorgeWashington vs. Navy » MASN, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM), WNAV (1430 AM)
Virginia at Virginia Tech » Comcast SportsNet, WSPZ (570 AM)
BB&T Classic, Temple vs. Maryland » MASN, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)
10:30 p.m. Texas at Southern California » Comcast SportsNet
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2 p.m.
2 p.m.
GOLF 3 p.m.
7:30 p.m. Purdue at Notre Dame » ESPN2 Tennessee at Old Dominion » Comcast SportsNet
ChevronWorld Challenge » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11) LPGA Tour Championship » Golf Channel
WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER Noon
College Cup final » ESPN2
nounced Thursday that it will take the loser of theACCchampi- onshipgame as itsACCrepresen- tative this year. EitherNo. 12 Vir- giniaTechorNo. 20Florida State will takeonanSoutheasternCon- ference team on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta. The winner Saturday inCharlottewillgetanautomatic bid to theOrangeBowl. Formerly known as the Peach
Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has the No. 5 choice among SEC teams. That would likelymean a team such as South Carolina, Mississippi State or Florida would be available at that spot. The Chick-fil-A Bowl will an- nounce its SECselectionSunday. The Hokies defeated Tennes-
see in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last year, and have appeared in the game four times overall. “Either teamgives us anation-
ally ranked program and a great draw for TV,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “Whether we end up with the ‘Noles or the Hokies, we’re going to be hosting a top-25- ranked ACC team and a division winnerwitha great coachand an excellent fanbase.” —MarkGiannotto
only from Comcast.
Ohio State President Gordon Gee says he’ll stick to academics
tornmuscle.
PROBASKETBALL The Washington Mystics an-
fromnowonandleave football to his athletic director and Buck- eyesCoachJimTressel. Geehasbeencriticizedfor tell-
ing the Associated Press last weekthat teams fromtheBigTen and SEC deserve to play in BCS bowl games because they play a “murderer’s row” of opponents and “we do not play the Little Sisters of thePoor.” He said Boise State and TCU
did not deserve to play for the national title, even if they went undefeated. Gee told the Columbus Dis-
patch on Wednesday that he should not have gotten involved and “what I should do is go over to the surgical suites and getmy foot extricated frommymouth.” “What do I knowabout college
football?” he said. “I look like OrvilleRedenbacher.” . . . Jon Gruden apologized for
widespread speculation about his candidacy to beMiami’s next football coach, and said he’swill- ing to help the Hurricanes find the right personfor the job. . . . Syracuse is headed to the Pin-
stripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. An opponent has not yet been decided for theDec. 30 game. . . . Alabama Coach Nick Saban
says safetyMarkBarronwillmiss the Crimson Tide’s bowl game after having surgery to repair a
nounced at an event for season ticket holders that they are changing their team colors. The new look includes an increased use of red to go with navy, silver andwhite. “We feel the new color pallet
provides an attractive refresh to our identity while aligning the team with the Monumental Sports & Entertainment brand [that also includes the Capitals and theWizards],”Mystics Chief OperatingOfficerGregBibbsaid. . . .
Atlanta Hawks star Joe John-
son had surgery on his right el- bowandisexpectedtobeout four to sixweeks.
BASEBALL Former New York Yankees
World Series hero JimLeyritz has been sentenced to a year of pro- bationand fined$500 for aFlori- da drunkendriving conviction. The sentence was imposed by
Broward County Circuit Judge Marc Gold. The 47-year-old for- mer ballplayerwas acquitted last month of DUImanslaughter fol- lowing a 2007 traffic crash that killed 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch. . . . Pat Burrell and the World Se-
ries champion San Francisco Gi- ants have agreed to terms on a one-year contract,givingtheclub
another returningfaceforwhat it hopeswillbe anotherdeeprunin 2011. . . . The Chicago White Sox have
exercised a club option for next season on shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who will earn a base salary of$2.75million. . . . The Atlanta Braves re-signed
utility player EricHinske and an- nounced they are not offering a 2011 contract to outfielder Matt Diaz. . . . Pitcher Erik Bedard is staying
with the Seattle Mariners. The oft-injured left-hander agreed to a one-year contract, a month af- terSeattledeclinedtoexercisehis $8 million option and opted to pay a$250,000 buyout. . . . A person familiar with the ne-
gotiations told the Associated Press that catcher Jason Varitek has reached a preliminary agree- ment with Boston on a one-year, $2millioncontract.
GOLF Tiger Woods opened with a
7-under-par 65 to take the lead in the ChevronWorld Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., only the secondtime all yearhisnamehas beenatop the leader board. . . . Amy Yang and Seon Hwa Lee
eachshota5-under67 inOrlando to share the clubhouse leadwhen the opening round of the LPGA Tour Championship was called for darkness.
—Fromnews services and staff reports
Alex Ovechkin, left, with Karl Alzner, has more than twice as many assists (23) as goals this season, tying him for second in the NHL. Ovechkin’s turn as setupman
Capitals captain hasn’t scored a goal since Nov. 14 but has eight assists in past six games
BY KATIE CARRERA InWednesday night’s 4-1 win in St.
Louis, Alex Ovechkin recorded his 23rd assist of the season, tied for second in the league with Sidney Crosby and trailing onlyHenrik Sedin (27). That the Capitals’ captain has racked up so many assists this season isn’t, by itself, what has people surprised, but rather that he only has 10 goals in 26 games to go along with those helpers.
Ovechkin hasn’t scored a goal since
Nov. 14 against Atlanta, but he still has eight points in the past seven games in the form of assists.He’s still ranked third in the league in scoring and on pace for a 100-plus point season, and if he continues at this rate, he could eclipse his previous
season record of 59 assists from the 2009-10 campaign. So is the surge in assists simply a
reflection of Ovechkin’s awareness that defenders are taking away his shots, leaving greater chances for players such as Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom? Or is the two-timeHart Trophy winner adding a new wrinkle to his game as he matures in the NHL? Probably a little bit of both. “I think the teams are tougher on him
this year, too; it’s always two guys on him. I think that’s why,” Backstrom said. “He has good vision, he sees guys coming on him and he’s passing away the puck instead of just [taking the shot]. I think that’s the difference.We’re trying to help him as much as we can out there, too.” Ovechkin concurred: “I think right now
they put one guy in front of me, Backie, Sasha or Greenie. It doesn’t matter where we are; one guy is always there.We just have to use it and go through the D and when there’s one guy, two guys in front of you, make some space for different”
teammates. Players are expected to continue
developing as their careers progress, and several of his contemporaries have found ways to elevate their game. This season may mark a visible transition that way in Ovechkin, who through his first five seasons in the NHL was often criticized for not passing to his teammates more. “He’s distributing” the puck, Brooks
Laich said. “I think he’s becoming a more complete player that way; he’s using his techniques rather than just trying to force a shot all the time. It’s worked out well and it’s spread the offense out a little bit more.” Said Boudreau: “To me, he’s becoming a
better player. . . . Not too many players can [continue to adapt]. They say Sidney [Crosby] worked on his faceoffs and to get better on his shot. Alex has done the exact same thing. StanMikita went from being the most penalized player to winning the Lady Byng. Offhand, there’s not a lot of guys that can change what they do.”
carrerak@washpost.com
Hot Topic Capitals Insider Excerpts from
voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider
KLMNO 6
3
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2010
WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS Football Insider2010:Download a free iPhone app forRedskins news. Search for “Football In- sider” or “Redskins” in the iTunes store.
WASHINGTONPOST LIVEWITHIVANCARTER 5 P.M.ONCOMCASTSPORTSNET MarkMaskewill be live in studio alongwithCSNfootball analyst BrianMitchell andCapitals defensemanMikeGreen.
Quick Fix 6Excerpts from
voices.washingtonpost.com
HOKIESJOURNAL
Ataleof two quarterbacks
Anintriguing quarterback
matchupthisweekendpits VirginiaTech’sTyrodTaylor againstFlorida State’sChristian Ponder. Bothwere thrust into starting roles at anearly age, andeach
hasmaturedandgrownin his ownway over the course of four years incollege.Taylorwas just namedtheACCplayer of the year after throwing 20 touchdownpasses andjust four interceptions.He’s also runfor 613 yards andfour touchdowns andwas themost efficientpasser intheACCwhile leadinghis teamto 10straightwins. Ponder,meanwhile,hasbattled
throughinjuries all season, includinghavinghis right elbow drainedearlier thisweek.He performedfairlywellwhenthe Seminoles lost two straight games toNorthCarolina State andNorth Carolina lastmonth, andafter sitting outFlorida State’s 16-13 victory overClemson,he’splayed perhapshismost efficient football thepast twoweeks. Inwins overMarylandand
Florida,Ponder completed64 percent ofhispasses for 391 yards andfour touchdowns.His performance againstFlorida, in particular, concerns theHokies’ coaching staff.Ponder finished that 31-7 routwitha 185.26 passer rating.He’s also a threat to runthe ball,having compiled 177 rushing yards andfour touchdowns onthe ground. —MarkGiannotto
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