D2


EZ SU


THE SIDELINE I


have a very clearmemory of


the day in February 2008 that I bought a copy ofMen’s


Journal for the Gilbert Arenas interview. I heard there was some good stuff in it. I wasn’t disappointed.Here’s the passage thatmost caughtmy eye: “When I was new in the NBA


the teamveterans convincedme to shave, you know, down there, because they said the hair stinks,” Gilbert said then. “I used my girlfriend’s razor, which was rusty and gaveme keloids. The doctor prescribedmedicine to dab on, but I just poured it all over. Three days later I woke up screaming.” I thought that was quite


funny at the time. That wasn’t quite three years ago. And somehow, between then and


D.C. SPORTS BOG Dan Steinberg


now, I turned into an oldman. I don’t think it’s funny anymore. I no longer really care about the grooming of Gilbert Arenas’s private parts. Here’s the thing: Sports are


silly. Sports are grownmen (or women) fromall over the country (or world), purportedly advancing the cause of civic pride by engaging in childish games while wearing funny


Quick Fix 6Excerpts from voices.washingtonpost.com SOCCERINSIDER


United will open season against Crew


D.C.United will begin the


2011 MLS regular seasonMarch 19 against the Columbus Crewat RFK Stadium. The Crewwas upset by the eventual champion Colorado Rapids in the first round of the playoffs. United, coming off the worst


season in club history at 6-20-4, will play its second matchMarch 26 against theNewEngland Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,Mass. The remainder of the schedule will be finalized by early February. Each of the 18 clubs will play one another home and away for a total of 34 games, an increase of four.


—Steven Goff


KLMNO 6


3


costumes for exorbitant pay in front of a crowd that’s often primarily fixated on getting a free burrito that would cost, at retail, a fraction of the price of a game ticket. That’s not very serious, all in all. And yet if sports are a


distraction fromour everyday lives, Gilbertology was a distraction fromthe distraction, and that couldn’t really last. The guy jumped off


trampolines during exhibition games and built himself a ridiculously expensive swimming pool, featuring a mural of himself in front of the Capitol.He readHarry Potter books, plagiarized stand-up routines about shark attacks, got a tiger tattoo on his chest to honor the King of the Jungle and


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010


WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS Football Insider 2010: Get the app for Red- skins news on your Android phone. Search for “Football Insider” at the Android Marketplace.


WASHINGTONPOST LIVEWITH IVAN CARTER 5 P.M. ON COMCAST SPORTSNET The Post’s Barry Svrluga will be in studio along with former Redskins GMand CSN football analyst Charley Casserly.


Gilbert Arenas, ‘just a leaf on a tree,’ made the most of his time in Washington


an Obama tattoo on his fingers to honor the black president.He gave out stuffedmonkeys to promote a cartoon series that never happened, rode his bike around the city, drove his Maybach to a Southeast playground, befriended ballboys, sponsored video game teams and took themfor dinner at Denny’s, where he left $100 tips behind.He did one commercial with a stuffed chicken, and another with a pretend lobster. He read video-gamemessage boards, posed with wax sculptures, talked about swagfests and nekkidnism, charged teammates to come to his Super Bowl party and wore a satin boxing robe to a season opener. But what will we remember in


Hot Topic Nationals Journal Excerpt from washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal


HOKIESJOURNAL


Beamer honored with award


Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer


is the recipient the first-ever Joseph V. Paterno Coach of the Year award. The national award, named after the Penn State coach and the first of its kind, is designed to honor success on the field as well as impact made off it.


“I’ve always admired the job


Frank Beamer has done in Blacksburg, both on the field and away from it,” Paterno said in a statement. “I’ve been especially impressed by his work in the community.He stands for all that’s good in college sports, a great choice for this year’s winner.”


—Mark Giannotto


20 years? Arenas said it better than anyone in a 2008 interview with Dime. “I’mjust a leaf on a tree right


now,” he said. “We’re just passing through, but in that time when you’re passing through, get what you can out of your time here. What can you stamp on that tree that willmake you special, you know? And some people’smarks are bigger than others, but no one is bigger than the tree. No one’s the tree.” Then came the Finga Gunz,


which sort of withered that leaf in which Gilbert was the Big Silly Kid, the boy who doesn’t have to act like an adult. The distraction fromthe distraction became something sad and pointless, and his keloids weren’t a break fromlife; they


were life.We all have our own keloids,metaphorically speaking.We don’t need any more. At their core, sports exist for


the sport of it. For fans who care, themarks people leave are measured in playoff wins and championships. Gilbert’s identity was about having fun, and we all had fun with him, at least for a while. But when you look back on it, the fun stuff mostly slips through your fingers, like dust in theHibachi. What you’re left with is one playoff series win, and a franchise that’s again struggling for attention and success. No one is bigger than the tree, you know?


steinbergd@washpost.com


REDSKINSTAILGATEZONE


Should the Redskins re-sign Grossman?


Rex Grossman is getting his chance to start in Washington. Is he good enough to bring back as the starting quarterback next season? Discuss at washingtonpost.com/groups


JEFFREY PHELPS/ASSOCIATED PRESS Acquiring Zack Greinke, above, didn’t make sense for theNationals given his high price tag and history of emotional issues. Nats maintain flexible payroll TELEVISIONANDRADIO


NHL 7:30 p.m.


NBA 7 p.m.


NewJersey atWashington » Versus BY DAVE SHEININ Dallas at Orlando » NBATV The Philadelphia Phillies will have a


MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 6:30 p.m.


7 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m.


8:30 p.m. 9 p.m. 9 p.m.


Indiana Purdue-FortWayne at Purdue » Big Ten Network High Point at Georgia » Comcast SportsNet William&Mary and North Carolina » ESPNU Mississippi Valley State at Marquette » MASN


North Carolina Ashville at Ohio State » Big Ten Network Stanford at Oklahoma State » ESPNU UNLV at Kansas State » ESPN2


WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 7 p.m.


COLLEGE FOOTBALL 8 p.m.


Florida State at Connecticut » ESPN2


Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville » ESPN, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)


payroll north of $160million in 2011. They also have $106.95million committed to only nine players in 2012 (and that’s assuming they decline expensive options on Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt), and $80million to just four players in 2013. For the Nationals and their NL East brethren, the best hope for competing with the Phillies down the roadmay be that the Phillies’ roster grows old and bloated, with no escape fromthesemassive contracts and little financial flexibility to work around them. The one thing the Nationals don’t need


only from Comcast.


to do is bog themselves down in future salary commitments in a similarmanner. Although we all understand why the Nationals went as high and as long, in terms of dollars and years, as they did with JaysonWerth, the scariest part of


By not trading for Greinke, Washington has more options for the future


that signing is the factWerth will be pulling in $21million each in 2015, 2016 and 2017 when he is 36, 37 and 38 years old. One of those deals ismanageable; several of themcould be untenable. Still, looking ahead to the near future,


the Nationals have only $28million in payroll commitments for 2012 ($13 million forWerth, $12million for Ryan Zimmerman and $3million for Stephen Strasburg) and $30million in 2013 ($16 million forWerth, $14million for Zimmerman). (Of course, as with the Phillies’ commitments, those figures don’t take account the raises for arbitration- eligible players, which could boost the totals significantly.) That’s not to say Nationals fans


wouldn’t trade places with their Phillies counterparts in a heartbeat. But Washington’s payroll flexibility — assuming they don’t squander it away by makingmore over-market signings this winter — could be amajor asset in future seasons, when they are closer to contending, and one or two big acquisitions could put themover the top. This is one reason Nationals fans


should be breathing a sigh of relief the teamdidn’t trade for former Kansas City


Royals ace Zack Greinke. Beyond the fact that the cost for such a trade was high, in terms of young talent, the Nationals would have been tempted to push for a long-termcontract extension with Greinke, who is signed only through 2012, in order to justify that cost. (It wouldn’t havemade any sense for the Nationals to trade fivemore years of Jordan Zimmermann, plus other pieces, for two years of Greinke.) And such a contract, at least at today’s


market prices for a No. 1 starter ($20 million-$23million per season), would have presented all sorts of problems, not the least of which is Greinke’s history of emotional issues. Itmade sense for theMilwaukee


Brewers tomortgage a piece of their future for Greinke. They play in a highly winnable division, the NL Central, and saw themselves as being one piece away. For themthe riskmade sense. But for the Nationals, itmade little


sense. As nice as Greinkemight have looked on themound on opening day next April at Nationals Park, those relatively tiny payroll commitments in future seasons look even better. sheinind@washpost.com


DIGEST BASKETBALL


GW’s Mikic named A-10 rookie of the week George Washington guard Ne-


manja Mikic was selected the At- lantic 10 Conference rookie of the week after the freshman forward made six three-pointers in the Colonials’ 87-79 win against Ore- gon State on Saturday. . . . Virginia Tech guard Shanel


Harrison(GoodCounsel)wascho- sen the ACC player of the week and Maryland freshman Alyssa Thomas and Virginia Tech guard- forwardMonetTellierwereselect- edtheACCco-rookiesof theweek. Harrison hit a game-tying three- pointer to force overtime and fin- ishedwith a career-high 25 points in the Hokies’ 94-78 double-over- timewin againstWilliam&Mary. Thomas scored a career-high 17 points in the Terrapins’ 79-49win against Delaware State on Sun- day. Tellier recorded her first ca- reer double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds againstWilliamandMary. . . . American guard Alexis Dobbs earned Patriot League rookie of


Nolasco gets $6 million next


season, $9 million in 2012 and $11.5million in 2013. . . . Reliever Jesse Crain and the


theweek honors after helping the Eagles knock offGeorgeWashing- ton, 64-60, on Saturday. Dobbs finished with a career-high 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals in that game.


—KathyOrton Louisville’s Rick Pitino will


coach PuertoRico’snational team next summer in hopes of qualify- ing for the 2012Olympics. ThePuertoRico basketball fed-


eration introduced Pitino as its next coach. Pitino met with play- ers andofficials Sunday todiscuss the possibility. Puerto Rico must make a deep


run in next summer’s qualifying tournament inArgentina tomake it to London in 2012. . . . Missouri point guard Phil


Pressey will be sidelined at least twoweeks afterbreakinghis right ring finger in practice. . . . Milwaukee Bucks point guard


Brandon Jennings will miss four to six weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his


MATT GENTRY/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Virginia Tech’s ShanelHarrison was named theACC’s player of the week after scoring 25 points in a victory against William&Mary.


left foot. Jennings broke the long bone


on the outside of his left foot that connects to the little toe. . . . Mike Krzyzewski and Geno Au-


riemma, both coming off mile- stone NCAA tournament victo- ries,havebeenchosenas co-recip- ients ofUSA Basketball’s coach of the year award.


BASEBALL Right-hander Ricky Nolasco


has agreed to a three-year, $26.5 million contract with Florida, ac- cording to a source. Thepersonspoke to theAssoci-


ated Press on condition of ano- nymitybecausethecontractwon’t become final untilNolasco passes a physical.


ChicagoWhite Sox have finalized a three-year, $13million contract. Crain gets $4 million this year


and $4.5 million in each of the following two seasons under the agreement, which was reached lastweek. The 29-year-old right-hander


was 1-1witha3.04ERAlast season in 71 games. . . . Outfielder Austin Kearns is re-


turning to the Cleveland Indians, agreeing to a one-year contract. Kearns spent the first four


months of last season with the Indians, then was traded to the New York Yankees on July 30 for pitcher ZachMcAllister. . . . Bill Hall received a one-year,


$3.25millioncontract fromHous- ton that includes a $4 million mutual option for 2012. General Manager EdWade said Hall, who spent last seasonwithBoston,will play regularly at second base.


COLLEGEFOOTBALL Darrell Hazell is the new Kent


State coach after developingwide receivers Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. into first-round draft picks during seven seasons as an Ohio State assistant. Hazell replaces Doug Martin,


who resigned with a few weeks left ina 5-7 seasonandwent 29-53 in seven years overall. . . . Boston College extended the


contract of Coach Frank Spaziani by two years through the 2015 season.His teamrecoveredfroma 2-5 start to finish 7-5 and qualify for a bowl game for the 12th con- secutive season.


SOCCER Tim Howard made a series of


outstanding saves in the second half,helpingEvertontoa2-1upset win at Manchester City that pre- ventedthehosts fromwhatwould havebeentheir first league leadat Christmas since 1929. . . . The Los Angeles Galaxy said


David Beckham is expected back with the team next month rather thangoingonloantoanotherclub during the Major League Soccer offseason.


—Fromnews services


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