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THE SIDELINE A


s I was talking with Michael Posner, he was staring at a couple of buckets of dirt in


his office. Okay, not just any dirt. Genuine, authenticated dirt from the first major league mound that Stephen Strasburg pitched on. The dirt had the holograms to prove it. Okay, the dirt didn’t actually


have holograms, but the buckets did. In fact, the holograms were over the seal of the buckets; if the seal is ever broken, so too would be the holograms. “There’s a full chain of custody on this dirt, so it’s not just dirt from any old Little League park,” said Posner, the manager of Major League Baseball’s authentication program. “This is legitimately authenticated as the


D.C. SPORTS BOG Dan Steinberg


dirt from the ground of Stephen Strasburg’s first game, and will carry a chain of custody all the way through. We take our dirt very seriously.” Posner, of course, laughed as he said this, but he wasn’t joking. He’s usually the traffic director for the decade-old authentication program, only venturing out for things like all-star games and the


Quick Fix 6From the blogs at washingtonpost.com/sports


REDSKINS INSIDER Linebacker McIntosh signs tender offer Linebacker Rocky McIntosh has signed his tender offer, the team announced Monday. Terms of the deal were not released, though McIntosh was initially given a second-round tender of $1.759 million for one season. McIntosh was a restricted free


agent and was outspoken about his disappointment when the team tendered him an offer rather than negotiating a multi-year extension. He skipped the team’s first minicamp as well as part of its voluntary offseason conditioning program. McIntosh’s signing leaves Carlos Rogers as the team’s lone restricted free agent who has yet to sign his tender offer.


— Rick Maese CHAT REWIND “The field.”


Michael Wilbon, in his online chat Monday, on whether he would take Tiger Woods or the field in this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The complete transcript is at washingtonpost.com/sports.


WIZARDS INSIDER Harangody, Booker in town for workouts Washington conducted another round of predraft workouts Monday, and among the six players were forwards Luke Harangody (Notre Dame) and Trevor Booker (Clemson). Booker and Harangody have


different playing styles, but each offers attractive qualities for a Wizards team in need of front-court upgrades. Booker was particularly strong finishing around the basket over four seasons at Clemson. Other players who worked out were forwards Marquis Gilstrap (Iowa State) and Marqus Blakely (Vermont) and guards Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin) and Jeremy Wise (Southern Miss).


— Gene Wang


KLMNO


WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS First Things First: Tracee Hamilton returns on weekday mornings at 9:30, discussing the hottest sports topics of the day.


TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010


WASHINGTON POST LIVE WITH IVAN CARTER 5 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Steve Nash, Doc Walker and Ryan O’Halloran join The Post’s Rick Maese.


When Strasburg’s involved, even dirt can become a collector’s item


World Series. But he came to Washington for Strasburg’s debut, which was attended by three authenticators. They authenticated scads of items for the Nationals, who had requested a variety of specific objects. They authenticated balls. They authenticated bases. They authenticated Strasburg’s jersey and cap. They authenticated the lineup cards from the dugout walls, and the manager cards that are exchanged at home plate. They exchanged Strasburg’s rosin bag; “usually they’re taped up at the end, which provides a good surface for the seal,” Posner said, when I asked how one holograms a rosin bag. Two of these items were destined for an MLB.com-hosted


auction; the ball that was used to record Strasburg’s second strikeout, and the bag that was used as first base for the fourth through sixth innings. The proceeds will be divided among several parties, including MLB.com and Strasburg himself; it’s the first time the authenticating group has helped facilitate an auction like this for a player making his MLB debut. Strasburg triple inscribed the ball the night of his debut, putting “MLB Debut,” “14 Ks” and “1st MLB Win” on the ball; Posner told him he was not to use the same triple inscription on any other ball, to preserve its uniqueness. As of this writing, that ball — which will be awarded to the high bidder as of Tuesday


night — has already passed $12,000. Posner, though, is less interested in the dollars and cents than in the history, the idea that he and his authenticators — current or ex-law enforcement officials chosen on an invitation-only basis — can vouch for items from the field directly to the display case. Authenticators were stationed in the camera well directly next to the Nats’ dugout, which is how he can guarantee, for example, that the ball used for Strasburg’s 12th strikeout was also used for his 13th and his 14th. “We look at it as the


opportunity to record history,” Posner told me. “Who among us wouldn’t love to go back in time


and designate for historical purposes the last pitch of Don Larsen’s perfect game, Babe Ruth’s first at-bat.” Many of these items, of course, went to Strasburg himself. Some will be kept in archives by the Nats, and some went to the Hall of Fame. MLB authenticators are at every major league game, but the Strasburg game — dirt and all —took things to another level. “This is kind of the first time


anything like this had happened,” Posner said of the Strasmas hype. “We’re agnostic to value, to ownership, to all of these things. Our prime directive is what did you witness? This is what you witnessed. Now record the history.”


steinbergd@washpost.com


Hot Topic Washington Kastles


PASCAL ROSSIGNOL/REUTERS Venus Williams, left, will join sister Serena with the Washington Kastles this season, but they won’t play on the same days. Venus Williams joins the club TELEVISION AND RADIO


MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 7 p.m.


10 p.m.


NBA FINALS 9 p.m.


WORLD CUP 7:30 a.m. 10 a.m.


2:30 p.m.


Washington at Detroit » MASN, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM) Baltimore at San Francisco » MASN2, WTNT (570 AM)


Defending champions hope superstar pair of sisters will bring another title


by Jorge Castillo


Boston at Los Angeles Lakers » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)


New Zealand vs. Slovakia » ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision Portugal vs. Ivory Coast » ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision Brazil vs. North Korea » ESPN


For the past decade, the Williams sisters have been the face of women’s tennis. The two have squared off a total of 23 times, eight of those matches Grand Slam finals, with Serena holding a 13-10 record against her older sister, Venus. The two siblings also have teamed up to win 12 Grand Slam doubles titles. This season, World Team Tennis’s


only from Comcast.


Washington Kastles will have both sisters at their disposal as the team looks to defend its league title. Venus Williams was acquired in the offseason. “It’s actually very cool,” she said when


asked in a conference call Monday about playing on the same team as her sister. “I’m looking forward to both of us being on the team and I hope with us being on the team, [we] will lead our team to winning the championship.”


But the siblings will not take the court on the same day for the Kastles; a league rule limits each team to one “marquee” player per match. Venus, who is scheduled to appear three times for the Kastles, will make her season debut in the team’s third match against the New York Buzz at Kastles Stadium July 7. Serena will begin her season with the Kastles two days later against the Buzz in New York. She is set to play in four matches. Venus, who will enter her seventh season


in World Team Tennis, played for the Philadelphia Freedoms last year and has made playing in the league an annual event despite a busy schedule that includes her Women’s Tennis Association stops and her


own clothing line, EleVen. This month she also will release a new book, “Come to Win” —a collection of short memoirs from a variety of individuals including President Bill Clinton and Nike founder Phil Knight —and follow it with a book tour after Wimbledon. World Team Tennis has “just become a


tradition,” said Venus, who will be a team captain. “Not only everything that goes on on the court, but also things I get to do with the kids in the clinics makes it a lot of fun.” The Kastles begin their 17-day, 14-game regular season on July 5, when they visit the New York Sportimes. “I’ve played a lot of consecutive summers now [in World Team Tennis] and it’s something I see myself doing for as long as I can play pretty good tennis and I’m an asset to a team,” Venus said. “So probably long after my professional career. I just love it.”


castilloj@washpost.com


DIGEST SOCCER United adds Boskovic to bolster midfield


In need of an attack-minded center midfielder, D.C. United announced on Monday the sign- ing of Montenegrin midfielder Branko Boskovic as a designat- ed player. Boskovic has spent the past three years playing for Rapid Vi- enna in the Austrian Bundesliga. The left-footed midfielder will not be available until the sum- mer transfer window opens July 15.


With United, Boskovic likely will slide into a central midfield role though he is capable of play- ing on the left side, where he has played with Montenegro interna- tionally. “He is an honest two-way play- er with special attacking qual- ities,” United General Manager Dave Kasper said. “A very good passer, very good running with


ball, excellent long-range shot and a very good finisher inside the box. He is also very danger- ous on set pieces — taking them as well as he is very good in the air, he scores a lot with his head —and he is tactically very smart. So all those things we feel will help us move forward.” United did not need to clear


any space to make this roster move and Boskovic would be cat- egorized as a “smaller” designat- ed player monetarily compared to other designated players in the league.


Kasper also left open the possi-


bility of another summer signing. “We will continue to evaluate roster moves that could happen mid-July,” he said. Asked if that meant another designated player Kasper said only there could be “other possible signings.”


The 29-year-old Boskovic has


played with several clubs in Eu- rope, including Red Star Bel- grade, Paris Saint-Germain and Troyes (France). At PSG, Boskovic played 36 times and scored three goals.


—Paul Tenorio Houston Dynamo assistant


coach John Spencer has been fined $2,000 by Major League Soccer’s disciplinary committee. The fine was for an inappropri-


ate gesture towards fans after a game against Los Angeles on June 5.


PRO FOOTBALL Vince Young has apologized to


the Tennessee Titans, his team- mates, his family and fans for his role in a fight at a Dallas strip club. The quarterback said he made a mistake being at the club. Young, in Dallas for a Sunday


autograph session, said he was headed back to his hotel when he decided to go out on the town


with a friend. They went to Club Onyx, which Young said was a bad decision. “Just made a mistake, made a


mistake even being there and let that guy provoke me into doing what I did,” Young told reporters after a Titans offseason practice. “Fell into his hands, what he wanted me to do so he could do what he’s doing now. At the same time, let my lawyers take care of it.” . . .


Titans linebacker Gerald


McRath wants to be known for playing the right way, the clean way. So he said that’s why he dropped his appeal of a four- game suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance- enhancing substances. McRath said he learned in Feb-


ruary he had tested positive early in his rookie season. . . . New Orleans Saints general


manager Mickey Loomis said running back Pierre Thomas has signed his restricted free agent


tender, but Thomas’s agent says he still wants a better deal. Thomas’s agent,


Lamont


Smith, says the running back is not expected to show up for the Saints’ remaining voluntary off- season practices this week.


COLLEGES


East Carolina assistant coach Thomas “Rock” Roggeman has died after a yearlong fight with cancer. The school said Roggeman


died Monday in Chapel Hill. He was 47. Roggeman joined Skip Holtz’s


staff when he arrived in Green- ville in December 2004. He was in his third season coaching the defensive tackles before going on medical leave in September to fo- cus on his treatments for non- Hodgkins lymphoma.


HOCKEY The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new captain — defenseman


Dion Phaneuf. The team hasn’t had a captain since Mats Sundin left the club in the summer of 2008. . . . San Jose Sharks defenseman


Rob Blake is planning to an- nounce his retirement. A person with knowledge of his plans said that Blake will hold a news con- ference Friday.


MISC. Cristie Kerr has won the rain-


delayed LPGA State Farm Classic by one shot over Anna Nordqvist and Na Yeon Choi in Springfield, Ill. The final round of the event was played Monday due to week- end rains interrupting play. . . . Looking to bolster their inside presence, the WNBA’s New York Liberty have acquired veteran forward Plenette Pierson from the Tulsa Shock. The Liberty sent fourth-year


forward Tiffany Jackson to Tulsa in the deal.


—From news services


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