ABCDE SPORTS friday, june 18, 2010


PRO FOOTBALL Redskins get


their summer vacation Coach Mike Shanahan is pleased with the team’s progress as an intensive offseason program concludes. D3


BLOGS, MULTIMEDIA AND CHATS washingtonpost.com/sports


First Things First Today, 9:30 a.m. Tracee Hamilton takes your questions on Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Ask Boswell Today, 1 p.m. Thomas Boswell will chat live from the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Nationals in-game chat Tonight, 7 Follow along as Stephen Strasburg makes his third big league start.


PRO BASKETBALL


NBA Finals go late Game 7 between Boston and Los Angeles ended too late for this edition. For complete coverage, visit washingtonpost.com/sports.


THE U.S. OPEN


With heavy heart, Micheel soars


TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST


Stephen Strasburg, at right in the Elvis wig as the Nats’ player of the game in his debut, has brought a barrage of attention.


A STAR IS BORN [Stephen Strasburg’s journey] BLIND TO THE by Dave Sheinin


LIGHT E


⁄3


Against Slovenia, U.S. must


by Steven Goff


verything changed June 8, the night the pros- pect became a big leaguer and the possible be- came real. Ten days after the fact, it is obvious


that Stephen Strasburg’s remarkable debut for the Washington Nationals altered the visible universe around him — from the course of the Nationals fran- chise, to the degree of intensity of the hype machine, to the outer limits of possibility for what one pitcher can achieve. ¶ At the center of it all, Strasburg braces him- self against the whirlwind. Back in May, before it all ex- ploded, he admitted his biggest fear was that the hype “would change who I am as a person.” ¶ And now, in his biggest test yet, as the Strasburg phenomenon goes nationwide, he refuses to acknowledge it, clinging fiercely to his routine, his humility and his priva- cy. ¶ Strasburg, who makes his third career start Fri- day night against the Chicago White Sox at Nationals Park, doesn’t just ignore the hype that has sprung up around his dazzling debut for the Washington Nation- als — which thus far includes two wins in two starts, 22 strikeouts in just 121


innings, one MLB player of the


week award and one Sports Illustrated cover. ¶ He re- coils from it.


strasburg continued on D5


johannesburg — The United States began this ambitious World Cup campaign against a gi- ant in international soccer. For all practical purposes, if the Americans wish to remain in con- tention for a round-of-16 berth, they will need to avoid losing to one of the smallest nations ever to qualify in the 80-year-old tourna- ment. On Friday at historic Ellis Park,


HANS DERYK/REUTERS Shaun Micheel has just one victory to his credit, but it’s a major one — the 2003 PGA Championship.


As the stars fade, he ties for lead with thoughts of his ill mother


by Barry Svrluga


Road-weary Nationals are swept by Detroit


Washington ends trip with a 1-5 record after 8-3 loss to Tigers


by Adam Kilgore


detroit — One week ago, the Washington Nationals left their home park with lofty aims and reason to believe they could reach them. They had a three- game winning streak, a record hovering around .500 and a phenom pitcher who had be- come the talk of baseball. For once, optimism shaped their possibilities. The final fumes of those good


vibes evaporated Thursday af- ternoon as the Detroit Tigers


completed a sweep with an 8-3 victory over the Nationals be- fore 33,630 at Comerica Park. The Nationals ended their ruin- ous road trip 1-5, dropping them five games under .500 for the first time this season. On Friday, the Nationals will turn to Stephen Strasburg, not hopeful to extend any kind of momentum but desperate for a victory. The Nationals haven’t won since Sunday, the last time Strasburg pitched, and the Ti- gers’ pummeling of the Nation- als made Strasburg’s presence on the mound necessary. “He’s the best we got right


now,” first baseman Adam Dunn said. “We need him to come out and pitch like he’s


nationals continued on D5 Some


 Thomas Boswell: At Pebble Beach, does a cliffhanger await Woods? D6 ROSS KINNAIRD/GETTY IMAGES


pebble beach, calif. — There is something incongruous about the setting provided by Pebble Beach Golf Links, stun- ningly gorgeous on a sun-dap- pled Thursday, and the fear it in- jects into the best golfers in the world. Thursday could not have seemed a finer day to begin the U.S. Open. A breeze came in off Monterey Bay, stiff at times but hardly unpleasant. The waves rolled in to the south as the townsfolk of Carmel walked their dogs, carefree, on the beach. The greens, scary and small, were unusually receptive. And the stars? Well, they


largely succumbed. One hun- dred fifty-six men began the tournament in these conditions. Only nine of them broke par,


none by more than two strokes. Some of their names — Ian Poul- ter, Mike Weir, K.J. Choi, Paul Casey, Ryo Ishikawa, Alex Cejka — would perk up the ears in avid golf-watching households. Oth- ers — Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Brendon de Jonge — would send even rabid fans to Google. And only one, Shaun Micheel, would tug at the heartstrings. The leader board shows that Mi- cheel shares the lead with Casey, an Englishman who counts him- self as one of the best players in the world, and de Jonge, a for- mer Virginia Tech all-American who hadn’t played an Open round before Thursday. It would show they all shot 2-under-par 69 on what might end up being Pebble’s most benign day. But that same board does not show


u.s. open continued on D6


The first round Leaders


Shaun Micheel Paul Casey


Brendon de Jonge Rafael Cabrera-Bello K.J. Choi Mike Weir Ian Poulter Alex Cejka


Ryo Ishikawa


Notable Tiger Woods


Phil Mickelson


69 -2 69 -2 69 -2 70 -1 70 -1 70 -1 70 -1 70 -1 70 -1


74 +3 75 +4


Complete scores and tee times, D7


Today’s second round 1 p.m., ESPN 3 p.m., WRC-4, WBAL-11 5 p.m., ESPN


washingtonpost.com/usopen


View photos, tee times and scores and check out a


hole-by-hole guide to Pebble Beach.


the U.S. team, which opened last weekend against England, faces Slovenia, a nation better known for skiers than strikers. For a change, the United States (310 million) will enter a World Cup match as the bully. “We’re not going to go into it taking anybody lightly just be- cause maybe the rest of the world doesn’t know their names,” cap- tain Carlos Bocanegra said. “It’s an important game for us.” Very important. With England


(0-0-1) expected to defeat Algeria (0-1) late Friday, the Americans (0-0-1) cannot afford to drop points against Slovenia (1-0), which draws players from a popu- lation of about 2 million — a pool bigger than only Northern Ire- land, a three-time qualifier, and Trinidad and Tobago, which de- buted in 2006. A draw wouldn’t kill their hopes of securing one of Group C’s two berths but would raise the stakes immensely ahead of the meeting against Algeria on Wednesday in Pretoria. “In all likelihood, if we lose, we are out of the tournament,” mid- fielder Landon Donovan said. “That’s the reality of the situation. As much as people put into the England game, this becomes a lot more important in that way.” Drawn into a group of modest


strength, the Americans were widely expected to reach the next stage. At first glance, Slovenia wasn’t supposed to get in their way. But the Green Dragons, as they are known, belie their na- tion’s geographic smallness (think New Jersey). The team motto: “Never judge


greatness by size.” Independent since the break- up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the Slovenians qualified for the 2000 European Champi- onship (two draws and a loss) and 2002 World Cup (three losses amid internal quarreling).


world cup continued on D8 D S


think big Americans can’t afford a loss to one of the smallest nations in Cup


U.S. vs. Slovenia


When: 10 a.m. TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision.


momentS canchange anentirefranchiSe.


–VS–


Tonight@6:30pm Sunday@ 1:00pm


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