Sunday Smorgasbord 8-31

• What is going with the Washington Nationals? They came from behind again to complete a sweep of the Atlanta Braves and to win their sixth game in a row earlier today. Break them up, no seriously. The Nats would be better off getting the top pick in next year's draft and while a winning streak would be nice, it wouldn't harm their chances. We're not suggesting they tank like some other esteemed franchises are famous for doing because they're already dead last in MLB. Oddly enough at 52-85 with a losing season assured, they're still mathematically alive to win the NL East even though the NL Wild Card is no longer possible.
• And speaking of the Nats and drafting, we don't blame Jim Bowden or the Lerner family for refusing the cave to the demands of Aaron Crow. Not only did the Nats go well above the recommended slot $$$$$ for Crow's draft position, they also went above the actual slotting system and it still wasn't enough $$$$$ for Crow. People need to remember that the players can and often are just as greedy if not more so than the owners.
• Well things are certainly interesting in Ashburn these days with the final cuts and changes to the starting lineup. What we love is how according to certain people, tenure is supposed to mean something. The NFL, much like the NBA, MLB, and NHL, is a business and the only thing that counts in wins. While Jon Jansen is understandably upset and does not agree with the demotion, the fact still remains that the offensive line is a weakness for this team and he is a member of the offensive line. Much like goaltending was a weakness for the Caps last season, it only made sense that the Caps replaced Kolzig and look at how well they did once Kolzig was benched. Now is Stephon Heyer the answer to the Skins offensive line woes? Well, he too was part of the problem last season and there's a reason why he wasn't drafted two years ago. So this looks to us to be an even exchange/rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
• After two consecutive years of finishing with the best regular season record in the MLS, but flaming out in the playoffs, D.C. United went ahead and shook things up. The results have ensured that D.C. will not win their third consecutive Supporter's Shield this season. There are signs of a turnaround as the goaltending situation has been resolved with the acquisition of Louis Crayton. Will that and some health be enough for D.C. to go on a tear should they make the playoffs? We have our doubts simply because too much is dependent upon Jaime Moreno.
• You want psychodrama? Look no further than College Park, MD where there's plenty of it with the football program right now. In spite of a 14-7 win over Delaware yesterday, things are very much unsettled as Jordan Steffy looks to have been injured again paving the way for the fans choice, Chris Turner to regain the starter's position. While Ralph Friedgen claims to be happy with the play of Steffy, there's no doubt that there is a serious quarterback controversy going on right now. We weren't too impressed with Steffy yesterday but we cannot honestly say that we felt Turner played much better. Both quarterbacks made the same mistakes yesterday. Furthermore, Obi Egekeze needs to be put on notice because of his three missed field goals. Sure the kicks weren't chip shots but his first attempt hit the crossbar because he got off such a poor kick. He had plenty of leg on the other two misses but it was clear that Friedgen did not trust him as twice he for went first downs in the second half instead of trying long field goals on fourth down. Egekeze is a big part of the reason why Maryland only scored 14 points in spite of producing 397 yards of offense.
• Another reason to be concerned about the Terps offense is that despite a career high 197 yards of rushing, Da'Rel Scott was twice caught from behind by Delaware cornerbacks. I know they looked like Michigan Wolverines, but they were Delaware Blue Hens, imagine what will happen when we play F$U.
• Chalk another one up for the "unbiased" media as now the NFL is considering lengthening the regular season at the expense of the preseason. While there are certainly practical reasons for it such as training camp and preseason games aren't what they used to be since the NFL became a year-round job; we do have a serious question, who wants to sit in an NFL Stadium on a Sunday afternoon in Mid-August? Please don't sprain your shoulders trying to raise your hand so fast.
• Ok folks, this week the Nats are home through Wednesday playing the Phillies before heading to Atlanta for a four game weekend series. D.C. United plays for their first U.S. Open Cup title in 12 years on Wednesday night before heading out to San Jose for a Saturday night game. The Terps will head out on the road for a 7:00 kickoff at Middle Tennessee State on Comcast Sportsnet. The Redskins kickoff the NFL Regular Season in New York when they face the Giants on Thursday night at 7 pm.
• As always folks please send all comments, questions, criticisms, corrections, suggestions, and tearful welcome back messages to "capsnut" over at gmail dot com.