Week 5 Games in the Area!

Sorry for not posting the past few weeks, I've been busy, but here are the games on tv this week!

Primetime:
Sunday Night Football: Packers at Falcons
Monday Night Football: Bears at Lions


Baltimore and Washington games:
FOX 1pm: Eagles at Bills
CBS 1pm: Titans at Steelers
CBS 4pm: Jets at Patriots

Enjoy!

Week 2 games in the area!

So here's the upcoming schedule for this weekend!

Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Eagles vs Falcons
Monday Night Football: Rams at Giants

Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Ravens vs Titans
FOX 1pm: Cardinals vs Redskins
CBS 4pm: Chargers vs Patriots

Washington DC:
FOX 1pm: Cardinals vs Redskins
CBS 4pm: Chargers vs Patriots

As per NFL policy, anytime a team has a home game, no game may be played opposite to it on another network. Also, CBS has the doubleheader this week. Props to the folks at the506 for this information. Their site is of great use when networks host more than 1 game at the same time.

NFL Blackout Policy in our area!

So, in the DC/Baltimore Area, the NFL has a Blackout Policy with either team hosting a home game. During Week 1, both teams had a home game, but the Ravens played at 1pm, while the Redskins played at 4pm. For the rest of the season, here's how it'll shape up.

Firstly, each station that has a double header is listed at the top. Then the list of possible games in included after the slots are reserved for each game.
Secondly, any local game (the Ravens and Redskins) will have their game shown in their entirety. If the game is at 1pm and it's part of a doubleheader, they will not cut away to show the second game. If the game is at 4:15pm and the 1pm game has not finished, it will cut from the 1pm game to the 4:15pm game.
Also, of note, if a station has a double headers, all their games will be scheduled at 1pm and 4:15 to help deal with overrun of the early games. If a station does not have doubleheaders, the games will start at 1pm and 4:05 pm because there is not the risk of early games overrunning the later game.
Third, the NFL rules prohibit other NFL games from being shown on local television stations while a local team is playing a sold out, locally televised home game. The rules are designed to encourage ticket-holders show up at the stadium instead of watching another game on television.
Fourth, when the home team is being shown on the network with the NFL single game, the doubleheader station can only air one of its games. When this happens, there are only two games shown in the market. However, when the home team is being shown on the network with the NFL doubleheader, all three games can air in the same market.


Week 1 - FOX
Ravens play at home against Steelers at 1pm. Redskins play at home at 4:15pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Saints @ Packers
Sunday Night Football: Cowboys @ Jets
Monday Night Football: Patriots @ Dolphins (early), Raiders @ Broncos (late)
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Steelers @ Ravens
FOX 1pm: No Game
FOX 4pm: Giants @ Redskins
Washington:
CBS 1pm: Steelers @ Ravens
FOX 1pm: Falcons @ Bears, Eagles @ Rams, Lions @ Buccaneers
FOX 4pm: Giants @ Redskins

Week 2 - CBS
Ravens play on the road against Titans at 1pm. Redskins play at home against Cardinals at 1pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Eagles @ Falcons
Monday Night Football: Rams @ Giants
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Ravens @ Titans
FOX 1pm: Cardinals @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Chargers @ Patriots, Bengals @ Broncos, Texans @ Dolphins
Washington:
CBS 1pm: No game
FOX 1pm: Cardinals @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Chargers @ Patriots, Bengals @ Broncos, Texans @ Dolphins

Week 3 - FOX
Ravens play on the road against Rams at 4pm. Redskins play Monday Night
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Steelers @ Colts
Monday Night Football: Redskins @ Cowboys
Sunday Afternoon Football
Both Markets:
FOX 1pm: Giants @ Eagles, 49ers @ Bengals, Lions @ Vikings
CBS 4pm: Ravens @ Rams
FOX 4pm: Packers @ Bears, Falcons @ Buccaneers, Cardinals @ Seahawks

Week 4 - CBS
Ravens play at home against Jets Sunday Night, Redskins play on the road at 1pm against Rams.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Jets @ Ravens
Monday Night Football: Colts @ Buccaneers
Sunday Afternoon Football
Both Markets:
CBS 1pm: Bills @ Bengals, Titans @ Browns, Steelers @ Texans
FOX 1pm: Redskins @ Rams
CBS 4pm: Broncos @ Packers, Dolphins @ Chargers, Patriots @ Raiders

Week 5 - CBS
Both teams have bye weeks
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Packers @ Falcons
Monday Night Football: Bears @ Lions
Sunday Afternoon Football
Both Markets:
CBS 1pm: Titans @ Steelers, Bengals @ Jaguars, Raiders @ Texans
FOX (1pm or 4pm): Seahawks @ Giants, Saints @ Panthers, Eagles @ Bills, Cardinals @ Vikings, Buccaneers @ 49ers
CBS 4pm: Jets @ Patriots, Chargers @ Broncos

Week 6 - FOX
Ravens play at home against Texans at 4pm, Redskins play at home against Eagles at 1pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Vikings @ Bears
Monday Night Football: Dolphins @ Jets
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
FOX 1pm: Eagles @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Texans @ Ravens
FOX 4pm: No game
Washington:
FOX 1pm: Eagles @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Texans @ Ravens
FOX 4pm: Saints @ Buccaneers, Cowboys @ Patriots

Week 7 - FOX
Ravens play on the road against Jaguars Monday Night, Redskins play on the road against Panthers at 1pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Colts @ Saints
Monday Night Football: Ravens @ Jaguars
Sunday Afternoon Football:
Both Markets:
CBS (1pm or 4pm): Broncos @ Dolphins, Texans @ Titans, Chargers @ Jets, Steelers @ Cardinals, Chiefs @ Raiders
FOX 1pm: Redskins @ Panthers
FOX 4pm: Packers @ Vikings, Rams @ Cowboys

Week 8 - CBS
Ravens play at home against Cardinals at 1pm. Redskins play on the road against Bills at 4pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Cowboys @ Eagles
Monday Night Football: Chargers @ Chiefs
Sunday Afternoon Football
Both Markets:
CBS 1pm: Cardinals @ Ravens
CBS 4pm: Patriots @ Steelers, Bengals @ Seahawks, Browns @ 49ers
FOX 4pm: Redskins @ Bills

Week 9 - FOX
Ravens play on the road against Steelers Sunday Night. Redskins play at home against 49ers at 1pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: Ravens @ Steelers
Monday Night Football: Bears @ Eagles
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS (1pm or 4pm): Jets @ Bills, Browns @ Texans, Dolphins @ Chiefs, Broncos @ Raiders, Bengals @ Titans
FOX 1pm: 49ers @ Redskins
FOX 4pm: Giants @ Patriots, Packers @ Chargers, Rams @ Cardinals

Week 10 - FOX
Ravens play on the road against Seahawks at 4pm, Redskins play on the road against Dolphins at 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Raiders @ Chargers
Sunday Night Football: Patriots @ Jets
Monday Night Football: Vikings @ Packers
Sunday Afternoon Football:
Both Markets:
FOX 1pm: Redskins @ Dolphins
CBS 4pm: Ravens @ Seahawks
FOX 4pm: Giants @ 49ers

Week 11 - CBS (Flex scheduling begins, so games may be moved around)
Ravens at home against Bengals at 1pm. Redskins at home against Cowboys at 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Jets @ Broncos
Sunday Night Football: Eagles @ Giants
Monday Night Football: Chiefs @ Patriots
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Bengals @ Ravens
CBS 4pm: Chargers @ Bears
FOX 4pm: Cardinals @ 49ers, Seahawks @ Rams
Washington:
FOX 1pm: Cowboys @ Redskins
CBS 1pm: No game
CBS 4pm: Chargers @ Bears

Week 12 - CBS (Flex Scheduling, so games may be moved around)
Ravens at home against 49ers Thursday Night, Redskins on the road against Seahawks at 4pm
Primetime
Thanksgiving Day Games:
FOX 12:30pm: Packers @ Lions
CBS 4pm: Dolphins @ cowboys
Thursday Night Football: 49ers @ Ravens
Sunday Night Football: Steelers @ Chiefs
Monday Night Football: Giants @ Saints
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Bills @ Jets, Browns @ Bengals, Texans @ Jaguars
FOX 1pm: Cowboys @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Patriots @ Eagles, Broncos @ Chargers
Washington:
FOX 1pm: Cowboys @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Patriots @ Eagles, Broncos @ Chargers

Week 13 - FOX (Flex Scheduling, so games may be moved around)
Ravens play on the road against Browns at 1pm, Redskins play at home against Jets at 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Eagles @ Seahawks
Sunday Night Football: Colts @ Patriots
Monday Night Football: Chargers @ Jaguars
Sunday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Ravens @ Browns
FOX 1pm: Jets @ Redskins
FOX 4pm: Packers @ Giants, Cowboys @ Cardinals, Rams @ 49ers
Washington:
FOX 1pm: Jets @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Broncos @ Vikings
FOX 4pm: Packers @ Giants, Cowboys @ Cardinals, Rams @ 49ers

Week 14 - CBS (Flex Scheduling, so games may be moved around)
Ravens play at home against Colts at 1pm, Redskins play at home against Patriots at 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Browns @ Steelers
Sunday Night Football: Giants @ Cowboys
Monday Night Football: Rams @ Seahawks
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Colts @ Ravens
CBS 4pm: Bills @ Chargers
FOX 4pm: Giants @ Cardinals, Bears @ Broncos
Washington:
CBS 1pm: No game
FOX 1pm: Patriots @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Bills @ Chargers

Week 15 - CBS (Flex Scheduling, so games may be moved around)
Ravens play on the road against Chargers Sunday Night, Redskins play on the road against Giants 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Jaguars @ Falcons
Saturday Night Football: Cowboys @ Buccaneers
Sunday Night Football: Ravens @ Chargers
Monday Night Football: Steelers @ 49ers
Sunday Afternoon Football
Both Markets:
CBS 1pm: Titans @ Colts, Dolphins @ Bills, Bengals @ Rams
FOX 1pm: Redskins @ Giants
CBS 4pm: Jets @ Eagles, Browns @ cardinals, Patriots @ Broncos

Week 16 - FOX (all afternoon games are on Saturday in observance of Christmas)
Ravens play at home against Cleveland at 1pm. Redskins play at home against Vikings at 1pm.
Primetime
Thursday Night Football: Texans @ Colts
Sunday Night Football: Bears @ Packers
Monday Night Football: Falcons @ Saints
Saturday Afternoon Football
Baltimore:
CBS 1pm: Browns @ Ravens
FOX 1pm: No game
FOX 4pm: Eagles @ Cowboys, 49ers @ Seahawks
Washington:
FOX 1pm: Vikings @ Redskins
CBS 4pm: Chargers @ Lions
FOX 4pm: Eagles @ Cowboys, 49ers @ Seahawks

Week 17 - BOTH (Flex Scheduling, so games may be moved around)
Ravens play on the road against Bengals at 1pm, Redskins play on the road against Eagles at 1pm.
Primetime
Sunday Night Football: TBD
Sunday Afternoon Games
Both Markets
CBS 1pm: Ravens @ Bengals
FOX 1pm: Redskins @ Eagles
CBS 4pm: Chiefs @ Broncos, Chargers @ Raiders
FOX 4pm: Seahawks @ Cardinals


That's how the schedule shakes up for now. I intend to list it weekly from here on out as well.

My thoughts on the Caps moves thus far

I don't know exactly what's going on in George McPhee's mind, but he has clearly shown that he is willing to shake up the roster, and I doubt he's finished. The Capitals are going to try to clear some cap room and that means more players are getting traded, more new players are coming into DC, and expect to see some new faces once training camp opens. By the way, this is descending based on time.

Caps re-sign Brooks Laich

If there's one thing I've been expecting of Brooks Laich, it's that he would replace the player he was traded for 8 years ago, Peter Bondra, the greatest Capital ever to suit up for DC's hockey team. The Caps have signed Brooksie to a six-year deal at $4.5 million per and I'm happy to say that it's a relief that he's staying with the Caps. He is one of those two-way players that could eventually become a Ryan Kesler. Those of you who don't know who Ryan Kesler is, shame on you, he's one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. He scores goals, plays great defense, is on the power play and penalty kill and one of the best overall players. More on the Caps salary cap after the jump...

Capitals Impending Free Agency

So, the Capitals have a lot of their players that are restricted free agents (RFAs) or unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and the goal is to get under the salary cap. This season it's been set at $64.3 million dollars. Looking at the table below, you can see who's signed so far and how much their cap hit is. Also, I will note that the Capitals have 10 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 1 goaltender on the roster for now. More on that later...

Washington Capital's 2011-2012 schedule

The Capital's schedule was just released this past week, and now's a great opportunity to do an analysis on the upcoming season. A few things to point out, they're making three trips to Winnipeg. Obviously the NHL failed to change their divisions and the Caps might suffer for it.

VS

21st Overall (5th NL East) 20-23 Record 19-23 23rd Overall (5th AL East)

25th Overall 157 Runs 166 22nd Overall

30th Overall .246 Batting Average .223 17th Overall

28th Overall .690 On Base + Slugging Percentage .637 19th Overall

23rd Overall 32 Home Runs 40 13th Overall

28th Overall 481 Total Bases 547 21st Overall

7th Overall 37 Stolen Bases 19 26th Overall

12th Overall 3.59 ERA 4.43 26th Overall

12th Overall 26 Quality Starts 24 15th Overall

9th Overall 135 Walks 143 13th Overall

24th Overall 280 Strikeouts 281 23rd Overall

7th Overall 13 Saves 7 29th Overall

24th Overall .257 Batting Average Against .259 26th Overall

		GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	BAA	ERA
Friday
Marquis, Jason (5-1)		8	1	1	51.1	58	24	21	3	10	31	1.28	.283	3.54
Arrieta, Jake (5-1)		9	0	0	51.1	42	23	23	7	21	46	1.23	.221	4.03
Saturday
Lannan, John (2-4)		9	0	0	47.2	55	25	24	4	22	26	1.62	.299	4.53
Guthrie, Jeremy (1-6)		8	1	0	53.0	53	23	23	9	9	32	1.17	.262	3.91
Sunday
Zimmermann, Jordan (2-4)		8	0	0	48.0	48	26	22	2	11	35	1.23	.259	4.13
Tillman, Chris (2-3)		8	0	0	38.2	45	23	23	2	15	26	1.55	.287	5.35

THE CAPS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND!

As I begin typing this, Alexander Semin has just scored the third goal for the Capitals to give them a 3-0 lead. This was a lob from Marcus Johansson that Semin shot out of the air past Lundqvist. Ovechkin's goal to give the Caps a 2-0 lead was nothing short of greatness. He blew past Marc Staal and deked Lundqvist and shot it in backhanded. The Rangers were upset with the Caps in the crease after Mike Green scored on the power play, but they only have themselves to blame.

Finally, some wins for the O's!

It's been a strange start to the season for the Orioles. After going 6-1 to begin the season, they went on an 8-game losing streak, but never fear, the Minnesota Twins came to town and the O's are ready to bust out the brooms tonight!

Ron Burgundy Said It Best...

-- "I'm in a glass case of emotion!" --

Last night's Capitals game put even the most loyal fans in a state of fear and doubt before pulling off a 4-3 double OT win.

I'll be the first one to admit that I didn't start following hockey until I jumped on the Capitals bandwagon when they made the playoffs in 2008. However, that's one of the greatest choices I've ever made as a sports fan. I quickly acclimated myself to the sport, watching as many games as I could. I started going to games, despite the growing demand and increase in prices and even got myself a #30 Varlamov jersey after his Superman acts in goal in 2009. I don't consider myself a diehard fan of the sport, but watching the Capitals definitely provides my daily dose of adrenaline during the winter.

I half expected last night's game to be a blowout for either team. The Rangers were going to throw Boudreu's words back at him for insulting their home arena, or the Capitals were going to be so angry for losing game 3 that they were going to prove their dominance over the lowly bluecoats.

However, since their home sweep last week, the Caps hadn't played hockey like a #1 seed should in 5 straight periods, losing game three, and putting themselves in a 3-0 hole in game 4. I literally had my head in my hands. Another flop by a local DC team. You can ask just about anybody that I said weeks before the playoffs, that if the Capitals had to play the Rangers in the first round, then bye bye Stanley Cup.

Someone should have slapped me and told me to get my head on straight.

Everybody knows the Caps changed their playing style to focus on their defense half way through the season, but last night, they finally brought out their true team identity.

The Caps came out in the third period playing like they used to. Forget defense, they had to score goals. We the fans haven't seen that in a long time. After tying the game and going into overtime, they reverted straight back to their new defensive ways, eventually leading to that game winning goal by Jason Chimera, his second game winning goal of the series.

The Capitals proved why they're the best team in the NHL right now. They might not be getting dominant wins, but they're proving their dominance in other ways on the ice. No other team can bring out their inner monster without damaging their normal body. The Caps didn't even look tired in either OT period.

I expect game 5 at home in DC to be like kids at the playground, not just for the fans, but the team as well. The Rangers are depleted, and the Capitals have finally figured out the playoffs, and learned a lot about themselves in the process.

I'm Chris Brese. You stay classy, DC.

Nationals Split Doubleheader

The Nationals lost the second game of their doubleheader 5-3 against the Cardinals last night. I caught bits and pieces of the game but was glad to see the Nats came from behind twice to tie the game before giving up the final two runs. And once again, the Nationals' starter Zimmermann gave another 6 innings start. These guys need to start giving 6-7 on a constant basis, but I'll take it.

One thing I noticed is that the Nats continue to score runners in scoring position. They're okay about not leaving too many men on base (only a total of 8 the entire day yesterday compared to the Cardinals 19), but the players that get left on base are generally always on 2nd or 3rd base. I think once Ryan Zimmerman comes off of the DL, GM Riggleman needs to make a lineup change. Here's what I would propose:

1. 2B Danny Espinosa - Gets real good hits and is very speedy. However, doesn't walk often.
2. SS Ian Desmond - Desmond gets on cold and hot streaks, not just days.
3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman
4. RF Jayson Werth - We spent a ton of money for his power. Why does he not bat 4th already?
5. 1B Adam LaRoche
6. CF Rick Ankiel - Ankiel has a lot of speed. Think of this as a second leadoff spot.
7. LF Michael Morse/Laynce Nix - Morse hasn't been hitting well as of late, but Nix has. Expect these 2 to continue to take turns in the field for awhile.
8. C Wilson Ramos - Ramos has a lot of power. I put him in the 8th spot only to spread that power, and bring guys like Ankiel and Morse home.
9. Pitcher

I think by spreading the power, this lineup can be a lot better. The way I set it up above splits this team into almost 2 separate lineups, instead of putting all of the weaker hitters at the bottom of the lineup.

Today's game is at 1:45 in St. Louis, and we'll see Tom Gorzelanny against Kyle Lohse. I'm not a big fan of Gorzelanny, and I hate to say it, but Lohse has pitched 2 straight good games. Both teams will be tired and won't want to play a day game after yesterdays doubleheader, but they have Pittsburgh to look forward to starting tomorrow night.

Ryan Zimmerman Rehab

A quote from Ryan himself: "Ran into this guy after rehab today. I think being in the presence of his Tiger blood is already giving my rehab and the team a step up. WINNING!"


Ryan Zimmerman on WhoSay

Nationals win first game of Doubleheader 8-6

The Nationals won their 4th straight game by winning the first game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6.

The Nationals looked like they were going to blow out the Cardinals in the first game of today's doubleheader. They went into the bottom of the 3rd inning with a 7-0 lead. With the help of Pujols' and Colby Rasmus' solo home runs, the Cardinals came back to within 2 runs at 7-5. Lance Nix gave the Nats an insurance run in the 8th with a solo blast to right field.

John Lannan had another solid start going into the sixth inning. The Nationals have had 16 straight games with their starting pitcher giving at least 5 complete innings.

Unfortunately, this game went longer than it needed to. It's too bad the Nationals relief couldn't keep the Cardinals offense down, because they had to bring in some of their relief stars: Clippard, Burnett and Storen. Let's see how game 2 goes, and hopefully they won't have to make a 2nd appearance.

Lineup changes for the 2nd game include Wilson Ramos in for Pudge Rodriguez at Catcher. At time of writing, I'm not sure of who else is going to start.

I'll post a writeup tomorrow about game 2 and some thoughts about the day in general.

On another note, Caps/Rangers game 4 at 7 pm! C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!!!

Nationals at Cardinals Postponed

The Nats and Cards game was "rained out" last night. A huge storm rolled through Saint Louis bringing bouts of thunderous rain, giant hail and tornado warnings around their schedule game time yesterday. Fortunately, the stadium is still in tact and today looks like a great day for baseball!

They'll play a double header today, the first game starting just after 2 pm EST, and the second around 8:15 pm EST. The Nationals haven't played since Sunday, when they swept another double header against Milwaukee. Expect John Lannan to come out refreshed and ready to pitch in the first battle. He has a history of putting some hurt on the Cardinals. He doesn't strike out many, but he doesn't let them get on base too often either. He faces Jake Westbrook, who hasn't been terribly great so far this season, so this should be a good matchup for the Nationals, who are hoping to earn their first 4-game winning streak on the season. Their last 4-game streak came at the very end of last year.

Game 2 places Jordan Zimmermann against Jaime Garcia, who has faced the Nationals just once in his career. This will be an interesting fight as both pitchers have had Tommy John Surgery in the last 2 years, and are still working to find their groove with their respective teams.

I'll post a quick review of the first game later this afternoon, but will likely miss the second game to watch the Capitals play game 4 in New York tonight. I'll catch what I can though.


Oh! One last interesting note. If the Nationals win both games today, and the Phillies and the Marlins both lose their games, the Nationals will be tied for first place in the NL East. The probability of this happening? Pretty low. Cliff Lee is on the mound for the Phillies, and he's just as dominant this season as he has been in the past.

Nats Weekend Roundup (Winning! Duh...)

Great weekend for the Nationals and their fans. Saw a lot of great things this weekend from the whole team. In the first game of yesterday's double header, every starter got a hit, including the pitcher. Pudge hit his first home run of the season, and it was a sweet 3-run shot. Danny Espinosa had 6 RBIs with a 3-run HR, and a bases loaded, bases clearing triple yesterday. And Jayson Werth ran hard on the bases to score the winning run in the 10th inning on Friday. A sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers came at a beautiful time in the season: the beginning. Let me show you what I mean.

Year	First Sweep
2011	April 15-17 (vs Mil)
2010	June 8-10 (vs Pit)
2009	August 4-6 (vs Fla)
2008	June 13-15 (@Sea)
2007	May 11-13 (vs Fla)
2006	May 23-25 (vs Hou)
2005	April 14-17 (vs Ari)

Notice the dates for those series sweeps. Except for their inaugural 2005 season, the Nationals never achieved their first sweep until at least a couple of months into the season. (Essentially when their season was already over).

Last year (2010), their first sweep wasn't until June against the Pirates, who at the time were essentially a minor league AAAA team. And the first game of that particular series? Stephen Strasburg's astonishing major league debut. So of course the team was clearly just riding along the awesome train for that sweep.

Also notice, all of their first sweeps are at home, except in 2008 against Seattle. But the 2008 Mariners team was the second worst team in baseball. Just slightly ahead of who? The Nationals of course. So that series doesn't even count as games played.

So here's what I'm getting at: getting this first sweep just 3 weeks into the season shows the turn around this team is going through. The Nationals may only have a handful of popular players, but they're the only team in MLB who has gotten 5 or more IPs from their starting pitchers in every game so far. They have 3 relievers contending for the closer spot. They have a clear candidate for Rookie of the Year in 2B Danny Espinosa (I used to watch him play in Potomac). Ryan Zimmerman is a back-to-back Silver Slugger (and should be back-to-back Gold Glover). Their only blowout this year was an 11-2 loss to the Braves in their opening weekend. But that's nothing to be ashamed about. They even had somewhat respectable losses to Philadelphia's kings Lee and Halladay.

Don't get me wrong, the Nats aren't making the playoffs this year or next, because as an NL East team, you have to win the division to make the playoffs since there are too many other good teams out west. But when Ryan Zimmerman comes off the DL, and Strasburg makes it back into the rotation next season, and big shot Jayson Werth picks up his bat some more, this team is going to be great. And they're going to be great quickly, and they're going to be great for a long time. Jump on the bandwagon now and start supporting the Nationals. Tickets to the games are fair priced (especially from StubHub) and the stadium is gorgeous, and it's a fun time for everybody, so go hit up some games (might I suggest April 30 for free umbrella day against the reigning World Series champs?)

The Nats are off today, with away series at St. Louis (where Carpenter won't be pitching this series and Pujols is in a slump) and Pittsburgh. Expect the Nationals to come back home next week to face the Mets with a positive attitude and a contending winning average.

Washington's unfortunate Game 3 loss....

Well... it had to happen at some point... the Capitals had to lose in the playoffs...

Welcome to GTFOS! Washington/Baltimore!

So in here, my fellow writers and I hope to cover the sports in the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area. The plan here is to cover the following teams:

Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Orioles
Washington Redskins
Washington Capitals
Washington Nationals
Washington Wizards
DC United

I myself follow most the teams listed above and I will be having more writers join me as this page picks up. I can tell you now that I'm very excited about this page as no longer will I have to waste space on the main page writing about my thoughts for the local teams and can actually use that page for what it was intended for, discussing sports as a whole and in terms of fantasy and not simply focusing on one specific team as I have a tendency to do with the local teams (namely, the Orioles, Redskins, and Caps for me). While traffic on my main page has picked up recently, which has made me very happy, I'd also like to focus on efforts to draw in more colleagues that would like an outlet to post their knowledge and thoughts regarding sports in any manner. It will also give me a chance to ease up on the posting I have done since the beginning of April which was when I finally decided that I want to actually put in effort into this blog and make something of it, instead of it just being my thoughts and sometimes my colleagues, I want to break it up so that there is the actual GTFOS! and also the GTFOS! that focuses on the teams in the area so that readers may actually be able to choose what they want to read and what they don't want to read... and with that I open GTFOS! Washington/Baltimore!