Just two weeks ago we were talking about the possibility of the Nationals breaking the New York Mets' record of most losses in a season.

Maybe just talking about it got under the players' skin. The Nationals swept the Florida Marlins, took 3 of 4 from the Atlanta Braves, and are on quite the roll at home.

Going into the season everyone expected the pitching staff to be horrendous. That's not been the case. It doesn't matter who manager Manny Acta gives the ball, they are doing well.

In the last 30-plus games, the Nats pitching staff has an ERA in the top 10 in the majors. That's quite an accomplishment since four starting pitchers are on the disabled list and there isn't a glorified ace on the staff.

The bullpen is the team's savior so far. Chad Cordero left the team to be with his dying relative. At the time Cordero blew four of eight save opportunities. So Jon Rauch stepped in and he went 3-for-3 in closing out the game.

The New York Yankees are paying Roger Clemens a boat load of money to help their staff, when the Nationals are finding some much cheaper help. Get this, as of Friday the Yankees only have three more wins than the Nats. It would be a miracle if the Nats stayed that close all year, but at least Nats fans can look forward to the future and a new stadium.

Labels: Brett Feinberg, Sports Producer

We've all heard the old saying, "If a tree falls in the forest when there's nobody around, does it really make a sound?"

The same could be said for the Washington Nationals of late. A ridiculous length of rain delays kept Saturday's game against the Marlins going until almost 2 a.m. --insane considering the two teams were playing again on Sunday.

What happened to the new rule that allows you to suspend games when it's late and pick up where you left off the next day?

But back to the tree ... Ryan Zimmerman hit a grand slam that as of now appears to have turned the Nats season around, but did anybody see it? There could not have been more than 100 people in the 50,000-seat stadium when that shot went out on Sunday morning, and that includes the ushers.

So did it really happen? The standings say it did and we of course have documentation on tape thanks to today's blanketing media coverage of pro sporting events.

But what about the high school and little league games when you hear about unbelievable plays? Is anybody videotaping them? Of course there are many parents who record their kids sports for their family's enjoyment but if they are proud of the achievement or some unbelievable moment that is documented, they should have the opportunity to let the world see it as well.

We here at NBC4.com have been inviting folks to show us their sports clips so that we can assist in showing the world. Do you know the No. 1 way of attracting college coaches, pro scouts, etc. to your children's athletic feats? It's by providing video to those folks so that they are informed about who to recruit, sign, etc.

You have the opportunity to use us as a conduit to make that happen, so please take advantage, send us your athletic moments. Catch our eye so that we put you on television as well as the web, and in turn, maybe catch the eyes of others who some day might make your kids realize their dreams.

Want to send in video? Click here to find out how!

Labels: Executive Producer NBC4 Sports, Jeff Greenberg

THE DARLINGTON STRIPE

I spent Friday at Darlington where I was at a rehearsal for the six Nextel Cup races in June and July that I'm pit reporting for.

Our team’s goal was to "shadow" the Busch series race Friday night, but we have to prepare just like we would for our true race. So, my mission was to research at the track, which means learning all of the crews and car chiefs and learning as much as possible about the track. This sport is very different to report for a lot of reasons, one is access to the crews, the other is that it's interesting that the teams really listen to the broadcasts and can find out what other teams are doing by what’s being reported. That throws in a whole other element. People get touchy if they think you’re sharing their information.

The only time I’ve ever been to Darlington is once when I drove by it on my way moving up to D.C. from Miami. I stopped to take a picture, which is kind of strange, but after having done racing a few years, you hear people talk about the history that this place oozes ... but to see this track in action is unreal.

First of all, every driver that I talked to Friday, every single one, told me that they love this track. It's 1.3 miles long, but the track itself is so abrasive that tires "fall off," meaning they wear down too low, within 10 laps. It's crazy. The track is so rough and ragged, you can actually see seashells in the asphalt (I saw it with my own eyes), but the drivers are so passionate about this track that when I asked Greg Biffle what made it so unique before the race, he sounded like he was voicing a movie trailer. He actually said, "She's the Black Lady ... just when you think you’ve got her, she’ll reach out and grab you and hold you down." Wow.

Denny Hamlin won the Busch race this evening. He’s going to be a superstar -- he has an uncanny feel for his cars on the tracks that he goes to. I predict he will have a championship before he's 30 (Obviously, at 26, he wants one sooner)...

But, the news of the weekend surrounded Dale Earnhardt, Jr. making the announcement Thursday morning that he is leaving DEI. Junior said that he is taking a week and a half to decompress before he starts thinking about what he is going to do. He is officially the most sought-after free agent on the sports market right now, and I felt a little for him because there were just mobs of cameras around his car and his crew all weekend long. Speculation was running all over the place at the track this weekend, but when Junior spoke with us, he said he’s not made a decision. I think he’ll end up at Childress, although I expect him to entertain a lot of things including Gibbs and Hendrick. He is a humongous Redskins fan, but, unfortunately, that won’t get him in a racecar ... stay tuned.

Before I sign off, I have to tell you about the Darlington "stripe." Since the track is so rough, like I told you, the cars lose grip really quickly and when they do, they skid up the track in the turns, causing them to slide up and make contact with the wall while they’re racing. It leaves a black stripe on the wall and it leaves marks where the paint is rubbed off the cars -- hence the "Ddarlington stripe." It's really cool to see in person (not so cool if you drive the racecar). It’s so notorious for the drivers, it kind of feels like they’ve been "striped" by aliens or something ...

Anyway, I’ve got to go to sleep as my flight home is in about six hours. But I was so pumped up after the race, and when a NASCAR driver talks about a racetrack like it’s a dangerous girlfriend, you can’t pass up a chance to share the story...

Labels: caps, hockey, jersey

$4.5 million a month. $700,000 a start.

How can Roger Clemens say he didn't go back to the New York Yankees for the money?

Of course it's about the money! Yes, he's got more money than he knows what do with, but right now the Yankees are an average ball team. He says he came to the Yankees to win another ring. Here's the real answer: his best friend, Andy Pettitte, left the Houston Astros and re-joined the Yankees. The Yankees pitching is so bad, the Yankees were willing to allow Clemens to fly home to Texas when he's not pitching in a series.

Last year they would not accept the Rocket's terms and the Yanks failed to win a World Series. Last year the Astros gave him no run support. This year he won't have a problem with one of the best hitting lineups of all time. We'll have to see if Clemens wins his third ring. The Yanks are 5.5 games behind the Red Sox as of Monday afternoon, May 7.

Brett Feinberg
Sports Producer

I know a lot of men that like soap operas ... they might not all admit it, but then some do ... for example, both of my uncles are obsessed with Victor Newman from "The Young and the Restless" and Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young admits to being an avid soapfan that spends free time watching "Soapnet."

The one sport that personifies soap operas is NASCAR. The sport is its own brand of entertainment that sucks you in with drivers trading paint on the track, swapping verbal jabs around it and trying to calm down angry girlfriends off of it. And if you think about it, NASCAR is the only sport in which drivers, by the nature of the sport, are forced to spend the majority of the week living together like next-door neighbors in the drivers' lot and then go door-to-door on the track. Can you imagine the Yankees and Red Sox being forced to live like neighbors in a fenced-in community? What a reality show! Can you really see the Red Sox going out of their way to give Johnny Damon spare toilet paper?

But in reality, the sport of NASCAR is family. And as I entered Richmond International Raceway Friday before last week’s race, what was especially obvious was the outpouring of support for those that suffered in the Virginia Tech tragedy. The first people I saw when I parked were three students from Tech that were getting out of their car dressed in Tech gear. They were there simply to thank the drivers for their support and pass out VT stickers for fans to wear. Beyond that, there were Tech flags and hats all over the place. Drivers like Jeff Gordon were wearing them all day long on Friday ... even Jimmie Johnson when he won the race, held his Tech hat out the window to show his support.

Denny Hamlin, the Richmond native, told me this race meant more to him than the Daytona 500, since he grew up going to the track, he still dreams of the day that he will win at Richmond. I believe he is talented enough with the right machinery that he will win the next one. His car is the only car that really gave the Hendrick team a run for its money. Denny finished third while Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch finished first and second. The Hendrick team knows what’s going on with the Car of Tomorrow.

And that’s the real drama that went on at the track this weekend. The drivers aren’t too happy with the car. Clint Bowyer (#2 car) actually got a talking to because he told a reporter that the Busch race (non "Car of Tomorrow" race) was going to be more exciting than the Cup race in the new cars. He told me it felt like a big truck on top of the track, that there’s nothing you can do to make it turn in the corners and it doesn’t matter how great you are because in these new cars, everyone has the same struggles.

So, I digress, but I will say this, as I talked to some of the drivers in the technical inspection line before Friday’s qualifying, I got my first good look at the new car, and it’s pretty cool looking with the spoiler and the altered body. But the drivers really want changes, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is frustrated enough to ask NASCAR to do it.

In fact, he spoke out Monday and said that something needs to be done to the handling of the race car. If anyone has enough star power to make the series stand up and listen, it might be him. Bottom line, the Nextel Cup series heads to Darlington next week. It’s a track that’s very tough on tires so this should be interesting with the new car. I’ll be there for Friday’s Busch race, so I’ll be sure to let you know and fill you in on the latest soap opera drama.

Lindsay Czarniak, sportscaster

Just finished up our Saturday night show and taped our morning segments. Now I'm sitting in the sports office and watching the fight... you know "the fight that will save boxing".
I must admit I was eager to see the fight but these things never live up to the hype.
Oh, wait a minute it's the 5th round and De La Hoya and Mayweather just exchaged some wicked combinations.
The 5th has been by far the best so far. Both fighters landed some monster shots.

Funniest line of the night came from James Adams before the 11pm Newscast. Floyd Mayweather Sr. looks like Marion Berry with dreads. Upon further review, yup, he's exactly right? look at a picture when you get a chance.

6th round to Oscar. I'm not an Oscar fan but I wouldn't mind seeing him win. All of Mayweather's trash talk was starting to get on my nerves. Funny at first, but not so much after 3 months of hype for the fight.

7th round draw

8th round Oscar barely.

9th round Oscar is trying to be aggressive, but his combinations aren't fazing Mayweather... he's connecting but there doesn's seem to be much juice behind the puches. Mayweather is basically laughing at him. DRAW

10th round De La Hoya is tired. In the words of Jim Lamply, "Oscar has put the jab back in the holster." He better pull that things out with a quickness or he will lose by decision. Floyd wins the round.

11th these guys are in unbelievable cardio shape. The average person goes one 2 minute round and would probably pass out. To go 12 rounds is just silly. I'll be you either one of these guys could run a marathon tomorrow and finish without a problem.
this onw is a DRAW

12th They just showed a shot of Oscar's wife. I wonder what she thinks about during the fight. Don't hurt my hubby...... We'll make 20 million for this....... what time is this going to be over I want an apple martini.

1:21 seconds left in the fight that didn't save boxing. I'm imaging all the parties tonight where people got this fight. I hope the drinks were good because this wasn't that entertaining.
The finish wasn't bad though. When the winner was announced it was almost like Mayweather didn't realize he had won. Weird. Oscar's last fight? Mayweather threw fewer punches and landed more. Nothing like the post fight interviews with Larry Merchant. He is classic. Mayweather says he's still retiring after the fight. 38-0. Not too shabby.
I'm out, Good night.

I would give the Redskins draft a C. The reason for the C is because of a lack of first-day picks.

Their only pick was a good one by selecting safety LaRon Landry. He was a very good player at LSU, a four-year starter, which is very rare for college football these days.

The one problem I have with picking Landry is the Skins needed a pass rusher. Landry and Sean Taylor are a good duo but without a pass rush, quarterbacks will still have a field day. NFL quarterbacks can find an open receiver if they have time to sit back in the pocket. We'll just have to wait and see if this pick was the right one.