This weekend, the best players in the NHL gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina to celebrate the league's All-Star weekend, in which hockey players come together to not play defense, show off various skills to paying fans and deliver awkward interviews during a faux red carpet ceremony. In short, the kind of stuff that Capitals megastar Alexander Ovechkin was born to do. more ›

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been named to the 2009 National League All-Star team. Every team gets an All-Star, and Ryan Zimmerman is the Nationals'. As the face of the franchise, Zimmerman is the perfect representative for the Nationals: much like the team, he is both hitting better than last year and has a lot more errors. Fans still have the chance to vote shortstop Cristian Guzman into the final National League All-Star slot. more ›

>> The Virgin Festival has added Panic! At the Disco, Explosions In the Sky and Baltimore-based electronic music composer/performer Dan Deacon for their Sunday lineup. >> You should probably get any sort of week night responsibilities out of the way this evening, so you can join us tomorrow night at Unbuckled 6. If you missed our interviews with the bands, Le Loup and The XYZ Affair, give them a gander. If we haven't already... more ›

On Sunday, with their 7-2 win over the Brewers, the Nats reached the All Star break and the season’s traditional halfway point. With the team on a not-quite-as-bad-as-expected 66-win pace, those of us who write about them are stuck somewhere between the building euphoria in Boston and the pitchfork and torches crowd in Cincinnati. One of the beautiful things about baseball, though, is that the long season generates plenty of moments, both incredible and pathetic,... more ›

Well, we may have been reluctant at first due to his, um, colorful past (as were many others). We also doubted his All Star chances. Now, though, we’re now firmly aboard the Dmitri Young Chuckwagon. In the same week he was named to the NL team for next week’s All Star Game in San Francisco, Young went 3-4 yesterday. His day was highlighted by a grand slam, cementing the Nats 6-0 win in front of... more ›

With the NHL draft beginning this Friday evening, the Capitals must be excited to possess the fifth overall pick. That high pick gives them a chance to add one more skilled young prospect to a corps of young talent that includes First Team All Star Alexander Ovechkin, hard-shooting winger Alexander Semin and enough other good young players to get their top minor league affiliate to the last two AHL finals. One player likely to slip... more ›

>>The story of Bobby Boswell's ill-fated Nickelodeon GUTS appearance is well documented, thanks to some tremendous coverage from Dan Steinberg at The Sports Bog. It wasn't until yesterday, however, that we received indisputable video evidence of the incident. BobbyBoswell.com has the goods. The key quote from the clip: "I'll be honest with you. I scored a goal against Chelsea, was an MLS All Star. I was the defender of the year and just recently named... more ›

Prompted by the opening of online balloting for the 2007 All Star Game a few weeks ago, we recently started wondering who might represent the Nats in San Francisco (since, you know, somebody has to). Dmitri Young? The guy's hitting for a scorching .500 average over the last 21 games. But he's mired behind popular stars like Albert Pujols and Nomar Garciaparra, as well as reigning MVP Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder's 23-homer bat. Even... more ›

Ponder this one for a minute: Now that official online voting is open, if you had to select the Nats representative for the ’07 All Star game based on the team's first 52 games, who would it be? No National appears in the top five at any position in the early voting results, which is indicative of both the nature of the voting as a popularity contest and of the Nats' subpar 21-31 record.... more ›

[Editor's Note: With the Nationals readying to begin their third season in D.C., change is constant and questions abound. Today, like last year, we take a look at the 2007 roster and all the new contributors. Next week, we’ll discuss this year’s most pressing questions with some of the Nats' best bloggers.] With the Nats preparing to head north from spring training in Viera for their third season on the Anacostia, it’s time to take... more ›

With all the attention Gilbert Arenas has garnered over the last month of the NBA season, it's easy to forget about his very capable teammates. Luckily for the Wiz, they were ready to pick up the slack last night when Gilbert had an "off" game. A look at the stat sheet might tell you the Bulls defense held Agent Zero to just 16 shots, but it wouldn't show Gilbert's determination to get his teammates... more ›

When the NBA schedule was released before the start of the season, I doubt many people circled the four games pitting Washington against Milwaukee. Too bad, because they are missing one of the NBA's best budding rivalries. These two teams, each led by a former second round pick turned All Star, have played some incredibly exciting games in the last two years. Last night's 108-105 Wizards win was more of the same. Gilbert Arenas,... more ›

Jose Vidro, the Nats oft-injured second baseman, has been traded to the Seattle Mariners, pending a physical exam delayed until this morning. Vidro’s a three-time All Star with fine career numbers, and he's a standup character. He's shown admirable loyalty to the club throughout the franchise’s tumultuous past and gruesome near-term prognosis. After the clearing of roster debris like Ramon Ortiz, Tony Armas, and Joey Eishen, one might think that Nationals Nation would mourn –... more ›

When the Nats completed the series win over their budding rivals from Baltimore last weekend, things were looking up. They'd won two in a row (and three of four), stalwart starter Livan Hernandez appeared to have returned to last year's All Star form, and Alfonso Soriano was proving why Jim Bowden coveted him so badly. The team seemed to have turned a corner on their poor start. But Momentum, she is a fickle lady.... more ›

This entry was written by new DCist contributor Jeff Beam Away from the three ring circus created by Major League Baseball, City Council, and Mayor Williams’ office, the 2006 edition of the Nationals prepares this week to close shop in Viera, Florida and head north for another season along the Anacostia. A number of roster moves via trade, promotion, and shoulder tears have changed the look of the team, so we’ve compiled a season preview... more ›

The weekly Ist wrap-up is written by Seattlest editor Dan Gonsiorowski. After Wired ran a story documenting the GoogleCenter of the United States a bunch of ists jumped on the opportunity to figure out their own middle. Gothamist, Chicagoist, Bostonist, DCist and Seattlest all zoomed in on their creamy GoogleCenters. A crack cartography team is hard at work determining the GoogleCenter of the Ist-a-verse as you read this... Austinist read a book about Olympian Bode... more ›

Despite defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first game back after the All Star break (that's seven of their last ten if you're counting at home), the Wiz seem to be making a lot of noise off the court as well. Today is the NBA's trading deadline, and even though the names Jared Jeffries and Etan Thomas have come up in a few rumors (one had Thomas going to Chicago for Mike Sweetney), the... more ›

>>The votes are in and as of now, it looks like the Washington Wizards will not be represented in this year's NBA All Star game. Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, both elected last year, will have to make other plans for All Star weekend after the coaches left them off of their ballots this year. Arenas is a suprising omission given that he's fourth in the entire league in scoring in addition to the... more ›

After a rough stretch that saw them lose five games in a row and six of seven overall, the Washington Wizards rebounded (no pun intended) last night with a 96-89 win over the road weary Portland Trailblazers. The Blazers, playing the last game of a grueling seven game road swing, obviously had that not so fresh feeling after a loss Tuesday night in Philadelphia and had trouble containing the Wizards All Star duo of Gilbert... more ›

All Star break. By September. Shortly after World Series. Nov. 16-17 MLB owners meeting in Milwaukee. And so, the latest in a growing list of deadlines gets scratched from the list. You didn’t REALLY think the Nationals’ new owner would be announced next week when MLB owners meet in Milwaukee, did you? Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced yesterday morning that there will not be a vote among the owners next week, and there is no... more ›

So the Nats are having a little post-All Star Game slump. In any city, fans would blame the players, the managers, the umpires, anything. Here in Washington, where the beloved Nationals have electrified a baseball-starved populace? It's the fans, like the one at right that Justin DC snapped a pic of at Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The bandwagoners, to be exact. Writes the Post: When the bandwagoners first showed up -- yapping on... more ›

(Entry written by DCist contributor Chris Kelly) The Nationals head up I-95 to Philly for a 3-game tilt before they hit the All-Star break, following yesterday's 3-2, 11 inning loss and a 3-1 series loss against the Mets (first home series loss since April). Nats blew a chance to win it in the 9th yesterday with two men on and one out, but neither Jose Guillen nor Brad Wilkerson could get the job done. For... more ›

Shaq or no Shaq, the Wizards fell once again to the Miami Heat on Saturday and with it brought the end of their season. We could pull a Tony Kornheiser and run around screaming "Remember the Caps?" or listen to Mike Wise when he says that a "bright future" doesn't always turn out the way you envisioned it. We could do that, but we're not going to. Instead let's focus on what the Wiz... more ›

DCist was in the house last night when the Washington Wizards faced off against the Boston Celtics at the MCI Center as both teams fought for playoff positioning and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Boston's Antoine Walker sat out with a knee injury, but All Star Antawn Jamison returned to action after an 11 game absence for the Wizards. Unfortunately, as well as Jamison played in his return, it... more ›

>> Despite their propensity to fight through injuries this year, the absence of All Star Antawn Jamison was evident last night as the Washington Wizards fell in Denver to the red hot Nuggets 127-98. Gilbert Arenas led the Wiz with 25, but the team shot just 39% from the field. Coach Eddie Jordan might want to look at the team's defense too. The Nuggets shot over 55% and it's never a good thing when... more ›

Yesterday the NBA announced the reserve rosters for the 2005 NBA All Star Game in Denver, Co. and to no one's surprise, a pair of Wizards heard there names called out. Take a bow Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, you deserve it. more ›

DCist took in the Wizards impressive victory over the league leading Phoenix Suns on Saturday night at the MCI Center and left the arena feeling good about the immediate future of our new basketball powerhouse. That, however, came to an abrupt end on Sunday morning when we read the news that possible All Star Larry Hughes would miss four to six weeks with a fractured thumb on his shooting hand. The immediate returns from the Wiz were less than impressive after their 28 point loss yesterday in San Antonio. Hopefully the Wiz can bounce back tonight in Dallas against the Mavericks. more ›

Need some counter-programming to the barrage of election coverage sure to inundate the airwaves tonight? How about the opening of the 2004/2005 NBA season? TNT will broadcast a doubleheader tonight showcasing Houston traveling to Detroit to take on the reigning NBA champs followed by Team Kobe taking on the Denver Nuggets in La La land. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. And what of the Washington Wizards you ask? Well, count on them getting off to... more ›