I don't remember the part of The Lion King when Simba was kicked out of the house. But that seems to be what's soon to happen to the National Zoo's three year-and-a-half-old male lion cubs, who have started exhibiting some behavior that's a little too, well, frisky for the family home. more ›

It's been a long, hard day of political analysis, fallout and bickering. As a result, I'm pretty sure that nearly everyone in D.C. would be incredibly well-served by watching this video right now and repeating, as necessary. more ›

Uh, guys: there's more lion cubs at the National Zoo. The Zoo added three more cubs -- seen above in all of their CCTV glory -- to its already impressive haul of four. (Come on, you know you can't resist clicking through that gallery again.) Mama Nababiep -- whose first cub born at the zoo unfortunately died in May -- went into labor early this morning and gave birth to the three new additions between 8 and 10:30. Happy days, people. Fingers crossed that all seven make it through. more ›

We've got ourselves some new lion cubs! The National Zoo reports that at some point last night between 10:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., proud parents Shera and Luke welcomed four lion cubs to their pride. Oh, and get this: "Because it is not uncommon for intervals between births to be several hours long, we will continue to monitor Shera for additional cubs." The Zoo's other lioness, Nababiep, also bred with Luke earlier this summer, and is expected to deliver at some point in September. All this happy news is much appreciated, considering that the Zoo's last lion cub died in May after a freak accident in which a straw awn became lodged in its lung. more ›

August 21, 2010, for purposes of sheer hyperbole, is that the date that it happened: The "Forearm Twinge Heard 'Round the World." Games don't get cancelled because your stud prospect gets a boo-boo, but the Nationals seemed to forget that in the four games afterward, getting outscored 24-5 and looking about as qualified to play professional baseball as I am. more ›

You may have heard via any one of a number of hysterical media outlets that Stephen Strasburg had to leave Saturday's game with a strained forearm. Management is non-committal (rightfully so in the absence of MRI results) about Strasburg's prospects for the rest of the season, but let's just throw this out there: at this point, the only reason to send Strasburg to the hill the rest of the season is to sell tickets. more ›

The Smithsonian's National Zoo has announced the birth of two Andean bear cubs, born to 4-year-old Billie Jean back in mid-January. The twins are believed to have been over a 24-hour period Jan. 14-15, but momma bear and her offspring have been secluded in a private indoor habitat, so all zookeepers know for sure at this point is what they can see and hear via closed-circuit camera and a sound monitor. So far, zoo officials say it looks like all three bears are doing well. more ›

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and... more ›

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and... more ›

MONDAY: In case you missed him at Politics and Prose last month, left-of-center sports writer Dave Zirin will be at Busboys and Poets to discuss and sign his latest book Welcome to the Terrordome, which tackles the topics of race, class, politics and identity and how they play in the mainstream media's coverage of athletes. Hip-hop activist Son of Nun is scheduled to perform. 6:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Busboys and Poets will hold a forum to... 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 ›

Baseball’s amateur draft hasn’t quite established the same caché as the NFL, with All Day Draft Coverage, mock “war rooms” and the like. This is partially because baseball’s deep player development system delays the impact of most draftees and partly because baseball’s draft has twenty bazillion rounds. Even without a media circus, though, the 2007 Draft looms large for the Nats and their plans for future development. Many of their decisions over the past few... more ›

The talk about the Nationals being the worst team in major league history seems to have been slightly exaggerated. That being said, they've been pretty awful in losing 5 in a row, including being swept by the Cubs this weekend. The Nats are 9-22, 10.5 games out of first place in the National League East and 5.5 behind the fourth place Phillies. And they face the surprising Brewers, who have the best record in baseball,... more ›

For all the hand wringing over the Nats 9-17 April record (the second worst in baseball), the month's last game provided some vindication for many of the teams fans, and especially for centerfielder Ryan Church. At the beginning of April, Church's fate with the team was cloudy, with his supporters almost hoping he could be traded to find another opportunity. A quick glance at the lineup before a 3-2 win over the Padres late Monday... more ›

We were glad to see him signed, and we hate to see him go, despite the fact that his memorable, 40-40 year didn't translate into a winning season for the Nats. While the home club was nominally trying to retain their star left fielder, Washington's offers ultimately came nowhere near the money Soriano will receive from his new team, the Chicago Cubs. His announced deal, $136 million over 8 years for an average of about $17 million per year, could fairly be called epic. While not the longest or most expensive in baseball history, it will keep Soriano under contract until he's 39 and grant him a no-trade clause. Eyebrow raising stuff. more ›

Morning, fair DCist readers. How was your weekend? Did you do any of the numerous activities in the area, like the homeless walkathon, or celebrating an elephant's fifth birthday? Did you go on a fruitless hunt for the elusive Wii? Or perhaps you got married in a Roman castle? You could have signed with the Cubs for $136 million! Whatever you did, we hope it was excellent. The start of this week seems to... more ›

Having dismissed Frank Robinson at the end of the season, the Nats are casting a wide net for possible replacements. Reports yesterday regarding the sudden firing (and availability) of four-time World Series winner Joe Torre now appear to be premature, according to the NY Post. With the nascent Torre-to-the-Nats campaign already toast, we take a look at the other candidates in the rumor mill... Lou Pinella Experience: Played briefly for O’s and Indians, but mostly... more ›

Somehow, the world of -ists managed to make it through the week despite news that Jen & Vince broke up. -Chicagoist had fall on their mind as they made squash and fudge, read "House of Leaves" and ">tried to figure out what's next for the Cubs. Not fall related, but still of utmost concern, the whole skinny black pants thing. -Torontoist fought off an evil scourge of raccoons and went to go see who... more ›

Happy Wednesday, Washington. We don't know about you guys, but we feel strongly that last night was excessively hot. Especially if you were stupid enough to wear jeans while sitting outdoors drinking beer — as muggy as it was, just peeling those suckers off and managing to climb into bed with a fan pointed straight at your head was a minor miracle. So it is with great fanfare that DCist announces, starting today, three days... more ›

On Friday, I attended the Nationals game against the visiting Cubs, where the transfer of ownership from MLB to Ted Lerner had prompted a "reopening" of the old park, complete with red carpets, giveaways, and marching bands. The celebration drew an announced crowd of about 35,000, slightly more than the amount by which the Census Bureau revised the District's population upward on Saturday, according to the Washington Post. That stadium-full (nearly—still 10k short of filling... more ›

Despite (or maybe because of) their stadium issues, the Washington Nationals and their new owners are reopening RFK Stadium this weekend, introducing new concession stands and a food court and cleaning the place up a bit. There will also be fan festivals before the games and decent pre-game concerts, with U.S. Army bands playing on Friday, go-go legend Chuck Brown on Saturday, and Virginia's Pat McGee Band on Sunday. And the part we're most interested... more ›

Well, being that it's Friday, make that three happy thoughts. But given that today marks the start of the World Cup and the last day that we'll hopefully ever have Tom DeLay in Washington, it's looking to be a great day. Host country Germany kicks off the tournament against Costa Rica -- this DCist's favored team -- today at noon, at which time DeLay will be packing boxes in his Capitol Hill office and trying... more ›

The weeks starts out right when a sucker punch on the field lands Chicagoist in the middle of a Sox/Cubs throwdown and the fists continue to fly in the comments. Despite suburban resident Ms. Pinney's best little try no books will be banned anytime soon and the El is really really gross. Houstonist is there to start compiling the punditry when when the guilty, guilty Enron verdict comes down. This guy seems to be able... more ›

After 22 straight scoreless innings, things looked bleak for the Nationals. With their highly-anticipated Battle of the Beltway on tap, the Nats had to beat the Cubs and Kerry Wood making his first start of the season. Well, a little bit of lineup shake up did the trick as four players, including Damian Jackson and Marlon Anderson, homered in a 5-3 victory over the Cubs. Firmly in fourth place, the Nats can now look ahead to their three-game showdown against their natural regional rivals, the Orioles. more ›

Livan Hernandez finally managed to stay out of early trouble last night, but his teammates couldn't cause any of their own against Carlos Zambrano. The 24-year-old right hander spread four harmless singles over eight innings to shut out the Nats 4-0 in Chicago and pick up his second win. No National had more than one hit. Alfonso Soriano struck out three times on the same day the Post commended him for not letting his... more ›

A weekend trip to Colorado might have been just what the doctor ordered for the oft offensively-challenged Washington Nationals, who appear to be breaking out of their offensive doldrums just in time for the second leg of their make-or-break 13 game road trip. After a 4-2 win Friday and an 8-0 thrashing Saturday night, the Nats completed the three game sweep by pounding the Rockies 9-2 yesterday. More importantly than winning (and sweeping) their first... more ›

The longest month in the brief history of the Washington Nationals came to a merciful end with a 4-2 victory over the Marlins yesterday afternoon. Livan Hernandez earned his 13th win and ended the Nationals skid with an eight inning, two run effort, and Chad Cordero pitched a perfect 9th for his 35th save. But what a difference a month makes: The Nats entered the month of July with a 47-31 record and proceeded to... 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 ›

Despite losing to the Mets yesterday at home, the long weekend was very good the Washington Nationals. They swept the Cubs over the weekend, drew their largest DC crowd ever yesterday and even got some front page love from the folks over at ESPN.com. Oh, and lest we forget that we have not one, but two All Stars on our roster. Livan Hernandez and Chad Cordero will both be making the trip to Detroit next week. That's the first time the Nats/Expos franchise has had multiple All Stars since 2002. more ›