The NFL draft takes place Saturday afternoon--with a new start time: 4pm... and ESPN takes to the air with their "preview show" at 11am? I'm sorry, but five hours is way too long to speculate what might happen--as opposed to covering what is happening.
The Redskins currently own the 13th pick in the first round and I'm curious as to what they will do...will they go with need and take an offensive or defensive lineman, or move up and select USC quarterback Matt Sanchez? Obviously Sanchez is the sexy pick and the current Skins brain trust has a history of making big splashes---from 2000's "Fortune 500" free agent class (courtesy ESPN 980's Steve Czaban: they spent a fortune to reach .500) to the "Jetskins" of a few years later (did we need their kicker and kick returner too?). But an atrophying offensive line can't protect a QB no matter how good he is and a defensive line with depth questions that can't rush the passer will let your back seven hang out to dry.
Last year the Skins took three receivers in the second round--and although all three were "highest on the board" when chosen...is the front office flexible where their board is concerned? The "he was next on our list" response feels like a copout when that's the first and final answer as to why a player or a position was chosen. The other picks this weekend include a third rounder (#80 overall), a number five (150th) plus sixth and seventh round selections (186th and 243rd)...lets hope they don't spend one on a punter.
The long Nationals nightmare is just underway--while most felt the Nats wouldn't be a contender this year...nobody thought they would be this bad. The exclamation point of the club's 1-10 start was getting swept over the weekend by first place Florida (six early games against Washington will give you a boost in the standings)--allowing 8 runs in the ninth inning over the weekend as late leads dissolved. The smoke you see near the Anacostia River? That's the Nationals bullpen.
Good for the Nats that they've made a flurry of moves (Saul Rivera, Will Ledezma and Steven Shell to AAA, Garrett Mock, Jordan Zimmerman, Jason Bergmann and Kip Wells to the bigs)--bad for the team that reliever Joe Biemel goes on the DL with a hip strain (he had a staff best 1.23 ERA--and that means Rivera's back in DC).
The offense is the least of manager Manny Acta's worries...as the team is averaging almost five runs a game. Still the "O" is sometimes missing--and not on the field. Evidently Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn's uniforms were missing the letter "O" last Friday-- I don't know if Bert or Ernie had anything to do with the missing vowel, but the lack of a letter is exhibit A that this is the gang who can't shoot straight.
Nice game three win by the Capitals---and we may have seen the team's netminder for the next ten years. Simeon Varlamov stopped 33 shots in Madison Square Garden Monday night as the Caps avoided the dreaded 3-0 deficit. I know that a series can turn on a dime--and who's to say the Rangers offense doesn't finally get hot against the rookie in game four...but I'm starting to like the team's chances for a comeback.
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