Sports

The air was heavy. Curious spectators (and baffled tourists) drew closer. Thunderstorms threatened, but kept their distance. In the end, Team Hack edged out Team Flack (12-9) in the annual softball contest. No word on whether or not the winnner of the NYC Hacks vs Flacks Game (played in Central Park) will accept the challenge to take on the winnners of the DC duel.

Here's the complete play-by-play coverage from Roll Call.

After much speculation and anticipation, the journalists have finally released their Team Hack Lineup for this evening's Hacks vs. Flacks Softball Game. 6:30(ish) pm. On the National Mall. Follow @fishbowldc for exact field location.

Pitcher - Brody Mullins , Wall Street Journal
Catcher - Kara Rowland, Washington Times
1st Base - Sophie Caronello, Bloomberg
1st Base - Carl Hulse, New York Times
2nd Base - Kathryn Kross, Bloomberg
2nd Base - Elizabeth Wolf, AP
Shortstop - Steve Chaggaris, CBS News
Shortstop - Luke Mullins, U.S. News & World Report
3rd Base - Jon Allen, CQ
3rd Base - Jerry Seib, Wall Street Journal
Left Field - Mike Crittenden, Dow Jones
Center Field - Brendan Murray, Bloomberg
Right Field - Phil Mattingly, CQ
Utility - Dave Clark, CQ
Designated Hitter - Mark Preston, CNN
The "Closer" - Paul Kane, WaPo

It's not just the Hacks vs. Flacks softball tournament that's heating up... there's also smack being thrown around WTOP this week.

The radio station's newsroom and sales teams will face off Friday, August 7th in an annual softball game.

Playing for the newsroom: sprawl-n-crawl reporter Adam Tuss, Virginia reporter Hank Silverberg, national security correspondent JJ Green and sports anchor George Wallace, WTOP.com online news director Mike Gartell and writers Emily Eckland, Greg Otto, and Jason Fraley. WTOP editor Thomas Warren (who we hear has some minor league baseball experience) is the team's star.

And on the sales side: director Matt Mills, director of local sales Harry Quast, director of national sales and sports sales manager Jeffrey Wolinsky, manager Ralph Renzi, general sales manager Steve Goldstein and others.

And the smack? Check out this email from WTOP News Director Mike McMearty to the sales department, who we also hear is typically referred to as "sales slime" (how professional):

Subject: GAME ON!

Game on...

WHAT: Softball game... WTOP Newsroom vs. WTOP Sales.

WHEN: Friday August 7th from 3pm-5pm

WHERE: Norwood Field (4700 Norwood Drive)... Drive on Wisconsin avenue north for about 2.8 miles until you take a left at Norwood Drive (just before Bradley Blvd). Drive to the end of the road.

WHY: To give you bums a chance to get revenge for last year's spanking.

In the lead-up to the much-anticipated contest between content creators and message makers, the smack-talk continues. And new "rules" are proposed every day. Yesterday's exchange:

HACK: "Team Flack must have a 60-40 split between Democrats and Republicans. That doesn't bode well for the playing time of [their] new shortstop". DING!

FLACK: "Shouldn't the same apply for [The Hacks] as well or is it a numerical impossibility to reach the 40% or even 20% [Republican] level?" POW!

HACK: "We don't need ringers. We're fielding pound-the-pavement, hard-nosed, ink-stained reporters who will pound the softball, play hard and ink a victory." SNAP!

FLACK: "60% of the hacks team has to work at an organization/paper that is not in bankruptcy, not for sale, not hemorrhaging money...and not selling out their reporters with "salons". OUCH!

10th Annual Hacks vs Flacks Softball Game. Monday, July 27. 6:30 PM. National Mall, near the Smithsonian Merry-Go-Round. This ... could ... get ... interesting.

In response to Sally Jenkins' Tokin' Effort piece, Wilbon says "I'm annoyed over reading my friend Sally Jenkins's column justifying that Phelps "periodically needs to bust out of the confines of the pool and of his too-coy image," because he already busted out in 2004, when he was caught drinking and driving."

What do you think? Should we overlook the millions in endorsements and give Phelps a 'pass' for age and immaturity? Wilbon doesn't think so.

"Sally asks in the lead of her column if anybody is really surprised that Phelps dived headfirst into the bong water? I realize her tongue was firmly planted in cheek, but yes, I'm surprised," says Wilbon.

See Wilbon's full post on Wapo.com

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis makes himself incredibly accessible to regular Joe the Plumbers Schmoes, either through his Facebook page or his blog or email. But, now he's realizing that perhaps he was a bit too accessible.

He writes on his blog:

The 3 to 0 deficit also brought out the worst of some folks' instincts and emails into my inbox so here is what I am thinking: I have made myself incredibly accessible to our fans and I mostly enjoy the interaction but it is becoming apparent that some fans abuse me and have gotten into the habit of just firing off hurtful missives about me personally or about our team; certain players on our team; or our fan base. To be direct, we don't deserve it and the abuse is probably the reason that most professional sports team owners don't open their mailbox to fans.

Without more restraint from some of you, I will be forced to shut down my email access. It is making the process of listening to our fan base too noisy and, frankly, it isn't much fun. Try to enjoy the ride; the team; and respect my time and space. Thank you.

From Washington Post sports writer/blogger Dan Steinberg's interview with Washingtonian.com:

I took an oath upon starting for the Post not to root for any sports teams. Frankly, I don't understand why the Post forbids us from giving even five cents to a political campaign but doesn't mind staffers who are blatant cheerleaders for various pro sports teams. But whatever--I don't make the rules; I just keep my own mind pure.

We hear that Tony Kornheiser's car was stolen from the ESPN garage in DC, last week causing "mad drama," to quote one source. He dropped his keys in the garage, someone took the car and now he's demanded extra security because he claims its a stalker.

The WaPo's Dan Steinberg explains.

We knew he couldn't stay away from column writing for very long...