Sports

Redskins reporter Jason Reid has been named new Sports columnist for WaPo, filling the spot vacated by veteran writer Michael Wilbon who recently signed off to pursue his gig with ABC/ESPN full time.  Reid’s Redskins beat is temporarily available but Sports editor Matt Vita suggests in an internal memo that a strong external contender for the position has been identified.  Memo announcing Reid’s promotion below:

“I am very happy to announce that Jason Reid will become a columnist for Sports. Jason is one of the most hard-working, conscientious and thoughtful sports writers in the country who has covered the NBA (Clippers), MLB (Dodgers) and NFL (Redskins). In his four years at the Post, Jason has become the dominant beat writer on the Redskins with impeccable sources in the locker room, front office, among player agents and around the league. His tireless work leading the Redskins Insider has helped grow the audience for the blog in each of the last three seasons. This past year, Jason demonstrated his considerable skills as an analyst and observer in writing weekly On Football columns that routinely were among the most widely read Redskins stories on the website. I am confident Jason has the experience, work ethic and drive to become a top-flight commentator on sports and their role in society, and will be a welcome addition to Tom Boswell, Sally Jenkins, Mike Wise and Tracee Hamilton as the best lineup of sports columnists in the country.

Jason’s new responsibilities create an opening on the Redskins beat. A strong external candidate has emerged but we are open to hearing from others in the newsroom interested in taking on the mantle of chief Redskins blogger and Redskins news hound on one of the most high-profile and demanding beats at the Post.”

Matt Vita

Mike Wise

From Fishbowl’s favorite sports junkie: While ex-Postie Tony Kornheiser was yakking about the weekend’s movies with WaPo film critic Ann Hornaday and hyping James Carville‘s upcoming “football picks” this morning,  Post Sports columnist Mike Wise (the flyin’ Hawaiian) was breaking real news over on WJFK-FM…

Wise apparently confirmed that the Redskins’ Rex Grossman would get the start Sunday vs. the Cowboys,  instead of Donovan McNabb, the six-time Pro Bowl quarterback.  Ironically, ESPN floated the Grossman story a couple of days ago but Wise won the day with confirmation.

h/t MartyC

Spotted at Panera Bread in Chevy Chase last evening: Channel 4 sportscaster Dan Hellie, Fox 5 sports guru Dave Feldman and a Fox sports producer chowing down on sandwiches at a storefront table.  Hellie agreed with a questioner’s assertion that Lindsay Czarniak had done a solid report from the Verizon Center…hitting the angle that the Caps’ seven-game losing skid coincides with the filming of the highly-hyped HBO “24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic” documentary, first episode of which aired last night.  Czarniak also mentioned parts of Bruce Boudreau‘s rantings would probably be R-rated.

Dan Steinberg blogged on the WaPo website (the Sports Bog) that Boudreau drops several F-bombs and uses language that would “make Rex Ryan blush.”

Has the SI jinx been replaced with the HBO jinx?  First the NY Jets, now the Caps?

h/t MartyC

Reliable Source reports that former WaPo columnist turned ESPN sports commentator Tony Kornheiser has been suspended for two weeks after talking smack on air about his colleague, Hannah Storm:

“She’s got on red go-go boots and a Catholic school plaid skirt… way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now… She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body… Come on now! Stop! What are you doing?”

Kornheiser has been absent from ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” but apparently, the suspension does not apply to his radio gig. Check out Reliable Source for the full scoop.

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.