Looks like that loss to a seven-man New York Knicks squad over the weekend was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, as news is breaking that the Washington Wizards fired head coach Eddie Jordan this morning. Jordan, one of the longest tenured coaches in the league, had been in charge of the team since 2003 and enjoyed four straight playoff appearances, but got off to a very rough 1-10 start this year. Jordan... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Brett Gellman. The Maryland Terrapins (7-3, 4-2 ACC) face the Florida State Seminoles (7-3, 4-3 ACC) tomorrow evening at Byrd Stadium in what will finally clear up the ACC title picture in the penultimate week of conference action. It is perhaps the Terps’ most important game of the season as they are in control of their own destiny in the Atlantic Division. Florida State was originally in the driver’s seat, but... [continue]

Monday night's triple bill at DAR Constitution Hall had something for everyone, assuming they liked their guitars loud and their venues cavernous. Headliners Kings of Leon, touring behind their latest release, the stadium-rock ready Only by the Night, whipped fans into a prolonged frenzy by playing it cool, while openers We Are Scientists and The Whigs had to put in some extra work to win over the late-arriving crowd. KoL lead singer Caleb Followill seemed... [continue]

Even with all of their injury troubles, it's safe to say the Wizards didn't expect to start out 0-5 this season and be stuck with the dreaded "last winless team in the league" tag. But it's hard to say they don't deserve it. They currently rank last in the league in points allowed, opponents field goal percentage and three point shooting. Etan Thomas has already missed one game and Antonio Daniels is day-to-day with a... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Brett Gellman. The last time the Terrapins visited Lane Stadium back on a chilly Thursday night in 2004 they were the recipients of a 55-6 drubbing and were embarrassed in front a national television audience. Then again, the Hokies were also ranked #15 at the time and eventually went on to win the conference championship. Meanwhile, the Terps entered the game with a 4-5 record and had one of the worst... [continue]

The Boston Celtics raised championship banner number 17 to the rafters last night and Greg Oden apparently can't play more than three minutes without getting injured. NBA basketball is back! The Washington Wizards start their season tonight at home against the New Jersey Nets at 7 p.m. Here are five hot issues that the Wizards will need to solve this season if they want to make it to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld The world was sure the 5-2 Redskins would walk all over the 0-6 Detroit Lions. Redskins’ fans, however, knew that there would be more to Sunday’s contest. When the inactives were announced, two unexpected additions—starting left tackle Chris Samuels and starting strong safety Chris Horton—gave Skins fans even more reason to worry. The first half was unspectacular. The Redskins moved the ball well, amassing 250 yards on offense versus... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke The Redskins face their second winless team of the season Sunday. Will this matchup have a different outcome? Eye Candy: That's what the Detroit defense should look like right now to Zorn and Co. Actually, the nicest thing you can do for the Lions this season is not look at their stats on either side of the ball. They rank 31st in total rushing yards this season and their... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld If you don’t consider yourself a “die hard” fan of the 'Skins, or simply have a peripheral interest in the team, you’re more than excused for falling asleep during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Browns. In summary, the first half went like this: Punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, missed field goal. Riveting stuff. In the second half, however, both... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke The endangered 0-4 Rams will be lucky to avoid extinction this Sunday in Washington. Where to start? The 'Skins showcase their new offense for the first time this season against a team that didn't finish .500 or above in 2007 (a performance the Rams look primed to repeat – you have to admire their consistency). I learned my lesson along with every defense in the NFL last week (after... [continue]

Ruh-roh. Not long after news leaked out that Wizards starting center Brendan Haywood might be lost for 4-6 months, team captain Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury in Dallas midway through the first quarter of last night's preseason opener. The team is officially calling it a "sprained knee" but on TV it looked much worse than that. The CSN broadcast cut to a nattily dressed Agent Zero on the Wizards bench and... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld Just who the hell is this team? For the fourth game in a row, the final seconds ticked off the clock and Jason Campbell was taking a knee. 'Skins fans haven’t seen anything like this in years. At about 12:59 p.m., the stage was set for a very, very bad day. Coming off a thrilling win against Dallas last week, the Skins seemed overconfident and ripe for a... [continue]

Joining the ranks of resurrected Boston institutions such as the Red Sox, the Celtics and The Pixies, the newly reunited New Kids on the Block stopped by the Verizon Center last night on their tour promoting their reunion disc, The Block, which actually reached #2 on the Billboard album chart. Yes, Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jonathan and Jordan are quite a bit older than their mid-1980s heyday and their dance moves are a bit more robotic... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke Keep an eye on the ground this week in Philly. Gaining Ground: The Redskins have leapfrogged in both ESPN and CBS power rankings (to 6th and 4th respectively) after beating the previously undefeated Cowboys Sunday in Dallas. Santana Moss was second among receivers this week in total yards (8 catches for 145 yards) while Clinton Portis was second among running backs (121 yards on 21 carries). The Redskins defense... [continue]

Please welcome our newest DCist contributor, Elisabeth Meinecke. Steaks won't be the only thing sizzling this Sunday in Texas. The Patient: The Skins' defense is warming up (just ask Kurt Warner, who was sacked twice and hurried seven times by the Skins last Sunday), Jason Campbell is hot (this week's quarterback rating came in at 112.2, topping his Week 2 rating of 104.1), and the team is on fire after a pair of nail-biting wins... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld It was just the Cardinals. No doubt about it. But these Cardinals came in confident and 2-0 for the first time since 1999, and no one had any idea what to expect from our Redskins. The Week 1 portrait of ineptitude or the Week 2 team that showed offensive promise? Well, the Redskins gave fans a little of both yesterday at FedEx Field on their way to a... [continue]

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld. No one is suggesting the Super Bowl is in our future. But with a 29-24 win against the New Orleans Saints yesterday at FedEx Field, we can safely remove ourselves from the ledge and take a deep breath. While I’m not actually sure what a “schneid” is, fans across the metropolitan area are happy the Redskins have gotten off of it. After a painful first half, when the... [continue]

Please welcome new DCist Redskins contributor Rob Birgfeld. So what do we make of the preseason? When the team started 3-0, even the most subdued Redskins fans began to salivate at the potential that was 2008. The kid from Hawaii with the name that screams “star quarterback,” Colt Brennan, was shining. The veterans were cheering on the young ones from the sidelines and the new coach looked cool and collected. Even James Arthur Monk... [continue]

Half the fun of winning a trophy in soccer (any sport really) is getting your hands on it, parading around a bit and even planting a kiss on the goods. Last night at RFK was no exception. The team, who were jubilant during the post-game trophy presentation, made a beeline for the far sideline as soon as they could to share in the occasion with the Supporters Groups, still gathered in the stands. That, for... [continue]

SPORTS: The Redskins get their final walkthrough of the seemingly endless NFL preseason tonight, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx Field. Former defensive coordinator and one-time head coach to-be Gregg Williams makes his return to D.C. The starters figure to get one or two series, but the back ups will spend much of the game fighting for roster spots. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. but plan for a long trip out to the stadium... [continue]