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]

21 minutes. That's how long it took top seeded Andy Roddick to win the first set from unheralded Serbian Viktor Troicki. Roddick's fall from grace, however, lasted a bit longer. Troicki found his game soon after, breaking Roddick's massive serve twice in the second set and continually frustrating the top seed with his off pace ground strokes, taking the final two sets for a 0-6, 6-2, 6-4. win. Roddick seemed confused as to what to... [continue]

The Washington Kastles rallied from an early deficit Tuesday night to defeat the visiting New York Sportimes and tennis legend John McEnroe in front of a capacity crowd at Kastles Stadium at CityCenter DC. The women's doubles team of Mashona Washington and Sacha Jones won their match 5 games to 1 to set up a super-tiebreaker to decide the match, which they won 7-5. The Sportimes took an early 10 games to 2 lead after... [continue]

Down 2-1 with Jaime Moreno, the MLS all time scoring leader, coming to the line to take a penalty kick in the 78th minute of their SuperLiga match versus CD Guadalajara, D.C. United had to feel good about their chances of eking out a draw or maybe even a win. Moreno had buried his last 20 PK attempts, a streak lasting over four years, and is about as close to automatic as you can get... [continue]

In the song "Elderly Women Behind The Counter In A Small Town", Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder sings, "I changed by not changing at all," a statement that also holds true for his band. Pearl Jam has made a career out of non-conformity, innovation and being one of the best live bands on the planet, and last night's show at the Verizon Center offered further proof that the band's endless summer shows no signs of slowing... [continue]

D.C. United continued their strong play of late on Saturday night at a rainy RFK Stadium, showing a newfound attacking acumen while dispatching the NY Red Bull 4-1. Luciano Emilio, showing the form of 2007-era Ben Olson, led United's scoring attack with his first MLS hat trick (perhaps he was motivated by the Morelia scouts that were reportedly in attendance?), while Clyde Simms netted a nice long distance strike in the first half. The Red... [continue]

Photo of Gilbert Arenas by Kyle Gustafson True to his word, yesterday Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas opted out of the final year of his contract, leaving $12.8 million on the table in the hopes of signing a longer and more lucrative deal. Whether that will be with the Wizards remains to be seen. Arenas played only 13 games this year, his season cut short by a nagging knee injury, leaving open the question... [continue]

Pela, the Brooklyn four-piece, had quite a year in 2007. They released their debut album, Anytown Graffiti, in April, had their music featured on the dearly departed Veronica Mars, made inroads at influential radio stations like KEXP, Indie 103.1 and WOXY, and spent most the year touring the country. They also headlined our own Unbuckled 5. In November, they decamped to L.A. to record their sophomore album and planned to spend the early part... [continue]

As we touched on earlier today, there were plenty of concerts around the area this weekend that weren't centered around inclement weather. On Friday, you had your choice of a three-hour, catalog spanning marathon by the Cure at the Patriot Center in Fairfax as well as a raucous set by the Drive By Truckers at the 9:30 Club. Saturday night's big event was the Kanye show, but during the day over 21,000 people made their... [continue]

Due to the unreasonable 6 p.m. start time, I missed most of Game Five last night, but I did get home in time to see Caron Butler play the hero, connecting on a tough drive with 3.9 seconds left to give the Wizards the win and bring their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers back to D.C. down 3-2. LeBron James attempted a contested lay-up at the buzzer that would have given the... [continue]

Manchester is a town at the very heart and soul of British music. Bands the likes of The Hollies, the Bee Gees, Simply Red, The Fall, Joy Division, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis form a musical legacy that's second to none. In 2001, Elbow became the city's latest musical crown jewel after their debut record Asleep at the Back was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Their brand of progressive, gloomy yet... [continue]

The NBA playoffs is all about adjustments. After their performance in Game Two, the Wizards needed quite a few and head coach Eddie Jordan responded in kind for Game Three. Gilbert Arenas was added to the starting lineup, the team switched a majority of its defensive matchups, and the result was a resounding 108-72 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that likely had most fans at home on the couch switching over to Lost at 10... [continue]

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Ouch.... [continue]

Despite a sprained right wrist, Gilbert Arenas is expected to play tonight as the Washington Wizards look to even their first round playoff series on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, after losing a very winnable Game One 93-86 on Saturday. Arenas, still making his way back from knee surgery, injured the wrist late in Game One as he fouled LeBron James. Arenas started out hot in Game One, hitting his first four three... [continue]

With only a week to go in the regular season, games mean more to some teams than others. The Boston Celtics long ago wrapped up the Atlantic Division and the first seed in the Eastern Conference while the Washington Wizards are making a final push for the fourth seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, last night's 109-95 win over Boston can't exactly be taken as... [continue]

Last night while some of us were taking in the sultry sounds of Jens Lekmen at the Black, the one and only Gilbert Arenas made his first appearance since November. Yay! Unfortunately, his two late free throws weren't enough to lead Washington to victory, as Ramon Sessions (who?) hit a jumper from the corner at the buzzer to propel Milwaukee to a 110-109 victory. To make matters worse, DeShawn Stevenson and Antawn Jamison were... [continue]

Fresh off of deflating the latest round of Pavement reunion rumors, Stephen Malkmus, aka "the slacker prince of 1990s indie rock", hit the road touring behind his latest release Real Emotional Trash. The tour pulled into D.C Friday night with opener and all-around good guy John Vanderslice serving as the opener. This was the first time I'd seen Mr. Malkmus since the tour behind Pavement's last album, Terror Twilight, which was, admittedly, many moons ago.... [continue]

Perhaps lost amid this week's Agent Zero "I want to play" - "They won't let me play, I'm outta here" - "I'm day-to-day every day" hoopla is the fact that the Wiz have won seven out of their last 10 games and are currently sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. If that seeding holds true, it would lead to another first round match-up with the Cavs, this time filled with... [continue]