Monday, July 21, 2008

End of line for Skins?

More than two months before training camp, Redskins end Phillip Daniels talked excitedly about the upcoming season, revived by a return to his power-lifting roots.
“I feel good, real good,” he said at the time. “The main thing is to be healthy.”
Little more than an hour into Sunday’s first training camp workout, Daniels’ dream of a good season ended, thanks to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Daniels, the starting left defensive end, suffered the injury on the first play of a seven-on-seven drill when he tried to avoid a blocker.
The Redskins lose one of their best leaders as well as a solid run-stopper.
“He worked so hard in the offseason,” Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said, “it’s a travesty that he won’t get to play this year. ... When you lose a player the caliber of Phillip Daniels, that player becomes hard to replace.”
Apparently not that hard considering how fast they found his replacement. Cerrato told the media around 5 p.m. that he had not contacted the Miami Dolphins about end Jason Taylor. Around 90 minutes later, the Redskins had traded for him.
But not only does this spell the end of Daniels’ season, it could mean the end of his career, particularly in Washington. Daniels turned 35 in March and would cost $2.967 million against the cap next year. He’s signed through 2011, but a 36-year-old end coming off knee surgery, who would be a backup, is not a hot commodity.
If that’s the case, the Redskins would lose a valuable member.
“Phillip was like a big brother to us,” backup end Demetric Evans said. “The most impressive thing was a guy that was his backup, he invited to go to the Super Bowl with him and pretty much mold me and wanted me to do his workout regimen. How many guys in the league, starters, would give their backups that opportunity?”


On the radar » Cuban makes run at buying Cubbies

What to watch for in the world of sports this week:

1. CAMP FIRES » The Redskins opened training camp Sunday, the rest of the NFL starts opening this week. The New England Patriots are scheduled to start practice today. Bill Belichick’s first smile is scheduled for Aug. 12. And his first brush-off about spygate is set for, well, today.

2. CUBS SALE » Ten groups submitted bids to buy the Chicago Cubs and a decision could be made soon. One group was led by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who upped the price tag by guaranteeing he could raise money for the league office just by getting fined.

3. PLAYOFF CHASE » In Washington, they’re worried about the fourth-inning President’s Race. Elsewhere, fans are entertained by playoff races. It’s a novel way to sell tickets. Milwaukee plays at St. Louis starting tonight; the teams are separated by a game in the NL Central. New Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia, who throws Wednesday, is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA since the trade with Cleveland.

4. MONEY MATTERS » Caps defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, the team’s last unsigned player, goes to arbitration Thursday. Regardless if he wins or loses — it’s a hard call considering the lack of stats for a defensive defenseman — the Caps will go over the salary cap (they’re currently $300,000 under). They can stay up to 10 percent over until the season begins, which means they’d have to trim salary in training camp.


Trembley suggesting All-Star changes

Orioles manager Dave Trembley said Major League Baseball still must fix problems with the All-Star Game format.
“Maybe they’ll expand the rosters so they don’t get caught again because they got caught,” Trembley said of the American League’s 4-3 win in 15 innings that left both teams low on pitchers. “I’m sure Tampa Bay [manager] Joe Maddon’s not real thrilled about [Scott] Kazmir going out there. [Arizona manager] Bob Melvin’s probably not real thrilled about [Brandon] Webb going out there.”
But many pitchers who threw in the All-Star Game had success in their next outing. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets yielded just two runs over five innings in a win on Saturday. Orioles closer George Sherrill allowed three hits in his first two appearances, but picked up a save and a win in those situations.
That doesn’t alter Trembley’s perception.
“I wonder what would’ve happened if [the All-Star Game] had gone one more inning?” Trembley said. “Some of the position players would’ve been pitching.”


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban might be mad enough to balance out the joy of the entire nation of Germany. Led by Maverick standout forward Dirk Nowitzki, Germany’s basketball team earned the final spot in next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing. Germany, which received 32 points from Nowitzki, trounced Puerto Rico, 96-82 in the third-place game at this weekend’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Greece. Germany joins the United States, Spain, China, Angola and Greece in Group B.


BY THE NUMBERS

0 » Career Ladies’ Professional Golf Association titles for Michelle Wie, who was just one shot back entering Sunday’s final round at the State Farm Classic, but was disqualified for forgetting to sign Saturday’s score card.

.222 » Batting average for Brewer second basemen, lowest in baseball. The Brewers acquired infielder Ray Durham (.297 batting average) from San Francisco Sunday.


ON THE RECORD

“I’ve tried to be good for college football. I’m not saying I’ve been the best coach. But I’ve worked hard to be good because I really love college football.”
— Penn State coach Joe Paterno who was enshrined this weekend into the College Football Hall of Fame.