PITTSBURGH — Thursday afternoon, before batting practice, Davey Johnson gathered the Washington Nationals in their clubhouse at PNC Park. The manager told his players he remained behind them , that he trusted them to pull out of their offensive tailspin and a three-game losing streak. Johnson wanted to ease their minds, and he had chosen a surefire moment for building confidence. In a few hours, he would send Stephen Strasburg to the mound. Read full article > >

Here is the original post:
Nationals vs. Pirates: Stephen Strasburg strikes out 13 to snap Washington out of slump

PITTSBURGH — Silence pervaded the Washington Nationals ’ clubhouse Tuesday night. Players stared into lockers, forks scraping plates the only audible noise. They tried to unpack how such a jubilant night could have turned so sour, how a stirring victory had morphed into a deflating loss. Read full article > >

Read more here:
Nationals vs. Pirates: Rod Barajas hits game-ending homer to trump Adam LaRoche’s blast in top of ninth as Pittsburgh wins, 5-4

Jack Gilbert’s debut was a phenomenon. When he first appeared on the literary scene — winning the prestigious Yale Younger Poets prize in 1962 for “Views of Jeopardy” — he was accorded a measure of celebrity that even today’s media-savvy luminaries would envy. (How many other poets find their photos featured in Esquire, Vogue and Glamour?) He was hailed for his unique voice and sensibility and, rising from the gritty landscape of industrial Pittsburgh, for taking a bold stance counter to the prevailing fashions. Read full article > >

See original here:
Book World: In Jack Gilbert’s ‘Collected Poems,’ a pen that cuts deep

What’s the Loop reading this Friday morning? War on cookies — Mitt Romney’s latest gaffe comes with chocolate chips, our colleague Nia Malika-Henderson reports. Offered cookies at a Pittsburgh campaign stop, he demurred, claiming they didn’t look homemade. “I’m not sure about these cookies,” Romney said, looking at the women and around the table. “They don’t look like you made them. Did you make those cookies? You didn’t, did you? No. No. They came from the local 7-Eleven bakery or wherever.” Read full article > >

Continue reading here:
Romney’s war on cookies; fed shame; and a fictional Veep (read-this roundup)

Alex Ovechkin received his longest suspension to date Monday when the Washington Capitals’ captain was banned three games without pay for his illegal hit on the Penguins’ Zbynek Michalek , a blow the NHL ruled “recklessly” made contact with the Pittsburgh defenseman’s head. Read full article > >

Originally posted here:
Alex Ovechkin suspended three games for illegal hit on Zbynek Michalek in Caps’ loss

PITTSBURGH – It was an afternoon filled with all the drama, scoring and animosity that the hockey world has come to expect between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in recent years. But although the Capitals managed to obtain a point in a heated contest with their rivals, the mood in the visitors dressing room was far from content. Read full article > >

Link:
Capitals vs. Penguins: Evgeni Malkin’s overtime goal vaults Pittsburgh past Washington, 4-3

Tomas Vokoun told his teammates before Wednesday night’s meeting with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to be involved in the contest, not just by making saves but by playing the puck and taking a more active role in helping out the defense. It’s impossible to know whether the Washington Capitals anticipated just how good a performance the veteran netminder would have, though. Read full article > >

Read the rest here:
Capitals vs. Penguins: Jason Chimera’s goal, Tomas Vokoun’s shutout lift Washington to 1-0 win

Over hobbled Pittsburgh Steelers.

See the original post:
Tebow Leads Broncos to Victory

Washington Post NFL reporter Mark Maske took a closer look at each of the four wild-card weekend matchups in advance of the first week of the NFL playoffs. The first round features a pair of tantalizing matchups featuring the high-octane New Orleans Saints hosting the resurgent Detroit Lions and Tim Tebow leading the Denver Broncos against banged-up Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s what each team must do to advance to the second round. Read full article > >

Read the original:
NFL Playoffs 2012: Wild-card weekend schedule, previews

If you squinted real hard into the cold January rain, New Year’s Day, 2011, offered something approaching optimism for Washington sports fans. Playing their highest-profile game in years — the NHL’s first prime-time outdoor Winter Classic — the Washington Capitals earned a 3-1 victory over the arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins , creating an indelible, irresistible sporting memory. Read full article > >

See the article here:
D.C. sports 2011: Worst. Year. Ever.

The author G.K. Chesterton called the act of stealing a child’s toy the cruelest crime of all. But what if childhood itself is stolen away? By now, some of you may have run across a certain young soprano named Jackie Evancho. The 11-year old from Pittsburgh, introduced to the public on the television program “America’s Got Talent,” has since gone on to release two full-length albums, which have collectively sold several million units. PBS went so far as to present a filmed “ live concert ” of her album “ Dream With Me ” on “Great Performances,” once the domain of Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and the Metropolitan Opera. Read full article > >

Continued here:
Talented young musicians run the risk of burning out early

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday night that the board of governors have voted to adopt a four-conference alignment beginning next year. Two conferences will have eight teams and the other two will have seven. The Capitals will play in a division that includes Carolina, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the New York Rangers and Islanders. Clubs in the six-team divisions will play each other six times, three times at home and three times on the road. Read full article > >

See more here:
Gary Bettman says NHL to adopt four-conference alignment

PITTSBURGH — An Idaho man accused of firing an assault rifle at the White House was charged Thursday with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama or his staff, and prosecutors say he called Obama “the devil” and said he needed to be killed. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, of Idaho Falls, made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh on Thursday, one day after he was arrested at a western Pennsylvania hotel. Read full article > >

Read the original post:
White House shooting suspect charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama

PITTSBURGH — A second victory this season over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a share of first place in the AFC North nearly slipped from the grasp of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night at Heinz Field. They allowed a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to dissipate, and two passes by quarterback Joe Flacco bounced off the hands of wide receivers as the Ravens closed in on a winning touchdown in the final minute. Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
Ravens vs. Steelers: Torrey Smith touchdown catch with eight seconds left gives Baltimore victory

PITTSBURGH — Ask any player on either side of the Capitals – Penguins rivalry and they’ll tell you the same thing: These meetings are always viewed as statement games, regardless of who is in the lineup. Thursday night, in the teams’ first meeting of the 2011-12 season, the bad blood between them bubbled up again. Read full article > >

Excerpt from:
Capitals vs. Penguins: Dennis Wideman goal in OT extends Washington’s point streak in Pittsburgh