The last few days have been a whirlwind for Washington sports. The long-suffering fans of Loserville, USA, hope for the best but are conditioned to expect the worst. With that, we give you the hope and the expectation.
Wizards trade Arenas
The Hope » Gilbert Arenas‘ departure will be addition by subtraction, and Rashard Lewis will do nothing to derail the Wizards’ lottery express but will be just good enough to tempt a desperate, playoff-bound team to take on his enormous contract.
The Expectation » Lewis will become an albatross, and Arenas will be the comeback player of the year for the NBA champion Magic.
Redskins bench McNabb
The Hope » If a quarterback, regardless of talent, carries out Kyle Shanahan‘s marching orders, he’ll lead the Redskins to success. (Did we really type this sentence?)
The Expectation » Rex Grossman will continue to light it up and embolden Shanahan & Shanahan to release Donovan McNabb, who leads Arizona to the Super Bowl in 2011. The Redskins, meanwhile, go 4-12, with Grossman getting sacked an NFL-record 83 times.
Terps dump Friedgen
The Hope » Mike Leach will sell tickets, draw recruits, win ACC championships in swashbuckling style and give the Terps a national identity.
The Expectation » Leach’s wide-open offense and wide-open mouth will be a recipe for disaster, a la Steve Spurrier and the Redskins, and the Terps will wonder why they discarded the ACC coach of the year.
Caps’ free fall chronicled on HBO
The Hope » The national TV scrutiny will imbue the Caps with an us-against-the-world mentality, galvanizing them for a run to the Stanley Cup.
The Expectation » The Caps will continue to be vexed by the HBO cameras and their own hilariously foul-mouthed coach and will become a national punch line as they stumble into the Winter Classic.
Nats introduce Werth
The Hope » Jayson Werth will produce 30 home runs, 20 steals and 100 RBI, stabilize the troublesome right-field spot and encourage the Nats to become major players in future free agent sweepstakes.
The Expectation » Werth will turn into Glenn Davis, developing a mysterious neck ailment, getting his jaw broken in a bar fight and ending his career in Japan.
