Defeating The [dc Sports] Curse

The (most boring) NBA Finals have arrived... (but we are spicing things up with some NBA on NBC theme music!)... #Warriors vs #LeBron for the 4th straight year... how does anyone get excited about that? Well, maybe we aren't excited, but we still love basketball, and still will watch, so let's set the table for the series which begins on Thursday night... afterall LeBron was right, "not 1, not 2, not 3..." he has been to 8 straight finals, which is incredible to consider as many of us were still in school or hadn't met our spouses... eight years ago #ESPN was still relevant, and #Drake hadn't released an album yet... much less a "dis-track". Justin Blaze (@jusblaze_513) from the Above the Rim Podcast joins Joe to preview the matchup and make some predictions for the series and also for the #Wizards and the offseason staring Ernie G in the face. If you love the #NBA give this episode a listen, and share it too!

The #Capitals had two different chances to win game one by holding on to a one goal lead... twice... but couldn't do it and the #GoldenKnights took the win. The studs on both sides played "ok" but nobody expected a 10-goal shootout. #Vegas is fast but #DC may be more encouraged than discouraged in the end. Joe is joined by Ashley from @VGKladies to discuss game one in detail and share her perspective from inside of Tmobile Arena in downtown #LasVegas. Hockey fans everywhere should be excited about this Final... just as NBA fans should be disappointed that #Cavs vs #Warriors is our NBA Final for the fourth straight time.

Happy Memorial Day and remember to remember those that have paid the ultimate price for our great nation this holiday weekend. The #Capitals are in #Vegas to face the #GoldenKnights and Joe is joined by Aaron Crouch, host of the Vegas Squares Podcast (@vegassquares) to breakdown the SCF matchup and discuss what may be a storybook ending for one of these two teams that both kinda feel destined to win the Cup of Lord Stanley Preston. This is it DC, we are just one "sleep" away from game one! Listen and learn everything you need to know before history is written on Monday night!

Welcome to the DTC week in review. Mat, Stevie, and Joe discuss Juan Soto and his debut with the Nationals as a lone brightspot for the team this week with a "must-have" weekend series against the Marlins coming up. At the 12 minute mark the #Nationals talk shifts to #Capitals talk with a recap of the viewing party at Cap1Arena for game 7, and a discussion of why this IS the team that can bring home a title. Tom Wilson, Great8, Holtby discussed in detail, plus, has any one GM ever been responsible for two teams facing each other in the championship round of any sport? George McPhee built both the Capitals and #Vegas #GoldenKnights and deserves credit. The final topic starting at minute 29 (after a discussion of old guys and boobs) is about the #NFL and why their new national anthem policy will only make things worse for the business. Listen, like, and share!

C.A.P.S. C.A.P.S. C.A.P.S. CAPS CAPS CAPS! Your 2018 Prince of Wales trophy winners the Washington CAPITALS! The Washington Capitals have won the eastern conference finals and are now heading to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1998. FP and LP are in studio discussing the monumental win for the Caps. Joined by Joe live from Capital One Arena where the fans are just losing it. Chants of "We Want Vegas" and an after an emotional win fans are going nuts! The Caps have beaten the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins and now the Tampa Bay Lightning and are not done yet! What an amazing feat for this team! Join us on this podcast and like, tweet and share! @DefeatTheCurse on Twitter Photo Cred: Tommy Wilson and the Washington Capitals

C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS! The #AllCaps behind Holtby have done it! Game 6 is in the books and the Caps are headed to Tampa for Game 7 on Wednesday night. LP, FP, and Joe talk details and expectations as the Capitals find themselves just one game away from playing #Vegas for the Stanley Cup! This is it #DC... it's ok to believe! 

The NBA Conference finals are under way and before we get into predictions we quickly recap the Raptors vs. LeBron series, then jump into can the Rockets win, and discuss what it would take for an Eastern Conference team to win the NBA Finals...hint, "a miracle' is a good guess. LP, Canada, and Joe discuss all things NBA and then LP and Joe jump into the C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS! The Capitals are just two games away from playing for Lord Stanley's Cup and DC is so excited it's hard to describe! Nationals are streaking, Caps are streaking, Redskins rookies are looking good in minicamp so far... this is an exciting time in DC Sports!...did you see ManCity put up 100pts to win the EPL too?! So much to discuss, tune in and share!

Off the bat of Mark Reynolds... the Nationals win all four in Arizona, improve to 13 wins in their last 15 games, and are outscoring opponents nearly two to one (69-35). The Nationals are rising, the pitching is outstanding, and the panic that was has no subsided to a gentle "May-Calmness" that everyone DC can appreciate! The Capitals seem to be on a heater of their own but what the Nationals are doing day in and day out is excellent and most on the panel today agree they could go 8-2 or 9-1 over their next ten to further pad their stats! Join Stevie, Reali, Mat the Met, Doc, and Joe on a full-house roundtable discussing all things Nationals! .. and go C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!

The Capitals have done it! They went behind enemy lines and brought home one of the biggest victories in DC sports history beating the Pens in overtime sending them to the Eastern Conference Finals! What a game, what a series, what a win, and DC is going nuts! LP, FP, and Joe discuss it all. #ALLCAPS C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!

The Nationals have made a change and the DTC Nats Crew... all of us... are discussing it prior to first pitch! Stevie, Reali, Doc, Mat, and Joe break it all down and debate where it is time to panic or not as a Nationals fan and if #BeatPittsburgh can happen on both the baseball field in DC and the ice a few hours north. The pitching has been solid, the hitting not so much, injuries are a problem but not an excuse, and overall a city that is recovering from a Wizards loss needs a Caps win, and needs to see the Nationals play better overall to keep us all sane. So much in this 20min podcast... listen and share! Go Nats! ...and #BeatPittsburgh!!

In what can only be labeled as a disappointment, the Wizards dropped game five in Toronto even though they had the lead half-way through the final frame. Wall had moments of brilliance and moments of frustration, Beal played better than he did in games one and two, but ultimately the Wizards couldn't get points down the stretch settling for two many three pointers that just wouldn't fall. The Wiz return to DC for a win-or-go-home game six on Friday night and Stevie, Joe, and Mina Canada break it ALL down. Winners, losers, adjustments, and predictions. Tune in and share!

The Washington Capitals have now won 3 straight! Starting the series down 0-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets the Caps have flipped the momentum of the series based on a Nicklas Backstrom OT goal. FP, Joe and LP on an emergency Pod to discuss after a game 5 win. Has Coach Trotz played the right cards with in series adjustments? Should Holtby have started game 2? Would have made a difference? The DTC crew discusses in depth. During the second half of the Pod Joe, LP and FP discuss the Wizards game 3 win and what that means for the rest of the series? Whether the series begins to turn or not hinges on a huge game 4 in D.C. #Caps #ALLCAPS #DCFamily

Stevie, Reali, Mat (the Met), and Joe discuss the series that was between the Mets and Nats, the upcoming west coast road trip to face the Dodgers and Giants and the overall impact of the weather on baseball players... which Joe isn't buying but Reali and Mat are selling (hard!). Stevie has taken an interest in James Comey and believes it isn't time to panic, just readjust... many nuggets in this epsiode... listen and share!

The Wizards didn't show up for game two and the fans are feeling the pain throughout DC tonight. The DC Trifecta was in play but with the Wizards losing the triple win was out of the question shortly after 930p. LP, Joe, and Canada discuss the Wiz/Raptors series and break down what went wrong for DC and what went well for Toronto. Can the Wiz get right and force the series beyond four games? ... maybe, but highly unlikely given their game two performance! Plus, what surprised you more... Pacers beating Cavs or D.Wade pretending that age is just a number? The NBA Playoffs are awesome, join the boys and discuss! (Photo Credit: WaPo)

The NBA Playoff picture is in focus now and the LP and Joe are going to break everything down with guest host Mark Hanna. Are the Wizards the best 8th seed ever? Are the Raptors the better opponent that the Wiz wanted to face bypassing the Celtics? Can the Wizards "turn it on" when needed? The boys discuss this and a lot more on this podcast plus take a look around the league too and ponder whether the Jazz are for real, and can Phila stun the world with a playoff series win to cap their incredible 50 game winning season. The NBA playoffs are here! Let's go Wiz! (Photo Credit: NBCSN Washington)

Stevie and Joe talk about all kinds of things on the latest episode of the DTC podcast. First, the Wizards are sliding into the playoffs seemingly ill prepared to face the Raptors or Celtics, while the Capitals are set to begin their championship chase with less pressure than years past. After that the boys get a mile wide and a mile deep on all things Nationals from pitching to hitting to the general sense of fear die-hard fans are starting to feel as the bats keep going cold... for Zimm, ice ice cold. Finally what would a S&J show be without some political chatter and a discussion about TV ratings including the dumpster-fire known as "GetUp" on ESPN. Tune in and share this podcast!

  Big Z has landed in LA and the MLS will never be the same. (Who doesn't love some soccer talk?!) Locally however the Wizards look horrible dropping games to the Bulls and Rockets, while the Nationals give up seven with Max on the mound, and the Redskins have more rumors to to deal with about problems between Bruce and Dan... oh yea, and RG3 was just signed by the Ravens... for unknown reasons. In short, business as usual in and around DC and LP and Joe are here to break it all down. Listen and share!

The seasons has arrived... with great expectations! Stevie, Mat (the Met), Joe, and new-comer Fady (Freddy) are all on the horn today sharing their thoughts as the season begins and setting both reasonable and unreasonable expectations for the Nationals. Tune-in, share, and get excited baseball fans... the wild ride to the post-season begins now! (Photo Credit: YouTube)

Does anything the Nationals do between now and October really matter? Joe doesn't think so, and neither does FP. Stevie and Anthony (a.k.a. Reali) think otherwise. The boys discuss all things Nats as the preseason begins to end and the regular season is just around the corner. Can the Nats get Bryce to stay long term? Will the GM get an extension before the All-Star break? Is this the best opening day roster the Nationals have ever had? These topics and so much more on a focused DTC podcast dedicated to the Nationals! (photo credit: Federal Baseball)

FP and Joe breakdown the event that has overtaken March Madness known simply as NFL Free Agency. It is amazing but with so many players joining new teams it takes time to get used to who went where and what jersey they will be wearning next fall. Tune in and get the DTC takes on all things NFL Free Agency today! Do the Redskins have a few more moves in them before the draft starts?