Sticksboi05 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 What a decade it has been for the sports landscape in Washington, D.C. I thought it'd be fun to look back at the best and worst of the 2010s, a decade that finally brought parades back to the District, while also seeing some absolute despair on the way and eternal hopelessness. So just reply with your personal awards in the following categories with a bit of reasoning why. Please, don't turn this into a "well only these teams matter" conversation. Every team matters, that's how great sports towns do it. I will say though if you bring up the Arena Football League, I will not stop you from being dragged ; ) Athlete of the Decade: Runner up: Team of the Decade: Runner up: Worst Team: Runner up: Best Moment: Runner up: Most Heartbreaking Loss: Runner up: Best GM: Runner up: Worst GM: Runner up: Best Coach: Runner up: Worst Coach: Runner up: Best Trade: Runner up: Worst Trade: Runner up: Best Free Agent Deal: Runner up: Worst Free Agent Deal: Runner up: Biggest Scandal: Runner up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Athlete of the Decade: Alex Ovechkin Runner up: Stephen Stausberg Team of the Decade: Washington Capitals Runner up: Washington Nationals Worst Team: Washington Redskins Runner up: Washington Wizards Best Moment: Capitals Stanley Cup Runner up: RG3’s Playoff Push Most Heartbreaking Loss: Redskins vs Seahawks Runner up: Best GM: Mike Rizzo Runner up: Worst GM: Runner up: Best Coach: Runner up: Worst Coach: Runner up: Best Trade: Runner up: Best Free Agent Deal: Runner up: Worst Free Agent Deal: Runner up: Biggest Scandal: Runner up: will continue later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Athlete of the Decade: Alex Ovechkin Runner up: Max Scherzer Team of the Decade: 2018 Capitals Runner up: 2019 Nationals Worst Team: 2013 Redskins Runner up: 2019 Redskins Best Moment: Ovie hoisting the Cup Runner up: Huddy's final K to clinch the WS Most Heartbreaking Loss: Nats blowing 6 run lead in Game 5 of 2012 NLDS Runner up: Nats blowing early 4-1 lead in Game 5 of 2017 NLDS Best GM: Mike Rizzo Runner up: Brian McLellan Worst GM: Bruce Allen Runner up: Ernie Grunfeld Best Coach: Barry Trotz Runner up: Davey Martinez Worst Coach: Adam Oates Runner up: Matt Williams Best Trade: Nats trading for Trea Turner Runner up: Nats trading for Adam Eaton Best Free Agent Deal: Nats signing Max Scherzer Runner up: Nats signing Patrick Corbin Worst Free Agent Deal: Wiz signing Ian Mahimi Runner up: Skins long term resigning of Alex Smith Biggest Scandal: The RG3-Snyder-Shanahan saga Runner up: Wizards "Gungate" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Great thread idea. Athlete of the Decade: Ovechkin Runner up: Scherzer Team of the Decade: 2018 Capitals Runner up: 2019 Nats Worst Team: 2019 Redskins - the one with the rookie QB and their only marquee player refusing to play for them. Runner up: 2013 Reskins Best Moment: Ovi hoisting the Cup, then handing it to Backy Runner up: Tie: The Save and Howie's grand slam. Honorable mention: Caps drunkenly swimming in the G'Town water fountain Most Heartbreaking Loss: Game 7 of the 2019 NHL playoffs, when the Caps just need to beat the Canes and Pittsburgh and TB, the other favorites, had already lost. Runner up: Game 5 of 2012 NLDS Best GM: Rizzo Runner up: GMBM Worst GM: Allen Runner up: Snyder Best Coach: Trotz Runner up: Davey (Johnson) Worst Coach: Matt Williams Runner up: Riggleman Best Trade: Caps getting Oshie for Troy Brouwer and some other garbage. Runner up: Nats getting Hudson at the deadline this year. Worst Trade: 4 first round picks for RG3 Runner up: Phillip Forsberg for Erat Best Free Agent Deal: Scherzer Runner up: Not re-signing Harper, getting Corbin and a bunch of other guys instead. Worst Free Agent Deal: Making Josh Norman the highest paid CB in history Runner up: Trevor Rosenthal? Just kidding, probably something else the Skins did. Biggest Scandal: Danny Snyder, generally Runner up: Firing a good GM and leaking, through Chris Cooley, that it was due to his alcoholism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 You need to add Worst Trade because McNabb. And RG3 draft pick trade. Oh god and Forsberg/Erat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Athlete of the Decade: Alex Ovechkin This isn't even close, he has been great for this city. I went to hockey games in the 80's and early-mid 90's and the fanbase was dead. This guy has done so much for D.C. Runner up: Strasburg though this was a tough one. I had to weigh recent dominance vs. the fact that Stras has been hurt some and only pitches once every five games. Scherzer is more consistent but has had issues in the playoffs. Ryan Kerrigan has probably been second in this city consistency wise after Ovechkin but the Skins have never won anything. Harper just for rejuvenating baseball in the city and making it "fun" before he left. Beal? In the end I settled on Stras but you could make the argument for any number of people depending on what you value. Team of the Decade: Capitals, not even close Runner up: Nationals Worst Team: Skins, what a trainwreck Runner up: wizards Best Moment: Nats World Series, only because I favor baseball over hockey. The Caps broke the DC curse though, no denying that one. Runner up: Caps Stanley Cup Most Heartbreaking Loss: 2015 NLDS, game 5. The Drew Storen game Runner up: Take your pick of any Caps series where they went in as an overwhelming favorite and lost Best GM: Mike Rizzo Runner up: GMBM Worst GM: Bruce Allen Runner up: Ernie Grunfeld Best Coach: Barry Trotz, I guess? Runner up: Dusty Baker Worst Coach: Flip Saunders....you have to work hard for a .282 winning percentage Runner up: Matt Williams Best Trade: Steven Souza Jr. for Joe Ross and Trea Turner Runner up: Nothing comes close to that, but I'll go with TJ Oshie Worst Trade: I don't follow trades much, but I didn't like Kendall Fuller for Alex Smith (and his new contract) at the time and still don't. Probably forgetting something worse. Runner up: 5th overall pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller Best Free Agent Deal: Jayson Werth. Much as I like Scherzer, Werth's signing signaled that the Nats were taking the next step and they were a serious free agent destination Runner up: Scherzer, Worst Free Agent Deal: At this point, probably Josh Norman Runner up: Everything Ernie Grunfeld did? Biggest Scandal: The Wizards locker room gun thing...when was that? Runner up: A lot of Redskins stuff...Trent Williams cancer, dragging McCloughan's name through the mud concerning his alcoholism, RG3's playing on his ACL, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Dont really care about DC Sports overall, but "Greatest Win/Worst Loss" would be an interesting category to add Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Ohh yeah there are some great choices for worst trade. I think the worst might actually be the Caps trading Filip Forsberg for Martin freaking Erat though. The other trades were bad because we gave up a lot for trash but in this one we gave up a promising young star for literally a 2 month rental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 Athlete of the Decade: Alex Ovechkin. This is close because Scherzer has won 2 Cy Youngs and has 2 runner-ups. But it has to be Great 8 for bringing a championship back to D.C. after 26 years. He also won playoff MVP in 2018. In addition he won league MVP in 2013 and was runner-up in 2010 and 2014. Runner up: Easy choice, Mad Max. 20 K game. 2 Cy Youngs. Two no-hitters. Outperformed a massive contract already. Team of the Decade: 2018 Washington Capitals. This is incredibly close as well but the 2018 Capitals broke the drought and changed the conversation on D.C. sports. And then set the standard for title celebrations. From here on out, there is no more "oh D.C. teams can't have good things" and it's because of their run. Runner up: 2019 Washington Nationals ... a run for the ages Worst Team: 2013 Redskins. Coming off the amazing 2012 season with RGIII this was a complete TRAIN WRECK top to bottom. 3-13, a historically bad special teams unit, RGIII never keeping his mouth shut to the media, ever. A 2x Super Bowl coach couldn't avoid an absolute meltdown. Runner up: 2019 Redskins. What more is there to say? They got obliterated by the Giants and Jets both of whom are trash. But this season has meltdown written on it more than 2013 so it's not as unexpected. Best Moment: Lars Eller's go-ahead goal in Game 5 of the Cup Final. For the first time in 26 years, D.C. was officially on championship countdown. Surreal feeling. Runner up: Howie Kendrick's Game 7 home run. In a matter of seconds D.C. went from we're going to come up short to "6 outs to a World Series." That. Fast. Most Heartbreaking Loss: 2012 NLDS Game 5. Not sure this is debatable. Up 6-0 and choke job. Runner up: 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 2 Game 7. In Game 5 we were less than a minute from the city's first conference title round in 17 years only to give up a brutal tying goal and then OT goal to the Rangers. Then we play a hard-fought game 7 and lose on a rebound at MSG. An absolute gut punch and another blown 3-1 series lead. Best GM: Mike Rizzo. He took a team from nothing to SOMETHING. GMGM and GMBM combined to build the Caps roster. Runner up: Brian McLellan Worst GM: Bruce Allen. Awful on and off the field. Terrible human being as well for what he did to Scot McLoughan. Runner up: Ernie Grunfeld. Terrible too but not the jackass Bruce is. Best Coach: Barry Trotz. His winning percentage speaks for itself. The Capitals had the best record in the NHL 2 of his 4 seasons. Runner up: Davey Martinez Worst Coach: Flip Saunders. He didn't have much too work with at times to be fair though. Runner up: Scott Brooks for not knowing how to coach defense and wasting a potential conference final appearance for the Wizards. Best Trade: Stephen Souza for Trea and Joe Ross. Runner up: REALLY tough but Oshie for Brouwer and a pick slightly ahead of the Adam Eaton trade - simply because Eaton has been injured a lot. They both were major players to a championship. Worst Trade: The Alex Smith trade because we should've had Kirk Cousins on a cheap $17M/year contract that Bruce idiotically passed on. And this trade has now crippled the team financially for years. Runner up: Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat. McNabb was bad but you gave up a legit first liner for a bum who was here half a year. Shameful by GMGM. Best Free Agent Deal: Max Scherzer. Not even close. Runner up: Solely for his relief efforts in the World Series, Patrick Corbin Worst Free Agent Deal: Josh Norman. Awful. Runner up: Ian Mahinmi. Awful, crippling contract. The culmination of Ernie's blunders. Biggest Scandal: Scot McLoughan drinking/absence at NFL Combine disaster Runner up: Trent Williams saga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mournblade Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 The Washington Capitals the team of the decade? But...but...wasn't there a thread dedicated to the Nationals being the most popular team in the DC area? And I got skewered for DARING to suggest that the Caps were actually the more popular team and certainly have a vastly more interesting history and vastly more special relationship with the city of Washington. But I forgot. We are not allowed to make critical comments on this forum. It all has to be "ZOMG! I love the Nationals too! And don't get me started on Marvel Movies!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 Like a moth to a flame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 2 hours ago, Mournblade said: The Washington Capitals the team of the decade? But...but...wasn't there a thread dedicated to the Nationals being the most popular team in the DC area? And I got skewered for DARING to suggest that the Caps were actually the more popular team and certainly have a vastly more interesting history and vastly more special relationship with the city of Washington. But I forgot. We are not allowed to make critical comments on this forum. It all has to be "ZOMG! I love the Nationals too! And don't get me started on Marvel Movies!" The Caps broke the drought, so they win it. They were also a better team in their season in their sport in that respective season then the Nats were this past year relatively speaking. Nobody is saying you can't be critical, you just had incredibly absurd analysis(like nobody on the Nats was memorable outside of Scherzer or some crap like that). Relax. Others loving the Nats slightly more then the Caps doesn't take anything away from anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Do Itch Big Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 What about worst contract? Looking at you John Wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 27 minutes ago, Dr. Do Itch Big said: What about worst contract? Looking at you John Wall. Ehh, there were others that were worse. Wall at least was a star at the time of signing the deal(dude was putting up 30/10 a game in the playoffs). Nobody can predict injury. I'd argue that Alex Smith's contract is much more crippling since the NFL has a tighter cap and Smith was pretty much mediocre(at best)from the get go here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Dr. Do Itch Big said: What about worst contract? Looking at you John Wall. Isn't that covered by worst free agent deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 On 12/17/2019 at 2:21 PM, skinsfan_1215 said: You need to add Worst Trade because McNabb. And RG3 draft pick trade. Oh god and Forsberg/Erat. Forsberg for Erat was the worst because it was clearly asinine at the time. Erat was a bum and was not going to get us over the hump. The other trades could be justified at least for a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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