For all his media hatred, Dan Snyder stuffs his staff with media people. Karl Swanson was in newspapers. Larry Michael was a radio executive. Even Vinny Cerrato came back to the team after a stint at ESPN, where he spent a season in exile after being banished by Marty Schottenheimer (who looks more like Vince Lombardi every season for what he accomplished here.)

Turns out the latest attack dog added to Snyder's pack, David Donovan, fits the pattern. Donovan's complete lack of respect for the media or the truth or both comes out every time he talks to a reporter these days. For but one example of Donovan's outlook: He's the guy who told the Washington Post a couple weeks ago that Redskins officials "don't see any difference" in "the way our actual fans are behaving" this season.

But, there was a time when Donovan was way into newspapering. It was all spelled out in a 2007 feature story in the Daily Times Herald of Carroll, Iowa, his hometown, to honor the local boy made good when he took the job as General Counsel with the Redskins.

Make that the local paperboy made good.

(AFTER THE JUMP: Iowa State gave DC David Donovan AND Vinny Cerrato? What did DC ever do to Iowa State to deserve that? Why did David Donovan join the dark side leave journalism? Snyder's media appearance starting to smell fishy? Ripken statue stolen by guy named Stoneburner who hangs out with a bunch of stoneburners?)

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: David Donovan, Snyder’s Latest Newspaper Hater, Was a Paperboy?" »

The Washington Nationals are setting aside a day for kids with peanut allergies this weekend. Tickets to the game and special peanut-free zone are $30.

$30?

For generational reasons, I'm still skeptical of peanut allergies, though the concept of paying $30 for a Nats ticket to keep a kid away from peanuts makes me feel disoriented and clammy.  (Full disclosure: I brought a huge bag of Safeway bulk peanuts into last Saturday's game at Nationals Park. My row looked like a Superfund site by the fifth inning, there was so much legume-ish debris.)

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DC United used some of its Real Madrid money to buy newspaper ads pumping up the championship match of the U.S. Open Cup.

Kevin Payne, United's president and CEO, signed a letter that took up a full-page of the Washington Post and was also posted on the web at wewintrophies.com, a site registered and created in July by DC United.

Payne builds up the tournament, which he calls "prestigious," and demonizes the opposition, the expansion Seattle Sounders, while challenging local fans to show up.

(AFTER THE JUMP: Who's betting on D.C. United? Team USA 100-1 in World Cup? Was Gov. Sanford hiking in Iraq? Brandon Snyder is playing like Brandon Snyder?)

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Getting All Outdoorsy Along the Iraq/Iran Border?" »

The Washington Post runs a Metro story about the fans who spend a day watching practice at Redskins Park. (Lemme quote Allen Iverson: "PRACTICE? We're talking PRACTICE?") One of the fans quoted in the piece is Peter Lalich. Though the story doesn't go into it, Lalich was the Everybody's-All-American kid from Springfield who was headed for stardom as a UVa quarterback before getting booted off the team for a string of teensy crimes that weren't considered crimes a generation ago, before we went to war on the use of even low-level mind-altering substances.

Lalich transferred to Oregon as soon as his run in Charlottesville went to hell, and, because of some weird quirk having something to do with his new school being on a quarter system and not semesters, he'll be eligible to play this season.

If the punishment schedule announced last year still holds, Lalich should get his drivers license back this week from Virginia authorities. It makes sense that Lalich would be on a practice field this time of year, but... Why isn't he in Oregon?

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Another formerly local athlete in some legal heat, and not dealing real well with it: Antonio Pierce, the ex-Redskins linebacker turned Giant person of interest in the Plaxico Burress thigh blast case, is making enemies with his tweets.

(AFTER THE JUMP: Examiner column calls out Duds? Godly folks are coming after the racist Redskins? Who says Cal Ripken and/or Eddie Murray were juiced? FedExField also sucks for things other than football games? Jeremy Mayfield called his stepmomma THAT? Van Pelt goes for big bucks, but Czarniak goes bid-less?)

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: FedExField Still Blows?" »

Fortune magazine has named some folks who might try to get control of the New York Times from the Sulzberger family.

The piece has some likely suspects -- David Geffen and Google, among them.

But the most intriguing and, for us locals, scariest of the alleged Times takeoverers?

Howard Milstein.

Yes, THAT Howard Milstein.

The Howard Milstein who a decade ago tried to buy the Redskins at the Jack Kent Cooke estate sale! The Howard Milstein who brought Dan Snyder into the fold to give him the local color he thought would get him approved! The Howard Milstein who had too many enemies at NFL headquarters and got kicked out of the buying process! The Howard Milstein who then stepped aside and watched as his former partner took over the buying process!

THE HOWARD MILSTEIN WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DAN SNYDER OWNING THE REDSKINS!

Whew.

According to the Fortune piece, Milstein, identified simply as "a New York-based financier," has been "buying shares" of NY Times stock.

Run for your lives, New York Times readers!

Or, maybe, just renew your subscription and give subscriptions to all your relatives so the Sulzbergers don't have to sell.

Just don't say we didn't warn you...

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Those streaky Nationals are at it again!

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: The World’s Greatest Beer Man, Milstein Resurfaces, Ficker Running Again" »

Sports Illustrated released Top 5 best/worst owners lists for all the major sports. Our town's fabulously represented, though only on the dark side.

First off: Ted Leonsis somehow wasn't included among hockey's best. If there's ever been a more beloved sports owner in this town than Leonsis circa 2009, I can't remember him.

Hard to believe it's only been five years since Leonsis was brawling with home fans at Caps game, eh?

But he was. Days after he unloaded Jaromir Jagr and his $11 million salary to the Rangers in January 2004 in the midst of a talent purge, a 20-year-old season ticket holder named Jason Hammer brought a sign to the then-MCI Center that said "Caps Hockey, AOL Stock -- See a Pattern?"

Hammer sat among a group of fans heckling the owner, and waved the placard at Leonsis throughout the game. Leonsis got so incited he went after the kid in the concourse after the final horn. The account of the incident in the Washington Post said Leonsis "grabbed [Hammer] by the neck and threw him to the ground."

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Best Owner List Shocker: Leonsis Left Off! Worst Owner List Non-Shocker: Snyder, Lerners Left On!" »

Awesome Capitals trivia from play-by-play man Steve Kolbe: After last night's OT loss in Pittsburgh, Kolbe related that the Caps have never won a Game Three in any best-of-seven playoff series. The team's been around 35 years! How's that possible? (Apparently it's NOT possible!)

Awesome Capitals trivia about play-by-play man Steve Kolbe: The franchise has had only two play-by-play announcers in its long history, Ron Weber (1974-1997) and Kolbe (1997-).

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Speaking of consistency: Awesome trivia about the Redskins: During the offseason, the Skins have now signed Jaison Williams, Mike Williams, Roydell Williams, Eddie Williams and Edwin Williams.

After reading yesterday's Washington Post opus on local-product Edwin "Don't Call Me Eddie" Williams's family's drug problems (we're told his folks "traveled up and down the East Coast in search of cocaine." Really? Why? Did DC run out?), I'm pretty sure everybody named Williams has a hard-luck tale.

Me, I'm rooting hardest for Mike Williams, who used to weigh 400 pounds. He's on a biggest-loser style weight loss plan, I learned in a previous installment from the paper's series, Opuses on Guys Named Williams and Their Hard-Luck Tales.

Too bad, cuz if Big Mike wasn't watching his waist he and his new teammates could open a burger joint and name it, um, how 'bout Five Guys Named Williams? (Mark Moseley wouldn't dare sue fellow Skins!) The team also has four Smiths, three Thomases and two Montgomerys.

But just one Vinny!

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Awesome trivia about the new Detroit mayor, Dave Bing:

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Third Time’s Not Charmed for the Caps" »