More proof that everybody but Highlights Magazine is writing about the Redskins: Now, even the military/industrial complex is going after Dan Snyder. Military.com, a website for the forces, ran a story "Redskins Owner Dan Snyder Doesn't Want You to Support the Troops in His Stadium."

The piece takes a photo of a poster taken by FedExField security guards before the Eagles/Skins game that says "Hi to my huband in Afghanistan," and runs with it. The Great Dan Steinberg made that poster famous after fishing it out of the trash near the stadium entrance.

To be fair, Snyder has shown support for our National Defense. Well, he put out a Commemorative Sept. 11 Redskins hat that had a red-white-and-blue Pentagon stitched on to the side in 2005.

And he sold that hat for only $23.99. Plus shipping. And he kept the money. But still. Bottom line: When Military.com lowers the boom on you, something's gotta give.

And everybody's favorite magazine geared toward an audience of corporate counsel people, Corporate Counsel magazine, also jumps in this week with "Not Exactly a Banner Season for the Washington Redskins."

The publication interviews new Redskins COO and total BS'er David Donovan about the new policies at FedExField prohibiting signs and banning interviews in the parking lot, and he was also asked about fans at the Eagles game having to remove their t-shirts if the message on the garments was anti-Snyder.

"We're not trying to limit what anyone wants to say or chant or wear," Donovan told Corporate Counsel.

Wow. Thus continues Donovan's awe-inspiring streak of just saying stuff so dishonest that not even he could believe it.

(AFTER THE JUMP: Not even Corporate Counsel magazine can stomach David Donovan's whoppers? David Donovan and Dan Snyder, adrenaline rush buddies? How does a Redskins win compare to a class action lawsuit? Skins are only the third-worst team in the NFL? Bono had a hand in Cooley's wounding? D.C. United coach bails?)

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Win Over Dallas Was ‘Better Than Asbestos Litigation’?" »

In case you missed it: The pre-post-racial they-said/they-said-they-didn't situation from last year's Dunbar-Fort Hill football game will lead to a small, mostly ceremonial change in the athletes' Code of Conduct applied to all Maryland public high school sporting events.

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The Great Dan Steinberg posts a Great Video of Ryan Zimmerman talking up D.C. United to promote next week's U.S. Open Cup championship game.

You know the U.S. Open Cup, right? That's the one where to get to the finals United had to march through neighborhood powerhouses like the Ocean City (N.J.) Barons, the Harrisburg (Pa.) City Islanders, and the Rochester (N.Y.) Rhinos, in games played at a suburban community center field.

It appears that before the promo shoot Zimmerman hit the quaalude table in the green room hard.

Either that, or like the rest of the world he can't even fake enthusiasm for the U.S. Open Cup.

AFTER THE JUMP: Keith Urban fans don't know who Ryan Zimmerman is? There is no "I" in arson? Paul Farhi goes ground-and-pound on Dan Snyder? Nats win!? Nats win!?

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: If You Burn Down Your High School, Can You Show Up at Your High School Reunion?" »

Jason Campbell was 1-7 on Saturday night. That stat'd be a cause for concern if a Nats cleanup hitter posted it at the plate. For a QB in a West Coast offense, it's death.

But, it's only preseason, the team won, he's only in the second year of Jim Zorn's offense, he's had several offensive coordinators in his career, he...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...what? where? Oh, sorry...I nodded off going over all the defenses of Campbell.

1-7 stinks. But it ain't that surprising.

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Speaking of same ol': George Michael's gone, but his legacy lives on at WRC.

Michael worked for Dan Snyder but never told his viewers that. Now, we have Lindsay Czarniak, the station's co-lead sportscaster since Michael's departure, wearing licensed Redskins products on the air while working for Snyder's broadcasting department. And we have her partner Dan Hellie co-hosting "The Jim Zorn Show" with Larry Weisman, a Dan Snyder staffer who writes press releases disguised as news stories for the team. Just as the Redskins web site teases Czarniak's work on preseason games, the team teases Hellie's work on "The Jim Zorn Show."

Snyder owns both broadcasts.

Hellie and Czarniak, despite the infomercial work and how silly it makes the WRC news operation look, are still allowed to report on the Redskins for WRC's news shows.

That's the way the station's boss wants it.

AFTER THE JUMP: Still whining about WRC reporters being BFF's with Dan Snyder? Will Tom Sherwood give speeches for the mayor? Snyder creates Trickle-Down-Gouge-enomics? Beckham can't score in DC? Dunn and Zimmerman are copycat sluggers?

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Jason Campbell Goes 1-for-7; Adam Dunn Goes 2-for-4" »

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?" »

Dan Snyder is still getting crushed because of the Paul McCartney debacle.

Traffic to and parking at his stadium were hideouser than usual. For some reason, the official FedExField web site is still pumping up the public transportation option as a way to arrive, and indicates that shuttles would be running from closest Metro stops to the stadium "every 15 minutes."

Alas: Snyder stopped the shuttle service for his stadium events a year ago. So anybody who believed what they read on the FedExField site got stranded.

Those who made it to the show found that bathrooms were shut down, since plumbing to big chunks of the stadium went out in the early evening.

But food vendors continued selling food even though the ability to keep things clean largely went away when running water disappeared. Ewwwww!

Just another day at the office for Snyder.

The comments section for the Washington Post's story about the debacle makes for some fabulous reading. A couple tidbits:

thefrontpage1 wrote: Why on earth does everything having to do with Dan Snyder and FedEx Field end up being over-priced, under-organized, a pain in the neck to people, handled poorly, organized poorly, managed poorly, and a rip-off for consumers? Why does everything associated with Dan Snyder work out so poorly? It's a viable question.

jbtjbtjbt wrote: Our pal at the Redskins office apologized "for the inconvenience". That's nice. How about refunding some of those "convenience" and "facilities" fees?? Welcome to your nation's capital. Toilets were backed up BEFORE the concert.

And, rletra wrote: As I waited for my wife to come out of one of the few working bathrooms, I mentioned to a Redskins' sales guy that in the men's room the toilet flushed but the sinks were dry. He said, "No big deal, guys don't wash their hands anyway."

Yuckety yuck yuck!

Snyder should just sign Michael Vick now.

AFTER THE JUMP: Chris Cooley's new app? DC United has a Real foe? Rabbit ears will get you the United/Real game? Would we stoop so low as to use Pablo Dean's free throw championship to hype the Eddie Dean/Tim McGraw Feud? The Nationals won? It's still baseball season?

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Still More from Chris Cooley™?" »

D.C. United's pride, but little else, is on the line again in a U.S. Open Cup match tonight at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Fresh off vanquishing the amateur Ocean City (N.J.) Barons, otherwise known as "the Real Madrid of Ocean City (N.J.)," United now has to take on the Harrisburg City Islanders, known around their hometown as, you know it: "the Real Madrid of Harrisburg."

Again, no matter how old this U.S. Open Cup tournament is, and United's crack PR staff keeps telling everybody it's really, really old, all these games against no-name teams in the suburbs ain't good for the brand.

***

The Washington Times' Thom Loverro tells the story of gangster John Dillinger's flair on the baseball diamond before he went bad, and gives some ink to a latter-day John Dillinger who stuck with baseball but probably would have made more money if he'd taken up crime.

Johnny Depp's only going to play one of 'em in "Public Enemies," a megamillion dollar feature film that explains the timing of Loverro's piece.

But revisiting the tale of the first John Dillinger is worthy: It reminds all DC fans that Austin Kearns, he of the $8 million 2009 salary and sub-Mendoza batting average, isn't the first guy to use baseball as a path to robbery.

AFTER THE JUMP: Venus, the star, is aligned for tonight? How do you sign up for trapeze school? Just one more crystal meth bust and we've got a story?

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: DC United Faces Another David?" »

Moreso than any other team sport, soccer depends on its players to have integrity. That's because a penalty kick call can sway a game, and referees with their humanness just can't discern in real time a trip from a dive.

But as baseball players have made plain, the urge to win fairly is no match for the urge to win.

These bad urges were on display with Taylor Twellman's boffo backwards fall in the box in the closing moments of last week's game with D.C. United.

Read More "Hitters Hit, Fighters Fight, Soccer Players Dive" »

Troy Mathieu has quit as athletic director of DC Public Schools. He didn't last a year. Mathieu had replaced Allen Chin, who had the AD job for decades but was an early sweepee of Michelle Rhee's broom. Based on limited exposure -- mainly the flip-flopping and bungling I witnessed from her office while she was trying to install a five-year eligibility rule in DCIAA -- I've never got the sense that Rhee takes school sports very seriously.

***

The streaking Nationals captured their seventh loss in a row. The long skein was in jeopardy until Joel Hanrahan's bases loaded wild pitch in the top of the ninth.

I'm no Casey Stengel, but does anybody get why Manny Acta keeps throwing Hanrahan out there as the closer? How many dead will it take 'til he knows that too many people have died?

I, for one, miss Charlie Slowes' "Curly W!" calls on the radio.

***

DC United took a four-goal lead and didn't blow it all in beating HATED RIVAL the New York Red Bulls, 5-3, at RFK. The game was billed as a play-in for the U.S. Open Cup, a tournament that goes back to 1914, and which United won last year. I always thought the defending champion automatically qualifies in major soccer tournaments -- World Cup, Champions League, etc. Only about 5,000 fans showed up for the game, so maybe United fans figured the same.

***

DeMatha's own Danny Ferry has been named NBA Executive of the Year by the Sporting News. The Cleveland Cavaliers GM, Bob Ferry, won the same award twice during his days as general manager of the Washington Bullets, despite making these first round picks over his years here: Tom Hammonds, Mugsy Bogues,

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Trouble at the Top of DC Schoolboy Sports, Nats Keep Hopelessness Alive, United Wins in Front of Nobody, Danny Ferry Wins GM Award" »

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!" »

As first rumored on DCRTV, Brian Mitchell has been let go by sportstalk station WTEM-AM.

That means Mitchell's now ex-employer was Dan Snyder.

The same guy has fired the same guy before.

In 2000, Snyder's first offseason of running the Redskins, Mitchell, the team's all-time punt return and kickoff return leader, was let go.

In Thom Loverro's 2007 book, Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins, Mitchell insinuated he got run out of town because he was disliked by Snyder's favorite Redskin, Darrell Green.

That's sorta interesting again, because the owner's pet these days, Clinton Portis, got in a big to-do over the airwaves with Mitchell last year over things the host said about his attitude and play.

Portis and Snyder were recently spotted dining together at N9NE Steakhouse in Vegas.

Vegas!

And now Snyder banishes Mitchell again!

Hmmm.

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Dan Snyder and Satan" »

For the first time since the Natinals scandal, the natinal media paid attention to our baseball team yesterday.

Folks only took notice, alas, because our boys were in L.A. while the Dodgers learned they'd be an odd Manny out. For a long time.

Looks like Manny Ramirez took some sort of estrogen. So Manny was just being Womanny?

In any case, it's gonna cost him...50 games and $7 million!!! (That's a lot for baseball: The most heinous on-field act in baseball history came in 1965, when SF Giant Juan Marichal pounded on Dodger catcher Johnny Roseboro's helmetless head with a baseball bat -- though I guess in this context simply "with a bat" would work -- and Marichal only got a nine-day suspension and a fine of $1,750.)

So for now, it looks like the Mount Rushmore of baseball's Dead Balls Era™ would be Manny, A-Rod, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

Between 'em, there's 49 All-Star game appearances, 11 MVP awards and over half-a-billion in salaries.

Read More "Cheap Seats Daily: Nats Take Advantage of Odd Manny Out!" »

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" »

I wrote this week about DC United's management and fans giving up on DC.

I don't want the team to leave town. And though I grew up in the DC suburbs, the idea of building sports venues outside the city is so retro. Not good retro, like the opening riff of "Sweet Home Alabama."* Bad retro, like the Ayds Candy Plan.

The spots that United claims to crave are both in Landover, a corner kick from where Abe Pollin's Capital Centre* once stood. When Abe moved downtown and imploded his old building, I figured the era of the suburban sports venue was dead around here. Redskins fans already knew that they were stuck with a disaster in FedExField by then.

So I was surprised to hear so much support for a PG County site from United's fan base, which is, from my experience, smarter and younger and more cosmopolitan (and, of course, smaller) than any other local team's base. Their cheerleading for the soccer team bizarrely extends to management's whims, even when it'd be hard to argue that a move to Maryland would be good for current United supporters.

But, as I think the team and its fans will find out pretty quick, nobody in PG will be building any stadium for anybody any time soon. Maybe the feud between the team and the DC government will cool by the time the recession ends. Look for several more years of United at RFK, and then it's Poplar Point or bust.

*Skynyrd opened for the Who on Dec. 6, 1973, the week Capital Centre opened. A photo from that show was used in the poster that came with "Odds and Sods." Don't get me started...