February 13, 2012
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Since the All-Star break, the Caps (28-22-5; 61 points) have hit a rough patch, going just 2-5 in their first seven games. It’s been a disappointing start to the second half of the season, especially for a team that had hoped to solidify their spot in first place and widen the gap between them and their division rivals.
Instead, they have fallen to second place behind the Florida Panthers (27-17-11; 65 points); with the Winnipeg Jets (26-25-6; 55 points) and Tampa Bay Lightning (24-25-6; 55 points) close behind. It has been a rocky season for the Caps, disrupted by coaching changes and player suspensions. And while the team has been fairly dominant at home with a 19-7-2 score, at 9-15-3, their road record leaves room for much improvement.
Coming off a 3-2 win in New York, the Caps play one game at home before hitting the road again. With a stretch of home games not scheduled until the first week of March, the next week and a half will be a strong indicator of whether or not the Capitals have what it takes to make it to the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Accustomed to perennially winning the division, I’m unsure whether Caps players or fans are ready to see their team pushed out of the playoffs.
While it may seem premature to make such harsh assumptions, the last month of the season begins March 7, and the Capitals need to step up their game if they hope to be crowned the Southeast Division Champions once again.
Wizards
No one expected the Wizards to go from worst to first, fans should feel encouraged by their recent improvements, even if they have lost seven of their last eight games. That sour statistic can be countered with another: 4-7, their record under new Randy Wittman. When Flip Saunders departed, they were 2-15.
While their 6-22 season record isn’t playoff material, it is enough to move them from last place in their division. That honor belongs to the Charlotte Bobcats at 3-24. Washington’s latest win came in Detroit against the Pistons, where they were able to nab their second road victory this season. In the 98-77 victory, JaVale McGee and Nick Young both scored 22 points apiece, while John Wall tied his career high of 15 assists.
The win snapped Detroit’s four game winning streaks and was a good start to their five-game road trip. They next travel to Portland to face the Trailblazers (15-13) on Valentine’s Day. Even if the Wizards end this season just one spot higher in their division — which is no cakewalk with rivals such as the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic — it will be a small victory.
Tiger Woods
It seems almost hard to believe that it has been almost two and a half years since the former golden boy of golf has won a PGA tour event. It seems even stranger how close he continues to get, only to fall apart on the last day and finish in fourth or 15th place. With each event, the words “his old self” are written about Tiger.
Woods entered the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am just four shots off the lead, and two ahead of his final round partner (and possibly greatest career rival), Phil Mickelson. While Tiger had said before the tournament that “Everything is kind of headed in the right direction” in regards to his game, it was Mickelson who got everything to click in the final round. Woods struggled to get comfortable and find his groove. After being just one shot behind on the sixth hole, Woods fell apart, finishing with a 75:11 points behind tournament winner Mickelson into a tie for 15th place.
The Woods we saw Sunday is a far cry from the golfer who excelled on Sunday afternoons, making the final round look like the easiest part of a tournament. But while some critics say that that Woods is gone completely, it’s hard to dismiss the fact that shades of “old” Tiger have begun to flicker, and perhaps his comeback is just beginning.
