Andy Kostka

Capitals hoping to find diamond in rough during NHL draft shaped by unknowns

Preparation for this weekend's NHL draft featured more video review and meetings with scouts to make up for the limited in-person viewing and shortened junior league seasons.

July 22, 2021

‘Hell or high water’: Olympics arrive to Tokyo with uncertainty, intrigue

Make no mistake, these pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics will be unlike any that have come before -- from events staged in arenas emptied by virus concerns to athletes openly using the global platform to broadcast social and political messages.

July 22, 2021

For sale, Hinrich jersey, never worn: Capital One Arena cleans house

As the boxes and boxes of merchandise kept arriving at Capital One Arena, the scope of the task ahead of Jamal Jones became clear. Jones, the director of retail for Monumental Sports and Entertainment, was amazed at how much was hiding in storage here and there, gathering dust, almost forgotten.

July 22, 2021

Guinea pulls out of Olympics over COVID concerns

Guinea withdrew from the Olympics shortly before the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Games, citing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

July 22, 2021

Kraken select Capitals goalie Vanecek in expansion draft

The Seattle Kraken selected goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the Capitals in the expansion draft, leaving Washington without a netminder who won 21 games during his rookie season.

July 21, 2021

U.S. women’s soccer suffers 3-0 loss to Sweden to open Olympics, ending 44-game unbeaten streak

The U.S. women's soccer team's opening game at the Olympics didn't go according to plan, with Sweden running away with a 3-0 victory Wednesday to snap the U.S.' 44-match winning streak.

July 21, 2021

Rizzo: Castro not expected back this season

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo does not expect infielder Starlin Castro to return to the team this season after he was placed on administrative leave Friday following an accusation of domestic violence.

July 20, 2021

Last-minute cancellation of Tokyo Olympics not ruled out by organizing chief

With coronavirus cases rising for athletes rising in the week leading up to the Olympics, the head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee didn't rule out the possibility of a last-minute cancellation of the Games.

July 20, 2021

Soto: Home Run Derby ‘helped me out big time’

Juan Soto hoped the Home Run Derby could help him lift more baseballs in the second half of the season. The early indicators are good, with three homers in the first series back.

July 19, 2021

Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa named to Maxwell Award watch list

Maryland football quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was named to the Maxwell Award watch list Monday, becoming the first Terrapins quarterback included in the national player pool since 2011.

July 19, 2021

Yankees fan banned from all MLB stadiums after hitting player with ball

A New York Yankees fan has been banned from all MLB stadiums for life after throwing a baseball that hit Boston Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo during Saturday night's game.

July 19, 2021

Castro placed on administrative leave amid MLB domestic violence investigation

Washington Nationals infielder Starlin Castro has been placed on administrative leave while MLB investigates an allegation of domestic violence, the league announced Friday.

July 16, 2021

Tokyo coronavirus cases reach six-month high with Olympics eight days out

With the beginning of the Olympics eight days away, new coronavirus cases in Tokyo surged to a six-month high on Thursday, raising fears that hospitals could become overcrowded during the Games.

July 15, 2021

Jordan McNair’s father emphasizes athlete safety amid NIL rise in college sports

Martin McNair, whose son Jordan died in 2018, two weeks after suffering heatstroke at a Maryland Terrapins football workout, is pushing for the inclusion of health and safety guidelines in any forthcoming name, image and likeness legislation.

July 15, 2021

With two exhibition losses, the world puts Team USA men’s basketball on notice

During the last three Olympic cycles, the Team USA basketball team was practically untouchable. But now there's cause for the U.S. to look over its shoulder.

July 14, 2021

Richard Sherman arrested on burglary domestic violence charge, denied bail

Free agent cornerback Richard Sherman was arrested Wednesday morning on a burglary domestic violence charge, according to online King County, Washington, court records.

July 14, 2021

Olympic athletes to place own medals around neck to combat coronavirus

Olympic athletes will place medals around their own necks in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which leaves Japan in a state of emergency as case numbers rise ahead of the July 23 start.

July 14, 2021

Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard has successful surgery on partially torn ACL

Kawhi Leonard, the all-star forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, underwent a successful surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday night. There's no timetable for Leonard's return.

July 14, 2021

Former college athletes call on NCAA to rescind penalties in light of NIL rule change

With the changes to name, image and likeness rules, some former college players who ran afoul of NCAA's old stance on athletes making money have called for the reinstatement of records and victories the players and universities were forced to vacate in the past.

July 13, 2021

Team USA basketball suffers second straight loss in buildup to Olympics

These games don't matter in the grand scheme of things, and for Team USA basketball, that could be a good thing.

July 13, 2021