Weekly Watch - July 24 Paper

N Washington Nationals vs. San Diego Padres
Thursday 7/16 – Sunday 7/19
New manager, same old story. The Nationals made a switch at skipper over the all-star break, replacing Manny Acta with Jim Riggleman. And just four games in, the results look all too familiar. The Cubs came in to D.C. and left with a four-game sweep. That put the Nats’ record at a woeful 26-65. The San Diego Padres are suffering through a tumultuous season. They started the year 9-3 and spent seven days alone or tied for first place in the National League West. A 10-game winning streak in mid-May couldn’t help their cause, as the Los Angeles Dodgers had pulled away. The Padres are now stuck in last place, partly because they’ve been ravished by injures to ace starting pitcher Jake Peavy, hurler Chris Young and infielder David Eckstein. San Diego has the worst team batting average (.233), but do possess slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Like Washington, the Padres are focused on the future with the likes of shortstop Everth Cabrera and outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr.

N World Team Tennis Finals
Sunday 7/26 at 5 p.m.
For the first time in the 34-year history of World Team Tennis, the league’s finals will take place in the nation’s capital and at the home of the Washington Kastles. World Team Tennis features 10 co-ed teams, comprised of two men and two women. The regular season, and the battle to reach the finals in Washington, lasted from July 2 to 22. The top two teams in both the Western and Eastern Conference advance to the conference championships July 24 at the home court of the top-seeded clubs. The winners of those matches advance to compete for the title. As of Monday, both No. 1 seeds have been decided. The New York Sportimes clinched the lead spot in the East, while the Springfield Lasers locked up the West. Washington is still in the postseason mix, with a record of 5-6.

N Washington Redskins training camp
Open to the public Thursday 7/30
Every NFL season begins with the heat and sweat that is training camp. Both the rookies and veterans from the Washington Redskins are required to report to Redskins Park in Ashburn on July 29, with fans allowed to attend practices starting the next morning.

Many eyes will be on a pair of newcomers on the defensive line: New tackle Albert Haynesworth — acquired in the off-season from the Tennessee Titans — and first-round draft pick Brian Orakpo from Texas. Second-year head coach Jim Zorn and his Redskins are trying to rebound from an 8-8 regular season, in which they finished last in the ultra-competitive NFC East. Practice times, according to the team’s Web site, last between 90 minutes and two hours.

— Brian Wright