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NFL - Week Six predictions

By Anshul Sood, Andrew Kung, Pia Nargundkar | Oct. 14, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

New England at Dallas is the game to watch here in Week Six, although our Redskins are looking good, picking up another win last week by holding the vaunted Detroit offense to a single field goal. A win at Lambeau this week will surely bring about the inevitable, misguided Super Bowl rumblings. Meanwhile, our analysts are once more engaged in a three-way tie after Pia impressed last week by going 12-2, while Andrew took a tumble and saw his lead evaporate. Anshul has been steady all year to claim his share of first place, but Nitin continues to lag behind. Will Week Six bring the fix? Sorry, that was really bad. Here goes... Standings:

Last weekSeason total
Andrew 6-846-30
Anshul 11-3 46-30
Pia12-2 46-30
Nitin 8-6 42-34


U.S. women's soccer team finishes third in FIFA World Cup

By Kiera Zitelman | Oct. 8, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The top-ranked U.S. women's national soccer team beat Norway, 4-1, in Beijing, China, on Sept. 30 to come in third place in the 2007 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women's World Cup. In the final, Germany overcame Brazil 2-0.


NFL - Week Five predictions

By Anshul Sood, Andrew Kung, Nitin Sukumar | Oct. 6, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

A quarter of the '07 NFL season is in the books, and it has been a wild four weeks, to say the least. The Saints, Bears and Chargers, supposed Super Bowl contenders, are a combined 2-9, with worse record than the Browns, Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Texans and hey, even our 2-1 Redskins. As for our pick 'em pool, defending champ Pia sits in last place after a 5-9 performance last week, while Andrew's slew of unlikely upsets has cushioned his comfortable lead. Will Pia and her beloved Chargers break out of their respective slumps? Another week should further filter the contenders from the pretenders. Standings:

Last weekSeason total
Andrew 10-440-22
Anshul 6-8 35-27
Pia5-9 (ouch!) 34-28
Nitin 7-7 34-28


NFL - Week Four predictions

By Andrew Kung, Pia Nargundkar, Nitin Sukumar | Sept. 29, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

With the Redskins enjoying their bye after all but gift-wrapping a win for the Giants last week, we can drift our attention to the rest of the league. The Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Cowboys and Packers (wait, the Packers?) are all undefeated as we move into the fourth week. Meanwhile our beloved sports editor Andrew has jostled to the front of the pack of so-called "experts." This week of games will bring the hope of the playoffs to some teams while effectively erasing it from others. And if Andrew continues to lead, an investigation will ensue into his possible use of illegal video equipment.


NFL - Week Three predictions

By Anshul Sood, Andrew Kung, Nitin Sukumar | Sept. 22, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The Ohio shootout last week gave fans a taste of exciting offenses and laughable defenses, New England proved they belong with the NFL elite without a video man, while Washington managed to make Donovan McNabb look like a lost rookie. Could a 3-0 beginning for the Skins be possible? We hope so. Meanwhile, Nitin looks to even up the scoreboard after an embarrassing start to this year's NFL picks that has him looking up at Andrew, Pia and Anshul, who are all currently tied for the lead. Can Week Three turn his fortunes? Season standings:

Andrew 21-11
Pia 21-11
Anshul 21-11
Nitin 19-13


NFL - Week Two predictions

By Anshul Sood, Andrew Kung, Pia Nargundkar | Sept. 15, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

It may only be the second week of the season, but emotions are already running high. The Buffalo Bills are praying that their reserve tight end will walk again, the New England Patriots were found guilty of cheating and lo and behold -- the Redskins won! As for our humble panel of experts, there appears to be no such thing as beginner's luck; Pia has yet to be dethroned. And now without further ado: week two. Season standings:

Andrew 11-5
Nitin 10-6
Pia 12-4
Anshul 11-5


Favorites triumph at Flushing Meadow

By Lingfeng Li | Sept. 10, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

Amid a generation of unimaginative players accustomed to only power tennis, it was a pair of iconoclasts who claimed the crowns at the U.S. Open. Roger Federer and Justine Henin, both ranked No. 1 in the world, rolled into the final Grand Slam of the season as under-the-radar favorites. During the fortnight, they proved that if executed correctly, style, variety and footwork can still match raw power.


NFL - Week One predictions

By Andrew Kung, Pia Nargundkar, Nitin Sukumar | Sept. 5, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

Another NFL season, and as per tradition, we here at SCO offer our weekly predictions and commentary. Previous analysts Abe, Josh and Phil have moved on to greener pastures after being schooled last year by Pia Nargundkar, who returns this year to defend her crown. In the challenger's corner this season stand resident sports guys Andrew Kung and Nitin Sukumar as well as Anshul Sood, our token junior staffer. Can Pia repeat in NFL pick supremacy? Let's see how the y-chromosome fares in 2007.

Andrew 0-0
Nitin 0-0
Pia 0-0
Anshul 0-0


2007 NFL Preview

By Andrew Kung, Nitin Sukumar, Elsi Wu | Sept. 4, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

Ah, September. The falling leaves and falling thermostat, the gradual transition back to the hallowed halls of Blair, and most importantly, the start of football season. Hope springs eternal in the NFL as all 32 teams stand undefeated. Savor it while it lasts, 'Skins fans. As always, SCO offers our predictions and insight, so that we can be ridiculed to no end come February. What time is it? It's game time!


Wimbledon gets washed out

By Lingfeng Li | July 8, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

This really was the Grand Slam of upsets after all, not that tournament organizers will much relish that title this year, as mutterings of "worst Wimbledon ever" ran amok.


Seeds stay strong at Wimbledon

By Lingfeng Li | July 1, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The fact that Wimbledon's consumption of strawberries and cream is skyscraper-high says quite a bit about its culture. For the longest time, Wimbledon has been the epitome of conservative values: they have refused to pay men and women equally, favored human judgment over technological accuracy, required an all-white dress code and even outfitted the ball boys and girls in Ralph Lauren. But this year, Wimbledon turned its back on times long past as the All England Club boosted prize money, sliced the payouts uniformly and installed instant replay. The Ralph Lauren polos and dress code, superficially enough, will stay.


The pretenders will fight, but the veterans will win

By Lingfeng Li | June 24, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The Grand Slams this year have played out much like an episode of "American Idol" " dead dull and dreadfully melodramatic. Moreover, the drama at Wimbledon this year, much like "American Idol" again, seems to have been cryogenically collected from this time last year and defrosted.


They're French Open champions - again

By Lingfeng Li | June 10, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

For a moment, the girl who had grown up playing tennis in an empty swimming pool in her war-stricken hometown of Belgrade seemed poised to complete her rags to riches tale. During Saturday's final, Ana Ivanovic, the 19-year-old upstart from Serbia, was up a break and 40-0 in the second game against top seed Justine Henin.


'07 NBA Finals preview

By Andrew Kung, Nitin Sukumar | June 7, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

After a long month and a half of intense playoff action, the NBA Finals are finally upon us. Beginning today, the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers will square off against the San Antonio Spurs, victors in the West, in a matchup billed as LeBron James versus Tim Duncan. Can King James lead Cleveland to the Promised Land, or are the Big Fundamental and crew just too sound to lose? We take a look at the factors at play with the Larry O'Brien Trophy at stake.


Anything but "Open" at Roland Garros

By Lingfeng Li | June 1, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The middle weekend of a Grand Slam tournament is always entertaining, if only to survey the damage of week one. On the men's side, the seeds have been dropping like flies, many of them ousted by little-known clay court specialists. The women, on the other hand, have kept matches routine and predictable. But the main players are all still here after fairly straightforward wins, which should lead to some mouth-watering showdowns in the next week.


A fortnight in Paris

By Lingfeng Li | May 26, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

For the tennis world, the end of May is dedicated to the French Open, the culmination of the clay season: a tumultuous globe-trotting, two-month span where winning is more about patience than power, topspin than pace and fitness than flamboyance.


The stars shine (for now) in Washington

By Andrew Kung | May 3, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

Disappointment and DC sports have gone hand in hand for over a decade now, as overspending by the Redskins, the so-called curse of Les Boulez on the Wizards and the penny-pinching ways of the Nationals and Capitals have led to traditions of futility.


2006-2007 NBA midseason report

By Andrew Kung, Nitin Sukumar | Feb. 12, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The National Basketball Association has been a roller coaster full of surprises, highlighted thus far by dominating stretches by top teams (two 15+ game win streaks by the Phoenix Suns, 13 in a row by the Dallas Mavericks), uniform changes (Allen Iverson, Chris Webber) and an ugly brawl at Madison Square Garden. With the All-Star break fast approaching, we break down the top teams and dish out midseason hardware.


NFL Conference championships preview

By Pia Nargundkar, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Jan. 21, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

The NFL's Final Four is set, and the smell of the Super Bowl is in the air. Will it be the Pats, Colts, Bears or Saints, time will only tell. But before we get to the Big One in Miami, today's games will be fought. So as you enjoy the day's snow flurries, be sure to holla at the TV, too, because some great NFL action is goin' down. Here are our picks:


NFL Divisional playoffs

By Pia Nargundkar, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Jan. 13, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

This year's NFL divisional playoffs are loaded with questions. Can Manning win on the road? Will the Pats stun the Chargers? Can the Saints keep hope alive? Can Rex Grossman not throw an interception? SCO's team of NFL experts does its best to answer those questions and more. Read on...


NFL Wild Card predictions

By Pia Nargundkar, Phillip Allen, Abe Schwadron | Jan. 6, 2007, midnight | In Professional »

Wild-card weekend is in full effect, and although the Redskins couldn't make it this year, there are still four intriguing matchups to look forward to. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Pia held on to take the top spot in this year's NFL picks.


NFL Week Seventeen predictions

By Phillip Allen, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Dec. 30, 2006, midnight | In Professional »

When we started NFL picks this season, Pia was the underdog. Now, the rest of us are fighting to get out of last. From the three (lovable?) losers, Abe, Josh and Phil, this is our last set of picks from the past two years. And we finished where we started—the bottom of the barrel. Peace out NFL predictions, it's been real. Happy New Year!


NFL Week Sixteen predictions

By Phillip Allen, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Dec. 21, 2006, midnight | In Professional »

Happy Holidays! Overall

Josh 130-93
Abe 129-94
Pia 139-84
Phil 131-92


NFL Week Fifteen predictions

By Pia Nargundkar, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Dec. 14, 2006, midnight | In Professional »

Last week, we had the pleasure of picking alongside Mike Wilbon, and in the process we proved our mighty pick 'em smarts, as only Josh couldn't top the new guy. As usual, Pia continued to fry the rest of us, as Abe closed the gap with Phil and Josh. As for week fifteen, there's some good games, some ugly games and of course the Redskins game in New Orleans. Think Drew Brees is licking his chops?


NFL Week Fourteen predictions

By Pia Nargundkar, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Dec. 7, 2006, midnight | In Professional »

Last Tuesday, the SCO sports staff had the honor and privilege of meeting one of the best local and national sportswriters we know, and a guy that we look up to: Michael Wilbon. This week, he found the time to send us his picks for this week. Read on as our SCO staff take on the legendary Wilbon.

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