Deron Snyder

SNYDER: No Redskins QB controversy now — maybe later

Once again, it's time to check off some items on my "TIDU List" — Things I Don't Understand, including the RG3-Kirk Cousins debate.

August 13, 2014

SNYDER: Kevin Ward Jr.’s death reminds us how dangerous emotion can be in extreme sports

The loss of life on a racetrack is tragic under any circumstances, but this instance is particularly sad because it has nothing to do with racing, per se. Instead, it has everything to do with the macho, tough-guy posturing that exists in the sport's undercurrent.

August 11, 2014

SNYDER: With Becky Hammon, champion Spurs keep cutting unique path

There wasn't much more the Spurs could do to separate themselves from fellow NBA teams … unless you're talking about winning more championships. But like it or not, the franchise moved further from the pack Tuesday when it added Hammon to the staff, making her the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history.

August 6, 2014

SNYDER: Service academies should lead fight against sexual violence

Students at the Air Force Academy, West Point and the Naval Academy are supposed to be different. They're supposed to adhere to honor codes and higher behavior standards befitting of officers in our armed forces. It might not be the case on other college campuses, but "character" is supposed to be more than a cliché when you'll don your country's uniform upon graduation.

August 4, 2014

SNYDER: Is Durant coming home to D.C. as a free agent in 2016?

Kevin Durant, a four-time NBA scoring champ and D.C. native, made waves Tuesday at Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas. All it took was speaking openly and honestly about perhaps joining the Wizards as a free agent in 2016.

July 30, 2014

SNYDER: Steroid era feats still warrant Hall review

Voters don't want to honor steroid era stars with plaques in Cooperstown and the ability to write "HOF" alongside their autographs. But I see enshrinement more as acknowledging the obvious: They were among the greatest players during a period when many used performance-enhancing drugs.

July 28, 2014

SNYDER: Michael Sam a pioneer, but Tony Dungy doesn’t need to be

A handful of hearty men and women accept the challenges — the commotion, division, frenzy, contention, etc. — that the rest of us, like Dungy, would rather do without. That doesn't automatically mean we're evil or hateful. It doesn't mean we're rooting against anyone. It just means we lack the fortitude to be a pioneer.

July 23, 2014

SNYDER: Robert Griffin III, Jay Gruden perfect together — for now

Griffin is fully recovered from the knee injury that severely hampered his performance last season. Gruden is eager, energetic and enthusiastic, raring to start his first training camp as an NFL head coach.

July 22, 2014

SNYDER: Nationals flush with possibilities as second half kicks in

This is more like it. This is what we expected from the Washington Nationals all along, winning a pair here and three-of-a-kind there, settling in at the table with one of baseball's best hands.

July 21, 2014

SNYDER: Emmanuel Mudiay’s decision to skip college another step toward sea change

Widely considered the nation's top guard entering next season, Mudiay first sent shockwaves by choosing SMU over bluebloods Kentucky and Kansas. It was a tremendous coup for coach Larry Brown and positioned the Mustangs as a Top 10 preseason team. But now, Brown joins John Calipari and Bill Self in lamenting the 6-foot-5 point guard as another who got away.

July 16, 2014

SNYDER: Like it or not, Derek Jeter is reason to watch All-Star game

We don't know how, we don't know who and we don't know when. But the New York Yankees shortstop will be honored Tuesday night in his final All-Star Game. The players just have to think of something different than last year, when former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera wound up taking the field by himself and basking in a long round of applause.

July 14, 2014

SNYDER: Robert Griffin III worth his weight in bronze to Baylor

I'm neither a Baylor University alum nor a fan of the Baylor Bears. But I know what I'd say to outsiders who oppose Robert Griffin III's upcoming statue outside the school's new stadium: Mind your business.

July 9, 2014

SNYDER: Upon further review, MLB instant replay remains beholden to human element

Cutting-edge technology at every conceivable angle still can't overcome the old-fashioned synapses found in baseball umpires and MLB's New York-based replay officials. No matter how many bad calls are made right, the resentment is palpable when incorrect rulings are allowed to stand.

July 7, 2014

SNYDER: Musings on Bryce Harper, Tim Howard and more

Full-blown jerkdom is ahead for the Nationals' wunderkind unless he changes course. Coming off the disabled list (again) and offering unsolicited lineup advice is wrong for established vets, let alone 21-year-olds in their third season.

July 2, 2014

SNYDER: Turns out, Jurgen Klinsmann pushed the right buttons for U.S.

I never understood the big deal about Klinsmann's comment about the U.S. not being ready to win the World Cup. It seemed like the perfect combination of tampering public expectations and challenging the team to reach deeper. Coaches always do the latter in private, during practices and meetings, but they usually refuse to let unfiltered truth seep out during interviews.

June 30, 2014

SNYDER: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony make NBA offseason worth watching

Wherever James and Anthony land, watching the process play out will be a blast. The fate of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh makes a nice subplot. So does Minnesota's contemplations of trading Kevin Love before he walks away for nothing (the scenario that brought Anthony to New York from Denver).

June 25, 2014

SNYDER: For a month, we’re soccer fans — and there’s nothing wrong with that

For four weeks (even with the inevitable dip when the United States is eliminated), headers, corner kicks and equalizers are mentioned in a high percentage of sports conversations. Folks who don't know the difference between yellow cards and green cards become temporary soccer buffs every four years, like clockwork. I am one. And I am not ashamed.

June 23, 2014

SNYDER: Tony Gwynn’s death reinforces need for baseball tobacco ban

Addictions aren't broken that easily, especially not in a culture where tobacco is as ingrained as sunflower seeds and bubble gum. Having a ban in the minors, but not the majors, simply means users cheat or find workarounds until they're called up, where they're free to dip and chew at will.

June 18, 2014

SNYDER: R.C. Buford, architect of another Spurs championship, deserves more credit

Pat Riley would win soundly in a popularity contest. Many NBA fans don't know what Buford does for a living and most couldn't identify him in a lineup. But the disparity in versatility and overall talent compared to the Spurs is painfully obvious.

June 16, 2014

SNYDER: If lawsuits don’t kill NCAA, its members might

The NCAA that we've come to know and despise is in critical condition with a prognosis that suggests the end is near. The equivalent of flesh-eating bacteria are close to devouring the body from within. Outside, it is suffering injury from a series of blows that ultimately could be fatal.

June 11, 2014