Adam's Mornin': Circus Comes to Town

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey does not arrive in town for another month, but Wednesday, the D.C. sports scene, from the professional ranks to high school kids, gave its fans a sideshow worthy of inclusion in "The Greatest Show On Earth."

It started in Ottawa, where the eight minutes that Alex Ovechkin practiced for were not great for the "Great 8." Ovechkin left the Washington Capitals' 5-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Monday with what head coach Dale Hunter called an "equipment issue." Less than two days later, that equipment issue was joined by/magically transformed into a "lower-body injury," one that Ovechkin denied a few minutes before Hunter confirmed it and kept Ovechkin out of Wednesday's game against the Senators.

Roman Hamrliik was also somehow involved in the hysterics without saying a word. A report from Canadian outlet RDS released Wednesday claimed that Hamrlik is unhappy in Washington and the Caps are shopping him around.

Oh, and the Caps lost again in a 5-2 setback to the Senators.

Then, Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee volleyball-served a shot several rows into the spectator seats for goaltending. So there's that, too.

Not to be outdone, the Maryland Terrapins football team -- specifically head coach Randy Edsall -- finally allowed quarterback Danny O'Brien to officially transfer to Vanderbilt a week after denying him the opportunity to do so, but not before filing a complaint with the ACC, accusing former Maryland offensive coordinator and current Commodores head coach, James Franklin, of having improper contact with O'Brien before the latter decided to transfer.

Meanwhile, in Annapolis, the Broadneck High School girls swimming team had to forfeit its Anne Arundel County championship because of shaving, but not point shaving. Leg shaving.

One of Broadneck's swimmers shaved her legs on-site before the event, which is illegal according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSH) rules for water sports. It is primarily a health issue; NFSH wants to prevent blood transmissions through water or sharing razors. Either way, it is a hairy situation.

Here Lie Lies Of Clinton Portis' Untimely Death

Earlier this week, rumors of former Washington Redskins running back/costume aficionado Clinton Portis' death began to spring up on Twitter, causing quite the commotion between fans and NFL players alike. Portis made sure to set the record straight via Twitter and during an interview with 106.7 The Fan's Holden Kushner Wednesday (by way of D.C. Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg):

“That rumor scared the mess out of me, got my mama calling me wanting to talk every hour,” Portis said. “I don’t know where the rumors came from, but I’m alive and well. Man, I done got calls from everybody. I guess it’s a trending topic on Twitter or whatnot....But I’m good, man. I appreciate the people that are worried, but it ain’t my time yet.”

Portis did not play in the NFL last season, so while he might be alive and well, the same cannot be said about his career.


Adam Vingan is co-founder and editor of Kings Of Leonsis, a Caps-centric blog, and is the Capitals Editor for SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter @Adam_KOL and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.

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