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ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin is injured. A benched player is needling the coach. Players are talking about being outworked and not being mentally prepared. The usually upbeat owner calls one performance "unacceptable" and all but declares the next game a must-win, only to watch it turn into another clunker. The coachs idea of a "solid game" these days in one in which the team falls behind after 10 minutes instead of the usual three or four. Oh, yeah, and the trade deadline is a few days away. Such is the state of the Washington Capitals, a team whose annual chase for a title is turning into a feeble attempt just to make the playoffs. "We had huge expectations," forward Mike Knuble said Thursday. "And it hasnt played out the way we planned." Thats the exact sentiment the Capitals are usually uttering in April or May, after theyve crashed out of the playoffs after winning the Southeast Division. This year, they are sitting outside the post-season -- in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and third in the Southeast -- after a road trip in which they lost their final three games by a combined score of 12-3. "The last two games, we werent ready to play," defenceman Karl Alzner said. "We werent prepared mentally." With such signs that perhaps not everybody has their heart in it anymore, the players held their own meeting Thursday morning. It only lasted a couple of minutes, and, according to Alzner, served to make sure that no one would be trying to "mail it in." "I think when youre so used to winning games in the regular season and you stop winning and youre not at the top of the league, your whole mindset changes," Alzner said. "Its like that with every person in regular days, something doesnt go your way and you start to second guess yourself a little bit. "Its the same thing with us. When were not doing what we used to be doing, you start questioning. Thats when bad things happen. You find the players that play the best are the ones that go out and just do it -- they dont overthink the game. Thats been a little bit of our issue." Added Knuble: "Your team better have frustration -- because guys want more; they want to achieve more. Theres going to be frustration, but then it comes to a point where it can get in the way." There were other developments aplenty at the rink as the Capitals returned home for the first time in a week, starting with the star player whos just not been himself lately. Ovechkin, who missed Wednesdays 5-2 loss at Ottawa with a lower body injury, showed up early and skated laps by himself for about 10-15 minutes, but not at full speed. He didnt return for practice and did not speak to reporters. Coach Dale Hunter said the former two-time NHL MVP was day-to-day. Ovechkin is already on pace for his worst season by far -- he has just 45 points and only one game-winning goal -- and associate goaltending coach Olie Kolzig said last week the Russian star had perhaps become "wrapped up too much in the rock star status that comes with being Alex Ovechkin," a notion later reinforced by general manager George McPhee. Ovechkins absence against the Senators didnt seem to make much difference anyway. The Capitals gave up the first goal for the sixth straight game, fell behind 2-0 for the third straight game and 4-0 for the second straight game. Ovechkin or not, the Capitals arent going to win much if they keep falling behind. "Teams are taking advantage of our slow starts right now," Alzner said. "And were too fragile to be able to bounce back." Even the daily blog posting from owner Ted Leonsis was a bit subdued. The same boss who deemed "unacceptable" the 5-0 loss at Carolina on Monday and declared "We need that win" before the Ottawa game watched the latest loss and wrote something that seemed a bit cryptic: "There is a lot to think about -- there is a lot to read. There is a lot to do." Certainly, the Capitals havent caught fire under Hunter, who took over when Bruce Boudreau was fired in November. The coach dismissed Alzners assertion that the team wasnt mentally prepared and instead maintains that Wednesdays three-goal loss was a good team performance undermined by an off night from goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Yet, when pressed to cite what was good about the game, Hunter could only come up with: "Not falling behind early." Thats true only in a relative sense: Washington gave up the first goal at 9:36 as opposed to 3:41 (vs. Carolina) or 2:10 (in the previous game vs. Tampa Bay). One player none too pleased with the coach these days is Roman Hamrlik, who was a healthy scratch for the Ottawa game in part because Hunter said the veteran defenceman was taking untimely penalties. Hamrlik responded by referencing the 3,565 minutes Hunter spent in the penalty box as a player. "You should ask him about the penalties," Hamrlik said, "because when he played I think he make lots of penalties ... so he should know better." Hamrlik is one of the players mentioned as a possible commodity ahead of the Monday trade deadline, which is yet another distraction. Given the state of the Capitals -- and the fact that theyre still very much in the playoff race despite the current slump -- its hard to figure which moves the front office will make. "Its in the back of your mind as a player," Hunter said. "You dont block something like that out." nfl jerseys china . PETERSBURG, Fla. wholesale nfl jerseys . He greeted a fans standing behind the bench and personally delivered his headband to a young admirer before heading to the locker room. http://www.nfljerseyschinawholesalecheap.com/. Overeem failed a drug test in Nevada last spring, upsetting plans for a scheduled UFC heavyweight championship matchup. nfl jerseys china wholesale cheap . But one point very easily could have become three for the hosts. The first half saw Colorado seize the lead in the 32nd minute through Conor Casey as he took down a long ball from Tyrone Marshall and turned with it 20 yards from goal. nfl china jersys wholesale . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm.KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Roger Clemens tried to get across a sense of urgency to Houston Astros pitchers Wednesday. "If its working for you, stay with it. If its not, you need to change something. Thats something I said," Clemens said. "Obviously its not working for some of you so you need to re-evaluate what youre doing." In his capacity as special assistant to the general manager, Clemens addressed a group of young pitchers who were often overmatched last season. With a staff significantly different from the one assembled this spring, the Astros posted a 4.79 ERA while losing 111 games. "If you need to stay and do some extra work, conditioning, whatever it might be, that will make you mentally tougher than the next guy," Clemens said. "I think with all the conditioning I did throughout my career, that made me feel like I had an edge." On the eve of the teams first full-squad workout, the Astros brought in the 51-year-old, seven-time Cy Young Award winner for a morning pep talk. "I think these guys have got to realize that its not only just about them, that everybodys rooting hard and they want em to do well," Clemens said. "Obviously when they do that, a lot of people are going to start coming through the turnstiles again to watch em." Clemens pitched three of his 24 major league seasons in Houston, winning the National League ERA title in 2005 when the Astros won the pennant. The years since have been lean, especially the past three in which the Astros lost 106, 107 and 111 games. Thats one of the reasons Clemens was brought back last year, according to general manager Jeff Luhnow. "He really understands our philosophy as an organization," Luhnow said. "Hes been a part of this organization for a long time and he sees eye-to-eye with everything that were doing and is able to communicate the messages." One of the messages is to no longer acceept defeat.dddddddddddd "Theres more than a handful of guys that have an opportunity and they need to take a big step forward," Clemens said. "In spring training everybodys all giddy right now, and then you start the season and everybody gets punched in the face. Its not a lot of fun. I think theyre kind of taking the kid gloves off em a little bit and asking a lot of em to step up." The catchers, too. "I asked those guys today to step up a little bit when the pitchers not doing very well, and to get after him a little bit, see if you can stroke his emotions, get his attention so hes not lethargic out there," Clemens said. "Theres a fine line there, but its time for some of these guys to really take a giant step forward." Veteran Chad Qualls, brought in to compete for the closer job, said Clemens got his points across. "Anytime somebody with his presence steps into a room, he just kind of demands your attention," Qualls said. "You always open up and listen to what he has to say because hes been through everything, the ups and the downs. He knows exactly what hes talking about." And at some point in the spring, it will go behind talking. "At my advanced stage, I still enjoy putting the cleats on and demonstrating when I can. I like the teaching aspect, and then to turn em loose and for them to get after it," he said. "I enjoy rooting for the underdog and trying to motivate guys and answer their questions when they have them." Notes: Relief pitcher Jesse Crain strained his right calf while exercising in a gym Tuesday. The Astros are awaiting the result of an MRI. "That will be some sort of setback; I dont know how many days," Luhnow said. ... First baseman Japhet Amador, who hit .368 with 36 home runs in the Mexican League, will not report to spring training until further notice because of a family emergency. ' ' '
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