Remember how ESPN.com’s Howard Bryant recently blistered the Nats for not saving Stephen Strasburg for the playoffs?

Well, MASN’s Bob Carpenter evidently read that piece of work, because he discussed it on-air during Wednesday night’s broadcast.

“The last time I checked, the standings or a team’s won-loss record were not affected by what various media members think of them...or the guy from ESPN the other day that said the Nats are trying to lose because they’re not gonna make Stephen Strasburg throw a million innings this year,” Carpenter said in the top of the ninth.

“Somebody said that?!?” asked F.P. Santangelo, who evidently needs to read the Bog more often.

“Yeah, because they’re pulling back Strasburg,” Carpenter explained. “Evidently, he’s decided that Stephen Strasburg is only pitching a certain number of innings, when Mike Rizzo has never really come out and said that.”

Personally, I think the New York Jets should be the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”every season. Rex Ryan plus Tim Tebow has to equal hilarity.

While the documentary series has yet to announce which team they’ll be following this season, there were rumors that the Redskins were on the short list.

This would be a terrible, no-good, very bad idea.

Thankfully, Mike Shanahan went on Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio and dashed all hopes of that happening.

The Bethesda Big Train is hosting a celebrity softball classic Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at Shirley Povich Field. Shirley Povich Field is lovely, and is located near playgrounds and the Montgomery Mall, if you want to make a day of it.

The game pits D.C. sports media members against D.C. athletes. I’m on the list of D.C. sports media members who will participate. As you probably guessed, I’m planning on begging out, although I’ll definitely be at the field to sign autographs (for my daughter) and to pick up my sweet jersey and to make fun of Mike Wise.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Well, the first point is you need to go to the game. See here.

The second point: help me rank the celebrities who have pledged to participate. They include Brandon Banks, Lorenzo Alexander, Kareem Moore, Kedric Golston, Chris Wilson, Terrence Austin, Darrel Young, Ladell Betts, Shelvin Mack, Antwaan Randle El, Angela Rypien, Baby Shaq, Sean Mosley, and Byron Mouton for the athletes, and Laron Profit, Walt Williams, Mike Wise, Chris Styles, Rocky Parrish, Kevin Shafer, Andy Pollin, Ivan Carter, Julie Donaldson, Dan Hellie, Dave Ross, Lou Holder and Kristen Berset for the media.

Here’s how I’d rank the top 5 in current D.C. celebrity status, judged by percentage of residents who have any idea who these people are:

1. Randle El

2. Walt Williams

3. Brandon Banks

4. Dan Hellie

5. N/A.

Your opinions are welcome. And seriously, go to the game.

Saturday, five years after he was an NBA lottery pick, Jeff Green will graduate from Georgetown with a major in English and a minor in theology. He told the school’s athletic site that he was pushed to get his degree by his former Hoyas teammates, and that finishing school was a a “weight lifted off my shoulders.”

The Post will have more on this at some point, but since the school posted this video of Green reflecting on the moment, I figured I might as well pop it on here.

The transcript:

“A Georgetown education means a lot, and like you said, it was not easy. I mean, I dedicated four years of summer to school, never had a free summer. This’ll be the first summer that I have where I have no school, no class, no lectures. The education and the degree from Georgetown is big.

“When I walk across the stage I don’t know what’s gonna go through my mind. It’s gonna be all smiles, because I accomplished a goal that I set out years ago, and it’s finally here. It’s tough to put into words how I’m gonna feel. Four years of grueling two hour sessions of class. And to finally be able to say I’m done and have a paper with my name on it, a degree from Georgetown University is gonna be breathtaking. I’m gonna be speechless.”

(@RayPayne) After DMV athletes on other teams spent the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs rallying around the Capitals, some of the Caps are returning the favor.

Brooks Laich, John Carlson, Mathieu Perreault and Joel Ward attended last night’s United game, complete in matching personalized jerseys.

News to me: Joel Ward mentioned in a postgame interview with CSN Washington that he and Dwayne De Rosario went to high school together in Ontario and met through a mutual barber.

United beat the Rapids 2-0, but unfortunately Ward missed DeRo’s first-half goal thanks to “Perry’s lateness.” Way to throw Perreault under the bus.

Pics of the guys in the locker room, courtesy of D.C. United, after the jump.