From Sofas of D.C. Luminaries, Roars for the Redskins

Redskins fans everywhere are carving out time for tomorrow's big game, and Washington movers and shakers are no exception. For Tim Russert, that means timing his day practically down to the minute.

Having booked his guests for Sunday's "Meet the Press" earlier than usual, he expects to complete his prep by midday.

Then he'll hit the 4 p.m. Catholic Mass at Georgetown University. "Keep it tight, Father," Russert muttered to himself hopefully yesterday. From the university, he'll make a six-minute drive to his house.

The playoff duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is slated to start at 4:30 in Florida. But Russert is counting on pregame commentary to push the kickoff closer to 4:48. "I'll be fine," he said in an interview yesterday. "I can sit down on Saturday guilt-free."

At home in front of a large TV seems to be the preferred venue for many bigwig Redskins fans. People also will come together who might otherwise be discussing tax reform.

"I will be going over to my friend Ed Crane's house," Bruce Bartlett, a columnist and former treasury official, said by e-mail. Crane presides over the Cato Institute. "I anticipate that his wife, Kristina, will make chicken wings and we will have many opportunities to sing 'Hail to the Redskins,' which we do after every score."

Wouldn't they love to have Alan Greenspan over. The Federal Reserve chairman goes to most Redskins home games, sitting in team owner Daniel Snyder's skybox. He follows football statistics closely. But for tomorrow's game, Greenspan plans to stay in with his wife, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell. "He's not planning on having a party or anything," said spokeswoman Michelle Smith.

Other fans say they're best left alone. John Thompson, the former Georgetown University basketball coach, grew up in Washington, regularly sports a Redskins cap and also has sat in Snyder's skybox at home games. He hosts a radio show on SportsTalk 980, where he calls himself Joe the Fan when discussing the Redskins.

He plans to watch the game at home, by himself. "My toes will be sitting up, and I will have a sausage sandwich in my hand," Thompson said. And, when appropriate, he can yell at the TV, uninhibited, and "just act like a natural fool," said the Hall of Fame coach.

A hair-down atmosphere is also expected at the home of Judy Woodruff, former anchor of CNN's "Inside Politics," and husband Albert Hunt, who was a regular on CNN's Capital Gang and is an executive editor with Bloomberg News. The couple expect friends to come by, including former solicitor general Seth P. Waxman, who lives nearby. "We will act like adolescents," Hunt said.

At home games, Snyder's skybox plays host to heavy hitters. In addition to Greenspan and Thompson, according to the team, others in the box have included Colin L. Powell, his son, former Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael K. Powell, former U.S. senator Fred D. Thompson and former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. But for tomorrow's game in Tampa, Snyder doesn't expect to have many skybox seats to dole out. His guest box might have as few as 12 seats, according to the Redskins, which would limit space to Snyder, family members, other owners and perhaps team officials.

As for Jack Kemp, he will be skiing with his family in Vail, Colo. He plans to record the game. He won't even duck into a slope-side lunch place, for fear someone might tell him the score. He'll watch it a few hours later. "TiVo is the greatest invention since sliced bread," said Kemp, a former vice presidential candidate.