At His First Practice, Zorn Already Has 'Good Feel' for the Redskins

Grunfeld has huge decisions to make: Does he retain Eddie Jordan as coach? Does he try to re-sign Gilbert, when no one knows if Gil will ever be Gil again? Is Antawn Jamison happy? How about Caron Butler's health? Anyone out there to work inside with Brendan Haywood?

Getting to the playoffs four consecutive seasons is impressive. Getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round three straight years by the same team is not.

Touching Bases

· Some observations from the Nationals' longest homestand of the season:

Too bad about Chad Cordero's latest shoulder woes (torn muscle), which the team says are unrelated to the tendinitis that has bothered him all season and previously put him on the disabled list with Gilbert. Cordero, the team's closer the last three years in Washington, will be out for at least four weeks. Meanwhile, Dmitri Young remains on the DL trying to overcome his back woes, while the disappointing Paul Lo Duca (what fan doesn't miss Brian Schneider?) prepares to resume his duties behind the plate.

Still, Manager Manny Acta has coaxed this team back to near respectability with a nice run these past two weeks, despite big hitters Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns all batting worse than .220. Credit solid work from the pitching staff and some unexpected clutch hitting from the likes of catcher Wil Nieves.

As colleague Thomas Boswell wrote, the average attendance of nearly 30,000 is "respectable though not spectacular for a new ballpark.'' The team's improvement and warmer weather likely will boost attendance, although someone of authority should admit those empty seats on TV behind the plate need filling. How? Cut the price of those $325 tickets.

· Good to see Billie Jean King in town this week for the dedication of the Pauline Betz Addie tennis facility in Bethesda and to promote Mark Ein's Washington's Kastles. The Kastles open World TeamTennis play on July 8 in a temporary 2,020-seat facility on the site of the former Convention Center. Serena Williams is the team's star, but I'm not up to speed on Sacha Jones, Mashona Washington and Scott Oudsema. Also, I thought Justin Gimelstob retired, and how come D.C. tennis regular James Blake is not on the squad?

· College football poobahs had a meeting in Florida this week and foolishly chose yet again not to institute a BCS playoff, but instead awarded a bowl game to the District on Dec. 20 at either Nationals Park or RFK Stadium. Navy will be the host team -- if the Mids have a winning season -- with an ACC team the likely opponent. I don't know about you, but I've already got my tailgating menu planned.

Farewell

Gordon Bradley, the face of soccer in the Washington area for years, died Tuesday from Alzheimer's disease. He was 74. Bradley, who was born in Sunderland, England, came to Washington in the 1970s to coach the Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League after guiding the Pele-led New York Cosmos. He coached the George Mason men's team from 1985 to 2000, compiling a 183-113-53 record, and also the Washington Stars (1985-96) of the American Professional Soccer League. He also was a TV commentator for D.C. United games.

A member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame since 1996, Bradley's youth soccer camps in Northern Virginia were attended by thousands. He also counseled numerous coaches, including this former MSI mentor, who once asked him about 30 years ago why soccer in the U.S. was so far behind the rest of the world.

"Because of coaches like you," he said, laughing uproariously.

Have a comment or question? Reach me attalkback@washpost.com.