I recently spoke with Dan Steinberg, author of the Washington Post’s “DC Sports Bog,” via e-mail about Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals, Capitals, Wizards, and United, as well as his brand of sports blogging and the future of sports writing.

Steinberg was a guest on my University of Maryland talk show in the spring semester. You can follow Steinberg on Twitter (@dcsportsbog). Without further ado, let’s get right to it. Many thanks to Steinberg for contributing to the blog.

Luke Jackson: What were your expectations of “Strasmas” going into the event, and how did it compare to how the event actually turned out? Where does the event rank in your experiences covering Washington sports?

Dan Steinberg: I figured it would be electric and unique, but I had no idea how Strasburg would perform. If he had bombed and gotten taken out early, the place would have emptied. Fact is, he exceeded every possible expectation, which made the entire night thrilling. In terms of my own experiences, I would rank it with George Mason’s win over U-Conn. at Verizon Center to go to the Final Four, The Caps’ win over the Rangers in Game 7 of the 2009 playoffs, and the Redskins winning their final game to advance to the 2007 NFL playoffs. Can’t think of much else. It was just a perfect night.

LJ: Will the Nationals be able to sell out every Strasburg start at home — or come close to it — for the rest of the season, even if the Nationals continue to slide further under .500?

Dan Steinberg: Yeah, I think they will come very close to selling out every Strasburg game. He’s a phenomenon. That has nothing to do with the team’s record.

LJ: Despite the fact that the Nationals have played respectable baseball for the most part and that Strasburg is in the bigs, it seems like the Nationals are still well on the back-burner in DC in regards to local media coverage and attendance, even though they’re the only team currently playing. Why is this? Will it take a Capitals’-like ascension to the top of the standings to illicit media coverage and great crowds day in and day out?

Dan Steinberg: People have lived here for more than three decades without a baseball team. They formed other allegiances. It’s hard enough for the Caps and Wizards — teams that have been here for decades — to penetrate the local zeitgeist. How much harder must it be for a team that’s been here five years, and has never finished with a winning record. Yes, it will take a consistently winning record for that to change.

LJ: Nationals Park, to me, has a major feeling of incompleteness because the area from the centerfield gate to the metro station is so empty. But I also feel like that block has big potential to become a vibrant area around the ballpark. Do you envision a Chinatown-esque revitalization down the line?

Dan Steinberg: I don’t think it’ll be quite like Chinatown, though I’m certainly no expert on development issues. But Chinatown has a lot of other things going for it; proximity to five Metro lines, proximity to the Hill, the downtown offices and the federal buildings, an existing core of retail space. The area was rundown in the late ’90s, but it wasn’t completely empty the way the area around Nats Park is. It just needed revitalization. Nats Park area seems like starting from scratch. I certainly think it’ll look a lot different in five years than it does now, but I can’t imagine it ever becoming such a hub the way Chinatown is.

LJ: You diligently followed the Capitals’ television ratings this season and made a point to recognize how remarkable the ratings were. How do the Capitals’ best television ratings — games late in their 14-game winning streak, games against Pittsburgh, playoff games against the Canadiens — compare to a typical Redskins’ regular season game and playoff game?

Dan Steinberg: I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but they’re not in the same universe. There are 16 Redskins games, and they’re shown on network television. That’s the most popular sport in the country, and the most popular team in D.C. It’s really not in the same universe as an 82-game schedule on a regional cable network.

LJ: Given the way the playoffs turned out, will the excitement level be down for the Capitals’ regular season next year? Even if the arena is sold out, will there be a loud arena for a random Wednesday night game against the Panthers? Will Pittsburgh games in the regular season even seem important, or will all eyes simply be towards mid-April?

Dan Steinberg: I’m not sure if anyone knows the answer to this. The arena will be sold out, and I’d guess there will be plenty of loud crowds, but not quite the euphoria seen during this year’s run to the top of the standings. Still, that’s a long time from now. People will be excited to see the team again. At some point, you’re paying for regular season games knowing they’re regular season games, and if you’re going to be entertained, you’re not going to sit on your hands just because it’s November. But I think there will be at least a mild hit.

LJ: The aspect of the Capitals’ playoff series against the Canadiens that really stood out to me was an alarming lack of adjustments made by the Capitals during the series in order to beat the very sound defensive scheme of the Canadiens. What was the sense you got from the players after the series was over about what they felt went wrong?

Dan Steinberg: Some thought it was fluky, some thought it was the goalie, some thought it was the concentration level, etc. If anyone thought it was the scheme or the preparation, they didn’t talk about that. I think as the playoffs went on, you sort of saw that the “fluky” defense wasn’t as cowardly as it seemed at first. The Philadelphia Flyers needed a shootout to get in the playoffs, and they almost won the whole thing. That’s the way the sport goes.

LJ: Over the past few seasons, have the Capitals built the type of fan base that can sell out and fill up Verizon Center even if the team is struggling in future years?

Dan Steinberg: Yeah, probably. But I don’t think they can maintain their status as one of the hot teams in this city without wins.

LJ: From what you’ve seen from Ted Leonsis in his handling of the Capitals, how will his ownership [of the Wizards] differ from Abe Pollin’s, in terms of connecting with fans and building a winning team?

Dan Steinberg: Well, he’ll answer every email he gets. He’ll read blogs and message boards. He’ll be easy to find inside the arena. He’ll write frequently about his plans for the team. It will be a sea change in connecting with fans. Building a winning team? That’s sort of a different question. We know that, thanks to some great drafting and some luck (in landing Ovechkin), Leonsis — after some down years — helped turn the Caps into one of the best regular-season teams in the NHL. Does that mean he will be able to do the same thing in the NBA? Will he be able to figure out the postseason? Will John Wall be as good as Alex Ovechkin? There’s just no way to say. If it was all really as Leonsis sometimes suggests, every owner would be able to win. That’s impossible. But every owner can treat fans well.

LJ: Does John Wall immediately take the Wizards out of the cellar of the league and into competition for a low playoff spot with the help of a free agent or two? Or are the Wizards in such disarray that nothing less than a total commitment to a multi-year rebuilding effort could take them into the playoffs?

Dan Steinberg: My guess is that this team was too messed up (and still too incomplete) to even be talking about the playoffs now. I’d look toward 2011-2012. But some fans are a lot more optimistic than I am. The Wizards were 26-56 last year. If they improve by 12 wins, which would be significant, they’d still be 38-44 and on the outside looking in.

LJ: Is Gilbert Arenas in a Wizards’ uniform next year?

Dan Steinberg: I’ll say yes. Not sure where else he could be.

LJ: For people like me who are unfamiliar with the team, can you describe the enthusiasm of the fan base for DC United and what a typical game-day atmosphere is like at RFK?

Dan Steinberg: The thing is, every fan base in every sport in every city will rise and fall to some extent based on success. The D.C. United fan base was louder, more excited and crazier three or four years ago, when the team was better. But the supporters groups really make that experience what it is; hundreds or thousands of people wearing the same shirts, singing the same songs, playing drums and chanting and letting off smoke bombs etc. throughout the entire 90 minutes. It’s tough to find another experience quite like that. They’re not better people or more devoted followers than those of other sports, but it’s just a different kind of rooting setup. I love it.

LJ: How did you settle upon your current unique niche of blogging? Do you envision your brand of blogging to become more popular among major newspapers online?

Dan Steinberg: I did some blogging from the 2006 Winter Olympics, really enjoyed it and asked my bosses if I could find a way to do that full-time. After a few months, we came up with a solution. I think every newspaper is already blogging, and doing so aggressively. I doubt many have the resources to let someone be a full-time blogger without having a beat, the way I am. I’m not even sure I’d recommend it, since the nuts and bolts of any sports section –online or in print — has to be beat writers and news gathering.

LJ: How financially viable is online sports journalism going forward?

Dan Steinberg: I really have no idea. I know that people already consume huge amounts of sports writing online, and will do so more and more very quickly — on the Internet, on mobile devices, and in ways we don’t even imagine yet. But whether it becomes financially viable? Really, who knows. I hope so. Regardless, people will always want to read and write about sports.