There was an announcement, and then there was cheering. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, in Washington D.C. Sunday night, people gravitated toward the front of the White House chanting “U-S-A” and holding up posters and signs.

With one brief press conference, all hope was restored in a people looking for answers, looking to feel proud again.

Yes, Mike Shanahan's announcement of the Redskins moving forward with John Beck as their quarterback was a stirring one.

Wait, that wasn't what got everyone so excited? Huh, maybe that was George W. Bush and Dick Cheney on that poster, not Beck and Clinton Portis. I can't really tell the difference.

Um, well, this is embarrassing. I always thought Cheney was the guy with the gold-plated grill.

I guess it should've been pretty hard to believe that anything could get people too geeked out about, what talking heads lovingly call, the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

I mean, the lockout went away, then it came back, but still might go away, again. At least we hope.

In the meantime, teams snatched up players in last weekend's draft and there isn't a whole lot that will happen from now until ... um ... who knows when?

Maybe it's just me, but after the excitement of the draft (and, yes, for some reason, I find it exciting watching 254 people getting their names called by dudes in suits in front of dudes in Jets jerseys), there seems to be an enormous letdown. One of the best parts of the NFL is that it's a sport that never sleeps. OTAs, mini-camps, free agency — every week of every year seems to be leading toward the season starting.

This year, well, not so much.

For the past few months, the draft has helped to distract us a little bit from the real problems at hand and the scary thought that there might not actually be any meaningful activity in the NFL for months and months and months and ... you get the idea.

Now, there's nothing (football-related) to take our minds off the negativity we'll be hearing about all the stuff the NFL isn't doing. It's basically like a football mudseason, except, you know, with no mud.

It's not going to be much fun.

(Tangent: Although, if you're a fan of kick ball and awkwardness, it was pretty awesome to see Cam Newton — the Panthers' No. 1 overall pick Thursday and their potential quarterback of the future — on a softball diamond playing kick ball with his new teammates, particularly with last year's franchise-quarterback-of-the-future Jimmy Clausen, whom Carolina selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. There was an exceptionally awkward shot of the two of them embracing — both wearing No. 2 jerseys. Supposedly, Newton wants Clausen to give up the number so Newton can wear it this season. I think he should give it up. Maybe if Clausen wears a different number, he can trick fans into thinking he's a different player. It's a win for everybody involved.)

Luckily, here in the wide, wide world of sports, there are plenty of things to keep us distracted. Don't believe me? Well, here we go ...

NBA playoffs. Sure, watching the NBA can give you a headache sometimes. The flopping, whining and isolation plays aren't exactly a prime example of team sports. Still, the games are pretty good this time of year, you know, because the guys actually start playing hard. Can the Heat live up to the hype the rest of the way? Is Memphis for real? Is Boston too old? Are the Bulls too young? Who is Ron Artest talking to as he runs up and down the court muttering? They're all questions we might get answered in the coming weeks. Really, it's almost as good as the ...

NHL playoffs. OK, unless you have the premier TV network of professional mutton busting (Versus), you haven't gotten to see a whole lot of games. But it makes every game you do get to see that much better — that and the incredible play. There were 14 overtime games in the first round, four more so far in the second round. Really, the games are ending with more ties than you'd see in T-ball. And there is nothing more exciting in any sport than overtime in hockey. Well, except maybe ...

The Champions League soccer final. Barcelona and Manchester United — two of the world's top teams, duking it out for a title so prestigious no one can even think of the name of the trophy. What could possibly be better than championship-level soccer (especially championship soccer you have to watch in the wee hours of the morning)? Just about everything. Sorry, I was trying to be nice about it, but I just can't do it.

Baseball. Luckily, we're only a month into the (approximately) 18-month-long season of Major League Baseball. As I'm writing this, Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins threw a no-hitter, showing just how potentially awesome each and every game can be. On the other hand, not every game turns into a gem. Most are more like piles and pile of, um, coal. But, hey, put a baseball game on TV, and you might just sleep your way through the rest of the lockout.

That's be something to cheer about.

Sports editor Bryce Evans would like to wish his dad a happy birthday, because, well, today is his birthday.