🫨 Good afternoon! Check behind you.

• Kidding. Anthony Davis has us in a pranking mood today.

📺 What's on the tube: D.C. pro teams are off tonight. Consider these:

• ⚾️ MLB playoffs: Dodgers-Braves at 6pm and Brewers-Padres at 9:30pm, both on FS1.
• ⚽️ U.S. vs. Canada, 8pm, TNT — The USMNT faces Canada in St. Paul.

Today’s newsletter is 684 words — a 2.5-minute read.

Last week I asked readers which D.C. athlete, past or present, would make the best "Saturday Night Live" host.

• Alex Ovechkin, Gilbert Arenas and John Riggins were popular choices. Trinity Rodman won overall.

My pick? Anthony Davis.

• Seriously.

Why it matters: Davis is the Wizards' biggest star and biggest unknown. But we're finally getting to know the guy.

Case in point: At Wizards media day last week, I was interviewing point guard Trae Young when the 6-foot-10 Davis suddenly cut in.

• "Are you doing an interview right now?"
• Yeah.
• "I gotta do an interview right now."

Just like that, Davis hijacked my session and peppered Young with questions about pranks.

Turns out: Davis is a lifelong prankster.

• Growing up in Chicago, he terrorized his two sisters and other family members, he told me — hiding in closets and jumping out to scare them.
• Eventually, he graduated to "itching powder, fake spiders, fake snakes, fake mice and stuff like that."

Zoom out: This year, Davis hosted the TBS prank show "Foul Play with Anthony Davis," targeting celebrities and athletes with elaborate setups.

• In one episode, he teams up with LeBron James to prank Draymond Green, with actors repeatedly needling the famously combustible Warriors star.

State of play: After the Wizards traded for Davis last winter, fans wondered whether he even wanted to be in Washington.

• The 10-time All-Star never played after the trade while rehabbing a hand injury.
• He acknowledged in April that his initial reaction to the trade was basically: Washington?
• And he and the Wizards haven't agreed to a contract extension since he became eligible for one in August.

But at media day, Davis looked anything but disengaged.

• His 17-minute news conference showcased a thoughtful player and entertaining storyteller. Then he spent the rest of the afternoon causing mischief.
• He eventually let me resume with Young and, to be fair, stood for seven minutes of my questions afterward.

The bottom line: Davis has plenty of personality, and he's now showing it off with the Wizards.

• I don't expect him to follow Jalen Brunson onto the SNL stage. But he could be a big positive in the Wizards' locker room this year.
• So long as the itching powder stays home.

What's next: Davis' Wizards open their preseason schedule against Brunson's Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

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📉 It's been a tough year for tour guides. Despite all those America's 250th celebrations, some tour operators report business down 50% to 70% as visitors encounter closures, construction and lots of fencing. (Washington Post)

🥗 The Jockey Club is back, and more exclusive than ever. The famed D.C. restaurant that served presidents and celebs has quietly reopened in its original location, now a luxury senior living facility. (Washingtonian)

🎱 The 8th will belong to No. 8. Starting in November, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will announce a new charitable initiative or event on the eighth of every month through the rest of his final regular season. (News release)

The world's top women's soccer teams are facing off at Audi Field this weekend.

Why it matters: Saturday's sold-out USWNT-Spain match is a rare showdown with plenty of D.C. connections.

Here's what you need to know:

• 🥊 Spain is ranked No. 1 and the U.S. No. 2. They've played just four times ever.
• ⭐️ Spirit star Trinity Rodman is on the U.S. roster.
• 🎉 Former Spirit MVP Crystal Dunn will get a pregame retirement celebration.

If you go: Resale tickets are still available on Ticketmaster, starting at around $140 as of this morning.

💻 Mark is catching up on all the stories he has bookmarked the past week.

📖 Alexa is reading "Small Things Like These."

This newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco.