A new home

You can now find me over at On Frozen Blog. Thanks for reading!

Done and done

When I started this blog 2+ years and 508 posts ago, it never occurred to me that this simple step was a potentially life-changing event. Yet it has been; I've met so many amazing people and had the opportunity to do things I never would have been able to do otherwise (for example, getting this pic with Chanuck on the roof of the Canadian Embassy during the Stanley Cup playoffs). This blog has been a source of great joy for me, and it's incredibly hard to give it up. However, I'm faced with other life-changing events on the horizon, and in light of that, it's time.

You'll still see me around the rink, around the stadium, around the field. That won't change; I might not be there as often, but I'll be there. I'm still a sports fan, after all.

Will I ever return to blogging? There's always a possibility, but for the time being, I need to focus on other things. I won't stop reading or commenting, though. When I first started blogging, the DC sports blog world was a lot smaller. I'm encouraged to see how it's grown in a relatively short amount of time, and I hope it continues to prosper.

Thanks for reading. It's meant so much to me.

Ah, "Little Stevie Yzerman"

Speaking of history, and this being Training Camp Eve and all, I give you Goals (Weird and Otherwise) from the '89-'90 Season.

In the mail lately

I received an advance copy of Carlisle vs. Army last month, and finally finished it. Interesting story! It's about Carlisle, a boarding school for American Indians, and the football team's success. Pop Warner, the coach of Carlisle, produced a team that would just terrify their opponents through sneaky and innovative plays. The final chapters of the book detail the big game against Army, whose star, Dwight Eisenhower, was going up against Carlisle's Jim Thorpe.

I learned one new fact: Carlisle played Wisconsin in the first night college football game (under "electric lights") on Dec. 19, 1896.

The book was a mix of narrative and fact. The story was told well and kept the reader's interest. There were a number of characters, yet the author took the time to show, in detail, where each character was coming from and how that would affect the outcome. Plus, it's great to read the accounts of football back in the day, being played at places like (Old) Hilltop Field at Georgetown and Philadelphia's Franklin Field. One forgets that football was much more brutal then than it is now, despite weeks like this one with a number of season-ending and even career-ending injuries. Anyway, if you're a football and history buff, you'll like this book.

The Washington Lions live again, sort of

I'm a history buff, especially when it concerns local history. So I was excited when today, DDOT released a second gallery of old photos on their website. I was particularly struck by this one:
Avid hockey fans will note the ad on the streetcar:Washington vs. Hershey, eh? And note how, even then, they had to entice people to come- "FREE skating after games." So unfortunate, but hey, if it got people in the door...

This is an ad for the AHL's 1942-1943 Washington Lions. They did not last long in our fair city; according to the Wikipedia entry, the AHL's Lions played here for two years, and then they came back a couple of years later as the Eastern Hockey League's Washington Lions. In the '42-43 season, they weren't the worst team in the AHL East; that dubious honor goes to the New Haven Eagles.

Thank you, DDOT, for providing us with this little slice of history.

Caps Rookie Camp

Can it be? Are we thisclose to hockey season already? The kids took the ice today, for the first day of the Caps' Rookie Camp. Nothing too exciting happened- there was a series of drills (some significantly more complicated than others) and coach instruction, but it was great to see what the Caps' future will look like. Predictably, all eyes were on Backstrom, and he didn't disappoint.

I took some pictures and video from the fan-in-the-stands point of view, though it was hard to see through the net. Click here for the Flickr set. (As Biff pointed out, it's only a matter of time before the nets completely surround the ice in all the NHL arenas.) You too can marvel at the...interesting warmups that the coaches wear! (From a fashion perspective, I would have made the pants blue- too much red.) See the players watch Glen Hanlon's strategic whiteboard stylings with adoration! All right, so there wasn't that much to see- it's still refreshing to see a bunch of wannabe-NHLers on the ice. Maybe we should have gone to see Chris Clark pull the plane after all. I can only surmise he didn't do it like that Indian guy who pulled one with his teeth.

Donovan McBlog

My friends, I have been alerted to two different very important things.

First, did you know that Donovan McNabb has a blog? It's true!

I watched the game last night between the Colts and the Saints. Saw them hang the Super Bowl banner. Saw Peyton start the season like he finished last year. I want Philadelphia to host the NFL season opener next year. Can you imagine what that would be like? It would be crazy! The party would start in February and last all year long. Instead of John Mellencamp, I have a couple of ideas for the performers from this great city of entertainers. Jill Scott, Kindred, the Roots, etc.

Actually, his entertainment suggestions aren't bad. At least he didn't suggest the Mummers.

Second, HaveYaSeenLucky sent me a link to this. It's a promotional video for Appalachian State. You too can discover the 25 reasons why Appalachian State is HOT, HOT, HOT. This includes things like:
- Our hallways will permit you and your friends to walk three abreast
- Librarians will laugh at you when you check out books
- We play the saxophone in outright defiance of the Earth's gravitational pull
- We spend a criminally and irresponsibly substantial amount of tuition funds toward the sports program
Let's be honest: all recruiting videos suck. This one is worse than most, in my limited experience viewing said videos. Thus, it's worth a look.

Goodbye goal judges, hello premium seats

Looks like there's going to be new premium seats at some hockey games this season. Lion in Oil has the details:

Say goodbye to the goal judges.You know the goal judges. They're the ones who sit directly behind the goals. But they're now done. The league announced that the goal judges will be moved to the press box or another location this season. Hockey purists might decry the change, but the teams must be smiling. Taking away the goal judges means more seats to sell. More premium seats, that is.

Like the Flyers, word has it that the Caps are looking into doing something similar. The seats will likely be either regular VIP seats or premium seats with a different package, offered first to season ticket holders. Either way, some rich people are going to have awesome seats this year.

(Thanks to Mr. Smooth for the heads-up)

Also, I thought this story was entertaining, even though I couldn't care less about OSU. The fallout for Michigan continues.

...the newest trend among Ohio State fans, whose latest fashion statement is in the colors of Appalachian State, which shocked then-No. 5 Michigan 34-32 on Saturday in the first win by a Division I-AA team over a ranked I-A team. Hours after the historic defeat, at least one street vendor was doing brisk business selling freshly minted Mountaineers T-shirts near the Ohio State campus. And local stores say they've been swamped with requests for gear bearing the Mountaineers' gold and black colors and logo, as Buckeyes fans take glee in the humiliation of their bitter rival.

Ouch! However, the real winner once again is Appalachian State.

Clarkie pulls a plane

To be more precise, he's pulling the plane on Saturday. Check it out:

Washington Capitals team captain Chris Clark will take part in the 15th annual Dulles Family Day Festival and Plane Pull on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Dulles International Airport. Clark, who will participate in the 145,000-pound plane pull for Team Southwest Airlines, will also sign autographs for fans attending the event from noon-2 p.m.

So if you don't feel like checking out the rookies at Kettler, you can watch Clark pull a plane. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Cherry pies: the new stadium food

I'm confident that in the new stadium, any concessionaire can be better than Aramark. (Really, how could they be worse?) Today we learn a bit about the proposed menu from Centerplate:

Company officials say they'll serve a mix of traditional ballpark food and regional specialties. The menu will include cherry pies -- to represent the cherry trees -- seafood and half smokes. Ingredients from local farmers, cheesemakers and butchers will be used. The company also is investigating partnerships with local restaurants.

I'm on board with this idea. Already they're starting to expand their thinking beyond the traditional hot dogs and peanuts, so one can assume that things will be improved. I'd like to see Hard Times return, or add an Italian Store kiosk, but I guess that's asking too much.

It's funny because it's not me

I love bloopers- especially baseball bloopers. Enjoy!

Roster excitement

Per Caps PR, the rosters are out:

Thirty rookies will participate in rookie camp, which begins this Saturday, Sept. 8, and runs through Wednesday, Sept. 12, when the rookies travel to Philadelphia to scrimmage the Flyers’ rookies.

Training camp begins Friday, Sept. 14 when 38 veterans – 24 of whom saw action for the Capitals last season – will join selected rookies to get ready for the upcoming 2007-08 NHL season.

I'm glad to see Luke Lynes' name on the rookie camp list. His whole family was here in July supporting him, and his little brothers were just so darn cute, wearing Lynes' Brampton jersey.

I'm curious to see how some of the unfamiliar names on the training camp roster are going to do; if there will be any pleasant surprises. But more than anything, I look forward to seeing the boys on the ice again.

Anyone who wears .08 can't be all bad

In honor of today's CFL Labour Day Classic, and weird fans everywhere, I give you the Saskatchewan Roughrider "Chicken Man."

Come into the snark

Here's a new ad campaign. Kudos to the Dallas Stars:

As part of the team's "come into the cold" ad campaign to sell seats for 2007-08, The Stars took a shot at the NBA's referee scandal on a billboard near the American Airlines Arena, the building the Stars share with the Dallas Mavericks. The message? "The only thing our refs shave is the ice." One board reads "One game a week? Is the N in NFL for Nancy?" the Morning News reported. Even baseball was not immune, despite the fact Stars owner Tom Hicks also owns the Texas Rangers: Another billboard reads "Maybe baseball should stop using the word sacrifice," according to the Morning News.

At least the local team owners had a good sense of humor about it. Can you imagine if a Baltimore team did something like this and poked fun at the Orioles? Angelos would probably force D.C. to implode because of his wrath.

That's one way to succeed

Think the Patriots can win it all this year? Who knows, but apparently they have a higher power on their side. A group of nuns, who love the team, have been praying for them and owner Robert Kraft. When Kraft found out, he decided to show some gratitude to the nuns:

“One morning,” [Sister Susan Lamb] said, “I was called to the front door of the monastery to see a man that I was told was from the Patriots organization. I thought it was a joke, that a friend was pulling my leg.” It was no joke. “The man had been
sent to deliver six tickets, along with a ‘VIP’ parking pass, to the Tennessee
game,” she said.

It only gets better:

“Mr. Kraft met with us,” she said, “and we had some pictures taken with the Patriots’ three Super Bowl trophies. Then we all got on an elevator, thinking we were going to our seats, but we ended up going out on the field. We were stunned. It was unbelievable.” Standing near the 50-yard line, Kraft introduced the nuns to former linebacking star Andre Tippett, then called quarterback Tom Brady, who graduated from Catholic high school in San Mateo, Calif., over to meet them. “He was much taller than I thought he was,” said Sister Jean Elliott, a tiny bundle of personality who had brought a huge smile to Kraft’s face during their picture-taking session. “I was standing next to him,” she said. “When he put his hand on my shoulder, I said: ‘I feel as if I’m standing at the right hand of God.’ He laughed, and said: ‘I’ll have to tell my wife that.’”

The nuns seemed to enjoy the game from the owner's box:

“Whenever the Patriots did something good,” Sister Jean said, “Jonathan Kraft would turn and give me a high-five. They couldn’t have been nicer.”

Not bad. And what a nice gesture by Kraft.

You know, there's a lot of nuns in the Philly area; the Eagles could use some help.

Are you ready for some furniture, or Billy Badass?

Just saw this ad on TV:

If you make a purchase from Belfort Furniture between August 4, 2007 and September 18, 2007, AND the Washington Redskins™ shut out Dallas on Dec. 30, 2007, Belfort will refund a total of $1 million to our customers.

Those wacky furniture kingpins and their crazy ideas. I'd really love to see the 'Skins shut out Dallas, though I doubt it would ever happen. (Remember, T.O. is last year's leader in TD catches- and drops!) Belfort's promotion is a common one; this Deadspin article mentions a similar Bears vs. Packers contest from last year. Lamentably, the promotion is not as titillating as, say, what Gallery Furniture did last year:

The store is running a promotion this week that awards anyone who buys more than $3,000 worth of furniture will receive it free if ... the Texans beat the Colts this week. That's not a shutout, or even a complete disembowelment of Peyton Manning: It merely requires a victory.

I sure hope Mattress Mack's standards are a little higher this year. Not looking as good, though, since the Gallery Furniture name is apparently off the stadium now. Some comments from his blog (yes, he has a blog):

Mac- I saw that Gallery Funiture's name is no longer on one of the gates at Reliant Stadium. Does Gallery Furniture no longer support the Texans because Vince Young wasn't chosen by the Texans? Just wondering.
Posted by: Steph | Saturday, July 21, 2007 at 02:57 PM

Steph, Gallery Furniture continues to be a proud sponsor of the Houston Texans in 2007. Yes, we had the Gallery Furniture name removed from the stadium, but our plan is to move marketing dollars from that bricks and mortar sign to online, including advertising on the Texans website. Yes, I was disappointed when the Texans did not take Vince Young, but I have gotten over it and am looking forward to cheering for the Texans as they have a great year in 2007! Mattress Mack
Posted by: Mattress Mack | Sunday, July 22, 2007 at 07:37 PM

Despite his answer, it sounds like Mack doesn't have a whole lot of confidence in the Texans this year. They can't be much worse than last year; if nothing else, their new QB should be able to keep the sacks to a minimum.

On a Timmy Chang-related note, Chanuck and I were pleased to see that Timmy is currently playing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (or Ticats to those in the know). Yes, it's the CFL, but at least he's playing somewhere. Wish he could have made it in the NFL; he couldn't be much worse than David Carr or Joey Harrington, bless their hearts.

Speaking of Joey Harrington, he's already a winner to one demographic:

After a good first game, many fans in Atlanta are content with Joey Harrington so far. Outsports.com, a sports news Web site that covers news and analysis about homosexual social issues, interviewed some Atlanta fans about the ex-Lion and new Falcons starter at quarterback. "I'm excited about the season and yes, I find Harrington attractive. Who wouldn't?" says Gregory Hendricks, a gay Falcons fan in Atlanta. "Even my gay friends who don't like football, they like him. All of my friends who hate sports, once they see him they say, 'Hey, I'll go to a game to see him.' "

That's good news for the Falcons organization. They're going to need all the fans they can get this season.

After reading the Outsports story, I learned one new thing: that Billy Badass is a jazz pianist. Who would have thought?

A Caps Photo Shoot

Now here's an idea for a wedding announcement save-the-date card. See As Smooth As Sandpaper for details.

eta: While Mr. Smooth may not know what a save-the-date card is, I certainly do. There is a difference between the two. capscrazy has more information on what happened today and about the wedding on the boards, as she was part of the happy couple. Among other things, she discusses having the priest dressed as a referee. Hey, if you're having a hockey-themed wedding, you have to go all the way. Hope to see some pics of the event when the time comes!

More on XM

The guys on Home Ice discussed these five questions. What do you think?

1. Will the young Caps finally arrive as a group?
2. Can Olaf Kolzig be a 37-year-old workhorse?
3. Will this year's spending spree have a bigger splash than the Jagr signing?
4. Is it a team that improves in increments by adding these little parts here and there, or can they leap into playoff contention?
5. Can George McPhee and Glen Hanlon survive another so-so season?

GMGM on Home Ice

Recently in from the Caps' PR department:

The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman John Erskine to a two-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Cool, now Chanuck can get his Erskine gloves signed.

Speaking of GMGM, he just did an interview on XM Home Ice (4 p.m EST). Here's what he had to say:

It was an active, busy June & July for us and a lot of clubs...we had to spend some money and we did, and added some pieces that we really needed, players we think can make a big difference in our club.

The hosts asked him about Olie:

I certainly think the world of Olie, they don't get much better than this. He's had very few injuries in his career, always been in great shape, and it's important to have him in our room. He can play till he's 40; most athletes can if they take care of themselves.

Would we ever see Olie in the broadcast booth someday?

He probably could if he wanted to; the franchise has been very, very fortunate to have him.

What's up with Nylander?

He's a play-making center, played very well for us, trains hard, competes hard. We thought he would help our club.

And Poti?

He played very well last year; our pro scouts were very impressed with the way he played. We needed more skill, and that's why we needed more players like Kozlov and Nylander. We also needed that on the blue line. He's at an age where he's playing as well as he can play.

The age-old question: will the Caps make the playoffs this season?

We think we're capable of making the playoffs. Didn't make sense to spend money when we weren't ready to take off just yet. Now, we expect to be knocking on the playoff door this season.

How's Ovechkin looking?

It'll be interesting to see how he does, now that we have more weapons. We're a more balanced club; we have other pieces who can score.

Will GMGM keep the current lineup?

We'll start with the club this way, we don't expect to do anything until we see how it goes in training camp. This is who we are for now, and we'll see what it looks like early in October.

Hershey's doing well. Who could we see up here this season, besides Fehr?

Steckel, Fleischmann, Klepis, Green, Bourque. The team has performed at a terrific pace the last couple of years. We expect our preseason to be very competitive, and we'll have some tough decisions to make which is why I'm reluctant to do anything right now.

After the Nylander incident, should GMs have an unwritten rule regarding offer sheets?

I can't speak for what other GMs do; the provision is in the collective bargaining agreement so these things happen. I don't think our club would do it, and I"ll leave it at that.

Nice interview; nothing too earth-shattering, but it's always nice to hear something about the Caps in August.

Get out the tuques

Is anyone surprised that the Penguins are involved? (insert eye roll here)

According to a report from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh
Penguins and Buffalo Sabres will play an outdoor game on Jan. 1, 2008 at Ralph
Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

I love me a good outdoor hockey game, but I'd rather see another game involving Canadian teams. But hey, at least they're doing it again, I suppose; beggars can't be choosers. The big question is: will Raj Binder be back for some fun at Crosby or Miller's expense? We can only hope.

It's that time again!

Yes, folks, it's that time of year when angry female bloggers rant about the pink merchandise. This time, though, I'll let them do it (two rants is enough for now). Here's Scarlett Ice's take:

Look, I know a lot of women like pink. I, myself have always disliked the colour but I'm not about to judge and ostracize you if you have a preference to wear it. The thing is, you can't pigeon-hole the female fanbase and say you're catering to their needs when all you offer them in their sizes and cuts are jerseys that completely eliminate the point of offering team merchandise in the first place. What's the point of shelling out for a team's jersey when they're all the same colour?

Regarding the above post, Capital Addiction says:

There is a pretty healthy discussion going in the comments as well. The common thread? Not one of the hockey bloggers who commented would ever buy a pink, "Sens Girl" t-shirt. It would kind of be like wearing a Hooters outfit to your first day at Harvard.

The formidable Acid Queen added this:

PINK? PINK?! Gee NHL, stereotype much? It has been my extensive experience that the average female fan is a fan of the GAME first, and the players a distant second...But pink? Oh HELL no–I do not need some drunken smacktard taking a look at me wearing some Pepto Pink pile of crap and projectile vomiting a bunch of puckbunny smack in my general direction...

Unfortunately, I think we're stuck with this stuff for a while. Take a look at a Caps ad from last year and note what the women are wearing. Someone doesn't get it.

Metal detectors, cockatiels, and a 1967 Stanley Cup ring

So, I didn't even know there were such items as "underwater metal detectors." I do now!

"...I hated everything to do with the Leafs so I gave the ring to my father-in-law," the 67-year-old Pappin told the Star last night. But Kyrzakos...lost the ring at a beach sometime during the 1970s. Pappin only found out about the missing ring in 1982 after divorcing his wife, when Kyrzakos explained the story and gave the replica ring back...Never thinking he'd see the original again and happily wearing the replacement, Pappin forgot about the ring...That's until treasure hunter Mark DesErmia and a cockatiel named Reno showed up. Three weeks ago in Clearwater Pass, Fla., DesErmia – who carries Reno on his shoulder when searching – found himself neck-deep in the Gulf of Mexico. The underwater metal detector told him he had scored.

What a strange story; go here to read the details. I'm a little perturbed that they make the guy who found the ring sound like he's doing such a wonderful thing by agreeing to return the ring for a reward. The guy should want to give the ring back with no strings attached; after all, it's not his ring. I really don't think Finders Keepers applies here; it's not like Pappin threw the ring away, it was lost.

(thanks to Chanuck for the heads-up)

Part III of "Money doesn't buy intelligence"

In this installation of Stupid Athletes Week, I'm a little disappointed. I liked Stephon Marbury for his whole "Starbury" shoe thing, but then he opened his mouth:

New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury defended Michael Vick, calling dogfighting a sport and comparing it to hunting. Marbury spoke Monday about the federal dogfighting conspiracy charges against Vick while promoting his basketball shoe in Albany, N.Y. "I think it's tough," Marbury said, according to Albany TV station Capital News 9. "I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors."

Oh, Stephon. What were you thinking?
Huntn' ain't so great, but even a slack-jawed yokel can recognize the difference between that and dogfighting; at least huntn' serves a purpose at times. The whole point of dogfighting is to gamble. Hunters don't usually strangle or hang animals. There's a reason why "we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals," but I doubt Marbury lives in our world. Dumbass.

(thanks to Shmee for the link)

Cowboys 30, Ravens 3

Bwah ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I can't stop laughing:

The Texas Rangers became the first team since 1897 to score 30 runs in a game,
beating the Baltimore Orioles 30-3 in the first game of Wednesday's
doubleheader.

If it wasn't the Orioles, and Peter Angelos, I might have some sympathy.

Mind you, this guy shouldn't be saying much:

Ranger Marlon Byrd, who hit a grand slam in the victory, said afterward, "You
start to feel bad for the guys on their team."

OK, Marlon.
You know it's bad when a team makes MARLON BYRD look good! A grand slam. Who knew he was capable of it?

The Nats' record-setting season

Did anyone notice that the Nationals made history again this week? The Nats vs. Astros game was the setting for the first rejected proposal in the history of Minute Maid Park:

The Astros fan whose marriage proposal was rebuffed in front of 30,000 fans actually struck out twice Monday night. He didn't get the girl. And now he's stuck with the $300 bill from the Astros, which is the tab for two tickets, the proposal shown on the centerfield scoreboard and a souvenir video of the proceedings.

Sure, it could be a gag, but this one doesn't sound like it. The girl left, but the guy stuck around for a couple more innings. He was probably so confused he didn't know what to do. Yet again, I urge men: do NOT use sporting events as an occasion to propose. Even if you and your girlfriend have been talking about marriage, and she's a sports fan, I assure you that she would prefer a more intimate setting.

(thanks to WFY for the heads-up)

On another topic, how about the Eli Manning-Tiki Barber girl fight?

Two days after being criticized on national television by Barber for a lack of strong leadership, Manning ripped his former teammate and current NBC football analyst for distracting the team last season with his early retirement announcement and his criticism of coach Tom Coughlin.

I can just see them slapping each other and pulling each other's hair.
Was there any reason for Barber to make those comments for a team he doesn't have anything to do with anymore? Probably not, that's just his way, but Manning the Robot Boy could use a little fire under his butt. Personally, I was just shocked to discover he felt emotion.

What's eating Pacman today?

If ever there was a reason for professional athletes not to continue their thuggish ways after they hit the big time, this is it:

A New York nurse who was shot in the head after a scuffle at a Las Vegas strip club involving suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans has sued the player and the company she says hired him to throw thousands of dollars at strippers.

Shot in the head? Really? I only remember hearing about the security guard who was paralyzed. Hm.
Generally, the non-thugs aren't hit with lawsuits like this one, and they have a better chance of avoiding extortion and litigation. Just look at the "facts":

She said she required three weeks in intensive care to recover from her injuries and lost wages as a result of missing work as a registered nurse...Jones' lawyer Manny Arora of Atlanta, Ga., said he was "skeptical" of the claim, especially since police have said Natalie Jones was treated and released from hospital within a day...Natalie Jones claims in her suit filed Aug. 14 that the football player had "entered into a contract" with the Harlem Knights exotic dancer group, based in Houston, to throw thousands of $1 bills on stage for about 40 dancers. Las Vegas police said Tuesday they have not found evidence of such a contract.

Obviously, the hospital stay should be easy enough to prove, as well as the supposed hole in her head. I bet a bullet whizzed by her head or something, but that was enough to qualify in her eyes.

See, it's not surprising that people would do their best to get money out of an NFL player, especially this player and in a situation like this one. But why would Pacman want to add to his already burgeoning legal woes? He should stay at home more, hang out with better friends, learn how to behave himself. Is it really so hard? (I guess so; just ask Michael Vick.)

Ron Mexico's on a shorter leash

Far from being over, this is just the beginning:

Michael Vick's lawyer said Monday the NFL star will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's career in jeopardy and leaving him subject to a possible prison term.

I wonder if he'll really serve any prison time. I sure hope so; he certainly deserves it. He also deserves to have his career go down the tubes. What's the NFL going to do now about the situation? They can't stick their heads in the sand anymore and make lame excuses. Something tells me that Roger Goodell will really stick it to Vick. He has to!

"After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him," lead defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement. "Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

After reading that, Chanuck commented, "What about all the dogs that were hurt?" No kidding. Those poor animals.

Martin's announcement came as a grand jury that could add new charges met in private. Prosecutors had said that a superseding indictment was in the works, but Vick's plea most likely means he will not face additional charges.

You have to wonder how bad those new charges could have been in order for him to plead out. I don't even want to know.

I hope Joey Harrington has a career year, just to piss Vick off and make him even more irrelevant. (Because even if Vick spent some time in prison and was suspended from the NFL for a while, you just know the Bengals or Raiders would want him. He'd fit right in with the rest of the felons.)

ESPN is interviewing Ray Buchanan, Vick's former teammate. This guy is unbelievable! He's upset that "they're" making an example out of Vick, and complained that Vick is a superstar who's done so much for the NFL and city of Atlanta, and shouldn't be treated this way. Buchanan says itt's basically just a "he said/she said thing" with the co-defendants turning against him; Vick was hung out to dry. According to Buchanan, Vick was blindsided when he went in front of Goodell and didn't know what to do. Vick learned his lesson. Buchanan, who claims to know the history of dogfighting, explained that Virginia has been allowing dogfighting for 40 years down in that area and questioned why they'd go after someone now. It's a conspiracy! That was one illuminating interview; I'm so glad Ray Buchanan was there to explain it all.

What takes the cake are the delusional fans in Atlanta. Not all of them, mind you, just people like this (in response to the AJC's query, "Can Michael Vick redeem himself?"):

By jimmy:
mike doesn’t have to do a thing. sometime over the next few months it will all come out that this was one big set-up and then all of you so called fans will be sorry that you don’t have mike as your qb.

Sorry, Jimmy, I don't think he would have pled guilty if it was "one big set-up." Keep playing though!

By yes he can:
Yes, he can. I will not change the way I view Vick. It is not like those things was done to humans. I think he should donate money to PETA buy them however many pitbills they said he killed. Lose his so call friends and family. Move forward with his life doing positive things. There are people out there that has done worst and have moved on to be better and positive people.

Where to start? Buy PETA a bunch of "pitbills?" I don't think that's what they're after. Learning how to treat animals properly is the point. Just because they're animals and not humans doesn't mean anything; if he treats animals that way, he'll likely treat humans that way too.

By Alicia:
I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN about dogs over Vick. You will see that game time when you see empty seats. Thats is my opinion and I am sticking to it. I do not give a f**k. He will still play even after serving time. Sorry that disappoints you. I believe people make mistakes as I am sure you dumb azzes have. I don’t give a damn and there is nothing you can say.

She must be a joy at parties, assuming she's ever invited to any. Sadly, this heartless attitude is typical of a lot of Falcons fans. I can only hope she is extremely disappointed in the outcome of Vick's career.

Here's one sane voice:

By Shawn:
You guys that keep saying it’s no biggie because he didn’t kill a human being need to wake up. IT’S THE LAW! Kidnapping doesn’t result in death, neither does bank robbery, but they are LAWS that you have to live by. To do what he did to those dogs with the hanging, drowning, and electrocution shows nothing but a sociopath and I’m glad he’s going to go to prison and maybe get the help he needs.

(photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via The Sports Pulse)

The White Suge Knight takes on The Man, part II

I just can't get enough of this dude. Thanks again to Phil for the TSG link.

This time, the self-named "White Suge Knight" is taking on Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, and Hank Aaron's bat. He described allegations that include bat assault, treason, illegal moonshine, terrorism, and bad debt. Because his constitutional rights were violated under at least eight amendments, Riches seeks $42 million in Swiss francs. (In case you were wondering, that's $34,983,966 in US dollars.)

His claim that Bonds and Selig are in a secret conspiracy to boost TV ratings probably isn't too outlandish (at least compared to some of his other charges), but then he goes on to describe his vision of how Bonds received steroids. Selig, under Sammy Sosa's supervision, met Bonds at the I-70 Steak & Shake. Luckily for us, Robert Novak and Judith Miller have copies of the transcripts of the exchange, so we can ask them about it.

Also according to Riches, Bonds was a busy guy: he sold steroids to nuns, cracked the Liberty Bell with Aaron's bat, and provided mustard gas to Saddam Hussein. Where does he find the time?

The funny thing is, if Bonds is really going to go after private citizens for false statements, then you'd think he would start with this guy, but I doubt that will happen. Maybe the trick is to make the stories so unbelievably crazy that a sane person wouldn't believe them. I think Jonathan Lee Riches is on to something.

Steve Czaban, local hack

I am so tired of the misconceptions swirling around D.C. teams. This includes national sports writers who apparently don't read newspapers or watch TV, and still believe the preseason chatter about how the Nationals are the worst team in baseball (even though there are currently eight teams with worse records). This also includes know-nothing media types who talk about how covering the Caps is a waste of time. From Steve Czaban's blog:

Furthermore, and I’m not rubbing this in, but how about Ted’s hockey team DO SOMETHING for us to talk about!

Couldn't you say the same about the Redskins; after all, what have they done lately that's worth talking about? They won a pointless preseason game last weekend? Is last year's 5-11 season worth discussing?

Then there's comments like this:

But hey, I’m not here to brag, haggle over numbers, or to rip the owner of our hockey team that has a bona fide mega-star in Alex Ovetchkin surrounded by a bunch of extras from the movie “Slapshot.”

That Czabe. He's such a good sports reporter that he can't even spell a superstar's name right. Then again, he's too busy bragging about his readership, defending his listener numbers, or asking professional football players obnoxious questions. Never mind that there were already some good players on the team last season, as opposed to "Slapshot extras." (I guess he never heard of Alexander Semin.) If he'd have bothered to pay attention to the personnel additions over the summer, maybe he'd see that the Caps are trying to put a good team on the ice. Sure, there's no guarantee that they'll be successful, but the Caps weren't the worst team in the league last season with the guys they had; there's a good chance they'll make a run for the playoffs this year. But Czaban doesn't care; it's so much easier to ridicule hockey fans than to consider a different point of view.

Oh, I could spend all day picking apart his stupid blog post, but I don't have that kind of time. Not to mention that like the old playground days, it's unfair to pick on the slow kid.

Junior changes number, pisses off rednecks everywhere

I couldn't care less about NASCAR, but this cracked me up:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start completely anew in 2008 -- new team, new sponsors and now, new car number.

It could only be improved if Jeff Gordon were to change his number to 8, since the hillbillies hate him. But it's still good. There's going to be a rush on the new goods at Wal-Mart when they come out. I predict seeing a lot of ones taped next to the eight.

Can someone please tell me where to get one of these?!? From today's Post article:

He [Ray King] is employed in the major leagues not because he is a fitness guru, and he occasionally struts around the home clubhouse wearing a T-shirt with the logo of a certain fast-food chain, replacing the word "Burger" with the word "Ray."

Ray King cracks me up. MASN showed him singing along to some song being played at RFK during a game, and he was totally getting into it. I bet he is a good source of humor in the clubhouse.

And finally, go over to Jackie Clarke Comedy Genius to watch a video of a very entertaining young Red Sox fan. This girl deserves her own talk show!

Barry slugs the little guy

Why does this remind me of Frank D'Angelo and Neate Sager?
And why does Barry care?

Barry Bonds has reportedly hired legal council to aggressively pursue those who make false statements about his alleged steroid use and tax evasion...Bonds has hired attorneys John Burris and Todd Schneider to defend him against false statements made by private citizens. According to Burris, Bonds does not intend to go after media publications or stymie free speech, rather he wants to stop those who might think they know something from telling a false story.

I'm interested in seeing what a false statement might be. After all, it isn't libel if it's true.

I can't help but be reminded of the scene in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, where Jimmy Stewart's character starts punching all of the press guys in the face after seeing the negative stories they wrote about him.

I think I am justified in calling him a jerk, since that isn't a false statement.

For women only

Congratulations to the Caps' Brent Johnson, who tied the knot over the weekend with his girlfriend, Danielle Ence. Those of us who attended Hockey In Heels in February heard the story of how they met. Anyway, being a somewhat-recently-married woman who spent a lot of time wedding planning on the Internet, I did what any other Knot regular would do: I looked up their wedding registries.

I was curious to see if their registry would be as unusual as some others I've seen, for friends of friends (like a $4 tub hair strainer or a $300 gravy boat). Danielle has good taste: her Vera Wang table settings are lovely (although there WAS a $185 gravy boat!). More importantly, she chose items that weren't too astronomically priced. I've heard of some weddings (again, friends of friends) where the bride chose the most expensive things in the store, and her friends don't include well-to-do hockey players, just regular people. So kudos to Danielle on that one.

Her Crate & Barrel registry was interesting. Looks like the Johnsons plan to do a good amount of entertaining! More wine glasses, some highballs, guava rimming sugar, ice bucket and scoop...again, all nice items. The pancake warmer and egg plate might be a little much, but hey- if you've got the storage space (and I'm sure they do), why not?

Hope they had a great day- and that the marriage bliss wears off by next month so that Brent has his head in the game. Because that's really all that matters, right?

Battle of the Birds

I was prepared to settle in this evening and get some work done, but Chanuck's old boss had other ideas: he called two hours before the Eagles-Ravens game to offer us tickets. We didn't realize until we picked them up that the seats were, in fact, awesome: we were sitting in the first row on the 30-yard line behind the Ravens bench. Now, I think the preseason isn't worthy of much attention (especially in the NFL), but who am I to pass up good seats? Tens of thousands of fans agreed: attendance at the stadium reached 71,000+ tonight.

A good number of them were Eagles fans. If I got nothing else out of this evening, I appreciated the camaraderie. There's nothing like walking around a stadium and being greeted by opposing fans. (It's similar to the feeling one gets at a Caps game when the Penguins are visiting.) I heard words of encouragement ("It's only the preseason, who cares"), which helped temper the salty taunting from the Baltimore fans ("Go eat a cheese steak," "Your draft picks suck"). It was just nice to see some football again. I'll feel the same way about hockey next month!

(Photos are here.)

That's one small protest

Who knew Afghan women played football? From today's online Washington Post:

Oh yes, it's Ladies Night

Yesterday, Miss Chatter sent me this picture of us with Fox 5's Diane Roberts and her friend, along with the comment:Hey, the next Ladies Night is 9/20 - wanna do it again? :-)

Sure enough, Ladies Night is coming back! Can't wait!

Stupid lousy Comcast

The Nats win a thriller in Arizona! Surely Comcast Sports Net would report first on such an exciting story, about a team whose season is currently going on? The short answer is no. The long answer is that Comcast sucks. I can't say that strongly enough.

Here are the stories of the Sunday night 10:00 p.m. broadcast in order:
- Tiger Woods (People care about golf? When it's not even happening here? Who are these tools?)
- Eagles vs. Ravens (that happens tomorrow)
- Redskins vs. Titans (that happened yesterday)
- Michael Vick (like that hasn't been going on for months)
*Commercial break*
- Red Sox vs. Orioles
- FINALLY, the Nationals
- UVA football (season doesn't start for a few weeks)
- I lost interest after that (All right, I lost interest after the Nats story, but was too busy typing to beg Chanuck to change the channel)

I'm not surprised that the Ravens and Redskins are up there; even though football season hasn't started yet and the preseason is a joke, I realize that this is a football town. (Technically, it IS news that the Redskins managed to win one more preseason game than last year.) Frankly, I was surprised that Tiger and Michael Vick make it on a "sports news" station ahead of the O's and Nats. I mean, Tiger's in freaking Oklahoma and who cares about Vick the dog killer? But no, it's absolutely CRITICAL that Comcast report on them ahead of guys who actually play for teams in this area. God forbid that people don't get their golf and animal abuse news at the top of the hour! What is wrong with this city? This is reason # 1,509,823 why I wouldn't choose Comcast ever again. Personally, I would rather opt for Jimmy Joe Bob Cletus' Dialup and a pair of rabbit ears over suckass "screw the home teams and your internet connection" Comcast. But that's just me.

The debut

Here's the grand entrance. You too can share in the mania!

Beckhamania

I'll have another post on last night's match later, when I can add pics. I'm glad I went; it was utterly ridiculous, entertaining, and rewarding. The crowd's reaction when Beckham did some warming up in the first half was crazy. I swear it was like a movie premiere, with all the flashes going off. People, he's running behind a bench. I get that he's David Beckham, but he's only human. (Some would likely disagree.) And don't even mention when he finally got into the game! You'd think the Redskins won the Super Bowl or something. Still, I'm glad he played; it was interesting to see him in action, in person.

D.C. teams played a pivotal role in history this week: first with the Nationals, giving up #756, and now Beckham making his MLS debut against D.C. United. The good guys won in both of those games, but only the home team fans will remember that. In both games, one man was the main event, with the game being played as a postscript. Still, you've got to start somewhere. If that's what it takes for Washington teams other than the Redskins to get more recognition, then so be it.

Chanuck and I met the delightful Dave Lifton before the match, and enjoyed talking to him. Dave has an amazing way of remembering details from games of several years ago. I don't know how he does it.

The winningest team in MLS

Beau had a nice article on Luciano Emilio in this morning's USA Today:

Defender Bobby Boswell gave Emilio a taste of Web celebrity early in the season, posting a video of him singing along with James Blunt's You're Beautiful. "He likes being in the spotlight," Boswell says. "He's a forward." But when Emilio scores in practice, he skips the singing and reaches back to that familiar phrase in his fourth language. "It's in the net! It's in the net!"

How could you not like this guy? If he could score some goals this evening, *I'll* be yelling "It's in the net!"

I haven't been to a DCU game in a while, so I'm looking forward to tonight's match- despite the oppressive heat and threat of thunderstorms. Besides, who wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of Beckham? Ooh, look! He's sitting on the bench! All right, so I don't really care about that part. I do think that all the fuss over him is pretty funny, and I hope he does get in the game for at least a little bit to see how everyone reacts. The crowd response will be like the Beatles coming to America all over again. There's just something about those Brits that sets us off, I guess.

More hot Kiss Cam action

Oh, Hector! Screech would love you MORE.

Sometimes, cheaters DO prosper

Well, it's over. At least the Nats have that monkey off their back, and can hopefully win the next couple of games against the lowly Giants. That was probably the best part about last night: Bonds (or rather, Big Head BALCO Barry Bonds*, as Caps Nut likes to call him) hit his HR, and the Nats still won. The SF Chronicle had an illuminating article about the scrum that resulted when the ball was hit, and how everyone in the area reacted:

Randy Finley of Mountain View, just behind Johnson, said he touched the ball, too. Then he watched in horror as a woman got knocked over and her husband disappeared into the scrum, leaving their 4-year-old son to cower with his teddy bear. Finley said he never found out who they were but that it did not appear to be the pinnacle of responsible parenting.

Excellent bit of writing there. Anyway, I hope that poor kid was quickly reunited with his money-grubbing parents.

How about this:

There was plenty of heartbreak to go around. One young fan, 15-year-old Mark Jackson of Philadelphia, said he was sure he was the guy with the ball. But Jackson had fallen for the fake ball trick -- during big home run scrambles, mischievous fans are known to toss other balls into the area to watch the resulting chaos. Jackson picked up one of the fake balls, stuffed it into his pants and then headed below the bleachers to consult with security guards, who broke the bad news. If Jackson had inspected the ball, the guard pointed out, he would have seen it was marked "CIAC'' -- which stands for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, not generally known as the supplier of major league baseballs.

Is it wrong that I think that's awesome? Mean-spirited, to be sure, but how funny is that?

I'm glad that the guy who ultimately got the ball was a Mets fan as opposed to one of the Giants' blindly faithful and misguided fans. Finally, a Mets fan does something right! (It will likely be the only time.)

USA Today's Hal Bodley had a good column about the event. As he points out, Ripken's consecutive game streak was a much more compelling (and less divisive) milestone to witness. Can't argue with that; Ripken's a classy guy, unlike the jerk in SF. Who wouldn't have rooted for Cal? (Probably the same type who support Bonds and believe he's innocent.) Whatever, I'm just glad it's all over.

Was it a robotic Richard Simmons?

Phil of Playaz Ball is one of my favorite bloggers for a number of reasons. The latest reason is because of an article he sent me today. (Apparently it reminded him of the crazy pants guy and another sad person.) I couldn't stop laughing after I read it:

Enterprising litigant Jonathan Lee Riches, who recently filed a handwritten lawsuit against embattled Falcons quarterback Michael Vick...is back at it. This time Riches, a prisoner in Salters, S.C., demands the judge in the case recuse himself.

He doesn't actually name the judge.

But Riches, once again submitting a handwritten document, alleges his magistrate has certain conflicts of interest that could taint the previously filed case. That's the one, legal scholars no doubt recall, where he claims Vick stole Riches' dogs for dogfighting purposes, sold them on eBay and used the proceeds to buy missiles from the Iranian government. In that filing Riches demanded $63 billion "backed by gold and silver," and delivered by Sandy Springs-based UPS, for his trouble.

In the Aug. 6 motion, Riches ticks off a slew of alleged violations of his state and federal constitutional rights, and says he wants the judge's "yearly financial disclosure forms." He lobs in a few more complaints against Vick, claiming No. 7 "hired robotic guards" at the prison Riches is in, and that Vick supposedly sold Riches' name to a CNN producer.

That's not all. "Michael Vick threw snowballs at plaintiff's car," the motion alleges.

My goodness! I never realized that Michael Vick was such a busy guy. Stealing dogs and selling them on eBay? Buying missiles from Iran? Where does he find the time?

Like I said to Phil, if it wasn't for the two aforementioned wackos, I wouldn't have thought this guy was serious. I do now.

(M. Vick/R. Mexico photo courtesy of WGN Morning News blog)

Barroid! Barroid!

I can't be the only Nationals fan who is worried about the upcoming trip to San Francisco next week (why does it have to be four games?). Too bad they're going to be out of town; I'd like to see some batting practices like this one in Los Angeles:

"Hey Barry, where's Greg Anderson? Where is he, Barry?" one man hollered from the sky-high seats during batting practice in reference to the slugger's incarcerated trainer. "How much are you paying him? We don't hate you because you're a cheater, it's because you're a jerk."
"HGH!" another yelled from way up in right field. That's the abbreviated version of human growth hormone -- one of the substances Bonds allegedly took...
Later, they chanted "Barroid! Barroid!" Someone held a sign reading, "Barry: Just Say No" and one man held open his button-down shirt to reveal a black T-shirt with a giant red asterisk in the middle.

I love that first guy. "We don't hate you because you're a cheater, it's because you're a jerk." Amen, brother. I'm not a fan of the cheaters, but being a gigantic narcissistic a-hole never helps your case. (I read Game of Shadows over the Fourth of July and got really pissed off.)

For everything the Nats are doing right (and there is some stuff, such as their current 4-game win streak against crappy teams that they should beat), I fear it will all fall apart next week in San Francisco. Wish I was more of an optimist instead of a realist. I sure hope I'm wrong.

Is it hockey season yet? When it's this hot, I long for cold hockey arenas.

Roger Clemens: is there anything he can't do?

Today was one hot day- especially with the convertible top down (but I love it). A Jimmy Eat World song popped up on my iPod and in my mind, I was instantly transported into the Verizon Center for a hockey game. That helped me to think cool for a little while, anyway.

Chanuck and I have been busy getting sucked into the homebuying process lately, but a couple of things have stuck in my mind over the past few days.

I read this story on Monday about Josh Hancock and one paragraph stuck out:

The lawsuit alleged that others shared responsibility for Josh Hancock's death, including Shannon's restaurant, where the player drank earlier in the night; restaurant manager Pat Shannon Van Matre; the tow truck driver; the tow truck company; and the driver of a disabled car on the highway whom the tow truck driver had stopped to help.

I can easily understand that the family is grieving, and chooses to blame everyone else instead of the guy who was driving while intoxicated. I can see how they would want to blame the restaurant for serving the dude. But really, the tow truck driver, company, and disabled car driver? Seriously? I'm glad cooler heads prevailed and the lawsuits were dropped.

I would have loved to be at the Yankees game today:

Clemens was booed off the mound after allowing eight runs and nine hits in 1 2-3 innings.

Huh. I thought that Clemens pitching again this year was supposed to be the solution to the team's woes. Then again, just look at Yankees fans' treatment of A-Rod from October '06 (when they wanted him to leave) to this season. How quickly they forget!

Off topic, this was one of the more entertaining articles I've read in a while. The full text of the email on Gawker and the subsequent comments were great.

You knew this was coming

Vacation, had to get away

While the first part of last week was spent visiting my sister and her goofy friends in Ocean City, the second half was spent in the middle of nowhere:
We watched people drive through mud and water-filled ditches like this one:
We did it as well (Chanuck made it through with no problem, and didn't need to get towed like a lot of others), and he swears he's going to post the video on his blog soon. If he doesn't, I will. (You can hear me screaming in the background.)

We also saw Tony Hawk and Shaun White do a little skateboarding:We missed the Tim McGraw concert, but caught The B-52s last night. What an awesome band to see live! It helped that I was a big fan anyway, but they were terrific.

I'm glad to be home; it was exhausting and there's so much to catch up on, but I think I need at least another week to recover. Oh well...

It's that time again

Seeing as how my two (!) year blog anniversary is on Tuesday, I figured it was time for a break. (Well, actually, we had scheduled this vacation months ago, but that's OK.) I don't plan on doing a damn thing; it will be glorious. In the meantime, until I get back, feast your eyes on these lovely pictures I took at Ladies Night last Thursday. (Miss Chatter has a complete writeup of our evening here.)

Here's everyone's favorite Ryan Seacrest lookalike, Clint:I don't know what he's pointing at, but it can't be anything too impressive.

These guys were stylin'. I was quite impressed with the guy on the left, whose hat coordinated well with his sassy shirt.Is it sad that I still miss Jamey Carroll? He's so wee and elfin.Have a great week!

How to make baseball on TV more interesting

Feature a couple on a blind date and let the commentators go to town ripping on them. It's so easy! Why didn't I think of this?



Seriously, Don and Jerry here just can't get enough of this "Sox Appeal" couple. Fabulous. (Nod to Jackie Clarke Comedy Genius, who really is a comedy genius- just check out the Brenda Dickson-inspired video she did with Julie Klausner. You don't know what you're missing if you haven't seen it.)

Dave Fay

I was sorry to read about Dave Fay's passing today. I didn't really know him, but I knew of him (who didn't?) and saw him in the press box at many games. The press box will definitely feel a little emptier next season.

Mike Vogel wrote a touching entry about him- I highly recommend reading it. A couple of the comments on Mike's post at Dump and Chase were of special interest:

Matt Pettinger Says:
Great article Mike. I met Dave the day I was drafted by the Caps in 2000 in Calgary. He was great writer and a great guy to be around. Sad to hear of his passing. Like you said he was a very honost writer and never hid from what he said or thought. My wife and I send our condolences to the Fay family.

Ted Leonsis Says:
Great article,Mike– I know you and Dave had a special relationship–you are both honest about the game and show it true respect and love and care.Dave was one of a kind– he was a great guy–a great writer and someone who loved our community and team very much.

We will honor his memory at games and on our websites next season.Let’s also keep his seat open at all times in the press box.Ted

Thanks, Dave- you'll be missed.

Tuesday Randoms

Is anyone surprised that Michael Vick was indicted today? What a dumbass. Of course he'll get off, but I can't imagine that Herr Commissioner is going to like this. Anyway, after reading the article, I decided that I want to name my future son either Quanis or Purnell.

So Daunte Culpeper got the boot in Miami. Any chance he could end up in Atlanta? They might need another QB soon...

I thoroughly enjoyed the article about hapless Yankee fans in today's Post:

If it were any other squad, the rest of baseball would simply snicker. But this is the Yankees, whose historical success and strutting have made them arguably the most reviled team in American sports, and these are Yankees fans, undoubtedly the most loathed in the country. A snicker won't do. This calls for belly laughs. This calls for tankards and fiddles and torch-lit dancing. This calls for bunting and floats.

Very nice, though I don't advocate supporting the Red Sox either; too many bandwagon fans (and cocky ones at that), as Chanuck is fond of noticing. Half of my family root for the Sox, and have been for years. I did too (by rooting against the Yankees), until Boston won the World Series. Then, Sox fans were everywhere, similar to the Dallas Cowboys phenomenon (people who couldn't find Texas on a map LOVE the Cowgirls because they used to win a lot or something). Whatever, the point is that the Yankees are nine games back and things aren't looking so great. I can't blame the first guy in the article for taunting Mets fans, though; I'd want to taunt them too.

Yay for Sutherby and Eminger re-signing with the Caps! I was afraid that Sutherby would be gone next season, depriving female Caps fans of some good eye candy. (end puck bunny moment)

Ryan Langerhans doesn't want to be here

While I was surfing around Facebook this evening, the name "Langerhans" popped into my head and I did a search. Sure enough, Ryan Langerhans' profile came up. Some interesting items from his profile include:

July 10: Ryan joined the group ATLANTA BRAVES LOVERS!
July 11: Ryan joined the group Tomahawk Nation: Atlanta Braves Die Hards.

Other notable groups joined: We Support Adam LaRoche; Baby Braves; Kelly Johnson...Savior of ATL; I have a Man-Crush on Brian McCann; Braves are the best, no question; Atlanta Braves 2007 World Championship Run; Kell's Bells.

The main picture on his profile is a back shot of him and Jeff Francouer. (In fact, all 67 photos in his profile are pics of him when he was with the Braves.)

I'm not surprised that he misses the Braves, seeing as how he spent almost all of his career to this point with them. It was likely a shock, and I'm sure he doesn't like it. But I wish he'd give DC a chance! He's made at least one good friend; see the Post's story from Saturday. (Just like last year was the year of the Marlons, this is the year of the Ryans.)

I'm reminded of Austin Kearns last season; he didn't want to leave Cincinnati and missed it immensely when he was traded. (Probably still does.) However, he's adjusted to being here, and would likely be doing a lot better if he could get rid of that mental block caused by the Nick Johnson injury. But at least he finally got somewhat used to it.

It sends a bad message: if the team's own players don't want to be here, why should the fans support them? Conversely, it's so easy for players to win fans by showing how much they like DC. (Not Soriano-style posturing, but genuine love.) But maybe they just don't care. Is that our loss, or theirs?

(Photo courtesy of MLB.com)

The good ol' days

Just came across this. Wow.

Hockey in July is a beautiful thing

Here's some images from yesterday's Caps development camp. Players shown include Alzner, Neuvirth, Lynes (whose family was in attendance, and whose younger brothers were wearing his Brampton jersey), and a shiny Backstrom. He's electric!



The guys in action!

NHL schedule released

Schedule's out.

Caps' first game of the season: Friday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m. against the Thrashers (in Atlanta).
First game at home: Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 against the Hurricanes.

Yet another first game of the hockey season that falls on my birthday- oh well, what better way to celebrate than watching a game, right?

Huzzah!

Saturday was a beautiful day in D.C. What could be better than watching some vintage base ball? (That's not a typo; baseball was two words back then. In those days, they also tied onions to their belts, which was the style at the time.)You think you're hot, try wearing these outfits on a warm day!Several teams from the region were in attendance, including the hosts, the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club. Chanuck and I were wandering around when we first arrived, and a very nice gentleman from the Gotham Base Ball Club of New York handed me a packet of information and explained some of the rules. According to him, the resurgence of vintage base ball started in the Midwest and spread. It's big in New York- there's several teams in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area, and a few are starting up around here. (No D.C. team yet, but the Chesapeake and Potomac club aims to fill that void.) We watched most of the game between Gotham and C&P. I don't know who won, but while Gotham had some power hitters, C&P seemed to be pulling ahead thanks to some excellent fielding from the "scouts" in the outfield.

Here's a video of the end of another game, between C&P and the Flemington Neshanocks, I believe.

After all the "hurrahs" and "huzzahs," there's one modern-day touch: the Good Game.
Well fielded, all!