Washington Nationals: From bad to inconceivably bad

Since there has been so, so much going on, within the realm of this blog as well as outside of it, I wanted to quickly preface this post. Between JJ's jet-setting between France and Hungary, and now to Texas, and Nick's computer crashing, I myself lost internet service at my house for about nine days. This, coupled with the fact that I started a new internship at a publishing company last week, explains my lack of posts as of late. Thankfully, I got my internet connection back today and I wanted to get a post in before JJ's Netroots Nation coverage (by the way, congrats homie!).

With all that out of the way, I had been planning to write about the Nats for quite some time but while I had been planning exactly what angle I wanted to explore on the subject, the team's fortunes have continued to take an unbelievable plunge. At this, the All-Star break, eight of the Nationals' nine opening day starters are on the disabled list (the one player who isn't is actually Cristian Guzman, Washington's lone All-Star representative). The Nats have the worst record in baseball, and really that wasn't expected to be the case this season. The team greatly overachieved last year when it won 73 games and improved on its 2006 win total (71), despite some people ridiculously predicting that the Nats would break the all-time record for single-season losses. But this year? After picking up a few young bats on the cheap and with '07's surprisingly-successful young pitching staff returning, things were never supposed to be this bad.

Yet somehow, this year's struggles have gone beyond simply losing games on the field. Last week, the DC Sports Bog sparked an internet and talk radio firestorm, reporting that the Nats' TV averages were appallingly-low. This kicked off a week in which the Lerner family entered a dispute with the D.C. government over $3.5 million of rent money, GM Jim Bowden was implicated in an FBI investigation looking into illegal signing practices of players in Central America, and two fans were killed in an accident involving the team's free shuttle from the RFK lots to Nationals Park, all of which was detailed by Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell yesterday. Seriously.

Even as write this, I don't believe it. I was originally going to write something about how important it was to stand by the Nats through thick and thin, or how better times would be on the horizon... or something. However, opening the paper to news like this every day is enough to make you think that some sort of hex has been put on the team. I guess my point is still the same though; try not to judge this team by wins and losses this year. Instead, 2009 will tell baseball fans in D.C. whether or not this franchise intends to make a go at being a contender anytime in the near future, or if they will continue the long, rich tradition of losing baseball teams set forth by its predecessors, the Washington Senators (customary cool old school logo to follow). This year's silver lining remains the new stadium and if you haven't been yet, it is definitely worth checking out. But this year, as hard as it may be to do, the Nats still need local support.

I'm not the biggest baseball fan to begin with, but it was still very exciting to see the sport return to my hometown after growing up without one. Since the District had been without baseball from 1972 until 2005, there have been obvious growing pains as the city re-adjusts to the sport, the team adjusts to us as a new region and simultaneously tries to become relevant in a sports scene dominated by the Redskins, Wizards, Capitals, D.C. United and multiple college sports teams. It is only fitting though for baseball to thrive in the nation's capital, not because it the so-called "national pastime," because that's football now, but because D.C. is one of the greatest cities in the world, as well as an important sports town. Only time can tell us where the Nats go from here, but at least it can't be much lower than it is right now.

Spain wins Euro 2008

¡Viva España!

Spain won its first major trophy in 44 years, capping off an excellent European Championship tournament. I couldn't find the TV ratings for the final just yet, but early indications here and here are that the tournament boasted successful TV ratings for the previous stages. Just more great news for soccer fans in the U.S.

A quick note about D.C. United before I sign off; yesterday's match against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy at RFK Stadium (the lead-in to the Euro final yesterday on ABC) was just amazing. From the blowout win, to the awesome pre-game display for Ben Olsen, to his stirring and unexpected introduction in the 75th minute, and even to the disorienting and stifling heat, yesterday was just a day I will never forget. And I was about as wrong as I possibly could have been about United earlier this season. A public apology to Coach Tom Soehn, Luicano Emilio (nine goals in his last six matches, including two yesterday), and the entire team, who are beginning to look like the most dangerous squad in MLS again.

It's been a long time comin'

A historic moment occurred for Capitals fans tonight, as Alexander Ovechkin became the first player in team history to win the NHL's Hart Trophy, given annually to the league's most valuable player. In addition to Ovie's milestone, coach Bruce Boudreau was honored with the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year, the first given to a Caps coach since Bryan Murray in 1984. Furthermore, Ovechkin won the Lester B. Pearson award for MVP, as voted by the NHL players themselves, joining his Maurice "Rocket" Richard (most regular season goals scored) and Art Ross (most regular season points) trophies in his total awards cache.

It's not as if this man could become any more impressive going into the awards ceremony, but somehow, that's exactly what he did. Ovechkin just defies logic at every possible turn. A 22-year-old, hard-working, polite, humble, team-oriented superstar in this current climate of athletes is simply not something you see very often. I've been in attendance at the Verizon Center when he receives the puck in the midst of play and the buzz that resonates throughout the building at that very moment is unlike anything I've experienced before. The whole crowd is just expecting him to do something unexpected. With a haul of 65 goals and 47 assists last season, they had every reason to do so.

Granted, the Washington Capitals have only been in existence since 1974, a relatively short lifespan compared to other clubs in the league. In that short history, the Caps can claim a few truly great players, or players that would go on to achieve greatness after having played with us.

But Ovechkin is something entirely different.

For the first time ever, the Caps have, without a doubt, the best player in the league (and the world, for that matter). Really, when has any Washington sports team ever had the best player in its respective sport? The Wizards had Jordan, but way beyond his prime. The Bullets won an NBA championship led by Wes Unseld, but in no way was he the best player in the league. Honestly, I can only think of Sammy Baugh for the Skins and maybe Walter Johnson of Washington Senators fame, each one of them playing decades upon decades ago.

What I'm trying to say is that Alexander Ovechkin is truly re-writing history in the here and now. I feel like it will be a really significant thing to say you got to see him in person one day. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope tonight's haul of trophies will lead to Ovie lifting the most prestigious one of them all in the future.

CONGRATS TO OVIE, BOUDREAU AND THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS!

Soccer overload

As I write this, Switzerland is playing Turkey on TV and it's not even pay-per-view. And no, I didn't figure out a way to hijack a neighbor's cable that has a special international sports package. Today marks the fifth day in a row that ESPN 2 has broadcast the 2008 European Soccer Championships and it's going to be like this for almost three more weeks.

Unfortunately, lack of access to television, a hangover and school (in that order) prevented me from catching the first two days of the tournament. But the two games I did catch more than made up for the games I had missed, a 3-0 thumping of defending world champions Italy at the hands of The Netherlands, then an electric 4-1 Spain triumph over Russia. With all 16 teams having played one match, the theme of Euro 2008 in its nascent stages is clear: the teams playing a more attacking, free-flowing style are having the most success.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst celebrates after scoring to put Holland up 3-0 on Italy. The name may sound kind of familiar to some. (Photo courtesy of www.theage.com.au)

What does this mean exactly? Well, the more defensive-minded (read: boring) teams have failed miserably. Italy won the last World Cup in 2006 by packing its entire team into the defensive end, diving to earn free kicks and playing for corners, and getting opposing players sent off (we all remember this). As a result, they allowed only two goals in seven matches and did so in the most boring way possible.

When it comes to club soccer, my favorite team is Arsenal because, besides the fact that their logo is a fucking cannon, they play the most beautiful style of soccer in the world. Now compare that with what I like to call the "Sam Allardyce approach to soccer," which is downright ugly and tedious, but had been somewhat effective in recent years. The good news is that Allardyce has since been fired as the manager of Bolton Wanderers FC and, more recently, Newcastle FC. Additionally, with attacking football prevailing so far, chances are this will become the order of the day for the rest of the tourney and maybe for the near future in both club and international soccer.

So if you aren't that big of a soccer fan, tune in anyway and you might be treated to some very entertaining matches featuring some of the world's strongest soccer nations. For those who already consider themselves quite the "footie" fans, sit back and enjoy the next few weeks, when you can turn on your TV and see soccer pretty much every day. Four years ago, I would have never thought that this would happen in the United States.

Let's not go down this road

Disturbing news out of Major League Soccer, as the Washington Post Soccer Insider Steven Goff revealed that a racial slur was directed at a player at a game between Columbus and New England. The slur was audible on a video clip posted on YouTube, which Goff linked to on his blog yesterday. And this, my friends, is the beginning of a very slippery slope for MLS and soccer in this country. 

The sad truth is that racism in soccer is alive and well, with many high profile incidents taking place in recent years in Spain, France, and eastern European countries. I was going to link to a few of them here, but instead, just do a google search for "soccer racist abuse" and see the long list of incidents, most of which occurred in the past 12 months. Racism in soccer is hardly new either, but until now it had never been seen as an issue in American soccer.

In American society? Oh yeah, who are we kidding? Racism is about as American as apple pie. But specifically with soccer, this has the potential to further deteriorate to the point of being similar to the actions in Europe, where banners with racist slogans are unfurled, bananas are thrown at Black players, as well as monkey chants directed their way whenever they touch the ball. Now, I don't believe for one second that this would be allowed to happen in America the way it has in Europe, where the governing authorities routinely turn a blind eye towards this sort of stuff. What it can do is give the American sports pundits another reason to further denigrate soccer, cast it aside and call it "un-American."

Soccer is one of my favorite sports. I am as big a proponent for the sport to succeed in this country as anybody else and that has actually started happening recently. Beyond just David Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles, ESPN has increased its coverage of the sport to more than just showing UEFA Champions League games. The network has started showing soccer highlights on nearly every episode of Sportscenter, will carry the European Championships this summer and are reportedly exploring the option of creating an all-soccer channel.

I've always said that for soccer to truly take off in the U.S., it needed to copy off the European model of how the sport operates. Soccer big-wigs in this country decided for us a while ago that Americans only like sports in a certain way and since soccer doesn't fit into all those traditional North American values, that it would have to be "Americanized." Well, they were wrong as hell. Gradual integration of the international aspects of the sport have seen it grow in popularity.

But let's not get carried away.

It started with the streamers in Toronto, then there were recent reports of violence at a recent L.A. Galaxy/Chivas USA game, but we have to draw the line well in advance of racial epithets being yelled at players. This has to stop. Not only to protect the sport I love, but for the good of the country. In many ways, sports act as a microcosm for the nation as a whole. As the election has shown us, we still have a lot of skeletons left to clear of this country's closets. Instead of stuffing them back in and hoping they never fall back out, we need to get this stuff out in the open and confront it head-on.

Sports musings

A few things going on in the world of sports lately:

• The San Antonio Spurs were able to pip the Hornets to the Western Conference Finals last night, defeating New Orleans 91-82 in Game 7. Without a doubt, I was rooting for the Hornets, hard, as was much of the rest of the country. In addition to the sentimental reasons still attached to all New Orleans franchises in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets were the biggest surprise of the NBA season, spearheaded by phenomenal young guard Chris Paul. When the Hornets easily dispatched of a seasoned Dallas team, there was a feeling that maybe this was a team of destiny that could ride an incredible wave of momentum beyond the defending champs. The Spurs are just too good, though. I still don't know why they are branded as boring (I really think it might be their drab uniforms). The fact of the matter is that San Antonio plays great team basketball, Greg Popovich is undeniably one of the great head coaches of our time and their series against Los Angeles should figure to be another one for the ages.

• D.C. United is clearly in disarray after yet another loss over the weekend. At 2-6 overall and riding a three-game losing streak, it should only be a matter of hours, not if not minutes, before Coach Tom Soehn is fired. Not that this is really his fault, it's just not good enough for the recent winning tradition for the team. I'm not going to waste everyone's time by going over the 30 different reasons the team is struggling. It really all boils down to one factor; lack of team chemistry. For all the new players brought in during the offseason, D.C. has had virtually no time to gel or get a feel for each other. The lineup is so vastly different than what it was last season that growing pains are only natural. United has a home-and-home against Toronto FC (in the T-Dot tomorrow, then back at RFK on Saturday) to get its shit together. Anything less than two wins from two and Soehn is fired. Grim, I know, but the good news is that the MLS regular season is so worthless that a few wins a month from here on should be good enough to make the playoffs.

• All quiet on the Redskins front... which I gotta say is how I like it to be. Apart from some front office moves, there is nothing else to really talk about. As boring as that is for Skins fans, I would always rather come in under the radar as opposed to being the lead story on Sportscenter every night in May. In the draft we took a lot of pass catchers and I would have liked to see us strengthen our offensive line, secondary and D line a little more, in that order, but when was the last time the Redskins amassed 10 draft picks? I can't remember.

• Detroit vs. Boston in Game 1 tonight of the Eastern Finals, as well as... drumroll please... the NBA Draft Lottery! What's that? The Wizards aren't in it? Oh yeah, jeez sorry. Just mental conditioning. All those years of anxiously awaiting the draft lottery has made it tough to remember that Washington isn't always involved in it. There's also a game between two teams I hate more than almost anything in soccer's biggest club cup competition tomorrow at 2:30pm. Finally, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between Detroit and Pittsburgh is Saturday night, which I absolutely can't wait for.

This can't be a good sign

From the DC Sports Bog this morning, news has broken that longtime sports columnist Tony Kornheiser has taken a buyout from the Washington Post, where he was an employee for nearly 30 years.

"All I ever wanted to be was a newspaper writer," he said, which is likely not something that anyone under the age of 30 will ever say again. "This other stuff is great, but I don't care about it," he continued. "In my mind that's what it says on the headstone, it says 'newspaper guy.' "

(via the Bog).

Hey, wait a minute... I'm under the age of 30! What does this mean for my upcoming degree in print journalism? Should I flush it down the toilet?

You see, up to this point my plan was to follow in the footsteps of guys like Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon and write about sports for a living at a reputable newspaper (maybe even a world-renowned paper like the Washington Post). Then, if I became any good, I could become a columnist (like those guys), become rich and famous, live happily ever after and all that jazz.

Clearly though, this is an odd time to become a journalist, what with the declining revenues and increase in people looking to the internet or television to get their news. The largely-held belief that newspapers will be entirely digital in the future is hard to argue against, but 15-20 years ago not a single aspect of any paper was online. About 25 years ago, there was no internet, at least not in the way it exists today. My question is what will become of the internet 25 years from now? Theoretically, there could be some whole other system in place that is completely unforeseen.

So I'm not so sure about this notion that newspapers will no longer exist in a physical form at some point in the future. What exactly it will consist of, though, is anybody's guess.

As for Kornheiser, I've never agreed with everything he's had to say but I always had enormous respect for him. It's not the job of a sports columnist, or any columnist for that matter, to always go along with the popular opinion. You are entitled (and paid) to say whatever the fuck you want, within reason. The reason I've always respected Kornheiser and Wilbon is that they brought their own opinions to the table, passionately defended them and never tried to run from them if they turned out to be completely wrong. It's no coincidence that the two went on to host "Pardon The Interruption" on ESPN; they are two of the best in the business. As other shows like "Around The Horn" later proved, most sports columnists are unbelievable idiots.

Kornheiser will still host his radio show, as well as PTI and will be in the booth for Monday Night Football. Plus, you could see him being fazed out from the Post for the past couple of years, really. With that being said, farewell to one of my biggest sportswriting influences.

Don't stop believin'!!!

Cue the classic Journey song. 

The Washington Capitals clinched their first trip to the playoffs in five years with a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. As if that wasn't enough, the Caps vaulted all the way from 9th place and being directly on the fringe of making the playoffs to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference as Southeast Division champs (SOUTHEAST! SOUTH SOUTHEAST!!). I think this blog post by a Carolina Hurricanes fan (the team who led the division for the majority of the season, only to blow a chance to secure a playoff spot in its final game of the season) sums up the situation pretty well...

Take into account, if you will, that the Caps ranked 30th out of 30 in the NHL at Thanksgiving. The team then fired coach Glen Hanlon, promoted minor league coach Bruce Boudreau of the Caps' top affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and ranked 14th out 15 Eastern Conference teams by Christmas. General Manager/genius George McPhee traded for goalie Cristobal Huet, 90's superstar Sergei Federov and live wire/s**t starter Matt Cooke on deadline day in February and the resurrection began in earnest. The Caps went on to win 11 of their last 12 games and Huet won his last seven consecutive starts to end the season and propel them into the playoffs ahead of the sputtering Hurricanes.  

And after today's 2-0 defeat of Pittsburgh, we know that we will be facing the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round. Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell explains why the Caps are a real-life sports fairy tale here, while top-notch Caps blogger JP continues to offer his in-depth analysis here (also linked to on the right-hand side of this page).

After five years without playoff hockey in the District, it will almost feel strange seeing the Capitals back in the fray. The intensity level is raised so much higher in the NHL playoffs than it is in probably any other sport and without the home team involved in them for so long, I've kind of forgotten what it feels like. Thankfully, the D.C. area will have a chance to become re-acquainted with postseason hockey. 

Having the Caps back in the playoffs also strikes a very personal chord with me, more than as simply a sports fan. The first sporting event I ever went to was a Caps game against the Detroit Red Wings, back in the old Capital Centre in Landover, Md. when I was about six years old. My dad was a big Capitals fan and, consequently, so was I after he took me to that game. I don't remember the score, but it was an unusually lopsided victory for Washington, something like 9-4. From that moment, I was hooked.

The Capitals were my dad's second favorite sports team (second only to the Redskins), which, as much as sports were a part of our household, is saying quite a lot. My family originally got cable so he could watch them play on HTS (Home Team Sports, the pre-cursor to Comcast SportsNet). To this day, I still don't know how my dad, a black man from Northwest DC, became so infatuated with hockey. But however it happened, the Washington Capitals in turn became a big part of my childhood, as well me and my father's relationship. This lasted until I got to middle school and self-consciousness and popularity changed my outlook on a lot of things. Hockey was no longer considered "popular," thus I cut all ties with the sport and did not really get back into it until a few years ago.

As you may or may not know, my dad passed away this past August. Having the Capitals back in the playoffs, especially in such a dramatic fashion, brings back so many memories from the good old days, when me and my dad were glued to the set watching my heroes Peter Bondra, Kelly Miller and Rod Langway, among others, play out my dreams on the screen. I don't know how these playoffs will turn out exactly, or how far this Capitals team will progress from here. But all that matters is that the Caps are back in the playoffs.

Damn, it feels good.

4-1 in a Caps wonderland

You almost never get a regular season game like that. With 2 games left in the season, a dominant 4-1 win puts us in a tie for first in the division, and gives the Caps a realistic shot at the playoff for the first time in 5 years. The rawkus (yes, that is the correct spelling in my book and forever will be) playoff atmosphere set the tone from the start and never let up. From pregame chanting outside the arena to the cheers of DC's cultured hockey fans who are as loud after a killed penalty as they are a goal, to the shouts of MVP drowning out the PA system for the last 5 minutes of the game after Ove's 63rd, the experience was truly cathartic. Who knows where they'll go from here, but it's pretty amazing to witness the collective explosion of joy from a beaten down fanbase just trying to dream of the playoffs and the chance to watch the best player on the earth find that 7th gear. Who knows what the next week will bring, but for now... what a night.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Final Four

Year after year, upsets happen in the NCAA Tournament. In other breaking news, the sky is blue. It's true, they don't call it March Madness for no reason. What makes the tourney, in my opinion, the biggest and best annual American sporting event is its unpredictability. Despite the fact that millions of fools across the nation, such as myself, foolishly try to fill out brackets to predict who will win with better accuracy than the other fools, you never know what to expect from each game which is undoubtedly the tournament's best quality.

Unfortunately, this same aspect of the Tourney came at the expense of strongly-favored local candidates, the Georgetown Hoyas. With Maryland and Virginia Tech toiling away in the NIT once again, and Coppin State, Mount St. Mary's, American, and George Mason all already eliminated, G'Town was the only D.C. area team we had left to root for. Add in the fact that they won the Big East regular season title this year (no small feat) and made the Final Four last year and their loss to Davidson is compounded even further.

Any fan of Maryland could have told you how dangerous this Davidson team really is after watching them play the Terps extremely tough in the Tournament last year. Another thing Maryland fans know all too well is getting upset in the early rounds of the tourney multiple times, a feeling that is circulating around M Street right now, but was not previously the norm for the Hoyas' teams of the past. I clearly consider myself a Maryland fan more so than a Georgetown fan, but that probably has more to do with recent history and the time I grew up in more than anything else.  I have very distant memories of Georgetown's dominant teams of the early 90's, led by big men like Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo and mercurial guards like Victor Page and Allen Iverson. At that time, Maryland was still embroiled in NCAA sanctions and while still a competitive program, was definitely second fiddle to G'Town. Beyond that, Georgetown meant a lot more to this region's basketball scene, as well as the Black community as a whole.

John Thompson took over on "The Hilltop" in 1972 and, in short, was the spark that created the Big East conference (due respect goes to Lou Carnesecca of St. John's, Rick Pitino while at Providence, Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and Jim Calhoun at Connecticut for their contributions in its early history, too). By the 1980's, he built Georgetown into a premier basketball program and transcended racial barriers.  For D.C. natives, the Hoyas became not only a source of local pride, but Black pop cultural icons in the midst of the crack epidemic and high murder rates. Bringing things back to the here and now, this Georgetown team, brought back to prominence by John Thompson III, is not the same as the teams from a bygone era. Nevertheless, this loss represents a loss for D.C., especially with this year's Hoyas expected to go so much further.

One bright spot from yesterday's game was the breakthrough performance of sophomore Davidson guard and tournament superstar Stephen Curry. Again, last year we saw this kid put up 30 points against the Terps as a freshman. He went off for 40 in Davidson's 1st round upset of Gonzaga and 30 against G'Town yesterday, scoring 25 of them in the second half. Curry is the son of longtime NBA veteran, sharp-shooter Dell Curry, which goes a long way towards explaining why Stephen has so much game. ESPN's Anna K. Clemmons gives us a look at the team's magical run from an alum's perspective here, while Yahoo! Sports takes another look at the game here. 

A star has truly been born and although it hurts to see it come at G'Town's expense, it is great to witness history in the making. He may look like he's only 12 years old, but Curry became the sixth player in NCAA history to score at least 30 points in his first three tournament appearances. Quite an accomplishment. Better yet, Davidson is clearly slipping into Cindarella's shoes this year and it couldn't have happened to a more likeable group (though Villanova is a close second. Shouts to Kevin Williams! What up, Arun?)

Washington Redskins: This offseason's Cincinnati Bengals

It's the middle of March. In the District, that could only mean one thing: the NFL free agency period is more than a couple of days old and the Redskins are well on their way to winning the Super Bowl... that is, until late December comes and the team has finished 8-8.  It's a scenario we've seen so many times that we're all used to it by now.  Dana Stubblefield. Dan Wilkinson. Mark Carrier.  Deion Sanders. Bruce Smith. Trung Canidate. Adam Archuleta. Brandon Lloyd.  Each offseason, each of these names brought lofty hopes and pushed Washington into plenty of analysts' pre-season picks for Super Bowl contenders.  Instead, these names are reeled off as a laundry list of failures.

Every year, it seemed as though the Skins were destined to mortgage their future once again, defiantly refusing to learn from its past mistakes.  But this year has been different.  

• There have been no major "splash" signings-- Usually by now, Dan Snyder's private jet would have criss-crossed the nation, bringing three or four big names (likely all from the New York Jets) on board and throwing more cash at them than Pac Man Jones.  This time around, only one mid-level free agent has scheduled a visit, and that's still two days from now!  
• The team has re-signed its own key players-- Two players I really thought were going to walk were back-up QB Todd Collins and RB/Return Specialist Rock Cartwright.  It warmed my heart to see the team keep both of them.  In past years, letting Antonio Pierce leave for division rivals and recent Super Bowl champs the New York Giants and seeing Ryan Clark go to the Pittsburgh Steelers set us back a ton.  I guess Cerrato & co. actually ARE committed to continuity.
• Lo-and-behold, we have draft picks-- When we weren't signing free agents, we were consistently throwing away draft picks in return for players who weren't free agents.  Somehow, we actually have a decent amount of picks in 2008 (I couldn't find our exact total or breakdown-by-round, I'll post it in the comments when I do find it).  According to ESPN, draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. has Washington taking Kansas CB Aqib Talib with the 21st pick overall.  Aside from his awesome name, I saw this man dominate Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl and earn himself MVP honors on the night.  Good use of draft picks? What is this?

I have to say it's refreshing.  Two items of note before I sign off... this has been a decidedly weak free agent period, aside from Randy Moss and Asante Samuel.  Without numerous "gems" out there for the signing, perhaps the Redskins newfound conservatism is out of pure necessity and not self-restraint. Lastly, we have to see how all of these decisions play out before it can be assessed properly.  But for now, I like the way this offseason is going.  

UPDATE: As promised... to follow-up, the Skins have at least one pick in each round except the 4th, which was given up in the T.J. Duckett trade. Let's see if that holds up.

Reason #339 why I love Alex Ovechkin

This (via Japers Rink):

"I hear something when I score first goal — I hear them booing me, so I just started smiling. It is fun."

- Alex Ovechkin, after being being booed on every touch by the sabres fans.

Allow me to re-introduce myself...

My name is Jonesy! DC Jonesy, to be exact, and I want to formally introduce myself as one of a slate of new bloggers that have been graciously invited to post on The Train of Thought.  First off, I want to thank J, or "JJ" for that matter (or, while I'm at it, Jay Jay) for allowing me this platform with which to start my journey into the blogosphere.  I've been an avid reader and commenter to this particular blog, and a remarkable foundation has been laid for me to build on.

With politics being the main order of the day, I plan on focusing on the world of sports for most of my posts.  Sports is my area of expertise, as well as my desired job field in the extreme near future, and I have been searching for an outlet that would let me collect and organize my thoughts on the subject.  This way, sports will no longer be only the object of my desire, but a way I can start relevant conversations and get people to think a little more critically about things they once took for granted.

It will take me a while to get the hang of this, but I look forward to jumping aboard this train and helping it keep moving in the right direction.

How good is this guy?

• 4 Goals(Including OT Game-winning Goal)
• 1 Assist
• +4 Rating
• 5 Hits
• 1 Broken Nose
• 2 Sets of stitches (cheek and lip, from separate incidents)

What more can you say. The kid is special. He's the most skilled player on the ice, but he likes to truck people as much as he does score goals. (After being drafted #1 overall, a reporter asked him what he wanted the Washington fans to know about him he only said: "I play physical") I've talked to a few people about this type of thing before, but he's like what Lebron is to the NBA, and what Sean Taylor was to the NFL. Someone with Ove's skill set, speed, agility and balance was not meant to be in a 6-2 220 pound frame. But in those rare cases when you do get that combination of strength and skill, you feel like you are witnessing a force of nature... and last night sure was an example of that.

And like JP said, with the season he's having, maybe it's time to bring out the H-word. All I know growing up as a DC sports fan, I've never seen a player in any sport dominate like this. Not even close.

Oh yeah, what did Ove say about last night?

"Today was special day," Ovechkin said after the team doctor went to work on his nose, which he broke for the fifth time. "I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals. Everything go to my face."

Amazing. Maybe 13 years wasn't long enough...

The Joe Buck Disgusting Act of the Week: Daniel Snyder

The Joe Buck Disgusting Act of the Week is awarded to whatever event/person best deserves Joe Buck's unnecessary and over the top outrage after a 2004 Randy Moss' touchdown celebration.

What a day.

First it starts with news that Yes Man(Official Title) Vinny Cerrato has been promoted to Executive Vice President/Football Operations... officially killing my dream that the redskins would have a successful GM who came with a solid plan, which was independent of Dan Snyder's mood swings and spur of the moment decisions.

Not content with crushing one dream that I had hoped for but didn't expect, Snyder next defied all rational logic by apparently choosing a Team of Jim Fassel, Rex Ryan and Jim Zorn to take charge of the Redskins. See, Dan Snyder has this whole thing figured out. Most fans thought he going to do the rational thing and promote Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams. We thought he was just publicly interviewing the other candidates because he's an egotistical ass who wants to make a show out of everything he does. Yeah, he wasn't thinking about how this would humiliate Greg Williams and confuse the team who wanted him to be their coach, but all would be made right in the end, right? Right? RIGHT?

No, of course not! The joke was on us because Dan Snyder was ACTUALLY interviewing other candidates! In fact, he found a team of them that he liked so much that he decided that it was worth blowing up our current squad to put these guys into place.

Rebuilding... not even close to what I was expecting this off season.

13 Years - 124 Million

George McPhee just got off the phone with Garth Snow, and I couldn't be happier.

The Washington Capitals signed Alex Ovechkin to a 13-year, $124 million contract extension yesterday, ending months of speculation about his future with the organization and making him the first player in NHL history to sign a nine-figure contract.

And if you're wondering why he's worth it, there aren't many league leading goal scorers who can do this:

Happy Thanksgiving DC Sports fans!

• Glen Hanlon fired as caps have the worst record in the league.
• Gilbert Arenas out at least three months after undergoing second knee surgery.

I really liked Hanlon, but somebody had to go for any chance to save this season (and Ove's heart for that matter). And hey, Boudreau has a great AHL record, so maybe he's just been waiting for that chance to impress at the highest level.

When Gil and Caron got injured before the playoffs last year, I had this theory that if only Gil had been hurt, we would have at least made it out of the first round (and maybe all the way to the finals, looking at how terrible the east was). I've always thought that Caron has the skill set and basketball smarts to be a elite player if he was given the opportunity to do be the main option. I would have much, much rather seen this remain a bullshit theory that Landon and I would argue about for hours much to the annoyance of everyone else. (Thoughts of the great Andres Nocioni debates come to mind) But it looks like this theory is going to get tested, and since wizard's season is at stake, I really, really hope I'm right.

So Happy Holidays DC sports fans, keep your heads up, cause... well at least Jason Campbell and Andray Blatche are looking like the real deal!

2007-2008 NBA Picks

So the NBA is getting underway, I figured I would put up my predictions here so we could all have a laugh in about a month or so. One note, looking at espn and almost everywhere else, I feel like people have forgotten that the wizards would have been serious contenders to get to the finals were their two best players not injured. They are being completely ignored, and in some cases not even picked to make the playoffs. Well, better that then being the favorites I guess.

The East

1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. Washington
4. Chicago
5. Orlando
6. Detroit
7. New Jersey
8. Miami
9. Cleveland
10. Milwaukee
    
11. Charlotte
12. Atlanta
13. Indiana
14. New York
15. Philadelphia

The West

1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Denver
4. Houston
5. Dallas
6. Memphis
7. Utah
8. Seattle
9. Golden State
10. Portland
11. New Orleans
12. L.A. Lakers
13. L.A. Clippers
14. Sacramento
    
15. Minnesota

Eastern Champ: Boston - Western Champ: Phoenix

NBA Champion: Phoenix

2007-2008 Award Tour

MVP: Carmelo Anthony
Most Improved: Andray Blatche
Rookie of the Year: Al Horford wins, but Durant and Juan Carlos Navarro will make it very close.

I'm curious what you think, put your picks in the comments if you'd like.

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver: Assholes

Tonight they both take a page from the Eric Wynalda School of Announcing, where a sportscaster chooses a player who they already dislike, and then they proceed to trash them all game long for absolutely no reason. Tonight that player is Manny Ramirez, and because of his non-offensive and downright sensible comments before the game, they decide to throw him under the bus for being confused about a play that it took them 10 minutes and 40 replays to not understand.
Of course letting personal hatred of a player lead to a completely over the top and blown out of proportion reaction is nothing new to Buck, whose idiotic "That is a disgusting act" comment about a Randy Moss TD celebration is now legendary. Good to see him keep that streak going.

Wiz vs. Cavs: Pre-season notes

• We look good... it's too early to get overly excited but not bad for a first impression of the 2007-2008 season.
  
• Neither Gil or Caron got hurt. Can't emphasize that one enough.
• The rookies look like they can contribute, and Dominic McGuire looks like he could evolve into a shut down defensive player in a couple of years, and seriously contribute this year.
• Watching Brendan Haywood block Z's shot shot took me back 5 or so months and I couldn't help but wonder: If Brendan and Eddie Jordan hadn't been in the middle of a pissing match, maybe Z wouldn't have looked like KG and we could have taken at least game off the Cavs.
• Also, you should note that this is the first positive thing I've said about Brendan in about 10-12 months. Hey, it's a new season - clean slate right?
• Cleveland looked truly terrible, and I would not be surprised if they really struggled this year. We can't forget that this was possibly the worst team to make it to the finals in NBA history, and this year with a stronger east, they should be in serious trouble. But that being said, Lebron still has enough skill to make the 8th spot in the east lining up with 4 strangers, even with the handicap of Mike Brown's coaching. Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2007-2008 Cleveland Cavaliers!