Beltway Sports Beat

Bruce Boudreau and the "empty tank"

2011-11-30T14:08:00.007-05:00

When Bruce Boudreau was fired on Monday morning and replaced by Dale Hunter, Capitals General Manager George McPhee told reporters at Kettler, "I think Bruce came in here and emptied the tank. He gave it everything he could and did a really good job, but the tank was empty, and when that happens you get a new coach where the tank is full and see what happens."

It struck me as honest and heartfelt, but I didn't think much more about it until today when I was in the midst of a lively email discussion about the value of NHL coaching experience. In the email exchange, my brother wondered aloud (...in text?), "I wonder what the average number of years of coaching experience is for Cup-winning coaches over the last 10 or 15 years."

Naturally I had to look it up, and what I found was not that interesting when looking at total NHL coaching experience, but far more interesting when looking at the number of years the coach was with their team before winning the Cup. For the "Fire Bruce" crowd it would provide significant ammo if, you know, the Caps didn't already fire Bruce.

Basically what you need to know is that, in the last 20 years, coaches who didn't win a Stanley Cup in their first four years with a team never ended up winning one with that team. And in that same span, only one coach tenured more than 4 years has won a Cup, and that was Scotty Bowman (twice). Boudreau was in his 5th season as the Caps' bench boss.

So it would seem that a coach only has 2-4 years of gas in the tank with any given team.

Here's the proof:

YEAR	TEAM	COACH	NHL EXPERIENCE	YEARS WITH TEAM AT TIME OF CUP WIN
2011	Bruins	Claude Julien	8 years	4th season in Boston
2010	Blackhawks	Joel Quenneville	13 years	2nd season in Chicago
2009	Penguins	Dan Bylsma	<1 year	1st season in Pittsburgh*
2008	Red Wings	Mike Babcock	5 years	3rd season in Detroit
2007	Ducks	Randy Carlyle	2 years	2nd season in Anaheim
2006	Hurricanes	Peter Laviolette	4 years	2nd season in Carolina
2004	Lightning	John Tortorella	4 years	4th season in Tampa
2003	Devils	Pat Burns	13 years	1st season in New Jersey
2002	Red Wings	Scotty Bowman	30 years	9th season in Detroit
2001	Avalanche	Bob Hartley	3 years	3rd season in Colorado
2000	Devils	Larry Robinson	5 years	1st season in New Jersey**
1999	Stars	Ken Hitchcock	4 years	4th season in Dallas
1998	Red Wings	Scotty Bowman	26 years	5th season in Detroit
1997	Red Wings	Scotty Bowman	25 years	4th season in Detroit
1996	Avalanche	Marc Crawford	2 years	1st season in Colorado***
1995	Devils	Jacques Lemaire	4 years	2nd season in New Jersey
1994	Rangers	Mike Keenan	9 years	1st season in New York
1993	Canadiens	Jacques Demers	9 years	1st season in Montreal
1992	Penguins	Scotty Bowman	20 years	1st season in Pittsburgh
1991	Penguins	Bob Johnson	6 years	1st season in Pittsburgh

*Bylsma coached the last 25 games of the 2008-09 season
**Robinson coached the last 8 games of the 1999-2000 season
***Those who were hoping the Caps would hire Crawford should look up what he's done since

Breaking it down further, over the last 20 years the average tenure at the time of winning the Stanley Cup is 2.6, and the median is 2.

As for the NHL experience factor, the average years of NHL coaching experience for Stanley Cup winners over the last 20 years is 9.65, which is skewed heavily by Bowman's 20, 25, 26 and 30. The median is 5.5.

As this relates to Dale Hunter, 8 of the last 20 Stanley Cups have been won by coaches in their first year with a team (40 percent!), but Bylsma's the only one who was in his first year as an NHL head coach. Five Cup winning coaches in the last 20 years have done it in their first NHL head coaching gig: Bylsma, Randy Carlyle with the Ducks, Bob Hartley with the Avalanche, John Tortorella with the Lighting (unless you count his 4 games as interim coach of the Rangers in 1999), and Ken Hitchcock with the Stars.

To look at it another way, my friend Will saw this data and immediately said, "So Buffalo is really f***ing up with Lindy Ruff."

Apparently.

The three most likely free agency plans for the Orioles in 2012

2011-10-31T15:18:00.010-04:00

Based on a deep historical analysis of my own memories, I've come up with the three most likely routes for the Orioles to take in 2012 MLB Free Agency:

1) The Orioles give huge, multi-year contracts to Kyle Farnsworth and Joel Zumaya (although Zumaya isn't Type A or Type B, so the Orioles might instead find someone who would cost them a draft pick). Then they bring in Hideki Matsui on a multi-million dollar, one-year deal (at least it's not multiple years!) and Johnny Damon on a multi-million dollar, multi-year deal (whoops). They may or may not cap this off by adding Livan Hernandez for mentoring purposes.

2) The Orioles give Jose Reyes 10 years, $250 million to play 2B. He plays a total of 6 games in an Orioles uniform between hamstring, hamstring, hamstring and hamstring injuries. (To be fair, in those 6 games he bats .385 and steals 3 bases.)

3) The Orioles give C.J. Wilson 8 years, $180 million. He spontaneously combusts on the mound on Opening Day.

So there it is. I've thrown down the gauntlet to the new, yet-to-be-named General Manager/President of Baseball Operations. Prove me wrong!

The annual Center Ice debate.

2011-10-09T16:11:00.004-04:00

It was nice to see Game Over Green working his magic in the first game of the 2011-12 season after a disappointing 8-goal season in 2010-11. And I got to see the game thanks to a free Center Ice preview, which they run every year to try to entice me to shell out $170+ for every game in every city.

If you're a transplanted fan like me, you probably have the same internal debate that I have around this time every year: Is Center Ice worth the money and time I'm going to devote to it? Is it really worth $170 to cheer in New York City when Ovechkin lights the lamp in Washington?

The first year I lived in New York (2009-10) I purchased the package and watched a good amount of hockey, but I noticed that a huge percentage of the Caps games that I was at home to watch were on NBC, Versus or NHL Network. So in 2010-11 I decided to skip Center Ice, and I still got to watch around 1/4 of all Caps games because the league or networks decided Ovechkin's Caps were a chic team worthy of national airtime along with the Penguins, Flyers and Red Wings. The one aspect of Center Ice that I missed was getting to watch the late games featuring Western Conference teams that I rarely get to see otherwise.

This season, a whopping 30 of the Caps' 82 regular season games are scheduled to be on national TV in the U.S., and they tend to be the times I can watch (Thursdays-Sundays). Throw in the free Center Ice previews they do a couple times a year, and it's probably closer to 35 games. So that pretty much ends that debate.

Although it feels weird to admit that I'm satisfied seeing less than 40 percent of the Caps' games, real life (and grad school, which I don't think counts as real life) dictates that I probably wouldn't get to see much more than that anyway.

See you in another year...

Correction: My brother brought up the fact that I left out all the games that are against the Rangers, Devils and Islanders that will also be on local TV where I live. That adds six more games that will be on TV in New York (the other 6 against those opponents are scheduled to be nationally televised).

Fun with Time Warner Cable live chat help

2010-10-15T20:02:00.004-04:00

Tonight I was planning to flip between Islanders-Penguins on MSG Plus, Devils-Avalanche on MSG Plus 2 and ALCS Game 1 on TBS, but naturally Time Warner Cable would have none of that. Similar to last week when the Capitals were playing the Devils (a game I actually cared about seeing), MSG Plus 2 was mysteriously not showing the Devils game. Instead the whole of Manhattan got some sweet looking color bars.

Having nothing better to do with my Friday night, I decided to hop on TWC's live chat help and see if they could rectify the situation. Needless to say, I did not have high hopes. After waiting in a queue for the entire first period, this is what transpired. Names have been changed (barely) to protect the innocent (also barely).

User Craig has entered room
We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.
We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.
Analyst Andrea has entered room

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:46:06 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Andrea * [last initial withheld]. Please give me a moment while I access your account.

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:46:37 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Hello Mr. Stone.
I understand that you have a feedback.
I will be happy to help you in the best way possible.

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:47:32 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Hi. I was hoping to watch the New Jersey Devils game but MSG Plus 2 is not turned on.
This happened last week too. It's ridiculous.

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:49:01 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Thank you for the information, please allow me a moment.

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:50:50 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Mr. Stone, please click on this link to check all the TV listing: http://tvlistings.timewarnercable.com/tvListings/

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:51:28 GMT-0400 (EST))>
That doesn't tell me anything about anything.
it just says "Local Sports" on channel 198

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:51:43 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Did you check channel 435?
It is against Colorado Avalanche?

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:52:29 GMT-0400 (EST))>
yes but that's the NHL Center Ice package which is blacked out because the Devils are a local team

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:54:42 GMT-0400 (EST))>
Could you please provide me your account number to check if everything is normal with the NHL Center Ice package?

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:55:30 GMT-0400 (EST))>
The problem isn't with the center ice package. They always blackout Devils, Rangers and Islanders games because those teams are shown on local stations
well, they're supposed to be, assuming TWC turns on the station ... which never happens on time

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:58:32 GMT-0400 (EST))>
I do apologize for the inconvenience.
I have checked our reports and I noticed that channel 198 is experiencing an outage.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for this inconvenience.

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:21 GMT-0400 (EST))>
OK thanks.

Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:28 GMT-0400 (EST))>
You are welcome!
Is there anything else I can help you with?

Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:54 GMT-0400 (EST))>
no that's it.

I really hate being a dick to customer service people, but honestly I think I showed admirable restraint here. I do think Andrea was just doing her job and probably isn't connected to this problem in any way, but it's bullshit that Time Warner Cable is so inept that it can't even manage to make sure a channel is turned on in time for a game.

Luckily I only missed the first 5 minutes of the Caps game last week. As of 8:15 tonight MSG Plus 2 is still color bars...

Miguel Tejada facts

2010-04-18T21:24:00.007-04:00

So for some reason, I thought it would be funny to do a "Miguel Tejada" facts that is like the incomparable Matt Wieters Facts, but instead of great feats of baseball prowess and inhuman strength, they would be amazing ways to screw over a team.

A quick disclaimer: I don't have anything against Miggi and I certainly don't blame him for the 2-11 start to the season, I just think this is an opportunity to be somewhat funny. (Or at least I try.)

So here are some early attempts. Please feel free to add more to the comments.

Fact #1: Miguel Tejada once led off an inning by grounding into a double play.

Fact #2: Miguel Tejada has actually grounded into a quadruple play. The Orioles had to start their next turn at bat with one out.

Fact #3: Miguel Tejada's allegedly tainted vitamin B12 shots are just a placebo. While researchers have noted a placebo effect, that effect is a positive steroids test.

Fact #4: Coaches measure Miguel Tejada's speed from home to first base using a sundial. Unless it's a routine pop-up. Then they use orbits of Haley's Comet.

Fact #5: The only time Miguel Tejada hits Eutaw Street is when he's getting a sandwich at Boog's.

Fact #6: In 2007, Miguel Tejada was within 1,500 games of Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak. After having his streak snapped just 1,480 games shy of the record, Tejada has set out to beat Cal's other incredible record: 350 GIDPs. That's not even remotely funny, just depressingly accurate.

Terrible, right? I'll try harder next time.

Pre-playoff GTalk conversation...

2010-04-13T13:12:00.003-04:00

Abram Fox: word is that Ovechkin and Backstrom are hurt, Ovechkin is definitely in on Thursday and Backstrom is questionable
so, that is bad

me: I will quote Aqua Teen Hunger Force
from the epic "Foreigner Belt" episode

Abram: haha
love that episode

me:
"WHO SET THIS TO 'HEAD GAMES'!??!?!"

WaPo piece on Langway's daughter doesn't sit right

2009-12-04T11:50:00.009-05:00

My brother sent me an e-mail today with a link to Mark Giannotto's Washington Post article on Rod Langway's estranged daughter. I skimmed it when it came out last week, but once my brother asked for my opinion I decided to read the whole thing.

In the interest of full disclosure, I've been a Capitals fan since the Langway days. But I'm also a journalism professor so I would hope my fan status isn't completely shading my views here.

My issue with the article isn't really that it paints Rod Langway in a bad light, it's that there's no real story there to begin with. Well, maybe there is, but Giannotto doesn't find it. The "how" and "why" of the story are afterthoughts so it ends up just being venting space for a 16-year-old girl.

This, to me, was the whole story:

Langway and his wife, Teresa, say they have tried numerous times to bridge the gap between Hannah and her father, but that Sasscer refused to let Teresa be around Hannah, a stipulation Langway would not agree to.

"It hurt Rod and I couldn't even show him how much it hurt me," Teresa Langway said. "It's just a tragedy for Hannah. Everybody would have welcomed Hannah. We all would have loved her. We waited for years and years."

The Sasscers dispute this assertion. Sasscer said she is willing to allow Teresa to meet Hannah without her being present.

And? Expand on that. Is there some bitter tension there? Does Sasscer say "That's ridiculous I've invited Rod and Teresa to dinner numerous times?" What was Sasscer's reaction to Teresa Langway's "we all would have loved her" statement? We'll never know.

Those three short paragraphs are the entire "why" and "how," and they were buried on page three of a five page piece.

I'd be fine with the article if its focus was the conflict between Langway and mother Sasscer, even though it'd be a bit smutty. I'd also be fine if it was a personal profile of the girl or a story of her perseverance despite her family situation, but they glossed over both of those things, too. So really, what's the article about? Langway has an estranged daughter and she hates him. That's it. Is that really deserving of being in The Washington Post?

When you think of it that way...

2009-06-22T13:37:00.006-04:00

I was reading this Bill Simmons column on the "purest" era of baseball, and while his thoughts were arbitrary, somewhat conflicting and based on little of anything that would make sense to any real baseball fan, it got me thinking.

Maybe the whole idea of purity in baseball is moot. Maybe we don't want purity in baseball.

Part of what makes baseball so great is the ridiculousness of the players. Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden almost ruining their careers with over-the-top partying, Graig Nettles "juicing" his bat with 6 superballs, Jason Grimsley crawling through an air vent to the umpires locker to swap out Albert Belle's confiscated corked bat. That kind of stuff is awesome.

It's like a bad episode of Salute Your Shorts over and over again. Except with everyone making millions of dollars and occasionally taking a break from off-the-wall camper antics to play a baseball game.

(See more crazy ways to cheat here.)

You can't tell me that every time a bat splits down the middle like it was struck by lightning that you don't honestly hope to see cork inside it.

And given the history of cheating that's surrounded the national pastime, maybe we shouldn't be in such shock and awe that the most recent generation of players has pumped themselves full of more steroids than farm cattle. Is that really any worse than swinging by the Dollar Tree, stocking up on rubber bouncy balls and stuffing them in your Louisville Slugger? It's certainly not as FUNNY, but when that's the precedent maybe it's only natural that the players have veered closer and closer to a look that's straight out of WWE. After all, weren't the rainbow metallic Ric Flair and Hulkamaniac stickers in the 25-cent vending machine right next to the Super Balls?

Hershey Bears pull my all-time hockey pet peeve

2009-06-10T13:02:00.004-04:00

In last night's Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals, the Hershey Bears lost 3-2 to the Manitoba Moose. The Bears still hold a 3-2 series lead, but they'll have to win one of two in Winnipeg if they are going to hoist their 10th Calder Cup.

The thing about this game that really irks me is the way the score got to 3-2.

The Moose led 2-1 late in the game, and the Bears pulled goalie Michal Neuvirth with about a minute and a half left to play. Manitoba scored almost immediately, making it 3-1 with 1:21 left. Game over. That's it. You've just shortened the game by 81 seconds.

Bears defenseman John Carlson added a goal with 31 seconds left to make it 3-2, but it was meaningless at that point.

This situation is the perfect example of why I am so against pulling the goalie -- or at least pulling the goalie until it's truly a last ditch effort.

I'm not saying Carlson's goal ties it if they don't pull Neuvirth, because there's no telling how the events really would have unfolded if the Moose don't score that 3rd goal. In all likelihood, it would have just ended 2-1 instead of 3-2. But you give yourself a much better chance of tying the score if you don't allow the game to basically be cut 81 seconds short.

Down one goal late in the game, time was the Bears' most precious resource, and they gave a bunch of it away.

I get that pulling the goalie gives you the best chance to score a goal, but it also gives the other team a FAR better chance to score and all but end the game. Given the odds that the other team pots one in your yawning net, pulling the goalie should really be a last resort. With 1:30 left in a one-goal game, is it really last resort time yet? There's plenty of time to generate a few good chances 5-on-5 in that span.

I wish some NHL coach would just say, "You know what? I'm never going to pull the goalie for the extra attacker." Just to see how his team's comebacks in the final 90 seconds stack up against other teams.

I'd be willing to bet he'd fare better than teams that pull the goalie all the time, because for every game a team ties with their goalie pulled, there are probably at least five where they get scored on with 30+ seconds left on the clock, killing any comeback hopes.

The cons just outweigh the pros when it comes to pulling the goalie when down one goal.

Now why won't anyone believe me?

Cause for concern? Wieters batting .143 through 6 games

2009-06-04T11:35:00.004-04:00

So the hype has died down as the Orioles travel the West Coast, and with the dust settling one might be wondering if all the expectations on rookie catcher Matt Wieters were a little outlandish.

Through six games, Wieters is 3-for-21 with 1 walk, 1 run, 0 RBIs and 5 strikeouts. He has managed a double and a triple (in the same game), but that's still only good enough for a .143 average, .182 on-base percentage and .468 OPS. Not exactly Hall-worthy just yet.

But to be fair, Nick Markakis was hitting .182 a MONTH into his rookie campaign in 2006 before raking his way up to a .291 average at season's end. And since then, Markakis has become the second best player in the Majors, only trailing Matt Wieters.

So don't pack up your Matt Wieters Facts t-shirts just yet. There's no reason to think that he's just another Billy Rowell, Jeff Fiorentino, Adam Loewen, Val Majewski, Mike Fontenot, Beau Hale, Tripper Johnson, Mike Paradis, Larry Bigbie, Keith Reed, Chris Richard, Mamon Tucker, Darnell McDonald, Sean Douglass, Matt Riley, Eugene Kingsale, Ivanon Coffey, Alex Ochoa, Jayson Werth, Rick Krivda, Rocky Coppinger, Ryan Minor......

Turning My Attention to D.C. United

2009-05-16T01:41:00.004-04:00

What, you thought losing baseball was more interesting than the MLS Eastern Conference top seed? You're wrong. Sorry you had to find out this way.

D.C. looks to add to their already crowded trophy case by qualifying into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. They won the Cup last year, a highlight in an otherwise disappointing season, and now they're looking for a repeat. Unfortunately there's no automatic bid for last year's champion, so D.C. is working to play their way in.

United faces off against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday (May 20), and the winner is in the tournament. I'll be there covering the game and if the press box's wireless allows I'll have twitter updates at http://www.twitter.com/beltwaysports

DC Sports Box: Game 7 recap

2009-05-14T10:23:00.003-04:00

It was a tough game to watch, and I can assure you it was an equally tough recap to write. The Caps got outplayed in every facet (except goaltending until Wednesday) for much of the series, and that's why they're heading to the offseason and the Penguins are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight year. And all I keep thinking is, "I can't believe that same Capitals vs. Penguins playoff script played out again." My recap is at DC Sports Box:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington may have been a city in denial for much of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, the Capitals were getting outshot in every game and outworked in most, and they never seemed to be able to put together a full 60 minutes of solid effort, but somehow they had found a way to get to a Game Seven on home ice.

At worst, it seemed, Game Seven provided a coin flip: even odds that the Caps could come away with one more win and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in franchise history. After all, the series had been unbelievably close on the scoreboard for six games. Three of those games required overtime, and the Penguins were outscoring the Caps in the series by only one goal.

But those watching every game must have known, even if they didn't want to admit, that the Penguins were controlling too much of the play, putting too many shots on net and drawing too many penalties. Over the first six games, the Penguins outshot the Caps by 66 and had 11 more power plays, both signs that Pittsburgh was dictating the play even though the results weren't making that obvious.

In Wednesday night's Game Seven, the results did make that obvious.

Read the rest (with lots of depressing player quotes) at DCSportsBox.com.

Caps-Penguins Game 3 Recap...

2009-05-07T11:50:00.002-04:00

Not that you want to read more about that game, but my article is up at DC Sports Box:

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov stopped shots from every angle imaginable to keep his team in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night, but it was a deflection off his own player in overtime that did the Caps in.

Varlamov had already stopped 39 of 41 Penguins shots through 60 minutes of regulation and 11-plus of overtime when Pittsburgh won an offensive zone faceoff back to the blue line and defenseman Kris Letang fired a slap shot on net. The puck deflected off of Caps defender Shaone Morrisonn's leg, came up and clipped Varlamov's left side before finding its way just inside the goal post, sending the white-clad Pittsburgh crowd into a relieved frenzy knowing the Penguins had avoided falling into a near-insurmountable 3-0 hole in the series.

Instead, Pittsburgh now trails 2-1 and has the opportunity to knot the series up on Friday night with another home game.

Read the rest at DCSportsBox.com.

Recap: Caps vs. Penguins Game 2

2009-05-05T10:16:00.009-04:00

My recap of Capitals-Penguins Game 2 is up at DC Sports Box.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For anyone who was concerned that the Alex Ovechkin versus Sidney Crosby matchup in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series couldn't possibly live up to the hype and anticipation: You've been served notice.

Both young superstars scored hat tricks in Monday night's Game Two between the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, but only Washington could claim victory. With a 4-3 win, the Caps will take a 2-0 series lead to Pittsburgh for Games Three and Four.

"It was a battle of the two best players in the league tonight," Caps defenseman Mike Green said in the locker room after the game. "Sidney [Crosby] played outstanding. It's incredible how good he is around the net and ... he was carrying his team, but tonight we had the top gun."

Read the rest at DCSportsBox.com.

Beltway Sports Beat is on Twitter

2009-05-02T11:46:00.003-04:00

That's right, kids! I'm only a year late to the party.

Follow me: BeltwaySports

You can also see my last five tweets in the widget on the right side of this blog.

Caps-Penguins Previews: Article and Podcast

2009-05-01T14:04:00.004-04:00

The preview that my fellow DC Sports Box beat writers and I wrote for the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Caps and Penguins is now available online. Check it out here.

I think we have some interesting stuff on Ovechkin vs. Crosby, some of the matchups that AREN'T Ovechkin vs. Crosby, and the goaltending for both teams.

Once you're done with that, click over to the preview podcast. We've set an important standard with this one: that we're not going to re-record a whole podcast just because we keep flubbing Simeon Varlamov's name. That's right, my co-host, Abram Fox, and I are willing to make sacrifices. Namely, sacrificing quality for our own sanity.

Enjoy.

Some thoughts after Game Seven

2009-04-29T10:03:00.003-04:00

First of all, you can read my recap for DC Sports Box here.

But here's some things that couldn't go in the legit piece:

I was 14 the last time the Capitals won a playoff series. A freshman in high school. That seems like a long, long time ago.

I was hoping the self-proclaimed Maven, Stan Fischler, would come out and say, "Wow we must not be all that good, because I spent the last two weeks saying how weak the Caps were and now we lost to them. Sorry!" But no...

Simeon Varlamov (Semyon next year?) tripped a little bit going out the door from the bench to the ice before the third period. I thought that was a bad sign, and remembered that when I was a goalie in high school and college hockey I would always get embarrassed when something stupid like that would happen and inevitably give up a weak goal. I guess that's why I'm clinging to memories of an adult league roller hockey championship and he's a 21-year-old dominating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Text message from my friend Will right after the game: "Best 4 mil ever"

Is it odd that the only people I wanted to gloat to were the Caps fans who, after Games Two and Four, were saying things like, "Stick a fork in us, we are done."

When we found out about the Hurricanes' amazing comeback on the Devils, I was in the makeshift press room on the Wizards practice court sitting right next to "Puck Daddy" Greg Wyshynski, who is a Devils fan. Even in the celebratory atmosphere of Verizon Center I felt bad for the guy. Maybe because we've all been there at some point, but also probably because I have a soft spot for the Devils since my brother grew up a fan (he's since converted to the most exciting team in the NHL). That feeling vanished when I remembered that the Devils have been around eight less years than the Caps, yet they've been to six Eastern Conference Finals, four Stanley Cup Finals and have won three Cups. (The Caps, of course, are at 2, 1, 0 in those categories.) Also, let it be known that with the Devils up 3-2 with six minutes left, Wyshynski said something to the effect of, "Great, that just means Marty will give up another freaking goal with .2 seconds left." Ouch.

The end of the Devils-'Canes game wasn't shown on Versus in our area. I really want to find someone who was in the arena to confirm that Carolina's 3rd and 4th goals DID actually happen. Until I have this confirmation, a small part of me will always believe that the NHL made a call to the Prudential Center after the Caps won, and that there are 17,625 people wandering around North Jersey in a haze confused as to why all of a sudden the scoreboard clicked from a 3-2 Devils lead to a 4-3 Devils loss without anything happening on the ice.

My first reaction on finding out the Caps are playing the Penguins in the second round: "I don't think I have enough hate left in my body for a Pittsburgh series."

My second reaction: "NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT READ INTERNET COMMENTS DURING CAPS-PENGUINS SERIES"

Bruce Boudreau: "Welcome to the circus."

Why even play the games?

2009-04-16T11:42:00.019-04:00

It's over. Read it and weep.
(h/t to Japers' Rink)

Clearly, the Capitals are "paper tigers" who can't hack it in postseason play.

Don't question it. This guy can't be wrong.

Just as clearly, Alex Ovechkin is staking his claim as the Alex Rodriguez of hockey. Sure, he's great at putting up gaudy numbers, but he's as un-clutch as they come. I know he led the league with 24 third-period goals, but he also led the league in empty-netters, and those five gimmes with the net yawning more than negate his 10 GWGs.

And boy did he have a major letdown last night. Just ask Mr. Fischler. Alex the not-so-Great got over 26 minutes of ice time and all he could manage were two lousy assists, 13 shots on goal and six hits? Weeeeeeeeeaaakkkkk. This clown'll never hoist a Cup if one of the league's best defenses can make him such a complete non-factor.

The scariest part is that the Rangers did all this without Chris Drury in the lineup. When Drury comes back, there's no way the Caps are ever within one goal of the Rangers, save for the opening faceoff. I mean, this guy put up almost identical numbers to BROOKS LAICH (except at the bank, where Drury destroyed Laich by $5 million this season). Can you imagine the Capitals even bothering to take the ice if Brooks Laich was out with an injury? No you cannot. Because they'd never do it. Good thing Laich has been healthy enough to participate in every game of '08-'09. But that's just proof of how tough this Rangers team is.

Meanwhile, Rangers head coach John Tortorella is working some serious wizardry behind the bench, making Bruce Boudreau's game plan look like a little kid's drawings on the paper table cloths at Rocky Run. MISMATCH. We're talking about the winningest American-born coach in history. A veteran with a stellar .517 points percentage for his career. How could greenhorn Boudreau ever have hoped to compete with those kinds of credentials? (Boudreau's .661 points percentage honestly doesn't mean jack because of the small sample size.)

I know Wednesday night was just one game, but it's a microcosm -- a 60-minute example of all that has gone wrong and is destined to once again go wrong for Washington's hockey team.

Stick a fork in this series, it's done. Sorry we had to find out this way.

Caps-Rangers Series Preview: Multimedia Style

2009-04-15T10:37:00.003-04:00

My fellow DC Sports Box Capitals beat reporters have collaborated to do some serious previewing of the Capitals-Rangers first round playoff series that starts tonight.

The article is here as a set of mini-articles by myself, David Nichols and Abram Fox.

I covered the offense, defense and special teams numbers, David covered the goaltenders and Abram took on the player matchups, including Sean Avery vs. the Caps' young guns.

Once you're done reading that, load this up and listen to almost 33 minutes of me and Abram talking about the series and what we expect to see.

Or you can search for DCSportsBox in the podcast directory on iTunes and subscribe so you'll never miss another episode.

ESPN has no idea how the NHL Draft Lottery works

2009-04-14T14:52:00.006-04:00

Either the people who run ESPN.com's Streak for the Cash have absolutely no clue how the NHL Draft Lottery works, or they wanted to give everyone a "freebie" today.

When trying to figure out which match-up to pick to extend my amazing streak (currently at 1 consecutive correct picks), I came across a very strange option:

SftC also provides a handy link to this explanation of how the NHL Draft Lottery works, which they apparently failed to read.

The Islanders have a 25 percent chance of being selected in the lottery, the Avalanche have a 14.2 percent chance, and the Thrashers have a 10.7 percent chance.

That adds up to 49.9 percent. Pretty much dead even, right?

Wrong. Because the question isn't which team will get selected in the lottery, it's which team will get the #1 pick. And there's a big difference.

Below the list of percentages on the link that SftC proviedes, the NHL explains that a team can only move up four spots in the draft order. That means that only the worst five teams in the NHL this season (Islanders, Lightning, Avalanche, Thrashers and Kings) have a shot at getting the #1 pick, while the other nine non-playoff teams can still have their name drawn but would only move up four spots.

So even though the Islanders only have a 25 percent chance of having their name drawn in the lottery, they still have a 48.2 percent chance of getting the #1 pick because if the Coyotes, Maple Leafs, Stars, Senators, Oilers, Predators, Wild, Sabres or Panthers have their name drawn (combined chances: 23.2 percent), they will not move ahead of the Isles and the Isles will still get the top choice in the draft.

So the prop really should have been "Who will get the #1 pick in the draft: The Islanders OR Any other team." Or it could have been, "Who will be SELECTED in the NHL Draft Lottery: Islanders/Avalanche/Thrashers OR Any other team."

As is, the odds of one of the three teams they listed getting the #1 pick is a whopping 73.1 percent. The only teams they didn't list that COULD get the #1 pick are the Lightning (18.8 percent) and the Kings (8.1 percent).

Apparently the Streak for the Cash players don't have the same reading comprehension issues, as almost 98 percent of them have picked the Isles/Avs/Thrashers option. Now watch the Lightning get picked and screw everyone over.

:-|

2009-04-08T14:10:00.007-04:00

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/04/stan_kasten_sings_a_hymn_to_ph.html

Go read that. Then the title of this blog post will make sense.

Basically, Nationals President Stan Kasten went on Philadelphia sports talk radio and wooed the hell out of Philadelphia fans, all but begging them to make the three hour trip down I-95 to root against the team he runs.

Here's a quick excerpt if you're lazy:

"Hey, you've got an opening day hat!" Kasten said, when asked about any giveaways on Monday. "It's a Nats hat, which is ok, but we do feature for sale many Philly hats in our store, so come on by."

Good gracious me on the tombstone of Walter Johnson, really? You're going to say that on Philadelphia airwaves? "We do feature for sale many Philly hats in our store?" That's not being tone-deaf, that's deliberately going out of your way to play everything in E-flat when you're living in a D-major city. I'm trying to think of a more blasphemous thing a D.C. sports executive could say. Yup, still trying.

That's not all of it. That's not even close. You really need to read Steinberg's post at the Bog.

I think Bog commenter JDB1 sums it up best:

wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtfw

At best I carry a passive interest in the Nationals, but as a Caps fan who has endured a LOT of "fan takeovers" and, fresher in memory, an Orioles fan who has been verbally accosted by drunken moron Red Sox fans yelling about Fenway South, this has got to cut deep.

For non-Nats fans, let me try to make this relate:

Could you imagine if George McPhee went on ESPN Radio 1250 in Pittsburgh and said the Caps would be selling MALSBY jerseys at FanGear in Verizon Center?

Or if Andy MacPhail went on WEEI in Boston and said, "Yeah it's T-Shirt Tuesday so everyone'll get a bright orange shirt, but don't trip ... we's got mad pink hats in the Orioles Store, yo!"

Image from espn.go.com

(Don't ask why imaginary Radio MacPhail speaks in broken '70s jive.)

You get where I'm coming from. This. Is. IN. SANE.

Sure, Stan. You can secretly hope that the Phillie Phanatics show up in droves just to fill your coffers, but don't send them a "save the date," a written invite AND provide the goodie bags.

WTF, indeed.

Not sure why I thought of this just now...

2009-02-26T21:12:00.002-05:00

But if the Capitals were to ever, for some odd reason, end up with current Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, I'm changing the name of this blog to "Two Minutes for AndrewFerence."

Get it? Two minutes for interference... interference/AndrewFerence???

Yeah. Sorry. It won't happen again.

Ouch. ESPN takes a jab at the Terps

2009-02-03T13:48:00.003-05:00

Trying to get my impressive "Streak for the Cash" run up to two consecutive successful picks, I was perusing the options for tonight's action at ESPN.com and found one item particularly amusing/sad.

That's scrunched to fit, but what you're being asked to pick is which total will be greater: UNC's margin of victory or Greivis Vasquez' total of points PLUS assists. ESPN was so giddy about this hilarious option that they named it the "Progressive Matchup of the Day." So ... I guess that's something to be proud of, Terps fans.

The Streakers for the Cash (that sounds bad) are overwhelmingly liking Greivis' chances on this one, as right now just a hair over 75 percent of the players who picked in that matchup went with the feisty Venezuelan. But are they right to do so?

At first it seems like a pretty big slap in the face that this is an option at all, but then you consider that Greivis is averaging 16 and 5, AND that the Heels are laying 21.5 points to the Terps. And that's before you look at this miserable box score and realize that if they had run the same matchup in the Maryland-Duke game just 10 days ago, Maryland's point guard would have fallen juuuust short ... by 36.

Do I think the Terps lose by 41 tonight? No. And honestly if I was going to bet on this game (which I highly advise against) I'd take the Terps to beat the spread. But even if they DO beat the spread it could still be hard for Vasquez to put up the numbers required to get him the win in this made-up matchup.

As for my Streak for the Cash, tonight I'm taking the well-rested and red hot Dallas Stars to beat the Northwest-leading Calgary Flames, who will be playing on the road for the second night in a row and could be resting starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. (Although you should probably never assume Kipper is taking a night off. He's started 46 of Calgary's 49 games this season and he's played more than 90 percent of the team's games since the start of the 2005-2006 season.)

A rare Wizards post

2009-02-02T20:37:00.002-05:00

Every time I watch the Wizards I think, "Man, they really need to get Darius Songaila more playing time. That guy's always making things happen." Then Steve Buckhantz reminds me that he has four fouls in just 10 minutes.

Do Caps fans need to lighten up?

2009-02-02T12:53:00.006-05:00

I just finished watching this video, as posted on Tarik El-Bashir's Capitals Insider blog on Washington Post:

And, naturally, it was followed by about three dozen comments from pissed off Capitals fans saying that Mike Wise is a jackhole and if he's going to be the one giving D.C.'s best team a spotlight, no thanks, we're happy over here in the dark.

Are people really taking this literally? Are we just so out of our element to have a Caps team legitimately contending that we can't let it happen without having something to bitch about? Clearly it's a spoof piece. The Caps are finally getting decent coverage in the Post and he's picking at something that we've whined about for years. That's funny. At least a few of the commenters got it.

So lighten up. Watch the video, have a good laugh, and enjoy that the Caps are finally deserving of some extra coverage.

By the way, I'm not fixing that.

Caps fans <3 the Steelers? No.

2009-02-01T13:06:00.005-05:00

I was watching Joe B.'s intro to the Caps-Senators game today on Comcast SportsNet and saw this sign:

Don't speak for me, little kids. Thanks.

Penguins or Steelers, doesn't matter. Real Caps fans hate Pittsburgh. Rock the red tonight. Go Cards!

Hell. Yes.

2009-01-18T14:19:00.003-05:00

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Steelers blog, Blog 'n' Gold, a reader sent this info:

"Many B'more local bars are posting signs saying no Steelers fans allowed for the game. ... Not the most gracious of hosts....

Awesome.

I'm heading to Canton later today to take in the game and I can only hope this rumor is true, but I'm not totally sold. Baltimore's bars have a reputation of being all too hospitable to the opposition, especially when the Yankees and Red Sox are in town. The Baltimore Sun published an article (that I'm too lazy to look up) about this trend, and I was at one Orioles game when the Red Sox were in town last season and the CAMDEN Pub, of all places, was hosting a Boston College alumni event and was chock full of pink Boston hats and stupid VARITEK jerseys with the hockey captain's C on the front and the erroneously-displayed name on the back. But that's a topic for another day.

Here's hoping for a Steelers-fan-free evening at Lager's.

Disappointing sight at tonight's Caps game

2009-01-17T18:06:00.004-05:00

I'm covering the Caps-Bruins game tonight for DC Sports Box, and sitting in the press box I see a woman who, by all apparent measures, is rooting for the Capitals tonight, yet she wore a Pittsburgh Steelers ROETHLISBERGER jersey to the game.

Maybe (likely) I'm oversensitive about this stuff, but why are you wearing Pittsburgh's black and gold to a game against the BRUINS. Ignoring the fact that you're wearing a football jersey to a hockey game, AND that the jersey represents neither city involved in the game ... you're supposed to be rocking the red, not pimping the opposition's colors just because one of your other teams has a game tomorrow. Ridiculous.

P.S. we hate Pittsburgh in the Verizon Center. Your Steelers jersey implies Penguin allegiances that just cannot be tolerated in our building.

Dreading a possible All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl

2009-01-16T15:48:00.003-05:00

I've read a few blogs and columns talking about how awesome the looming "All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl" would be, but ignoring my obvious Ravens fan bias, who would it really be that great for?

Remember the Subway Series in 2000? Yeah. That crap sucked for everyone outside of the tri-state area. This would be no different.

The only people pumped for a Keystone State showdown in Super Bowl XLIII are the 6 million people who live in the Philly metro area, the 12 people who live in Pittsburgh, and the 15 million people who USED to live in Pittsburgh but now live in real cities across the country while still harping on and on about good ol' Western PA and making every sports bar in the country a wasteland of missing teeth, awful accents and black-and-gold-and-buffalo-wing-sauce-covered beer bellies on Sundays.

No thanks.

Dumbest Looking Mascot in Sports Gets Busted for DUI

2008-12-05T12:09:00.007-05:00

Image from msn.foxsports.com

Penn State has suspended James Sheep, who dresses up in a bear suit every Saturday and claims to be a "Nittany Lion," after Sheep was charged with DUI when he was pulled over on campus at 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 22.

Read more at Fox Sports.

I think they're missing the real story here: That's the dumbest looking mascot in sports.

I'm left with so many questions...

How have I not noticed this before??

Can you blame the guy for needing some of Grandpa's Pennsyltucky Cough Medicine before putting on that dopey thing?

Did someone's mom make it? Packed up the Dodge Caravan and headed to Michael's to grab the supplies?

The only thing it's missing are googly eyes. It looks like a cheap halloween costume or something for a third grade performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. And come on! Give the guy a scarf or something to cover up the ridiculous neck opening. Wait! He does have a scarf! COMING RIGHT OUT OF HIS CREEPY NECK HOLE!

Since I had so many questions, I went on a quest for answers. From Wikipedia, king of all primary sources:

"The mascot was the creation of Penn State senior H. D. "Joe" Mason in 1907. While on a 1904 trip to Princeton University, Mason had been embarrassed that Penn State did not have a mascot."

Thanks, "Joe." Now you can be embarrassed that you do have a mascot. And it's been traumatizing small children for 101 years.

Whoops.

2008-12-05T10:17:00.004-05:00

I was covering the Caps game last night and had this SMS text exchange with a friend:

Me: They showed 2 Redskins on the screen and they got booed loudly. I'm not a fan but I'd have enough respect not to boo them in a Washington bldg. Thats s***y IMO.

Him: They were saying smoooooooooooooot for fred smoot.

Me: Hahahahahahah I am a moron.

Yeah. Awesome.

Note: The other 'Skins player was Rock Cartwright.

Alexander Semin pretty much thinks Sidney Crosby sucks...

2008-10-31T12:46:00.006-04:00

Greg Wyshynski, who I frequently see in the press box at Verizon Center and have talked to a couple times (NAME DROP NAME DROP NAME DROP ... I'm sure he couldn't pick me out of a one-person lineup) has posted an interview with Alexander Semin, from Russian to English by way of Sovetsky Sport's Dmitry Chesnokov.

And Semin didn't hold back when it came to everyone's favorite flightless fowl.

What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago ... [Kane] is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb.

I think that if you take any player, even if he is "dead wood," and start promoting him, you'll get a star. Especially if he scores 100 points. No one is going to care about anyone else. No one is going to care whether he possesses great skill. Let's say you put someone in front of the net and let him deflect pucks in, and he scored 50 goals; everyone will say "Wow!" and then hand him a $10 million per year contract. That's what they like here.

Yeah that's also a pretty nice swipe at North American hockey and the NHL in general, but I think us Washingtonians are willing to look past that and commend Sasha Semin for throwing some message board signature material our way.

Read the full interview here. It's worth it.

Capitals 2008-2009 Season Preview: Multimedia Style

2008-10-08T11:28:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure if this is the world's longest Capitals season preview or not, but at over 2,500 words AND a 25-minute podcast to boot, I think Abram Fox and I really came through with a thorough look at the Caps upcoming season for DC Sports Box.

Most of the message board posters and stat geeks and people trawling the Web all day for new Caps info aren't going to learn a whole lot, but there's plenty of info for the casual hockey fan or someone not really familiar with the Caps. And the podcast includes more opinion and even some predictions for the season.

Check out the preview article here:
Capitals Season Preview: High Expectations for '08-'09

And listen to the podcast here:
2008-2009 Season Preview podcast

Bruce Boudreau Mercedes Commercial

2008-10-07T10:00:00.002-04:00

I'll give him credit in that it's better than the Eddie Jordan commercial (also for American Service Center) where the salesman, who somehow is a worse actor than either Jordan OR Bruce Boudreau, has to sell the Wizards coach on a Benz before the 24-second clock runs out.

For your viewing pleasure:

Is it bad that my first thought was, "We may be getting a little ahead of ourselves..."?

From Ted's Take: Ovechkin on ESPN The Magazine cover

2008-09-24T14:18:00.005-04:00

Caps owner Ted Leonsis uncovered a gem for your hockey-thirsty eyes. It's Alex Ovechkin in an election-themed shot on the cover of the Oct. 6 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

I don't want to take eyes away from his blog by posting the image here (pissing off the owner of a franchise that you cover ... probably not a good idea), but let me just say it's definitely worth a click.

I especially like the teaser: "One man's plan to make Washington great again." We can save the debate over whether not the "again" part is warranted for a later date...

Check it out.

And BRING ON HOCKEY SEASON!!!

Wacko for ... Lorenzo Neal?

2008-09-22T12:27:00.008-04:00

Today I was looking over the damage from the weekend and trying to figure out why my fantasy football team is so freaking awful despite having the "advantage" of the first overall pick in the draft, and also trying to figure out just what it was that made the Ravens offense better than the sputtering catastrophe that it's been since Trent Dilfer was unceremoniously let go.

There's the obvious answers for the Ravens -- Cam Cameron's injection of flavor into the formerly vanilla Ravens offense, Le'Ron McClain pounding the ball up the middle, and Joe Flacco playing serviceable if unspectacular football -- but I don't think that's the whole story. And there's no way to use those to explain why my fantasy football team is the Tom Brady-less Patriots to everyone else's Ronnie Brown-led Dolphins.

But I think I have found the connection. Allow me to explain.

With the first pick in my fantasy football draft, I took LaDainian "no-brainer first pick" Tomlinson. LT has gone on to earn me a whopping 15.2 fantasy points, good for 53rd among running backs. That means there are AT LEAST 20 BACKUP RUNNING BACKS who are putting up better fantasy stats than LT.

Sure, Tomlinson's fall-off can easily be explained away by the nagging toe injury that has him questionable for tonight's game against the New York Bretts, but I think that's looking at it too one-dimensionally.

What's the bigger reason for the Ravens hot start, Tomlinson's ultimate suckitude AND the demise of my fantasy football team? Lorenzo Neal.

Think about it: Which loss do you think hurts LT more? A toe is tiny. Lorenzo Neal weighs 255 pounds (476 when he was carrying Tomlinson's sorry self).

Neal has blocked for 1,000-yard rushers in 11 consecutive seasons: Adrian Murrell with the Jets (prior to the name change) in 1997, Warrick Dunn with the Bucs in '98, Eddie George with the Titans in '99 and 2000, Corey Dillon with the Bengals in '01 and '02 and Tomlinson with the Chargers from '03 to '07.

Without Neal, Tomlinson has been as useless as a toothbrush at a Steelers tailgate.

Meanwhile, Le'Ron McClain is on pace to rush for over 1,200 yards this year.

Le'Ron.

McClain.

The guy was the 137th overall pick in the 2007 draft. If he rushes for 18 more yards this season, he'll match his FOUR-YEAR total at Alabama.

You might be saying, "But what about Ray Rice? He ran for almost 5,000 yards in just three years in college. Using your ranking system, why hasn't Baby Ray run for 200 yards a game like he did in college?"

Because Rutgers plays in the baby's-bottom-soft Big East. His 4,926 yards are like 14 in a real conference. Just ask Steve Slaton (wait, what?).

But honestly, while everyone else is Wacko for Flacco, I'm Nuts for Neal. (Boooo.)

Flacco's had the luxury of learning on the job because he can hand the ball off to the NFL's second-ranked run game and the D has been breaking teams' backs.

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron didn't really have to put Flacco to the test against the Browns (19 passing attempts vs. 44 running plays) because the Ravens were able to jam it up the middle behind Neal's blocks and it didn't matter who was carrying the ball (McClain, Rice and Willis McGahee were all right around four yards per carry).

Neal and company will have their work cut out for them when they visit the Steelers and their second-ranked run defense in Week 4.

Killing your Joe Flacco buzz

2008-09-08T10:36:00.006-04:00

Sorry, but I had to do this:

Kyle Boller's rookie-year per-game averages (2003):

QBRat	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD
62.4	10.54	20.36	51.8	114.54	5.6	0.82

Joe Flacco's first game (Sept. 7, 2008):

QBRat	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD
63.7	15	29	51.7	129	4.4	0

Also keep in mind that Boller's stats are divided over 11 games, and in one of those games he only threw one pass and then got hurt. Without that game his averages for completions, attempts and yards per game go up about 10 percent.

Of course, the real difference is in these numbers:
Boller: 1.27 turnovers per game
Flacco: No turnovers

A matchup for the ages

2008-09-03T16:03:00.003-04:00

In today's Orioles-Red Sox game, with the Orioles clearly about to squander a 4-0 lead in the 6th inning with Jamie Walker on the hill, something amazing happened.

Before Boston's center fielder came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and one run already across in the inning, Baltimore Manager "Diamond" Dave Trembley strolled out of the visitors dugout and made a pitching change that created a historic (not an historic) moment ...

That's right. As comically-named Coco Crisp came up to the plate for the Pink-hat Sox, in from the bullpen strolled almost-as-comically-named Rocky Cherry.

I'm just glad I was paying attention to MLB Gameday as the momentous occasion occurred.

Kyle Boller out for the year

2008-09-03T12:23:00.005-04:00

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Kyle Boller will miss the entire 2008 season with a shoulder injury.

Boller's contract is up at the end of the year so this may spell the end of the "Boller Era" -- if you can call it that -- in Baltimore.

With Troy Smith still battling infected tonsils and the only other option being just-signed 36-year-old journey man Todd Bouman, it looks like rookie Joe Flacco's going to get the same "instant starter" treatment that Boller got in 2003. And here's hoping Flacco and his incredible unibrow can put together better numbers than Boller did in his rookie year...

In 11 games in 2003, "Jesus in Cleats" compiled a whopping 62.4 Quarterback Rating while completing 51.8 percent of his passes, averaging 114.5 yards per game, totaling seven TD passes and nine picks.

But here's why I have more faith in Flacco, besides the obvious Rich Gannon/Blue Hen connection:

Adam LaRoche would be proud.

Revisiting the Nats' Quest to Avoid 100 Losses

2008-08-29T09:37:00.005-04:00

Just three days ago I completely wrote off the Nationals' chances of avoiding 100 losses and even declared that they might skid to the finish and drop 110+.

But coming off a sweep of the fading Dodgers, the Nats need just to go 14-14 over the remaining 28 games to finish a triumphant 63-99. Granted, their winning percentage on the year is .366, so to go .500 for a month might be asking a lot.

Let's look at the remaining schedule:

Seven games vs. 59-75 Atlanta
Six vs. 73-61 Philly
Six vs. the 74-60 Mets
Six vs. 68-66 Florida
Three vs. 51-82 San Diego

The 18 games against winning ball clubs don't bode well, but if they can own the Braves and Padres and split with the Marlins, they could still get to magical win number 63.

Countdowns to make you forget about how bad your baseball team is:

1 day until Maryland Football Season Opener (vs. Delaware)
6 days until Redskins Season Opener (@ NY Giants)
9 days until Ravens Season Opener (vs. Cincinnati)*
42 days until Capitals Season Opener (@ Atlanta)
61 days until Wizards Season Opener (vs. New Jersey)
77 days until Maryland Basketball Opener (vs. Bucknell)

*If you're using this to make you feel better about your horrible baseball team, you have issues.

Pop the Champagne

2008-08-28T09:23:00.004-04:00

The O's will NOT lose 100 games this year.

Last night's 11-3 stomping of the White Sox not only avoided a sweep, it also was win number 63 for the Orioles, which guarantees that they will not reach that big round number in losses that was talked about so much in March.

So here's a celebratory video for all of us O's fans:

Tiger Woods y'all. It's all good y'all.

Time to give up the dream

2008-08-26T12:16:00.005-04:00

With 31 games left in the season, the Orioles are 7 games under .500. That means to break the string of 10 straight losing seasons they'd have to go a whopping 19-12 to finish the year.

With 17 of those 31 games coming against teams playing for a playoff spot (2 vs. the White Sox, 3 vs. Boston, 6 vs. Tampa, 3 vs. the Yankees and 3 vs. Minnesota), it's not looking promising.

Meanwhile, the Nationals also have 31 games left and they'd have to go 17-14 to keep from reaching the century mark in losses. That makes me feel kind of bad because I've said for a while (and may have even posted it here) that our local baseball teams couldn't possibly be bad enough to lose 100 games, because that requires a rare kind of awful.

The Rays (101 losses) and Royals (100) both did it in '06, but no National League team has dropped 100 games in a season since the D-Backs lost an impressive 111 in 2004 (the Nats can still match that monumental feat by sputtering to the finish line with a 5-26 mark ... and don't rule it out ... that's well above the pace they've been playing at for the last 16 games), and no NL East team has lost 100+ since the Marlins went 54-108 a decade ago.

Yep. Another baseball season winds up, and our local teams continue to put on quite the depressing show.

In the immortal words of Rob Schneider: "Oh no! We suck again!"

Countdowns to make you feel better:
4 Days until Maryland Football Season Opener (vs. Delaware)
9 Days until Redskins Season Opener (@ NY Giants)
12 Days until Ravens Season Opener (vs. Cincinnati)
45 Days until Capitals Season Opener (@ Atlanta)
64 Days until Wizards Season Opener (vs. New Jersey)

Flat. Breezy.

2008-07-06T20:06:00.004-04:00

So I was poking around Camden Chat today, and I just couldn't help but laugh when I saw this ad for MASN:

That is a flat freakin' bill. Kids in art class could use that in place of a ruler or the side of their history text book. It's INSANE.

Gotta love George Sherrill. Congrats on making the All-Star team.

Orioles Magic

2008-05-15T14:23:00.001-04:00

This video is simply fantastic.

I think my favorite part is in the lower right hand of the screen 1:06 into the video...

As far as I can tell, the six O's in the video are Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Millar, Adam Loewen, Adam Jones, George Sherrill and Dennis Sarfate.

Fire Marv Albert. Again.

2008-05-02T16:53:00.002-04:00

What a complete moron.

Watch this: (Thanks I Probably Hate Your Team.)

Here's the highlights from Marv Albert's idiotic rant:
"And SOGNAILA ... throws a PUNCH ... at James, and he's GONE!"

Really Marv? He didn't even get tossed. Why not? Because it wasn't that bad.

The teams talk trash as teams in heated playoff series do. Reggie Miller describes the play fairly rationally, and then Marv pipes up again.

"And he was NOT ejected. (Replay cues up again.) Now that's a punch. That's an automatic ejection. I don't get that."

To which Reggie says, "I'm not necessarily saying it's a punch..."

Thanks Reggie. It's "not necessarily" a punch in that it wasn't a punch at all. It was the lightest slap in the history of the world, and to anyone watching with Marv turned off (there's a lot of jokes in there, I'm sure), I guarantee it doesn't look nearly as bad as Marv makes it out to be.

The fact that Songaila sits tonight is embarrassing for the NBA, and I honestly think no small part of it has to do with Marv going insane and calling for Songaila to be tossed.

Looking Ahead: Capitals 2008-09 Depth Chart

2008-04-24T09:36:00.012-04:00

Take a look at who the Caps have under contract and who the pending free agents are.

NOTE: These are NOT meant to indicate line combos, just to show who the Caps have under contract.

Forwards:

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Alex Ovechkin	Nicklas Backstrom	Viktor Kozlov
Alexander Semin	Michael Nylander	Chris Clark
Matt Cooke (u)	Sergei Fedorov (u)	Brooks Laich (r)
Donald Brashear	Dave Steckel	Eric Fehr (r)
Quintin Laing	Boyd Gordon (r)	Matt Bradley (u)
		Tomas Fleischmann

Defense:

Shaone Morrisonn (r)	Mike Green (r)
Tom Poti	Milan Jurcina
John Erskine	Steve Eminger (r)
Jeff Schultz	Brian Pothier*

Goalies:

Cristobal Huet (u)

Olie Kolzig (u)

Brent Johnson

Key:
(u) = Unrestricted Free Agent if not signed by July 1, 2008
(r) = Restricted Free Agent if not signed by July 1, 2008
*Pothier is still dealing with lingering effects from a concussion he sustained earlier this year, and there's no guarantee that he will play next season and his career could be in jeopardy.

In the system but possibly close:
Sami Lepisto - D (Hershey)
Chris Bourque - LW (Hershey)

Recent Draft Choices Not Yet in the Minors, but could fight for spots:
Karl Alzner - D (Calgary, WHL)
Joe Finley - D (North Dakota, NCAA)
Oskar Osala - LW (Espoo, Finland)

See a full list of potential NHL free agents here.

See just how long everyone is signed, and for how much, here.

Who do you keep? There are some tough decisions to be made, especially at right wing and center (keep in mind, Laich and Kozlov can also play center). Also, notice the three restricted free agents on defense, including what has been their top D-pairing this season.

But maybe more of a problem than who they don't have signed is who they DO have signed... Fleischmann is on for two more years. Erskine and Schultz are definitely here for another year. Not saying they should be out, but Jurcina and Brashear are here for another year as well. If they weren't already signed, those are guys the Caps might consider replacing with upgrades on the free agent market. Those guys could also be taking a spot from someone the Caps already have that they might want to re-sign (Fedorov, Cooke, Bradley), or they might be blocking a prospect who shines in next year's camp.

So as much as the Caps might want to go out and nab a bruising, physical defender, they may not really have the option without having to pay someone NHL money to play in the AHL, or just flat out paying them to leave.

And on that topic, one name you didn't see on that list was Ben Clymer, who played all year in Hershey this season but still has another year on his deal that will count about $1 million toward the salary cap.

GM George McPhee has got some tough decisions to make in the next two months...

It's Time for Godzilla

2008-04-16T09:52:00.002-04:00

And here's why:

Grab the Antacid: Stress Levels Run High for NHL Playoffs

2008-04-15T10:01:00.005-04:00

I was going to do this as a long blog post yesterday, but then I realized, "Wait a second... This should be a column."

So I wrote it up and sent it in, and now it's up on DC Sports Box. So here's the first few paragraphs. To see the rest you'll need to go to the full column.

I was pretty much constantly nervous from March 10 to April 5 as the Capitals went on an improbable and remarkable run to capture the Southeast Division title and earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then I got a few days to celebrate and catch my breath, but now I'm nervous again.

And I mean really nervous. Gut-wrenching, grinding-my-teeth nervous.

It's not so much that the Capitals lost for the first time in over three weeks and the second time since that awful March 8-10 weekend where they dropped heartbreakers against Boston and Pittsburgh, and it's not that Philadelphia has wrestled home-ice advantage away from the Caps by splitting the first two games in Washington. It's how we got here.

Read the rest:
Grab the Antacid: Stress Levels Run High for NHL Playoffs

Steckel back for playoffs?

2008-04-09T11:16:00.004-04:00

Not to go into blogger hysteria over minor issues heading into the NHL playoffs, but reading Tarik El-Bashir's blog today I was excited to see that d-men Shaone Morrisonn and Jeff Schultz practiced today and look promising for Friday night's game one.

But then I also noticed this note:
"Also, center David Steckel (broken finger) has been assigned to the fourth line with Donald Brashear and Matt Bradley, so it looks like he'll be good to go Friday."

I like Steckel and am glad to hear he's ready to go, but why insert him into a lineup that's won 11 of its last 12 games, all without Stecks.

And who does this bump? Boyd Gordon? Tomas Fleischmann? Eric Fehr? I'm not a huge Flash fan and Fehr hasn't done a whole lot statistically, but the Laich-Fehr-Fleischmann line has shown a lot of chemistry, and Gordon brings good speed to the fourth line with Bradley and Brashear.

I say leave the lineup the way it's been since early March, and if things start to go south in the series, shake it up and bring Steckel AND Quintin Laing back into the fold. For now, why mess with a good thing?

This should put everything into perspective

2008-04-05T19:03:00.003-04:00

In case you need a visual aid to understand what's going to go down in about 90 seconds:

NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race: 3 days left

2008-04-04T16:04:00.002-04:00

Sorry this is late. I was in a conference all day.

Buffalo lost and is off the board. The Rangers won and are off the board. The Caps moved tentatively into 8th place but Philadelphia can change that tonight.

Four Days Left: NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race

2008-04-03T09:37:00.004-04:00

Here's the updated version after last night:

*Southeast Division winner will get 3rd seed.

The Rangers can take themselves off the board in the good way (for them) if they get the full two points tonight on Long Island. The Sabres can take themselves off the board in the bad way if they get anything less than the full two points tonight in Montreal.

For a breakdown of all the scenarios that would get the Caps in the playoffs, go here.

ALSO the latest episode of the DC Sports Box Capitals Podcast is up. Click here to download it directly, or copy and paste this feed URL into your RSS reader to subscribe: http://media.dcsportsbox.com/podcasts/capitals/feed.xml

You can also subscribe through iTunes by searching for DC Sports Box in the iTunes Store.

NHL Playoff Race: UPDATED

2008-04-02T09:51:00.006-04:00

Since it was so popular yesterday, I decided to update my little playoff race graphic with last night's results included. That means the Devils are off the board because they clinched, but I added the Sabres so that all the teams that are still mathematically in the race are included.

*The asterisk for the Hurricanes being in 3rd is because, obviously, their 90 points isn't the third most in the conference. The 3rd seed will go to the winner of the Southeast Division. What that also means is that if Buffalo catches Washington and Carolina, the Sabres could finish with the 8th most points in the East and still not make it.

Also check out my recap of last night's Caps game (from a packed house and packed press box at Verizon Center) at DC Sports Box:

Caps Enter Tie for Division Lead with Win Over 'Canes

It All Comes Down to This...

2008-04-01T12:13:00.002-04:00

NOTE: I've updated this graphic with last night's results. Check it out here.

Something funny to ponder re: Alex Ovechkin

2008-03-11T18:54:00.003-04:00

I thought this was kind of a funny anecdote at the time, but I hadn't really thought more about it until my commute home tonight.

Last Monday (the 3rd), I was covering the Caps vs. Bruins game when the Caps won 10-2 and Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick in the first period. In the locker room after the game, The Washington Post's Tarik El-Bashir jokingly asked Ovechkin if he was going to go get his free wings the next day from Austin Grill (when the Caps score six or more goals in a game, a ticket stub is good for a pound of wings "marinated in a dry rub and grilled" the next day at Austin Grill).

Ovechkin, funny enough, said that he was. "HA! That's funny," I thought. He does go get the wings, just like you or I would (or, at least, I would if I paid for tickets).

But Tarik reminded him that you needed a ticket stub to get one, and Number 8, dead serious, said how he had friends at the game so he will get their tickets and use them.

"Ahhh, makes sense," I thought, and that was the end of it.

But then today I thought more about it. Would he really going to go through all that trouble to save about seven bucks on a pound of wings? He makes almost $4 mil a year, and in about six months he'll be pulling down a cool $9 million. But free wings are free wings.

Here's to fiscal responsibility. Enjoy the wings, Alex.

DC Sports Box: Caps Pick Up Goalie Huet at Deadline

2008-02-26T14:41:00.004-05:00

Uhh ... what?

Where did that come from, Mr. McPhee?

After all this talk of standing pat and going with what they've got, the Caps have been one of the most active teams on NHL trade deadline day, adding Montreal starting goalie Cristobal Huet, Columbus center Sergei Fedorov and Vancouver forward and pest Matt Cooke.

So far I've only gotten to the Huet-for-nothing deal. Err ... Huet for a second round pick in 2009.

Check out my opinion piece at DC Sports Box:
Caps Pick Up Goalie Huet at Deadline

Still no word on what this means for the tandem of Kolzig and Johnson, although there's still a few minutes until the deadline so who knows.

New in the Shop: Mike Green T-Shirts!

2008-02-13T10:42:00.005-05:00

Or should I say "generic shirts of a hockey player who happens to be named Green and scores in overtime a lot." Or Grien. Or Gruen. It could be any of those. There's really no way of distinguishing.

Here's the image on the front:

But rest assured, it doesn't say "BeltwaySportsBeat.com" on the front there. (It's on the back. Sorry.)

Here's where you can buy them by the dozen ... or one at a time. But why would you stop at one? Beltway Sports Shop.

You can also get these 3" x 5" stickers, which don't actually say BeltwaySportsBeat.com anywhere on them:

DC Sports Box: Green's OT Goal puts Caps Over Rangers, Back into Division Lead

2008-02-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

And just like that, the Caps are back in first place for another day. (And check out the Rangers' faces behind Green in that picture. Awesome.)

Here's the link to my recap on DC Sports Box, with some decent quotes from the locker room:

Green's OT Goal puts Caps Over Rangers, Back into Division Lead

The Hurricanes play the Bruins tomorrow night and can knock the Caps back to second, but for now the Caps are in first in the Southeast as they head into a three-game road trip that will pit them against division rivals Atlanta, Florida and Tampa Bay.

It's time for the Caps to prove that they're ready to win these "playoff-type" Southeast games and start knocking down the teams they're now trying to stay ahead of. I want 6 points. And honestly, anything less than five would be disappointing.

That's right. I'm setting the bar that high.

Capitals in First Place

2008-02-07T12:08:00.001-05:00

In the Southeast Division.

And Atlanta plays tonight and could take the lead with a win.

But for now, it feels good to wake up and see this:

And here's my obligatory two-games-in-one-article recap of the Caps short road trip:
Capitals Take Division Lead with Back-to-Back Wins

I'll be back in the press box for both of this weekends games, and they're big'uns.

On Friday the Caps start a 16 day stretch during which they play seven games, starting and ending with the Hurricanes. Breaking down those games, there are:

Five vs. the Southeast (vs. Carolina, at Atlanta, at Florida, at Tampa Bay, at Carolina).

Two vs non-Southeast teams that are fighting for eighth in the Eastern conference (vs. New York Islanders, vs. New York Rangers).

And four of the seven games are on the road.

If the Caps can earn nine or more points between now and February 23, they're going to be in fantastic shape heading into the last six weeks of the season.

"Thank God we got the win, or I probably would have fought him."

2008-02-06T11:57:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day, Capitals Edition.

On referee Bill McCreary running some interference for the Blue Jackets by taking out Shaone Morrisonn and giving Rick Nash a clean breakaway (video below):

"It was a great hip check by Billy there. ... I don't know what he was doing in the middle, but everybody makes mistakes. Thank God we got the win, or I probably would have fought him."

--Caps Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn
Courtesy of The Washington Times, Feb. 6, 2008

Quote of the Week

2008-02-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

"We're only going to score 17 points? ... OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points."

--New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady
January 30, 2008

Yep.

Yahoo! Sports Box Score

DC Sports Box: Caps Dominate Everywhere but Scoreboard, Fall to Atlanta 2-0

2008-02-03T12:27:00.000-05:00

I didn't cover last night's game. My friend and new favorite writer, Abram Fox, filled in and wrote a great article:

Caps Dominate Everywhere but Scoreboard, Fall to Atlanta 2-0

It really was a disappointing loss. The caps had so many chances and failed to score, and Atlanta only managed 13 shots and scored twice. Sometimes the better team does not win the game.

The key now is to not let this linger and to get back at it on Tuesday in Columbus.

It sucks to lose to a division opponent in a big game, but my feeling since the Caps got to .500 has been that what it would take to make the playoffs is another stretch of six wins in a row -- or winning seven of eight or eight of ten -- while breaking even in the rest of the games. That would have them finishing six or seven games over .500, which should have them right in the mix for both eighth place in the East AND the Southeast Division lead.

So you can't put too much weight on one game, as important as it seemed at the time. There are still 29 games left.

DC Sports Box: Banged Up Ovechkin Buries Four to Lead Caps to Thrilling Win

2008-02-01T09:19:00.000-05:00

Wow.

That game was something else. Every time the Caps seemed to have the Canadiens buried (3-0 in the first, 4-2 in the third), they came back, including a soul-crushing, game-tying goal with 32.6 seconds left after Guillaume Latendresse yanked a puck from under Olie Kolzig's body before the refs whistled the play dead.

And despite that, to still come back and win ... that's something.

Here's a link to my recap from DC Sports Box:

Banged Up Ovechkin Buries Four to Lead Caps to Thrilling Win

For such a dramatic game, the post game quotes were kind of disappointing. Maybe everyone was just exhausted physically and mentally.

Also, as strange as it is to say in a game where one guy scored four goals and assisted on the other, the Caps really got production from a lot of sources. Viktor Kozlov had a goal and a pair of assists, Tom Poti made a nice play on the Kozlov goal, Milan "Juice" Jurcina had an assist on a smart give-and-go with Ovechkin, Jeff Schultz made a nice play in overtime to get the puck to Ovechkin on the game winner and Mike Green had a pair of secondary assists.

Another thing I noticed during the game: Nicklas Backstrom (one assist) is becoming a hell of a two-way player. He got in deep in the defensive zone a couple times and was able to break up plays and pick Canadiens' pockets. Having him on the top line really frees Ovechkin up to take some risks and make things happen.

Random thought from last night's Terps game vs. UVA

2008-01-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

Hey.

Can someone tell me if Sean Singletary was hurt?

It didn't really come up during the ESPN broadcast...

A bone to pick with the media, re: Plaxico's "guarantee"

2008-01-31T10:52:00.000-05:00

By now you've probably heard, Plaxico Burress said he thinks the Giants will beat the Patriots, 23-17, in the Super Bowl.

Here is what annoys me about the media attention it's getting:

It was a prediction. Not a guarantee.

There's a difference. A big one.

Stop making this out to be Joe Namath all over again.

DC Sports Box: Canadiens Blank Caps

2008-01-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest recap for DC Sports Box.

Canadiens Blank Caps

I always feel a little silly doing recaps for road games since I don't travel, don't get quotes and don't really see anything more than anyone else watching the game on Comcast SportsNet sees, but for a startup Web site I think it's important to get as much coverage as you can.

Some thoughts that weren't in the recap:

The Canadiens are a GOOD team. They have the second most standings points in the East, and the second best power play in the entire league.

So if you're:

A) Not going to capitalize on a 5-on-3,

and

B) Going to take stupid penalties like delay of game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass (John Erskine ... twice),

you're going to lose to Montreal. End of story.

I'll be in the land of the free popcorn for the second half of the home-and-home on Thursday. Hopefully it goes better.

Orioles Hangout shoots itself in the foot

2008-01-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

Someday someone is going to have to explain to me how Tony Pente and the Orioles Hangout crew gets press credentials from the O's front office every year.

Sure, it's great that they have Roy Firestone writing and posting in the forums, but if anyone needed more proof that the site's ONLY value is as a discussion board for O's fans and NOT as a reporting outlet, yesterday provided just that.

Wednesday morning I'm doing my usual Web surfing to get my sports updates, and I see some pretty surprising news: Brian Roberts has been traded to the Cubs!

Not, "We think Brian Roberts will be traded to the Cubs."

Not, "We're hearing that a deal has been finalized."

Not, "This deal is ALMOST done."

No. No disclaimers. It's done. Pack away your #1 jerseys.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeech. Not so fast. The same link that just a day ago said it was only a matter of time before the announcement now says "Roberts Trade Denied by Orioles" and has a lot of backpedaling to try and keep you from being outraged, because after all, Pente really really really thought it was true. And even that link is nowhere to be found on the homepage. Instead the lead story is "Trade Rumors heat up," including everyone's favorite already-been-traded second basemen.

And of course you go to the forum and everyone says COME ON NO ONE CAN BLAME TONY HE IS THE BESTEST THING EVER with a general sentiment of "Tony would not run with information he believed to be untrue." (That's a direct quote.)

Well here I go blaming Tony.

Because if you're going to cover a team and put on your journalist hat and claim you're doing real reporting and say that you're a legit news outlet, simply believing it to be true isn't good enough. You have to KNOW it's true.

Caps Can't Afford More Losses Like Thursday's

2007-12-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

I woke up Friday still mad about Thursday night's Caps loss to the Habs, so I wrote a column about it for DC Sports Box. Here's the first few paragraphs. You'll have to click through for the rest:

Thursday night's Capitals vs. Canadiens game at Verizon Center was a chilling reminder of a script we've seen before: The Caps dominate a game in terms of shots but take too many penalties, give up a couple power play goals and lose.

Or, more accurately, they dominate the first period but go into the locker room tied or losing, then come out flat in the second period as they revert to a "scoring chances be damned, shoot from anywhere – even if it's right into the goalie's chest" strategy. Meanwhile they take bad penalties at inopportune times and give up power play goals, and despite seemingly dominating the game because of a lopsided shot total, they end up on the receiving end of a whooping. Then after the game we get fed stories about the bounces not going their way and running into the dreaded "hot goaltending."

It was an all-too-common scenario for the Caps before Glen Hanlon was fired on Thanksgiving Day, and it seemed like they had kicked that habit under interim coach Bruce Boudreau. But it's a rut the Caps cannot afford to fall into again.

Read the rest at DC Sports Box.

Blogging the Mitchell Report: Part 4 ... I'm DONE.

2007-12-14T09:28:00.001-05:00

I'm done reading the Mitchell Report. I didn't finish it and I never will, and I'm not going to post the rest of the info here. Why? Because it's all a huge waste of time.

For one, exactly what I said would happen ended up happening. ESPN ran a full list of "named names" on their ticker, with no explanations, grouping in Brian Roberts with guys like Paul Lo Duca and David Segui, which is absolutely ridiculous. Roberts is only in there because Larry Bigbie said that Roberts told him he did it. Not quite the same as having scans of signed checks or sworn testimony to federal investigators. Meanwhile, it seems Segui and Lo Duca were the "hook up" everywhere they went.

But more than anything, at some point while reading the report I stopped feeling angry or even disappointed in the players whose names I was seeing. I just felt bad for them.

At first I couldn't really figure out why, but then it hit me. Out of THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of players who played during the "steroid era," all of 62 names were listed.

What portion of one percent of the players who are or were actually juicing do you suppose that represents?

I used to really hate the thought that guys I liked and rooted for might be on performance enhancers. But if the report did anything, it was make me realize once and for all that this is not just a few players. It's not a couple guys, or a couple teams, or a couple guys on each team. And it sure as hell is not just 62 players over the last 15 to 20 years.

The biggest thing I took away from the report is that, as much as the media plays up the outrage, it's not like these guys were running around in their little steroid cliques, shooting up in dark alleys so no one would see. It was out in the open. It was joked about in the clubhouse.

If I were named in the report, I'd be the first one demanding the best testing available. I'd be screaming for the implementation of daily piss tests for everyone in the league, because there's no way I'd let people go on assuming that I'm part of some tiny portion of the baseball playing world that is so unscrupulous as to take steroids. I'd be saying, "You've got 60 names? Great. Now let's get 1,000 so you can really start to see."

I'm done being outraged about specific players. I'm done listening to other people's outrage about Mr. ABC and Mr. XYZ and how "now there's proof!" Because the names in the Mitchell Report are meaningless.

The fans will relish this opportunity to shun the players that have been named.

You'll say, "Miguel Tejada's a dirty cheater! I KNEW Roger Clemens was a jerk! Brian Roberts and his squeaky clean image are DONE FOR," and then boo them and make signs and yell "CHEATER" every time they visit your team's ballpark.

But it's stupid.

Because the names listed are nothing more than a few fish hooked in an ocean of performance enhancing drug users, and you're blind if you think there aren't at least four or five on your favorite team. Even if none of the names made it into the Report or onto ESPN's ticker. That's the real lesson from the Mitchell Report.

Blogging the Mitchell Report: Part 3 ... Including Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada

2007-12-13T16:52:00.000-05:00

You can get to a collection of all the posts in this series by clicking here.

Download a PDF of the full report here -- 6.5 MB, 409 pages.

I'm just now getting into the beefier part of the report, with some names you might not have heard (although you've probably read them on other sites by now). The report includes substantial evidence on these names provided by former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, including scans of signed checks from players.

Here's the list:

Lenny Dykstra:
Report page 149, PDF page 197

"After the Phillies lost the 1993 World Series, Dykstra called Radomski and asked whether Radomski could get Dykstra steroids. Although Radomski does not remember the exact time frame, he recalled providing Dykstra with Deca-Durabolin, Dianabol, and testosterone.
...
In order to provide Dykstra with information about these allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he never agreed to an interview."

David Segui again. With a scanned check.

Larry Bigbie (another former Oriole, and all incidents reported here are from his time with the O's):
Report page 152, PDF page 200:

"Radomski’s first contact with Bigbie was in 2003. Thereafter, Radomski sold a variety of performance enhancing substances to Bigbie on a number of occasions. Bigbie consistently paid by check. Because Bigbie was young and “not making that much money,” Radomski said he charged Bigbie no more than his cost for the substances.

Radomski retrieved from his banks three checks written by Bigbie.

...

Bigbie’s account of his use and interaction with Radomski was consistent with Radomski’s account."

I was fearing this one, and it's disappointing but not shocking. Also, in comparison to others listed in the Radomski section it's not too bad. There's no hard evidence, just Larry Bigbie's word, and even he wasn't very hard on B-Rob. Read on...

Brian Roberts (the first CURRENT Oriole to be named):
Report page 158, PDF page 206:

"Roberts and Larry Bigbie were both rookies in 2001. According to Bigbie, both he and Roberts lived in Segui’s house in the Baltimore area during the latter part of that season. When Bigbie and Segui used steroids in the house, Roberts did not participate.

According to Bigbie, however, in 2004 Roberts admitted to him that he had injected himself once or twice with steroids in 2003. Until this admission, Bigbie had never suspected Roberts of using steroids."

More from Radomski before I run out of time... These people are all included with pretty hard evidence in the report. I'll try to include more if I get the time later:

Jack Cust (former Oriole)
Tim Laker (former Oriole)
Josias Manzanillo
Todd Hundley
Mike Carreon
Hall Morris
Matt Franco
Rondell White
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettitte
Chuck Knoblauch
Jason Grimsley (again)
Gregg Zaun (former Oriole)
David Justice
F.P. Santangelo
Glenallen Hill
Mo Vaughn
Denny Neagle
Ron Villone
Ryan Franklin
Chris Donnels
Todd Williams (former Oriole)
Phil Hiatt
Todd Pratt
Kevin Young
Mike Lansing
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker (former Oriole)
Adam Piatt
MIGUEL TEJADA (for real this time ... with evidence)
Jason Christiansen
Mike Stanton (former National)
Stephen Randolph
Jerry Hairston Jr. (former Oriole)
Paul Lo Duca (brand new National)
Adam Riggs
Bart Miadich
Fernado Vina
Kevin Brown (former Oriole)
Eric Gagne
Mike Bell
Matt Herges
Gary Bennett Jr. (former National)
Jim Parque
Brendan Donnelly
Chad Allen
Jeff Williams
Howie Clark (former Oriole)
Nook Logan (current National)

Blogging the Mitchell Report: Part 2

2007-12-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

You can get to a collection of all the posts in this series by clicking here.

Download a PDF of the full report here -- 6.5 MB, 409 pages.

What you've all been waiting for, but not as juicy as people thought it'd be...

Miguel Tejada (an Oriole until yesterday, this incident IS from when he was with the Orioles, stemming from the Palmeiro suspension): Report page 105, PDF page 153.

"Tejada told investigators that he generally brought injectable vitamin B12 with him to the United States when he returned each season from the Dominican Republic.
...
Larry Bigbie, a former Orioles player who we interviewed in our investigation, confirmed that he observed Tejada injecting himself with vitamin B12 in the clubhouse restroom. The report that four players on a major league team were self-administering an injectable substance should have been a cause of concern, even if the players said that the substance they were injecting into themselves was vitamin B12."

So not a whole lot on Tejada we didn't already know, and no clear evidence. Maybe there's more later in the report.

More real shockers...

Ken Caminiti and David Segui (another former Oriole) are in the report. They both admitted their steroid and HGH use, and the report acknowledges that.

Paxton Crawford (no-name Red Sox pitcher who made all of 15 appearances from 2000 to 2001): Report page 111, PDF page 159.

"Crawford admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone while with the Red Sox. He described an incident in which syringes he had wrapped in a towel were spilled onto the floor of the Red Sox clubhouse, which he said caused laughter among his teammates."

(Emphasis added.)

Outed of the raid of Balco:

Barry Bonds
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Armando Rios
Garry Sheffield
Benito Santiago
Marvin Benard
Randy Velarde
Bobby Estalella:

Report page 113, PDF page 161.

"Among those baseball players brought to Balco by [Bonds trainer Greg] Anderson was Barry Bonds. Bonds has received 'the clear' and 'the cream' from Balco on a 'couple of occasions'. According to Valente, Bonds does not like how 'the clear' makes him feel.

Other players that Anderson has obtained 'the clear' and “the cream” for from Balco are Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield, Marvin Benard, Jason Giambi and Randy Velarde. Sometime [sic] the substances are given to Anderson to give to the athletes and sometimes the athletes are given the substances directly. . . .
...
The Giambi brothers came to Balco and informed them that they had taken a steroid some time ago and wanted to see if it was still detectable in their systems. Valente recalled that the particular steroid they took can stay in a person’s system for up to 18 months. The urine that Balco collected and sent out for testing came back positive for steroids."

Those quotes are from federal investigator interviews of Balco Vice President Jim Valente. He has since denied saying what was attributed to him in the federal investigation reports.

"Anderson eventually admitted that he had supplied performance enhancing substances to Benard, Estalella, Rios, and Santiago. Anderson also stated that 'Barry Bonds never took any of the clear or the cream from Balco.' Anderson said that he provided Santiago with human growth hormone a few months before the interview and had sent that substance by FedEx 'in the past' to both Estalella and Rios. During their search of Anderson's home, agents found documentary evidence 'corroborating these admissions.'"

More to come...

Blogging the Mitchell Report: Part 1

2007-12-13T14:32:00.000-05:00

So I'm reading through the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball, available to download in its entirety as a PDF on CNNSI.com (download here -- 6.5 MB, 409 pages). And as I'm reading through the report and writing down the names, I realized I should be blogging as I'm reading. Not because I'm going to beat the media outlets, but more because I think the media outlets are just going to post a list of names named with no context. And from reading the first few pages, this is not a black-and-white "he clearly did it, he clearly did not" report.

I may have to break this up into multiple posts, but you can get to a collection of all the posts by clicking here.

So here's what I've come up with so far, with page citations from the report if you want to go check it out for yourself (note, the page numbers at the bottom of each page are not even close to the page numbers for the PDF, so I'm including both.):

Manny Alexander (former Oriole, the incident cited in the report was from when he was with Boston in 2000): Report page 91, PDF page 139.

"On June 30, 2000, a clubhouse employee of the Boston Red Sox, Carlos Cowart, and a friend of his were sitting in Manny Alexander’s parked sports utility vehicle when they were approached by Massachusetts state police officers. Alexander, then a utility infielder with the Red Sox, was away with the team. The officers suspected that the car had been stolen, but, in fact, Alexander had loaned it to Cowart while the team was away.
During a search of the vehicle, police discovered two hypodermic needles and a bottle of anabolic steroids in the glove compartment. At least one news report stated that the steroids were in an envelope addressed to Alexander, although we were not able to confirm that assertion. The police applied for two criminal complaints against Alexander, for possession of Class E anabolic steroids and for possession of hypodermic needles. Neither Cowart nor the friend who was with him was charged with any offense. On February 28, 2001, the charges against Alexander were dismissed for 'insufficient evidence having been presented after hearing.'"

Ricky Bones (another former Oriole, albeit only for a year, the incident cited in the report was from when he was with Florida in 2000): Report page 92, PDF page 140.

"In late June 2000, a clubhouse attendant with the Florida Marlins brought a paper bag to the club’s athletic trainers that had been found in the locker of Marlins pitcher Ricky Bones. The bag contained over two dozen syringes, six vials of injectable medications – stanozolol and nandrolone decanoate, two anabolic steroids that are sold under the names Winstrol and Deca-Durabolin, respectively – and a page of handwritten instructions on how to administer the drugs. Soon thereafter, the athletic trainers returned the bag and its contents to Bones at his request."

Alex Cabrera (from when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000): Report page 94, PDF page 142.

"Sometime in mid-September 2000, a clubhouse employee with the Arizona
Diamondbacks discovered a bottle of anabolic steroids and several hundred pills in a package that had been mailed to the Diamondbacks’ ballpark in Phoenix. Clubhouse attendants knew that the package had been intended for Alex Cabrera, then a player on Arizona’s major league roster, who had been searching for the package for several days."

Juan Gonzalez (the first big name on the list, the incident was from when he was with the Cleveland Indians in 2001): Report page 95, PDF page 143.

"On the evening of October 4, 2001, Canadian Border Service officers working at Toronto’s international airport discovered steroids, syringes, and clenbuterol in an unmarked duffel bag during an airport search of luggage that had been unloaded from the Cleveland Indians flight from Kansas City. Ted Walsh, the Indians equipment and clubhouse manager who was present during the search, recognized the bag as one that had been sent down to be included with the luggage by Cleveland outfielder Juan Gonzalez when the Indians left Kansas City. On prior trips, Gonzalez had included bags for members of his entourage with his own bags, and Walsh had the impression that this was the case with some of the bags he sent down to be packed for the Toronto flight.
...
Thereafter, Davidson, Haynes, and other officials watched the luggage as Joshue Perez, a member of Juan Gonzalez’s entourage, claimed the duffel bag."

Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Grimsley for incidents you already knew about. I won't even bother to cite them because they were actually suspended by MLB, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they showed up in the report, but there's another couple former Orioles.

More to come...

Not all Sabres fans hate Ovechkin

2007-11-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

A Buffalo-transplant in D.C. went on the Hockey's Future Boards (extremely popular hockey message boards) and posted a personal story about an encounter with Mr. Ovechkin after Monday night's Caps-Sabres tilt at Verizon Center. If you didn't have enough reasons to like #8 already, here's another:

Thank you Ovechkin...from a Sabres fan.

Sean Taylor's Tragic Death & The Media Coverage

2007-11-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

I was going to come here and post something about how tired I am of reading columns and hearing sports talk commentary referring to Sean Taylor's "thuggish," "ghetto" past, and how I think it's pretty absurd for people who didn't really know him at all to make those kinds of assumptions, then connect that past to this incident and almost go as far to say he had it coming. As if to imply the end result is less tragic because of what the victim did long before this incident, and even less so if you're willing to assume he did anything to contribute to the circumstances leading up to it (which, obviously, plenty of people are).

But then my fellow DC Sports Box writer Anthony Amobi wrote a very good column on the subject so I figured I'd just link to his piece instead:

Sean Taylor's Tragic Death & The Media Coverage

Check it out. It's definitely worth a read.

Ref in NC State - Maryland game: My hero

2007-11-25T00:08:00.000-05:00

If you're a Terps fan, you sure enjoyed a hell of a game on Saturday afternoon. You also probably thought, "damn if they played like that against UVA/UNC/Wake they'd be 9-3," but that's another issue.

But if you were only half paying attention or had long since changed the channel to a competitive football game when the Terps were up 37-0, you may have missed the best penalty of all time. Listen for the ref's call:

That's right. 15 yards for "giving him the business."

World Series crap: Red Sox Nation, Beckett RULES, Dustin Pedroia is small, pink Varitek jerseys, Papelbon's Riverdance, YOUUUUK!

2007-10-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

That, my friends, is what we "in the business" call SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I'm not really sure what "the business" is, but I'm pretty sure that post title will get me four cents on Google AdSense. Count it.

I really don't like the Red Sox, in case that's not already clear, and it's making me realize what a spiteful, hateful little man I truly am.

But at least I have company. Homertuck, who guest blogged here a while back, has started up his own operation called I Probably Hate Your Team.

If there's anyone who that rings more true for than me, it's him.

So sticking with that theme, back to the World Series.

I said before the thing started that the best result would be the BoSox going up 3-0 in the series and then losing the next four just to shut Red Sox Nation up (I wasn't lying when I said I'm a spiteful person).

So even though it's killing me right now that the Rockies aren't putting up much of a fight, it's giving me hope for the ultimate Schadenfreude scenario, just like I asked for.

But let's be realistic. The Rockies are going to be swept (did I mention I'm also a pessimist? ... at least when it comes to sports) and we'll have to hear about how the Sox haven't lost a World Series game in 89 years or some such stupid crap that will undoubtedly go on a t-shirt that I'll then have to see 45,000 of at Camden Yards next year.

Enjoy your weekend.

I've moved to Redskins country

2007-10-24T17:10:00.000-04:00

And just by putting Redskins in the post title I've tripled my search engine hits.

That's right, after two years in the football limbo known as Columbia, where you might see a Washington Redskins bumper sticker next to a Columbia Ravens youth football logo and where the Champs in the mall proudly hangs Portis jerseys right next to McNair jerseys, I've moved to "North Bethesda" (shhhhhRockvilleshhhhh) -- decidedly Redskins country.

I've come to terms with that. My only real beef with the 'Skins -- besides the blatantly racist team name -- is that in the past I had to deal with several super annoying 'Skins apologists quite often.

Now the only 'Skins fans I regularly deal with are fairly subdued and prefer hockey to football, so if the Redskins ever do come up I can quickly redirect the conversation by kvetching about the Capitals power play or Glen Hanlon's line combinations.

I may even root for the Skins a little bit, but only in the reserved way I semi-root for the Nationals. You probably know this feeling: "It'd be nice if not ALL the area teams sucked horribly, so go team! ... just as long as you're not better than my actual favorite team."

So on that note, I'm off to hop on my newly-adopted Red Line to the Verizon Center.

I'll miss you Green Line. The Metro ride just won't feel right as I'm going by the Zoo and Dupont Circle instead of PG Plaza and West Hyattsville... :*(

Why do I find myself cheering for the Yankees tonight?

2007-10-07T21:17:00.001-04:00

So after enjoying a weekend that included a Terps win (barely), a pair of GREAT Caps wins and a Ravens win (OK, and the Redskins demolished the Lions, which I would have lost a lot of money on if I was gambling), I find myself conflicted in a game that has nothing to do with local teams.

Here I am watching TBS (not in HD because I suck and don't have an HDTV ... seriously ... I wasn't lying when I said I suck), finding myself HAPPY that the Yanks have blown the game wide open in game three of the ALDS against the Indians.

I'm sure part of that is my hatred of the Red Sox, but the majority of it is because of my hatred of the five-game series.

I was rooting for the Cubs (disappointed) and Phillies (disappointed) yesterday, and here I am again rooting for a team in a 2-0 hole in a five-game series.

And it's all because I can't stand the thought of a team playing a 162-game regular season, getting into the playoffs, then finding themselves on the golf course four or five days later.

I'm also critical of the NHL's 45-year playoff setup where every team is guaranteed to play at least 12 playoff games as long as they meet the salary floor (that's all fake), but baseball's playoff system is one of the most hypocritical things in sports.

Why do you play a grueling, marathon, other-words-that-mean-really-long 162-game season with the intent of really weeding out the BEST teams in the league only to let the combatants in the League Championship Series (plural) get decided by a five-game crapshoot?

I'd love to see Major League Baseball go back to a setup where the AL's regular season winner plays the NL's regular season winner in a nine-game World Series -- or at least dump the third division and the Wild Card and jump straight from regular season to the LCSes (that's gramatically poor) -- but TBS and Fox have money and damnit, the MLB's going to get more than nine games worth.

But, please, at the very least, can we dump this five-game crap and have seven-game divisional series?

Basketball made the change, and how dare you question David Stern? You don't dare, that's how.

It's not like the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Indians, Cubs or Phillies are going to have trouble filling their stadiums for that ONE WHOLE EXTRA HOME PLAYOFF GAME that they stand to gain in a seven-game series (yeah I can't speak for the Rockies or the University of Maryland Student Newspapers).

And besides, if you're going for the cash dollas with an extra playoff round, why not go the whole nine and add another game or two or three or four in each of those series?

That's right. Logic. I use it.

Make it happen.

Capitals Season Preview (Just in time)

2007-10-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

I'll be covering the Caps from the press box this year for DC Sports Box, and in the eleventh hour I got my Capitals preview in to the site. So here's the first few paragraphs from that, and you'll have to actually go there to read the rest (it's long). I'm also told there's a site redesign coming soon to DCSportsBox.com and I'm really excited to see what the Web guru over there has cooking.

As the Capitals get ready to kick off the 2007-2008 regular season, it's anyone's guess as to where they'll end up.

Last season the Caps jumped out quick and looked like a real competitor for the first two and a half months - on pace for 95 points with 50 games remaining after beating Philadelphia on December 16. But injuries exposed the team's lack of depth – especially on defense and in goal – and the Caps went 13-30-7 to close out the year.

Majority owner Ted Leonsis said repeatedly this offseason that the rebuild is over, and backed that up by putting up the money to bring in veterans that should address what I'll call "areas of concern."

And when you're coming off back-to-back 70-point seasons – finishing in the bottom five in the NHL both times – there are plenty areas of concern.

Read the rest at DC Sports Box.

New in the shop: Updated hat trick hats!

2007-09-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

Just in time for the '07-'08 Washington Capitals season, I've updated the Beltway Sports Shop's highest-selling item (registering a whopping three sales last season), the Hat Trick Hat!

(And don't worry, that ugly "BeltwaySportsBeat.com" tag isn't on the actual hat.)

That's right, now it's got it all! Not only does it have the new colors and kinda-similar-like number styles, it also includes a whole new player! Because I'm sure I wasn't the only person standing there during Alexander Semin's home-opener hat trick wondering, "Is it not right to throw an A.O. Hat Trick hat for a hat trick scored by someone other than A.O.?"

Problem solved.

The new version has #8 AND #28, and instead of being an "A.O. Hat Trick Hat," is now an "Alexanders" hat trick hat. Smart!

A bargain for just $14.99! Buy yours today! Exclamation points!!!!!!!

Little kid learns what it truly means to be a Red Sox fan ...

2007-09-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

WHINING.

The Boston Herald ran an article yesterday about something so horrible, so awful, so ... INSENSITIVE that it just had to get a few inches in print.

Get this: A 10-year-old autograph-hound went to Fenway Park on Friday night decked out in bright red BoSox gear and obtained the signature of Yankee rookie Shelley Duncan. Hurray, the kid thought! I got an autograph from a real major league ballplayer! But then he read the signature... "RED SOX SUCK! Shelley Duncan." Depression set in. The child immediately cried to his mother. How could a supposed role-model do such a thing to a poor child who came to the ballpark carrying with him only a $100 ticket, a pen, and a dream!?

"It didn’t make me feel happy when he wrote that," the budding Masshole said.

"This is someone who wears the Yankee uniform and is on the payroll and should be setting an example for 10-year-olds," his mother sniveled.

The world felt this family's pain and outrage.

And then reality set in.

So a kid decked out in Red Sox gear asks for an autograph from a Yankee and gets told that the Red Sox suck. I'm pretty sure that's said about 40,000 times at any Red Sox vs. Yankees game. So what do he and his mom do? Take a cue from Navy and cry to the media.

When this kid is old enough to appreciate it -- and I'd wager it'll take all of a seven day auction on ebay -- he will understand what a true collectible Mr. Duncan bestowed upon him. Remember when Chris Simms signed a fan's University of Texas helmet with, "OU SUCKS! Chris Simms"? That thing sold on ebay for thousands of dollars. So count your blessings, you little brat.

And I've got news for you, kid: The Red Sox suck. Signed, C. Stone.

Navy cries about "classless" Rutgers fans. Boo f---ing hoo.

2007-09-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry, do I need to issue an apology for that headline?

If you haven't heard yet, while Rutgers was drubbing Navy last Friday night, Scarlet Knights fans showered Navy players with boos and taunts, and yes, the occasional F word. *Gasp!*

Now Navy personnel and the national media are calling Rutgers fans classless, and Rutgers has issued a formal apology.

"It was the most classless thing I've ever seen," cried Navy academic recruiter Bill Squires in a Star-Ledger article by Mark Di Ionno.

Excuse me if I don't share the outrage. I did go to Maryland after all.

Yes, the Midshipmen are "true student athletes" and aren't fighting for NFL dollars, but they're playing college ball in Division 1. And if the ads I hear on the radio 10 times a day are correct, they've made four straight bowl appearances, so clearly they are able to be competitive despite the picture Di Ionno attempts to paint of grown men picking on kids.

(On Navy's Reggie Campbell, Di Ionno wrote, "This gutsy kid, a slotback who already spent three quarters being chased and tackled by gangs of defensive linemen and linebackers, all weighing at least 100 pounds more than him ..." Give. Me. A. Break. I'm sure Campbell loves being described as an underweight puss who has no business on a field with the REAL football players, too, Mark. Because that's sure how it sounds the way it's written.)

My question is, where has Navy been traveling all these years that they haven't heard similar crap a million times before this? I'm all for a little respect for the Mids, but do opposing fans -- especially college students -- really shut it down just because the visiting section is dressed in white uniforms and funny hats?

Clearly they don't make the trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, very often.

This is college sports, where college-aged kids play against other college-aged kids in front of a slew of drunken college-aged kids who get seats 20 feet from the field. Some profanities are going to fly. (And if this were Morgantown some D batteries would fly, too.)

I'm not saying I'm all for yelling F this and F that at sporting events -- despite what this post and my last post might lead you to believe. I'm just saying I don't get the outrage. Especially not over this particular "incident."

I guess you can't be too surprised about Navy's reaction. Is there a more thin-skinned athletic program? You'd think a bunch of guys that spend all day getting yelled at while doing push ups and calling people "sir" would be able to take some lip.

But this is the same school that put a rivalry with Maryland on hold for FORTY years because a Terp linebacker gave the Navy student section the finger. (Nevermind that the Terp, Jerry Fishman, was retaliating to anti-Semitic remarks from the Mids. Although maybe that was seen as acceptable in 1965.)

This is also the school that may AGAIN put that rivalry on hold because they'd rather cry about how Maryland "spurned" them by turning down an invite to play Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., to instead go to the Champs Sports Bowl ... a higher ranked bowl game ... against a Big Ten team ... in Orlando ... in December.

Get over it, Navy. The bitching is getting old.

So a bunch of 18-22 year olds had to hear the F word aimed in their general direction. I think they'll live. I'd even venture to guess that a few of them had heard the word before, had it said to them before, and *shudder* even USED it before. Get right out of town!

Someone pass me some D batteries.

Why do Camden Yards ushers treat opposing fans better than O's fans?

2007-09-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

I know I've heard similar complaints before so this is probably beating a dead horse, but I need to vent.

Five of my friends and I have a 13 game plan in section 85 at Camden Yards, and that plan included last night's Orioles vs. Red Sox game.

So we were surrounded by BoSox fans (not surprising) and decided pretty early on that we needed to be vocal. So we were booing when the Red Sox fans cheered and all that crap ... nothing offensive. We took some good-natured ribbing from a few Sox fans around us, but by the 9th inning we were running out of steam and not really saying much.

So when Jason Varitek singled in the go-ahead run the stadium went wild and a friend of mine yelled something innocuous like "Go back to Boston" or "Sit down." And a few alleged Sox fans in the section in front of us turned around to rub it in a little. Again, not too surprising given the general "we run this joint" attitude that visiting Red Sox fans always seem to bring.

The one dude who really wanted to get some shots in is decked out in red and blue -- but not for the Red Sox. For the Phillies. This clown was wearing a Phillies jersey and Phillies hat and for some reason was there rooting on the Red Sox like he grew up trolling Yawkey Way. He yelled something to the effect of "What now!?" at us, so my friends and I can't resist.

"YOU'RE WEARING @#$%*ING PHILLIES GEAR AND YOU'RE TALKING TRASH!? THEY'RE THE LOSINGEST FRANCHISE IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS! YOU'VE LOST 10,000 GAMES! THAT'S OVER 60 SEASONS WORTH OF LOSSES!" etc. etc.

It really is amazing how much sports trivia you can randomly access from the recesses of your brain when you're pissed off.

Profanities were exchanged but honestly I doubt too many people heard us over the Sox fans' jubilation.

The stupid trash talk was dying down when the usher for our section came to us -- not the Sox/Phillies fans -- and said to sit down and keep our mouths shut, and if she heard anything else she was going to kick us out. Not a word to the Sox fans. So we told her to go give them the same warning, and she said, "They're not the problem. It's you" (paraphrasing).

Of course the Sox fans had a field day with this.

I'm fine that she told us to shut up, but don't act like it's a one-sided affair. Especially when they were at our yard looking for an argument.

Were we being obnoxious? Sure. But it wasn't any worse from our end than theirs, and for some reason the usher acted like we were a bunch of grown men punching babies, going so far as to sit next to the PhilSox fans and assure them the "situation" had been taken care of. She even hung out for the remainder of the game and shared a few laughs.

This isn't the first time I've heard of OUR ushers bending over backwards to please the visiting team's fans in spite of Orioles fans. Why in the world would ushers treat opposing fans, who come to one or two games a year when their team is in town, better than partial plan holders?

Guest Blog by homertuck: Maryland gets no respect from coaches in first poll

2007-08-03T15:47:00.000-04:00

In a first for Beltway Sports Beat, today I have a guest blogger. Tuck is a friend of mine who loves to rant about sports and used to have a blog of his own. Today he GChat messaged me, angry over something sports-related (this is not rare) and said he was going to revive his blog just to talk about it. So I convinced him that instead he should write a guest blog post for Beltway Sports Beat. Another potential rival blogger nipped in the bud. --C. Stone

Today, in what is the start of the college football season, the USA Today Top 25 coaches' poll was released. Toping the list is USC, followed by LSU, Florida, Texas and Michigan. I don't really have a beef with the top 5 teams. You can honestly make a justification for why any of the top 5 teams could start the season at #1. I really wish USC didn't start at #1 for the simple reason that I don't want to hear John David Booty's 20 times a day. Why is it that he gets his full name mentioned every time we talk about USC? When people talk about Cal Ripken, they don't say "Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr." But I digress...

Image from PointedMagazine.com.

The rest of the top 25, in my opinion, isn't really that exciting. I was, however, shocked by one thing, which in my opinion helps prove how stupid the coaches' poll is and why it should have no role in deciding the national championship. First, my beloved Terps, coming off a 9-4 season in which they won the Champs Sports Bowl, didn't receive a single vote. Not one. Zippy. Granted, UMD is still deciding who their quarterback is going to be, but how can we receive NOTHING? Maryland has maybe the best receiver corps in the ACC, with the speedy Darrius Heyward-Bey (voted preseason All-ACC selection at WR and had 45 receptions, 694 yards, and 5 TDs as a freshman) and the great hands of tight end Joey Haynos (37 receptions, 369 yards, and 3 TDs last season).

Image from washingtonpost.com.

They also possess what has to be the best rushing attack in the ACC and one of the nation's best this year in the two headed monster of Lance Ball (855 rushing yards and 8 TDs last year) and Keon Lattimore (784 rushing yards and 3 TDs last year).

Also, Maryland isn't starting off the year with a walk on quarterback. Jordan Steffy and Josh Portis were both highly recruited out of high school. I'm sure either will do a great job as the Terps starting QB. And both are very capable of tucking the ball and running with it. I expect to see the return of the option play, something that has been lacking in the Friedgen offense that last several years, specifically since Scotty McBrien left.

Steffy and Portis will also get to tune up against Villanova and Florida International before going up against a real threat, which will be a Thursday night showdown against West Virginia.

Just remember folks ... these "expert" sports writers thought Maryland would be a bad team in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006 because we had a quarterback issue. What happened during those seasons? How about a 41-12 record, 4 bowl games, 3 straight bowl wins, an ACC championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl. Not to shabby.

On a side note, Duke's record last year was 0-12 and they are an annual staple on espn.com's "Bottom 10" rankings of worst football programs in the nation. CLEARLY they should be ranked above 80+ other D-1 football schools. I guess the person who voted for Duke thought this was the basketball poll...

--homertuck

Congrats Cal!

2007-07-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

Image from BaltimoreSun.com.

I took a few minutes from watching the Yanks run up the score on Daniel Cabrera in the early innings yesterday afternoon to watch Cal Ripken's Hall of Fame induction speech (you can watch it from the Baltimore Sun site by clicking here), and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little choked up.

Basically from the time I was born to the time I was almost 18 years old, Cal was a constant with the Orioles. There were some pretty rough years in there and a couple playoff runs. Jim Traber, Larry Sheets and Lenn Sakata gave way to Craig Worthington, Joe Orsulak and Randy Milligan, who then gave way to Jeff Manto, Jeff Huson and Leo Gomez. But Cal was always there. Now there's no one like that.

Melvin Mora and Jay Gibbons are the only players on the Orioles who were with the team when Cal finished the final game of his career standing in the on-deck circle with fans chanting "we want Cal" as Brady Anderson struck out to complete the 98th loss of the 2001 season. And no offense to them, but I don't think too many people are going to look back 10 years from now and say, "Gibbons and Mora ... they were Orioles baseball." At least not with the fondness and reverence that goes to Cal.

So here is my congratulations to Cal on his Hall of Fame induction. For 21 years, he was Orioles baseball.

A Personal Quest: Keep Dmitri Young and Kevin Millar in the area!

2007-07-24T11:56:00.000-04:00

First of all, let me just say for the record (and for your convenience) that there are a couple places I go for trade rumors, and no, MLBtraderumors.com is not one of them:

Ben Maller's MLB Rumors page on Fox Sports.

Yahoo! Sports MLB Rumors.

That should be enough to keep you occupied for 20 minutes at work. On to the good stuff...

The Washington Post passively mentioned that Dmitri Young could be traded to a contender if the price is right.

Meanwhile, The Sun says what we already know, that Kevin Millar is "one of the Orioles most marketable players" (that they might be willing to part with, at least).

These trades simply cannot happen.

Image from MLB.com.

Young has to stick around, if only because he has the best screen name in The Dugout: SteakGrowsOnDmitri. That and If_Anything_I_Could_ Say_That_This_Cabrera are the only two on the site that I actually replace the player's real name with in my mind.

Also, when resident crazy man Jose Guillen was not re-signed by the Nationals after the 2006 season, I was so disappointed. Who else was going to call another team's manager "a piece of garbage"? Enter Dmitri Young.

Like Guillen, Young is a reclamation project who was given an unconditional release by his former employer. But Young is even crazier than Guillen. And he was an All-Star this year!

Image from washingtonpost.com.

Besides his .390+ OPS, Millar cannot be traded because, as SC at Camden Chat said, "Millar is kind of like the Rally Monkey, only he's a player on the team."

And because there's a corny between-innings video that they show at Camden Yards where O's players pick the best singer on the team, and after the majority vote goes to Millar, the video shows him in Benito Santiago shades going "DA NA NA NA NA NA DOCTOR FEEL GOOD!!!!!!"

And who can forget the Ray Lewis dance?

That's worth the price of admission right there.

What? The trade deadline is in eight days?

2007-07-23T13:19:00.000-04:00

Being an O's fan (or a Nats fan for that matter), it's pretty easy to forget when the trade deadline rolls around. Because trade deadlines are for "good" teams that are "still in the hunt," or at least teams with good players that someone else might want.

So as I wake up from my month-and-a-half long sleepwalk through the local sports scene to realize that, hey, they're actually still playing baseball and someone I've heard of might change teams soon, it's time to take a look at who might get unceremoniously shipped away from our local losers.

With Miguel Tejada hurt everything gets real boring around here, because who's even worth talking about if not for destined-to-fail Tejada-for-so-and-so-pitchers rumors?

On the Nats all eyes are on Chad Cordero. And honestly who else is worth a damn? Jon Rauch would add bullpen depth to a contender and his name has been tossed around also, but trading away your two best relievers -- both of whom are under 30 -- doesn't seem real smart for a team that's building for the future.

Don't get me wrong, no one's building a franchise around a bullpen, but not having one will certainly slow the process (just ask the Orioles).

Allegedly Ryan Church is on the block, and if Jim Bowden had his way he'd replace Church with Adam Dunn. That's a great idea but I don't see any way that Bowden has what it would take to get Dunn from the Reds. Although I wouldn't have thought Royce Clayton and an over-worked Gary Majewski would have been enough to get Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez from the Reds, so I guess anything is possible when dealing with Bowden's former employer.

For the Orioles there are a few trade options I guess.

They could dump Kevin Millar off on some team that needs a DH or first baseman who gets on base at a .390 clip (that's what he's doing this season ... I didn't believe it myself until I looked it up). The obvious fit is the Yankees but he's said he doesn't want to go there -- or anywhere for that matter.

Steve Trachsel could get some looks from teams who are REALLY strapped for starting pitching (even Rodrigo Lopez got some looks last July). But his departure won't really be much of a loss for the starting rotation with Garrett Olson proving he deserves a shot, nor will Trax bring much of anything in return. So who really cares?

Other than that, there's your typical list of guys who are only in rumors in Orioles fan circles because we want to see them gone, not because there are actually any takers. Danys Baez tops the list of course. Jay Gibbons is a close second. Some have even suggested Chris Ray, but he's got huge upside so why trade him when his value's never been lower?

Yep. Nothing but questions. Boring questions that no one really cares to know the answers to.

Fun.

EXCLUSIVE! New Capitals Logo Leaked!

2007-05-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

This is the only place you'll find this, folks. I'm not going to say how I found it, but just know that my "inside sources" are VERY reliable ('sup Eklund?) and I give this one a very high rating of credibility...

Yeah.

Are The Orioles Stuck With Sam Perlozzo?

2007-05-24T09:57:00.000-04:00

The Orioles are 46 games into the 2007 season and they're four games under .500. If you'd have told me that would be the case before the season started, I probably would have sarcastically replied, "Nice prediction, Nostradamus. Next do you want to tell me how the Nationals are going to suck, the Redskins are going to blow a ton of money on overrated free agents and taxes will be due in April?"

But one thing the Orioles have shown this year is that they should be better than a 21-25 team. Clearly they're not actually better than a 21-25 team, because they are a 21-25 team. But some of the losses have been absolutely painful to watch.

Image from GWmagazine

Defensive lapses, blown leads and, of course, managerial ineptitudes. All of this has led many fans -- and at least one local columnist -- to request the firing of manager Sam Perlozzo. Some have even begun a Millar for Manager campaign.

My advice: Don't hold your breath. I don't think Sam's going anywhere any time soon.

Of course I say that as purely my own opinion, and now that I've put it up on the Intergoogles he'll be fired this afternoon.

It's not that I support Perlozzo ... he's been terrible. But do the Orioles really have the stones to essentially fire their manager and pitching coach in one fell swoop? Especially after letting one of the best pitching coaches in the game go to bring in the current pitching coach?

When Perlozzo became the manager I wanted so badly for him to succeed. Not just because it would mean the Orioles were having success, but because he waited so long for his turn. When Leo Mazzone came to town before last season I thought it might actually happen.

Then the season started and it became pretty clear that Perlozzo wasn't exactly a good decision maker -- or anything close.

I tried to write it off as "rookie mistakes," if you will, despite the fact that he'd been in the Orioles dugout for 10 seasons and had already managed for 50 games. He was bad.

For some reason I was again given hope during spring training when all the talk was about Perlozzo's changed demeanor and coaching style.

Did that change results on the field? Nuh uh.

Yet my own feelings are still mixed on firing him, and that's why I think the Orioles front office must be really reluctant to pull the trigger.

If you fire Sam, does Leo go with him? He does, right?

Perlozzo's promotion brought Mazzone here, so it only makes sense that Perlozzo's firing would send him away.

Finding a manager better than Perlozzo won't be hard, but finding a pitching coach better than Mazzone will be damn near impossible. So does the team think they can find a combination of manager and pitching coach that will get them better results than the terrible manager, great pitching coach combo they've got going now?

That's tough to answer, so the easiest thing for the O's front office to do would be to just avoid it entirely.

They're stuck.

Mazzone is under contract through the 2008 season, but I don't think the Orioles would fire Sam and then say, "Hey Leo, you better honor that contract!," leaving them with a disgruntled pitching coach in the dugout.

And that's why I say Sam stays, at least until the end of the year.

Why I'm Not So Upset About The Orioles Three-Game Losing Streak

2007-04-26T09:13:00.000-04:00

Normally I'd be devastated by a three-game losing streak like this. The O's had a four-game winning streak and a lot of momentum going for them, they are facing a couple of good teams in short series at home and it would have meant a lot to show those clubs that the O's are for real.

But it's April 26 and that's all B.S.

The O's have been "showing teams that they're for real" for the past few Aprils now. I didn't believe it until I looked it up, but the Orioles have finished April at or above .500 for the past four seasons. And where did it get them? Not once in those seasons did they finish within five games of the break-even point.

Image from baltimoresun.com

That's why early this month I told myself that I wasn't going to get worked up about what happens in April.

Lots of crap teams jump out of the gate hot and put up decent April records. The good teams get better as the season goes on.

And if you look at how the team has played, these guys should feel lucky to still be one game over .500.

Erik Bedard was supposed to be the ace of the staff, and he's putting up Bruce Chen-like numbers.

Melvin Mora seems to have dedicated his April to making a bloopers reel for his six kids.

Razor Ramon Hernandez, One of the best all-around catchers in the Majors, is hurt and has been replaced by Paul Bako, honestly one of the worst all-around catchers in the Majors.

Aubrey Huff in April has been in 2007 as Aubrey Huff in April has been throughout his career -- bad.

But those things will change. Huff will get hot, Hernandez will come back from his injury, Mora can't be this bad in the field forever (right?!?) and Bedard will return to form (he did have a 5.97 ERA on June 1 last year before basically dominating for the last three months of the season to get it down to 3.76).

It's fun to project out numbers less than 20 games into the season and say things like "Ian Kinsler is on pace for 64 homers" or "The Orioles are on pace for 96 wins," but then reality sets in. Because this is baseball, and the season is long.

Every team is going to have winning streaks and losing streaks and every player is going to have slumps and surges, but at the end of a 162-game season everything will end up where it should be. The best players will separate themselves from the flukes and the best teams will rise to the top of the standings.

So for now I'm just trying to sit back, enjoy the baseball and be pleased with how the O's have kept their heads above water despite the issues and injuries. ... But seriously this team better not be sucking like this in May or I'm going to flip.

My Wizards Optimism Rides On Tonight's Game

2007-04-25T13:35:00.000-04:00

Defying all reason -- no Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, an ugly game-one loss, facing Lebron in the playoffs -- I am still optimistic about the Wizards chances in this series.

Not "I think they're going to win" optimistic ... more like "I think they can win" optimistic, which is better than they're getting from most people.

For three quarters on Sunday Cleveland looked like crap. They failed to pull away from the Wizards, who seemed to botch every open, in-tight look that was giftwrapped for them by the Cavs' defense. Cleveland did pull away in the fourth and ended up winning by 15, but the game made me more confident that the Wizards can steal an early win in this series and keep themselves in it.

Unfortunately, an "early win" means tonight.

The task of any road team in a seven-game playoff series is to take one of first two games in the other team's building to wrestle away home court/field/rink advantage, so for the Wizards tonight is their opportunity. Their only opportunity.

It would be especially big because it would ensure that the series will get to at least a fifth game, which could be long enough to get Butler back in the lineup.

Caron had his cast removed on Monday but is supposed to avoid contact for a week to 10 days. Even on an ambitious schedule there's almost no way he's cleared to play in game four on April 30, but Caron prides himself on his toughness -- or is that tuffness? -- and based on no inside information or real facts at all I wouldn't rule out a game five or game six return even though Eddie Jordan apparently has.

And it's that type of irrational hope that sums up my optimism. If the Wiz can eek out a win in C-town tonight then win one of their two home games, they could get Butler back with the series not yet out of reach.

But if they lose tonight you can kiss all that goodbye and I'll start posting about the Orioles again.

New In The Shop: JAMIE WALKER T-SHIRTS!!!!shift11

2007-04-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

That's right. Go to the Beltway Sports Shop and you can get your very own #32 "Everything fits in this skillet" T-shirt (several styles available).

You know you love him. What's not to like? His ideal day includes sitting in the country with a Bud in his hand listening to some music. ... And "maybe a bug zapper" because "them are pretty cool."

This is a guy who plays for a month of the spring in party-town Fort Lauderdale, but says he "ain't going to no damn club, that's for sure." He owns a '79 Trans Am ... and a pickup truck.

And you know what else? If it fits in a skillet ... he kills it.

Here's what's on the shirts (sans "BeltwaySportsBeat.com" above it):

Wizards Will Face Cleveland In First Round

2007-04-19T10:33:00.000-04:00

I'll admit, I completely missed this scenario as a possibility, but the Wizards beating the Pacers, the Bulls getting stomped by New Jersey, and the Cavaliers beating Milwaukee means a first-round rematch from 2006: Wiz vs. Cavs.

Except last year's series featured Lebron James vs. Gilbert Arenas. This year will be Lebron James vs. ... um ... DeShawn Stevenson?

I don't love the Wizards chances against the Cavs (I was really hoping to get Toronto), but I prefer it to facing Detroit or Chicago. And I think if Cleveland comes in thinking they're already in the second round they're going to be surprised.

I told my brother last night that I thought the Wiz would shock some people and take two games of the series. He then asked if I would give him even money that the Wizards would win more than one game. I said I would not.

I also can't help but wonder if this is going to become some sort of Capitals vs. Penguins situation, where the Wiz and Cavs play each other in the playoffs five of six and seven of 11 years -- hopefully with the Wizards doing a little better than the Caps (Pens have won six of those seven series) . But they've got a long way to go for that.

So here's your first round schedule:

Game 1: Sunday, April 22 @ Cleveland, 12:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, April 25 @ Cleveland, 8:00 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, April 28 @ Washington, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, April 30 @ Washington, Time TBD
Game 5: Wednesday, May 2 @ Cleveland, Time TBD (if necessary)
Game 6: Friday, May 4 @ Washington, Time TBD (if necessary)
Game 7: Sunday, May 6 @ Cleveland, Time TBD (if necessary)

Could Wizards Turn Tough Breaks Into Inspiring Run?

2007-04-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

It looks bad for the Wizards, I know, but part of me feels like the injuries were what they needed to start playing like a team (and I know Jshuane Melton, Wizards beat writer at DC Sports Box, agrees).

Maybe it didn't need to be quite as bad as what they got, but in the last two-plus weeks, the Wizards have rallied around each other and started playing good team ball.

Image from CBC.ca

The results haven't shown up in the standings, but they've played admirably despite the absence of their all-stars.

The only blowout loss the Wizards took with both Arenas and Butler out was Sunday against Chicago.

Other than that, the Wiz fell to Charlotte by eight (in the game Arenas was injured in), Cleveland by five, New Jersey by six (in overtime) and then four, Miami by three and Orlando by six.

They're losses, but they're solid efforts and they're enough to give the most ridiculous of optimists (me) some hope.

There was so much optimism before April 1. Then things started going wrong.

The Wizards won that night in Milwaukee to get to 39-33 but all-star Caron Butler fractures his hand and is done for the regular season. The Wiz get embarrassed in their next game, April at Charlotte. Trying to regroup without Butler, the Wizards lose to Charlotte again on April 4 at Verizon Center, but Gilbert Arenas' torn knee ligament is more of a crushing blow than the final score.

The Wizards have lost eight of nine going into tonight's regular season finale, and only a win against lottery-bound Indiana will get them to the break-even point.

Tonight's results will decide where the Wizards will be seeded going into the playoffs and who they will face in round one:

Image from washingtonpost.com

A loss tonight coupled with an Orlando win over Miami would drop the Wizards to the eighth and final playoff spot and pit them against Detroit in the first round.

However, if the Wizards win tonight and the Nets lose to the Bulls, the Wizards get sixth place and would face Toronto, the Atlantic Division champs.

If all stays as is, the Wizards would take on the second seed Bulls, and we all saw how that went on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Arenas' only shot at a return is if the Wiz make the finals. Butler's situation is slightly better -- he targets a possible second-round return -- but the team has to get there first.

As easy as it is to say, "They suck, they've lost their all-stars, they'll play the minimum," I'm not quite ready to write them off.

After Arenas went down, Jamison stepped up huge in the first four games. He recorded double-doubles in each and averaged almost 29 points. Then he stumbled for the next three games, averaging under eight points per game. Wearing down from trying to carry the team, perhaps? I would have thought, but then he broke out for 48 points on the Magic last night.

Jarvis Hayes has also stepped up, getting into double digits in scoring in all but one of the past eight games, including 29 at New Jersey and 20 at Atlanta.

Is there realistic hope that the Wiz can pull off a shocking upset over either Chicago or Detroit? Probably not. Jamison would have to score 40 every night and Hayes would have to shoot approximately 100 percent from the field.

But Toronto's a different story. They get a third seed by default for winning the Atlantic Divison, which is probably the worst division in the NBA this year.

I take that back. There's no probably about it.

I like the Wizards chances against Toronto. Not that I'd put money on it, but out of the three available opponents that's the one that that the Wiz could most likely beat. (And I know Juan Dixon wants to face Washington, but I'm not particularly offended. Who wouldn't? If Shaq and Dwyane Wade were both hurt everyone would want to face Miami.)

If they go into the playoffs playing the kind of team basketball they've been playing lately, the Wiz might just make it out of the first round. Then if Butler really does return, who knows what could happen?

At the very least, here's rooting for a great story.

More Meaningless Baseball Stats

2007-04-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

If you are merely a passive observer of baseball, you may look at the current records of the Orioles and Nationals and deduce that they are on pace for x wins and x losses based on their winning percentage 13 games into the season:

Orioles: 7-6, .538 winning %, on pace for an 87-75 season (gotta love April).

Nationals: 4-9, .308 winning %, on pace for a 50-112 season (not loving April as much).

But if you use Bill James' pythagorean expectation formula -- 1/(1 + (Runs Allowed/Runs Scored)^2) -- you get different results:

Orioles: 60 runs for, 57 runs against, pythagorean expectation of .526 winning %.
Bill James would say 7-6 is right where they should be, and stretched over an entire season they would go 85-77.

Nationals: 36 runs for, 67 runs against, pythagorean expectation of .289 winning %.
James would again be satisfied with their 4-9 result, and it would stretch out to 47-115 if they continue to play like this.

So not a huge stretch in either direction, but it's interesting that even after only 13 games, Bill James' stats -- which were meant to be applied to full seasons -- are proving accurate.

If I don't get lazy I'll keep track of this throughout the season.

Unusual Statistics That You Don't Want To Hear

2007-04-11T23:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Orioles lost on a Tigers grand slam in the 12th inning, already the second time this season the Orioles have lost a game on a last-inning, game-winning grand slam.

The season is nine games old.

At this rate, the Orioles will lose 36 games this season in this fashion.

That five-month wait with no baseball sure seems worth it now, doesn't it?

Kevin Millar Would Like To Know If There Are Any Dogs In The House

2007-04-10T17:09:00.000-04:00

I once heard a pack of drunken frat guys doing their rendition of the Ravens pre-game ritual (I think it was while tailgating for a University of Maryland football game) and it effectively ruined it for me. Just to clarify, they weren't doing it mockingly ... they were serious about getting amped for that next Natty Light.

That being said, Kevin Millar went all Ray Lewis up in this joint on Monday afternoon before the home opener against Detroit. He busted out a pretty impressive rendition of the infamous Ray Lewis pre-Super Bowl dance.

I missed it because I was in the District looking at overpriced apartments, but the good public has been kind enough to hold a digital camera up to a television and post the results on YouTube. So here it is for you to enjoy ... all seven seconds of it!

That's worth watching a good 10 or 20 times.

My Homage to Jamie Walker

2007-04-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

So it's only two games into the season, the Orioles haven't won and he's pitched all of 2/3 of an inning, but it's not too soon to wrap all of the amazing backwoods likability that is Jamie Walker into one awesome GIF file.

If first impressions are everything, Jamie should already be in the Orioles Hall of Fame for some of these gems.

So here you go. Man this would make a nice-lookin' T-shirt, ya reckon?

Yes. Indeed I do "reckon." Jamie, have your people call my people.

So ... Is This How It's Going to Be in 2007?

2007-04-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

Nice start to the baseball season, eh?

At 1:00 yesterday the Nationals kicked off their season, and by 1:30 it was obvious they were going to lose.

The Orioles started six hours later but it took about as long of actual game time for them to look like they were out of it, except then they teased us with a big inning and a lead that lasted, oh, maybe 45 seconds including the commercial break.

Marlins 9, Nationals 2.

Twins 7, Orioles 4.

The "aces," John Patterson and Erik Bedard looked awful. Chalk it up to opening day jitters, I hope.

I still don't think the Nationals lose 100 games, despite that it seems like the media has all but guaranteed it. ESPN's Buster Olney went as far as to say the Nats could lose 130 games, which is Youppi-level ridiculous.

Here's the thing: 71-91, which the Nats were in 2006, is a bad team. REAL bad. And it's easy to say "well that's only nine losses less than 100!" But a 71-91 team is 20 games under .500, playing .438 baseball. A 100-loss team is THIRTY-EIGHT games under .500, playing .383 ball. The difference is HUGE.

Are they looking at last place in the NL East? Probably. But it won't take 100 losses to get there.

In true Orioles fashion, key injuries have shown just how unprepared this team is for success. After an offseason thinking about what depth the Orioles might have with one of Jay Payton, Aubrey Huff, Kevin Millar, Jay Gibbons or Corey Patterson coming off the bench each night, two guys get hurt before opening day and whaddya know you're looking at a lineup with Paul Bako starting and Freddie Bynum pinch hitting in a key situation.

Freddie Bynum.

But it's OK because Bynum plays several positions so that makes him ~~Brandon Fahey~~ valuable.

What I'm most annoyed about, though, is that I went to Champps last night figuring I could catch the last half of the O's game and then watch the NCAA championship, but the O's game was nowhere to be found -- apparently there was some problem getting the channel to work. (I suspect they didn't realize that the game was locally blacked out on ESPN2 because it was on MASN, but if that's the case it's a pretty sad indictment of the state of the franchise that a sports bar in Columbia doesn't even know what channel the local team will play 162 of its 162 games on.) So the O's finally have a night opening game that I would be able to watch and I only get to see three and a half lousy innings. Aaugh.

Oh well. That's the beauty of baseball. You only have to stew on a loss for a workday and then you're greeted at home by another game! Unless you're the Cubs...

Your 12 Over 5 Special: Long Beach State!

2007-03-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

That's right. I'm calling it. Tennessee beware.

Every other 12 seed has been tapped repeatedly as a potential upset team. Old Dominion over Butler. Illinois over Virginia Tech. Arkansas over USC.

But where's the love for Long Beach?

It's easy to take the trendy picks, but what about a team that hasn't beaten anyone even remotely decent and hasn't been in the tournament in 12 years? LONG BEACH!

The 49ers (that's Long Beach State) start five seniors and are led by Big West player of the year Aaron Nixon, who also took home Big West tournament MVP honors.

Hmmm ... good guard play ... senior leadership. Remind you of a certain local team that made a long and completely unexpected run last year?

So that's my "if this doesn't happen no one will remember and I'll never speak of it again but if it does I will gloat about it for the next 10 years every time I pick some crap 12 seed to beat a 5 seed" pick.

I just had to get this on record somewhere by Thursday so I could prove that I predicted it ... because I didn't have the mahhhhh-bles to actually pick them on my bracket.