Now HERE's A Political Ticket I Can Support!

GO SKINS!

Election Fatigue

I got up this morning and wrote four paragraphs with my latest take on the upcoming elections... and quickly found that I'm bored with both Obama and McCain... as I imagine much of America is. Short of a major scandal (which America doesn't need), you should know by now who you'll be voting for three weeks from today.

So let's talk about something of much more import to the American people. I am, of course, speaking about football. PRO football in general, and the NFC East to be specific. How much better can it get than this? Just as it seemed like the division was going to be anointed as the greatest ever, three of the four teams lost in week six - and to teams they were heavily favored to beat, to boot! The only team that won in week 6 were the last-place Eagles, which means all four teams are in position to beat the crap out of each other for the rest of the season!

Can life get any better than this? Yes. It's the Ides of October, for chrissakes (well, almost - it's Ides Eve)! God did not intend for football fans to be watching games when it's 85 degrees outside, except in Miami, where God did not intend any teams that wear Aqua and Orange to be taken seriously, anyway.

I prematurely made my first pot of chili of the season last week, and now it's taking up space in my freezer because God also did not intend any self-respecting chili to be consumed in weather like this.

One more football-related note in this rather scatter-brained entry (which is still more interesting by far than any election related blog I might have written)... I am dying to get to the theater to see "The Express", the movie based on Ernie Davis, the first black to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis went to Syracuse, and was set to follow his idol and fellow Orangeman Jim Brown to the Cleveland Browns, but he died of Leukemia before he ever got the chance to go to the NFL.

The film is getting mixed reviews for its accuracy, but it does include several scenes shot on the Syracuse campus that I want to see, including one in front of Hendricks Chapel, where I sang in choir. I'm especially interested to see the depiction of Syracuse's Archbold stadium, which was torn down before my freshman year to make way for the Carrier Dome. You can see the dome behind the chapel in the picture above. In the film, the old stadium has been digitally inserted to replace the Dome, and it'll be interesting to see what that looked like!

Paging Miss Simpson - Miss Jessica Simpson...

Your new license tag is ready for pickup...

Hail To The Redskins - And TiVo!

The first thing I did when I got out of bed this morning was read every single word of coverage in the Washington Post about the Redskins' impressive 26 - 24 win over those no-account Dallas Cowboys. If you are neither a Washingtonian nor a football fan, there is just no decent way of describing what it feels like to see your team go on the road as an 11-point underdog and beat not only their most hated rival, but the COWBOYS!

Under normal circumstances, I would have been glued to the television to watch such an important event, with the rest of the family banished to far corners of the house. But in my current state of underemployment, I felt obligated when ABC News beckoned me to work on Sunday. Having no fear, I set the trusty TiVo, and went off to DeSales Street. The only thing I needed to worry about was getting through the day without seeing or hearing how the Redskins were doing - that was easier said than done!

Thankfully, no one at ABC had any apparent interest in football, so I was not subjected to having to avoid any TV screens... However, because I was editing audio feeds from Capitol Hill, I did face one interesting challenge to keep my Redskins "cloak of silence" intact. One of my jobs yesterday was waiting for Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to appear before the microphones at a stakeout on Capitol Hill. I had to make sure I did not miss the feed, so I was forced to listen to the "room noise" as the reporters awaited Rangel. Unfortunately for me, one of the cameramen at the feed site had the Redskins game on - so I found myself dipping in and out of the room noise in order to maintain my ignorance. Fortunately, ignorance prevailed!

Finally, 6:30 pm arrived, and I was able to leave, after ducking the security guard at the front desk, who was, of course, watching the game, which by that point was in the 4th quarter. I hopped into the car, and played my Hendricks Chapel Choir tape all the way home, lest I listen to a music station and hear a DJ announce the game's final score!

As I was driving up Connecticut Avenue, I was trying to figure out how things were going based on the road traffic. Whenever the roads were clear, I imagined it was because everyone was home watching the game. When I ran into heavier traffic, I suspected that fans were out and about because the Skins were being blown out. There was a time when you really COULD have gauged how the Skins were doing based on game-time traffic, but pragmatically, it's too early in the season for that.

To make a long story short, I made it home in a state of blissful ignorance. After a nice dinner with the family, I finally sat down in front of the TiVo, and was just settling in, when 10-year-old Spencer walked in and said, "The Skins did great, didn't they, Dad?"

The funeral is tomorrow.

Abraham, Martin and John... and Barack. And Oprah.

I want to be brief, and I don't want to be bitter. You all know where I stand on this Presidential election, so everything and everybody is viewed right now with a cynical eye.

I do think the huge stadium thing worked for Barack Obama. I do think he gave a good speech. I DO kind of resent that every Barack Obama appearance is treated as though he has already been anointed President, and I hope that does not come back and bite him in the ass. I also hope the November election is not particularly close (like Bush/Gore in 2000), because if it is, and Obama is on the short end of the stick, there will literally be violence in the streets.

Here's one possible source of Obama backlash - Oprah Winfrey was still in the throes of orgasm when Entertainment Tonight caught up with her at Invesco Field after the speech. I don't hate Oprah, but I do hate her influence... Her opinion should not count more than anyone else's but you know damn well it does.

Oh - and we also heard from John McCain last night, buying ad time to congratulate Obama for his historic nomination. You would like to think the ad was sincere, and not a political calculation. But who's kidding whom?

And in closing, I will also say this... Love him or hate him, you have to give Obama this... He outscored the Redskins by a lot last night!

Happy New Year!

Much to the chagrin of my friends who root for the Washington Nationals, I am here to wish everyone a happy start to Washington's sports year! The Redskins played the Colts last night in the Hall of Fame game, kicking off the NFL pre-season, and coincidentally, the first universally important sports event of 2008. (OK - technically, the Skins did play a playoff game back in January, but the American sports calendar - at least in DC - begins in July and ends after the Super Bowl, so the Skins/Seahawks game was, for the purposes of this blog played in SY2007)

I am happy to report the Skins gave Jim Zorn a nice gift - a 30 - 16 win for his first game as a head coach, even though the game itself was pretty meaningless. In fact, I did not watch even a second of it, as I am in the midst of 1:30am wake-up hell while working at WBAL. Besides, for pre-season games, the highlights on line always suffice:




For me, football IS the start of a new year. It is a joy to start reading ESPN.com again... and looking at the Redskins insider blog on the Washington Post website... and ordering the Redskins special at Papa John's (a free topping for every touchdown the Skins score, plus double toppings if they win... so that's EIGHT toppings for last night's game... )... and setting the TiVo for every game so I can watch the whole thing in 45 minutes and still not miss a play!

There is an enthusiasm for the Skins this season that is exciting to follow... Of course, in all fairness, the Redskins could be the worst team in football, and there would still be a certain enthusiasm for the team... that's what makes a fan a fan! I have no idea how well they'll do this season, but I do know I'll watch every game - at least once they start counting!

For me, the start of football means the end of summer is near, which is just fine by me. By the time the season starts after Labor Day, I'll be able to open the windows and enjoy the fall weather... before long, I'll be able to cook up a pot of chili to ward off the crisp cool evenings... and if the Skins are any good, I'll even be able to talk the missus into watching with me. I might even crack open a beer, which is something I pretty much only do when I'm watching football.

Are you ready for some football? Hell, yes I am!

Weekend Odds And Ends!

Several little items for you from this weekend... Enjoy!


We open with kudos for my boy Spencer, who made his off-Broadway debut (way off Broadway... OK - Thurmont!) as Officer Krupke in the Camp Airy production of "West Side Story"... Details of his performance are sketchy, since the show was for campers only... However, we have managed to sneak a peek at our own little "Man in Blue"...

Playing a cop... eating donuts! A part that Spencer was BORN to play! Your parents are WAY proud of you, Spence!

Speaking of Spencer, Robin and I are re-doing his room while the boys are away at camp... In Spencer's case, it's a bit of EXTREME MAKEOVER. We had to dismantle the loft bed that he's slept in the past four years, and now outgrown... The unit has both a desk and dresser underneath the bed, and rather than just toss it all away, Robin and I decided to take the bed portion off the top, and remove the back half of the piece, which was used for storage space. The only problem was that we needed to literally saw off the back half of a piece of furniture that was never designed to be removed.

There's nothing more manly than going out and buying a power tool! By Saturday afternoon, I was the proud owner of a Craftsman reciprocating saw, which I used to hack off about 50 pounds of finished wood! 10 minutes and four cuts later, I had successfully performed a storage unit-ectomy! The surgery did leave a small scar - about a 6 inch gash in the carpet, but we'll find something to cover that up, I promise! Now all I have to do is pay a visit to the Montgomery County Solid Waste Transfer Center to drop off all of the surplus wood, and we'll be all set. The "MCSWTC" is a fancy way of saying "the dump", but this is Montgomery County, where taxpayers obviously pay by the word, hence the fancy name...

So - now that Spencer's loftbed had been reduced to sawdust, the Missus and I drove up to Costco to buy him a new bed for his room... That was no sweat. After Costco, I treated Robin to dinner at our favorite Frederick eatery, the Double-T diner, which was delicious as always... However, when I went to pay, I reached in my pocket and found... nothing.

This was troubling, because I had checked my cash at Costco and had about 85 bucks in my pocket. The only guess I could hazard was that the money had fallen out while I was wrestling the mattress and boxspring into the back of the minivan... On a complete lark, we drove back to Costco just as dusk was setting in and pulled up to the space we had parked in. Robin looked out the window and promptly spotted a wad of cash. There was 60 bucks right where we'd left it! Robin and I spent the next several minutes inspecting every bit of trash in the vicinity, and just as we were set to give up, Robin found another 20 dollar bill! I did end up losing five bucks, but given the circumstance, getting 80 dollars back felt like winning the lottery!

One more thing to mention for today. The Redskins have won the latest round in their ongoing battle to keep their trademark. You can read the details of the case here, but all you really need to know is that the victory was on a technical matter, and the plaintiffs in the case are appealing. A group of Native Americans is suing the team, making the claim that the name "Redskins" is racist and disparaging. The team insists the word "Redskins" honors native Americans.

Now, I must tell you... I have been a Redskins fan since I was eight years old. I have not missed watching one of their games in at least a decade. I do call them the Redskins, and I would probably continue to call them the Redskins out of habit even if their name was changed. But let's at least be honest. Having a native American as a mascot is racist. Basing a sports team's name solely on the color of a group's skin is racist. This is not even a close call. In a world that demands political correctness... where virtually all colleges have long since abandoned their American Indian nicknames and mascots... the Redskins are an endangered species. I am no more anxious to give up the tradition of their name than any other fan of the Burgundy and Gold. But this is one battle I hope the Skins lose, and I think it's just a matter of time before they do.

Attention, Nationals Fans! Both Of You!

We're closing in on the halfway point of the baseball season, and the news is not good for our Nats in their first year of operations at the new ballpark. Read on from the DC Sports Bog in the Washington Post:

Well this ballpark-christening season has gone about as smoothly for Washington baseball as rush hour at Metro Center. To recap: the big offseason signing got caught up in the steroid scandal, the exciting new outfielders both suffered serious injuries, the two fan favorites at the corners both suffered serious injuries, the ace and closer both suffered serious injuries, the attendance has hovered in the exact middle of the league for weeks (and is much closer to the bottom third than to the top), and the won-less record is currently the worst in the bigs.
Meaning "First in War, First in Peace, Last in the National League" is no longer a bad enough description.

But wait! Some good news! The team's percentage drop in regional sports network television ratings is not the biggest in the major leagues this season! It's, um, the second-biggest drop! Behind only the Mariners.

According to an in-depth baseball ratings story and chart by John Ourand,

posted on Sports Business Journal today (subscription required), the Nats are drawing a 0.39 on MASN/MASN 2, down 43.5 percent from last year. The average number of D.C.-market households tuning in is 9,000, which is...checking, checking....last in the majors. By a lot. That 0.39 rating is...checking, checking....also last in the majors. Also by a lot.

The biggest average households numbers, according to the story (which is based on Nielsen Media Research numbers) watch the Yankees (325,000), Red Sox (233,000) and Mets (204,000). The highest average ratings, according to the story, are found in Boston (9.75), St. Louis (8.04) and Minnesota (6.92).
More to the point, the lowest average household numbers, aside from the Nats, watch the Royals (28,000), Orioles (33,000) and Pirates (34,000). To repeat, the Nationals' number was 9,000, less than a third of the viewership in next-to-last Kansas City. The lowest average ratings, aside from the Nats, are found watching the Angels (1.24), Rangers (1.49) and Dodgers (1.57). To repeat, the Nationals' number was 0.39.

I've been told not to make public our own numbers on Nats-based Web hits, but I think "disappointing" would be an accurate description. "Very disappointing" might also apply.

Seriously, what the heck is going on here? Why do we have a baseball team? Is this just yet another example of Washingtonians being front-runners? Will the numbers spike when the Nats start winning? Does it just require time, no matter what the W-L record is? Was Peter Angelos actually correct about the lack of D.C. baseball fans? Is it really that hard to find MASN2? Or is it just that, in general, with one notable exception, Washington is to pro sports what Billings is to high culture?

Hate to say "I told you so", but I told you so. When the Senators left town in 1971, I became an Orioles fan, and that suited me fine for the next 30 years or so. Aside from a small band of fans who could never get over the fact that the Senators were gone, Washington's baseball jones was plenty satisfied by having the Orioles at Camden Yards. If the Nats want to fix their woes, they're going to need better luck in the injury department, better access for fans to their new ballpark, and more important than anything else, a division title! DC loves winners and the Redskins - and nothing else.

Don't worry, Nats fans... your misery will be short lived... The Skins go to training camp on July 20th - and after that nothing else will matter.

Ocho Cinco? Dios Mio, No!!!

Well, it's April 23rd... No better time than now to kiss the Redskins' season goodbye! Forget the fact that they don't start playing for real until September... The truth is that with Joe Gibbs gone to NASCAR-land, the idiots are once again ruling the asylum. Danny(Snyder) and Vinny(Cerrato) are back to playing fantasy football... offering the Skins' first round pick this year and a third rounder (that could elevate to a top pick) in 2009 for one of the biggest loudmouths in the NFL - Bengals wideout Chad Johnson.

THANKFULLY - the Bengals have turned down the Redskins' offer. But that may not really be good news. Dan Snyder usually doesn't take no for an answer. What happens if he offers MORE picks to the Bengals for Johnson? Oy.

For you non-football fans, Chad Johnson is a receiver from the same mold as Terrell Owens... a guy who has mighty talent... and a need to suck every bit of oxygen out of a locker room. His ego is super-sized, and it takes a great quarterback, and a lot of coaching savvy to keep someone liek that happy and productive. Jason Campbell is not a great quarterback, and first year coach Jim Zorn has an offense that may need most of the season to learn his system. You think Ocho Cinco will stay patient through that?

Thank goodness for the resurgence of the Caps and the Wizards... because if the Redskins go back to playing Star Search, you can stick a fork in the Hogs for this year.