Content Coming Soon

So I may be preaching to nobody here, because you've had better things to do with your time than look at a blog that hasn't been updated in two months, but just as a general FYI, I think I speak for Tyler and myself when I say that content is about to start popping up here. The month of August will mostly be devoted to football training camp tidbits (although I do have a lot of news to catch you up on when it comes to the Maryland recruiting scene), and then September will roll around and we'll have baseball playoff races, baseball major league debuts, and, of course, the real NFL season. So, thanks for your patience this summer, because we're coming back in earnest.

Update: Tyler here. As I finish up my summer job, I will have much more free time. I'll be writing for insidehockey.com this fall so I will be sure to post tons of Caps stuff here (hopefully some video clips of interviews, that's my goal for the semester) and will be covering MD football for WMUC, so hopefully I'll be able to add some posts about that as well. And, of course, the NFL season is just days away as camps are starting up, so look more for of that.

The "Battle" of the Beltway

This weekend, the Nats will have a series with the Baltimore Orioles, the "rival" team from Baltimore. The first four seasons in D.C. saw the teams just about split overall, with no clear "better" team between the two. Last year, Ronnie Belliard capped off the series with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th inning, a game in which I left right before his at-bat, figuring the game was over (and we had really nice seats, too). I'm still kicking myself for that decision. Still, it was probably the second-best moment of the year for Nats fans, only behind Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off on Opening Night.

So there there have been some good games between the team teams. They're pretty equal in futility, though the Nats managed to finish worse than the Orioles did in 2008, partly due to the fact that the O's were looking like contenders for the first 1/3 of the season, before they eventually fell off the face of the earth. Both teams have owners that the fanbases are not particularly fond of (The Lerners are already being labeled as cheap owners, despite being the richest in baseball, and Peter Angelos is arguably the worst owner in sports) and both teams are rebuilding. It's eerie how close the teams are in talent: the Nats have Ryan Zimmerman, the O's have Nick Markakis; the Nats' top prospect will be Stephen Strasburg, who is being called a superstar in the making (they still have to draft him and sign him, though!), while the O's have Matt Weiters, arguably the best prospect in all of baseball. Both have no pitching, but with some bright young prospects coming up and contributing. Overall, the two franchises are very similar, which makes the series between these two interleague opponents usually pretty good. This year should be no different.


But I have to make one thing clear: the "rivalry" between these two teams, and fanbases, is nonexistent. Many Nationals fans cheered for the Orioles before the Nationals arrived (I am one of those fans, though I never considered myself a serious Orioles fan...but ah, Brady Anderson was so dreamy) and many still root for the Orioles to do well in the AL East. Personally, I'd love to see both the Orioles and Nationals become perennial winners. I'm sure there are some Orioles fans who root for the Nationals to at least be decent, but I don't think you'll ever see an O's fan and a Nats fan fighting like you might see between Red Sox and Yankees fans. There's just too much crossover. There are tons of Orioles fans in Nationals Park for this series, and there are usually a good number of Nationals fans at Camden Yards as well.

Also, though Nationals fans despise Peter Angelos for screwing them over with MASN and the whole TV deal, the hate is shared with Orioles fans. Angelos is hated by all. Throw in the fact that the Orioles only come to Nationals Park once a year, and the rivalry really doesn't muster. For that to happen, there will probably need to be some punches thrown or managers tossed in close ball games. Still, it will most likely be years before any kind of rivalry develops; interleague rivalries just are too infrequently played to be significant.

Not to mention it's hard to brew any kind of rivalry when both teams are (usually) in last place by the time the series rolls around. What's there to get worked up about? There's no pennant race in May/June. Like I said, you're probably going to need some kind of fight to start anything. Personally, I'd love to see an Adam Dunn vs. Aubrey Huff fistfight. Two heavyweights, baby. But, until then, these two last place teams will play annually for nothing more than bragging rights, which generally means nothing, because, most likely, the series will not be a sweep.

I just hope that the Nats can avoid a winless 11-game homestand (currently 0-7 I believe) and that Ryan Zimmerman can continue his 38-game on base streak.

James Harrison, You Astound Me

Don't worry, it's going to go into the "explosive comments" section soon, but what James Harrison (pictured, left) said the other day has stupefied me enough so that I'm going to write a post on it. So, if you haven't heard it, here it is ...

So, James, rumor has it you're not going with your fellow Steelers to the White House. Why?

"If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl. So, as far as I'm concerned, he would have invited Arizona if they had won, so, I mean, maybe in the next four or five years, maybe year six when we don't win it I guess, I mean we're probably going to try to run for four or five years, get 10 or 11 rings ... no, but really, I don't feel the need to actually go, I don't feel like it's that big a deal to me."

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Are you serious right now? The man is refusing to go visit the President of the United States because he feels he deserves a special invitation. Winning the Super Bowl wasn't enough; he thinks the Steelers deserve special treatment. HE'S NOT GOING TO SEE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OBAMA WOULD HAVE INVITED ARIZONA IF THEY WON. 

You know, there are a lot of socially conscious professional athletes in all sports, so I'm not going to throw NFL players in general under the bus ... but come on. This is astounding. This is immature. This is pompous. This is just plain stupid.

And it's sad, because I respected Harrison a lot - until the Super Bowl. Then, there was the footage of him sucker punching a Cardinals player who was already on the ground. Now, this. I'm a Ravens fan first, but a football fan in general as a close second, so this makes me angry, because it reflects poorly upon the NFL. Very, very poorly. 

(Photo Credit: www.postchronicle.com)

A Shock to End the Season

The Washington Capitals have built a reputation of being a hard-nosed team that fights until the very end. They proved in last season when they went from last to first to win the Southeast Division, and then forced the Flyers to a game seven that they lost in overtime. They proved it in round one this season as they came back from down 3-1 and then forced a game 7 in round 2.

And then, they just ran out of gas. You could see it coming when Alex Ovechkin was robbed on a breakaway early on, followed by a penalty that lead to a Sidney Crosby goal. Then, before anyone could blink, 21-year old Simeon Varlamov let in the softest goal he's ever allowed. The Capitals could not afford a slow start or a soft goal; they let both happen. From there, it was all over. All the energy was sucked out of the arena and the team was visibly deflated. The second period started with 2 more Penguins goals and Varlamov was sent to the bench.

It was all over, just like that. A game seven in a series like this one was supposed to be epic. It was supposed to be another overtime game, another chance for a hero to emerge from either team. Instead, it was an embarrassment. The Capitals played without energy for the final 30 minutes and the defense was still dominated for long stretches. They were booed by the 18,277 at Verizon Center like they deserved to be. They had just folded like a deckchair in game seven against a hated rival.

And yet, for the final two minutes, the Capitals faithful stood up and applauded the team that had just ended their season in the worst way possible. It was a gesture that nearly brought a tear to my eye; despite the terrible performance, the team had still had a great season. They improved on last season's result and, despite numerous holes, made it to game 7 against a team that was clearly superior. They made it to the 2nd round with a bottom-ten defense and a rookie goaltender. They had a Norris Trophy candidate with a separated shoulder and a 30-goal scorer with an undisclosed injury (I think it was something with his hand). Alexander Ovechkin required injections during the pre-game to subside the pain from a groin injury, yet he still lead the NHL in points and averaged two points a game.

It was a season in which the Caps were the best regular-season team in Caps history, where they were the second-best team in the East, saw Mike Green score in eight consecutive games, saw Alex Ovechkin have another possible Hart Trophy season (along with yet another Rocket Richard Trophy), saw Nicklas Backstrom develop into one of the best two-way centers in the game, and saw prospects like Simeon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Chris Bourque, and Karl Alzner play and, in some cases, contribute. It was a good season, one in which the team can certainly improve on next year.

The offseason will certainly be a long one for Caps fans. There are plenty of decisions to be made and players to be considered. Sergei Fedorov says that he is not retiring, do they re-sign him? Will they move Michael Nylander and/or Jose Theodore? Will Viktor Kozlov be retained, or will he head home to the KHL to end his career? Do Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, and Jeff Schultz deserve qualifying offers? What about Brent Johnson? Where do prospects Francois Bouchard, Karl Alzner, John Carlson, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Chris Bourque, Matthieu Perrault, and Andrew Jourdey fit in? Do they spend some money on defense, or hold out for next year so that they can re-sign Alex Semin and Backstrom? Questions abound the Southeast Division Champs.

And yet, I cannot help but think this team is on the way to something special. Ovechkin has proved time and time again that he is a playoff performer. He can nearly single-handedly win games in the playoffs. He is the most dominant player in hockey when he is on his game. Varlamov has shown that he is ready for at least split-time action next season. Players like Dave Steckel and Milan Jurcina proved to be solid role players.

It will be a tough couple of months, but it is comforting to think that this team is so young and is only going to get better. In the meantime, I will enjoy the rest of the playoffs, look forward to the draft, speculate and dream during free agency, and wait in anticipation for any moves that could be made, especially regarding Nylander and Theodore. The sting of losing to the Penguins will last for a long time. Hopefully, next season provides the Caps with an opportunity for revenge.

Baltimore Ravens create their own school

Well...not really. But their new practice facility looks like it could be a private school in the offseason, no?

Pictures here.

Check out the pictures there. Very impressive. Bisciotti certainly delivers when his team needs a new building. It's basically a mansion-school-field-gym-perfect place to do anything.

... That Didn't Last Long

DeShawn Painter decided to be a preposterous tease for Maryland fans everywhere by announcing Tuesday that Maryland was in his final two, and then announcing today that he made up his mind ... and NC State it was. So, sorry if I got you all excited on Tuesday thinking that Maryland was going to land a legitimate recruit for 2009, because I really thought they would. Alas, though. What are you gonna do?

Gary's Overcompensating ... And I Love It

So I know the NHL and NBA are in the middle of great playoff series right now, but I want to do a little timeout to get you updated in the world of Terrapin basketball.

According to ESPN, DeShawn Painter, a top 100 player and top 20 power forward in the nation, has narrowed his college selection down to Maryland and NC State. Painter would be the prize recruit of this year's class and would almost certainly start from the get-go. No information I could provide about him would be unique, so go here for the scoop. 

Now I'm not going to do a long post and get all excited, because there's just as good of a chance that he'll be playing for NC State next year as Maryland. But I can't lie and say I'm not thrilled that Maryland is in the running for this. What it really shows is that Gary got a wake-up call last year. Between all the media coverage and what once looked to be nothing short of a disastrous season, Gary for the first time felt a little uneasy under the collar. How has he responded? By taking a team that had no business playing in the ACC and making them into an NCAA tournament team. By not only landing Jordan Williams and James Padgett (who seem to get better ratings by the day), but by already landing one solid and one great recruit for 2010. And now, he led the charge out of nowhere for Maryland to land Painter. It really shows Gary's still got it.

I'll keep you up-to-date as far as any new developments go. He's expected to make his decision by the 20th, so it won't be too long for now that we'll know for sure. If Maryland is in fact the choice, expect a lengthier post with how he'll fit in to the system here. 

(Photo Credit: ncstate.rivals.com)