Choosing Sides

I remember all the times we played a pickup game as kids, whether it was dodge ball, baseball, football, basketball, street hockey, whatever . . . there was always the drama of who was going to be captain, who was going to be picked on what team (AKA – they like me) and who was going to be the last person standing (they think I suck).

This year the NHL All-Star hockey game is taking this format. Instead of one conference against the other, it is a dose of evolutionary pecking order, dominance, favoritism and last and definitely least, which All-Star sucks.

I love it.

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The New Universal Choking Symbol

Apparently defense does win championships...

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Is it Thursday yet?

Just some thoughts running through my tiny little brain...







- How many carrots can the Redskins dangle out for draft picks?
Campbell, Haynesworth, McIntosh, Landry...

- Define Voluntary...
(See Mandatory)
The Mike Shanahan practices have started.

- When asked about Shanahans new rules...
The standard answers from the players are: "I Like it" , "It's like a breath of fresh air" , "Just what the team needs"
I wonder if their answers are Voluntary?

- Everyone says "Defense wins Championships"
Can the Capitals prove them wrong?

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Star Gazing...

"Crosby is so far ahead of Ovechkin right now Ovie would need a telescope to see him."

"Crosby has won the Stanley Cup (by going through Ovechkin), the Olympics (again, by going through Ovehckin) and the World Championships."

"I don't believe Crosby ever won a world championship, though he did win a world juniors title. But Ovechkin was part of the Gold-medal winning Russian squad in 2008. So, instead of 3-0, we're now talking about 2-1. Of course, if we're just measuring world titles, Caps winger Jason Chimera seems to have won one in '07."

"Ovie behaved wretchedly during the Games when he shoved the camera of some woman...Ovechkin...is bordering on out of control."

These are just some of the quotes and topics and blog posts literally FLYING around DC since the Olympics.

I actually have to say I like all this a lot! Ovie behaving the way he did with fans and their cameras is totally irresponsible but everything else is great!

Why, because this just adds to the rivalry. Fuel for the fire. Even more hype for the upcoming playoffs and championship run.

I think it will, hopefully, play into the Caps favor and become a real motivational revenge factor.

Three of the soviet Olympic team members are on the Caps. All three have been around for all the losses to Crosby and what ever team he is on.

And let me just say here, they are both all stars. "Beasts" as I have heard that term used a bit too often lately. Of course each, being one player, do not make a championship team. They help of course, but it takes all the pieces fitting together to make a championship team.

Watching Olympic Hockey was really great this year and I totally enjoyed it, even though the USA team lost in OT.

And now, I can't wait for the playoffs to start. To watch Ovie, Semin, and Varlamov take on you know who and, hopefully, wipe them off the 2010 NHL map!

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Are You Ready For Some... ?

This is the time of year that is truly fantasy football winter.

One of the other sports which I, and at least my sons, really get into is Hockey.

We have been avid fans of the Capitals and have thoroughly enjoyed this years season.

So, just as the football season ends, the Hockey season takes what is like a all star break in Baseball. A sort of Pro Bowl of international hockey.

Yes, just in case you have been hiding under a rock, or 2 - 3 feet of snow....

The 2010 Olympics have started. This means the NHL is taking a break because many NHL players are now playing for their native country hockey teams.

The Capitals have 5 players.

Tomas Fleischmann will represent the Czech Republic.

Nicklas Backstrom was named to the Swedish team.

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Semyon Varlamov were named to the Russian team.

I admit, I really will have mixed loyalties but regardless of who plays, will have fun watching!

Go Caps! Go Team USA!

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From Caps to COCO

I should probably be writing this about the Caps who had a fantastic January with 10 wins in a row and enter February as hot as they have ever been.

But more on that later with another post.


And yes I am with COCO but in terms of this post, it means I've selected COCO as one of my stocks to watch!








It is February 1st and time for another set of watch lists.

Starting Lineup:

UNP
Union Pacific Corp
Yes, the railroad company. Recently drop down past support levels. Look to see if it bounces back up before/when it hits the 200 day average.

DPS
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc
Company has held its own through this down turn and recently has had an increase of money flow into the stock.

CEPH
Cephalon Inc
Has been doing quite well since its last quarterly report and appears to be cooling off slightly. The cautious investor might want to wait until after the 11th report date before investing.

COCO
Corinthian Colleges Inc.
There is a theory out there that education stocks might benefit from unemployed people and those looking to keep jobs taking more classes to get an edge up on the competition and look more valuable to corporations. This is certainly a mixed bag field where one can invest in companies like this and Devry or in other 'service' and 'product' types such as Blackboard.

ODSY
Odyssey Healthcare Inc
A decently run health care company that continues to expand and has had two decent quarters in a row. Recent sell off has made it a more attractive buy.

LINC
Lincoln Educational Services Corp
I almost put this on the bench but it is currently at low support price levels and money flow has stopped bleeding out of the stock. This might just be worth a long shot especially if investors start putting money back in.

MMR
McMoRan Exploration Co
An oil and gas exploration company that just recently posted really good returns, which was surprising. I has leveled off a bit from its sudden run. Deserves a close watch.

HQS
HQ Sustainable Maritime Industries Inc
This china marine food company has had a really volatile up and down run in price lately and quite frankly might be setting up into a late stage of a head and shoulders pattern, which is not good. Probably one of my riskier starting lineup picks.

ROST
Ross Stores Inc
I think this clothing and retail store is on a comeback and will continue a choppy ride up in price. Look to buy on the dips.

SOHU
Sohu.com Inc
A china news, and entertainment company that reports first thing Monday morning. Has had a really steep sell off lately and is approaching an attractive buy in point. Now if I only had a crystal ball to tell me if the report is going to be good or bad.

Bench

CAH
Cardinal Health Inc

MFLX
Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc

CHE
Chemed Corp

IDCC
InterDigital Inc

FDO
Family Dollar Stores Inc

EVK
Ever Glory International Group Inc

SSYS
Stratasys Inc

TRV
Travelers Companies Inc

POWL
Powell Industries Inc

SHE
Shengkai Innovations Inc

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Wii-itis

Yes, it is a real word. Look it up.


























Wii-itis is the condition of having pain and sore muscles from playing simulated sports with video games.

The Christmas family present is a big hit. Everyone has been playing it and loving all the games. Trouble is, none of us can now raise our arms above our heads...

That's OK, I'm sure we will not be needing to do that motion much while rooting for the Redskins... ;-)

Of course we all got other presents and like them as well, such as the new big ball Santa got William because his sister burst the old one 2 days before Christmas!...

Thank you Santa.

The other big thing we, (well just us guys), got for Christmas weekend, was to go to the CAPS game last night to watch the CAPS beat the Devils and take over First Place! It was the first time in 4 matchups this season that the CAPS have won against the NJ Devils.

Thanks to Ovechkin, Bradley, Backstrom, Neuvirth and the rest of the team for dominating a 40 shot-on-goal performance and 4 - 1 win!

It was the first time we have gone to a game and they certainly did not disappoint!
We were up behind the scoring end of the CAPS 1st and 3rd period goals in the corner and thoroughly enjoyed the game....

Here is a short video already posted on YouTube or you can see the HD version on the CAPS site.







This is also championship weekend for my commished league and of course EVERYONE is rooting for Leonard Nimoy's Children (East Coast) to totally embarrass Team Edumucation (West Coast) and bring the trophy to the right coast where it truly belongs.

But we will not completely know the end result until ALL NFL games are completed this weekend.

Hope everyone had a fun, safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!

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Going to the Game!

No, not the Redskins...

Caps vs. Devils !!!











So my boys are getting to be addicted hockey fanatics and watch just about every Caps game on TV.

Though not as hooked as they are, I too am a fan of the caps.

Now since none of us have ever been to a game before, I thought it a good idea to see if I could score some tickets.

Originally I was considering a game close to my birthday in December. The Caps play division rival Carolina on the 11th which would be great, except the only set of 3 tickets left available were on the Club level. Great seats, but lots of $$$.

So I looked around at other games in December and came up with the Jersey Devils on the 26th. And low and behold, they had 3 decently priced tickets available in the top section near the corner. Perfect! A good game which makes for a great combination birthday and Christmas present to myself and the boys.

Hey! I'm already done with half my Christmas shopping!!! ;-)

Of course, now I need some good Caps gear to wear to the game... hint hint...

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Wedding Planners

OK, so a guy I know is getting married Saturday.
Right at the start of football season!

What a terrible time to go on a honeymoon... (Just Kidding)

Hope he has already picked his fantasy league and had the draft... (Not Kidding)

So, what ideas did I come up with for a gift?





















































Don't worry though, I'm sure she will get her turn.
I hear she is a Hockey Fan!

Seriously though, I hope and wish for them only the best.

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There is no such thing as bad publicity...

except your own obituary. (BRENDAN BEHAN)

Oh yeah?
Just ask MJ estate owners, attorneys and his creditors...
In death, MJ is setting all time record sales for his music and performances. And we all know that hype sells. MJ certainly is not the first, nor will he be the last, artist to be worth more dead than alive.
But I digress...

Perhaps I should have started off with a quote from Oscar Wilde...

"There is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is NOT being talked about."

I saw an article the other day about the NFL, Bad Behavior, and Profits.

I'll briefly summarize:
"The NFL is a machine that hums 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year…The more people read, listen and watch NFL-related items, the better… the transgressions and drama of a select few (like Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Brett Favre) fuel that machine… the same goes for criminal behavior…Lately, Burress, Stallworth and Vick have been in the headlines. All three made poor choices. All three faced the legal and league music. But all three also kept the NFL in the news and that's so much the better for them and their bottom line."

So this got me to thinking about other sports. Their image, the image of their players, teams and management and what, if any, impact this has on their profits.

I will rule out stuff like MMA and UFC.

But I will start with Hockey.

A large part of Hockey’s attraction is the speed and intensity of the sport and yes, the ‘fights’.
Does this detract from the image of Hockey being a good sport?
Does this detract or add to the financial success of a team or league?
What about the basically good players with incredible talent?
The Crosby's, the Ovechkin's?

How about Baseball?

Accusations about pitchers targeting certain batters?
Managers charging out of the dugouts arguing a call?
Use of Steroids? And the affect on the record books…
Yes there are the "bad boys" in the field of dreams, but there are a few good ones too.

Manny Acta just got fired. Everyone will say it is because of the performance of his team, and yes the lack talent in key areas (like pitching). But some criticized him for his calm demeanor. When was the last time you saw him charge out of the dugout, veins bulging, and dirt flying?

And yes I believe there are probably some players in every sport who use performance enhancing drugs.

But are good competitive personalities, talent and image good enough? Does any team or league have just the good attributes and still remain profitable?

How about golf?

Certainly the fights, drug use, and bad behavior is less of an issue here. Yet when Tiger is on tour, tournament attendance is up 30%, and TV ratings are up nearly 50%.

So, what are everybody thoughts regarding this?

Yes, the NFL is using a double standard by allowing this kind of behavior to continue. Yet at the same time they try to portray the good image of 3 strikes your out rule(s) – Does this apply to murders, manslaughter and federal offenses too?

Am I being to sarcastic?

Am I being too harsh?

Does this even matter?
Is it a financial reality?

If not, then how come the Jacksonville Jaguars have recently advertised a half off pricing for tickets?

Maybe they should recruit Michael Vick instead of cutting prices?

Of course, Vick will most likely end up playing a year in the new football league.

What better way for Vick to earn enough to pay off his debts…

Or for a new fledgling league to even generate enough interest and sales to get off the ground…

Or for the NFL to let him prove himself in addition to paying his dues and then bringing him up to the big leagues once he has passed probation and gone a whole year on good behavior.

That way they get to publicize the good image and recruit hype all at the same time!

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1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

We all know the 8x10 glossy tourist pictures of this famous address.






But if you turn around,

you will see something much more exciting...









No, Not Protesters... Though they can usually be found nearby...







No, Not any number of historic statues. They can be found nearby too...











You will find...


HOCKEY!









The closing of Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic between Lafayette Park and the White House in the spring of 1995 unintentionally created the perfect central location for a pickup game just as the popularity of street hockey was reaching an apex. It wasn't uncommon for 30 to 40 people to flock to the street then, causing several games to sprout up on the street at once. Participation has fluctuated over the years, but by most accounts, numbers are back on the upswing.

For roughly 14 years, a group of relative strangers has met to play street hockey here -- on the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, surrounded by manicured trees and box hedges and just a few yards away from the most recognizable address and home in the United States. The gathering of 20-somethings and middle-aged family men includes electricians, lobbyists, software developers, lawyers and physical therapists. Most don't know the other players' full -- or sometimes real -- names.

Those kind of details aren't terribly important in the style of street hockey played here. Players toss their sticks in a pile on the street, then divvy them up randomly to pick teams. They set up half-size, pop-up nets and play five-on-five roller hockey, goaltender included, where the winners stay on. Everyone rotates a turn in goal, and padding and helmets are up to the discretion of each individual. But to help keep themselves and bystanders safe, the players enforce their own rules -- no slap shots and no checking -- and keep an eye out for Segways, bicyclists and the occasional motorcade.

Interested? You can find out when the next game(s) are by signing up for the mailing list at...

White House Hockey

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Congressional Hockey Swings!

So, this week is the Tiger Woods AT&T National Golf Tournament at Congressional.
One of these years I will get out there and actually play the course.
But until then I will just have to watch local celebrities...

Here is one for Hockey and Golf Fans!

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Sport Shorts

Congratulations to Ovechkin!
Just having some fun with the Hart Trophy, Ovechkin reaches out to touch it before pulling his hands back in homage to his "hot stick" celebration.

Ovechkin is the first repeat MVP in more than a decade and only the 11th player to win the Hart multiple times. He earned 115 of a possible 133 first place votes, 103 more than the league's leading scorer, Evgeni Malkin of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

He also won the Pearson Award; the first player to win the Pearson back-to-back since Jaromir Jagr in 1999-2000. Ovechkin dedicated the Pearson to his grandfather, Nikolay Kabayev.


Go Drew!
As one who went to college in North Carolina and now lives in Virginia, I always try to cheer for the local gals and guys.

If you want to root for someone in the non-Tiger/Phil heavyweight class of this week's Umbrella Open, then the amateur Weaver is a perfect place to start and finish. Nothing against the rest of the field, but very few players here can match his backstory.

He won the British Amateur in 2007. He has played in the Masters and the British Open. He squeezed through the nerve-racking U.S. Open qualifier and was a mere 100 yards away from entering the Engineering Hall when the popping sound of gunshots began to echo from inside the building at Virginia Tech.

Perhaps this is why New Yorkers are following him and cheering him on. They can identify with him, what he has been through and how far he has come.

Last time Vegas had a football team, He Hate Me was king. Now they have We Hate He...He being Adam Archuleta.

Adam Archuleta, who the Redskins made the highest paid safety in NFL history back in ‘06, was selected by the still nameless Las Vegas franchise in last night’s UFL draft.

Honestly there is now team name yet, no schedule, and as far as I am concerned...

Really truly could not care less...


And, just in case you were looking for other type of pics on this post, based on my title...

Here you go.

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All Partied Out...

I think that I am going to need some time to recover from two straight birthday party weekends.

Hey, I know I was just complaining about off topic stuff but stay with me on this one... I'll make it have something to do with sports... Promise.

This past weekend was Marks's 9th birthday and the previous one was Williams 3rd birthday. Click on this link for some pics from Wills.

For Marks party, we went to the local bowling alley. It has been a while since any of us has been bowling, so our championship forms were a bit rusty...



I even got in the act. Here is a still of me and my fat butt getting a spare!

















Honestly I did make it... :-)

Afterwards we went back home and continued the family tradition of birthday dinner of choice, and exchanging of family presents.

One of the presents Mark got was his first hockey stick and accessories.














Mark has really been getting into hockey lately. Watching the playoffs, playing NHL09, and street hockey with the kids in the neighborhood.

With that, he has been borrowing sticks and equipment. Now, at least he will not have to borrow a stick anymore.

But first I have to tape it up and cover a blemish it had on the handle.

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Oh!, The Humanity!

So, After a great season (50W, 24L, 108pts) the Washington Capitals go down in flames in Game 7 against the Penguins.

Something tells me that these two teams will be back again, facing each other many times over - and over - for the next several years to come.

I really can not fault anybody in this series. Both teams played great.

One team just happened to be more human than the other.

One team just happened to see their stars rise up to another level; and win.

Congratulations to the Penguins.

Congratulations to the Capitals.

WE'LL BE BACK !!!

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60 Minutes of Hockey

Plus a possible overtime or two...

That is what this series between the Capitals and the Penguins is down to.






1 game. 60 + minutes of intense nail biting and frustrating, EXCITEMENT !!!

The networks could not be happier. Ovechkin, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin top the list of playoff point-scorers, in that order, and are each in the top five in goals and assists. Half of the games in this series have been decided in overtime, and five of the six games have been decided by a single goal.

Ratings have been through the roof.

For me, I've been facinated watching two very talented yet different teams battle it out.

In some ways, the Penguins have out played the Caps.

Offensively they have 226 shots on goal vs 159 for the caps. The Penguins ice check and shoot around the ice better and go for the feeds close in to the net.
The Caps seem to go for the quick setups and speed.

In other ways, Tthe Caps have been better...

Defensively, the Caps have Simeon Varlamov who has been outstanding in front of the net and the Caps have been effective killing power plays and clearing the zone.

The Washingtonpost has been keeping a really cool graphic stat comparing Ovechkin and Crosby.















And illustrates the differences in play and highlights the strenghts of the two best offensive weapons in the league.

This has been a great series between two great teams and I am sure there are lots of guys with less hair and shorter nails as a result.

However it turns out, this will definately be a series and a final game to remember!





LET'S GO CAPS !!!

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Return to Sender

Would the keeper of the fury please send it back to the Capitals as soon as possible.

Thank you.

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Good Hockey

This series between the Penguins and the Caps is shaping up to be a great series between two very good teams.

And I say that not because the Caps are up 2 - 0 in the series, but rather that these two teams are playing great hockey!

The Penguins and Caps are close; in talent and ability - but not style.
And by that I mean how they play the game.

It's fun watching two immensely talented teams with different styles and approaches play the game.

Congratulations to both teams, Ovechkin and Crosby, Varlamov and the rest of the Caps! and to all of us who get to watch such great games!

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The Exit is down the hall on the left.
Thank you very much!

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What once was old...

Is new and young again...

The old vet who sent this franchise to the second round is a Russian pioneer, whose courage to defect made it possible for Ovie and Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin and Simeon Varlamov to eventually play in the NHL (on a team in the nation's capital with more Russian players than any NHL team, no less).

Outshot 14-11 the first 40 minutes, the Caps put 13 shots on goal the final 20 minutes. Eleven of those came from this Russian Five: Semin (five shots), Ovechkin (three), Fedorov (two, his only two of the game) and Kozlov (one), Varlamov (.952 save percentage, and 1.17/game).

Here's to the new Russian Five!
Here's to the CAPS!
Here's one more for us good old guys!

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