road still goes through dc brah

UCONN came for a game, Georgetown came for a fight - Jay Bilas.

I'm not sure I totally agree with that quote, but I like it. A lot even.


Last night was one of the best coaching jobs, in terms of game management, I have seen out of JT3. Monroe, as I feared, got into foul trouble by picking up his 3rd early in the 2nd half. Thompson did a magnificent job of shuffling him in and out with Vaughn. He also gets valuable minutes of Omar Wattad, which, in my opinion, is beyond amazing.

Why did they win?

1. They only took 13 threes - most were good shots as they made 6
2. They ran when the opportunity presented itself
3. Played some of the best match up zone I have ever seen them play (and for the longest period of time)
4. Kept going at Thabeet even though he was blocking shots (7 in all)
5. Made their last 18 free throws
6. Nearly matched UCONN on the offensive glass (10 to 14)
7. They never get rattled and it bothers the other team

What's that AJ? "They are very solid on both ends of the floor," UConn senior point guard A.J. Price said. "They never seem to get rattled. When you look at the tape, you can't ever tell if they're up 10 or down 10 and that showed tonight."

Yeah they just go out there and methodically beat that ass. The Michael Myers of college hoops. I told ya brah

I love quotes like these: "With a win, as with a loss, we have to go back and see if we can get better," Thompson said, noting that Georgetown hosts No. 3 Pittsburgh on Saturday. "The commissioner's not handing out any trophies after tonight."

Did everybody hear that? The only reward being presented to the Hoyas after being UCONN is a home date with the third ranked Panthers of Pitt. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Winning last night meant one thing...that they won't start 0-3 with their ridiculous hard start to the "real" season.

Tonight's NBA pick: LeBron.

going for 3

So it's like this, if the rest of the conference wants to take the title away from the two-time defending Big East Champs, they better put them in an 0 -3 hole by next Monday night at around, oh I don't know, 9pm est.

It's their only chance.

Georgetown (28 - 6 the last two years in the Big East) opens up the season at Connecticut - the school that most publications have already crowned as this years champion. They have a good squad. Lots of length and athleticism across the board. They probably have more depth than this year's version of the Hoyas.

My advice so them is to come out with everything they have because if you let Georgetown hang around, they will do you wrong.

They are the Michael Myers of college hoops. You always look back and see him just walking towards you, not in any particular hurry. Problem with that is that the next thing you know, they are in front of you going for the kill.

My keys to the game for the good guys:

1) Freeman needs to relax on those sloppy ass passes he seems to get cised for
2) Monroe has to stay out of foul trouble
3) Using Monroe to break the press
4) FGA/3FGA ratio - there will be good shots available even with Thabeet in the game - take them
5) Wright getting into the paint to score/dish
6) Limit the offensive rebounding by the Huskies

I expect a fast-paced tempo where Connecticut stays in the game due to their advantage on the offensive glass. The Hoyas should limit them to a low shooting percentage. I expect Sapp to hit a late shot that enables the Hoyas to leave Hartford with a very important early season win.

Most points: Sapp

First three: Summers

First sub: Clark

First dunk: Monroe

The Skins: So they finished at 8 - 8. It's funny how expectations can take such drastic changes. After watching their first game of the season against the defending Super Bowl champs, I struggled to see them winning 5 games. Fast forward 4 weeks later and the Skins were 4-1 and people had them in winning the division. The problem was that they had only scored 11 more points than they had given up. Something had to give and it gave fast in the form of the dreadful St. Louis Rams.

So 8-8 and was probably just about right for this group. The way things are currently done at Redskins Park, anything better than .500 is a random shot in the dark. A decade of Snyder has produced zero consecutive winning seasons. I hope it doesn't take him another decade to figure out what he is doing wrong. Time well tell.

NBA: I've got Devin Harris tonight.

christmas eve eve

When I think of Florida International, this is the vision that dances in my head. I really don't want to see anything remotely resembling this tonight on the court at the Verizon Center. But since you asked, I will tell you want I DO WANT to see tonight:

1. Vaughn getting minutes with Monroe as opposed to just giving him a rest. The schedule is about to turn absolutely nasty with size everywhere that the eye can see. This team needs some quality minutes with 3 Bigs on the court.

2. Sims to show signs of life. I feel like I'm going to keep saying this until he does it. He just looks completely lost out there. The weird thing is that the top 100 guys from Charm City are usually legit. Oh well. Maybe he's just waiting for Big East play to show everybody what's really up.

3. For the Jiffy Lube Trivia question to actually require a brain. This competition has become an absolute joke. It's so bad that non basketball fans are answering it correctly before the choices are even presented. I'm sure tonight's question will be something along the lines of: What arena are you in right now? Tough one.

Tonight's Superlatives

High scorer: Freeman

First three: Summers

First sub: Vaughn

NBA High Scorer of the night: Dirk Nowitzki.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve to everybody out there.

First Dunk: Monroe

uprights at RFK

I'm kinda bitter that I can't go to the inaugural bowl game at RFK. I mean how cool is that??? A bowl game less than 20 miles from my house. Wait I thought you said bowl games were lame exhibitions.

Ok lame exhibitions aside, I'll always hold a special place in my heart for RFK. And even though I still frequent the place on a regular basis for soccer games, I always think about Redskins games when I'm there.

Navy v Wake Forest. I might be one of the only ones out there but I find that match-up kinda sexy. I love the way both teams play. I mean who doesn't love a little misdirection and option right?

I'll make sure to set the dvr, if for nothing else, just to check out the field and seating configurations.

I'm missing that bowl game for the Hoyas. It's amazing how fast time flies by. The Blue and Gray only have 2 more dress rehersals before the lights really come on in the Big East. They take on the Mountaineers from near-by Mount St. Mary's. Besides a win, there are a few things I'm looking for from the Hoyas.

1. Limit the 2nd chance opportunities
2. More crisp passing against the zone looks
2a. Summers to find that space around the free throw line against zone
3. Omar getting his feet set before getting his 3's off
4. Sims to contribute something, anything

Ok so last night I lost the NBA high scorer. My man Tony Parker got off 17 shots but only 3 of those shots found the bottom of the net.

OUCH!

Tonight I am going with Carmello Anthony. I think it will be a back and forth shootout with him and LeBron tonight. It should be pointed out that some loyal blogger reader picked Roy with a complete shot in the dark type guessing method. Congrats :)

So I noticed Brendan has Irish Spring in the bathroom. For some reason I couldn't remember their theme song from any commercials. I tried for a minute or two and then my mind immediately went to the Zest soap add. Those guys with Zest did a great job. I'm not sure if I've ever purchased Zest, but I'll never forget: You're not fully clean unless you're ZEST fully clean.

I hope those guys got a bonus.

thank you danny

I really don't like to brag but I mean, C'mon! I freaking nailed it brah.

Who was last night's leading scorer in the NBA again?

Oh that's right. The guy I picked. My boy Danny Granger. He's my boy because I had him as my dark horse to winner rookie of the year in 2006. It's taken a little bit longer than I predicted, but he's turning into a damn good player.

Hawaii bound?: Any Redskins fan with a brain will tell you that over the last several weeks the only thing keeping them in their games has been the defense. The offense has been a complete nightmare - scoring 12 points a game over their last 5 outings.

Well those putrid numbers didn't stop the 'Skins from landing 4 offensive guys on the Pro Bowl Roster.

Congrats guys.

You really earned it.

Ok I can't be that mean. I'm actually happy for Portis and Sellers. Samuels is always overvalued and Cooley is, in my opinion, just whatever.

RIP 33: Slingin' Sammy Baugh passed away at the age of 94 yesterday. I'm a little bit too young to have seen him play but from everything I've heard and read about the man, he was a freaking bad ass.

Today's article in the Washington Post does him quite well. A couple of my favorite Baugh quotes are in there as well. Something I hadn't seen that really caught my attention was the little note about how he left coaching in 1964 because he couldn't properly maintain his cattle ranch. Pretty good.

I hope Jim Zorn has an out of control cattle ranch somewhere that I don't know about.

Ok tonight's pick is Tony Parker.

My reasoning: I think Orlando's guards suck.

unpaid scout

In my efforts to "scout" the Big East, I try and watch every team play at least one game before the conference schedule begins. You know back in the good old days this wasn't such daunting task. The current problem is that there are now 16 teams in the league for basketball purposes, and, to be quite honest with you, I have a hard time accepting the new ones as my own. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I feel as if South Florida is my new 17 year old step-son that I just don't give two shits about. He's off to college in the Fall and getting to know him would be a waste of my time.

So I tried to watch a little South Florida - Vanderbilt last night. Right before the first TV timeout it was 2-1 and my eyes were bleeding. I mean here I go giving them a chance and they prove to be exactly who I thought they were - aka hot trash.

Next up was Marquette - Tennessee. Marquette has had the same team for about 4 years now. Matthews, McNeal, and James just fly around the court trying to fast break on your ass. The trick is to get James to do most of the shooting while in a half court setting and you are silly. The only wrinkle is that they have a new coach this time around. Maybe he isn't a complete no talent like Tom Crean.

I missed most of the first half but during the second half I found myself saying, "This is being played at a pace where Georgetown could have beaten the Vols."

Turns out I was right. The Vols beat the (used to be called) Warriors 80 - 68. Three weeks earlier they had beaten Georgetown 90 - 78 thanks to some insane shooting from behind the arc. I mean they were 10 for 16 from downtown. Freaking Cameron Tatum, a freshman, went 5 for 6 all by himself in about 15 minutes of action.

Here's a little "Did you know" that only I will find interesting. That 90-78 loss on Nov 28 was the most points Georgetown has scored in a loss during the JT3 era. Before that the previous high in a loss was 73 - but that was in overtime.

In fact the Hoyas, under JT3, are 62 - 6 when scoring over 68 points. Not too bad.

So getting back to my "scouting" from the beginning of this post, it's never been actually used. By that I mean that none of the coaches have actually come to me for my advice on the opponents. Weird huh?

Ok I'm starting a new game today. I'm going to see if I can predict tonight's high scorer in the NBA.

Tonight I select Danny Granger from the Pacers.

My thinking: He scores a lot normally and tonight hes facing the Golden State Warriors. Seems like a winner to me.

the official start of winter

I know that most calendars will tell you that the First Day of Winter is December 21st, but I'm here to tell you that it actually started today. I mark the beginning of Winter when I reach into the last box of Pumpkin Delights and come out empty.

This is how I know that Fall has ended. It's so sad but so very true.

So the NBA season tipped-off on Oct 28 and last night was the first time that I watched an entire game from start to finish. The Lakers outlasted the Knicks, 116 - 114 on NBATV. Now in my defense, this is the first season in forever where I am waiting for the mid-way point to purchase the NBA League Pass.

Ok so back to the game. I like how the Knicks are playing. I like the up and down style given their roster composition. I don't like the talk of trading David Lee to Charlotte for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell before the deadline. I also didn't like the way I knew that no matter how big the lead got, the Lake Show was going to comeback and win. I hate Derek Fisher.

Town and Country magazine. Ever heard of it?

Well I have now heard of it. You know why? Because one of you jokers is having it sent to my house in my name. I doesn't even say Robert Bancroft, rather it says Bobby Bancroft. Look I know I didn't sign up for this junk. Please identify yourself and prepare for the proper payback. Thanks.

FatHeads. I keep seeing commercial for these gigantic wall clings but I've never seen one in somebody's house. I've never even heard somebody talk about how their friend has one in there house. Does anybody know if these things are actually being purchased? I assume the answer is yes because they keep running commercials, but I've yet to see any physical evidence.

I love Christmas but I love waiting to buy Christmas presents even more. As of today I've bought zippy. I've got a 3 hour window on Sunday from the end of the Arsenal game to the start of the Redskins game where I'm hoping to knock out some names on my list.

eh?

Ok this is driving me nuts. We use the intercoms on our phones at work fairly often. It provides a lazy solution to those meaningless questions that come up throughout the day.

Ok well here's my problem. One guy in particular buzzes me the most and all of our conversations start out like this:

Him: Hey Bobby are you there?

Me: Yeah. (in my normal voice which, i might add, is more like an outdoor voice)

Him: Hello? Are you there?

Me: Yeah man what's up? (screaming)

Him: Wow you don't have to be that loud.

No. I do have to be that loud.

Dare me to disconnect my phone?

To make matters worse I got dressed in a dark room this morning and I'm fairly certain that I don't match. Check that. I'm positive that I don't match. I will be the guy that everybody points out and whispers about during lunch at Chick-fil-A.

Things like, "Mommy that strange man's clothes are hurting my eyes".

Awesome.

tgih

Well with Halloween just around the corner somebody at my office thankfully took it upon themselves to replenish the candy bowl. I'd like to say that I am ecstatic at the selection. I mean it's an all-star lineup of candy. A who's who of the sugar community if you will.

Skittles
Sour Skittles
Starburst
Sour Starburst
Sweet tarts
Nerds

Why did Willy Wonka stop with Nerds? Why not have Dorks, Geeks, or Dweebs? Well wikipedia once again proved to be super useful. It turns out that they ran out a cavity causing candy in the early 90's by the name of Dweebs. Apparently it was just too close to Nerds and the product sadly disappeared from shelves.

Charm City: Well I made it up to Baltimore last night since Kary was staying at the Westin. I'm not sure why people live in Maryland but it seems like a lot of people still do. We had a great dinner at Ciao Bella. As usual I ate almost of the pre-dinner bread. It's sorta my thing. The couple behind us were on some sort of awkward first date that evidently involved a lot of surfing lies. I was kinda waiting for Kary to call the guy out on his constant fibbing but she refrained.

We also tried to figure out how the US could advance out of the group stage at the next world cup. I can only hope that Bob Bradley was somewhere trying to figure out different lineups and formations in some secret US Soccer Compound in the mountains around Rushmore. Unfortunately for us he was most likely on Google vehemently searching for ways to keep Eddie Lewis forever young.

Awesome.

absentee blogger

Yeah that's me. You would think that I am the busiest man in the world based upon the fact that I just don't post on a consistent basis. The other day I was thinking about all of the things I have failed to give proper blog attention to in the past couple of months.

The travel list includes:

Cedar Point
Chicago
Boston/Cape Cod
Costa Rica
Kary's hometown/Columbus game

Can I retro blog?

I swear on my Georgetown Season Tickets that I will.

later brah

You know how sometimes when you book a trip more than a month in advance it just kinda sneaks up on you? Especially if you have already seen and paid the bill on your credit card...well it's here.

It's time for Costa Rica and I'm pretty psyched. It's something way out of my normal travel schedule. I mean, yes, there is a game involved, but for once that's not the highlight. Kary and I I take off super early on Sunday morning and don't return until Friday night. Everybody should really say some prayers for Kary. She has to wear a bunch of different hats while we are down there - girlfriend/tour guide/surf instructor. Ouch. Let's hope she makes it.

So apparently I only go to other countries that start with the letter "C" - Canada and Costa Rica. I wonder where I'm off to next time? Apparently I'm really loyal to the CONCACAF region...

I'm saying the front runners are Chile, Columbia, Croatia, China, and Cameroon. Yeah I'm not really feeling that lineup so much. It looks like I'm going to have to break from this strict policy of mine.

I'd like to go to England next. Something about some team called Arsenal has me interested.

Speaking of Arsenal: I've been following them since the Fall of '02 and I must say that last weekend's shocking upset at home was the worst result I've seen. Now obviously my interest in the club has gone way up as the years have gone by, so it's possible I'm neglecting another game, but I doubt it.

no way that just happened...

Some of you may have noticed, but for those of you that haven't let me fill you in real quick. I really want to see Nats hit the century mark in the loss column. Well it looks as if Mother Nature isn't feeling it. The Expos lite had their game canceled last night. Yeah that's right. Not just rained out.

Canceled. As in they aren't going to play it at all. So now we are down to a 1 out of 3 chance that they hit immortality. Imagine if the Redskins just didn't play a game. The fact that you can just blow off a game really goes a long way towards showing how meaningless a trip to the park can really be.

Hopefully the boys will take their chance at greatness and make this a season to remember tomorrow night.

Fight On? - I'm not surprised USC lost. Nobody should be surprised since they have had the best team in the country the past 5 years yet only walked away with all of the marbles just once. The surprising part is that they did it so early. They usually wait until mid-October to blow their shot at a National Championship. But if you think about for a second, the best loss in college football is an early loss. At least they gave themselves a chance.

Prediction time - Ok so last weekend wasn't that great. The 'Skins came away with a win, as did Arsenal, but Notre Dame suffered a bad loss, United got crushed by a Donovan hat trick, and everybody's favorite MoCo team lost to White Lightning.

This weekend I look for a complete turnaround.

Arsenal 5 Hull City 1
Donkeys 3 Some other team 0
Notre Dame 24 Purdue 16
Redskins 17 Cowboys 13
United 3 Burn 2

let's get it on...

It's here! Finally the schedule is complete. Now comes the fun part.

Last year when the Hoyas schedule came out I sat down and put a "W" or "L" next to each game. There were 29 games and I came up with a final tally of 25-4.

Well guess what?

I freaking nailed it. I got each game correct.

Well its that time of year again and i really don't have a feel for the record. My feel is that this team, with so many youngsters, will start out slow and eventually be playing their best basketball of the season when it matters - aka March.

The reason? They have one of the best coaches in the country on their sideline.

So there will be lots of new faces on the court and in the seat next to me. It is my goal to get Kary at least semi-interested in the Blue and Grey of the Hoya Saxa.

Time will tell.

Time will also tell how well I do with predicting this season's results. Gimme a couple of days.

Thanks brah!

Oh wait...I almost forgot. Tonight is the night. Tonight is the night that it all comes together for cornhole. It started out as a small dream for a Kings Park kid and tonight it becoming a big city reality.

I'd like to thank all of the people that have had a hand in making this possible.

Kary
Baker
Yvonne
Kary's Mom
Kary's Dad
Mike Terry

Oh and we have a one-hour season premier of The Office. Talk about a sensory overload.

Man I hope we have Tacos tonight :)

running down a dream...

It looks like the Nats want it. And by "it" I am of course referring to their quest for the worst record in the league.

DC's very own Montreal Expos went out and got crushed at home last night to keep alive my dreams of seeing them not only lose 100 games in a season but also finishing with the worst record in the league. Their magic number is down to 1. They are gonna have four tries at it.

The only potential roadblock I can see in front of my dreams is Seattle.

After keeping up with the California Angels for 7 innings, the Mariners blew it. Hopefully they only "honor" they will walk away with from the 2008 season is being the first team with triple digits in the loss column.

C'mon you Mariners! We need a title of some kind in the District this season.

Speaking of losers - United limped through another 2 - nil loss in the Concacaf Champions league last night down in Honduras. I fully expected a loss - especially after the first 15 to 20 minutes. But then it looked like they might be able to hold on for a 0 - 0 score line. Scoring a goal was never an option (unless it was an own goal).

But some half assed clearance once again was the death card for the black and red. MLS teams aren't currently set up to thrive in these competitions and this year's version of DC United is no exception.

The scariest thing for me is that United has has so many years to find a replacement for Jaime Moreno yet they just aren't able to do it. He is a 34 year old striker/playmaker that is running out of good minutes. We shouldn't be surprised that he's sore/banged up at this point in the year.

He's old.

He's probably the best player the league has ever seen but there needs to be a plan to move on without him. Unfortunately he's not long for this team. PS...Gallardo isn't the answer. He's made out of glass - as I may have mentioned before.

i dare you to beat my 199 brah

199 - I don't want to brag but I recently set the 8617 Wii bowling record. Now don't get me wrong, having a high game of 185 (Kary) is nothing to ashamed of...it's just no 199. Oh well. Better luck next time kas.

Nats Watch 2008 - Ok so here's my thinking: If you are going to be bad at something, you might as well be the best of the bad. I'm looking for two things out of this years version of the Nats.



1.) Lose 100 games. They are sitting at 98 losses with just 6 remaining. Edit: For some reason with their chance at infamy on the line, the Nats decided to beat the Marlins last night. They now need 2 losses in their last 5 games to complete their journey (un)successfully.



2.) Have the worst record in the league. They are a game better than Seattle right now. I think with a little luck they can claim their rightful place as worst team in 2008.

Tiebreaker - I have never met a tiebreaker that I like. I tied for the lead in pick'em this past week with 11/16 and guess what? I lost the tiebreaker. I was so close to the weekly $25 winnings that I had already spent it on Rocky's Science Diet Chicken and Rice.

i beat kary at wii darts

Yeah that's right.

Wii darts.

It may have taken a little longer than I would have liked, but I found my game. And by found my game I, of course, mean a game where I'm the champ and shes the runner-up. Maybe one day I can say the same thing about Wii bowling. My advice? Don't hold your breath.

Rocky hates the Wii: Years and years of playing fetch have conditioned Rocky to run when he observes my arm in the throwing motion. Well this presents a real problem when he's in the room during Wii time. At first he was just running and not being able to "find" what it is that he thought I was throwing. After that comes frustration. I suppose he can blame me for that one. He takes after his owner who tends to get frustrated rather easily. So next up came the barking. Yeah the barking isn't as great as you might think.

Well I guess I can't complain that much. At least he doesn't bother me while I'm playing. The same can't be said for Kary. He loves to get up in her grill and really play some killer defense. Sorry 'bout your luck!

Random Sports thoughts from the weekend:

Arsenal - They put on a clinic for about 20 minutes in the first half where they looked like the best team ever. Of course that's nothing new. They do that all the time. The problem is that it often results in zero goals. Luckily their offensive onslaught netted 2 goals. So here we are five games into the season and they find themselves top of the table. My advice? Keep it up b/c Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man U will eventually come calling. Thanks.

Florida State - I love how they just let Wake Forest own them. It's unbelievable that we live in a world where FSU can't even score a touchdown at home against the Demon Deacons. Wake is a legit football school and I think it's pretty cool. I love the misdirection.

Redskins - They are showing a lot better after that first game stinker. It's crazy to think that after 5 games they will have wrapped up their divisional road games. They have already lost 1 of those games so, unless they plan on winning all of their home games in the division, they better try and get a split out of @Dallas and @Philly.

Penn State - When do they play somebody with a pulse? It's cool to see Royster doing well with 7 touchdowns and nearly 100 yards a game, but it's nearly impossible to figure out if they are worthy of a top 12 ranking.

The Irish - Well the boys found out what happens when you on the road against a rival and turn the ball over. You simply can't beat a team with similar talent and expect to win on the road. I expect them to bounce back and take care of Purdue but it would be cool if their young guns would grow up fast this fall.

USC - The best game of the weekend that not too many people had the privilege of seeing was probably the practice sessions out in Southern California. Imagine what their perimeter drills were like. I'm guessing that they are somewhere between sick and very sick.

United - I've been worried for awhile now and it's looking like I had my reasons. Hey there's a reason Kary and I didn't stay at Kilroys to eat our dinner. Why stick around for the 11pm start when you know what's coming? Watching the game the next morning was more than enough. Tom Soehn is an idiot and playing in these international tournaments is a waste of time with a $1.2M salary cap. Oh and Gallardo is made out of glass. Perfect.

it's nice to have such power...

Applebee's: Well it's now official.

The KG Vets boycott of Applebee's was a complete success. Everything is, once again, all good in the neighborhood. The national restaurant chain raised their white flag to me last night on national tv as I tuned in to the WVU - Colorado game. I was so taken back that I had to rewind my DVR to make sure that ears hadn't deceived me.

They literally meet our demands. It wasn't even a compromise. We basically took them behind the woodshed.

Here is a quick refresher just in case some of you don't actually know why were boycotting the franchise: We went to UNC for an intramural basketball tournament in the Spring of 2001. We had just gotten into town and needed to eat something, anything ASAP. Well Applebee's had a sign outside for all-you-can-eat riblets. We proceeded to go there just for that feature.

Well we all ordered the same thing only to watch them run out. The manager came out and said we could get another order of chicken fingers, but not all-you-can-eat chicken fingers. Well that was just unacceptable. We all vowed to never eat there again. I have since held up my part of the bargain.

Well my how time's have changed. Their all-you-can-eat menu now includes riblets, shrimp, OR chicken fingers.

Wow. I wonder where they got that idea???? Hmmm..........

Game. Set. Match. Point.....to the KG VETS my man!

Johnny No Cash: So just the other day my sister forgot her wallet on her way to work. No problem. She had enough cash in the car to get on the metro. The issue came up when she couldn't get out of the parking lot w/o a smart trip. Seeing as how my brotherly duties include making sure she doesn't get stuck w/o a ride, I came to her aid. No biggie. But I thought to myself, "How did she forget her wallet?".

Well guess who forgot their wallet a mere 48 hours later? Yeah that's right. This guy. Nice job brah. To make matters worse I really wanted to go to the bank to deposit some checks for basketball and for the kegs. Brilliant move on my part. Maybe I won't be so quick to wonder how others make mistakes. Turns out I'm not as silly as I first thought.

Weekend Football: Well last weekend was pretty good as far as no losses are concerned.

I played in a 3-3 draw, United tied Dallas 2-2, Arsenal blew the doors off of Blackburn 4- 0, Notre Dame crushed Michigan to the tune of 35 - 17 and the Redskins had a nice 29 - 24 comeback win against the Saints. So, yeah, none of my guys lost.

I'll take it.

This weekend predictions (for games that matter):

Donkeys 3 - White Lightning 1

Arsenal 2 - Bolton 0

Notre Dame 24 - Mighigan State 13

DC United 1 - LA Galaxy 1

Redskins - 19 - Cardinals 17

I hope everybody has a glorious weekend.

time time for some time for some action

Dynamite: I haven't played soccer in almost 7 weeks. That is way too long. Well unless Mother Nature has other plans for later on - well talk about a jinx brah - I will be lacing up the boots and hitting the pitch at Rolling Valley tonight at 7:30pm. Not exactly my most favorite venue, RV didn't become an ankle graveyard for nothing, but who cares. We will be back on the glorious turf at South Run or Mason District in no time. Actually I'm just glad I have a roster spot after missing our first match, and lopsided win, of the season.

Arsenal: I'd like to blame their unexpected loss on Sam Papkin. This guy was already counting 3 points from Fulham on the road. Thanks Sam. I didn't get to see the loss. Pretty miserable though. Already a league loss for a team that only lost 3 last year.

Oh well today is another day and it's time to take care of FC Twente and get into the Group Stage of the Champions League. We miss you Cesc, we do.

Bronze medal bitches: Not to brag or anything but I caught some unexpected glory yesterday as I was leaving the gym. I just happened to check out the medal board for the Gold's Gym Olympics and what did I see? Oh nothing big or anything. Just the name of Bobby Bancroft sitting in 3rd place for the Men's 40 and under Jump Rope event. I'd like to thank all of the little people that made this possible. I'd also like to assure everybody that my birth certificate and passport are legit.

unlucky 7

I'm going to be honest here, I love to tailgate.

Seriously.

I love it.

That being said, I'm not sure everybody can handle a solid 7 hours in the parking lot throwing back adult beverages and eating hot dogs wrapped in bacon then dipped in cheese.

The WashingtonPost ran a wire story about the Meadowlands complex cutting back on tailgate time. They are going from 7 to 5 hours. (Let's be honest now...you can really accomplish a lot in 5 hours. I have a hard time believing that the number of tailgaters showing up 7 hours early for a 1pm kickoff was anywhere near what we might describe as "a lot".)

The best part of the story is a mention of how during halftime at Jets games there is a certain spot in the stadium where dudes gather and "demand that women expose their breasts". Even funnier than picturing that scene in your head is the fact that it only happens at Jets games. I guess this just goes to show you that the NFC attracts a higher class of fan. Like we didn't already know that right?

Internet radio: Wow. Talk about hit or miss. I tried to give a new station a chance today but I literally felt like the songs were interrupting the commercials. We are talking about the worst song to ad ratio in the History of Earth. So if you are looking for a good listen on this series of tubes we call the Internet, make sure you move your cursor well past "Classic Hits Radio" on iTunes. You will thank me later.

Gunners baby: Today is the first match that means something. Arsenal v FC Twente in the 3rd round of UEFA Champions League Qualifiers. We have really come along way in this country when 3rd round games are being carried on ESPN2. You see this is what ESPN is good at: showing games. I'd be less inclined to talk shit about the station if they just stuck to their strengths. Instead they are trying to conquer the world with other junk. It, of course, isn't working.

I'm not sure what to expect from the Gunners this year. Finishing in the top 4 seems like the best scenario. But just think about that goal for a second. That is so lame. Look I am selfish. I want to win everything every time out.

Happy Birthday Kary! I hope you have a great day until tonight when I dominate you, Baker, and Yvonne in mini-golf. But, yeah, have a great day until then kas ;)

i heart my job

You know what's annoying? I will be more than happy to provide you with the answer. Little flies floating around your office. So we have plants in our offices here at New Year Tech. In fact some people have more than one (I only have one).

Well anyway when we put more soil in the pots we used some killer stuff that, luckily enough, contained annoying-ass-fly eggs. At various moments throughout the day I feel like I'm in the movie The Karate Kid trying to catch these things with my hands. They are surprisingly elusive for such a slow moving bug. I guess its like trying to hit one of those slow knuckleballs from Tim Wakefield. I mean we have this spray that is supposed to work but it works about as well me trying to get early for work when I have company.

I totally forgot about this until today: Log...by Blammo.

Dear Facebook,

Stop suggesting that I add people as "friends" that you think I "know".

Sincerely,

Everybody that isn't on pace to end up with a feature role on Dateline's To Catch a Predator

Importance: I feel like you can measure your importance at work by your office location. We currently have 19 people working at Headquarters and 17 people have window offices.

Surprise, surprise, I am one of the 2 people w/o a window. Making matters worse is the fact that there is an OPEN window office just sitting there for the taking.

Candy Detail: Its true that I consider myself a bit of a candy connoisseur. Well we have the generic bowl of candy up front. It was down to some really old jolly ranchers and some of the worst Dum Dum lollipop flavors around - Root Beer, Chocolate, etc. In an effort to inject some some fresh candy around these here parts I felt it my duty to dump the remaining candy into the trash. I did so when nobody was looking last Friday, well after COB.

Results? We are now w/o any candy at all. But eventually it will pay off. I can feel it. I can see it now. Nerds, Skittles, and flavored tootsie rolls for everybody.

OMG I'm out of here.

hello old friends...its been way too long

Here we go again: Over the course of the last 7 days I have seen the reemergence of my teams. It started out last weekend when I finally got my fat ass down to McDonough Gym to see some Kenner League action. It's mostly to check out the Tombs. That is the team that has all of the incoming freshman along with two returning players. I liked what I saw out of the young pups. I will have a more detailed edition of this later.

Fast forward to this past weekend and it was Gunners time. Got my first look at some of the new/young Gunners - Nasri, Vela, Wilshere - among others. Of course the best sight of all was seeing Adebayor back in his #25 shirt.

Then last night we all had our first taste of Redskins v. 2008 - 2009. The skins game was cool for about 4 minutes and then I lost interest. It was great to see hear Michaels and Madden and see some of the guys that you know during the lineups. After that it was a complete crapfest that was fighting Van Wilder for my attention.

I honestly think Jason Campbell sucks the big fat one and best case scenario is 7-9. I had such high hopes for Campbell coming into the NFL but I just don't think he has "it". He seems to think too much out there for my liking. He had a really up and down college career at Auburn but seemed to have figured it out by his senior year. Like I said I was high on him because he can do so many of the difficult things well.

Guess we will find out this year. The Skins went out and got a west coast guy just for him.


Deadhead what? Yeah I have like 3 or 4 Grateful Dead songs on my iPod. The basic ones that everybody knows. Nothing fancy. Nothing out of the ordinary for an average Joe such as myself.

But something funny happened on Friday when I was looking to switch from my 80's Internet radio station on iTunes. I decided to click on classic rock. From there I, for some reason, gave this Grateful Dead station a chance.

Turns out...I love it. They only play the Dead and it's all stuff from concerts. I find it very relaxing while I'm at work. I'm guessing that it would be even cooler if I were under the influence of some drugs, but whatever my man. It works so far.

We blew it: I'm sad to say that summer league at Thoreau is over - and it didn't end well. We dug ourselves a huge hole only to see our valiant comeback attempt pushed away by the Ancient Warriors. They really carved us up offensively. I'd hate to see how many shots they had from close range. It would probably make me want to vomit and/or punch a hole in my wall . We help too much - which results in easy looks for them. We need some changes for next summer.

ok i'll be back later brah

survive and advance

That is exactly what we have to do tonight.

Survive and advance.

I'm fine with playing the Ancient Warriors again. We played them the other night and we didn't shoot, rebound, or defend in the transition very well, yet we were still in striking distance at the end.

This is our 3rd straight year playing in this league and each year our team composition has declined just a bit. This is evidenced by our record getting worse and worse. In fact this was the first year where we had what I will call a bad loss. And we had two of them.

On the flip side of that we also had our best win ever this season by knocking off One on One.

Well tonight we can forget it all and play a 40 minute game where the loser has to wait until next June to lace them up again at Thoreau. Who knows who will be back? Who knows who will be new?

Quite honestly...who freaking cares?

I like the Vets by 3.

I also like the amount of whining/complaining to be rather high. We come across the most complaining in our games against Ancient and One on One. I think both of those teams are just used to showing up and beating some garbage like VIKA or Birdie's Squad every game. They don't like to have somebody show up and make it hard to hit shots or get around screens.

Oh well.

3rd time is the charm

Well last night was the third time that I either was at RFK or had left for RFK to see United take on Houston. Since my blog has been on a huge summer vacation here is a little recap:

First try: June 4 - After 15 minutes of 0-0 game action the ref decides that the Biblical type weather in the District is enough to at least stop the game momentarily. After 90 great rain delayed minutes we are told, "Sorry folks the show is over. See ya next time". The rain delay story is best told separately.

Second try: July 22 - I am on my way to get the keg when Oscar calls me and says not to buy anything yet. "Give me 20 minutes to call you back," he says. So on a bright, sunny day in the world's most important city, we can't play soccer because somebody forgot to pay the electric bill. See you guys tomorrow!

Third and final try: July 23/July 24 - Well I'm not sure if we got it right. I mean United looked terrible in a 2-0 home loss - snapping their 6 game unbeaten streak - but that's not even the half of it. We made it 53 minutes w/o any problems. Good tailgate. Great weather. And then the skies opened. Next thing you know its pitch black at RFK. Again. This is all happening at around 830ish. Yeah the next time we see soccer it is 1145 and there are about 200 people left in the stadium.

I, of course, stayed.

I mean what was I going to do? Go home and watch some Georgetown game from the mid 90's in a lame attempt to forget how freaking old I am??? Yeah not tonight boys. Tonight I was hanging out at RFK into the early morning hours to catch some of the worst soccer of my life.

So let's dig deeper for the positives:

1. I found the team store. I spent 100 bucks. Not bad considering the fact that I could have easily dropped 1000 bucks w/o flinching.

2. I still have a phone. My phone died a horrible death at the first United - Houston match. Something about texting in a downpour. Hey Verizon why don't you plan for such events. Idiots.

3. Mike Terry. I made the big mistake of saying that I could give him a ride back to the metro. What started out as a nightmare ended with a good highlight. This guy slides through my back window onto the bed of my truck in order to secure a gatorade from my cooler. It was really awesome to watch as the driver.

4. We cleaned the Pod. The state of conditions inside the Barra Brava pod at the beginning of the tailgate were really bleak. An hour later and it was spotless thanks mostly to Connie. That guy is a relentless worker. It's like he had the whole thing planned since the time he got up.

You know what's annoying? When people go out of town. OMG it's been forever!

You know what else is annoying? When the following people fake on a mid week United game: Baker, Yvonne, Sam, Bobby.

You know what's awesome. When people go out of town but have the presence of mind to send you 6 boxes of Banana Crunch. Silly!

i'm your huckleberry...

Why do they call it Miss Universe? I mean they don't even let other species from Earth enter the contest let alone intergalactic contestants. That has always bothered me and I'm not sure I've really ever put it out there for my fans. So there you have it.

Bam.

That's your Mom.

Best game of the day: Click here to play!

My best time so far is 7:21 remaining. The major complaint of the day with regards to this game has been that "I don't know all of the Big East schools". That's weird. How can you be sleeping on the best basketball conference in America???

WWJWD: Now normally I wouldn't give a rat's ass about a Wizards Summer League game but tonight is a little different. And by a little I mean a lot.

Jon Wallace.

My main man Jon Wallace is suiting up for the home team out in Vegas. I already miss Jon. Let's relive one of his many clutch performances right now.

Match-day 6: VIKA: So who wants some? So far I am only counting 4 guarantees for tonight's huge game in the KG Vets march into the playoffs. Bret is out. Hales is showing up late and/or drunk. Kaala got stuck in South Carolina. Mark is always a maybe. So yeah that leaves me, Jess, Baker, and Adam left to protect this house. Maybe Yvonne or Kary can be summoned for some fouls. (Did I mention that Yvonne is a great score keeper and a real asset to the KG Vets? If I didn't she might cry about it in the comments section.)

Tombstone: I am addicted to watching parts of this movie everyday. I think it came out in '93 and I just saw it for the first time ever in May. I'm in love with Val Kilmer's character - Doc Holliday. Silly

choose the sword - and you will join me

What to do, what to do?

I mean there are so many things that have happened since the last time we came to you Live from the Park

Currently listening to: Cyco-Lic-No (Bitch Azz Niggaz) - Tha Dogg Pound. 1995 baby!

Ok so in an effort to actually crank something out today that doesn't take 8 hours to read, I will just touch on some recent developments.

Last night: I missed a United home(ish) game. There. I admit it. DC United played at the SoccerPlex in Germantown and I was a no show. Shame on me. As crazy as it might sound to an untrained ear, I had bigger fish to fry - KG Vets basketball in the Vienna League.

Matchday 5 - One on One Basketball.

Our nemesis over the past two seasons. Entering last night we were 0-4, including 2 playoff losses, against these jokers.

Currently listening to: While my Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles

So most of us actually got there a little bit early to talk about some slight changes we could make both offensively and defensively. The best part about the whole getting there early part is that Thoreau Middle has this axillary gym where we can usually just dick around in for hours before tipoff. Well not this time. The irony gods were having a good time as they picked yesterday as the day to rip up the floor. Thanks guys.

One of my favorite parts about yesterday was our decision to go zone to open up the game. We have kicked around the zone idea for awhile now but upon walking into the gym and seeing Brian Miller, I knew it was bad news. I told Jesse that the score would be 9 - nothing before we had a chance to breathe if we went zone. Well after some arguing seconds before the opening tip we decided to go zone.

Guess what happened?

Uh huh. 6 - 0 courtesy of two Miller bombs. Man that sounded familiar.

THANK YOU SIR MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!

Long story short we came back and beat their ass by a single point. That same single point that eluded us in the 2006 Championship game.

Pretty much everybody made big plays at one point or another. Jesse was hitting from half court with regularity. Baker had a sick tip in that he had no business making - bizarro Rasheed. Mark was blocking shots. Adam hit some timely mid range jumpers. Kaala was going to the hoop. Bret made some good passes - and didn't get ejected! Oh and me. I managed to get their entire team upset and bitching about me to the refs before the first tv timeout. (that is before the first dead ball with under 16:00 remaining to the basketball novices reading this junk).

I think that was their 3rd loss in like the last 8 seasons or so.

We were due.

We have a lot of work left to do but that was huge for our playoff chances. I kept saying all weekend that we were fine so it's nice to be right every now and then. Well maybe not right but I wasn't wrong. Is that the same?

We are seriously the only team in that league that can lose to garbage and beat the best. What does that mean? Ah hell who cares - Let's just play again next week and see what happens.

United: So we all know I missed the game. Well they were also playing a team in which they don't exactly beat with any sort of consistency when the loser goes home. I had Kary hitting me up with live updates but I was really dreading the inevitable bad news. I checked my phone and I had 21 messages that read like an AP wire update. (btw: she might have a future job calling) So by the time I got through all of them I realized that all of the stars aligned and the good guys won all across the board.

Sick.

Almost forgot. We were shaking hands before the tip-off and Miller asked me what was up with our record not being so good. I said hey what you see is what you get my man. He's a pretty nice guy but for about 80 minutes a year I really don't like him that much.

Ok well I gots to get going now brah. I'm not sure if my soccer stuff is even clean and there is a battle for promotion in the NVASA 2nd Division.

until we meet again....

latEr brah

just when you are out....

...something pulls you back in.

I felt like hot trash about 2 hours ago when I woke up for a very abbreviated nap. The only thing on my mind was going to Total Wine as quickly as possible so I could come right back and catch some serious sleep.

Well after shaking off that initial feeling of "just waking up" suck, I'm back baby.

In fact I am so "back" that I'm about to go do one of my favorites: run in the warm rain. Seriously the current conditions are sick son. Sick.

You know what I've been doing a lot lately? I've been doing different things and having a kick ass time. And.....I keep forgetting to have dinner. Who keeps forgetting to eat? I mean it's not like I'm skinny. Weird.

Tomorrow: United game. I think a lot of people are looking past San Jose so I'm kinda worried. Of course I don't actually know what the people playing the game are thinking so maybe I just made my worries go away. Poof.

3pm start time in June? Glad I'm not playing. Ok that's a lie. But you know what I mean right? I wonder how many of my friends will come for the tailgate only to roll out when the game starts? I honestly don't care but it is definitely an interesting move.

Ok I better get rolling before I miss out on this rain.

Peace Brah

dont feel like dancin'

Run fat boy, run: Well I am fresh off another foot based tour around Kings Park and I must say that the temperature is a little bit cooler than I would have wanted. Call me crazy but I'm really into running while the conditions are extremely hot. I think the main reason for that has to do with my hideous sweating issue. Perspiring when it's a little bit chilly is a little bit hurting.

Current Conditions: I am sitting here typing away in the dark listening to Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child. Rocky got up about 5 minutes ago, looked at me, and went upstairs. He's all about the early to bed early to rise steez.

Time does fly: Did you ever notice that time really does fly when you are having a good time? Of course you did. Well yesterday was another one of those days where you blink and its a lot later than you think it should be. In related news time seems to stand still while you are stuck in traffic. Especially when its a traffic jam in between your house and your neighborhood bar. Oh and you are really freaking tired.

I'm not really into golf. Ok that's not entirely true. I'm not into golf AT ALL. That being said I would like tip my hat towards Tiger. What he accomplished by winning the US Open was incredible. He handled it like a true PRO. He went out and competed at the highest level even though he wasn't 100%.

I love how he didn't mention any of his problems until after the event. Win or lose he didn't use it as a crutch. Most people go out and put their excuses on the table before it happens so they have something to fall back on when they lose.

So I still haven't returned the kegs from the last United game. Yeah that's right they are in the bed of my truck annoying the crap out of me as they slam against the sides during every twist and turn. Oh I tried to take them back this evening but I forgot one little detail - the receipt. Awesome huh? Oh I was thrilled.

Later Henry: I think Henry played his last meaningful game for France yesterday. So the country I picked to win Euro2008 didn't make it out of the group stage. I knew I was in trouble when they went out and tied Romania in their opener. Not good. Turns out Zidane was fairly important for that team's success. Weird.

KG Vets - Matchday 1: It's time to hit the hardwood courts at Thoreau for yet another season of adult league basketball. The team keeps changing a little bit but the name remains the same. We have another date with Birdie's Squad. I was actually set to do a little scouting last night but thank god I had something so much better to do. Who scouts the new teams? I mean what would I even do with that information? Of course Baker would have gone if I had been up for the task. And if Baker goes, Yvonne probably does too.

Vienna League means Vienna Inn afterwards. Silly.

Ok I'm out of here. The internet is beat right now.

lateR

promises, promises

Well it's getting kind of late and I have a big day ahead of me but here I am blogging in an effort to avoid physical pain.

Oh man. Where do I start?

Well I just got back from hanging out with Cabrera and Pilson and I must say that those guys never miss a beat. Bryan was super late so we were about to dip when he called and said he was on his way. We gave him 5 minutes and he pulled through. Speaking of people that didn't show up...Katie faked on us which is pretty much the biggest reason we roll on Mondays. Thanks for the warning Kathryn.

So guess who scored a goal tonight? Yeah that's right...this guy. With just a couple games left in the season I was really cutting it close. Even though I play in the back I always score at least once a season. Tonight it was a glorious strike after a nice little move near the sideline. For some reason I just had way too much space and let it rip from distance. You gotta get that near post if you are a goalie. Too bad the rain had stopped because I would have most definitely slid across the turf celebrating like a total ass clown. Weird huh? I guess you could say I'm really mature.

The weekend: Friday was great at the Papkins new place. Hey who cares if dinner wasn't served until 11pm? It was strong. It is very easy to lose track of all things time related while sleeping in the guest room. Speaking of losing things...apparently its super hard to keep track of your phone while in that room. Just sayin...

Oh I also learned that I'm eating some sort of fake sugar that is terrible for my liver. Who knew? Not me that is for sure.

Saturday: Tailgate, banana flavored treats, ice luge, rain, 3 first half goals. I'll take that any day of the week baby. Who said Emilio was finished? I think he just needed to get his fat ass into shape. I guess he spent the off season on the Bob Bancroft Diet of Champions. Not exactly what a pro athlete is looking for while residing in his prime.

Sunday: Eh not much to write about here. Some yard work at a few different places, US scoring 8 goals, and a little Alien v Predator. Oh and the Lakers didn't blow it again.

Ok seriously I'm tired.

Thank you and goodnight.

running on empty

Well, well, well...what do we have here?

I just turned down lunch at Famous Dave's because I have an ESPN360 problem. If I don't watch the games, or at least have them on under something so that I can hear the score, I might just spontaneously burst into flames.

And nobody wants to see that right? RIGHT?

What?: Uh the sound isn't working for the Germany - Croatia game. No problem getting sound for the US Open Extra segment that is also running. Hmmm.

Sleepgate 2008 - Night 4: My stay at Kilroy's was extended a bit last night because Mike Terry decided to show up just as I was getting ready to roll. Big surprise leaving at 10pm was more like 1130pm. I promised myself that I would run my 3 mile Kings Park loop when I got home. Oddly enough I followed through on that one. And of course since I am falling behind on Dallas, you know a TV show that last ran new shows in the early 90's, I had to stay up to watch at least one episode.

I'm kinda worried about tonight. I'm not sure I can find anything to distract me until, say, 3am or so.

DUDE: My sound for the game still doesn't work. This isn't going to get it done. I guess I'll restart my computer?

Stay Tuned.

and boom goes the dynamite

If you can't be honest with yourself then who can you be honest with? I mean seriously now. You gotta be true to you.

Check out the Boomtown Rats and their song that has been made famous by our friend Jim Rome.

So here's the deal: I don't value my sleep. Let's take a quick look at the facts at hand.

Sunday Night: So yeah I was up at Giants Stadium for the US - Argentina game so I had to slug it home on the bus. Time of my head hitting the pillow? 4am.

Monday Night: After not getting much sleep the night before, I had a late soccer game of my own. I got home around 1130ish, took a shower, and headed off to bed. Only problem is that I turned on the TV and was completely mesmerized by a movie that has no business mesmerizing even the simplest of minds: Wildcats. You know the one with Goldie Hawn coaching a bunch of high school football screw ups only to lead them to the city title. Yeah that ended at 2am.

Tuesday Night: Why go to bed early when you can watch Boston - LA until midnight and then follow that up with witty, engaging conversation until the Washington Post is delivered? Yeah your guess is as good as mine.

The best part about all of this is that I have been pretty much useless at work this week because of the mid day Euro2008 broadcasts on ESPN360.

Speaking of Euro 2008, right now the match up is Swiss v Turkey and I must say, that sounds absolutely delicious right about now....

just the way I like it...

In the span of about 45 minutes on Saturday I went from leaving my house to meet Shawn for our soccer game to going to Gold's for some cardio to meeting some friends at WMZQfest.

I guess Mother Nature felt that it was finally time for me to make the jump to country music, if only for one evening.

Good Advice: Make sure you have cash at Nissan because the lines to the ATM are a nightmare.

Better Advice: Don't have too much cash on you because you will spend it. I had way too much cash on my person. Awesome.

Parking: You know how you remember something being so incredibly horrible that you stay away from it for years only to let your guard down again and of course get sucker punched in the face? Yeah that is how I feel about trying to leave Nissan Pavilion after any show. I almost considered staying until Dave on the 28th.

Taking a strong look at your affairs: When you find yourself shooting baskets with strangers at 2am, I think its perfectly legit to take a few minutes and figure out how you got there. I had this happen to me the other night but I'm sorry to say that I don't have the answers at this moment. I mean, yes, I now how I got there - I drove.

Seriously when some random dude asks you to play one-on-one full court, just for the running, after midnight, you always say No. Just like Nancy Regan taught us in the 80's. I, of course, said yes. That is how I now know what you say. I hope this will help others in the future.

PS...not getting home till like 4am after drinking and working out is really a day killer for your Sunday. I woke up with a different type of sore. I mean sometimes your body is sore from playing a game or working out too hard. Other times you just feel like crap b/c you had one too many. My body was telling me that I was somewhere in the middle of both, and guess what, its not that a place I'm looking to get back to anytime soon.

PPS....All in all it was a good weekend. A huge vote of confidence for seeing live music - of any kind. I probably knew like 4 songs all night but had a good time.

Drinking outside in warm weather with live music and some friends is still undefeated.

big football day

Today's Champions League Final between Chelsea and Manchester United brings back horrible memories of Super Bowl XXXIX.

That nightmarish match up featured another two teams I completely loathe, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

After much back and forth I decided to go with the Pats because I experience far too much joy giving Eagles fan a hard time due to their lack of a Vince Lombardi trophy.

It looks like I am going to go with the same logic this time around. Arsenal doesn't have a Champions League Trophy. I don't want Chelsea leapfrogging the Gooners in terms of European glory in Moscow tonight (this afternoon here in the good old US of A).

Man United 1 Chelsea 0

And if rooting for a meteor to hit Moscow tonight wasn't enough....we have United at 7:30.

So the good news is that DC scored on the road last Saturday night.

The bad news is that it was still another road loss.

Worse news: It is Karaoke night at Kilroy's and Duffman is showing up.

Bold Prediction of the Day: A win tonight and they turn things around. A loss and the season is over except for the killer tailgates.

United 2 Toronto FC 1 - United escapes the 51st state with another win thanks to two own goals.

Parkway Update: I didn't hit every light this morning on the way into work. Success is mine!

this thing still exists?

Gimme Two: Yeah, that's right. I went back-to-back. For the second consecutive day in a row I have hit every single freaking light on my way into work. Jealous much? Thought so. The only way to solve this problem going forward is to be proactive. I'm going to make a super upbeat playlist for tomorrow just in case it happens again.

KMS: So I was stuck behind an Accord this morning with the following bumper sticker: Save the Planet - Kill Yourself. I'm all for going Green, but I mean....that's a bit hardcore for me.

Tis the season: Over the course of the last month I have attended an Awards Banquet, a Wedding, and a college Graduation. What is the one great thing that ties all of these events together? Girls in silly dresses. Yep. That's the winner. In fact my advice for girls would be to treat every day like its a big event. I think the world would be a better place for it.

United update: The nightmare continues.

so jeremiah was a bulldog...

So yeah, uh, nobody likes my new look. You know I'm not even totally sure I like it but here's the thing, the beard stays...well at least through the weekend.

United update: They still suck. I can't imagine them scoring any goals away from home this season. That's not so great.

A Rivers runs through it: So long Jeremiah.

It was fun while it lasted. The most recent Georgetown transfer is a player that I was really taking a liking to. You can't be upset when somebody else tries to better themselves, but it's a little disappointing that he didn't want to stick around a program that has won back to back Big East championships. I know he doesn't start, but he gets tons of minutes off the bench.

United update: Still no away goals.

Tailgate update: Who stole my hot dogs? Man that was a bummer.

Purse: Hey Sam I think Emilio was hitting the ball with his purse last night. Idiot.

im not going anymore

So yeah I just got home from the United game, another home loss by the way, and the only thing that was keeping me going during the torrential down pour ride was the fact that I could crush some hot dogs upon my arrival home.

Nope...no dice.

Somebody took the hot dogs out of my cooler without me knowing.

Well you know what Barra? I'm not going anymore.

Rocky knew what was up when I yelled that they were gone. He ran upstairs. Good call by everybody's favorite black lab. He didn't want any part of this mad fury.

Seriously I am so bitter right now. Just when you think the daggers are done for the night, they stick you that much deeper.

PS...United sucks and I dont think it's going to get any better. Wish I cared more but the Hoyas are still in the news with old Jeremiah.

Goodnight

happy corona day

A tale of two games:

Well after going down 2 zippy the Donkeys made a huge comeback in the second half to come out ahead by a score of 5-2. In what is quickly becoming a sad theme to the season, I blew another great chance at goal as I reached for my purse instead of my right foot.

Awesome.

Oh and I had a complete loss of conscious and tried to catch the opposing goalie sleeping from midfield. This of course drew a lot of jeers, including my favorite from Estie: Bobby we aren't winning right now.

After going down 2 zippy, DC United gave up. They have nothing and unlike seasons past, I don't see them turning this around. I'm starting to feel as if the only good things we will see this season will be the eventual firing of Tommy Soehn and the Lot 8 Tailgates.

Oh well.

It's not my mess. I can only handle one problem at a time and right now Georgetown's quitters are still on the top of my shit list.

Quotes from the weekend:


"We have enough things that bring annoying strangers to town" - Washington Post Deputy Sports Editor Tracee Hamilton commenting on the DC area being awarded a bowl game.

"Dude, Maryland is such a dump" - Shawn as we walked into a 7-11 after our game this past Saturday.

"You meet somebody that seems normal and is well adjusted and you wonder why they choose to live in Maryland" - More from Shawn outside of 7-11

Worst bumper sticker seen in the month of May: If you are born again do you get a second belly button? Yep. I saw that on a car this morning.

the offseason is never...

I really have tried to turn the part of my brain dedicated to Georgetown Basketball off, but the hits just keep coming.

So here is the latest:

We hardly knew ye...Vernon Macklin decided that challenges weren't for him. After progressing nicely as a backup, and seeing Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing, Jr graduate, it looked as though some major minutes were going to be opening up for The Big Ticket. Not so fast. Vernon is probably off to Florida or Clemson to continue his basketball journey. Too bad. I guess those three highly touted big men showing up on campus got to him. Later brah.

Hoyas in Disney! Memphis backed out of this year's Old Spice Classic in Orlando and the Hoyas took their place. They are guaranteed 3 games against really good competition. I would love to see Sapp and Rivers at the Epcot Center one day and then watch the beat up on Maryland the next. I really like how this year's Thanksgiving Day weekend is shaping up. See you in Orlando my man.

Once again it's on...The Georgetown - Duke series is back on starting this season in Durham. I really like the way this non-conference schedule is shaping up. Now all I have to do is find a way to save some serious coin so I can make some of these road trips.

Hoyas Rewind: As we head into the second round of the NBA Playoffs, I'd like to look back on one of the most incredible 4th quarter performances of all time by Georgetown's own Sleepy Floyd. For those of you that don't know, my man Sleepy went off for 29 in the 4th against Magic's Lakers in the '87 Playoffs. Sure they lost the series, but they didn't get swept!

sponsor this my man

Wow. After weeks of wearing the worst jerseys in the league (and that's saying something), DC United finally got somebody to fork over the cash. I really thought it was going to be Verizon but it ended up being Volkswagen.

I would have taken Kilroy's as the sponsor just to liven up the jersey. I mean they have been wearing, what looks like, a practice jersey for the past 6 weeks. Taking away the signature 3 stripes has been really hard to take for this crazed fan.

In other soccer news, the Donkeys came up with a big win 1-0 last night after almost having to forfeit again. We had some adjustments to make after playing on a field about twice as big as our normal one - thank you Montgomery County. I came up empty with two great opportunities. The first one I basically hit with my purse and the second one I hit side netting. Brilliant.

Ps...it is about 31 miles one way from Kings Park to Ridge Road Park. Luckily I drive a very fuel efficient vehicle.

he should be a hof'er...

Happy Belated Birthday to JMU's own, Gary Clark.

Often overlooked as one of the best offensive players in team history, Gary should really be getting a serious look at the Hall of Fame.

When he retired he was in the top 10 in both receptions and receiving yards. His numbers are very similar to Michael Irving who got in even before Art Monk for some reason unavailable to me at the moment.

He has two Super Bowl rings with touchdowns in each game, four Pro Bowls, 700 catches and 10,000 yards. Get this guy into Canton my man.

I don't know if they still have this up in the JMU Football locker room (they did in the falls of '97 and '98) but there was this huge poster of Clark returning a punt for a touchdown in an upset win over UVA. Not bad for the Harrisonburg school...not bad at all.

So in summation, Gary Clark is one of the my all time favorite redskins and perhaps their most impressive offensive player in the last 25 years. Even if he's not at the top of that list, he is on the ballot, and should be on the HOF ballot - of course I won't hold my breath since they obviously take time to get to Redskins.

soccer lost a good one

In my short time as a manager (oh and we can't forget front desk worker) at the George Mason Field House I had the opportunity to carry on random soccer conversations with one of the most important figures in the sport that this country has ever seen. Not a bad bonus for somebody just trying to make a few extra bucks during college summer breaks.

I am of course talking about Gordon Bradley. Gordon passed away yesterday after having battled against Alzheimer's for years. I hope him and his family will soon find peace.

Now you can read all about his accomplishments in any of the normal papers so I would like to just share a few of my favorite memories about the legendary coach:

4) After getting kind of worried about the US team's ability to qualify for the 2002 World Cup because of their poor start with qualifying, Gordon was overly optimistic about their chances and spent some time explaining to me how incredibly insane it is down in places like Guatemala and Costa Rica during these matches. Pretty cool when you can get a living legend to spend some time going over world cup soccer playing conditions with you while you are getting paid.

3) Working out at Mason only to look across the weight room in pure amazement at how freaking strong a 65 year old man could be. Gordon would play racquetball for hours and then just lift weights like it was no big deal. Pretty normal for somebody in their mid to upper 60's.

2) After having watched a DC United away game vs San Jose the night before, I was working the early shift at the Front Desk (btw easily the worst job at the Field House but that is for another blog). Who shows up a lot earlier than you would expect? The soccer color commentator from Home Team Sports - Gordon. I mean did that crazy old man take the red eye or something? Wow.

1) A few indoor soccer balls had become stuck in the batting cage nets after they had been raised for basketball camp. Jesse and I were trying to knock them down with other soccer balls when Gordon came out of one of the racquetball courts. He came over to help us in our efforts in knocking them down. We got down to this one ball that was really in there pretty good when I finally got it out. Gordon started to laugh and called me quite a "hotshot" in his thick British accent. He called me that a few more times during the week and the joke kinda stuck. And by kinda stuck I mean that Jesse and I still use it every once in awhile.

I am glad I had the chance to get to know him, even if it was very, very minimal...

you spin me right round baby right round

ESPN360 really can bring on midday insanity at the drop of a hat. Look don't get me wrong, having the ability to have a Champions League Semi-Final on in the background of my office is incredible but the halftime loop is just too much.

For those of you that aren't able to indulge in such work activities, I will now attempt to explain the madness with the help of "key" catch phrases from the halftime commercial loop:

"hook horns, hook horns...an insane deer?"

"sausage makers don't sell themselves...it takes moxie"

"THE CHAMPIONS" - the annoying ass theme song by our friends at UEFA

"type those stories, type those stories...check those sources, check those sources"

"i guess you could say you started off as a volunteer...i guess you could say i got these coaching thing down pat"

"THE CHAMPIONS"

weird noise from the heineken soccer commercial

Look seriously my head is about to explode. To make matters worse, ManU is winning at the half. An all English final just isn't very sexy. Plus I actually have a Barcelona jersey...thanks Christy.

is it really may already?

You can't have it both ways. Over the last few days I have been telling anybody that will listen that time is flying by in 2008. I mean it's basically May in about 5 minutes. Really? May?

So yeah after running the memories through my head this morning I decided that May is actually a fair deal. There are some things that happened in January that seem like they happened years ago. Hibberts game-winning three, watching the 'Skins playoff game on a bus, and taking the train to MSG didn't exactly happen yesterday. So forget the whole "I can't believe its May already" tall tale I have been telling recently.

So there was a United home game this past Saturday night and even though most of my friends don't think the season actually starts until June, those of us that did show up had a great time.

I spent the entire first half right behind Rimando's goal line at the 18 yard box. What impressed me the most was how big Moreno's onions must be after taking that pk the way he did. Oh and the grass is really, really nice. Just a little bit better than my backyard, but it's close.

The post game tailgate got tough. After deciding that crushing a few beers was a good idea the rain that has been avoiding us all day finally showed up. Funny thing happened when Lantier went to start his truck - it was dead. I guess that's the price a real hardcore NFL fan pays for listening to the draft all afternoon with his doors wide open. Luckily we didn't have any jumper cables between us. You know who else doesn't have jumper cables? The special police that asked us to leave. How do police not have jumper cables??? Luckily some crazy ass drunk guys about 50 feet away had cables. I'm still stunned Sam didn't electrocute himself. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good...

a serious problem...

I tell myself that the Redskins aren't a big deal anymore. I know that their management structure/personnel prohibits extended periods of sustained success. I try not to pay attention until I absolutely, positively must show them some love. And by that I mean opening kickoff. Years and years of disappointments have let me numb.

So why do I do it?

Why do I find myself going to eBay and searching for "Redskins Season Tickets"? Old habits aren't dying easy over here in Kings Park. I am apparently just hoping to stumble upon the greatest deal of the century on one of these super early, midweek searches.

Sure going to games are fun, but not all of the games. I don't need to spend 8 days at FedEx Field. It's an entire day if you do it right.

Luckily for me that prices are so outrageous right now that I'm not even given the chance to click on the "Buy It Now". I mean you would think they have a Head Coach that knows the team colors. They of course do not.

This Saturday is the start to the season. Quite possibly the worst televised "sporting event" of the year. I mean the first round takes 5 hours. Only a complete waste of space can sit down and watch that without getting paid.

One thing is nice. Right now they can still win it all. It won't stay like that for long, but for right now, everybody is in it baby.

with two whole days to spare...

It's April 13th and my taxes are complete. Wow. I think that is a new world record for RHB3.

Why the rush?

Well I am kinda in between living situations and, after remembering that taxes were due in the mail by Tuesday, it just sorta felt like a Sunday afternoon type task. Throw in the Masters in the background and it was all wham, bam, thank you ma'am...here's your refund boy.

Looking ahead to the next 7 days shows an awfully crowded dinner dance card:

Monday - I have my weekly appointment at Gold's for Andre to kick my ass in the AM. The PM shows a Happy Hour/Lisa's got a new job Celebration at Kilroy's.

Tuesday - Eh, not so much. I guess I could have crammed in my taxes on the very last day. Oh well. There is always next time my man. EDIT: How could I possibly forget everybody's new favorite Open Gym at West Springfield Elementary?

Wednesday - AM :It was suggested that I try out the new 6am Body Pump class at my gym. I'm sure this is a huge mistake. PM: Hoya Hoop Club Banquet. The last time I went to one of these I was in 11th grade. Allen Iverson had yet to score a point in the NBA and DC United had played less than a handful of games. I'd like to see how short Mary looks standing next to Roy Hibbert.

Thursday - Nothing like a Lot 8 Tailgate to make the week go by faster. United will be ready to pick up 3 points at home after having Real Salt Lake open up a tall boy of whoop ass on them last night in Utah.

Friday - I know what I'm not doing. I'm not going to respond to Adam inviting me up to Baileys. What a brick that was last weekend. In the history of the world you can probably count on one hand the times that friends have invited other friends out to a bar and not drink. I had no idea this was going on. Well now I know.

Saturday - AM: Weather permitting we have our first game in the Montgomery County League. PM: Jesse's sister Katie is getting married down the street at St. Stephen's. Reception to follow at the same place we had our 10 year reunion. Looks like I can't keep dodging the Fair Lakes Hyatt - no United game this time.

Sunday - Update stamp collection.

So there you have it...my upcoming week....