capital offense

As expected, at least in my house, the Capitals fired Bruce Boudreau this morning. I didn’t think he’d make it through Thanksgiving weekend, but he did…barely. The Caps lost their last two games 6-3 and 5-1; games I didn’t watch, but the box scores told the story. Truthfully, Boudreau did some amazing stuff in his four years and three days as manager: he unleashed the offense, he then strangled the offense in order to focus on defense when the playoffs became an issue (and was successful until the team quit vs. Tampa last year), he won 200+ games. For what skills Boudreau has, he used them all. Now, here’s where the screw turns.

Ovechkin. His decline from top of the league to a minus-4 vs. Buffalo over the weekend has more than likely sealed his fate as a flash that’s burnt out over the last two years. You don’t get a minus-4 in a 5-1 loss unless you are actively sabotaging your team on the ice. You see minus-4 only rarely in hockey; even on off nights when you’re team loses 7-1, you won’t see minus-4’s on the score sheet. In order to ever be a considered a great in any team sport you can’t ever sacrifice the game on the ice or field. Ever. To finally be tabbed a coach killer, and make no mistake, Ovechkin is now a coach killer, is generally the final mark against a player in team sports. You can hate your coach, actively want him gone, talk to the press, etc., but when you quit on the ice then your hatred (or ego) moves you into territory from which you’ll never recover. Even though I say it’s been two years, it’s actually been a bit longer – that nearly two years marks the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

In the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs (about seven months prior to the Olympics), the Capitals lost game 7 at home to the Penguins in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The final was score was 5-2 and the Penguins went on to win the Cup; Ovechkin and the Capitals began a long swoon to where we sit now. I left that game with about ten minutes to go in the third, obstensibly to beat traffic, but even then I saw the writing. They Caps quit in that game the moment Ovechkin failed to score on a breakaway with the score at either 0-0, or 1-0. The flood gates opened and the Pens built the led to something like 4-1 or 5-1 before I gave up. That was waypoint 1 on the journey. Waypoint 2 was the horrid Russian performance at the Olympics. Waypoint 3 was the loss to the Canadiens in the first round of the 2010 playoffs. Waypoint 4, and one far worse from a leadership point-of-view than the loss to Montreal, was the 4-0 sweep by Tampa in last year’s second round. Tampa was better than most thought, but they weren’t that good, comparatively. After losing the first two at home, the Capitals quit. The final destination is today. Two days after posting a minus-4 on the ice, Ovechkin gets what he wanted: a new coach. Problem is, #8 hasn’t shown any inkling to grow as a player and I don’t see it happening now. New coach Dale Hunter is walking into a locker room that’s been poisoned by at least two full years of refusing to play a team game. That poison has seeped so far into the team that you can see the rest of the players simply falling in line with the lack of will that Alex has exhibited since missing that breakaway in 2009. His path, and this team’s, is littered with failure after failure when the rubber hits the road. There’s a common denominator in the math: Ovechkin.

I don’t know if Hunter is the cure – I doubt it. A few things need to happen to right the ship. First and foremost, strip Ovechkin on the captaincy. He never should have been made captain, and after his performance in the last two games, he never should wear it again. If Dale Hunter is the badass everyone thinks he is, he needs to walk in the room, take the “C”, and tell Alex, in front of the team and the hockey gods, that’ll he’ll never wear it again after what he pulled the Buffalo game. If anyone else has any questions about winning, they’ll keep them to themselves. The result is that Ovechkin goes into a funk (could it be worse than this?), or he answers the bell. Choices. His career from this point forward is either a Steve Yzerman resurgence or a steeper fall into mediocrity.

Time tells.

holy crepe

We were doing breakfast stuff this week in class and Saturday night was tasked with crepes and fruit tarts from each team in class. On Friday night, as we were wrapping up other egg dishes (eggs benedict on my watch), our instructor pointed at the 'crepe' pans that we had available for the following night - about 6" and deep, teflon-coated pans. Based on what I've found during some intertube work today, I think they may qualify as crepe pans but I'd say it's a pretty loose interpretation in my house. Anyway, I brought in my four pans (2 x 6" and 2 x 8") that are of the style shown above and our associated crepe spatula; I was well positioned for success. Our team was up for about 40 crepes, savory and sweet, and do we decided on one set of shrimp newberg and I followed up with a smoked salmon, caramelized onion, and goat cheese with a havarti and green-onion sauce - but that's not so important here.

After all the teams' crepe batter was set - as if you really need to let it sit for 60 minutes - the fun began. Four six tops of teams trying to work 40 crepes each. With a simple spray and two 8"-ers, I was able to knock out all 40 shells in about 15 minutes. The deep, coated 'pans' were an absolute nightmare for the others teams so I doled out the 6" pans and passed along the eights when we'd finished. The crepe pans, along with a good immersion blender, a quality food mill, and a mortar-and-pestle are the simplest and most specialized pieces that most people really need. (Well, a three-cup food chopper ain't too bad, either.) Considering there are crepes in the house at least once a month - on a weekend morning - there's no way I'd be banging around with middling pans. You've been educated.

I'm in the middle of watching an early Sunday game that's seen the Caps come back from 3-0 down to start the 3rd - with no Ovechkin (ejected in the first) - to tie it at 3-3 with about 10 minutes to go. Another national TV come-from-behind win?

tidying up the paperwork

After code was written and truth determined (it was bout 10,000 lines of repetitive numbering), the correct answers to the EHB game, if everyone is maximizing efforts would be this:

1st bidder: 75
2nd bidder: 25
3rd bidder: either 26 or 74

It's been noted by representation that I need to make a public apology to G. for his opening number of 77 that cracked open this can of worms. And so, I apologize with no additional input. The 77 was very close to the best possible option.

If you're wondering about the Price is Right version of the game (closest without going over), the max numbers for each player are:

1st: 67
2nd: 34
3rd: 1

There's no wiggle room in this one for the second bidder, and by default, the last guy in. The first set of rules allows the 3rd bidder to decide which end to attack and therefore give one of the two players (the one not attacked) as the most likely winner.

The 51 is off to see the Caps at Verizon tonight. Seems like it's been forever with the long Olympic break.

t

how do you say snow in russian?

For dorks like me this is a great slideshow especially since we live in the area and use the Metro all the time. I’ve often wondered about the progress of the system; how they sorted out where to run and when they opened the various lines and stations. I’m still amazed they didn’t build a line to Dulles International way back when. From what I understand, Dulles was built to handle the growing traffic, particularly international and long-haul continental, and opened in the early 1960s and was fully up with jumbos by 1970. Who thought to themselves, “You know what? Let’s wait until the entire area is overrun with population and then try to build a line through 25 miles of suburbs in 2010.” It’s really a horrible example of civil engineering…or thought engineering.

We’re supposed to get another 8” today, and 8” more tomorrow, before our newest and bestest storm friend finishes with us. This is getting a bit over the top.

Quiz night went well last night. We finished a bit higher than normal (8th of 43 teams) and hung a bit tougher with the legendary Naked Hookers, weekly winners and 2009 champions, as they tumbled to 3rd and only about 5 points ahead of us. X got the team prize for coming up with Lulu (sang the theme to The Man with the Golden Gun). (see foonote)

Last season, we (Caps followers, not us) got a quick lesson from our local Moscow hockey reporter on the correct pronunciations of the Russian players’ names, nicknames, and myriad other confusions. They all seem to love living here in D.C. and hanging out a Russia House but they put up with some serious name butchering. Here’s a follow-up that adds audio and an embarrassing correction on how to really pronounce Alexander Ovechkin’s last name.

Even though Corey has some broken bones in his foot, and I honestly do feel bad about that, the story that led up to the breaking of said bones at North Park Dr. is absolutely hilarious. I don't think a story has had a car full of adults laughing so hard for so long. I'll leave it to Kt to rely when she has time.

Footnote / update: I've been alerted, in no uncertain terms, that X actually came up with the Lulu answer and Kt merely made us stand firm on that answer. The original entry claimed that Kt had come up with Lulu. Believe me, it was mere moments after the the original posting before my ding-a-ling rang and I was chastised. It's now been fixed.

t

net prophet

One of my favorite rockers, Chuck Prophet, has a new album out this week: Let Freedom Ring! Chuck holds a special place in my heart after first seeing him hop up on stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco during my first Lucinda Williams show. Chuck joined the band, and guitarist Doug Pettibone in particular, on stage for an absolutely killer version of Joy. After the set I saw Chuck sitting on a bench in the upper lobby, all by himself, munching on an apple. After that, I found me some Chuck Prophet music. It wasn't long after that he came to Reno to play the Hacienda with his Mission Express - a simply stunning show. After that night he headed to Europe and I sent X to see him at the Borderline in what amounted to a virtual date (we each have pictures of us with Chuck at our respective shows.) The new CD was recorded in Mexico City and actually draws him away from the multi-layered stuff he's been doing for the last five years and deposits him right back into the heart of rock n' roll. Sweet stuff; he'll be here at Iota next month and we'll move our virtual date to a real date.

I was greeted at the mailbox today by both my acceptance letter to cooking school and my VA certification that will pay for the whole shebang - very good news.

The Eleven will do another Caps game tomorrow night - some sort of hockey date.

(Picture from my seats)

H. is working on his science homework and as an eighth-grader he's doing the somewhat standardized science-y homework that entails the writing down of experimental details. I remember so very well my 9th grade biology teacher, Mr. Kelp, hammering away at our science notebooks and assignments. Back then, in Omaha, our methodology was strictly this: Purpose, Equipment, Procedure, Data, Conclusion. Nothing more, nothing less. If you forgot one area then you were in for a world of hurt. Purpose. Equipment. Procedure. Data. Conclusion. Bang.

Our quiz results were once again right at the tenth-place of about 45 teams. I think X, who I badmouthed in an earlier post, might be right on your position in the 'Quiz World'. You are what your record says and you'll never win if you aren't right there from the get-go. Of course, this comes from a woman who spent seven years in England winning every week; well, glomming onto an already established winning team by shaking her moneymaker - no shame.

I had a great time at the Verizon Center last night as the Caps came from behind and beat Philly, 4-2. They fell behind 2-0 and then roared back in the last 30 minutes to win. When they beat the badass stormtroopers it's much more exciting then a struggling win versus the non-rivals. I'd rather see last night's game than a 4-goal night by AO versus a less worrisome rival.

No further details on my school or L. ending up here in January...I'm withholding nothing.

t

kick, drum, heart

I've read quite a bit about the Avett Brothers over the years but not enough to go and get the music. Big mistake. Their new album, I and Love and You, hits stores on Tuesday and here's a little vignette about a song called Kick Drum Heart. I've gone back and downloaded their stuff from emusic.com. They were here in D.C. early last summer but I hadn't been converted - they'll be in Baltimore next month but I'm holding out for a return D.C. date later in the album tour. Here's the tour page from the Web site so if they hit your area I'd highly recommend a night out - the shows are suppose to be excellent.

I didn't make it to Dallas over the weekend. I had the flu come on Thursday morning - stayed home from work - and it flared up worse Friday afternoon so I decided that two, 3 1/2 hour flights in three days and infecting the entire family wasn't the best idea. It wasn't as bad as I thought but I suspect it would have been horrid had I flown. I'm very disappointed to have missed my father's party - I had all my photos collected for the get together.

For those following along, my primary fantasy football team with my co-workers is absolutely horrid. Horrid.

My beloved spent all day building a new airing shelf for the bedroom. The classic wardrobe was unsat so she purchased an L-shaped set of shelves, got out the saw, drill, rachets, and curtain material to create a masterwork in the boudoir. I know it's seems like that would be man's work but man was cleaning the living room, kitchen, and cooking dinner for the hordes. That's manly, right?

Hockey season is upon us and I've found another single-seat holder in my row so we've agreed to marry up our seats - moving a few couples left and right - and I now have two seats for 21 games vice a single seat for 41. If nothing else, I'll save money on beer.

Back to work in the AM to wrap up a few projects.

I've I passed along that I'd rather be a student and a baker? Dreams.

t

pop the cap

It’s the opening game of the playoffs for the Capitals tonight. The NY Rangers invade Verizon Center for the first two games (the second is Saturday afternoon) of the best-of-seven series. Nerves abound in the nation’s capital even though this shouldn’t be much of a test: the Caps should wrap it up in five or six games. But, therein lay the problem; the expectations are so high that anything other than a convincing win will be met with the end of times; or some such. The Caps system is very wide open offensively and they are susceptible to defensive breakdowns every game. The harangued poster boy for the team’s defensive miscues is always the goalie, Jose Theodore. I’m not one of the haters, even if X thinks he’s cute, so I won’t be overly hard on one player. Even with that, Jose will be on the hot seat throughout the playoffs. I’m calling for a shutout tonight to open the series.

Wish us luck.

just the facts

This is clearly untenable. We need clowns and circus performers. When immigration offices get in the way of the circus then things have gone too far – we need circuses, especially in these hard times. Maybe I’ll start an organization.

I took WonderTwin 2 to another Caps game last night in hopes that we could break the curse. Not happening. Not only did the Caps lose their third straight at home, Ovechkin didn’t even play. He’d only missed one game due to injury in his career, and now he’s got to deal with her. The team is now 0-4 with her in attendance. She is not going to any playoff games this season.

The Eleven is heading the Kennedy Center on Monday night to get our Irish in order for the month via a show by The Chieftains. I’ve been waiting to see them for a number of years and a fancy pants venue can’t be the worst option in the world.

We had the big storm last Sunday night with about 4-5 inches hitting the D.C. area. Needless to say, they shut the joint down and most everyone stayed home. I did make my way into work at about 9am and it was pretty nasty on the streets. Everything held steady, weather wise, for about two days but the warmth has finally returned. I think we’re expecting mid-60s to low-70s this weekend.

On Tuesday night, while waiting for X at the Metro stop, I was parked next to a guy who’d gotten out of his Toyota Corolla to stand and watch out for his pick up target. I don’t know why I found it surreal but he was about 6’3’’, maybe 50 years old, glasses, bad mullet, smoking a cigarette, and wearing black boots and a calf-length mink coat. I half expected to see some cameras filming a reality show. I also thought that I can finally pull out my full-length mink coat and start rolling like that again.

Not much doing out here.

mr. 8, to you

I'll get this up quick so it can serve as first breakfasts. This is from last night's Capitals v. Canadiens game at Verizon. It developed so quickly that in real time it was nearly impossible to believe. The place went bonkers the more and more we saw the replay. The quick background: Ovechkin is coming of the bench that's on the far side of the rink (the left on your screen) on a line change. The Canadien defenseman is bringing the puck out of his own zone when one of two things cross his mind and/or peripheral vision: "I need to get rid of the puck and get back on defense or the Great 8 is going to embarrass me", or "I need to get rid of the puck and stop skating in a straight line or Ovechkin is going to steamroll me into the boards." I don't know if he decided which of the two was the better option but you can watch the result as many times as you'd like.

boarding

There was a thread on the WaPo’s Washington Capitals blog yesterday that had me laughing aloud at the desk. As with all crazy sports fans, Caps fans always want more – the team was so bad for so long that it’s success over the last year-and-a-half leads to endless discussions of trades and desires toward other players. Most Caps followers think the team needs a big forward to push some folks around near the goal and play the role of enforcer on the ice. One name that’s been inked onto someone’s wish list is big George Parros (6’5” / 240) who currently hangs his jersey in the Anaheim Ducks’ locker room. Parros played four years of hockey at Princeton University and that background led to this blog input:

“I would love Parros on this team! A Princeton grad turned enforcer! It would be awesome to hear a detailed explanation about why he had to kick some tail! "It was an egregious offense that could not be brushed off so easily. I dismissed one transgression, but upon seeing the second, I deemed a round of bloodletting in order."

This one-act play dialogue was continued by another fan:

"Accordingly, I removed my excess equipment, namely the gauntlets and helmet, and set to upon the vile offender, whom, I am certain, has learned his lesson and shall not commit that particular offense again. Should he do so, I will stand ready to pummel him once more into submission!"

They were killing me yesterday. The Caps fell in a shootout to the NY Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It happens. They have two games down in Florida this weekend. Get back on the bike.

jules

I know I've been delinquent and probably been blabbing on about hockey too much, but here I go again...quickly. The Flyers are in town tonight and the Eleven will be there together trying to fight off irritating Philadelphians. I give you one of the great skits ever done - it's the mentality the Caps need against the Broad St. Bullies tonight.



t

sport on ice

They played 50 years of Bears’ games at Wrigley Field. It’s been home to the Cubs since 1916. Yesterday, it hosted the NHL Winter Classic which showcased the 701st game between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams wore throwback uniforms and lit the red light 10 times. The picture above makes it look a bit more impressive than it did on TV: I think the area around the rink looked shoddy, the camera tower angle wasn’t great, the stands in the outfield were to far away, and a baseball stadium probably isn’t the best choice for hockey. There’s talk of the Capitals being involved next year and that’d be great. I propose a temp ring and temp seating for about 20,000-25,000 on the National Mall…at night. Illuminate the Capitol, the monuments, and have at it. There are tons of Metro stops nearby and no one would need to drive and park. The only issue would appear to be rain; makes ice slushy. Otherwise, the temperature isn’t much of an issue (they’ve played hockey outdoor in Vegas) – and it’s been plenty cold the last few days. I don’t think you need to manage 40,000 – 70,000 for a hockey game. Get the stands and fans right up against the glass (didn’t happen yesterday) and make it more intimate. As an addition, the Caps won their 10th game in the last 11 last night at Verizon Center. The Rangers and Flyers are on deck over the next five days.

Pumpkin – the large cat - has decided that he needs to remind us every morning at about 6:30am that he’ll be wanting some food to get him through the day. He puts his huge head against the crack at the bottom of the door and loudly mewls. As we were getting ready to leave this morning he also pointed out that he’d like some more cool fresh water in his bowl; day-old water wasn’t good enough for his delicate tastes. This is what the house has turned into.

In a related story, apparently we're having pumpkin soup for dinner. Go figure.

Happy New Year to all.

sticks around

I must be getting lazy.

The weekend is upon us and once again the plans seem a bit too busy for my taste. I’ll be canvassing tomorrow morning and then to the Capitals game tomorrow night; X and the boys, and some of H.’s schoolmates, are going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival all day for grog, jousting, and horns o’plenty. I’m working at the USO on Sunday and they’ll all be lying around doing squat. Actually, X will probably be getting her duds ready for her first day’s work as an esquire on Monday. I don’t think there’s anything of great import on the agenda tonight. I think we’ll relax and watch and episode of Foyle’s War.

I have a whiny friend coming to town next month and he’s conveniently timed his visit to align a Capitals game against his favorite team. I’ve been digging around for good seats – I have a single season ticket in the upper level – because he wants to “feel” the action. If he wants to feel the action in D.C. he better be a high-ranking politico to get seats in VIP row A up against the glass. Do we know and high-ranking politicos? Anyway, I’ve located some very nice club-level seats from which we can enjoy the action as the Caps demolish his team. Why spend more money than you have to in order to see your team lose? I’ll be perfectly happy.

In case you’re wondering, I’m getting a little tired of being harassed for being the most favorite human in our new little cat’s world. I didn’t ask for it.

hey

t

in the crease, in the tree

I took in a Washington Capitals NHL game with a friend on Wednesday night and found it a much more enjoyable sports experience than baseball, football, or basketball. For one, we had center ice seats in the front row of the upper deck which is perfect for watching plays develop. Second, the prices are much cheaper and the games a more manageable time – two hours and twenty minutes from face off to the end of regulation. I’m thinking of getting a partial season ticket (two seats) for next year – the Verizon Center is right above the Metro stop so transport is simple.

Being as it’s a week before Spring it’s not much of a surprise that the weather has turned for the better and I’ve pulled out at least one of the lawn chairs and planted myself in the courtyard in the evenings. Corey and X mounted a rope swing and seat on the piňata tree but G’s a little suspicious – I think he believes his plan was high-jacked by high end developers. We think he may have just wanted a Tarzan rope yet we’ve gone whole hog and messed up his dream. Within a week he’ll either be happier about the seat or he’ll quietly ask someone for something better.

Between the swing and G wanting his bicycle paroled from basement lock-up, X decided she wanted a ride down to Pentagon City to shop for stuff (I’ll leave ‘stuff’ definitions to her). I was all for a nice ride on a beautiful afternoon since my hot like hands had a Sur le Table gift card burning a strange rectangle in my palm. We ended up with a salad spinner, a new salt box, a wee colander, and some new oven mitts. I know, I know, try to hide your awe and excitement.

The bike ride turned into a bit of a seek-and-find. The problems are multi-fold: Arlington is a complete map/street mess and there’s also the issue of Ft. Myer and Arlington Cemetery betwixt here and there. Having our IDs handy we rode onto Ft. Myer with a plan to sneak out the back gate right into Pentagon City. As if you could do that on a Saturday, very funny. We were liked jailed rats looking through the back gate at the road and our destination so near. We ended up riding back across the fort and all the way around the cemetery and Pentagon in order to end up at the same place. Needless to say, we found a shorter route home via some residential streets.

I’m working at the USO today and a woman just asked me if there was anywhere in the airport that sold the Atlanta Constitution. I told her she’d be limited to the WaPo and the NYTimes. “Yankee papers,” she decried.

t.