It's Been A While

I was talking to someone the other day and it came up that I have a blog/website. After talking to this person, I pulled it up and realized that I had only written two entries in the last three months. So much for writing more often. I’d like to write more, but my life just isn’t all that exciting and I limit myself as to what I am allowed to write about. I don’t like to write about work because, well, people do read this and far be it for me to piss people off without even trying. I’d write about politics, but I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know enough to write about it. With that being said, I’d started thinking about what else to write about. There has to be something, anything, in the last three months I could write about. Here’s what I came up with.

Breaking one of my rules, let me tell you about work. We recently moved. That’s all I can say though.

The weather. We had two days of triple digit temperatures here recently and people lost their minds. The people of Los Angeles are a funny bunch. If it’s not sunny and 75 degrees, then it’s news. I’m really sick of all the bitching about the weather out here. If it rains, people bitch. If it’s hot and doesn’t rain, then people bitch that it’s dry and there will be fires. If the temps get into the 40’s at night, you better believe we are all going to freeze to death. On second thought, I can completely understand why people complain about the weather out here. It stinks. I’ve been out here almost six years and I’m still trying to figure out what is so special about the weather.

Hockey season ended yesterday. Okay, hockey season as far as I’m concerned, is over. After a horrendous start to the season, the Caps somehow found a way to win their division. I’m impressed by that. I understand they play in the worst division, but to come back and win it is still impressive. Unfortunately, the Caps season ended in an all to familiar way. They lost Game 7 at home. It wasn’t even close. They were shut out in Games 6 and 7. That’s like failing gym. You have to try to pull that off. Guess there’s always next season right?

I made cookies about a week or so ago. I’m sorry (not really) if anyone was offended if I didn’t send them any. I actually ate about two dozen of them myself. That is a very rare thing. I did bring some into work, but I can’t talk about that because, well, it’s work. With the rest of them I did something I had never done before. I took them down to the local fire station and gave them to the crew. Seemed like the thing to do.

There’s a new iPad that’s supposed to come out this summer or fall and I’m thinking it might be time for an upgrade. When I got my first iPad, I swore that that would be the device that I upgraded every time a new one came out. I skipped the 3rd and 4th generation ones, so it may be time. We’ll see how I feel when it comes out.

I bought my first ibook recently. I bought Baby Steps by Elisabeth Röhm. Great read and I encourage people to go buy it.

I still don’t have cable TV and not having sports channels is killing me. I got to see one Caps playoff game because all the games were on the NBC cable family and you can only watch online if you have the right cable TV provider. Kind of stupid if you ask me, but they didn’t ask. Outside of that, I’m fine with no cable. Sure there are a few shows I wish it was easier to watch and not having any sort of DVR stinks form time to time, but it’s worth saving $100 a month.

With it being May, my thoughts turn to the opening of the pools. The pool down the road has been under construction for the last year. Looks like they completely redid it and added some slides. I know I’m not in the pool business anymore and haven’t been for some time, but I still miss it and the people. Wait, sorry, I’m not supposed to write about my lifeguarding days because that offends people.

I think there were some other things I wanted to write about, but I can’t remember what they were or I’m subconsciously censoring myself. While writing this, I did remember one of the reasons I don’t write that much. Ironically it’s because people read what I write. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to fool anyone. I know there aren’t thousands (or even hundreds) of people reading what I have to write, but there are people who read it. How do I know this? Well, I can’t go into that because, well, you know, but it’s more than just the numbers. 

Have a nice day. I’m still allowed to say that aren’t I?

Why Bother

Recently the NHL canceled more of the 2012-13 Regular season due to the lockout and as of right now, we’ll miss the first two months of the season including the Winter Classic and All-Star Game. This stinks. I have been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. I remember going to my first game at the old Capital Centre with my friend Pat and his family. They had season tickets and brought me to a game. I fell in love immediately. It probably didn’t hurt that it was ski hat night and I got a free hat. In elementary school we used to get discount tickets because we were safety patrols. I have always said that hockey is the best sport to see live. Nothing beats feeling the chill of the ice and hearing the puck on a stick or skates on the ice.

I’m not going to go back and rehash all the work stoppages hockey has over the years, but rather comment on something I read today. One of the Washington Post’s writers who covers the Capitals had season ticket holders write in and share their thoughts on this lockout. I got to thinking, why would anyone want to be a season ticket holder these days? Not just for hockey, but just about any sport, especially the big four (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Going to game today is not an enjoyable experience compared to what it used to be. First, consider the cost. Forget the family of 4 models and let’s look at what it would cost for a couple to go to a game.  A quick glance at the Caps website shows that the cheapest seat, in a 10 game plan, is $65. This price would be lower if you bought for the whole season, but I think the price works well to prove my point. Right off the bat, for a season, you’re in for $5330. The average person is going to have at least 2 drinks and one thing to eat over the course of the game. If the average drink is $6 and food is $7, you’re looking at another $1500. You still need to get to the game. Caps’ fans are fortunate in that the arena sits right above a metro stop. The Metro’s cheapest ride is $1.70 each way. Over 41 games, for two people, that’s $140. If you’re driving, you’ll have to pay for parking, which would add even more. For two people, with no souvenirs, traveling cheap and eating and drinking minimally, you’re upwards of $7000 for the season. And that’s for the best live sport experience. I didn’t even include dealing with crowds, possible drunks and those uncomfortable seats with no legroom.

At that price, I could easily get a nice TV, great sound system and a comfy couch or chair. I wouldn’t have to deal with any of the hassle. Yes, I would miss the hockey atmosphere, but I certainly wouldn’t miss the atmosphere of other sports. Football is horrible. They have the insane need to play crappy music between every down that drives me crazy. I also don’t need to be told when it’s third down or when to chant De-Fense! The last time I went to an NBA game, it seemed about everything, but the game itself. Baseball isn’t too bad, but who can make it to 81 games a year?

I’m really surprised that more people give up their season tickets and just get a 10 game plan or something. That still gives you an inside track for playoff tickets and you would save a bunch of money upfront. You could then spend a little bit more on specific games that you want to attend. I think you would come out ahead in the end.

I realize that some people can easily afford to get season tickets for the best seats in the house and I’m happy for them, but that is not going to be the average fan. The average fan can barely afford to go to any game anymore regardless of the ticket package. The average fan is better off, financially, staying home. Mind you, I’m not telling anyone how to spend their money and I’m not writing this because I can’t afford season tickets (I can’t even afford one ticket). I just don’t understand why people would want to get season tickets.

It’s even worse when you have to deal with the BS of a lockout or a strike. Here’s all my money and then there are no games. Sure, you can get a refund, but the team has just made a bunch of money by holding onto yours and you have nothing to show for your money for sometime. If I somehow win tonight’s Powerball $550M jackpot tonight, you can completely disregard this entire blog.

My World Of Sports

I’ve been meaning to write something intellectual and insightful, but then I remembered that that’s not the way I write, so why bother. Plus I went out of town for a long weekend to visit my family and that didn’t seem like a good time to write. After talking with some people yesterday, I was going to write some more about baseball’s wild card and how, if they’re going to have it, at least do it right. Have the two wild card teams play a best of 3 series all at the higher seed’s ballpark. Also, maybe we can get the NBA to go the route of MLB and have 9 teams make the playoffs in each conference and have the 8 and 9 seeds play each other in a one game play-in game. If it works for the NCAA (I’m not saying it does), it can work for the NBA.

That would be fun to write about in depth, but I thought I’d write about sports in general right now. More specifically, the teams that I follow. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more of a pessimist when it comes to cheering for my teams. I try to remain positive, but I’ve noticed that I get a bit negative. I think I do this so I won’t be disappointed. All these years of being a Reds, Caps and Redskins fan has really done a number on me. Sure I still have the Buckeyes and Hokies, but how much can college football do for me? As I sit here during the second week in October, I realize that my sports world is just not good (see, there’s the pessimist). Let’s take a look at this by each sport and see how my teams are doing and what the future holds for them.

In the NHL I’ve got the Caps. They had a decent season last year, but once again failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs. They should be ramping up for another exciting season right now under new head coach Adam Oates, but they’re not. The NHL has locked out the players and there probably won’t be a season at all. At best, I can’t imagine a season starting before Thanksgiving. There’s one team I don’t have to worry about.

In the NBA, I have been a Lakers fan for quite some time and would like to root for the Bullets (you can call them the Wizards if you want), but the NBA blows until the playoffs and we all know the Bullets won’t be playing then. You can check back with me after the new year to see how the Lakers are doing. There’s two more teams I don’t have to worry about.

For the NFL I’ve got my beloved Redskins. There’s a bunch of excitement for the team this year because of Robert Griffin III, but that’s about it. The defense is not very good and the Shanahans are still coaching the team. They’ll be lucky to win 6 or 7 games this season and definitely won’t make the playoffs. There’s another team I don’t have to worry about.

How about Major League Baseball? My Reds were the first team to clinch their division and then went out and won the first two games of the playoffs on the road. They had the next three at home and only had to win one to advance. They’ve lost the first two and now have a decisive Game 5 tomorrow. Not surprisingly, I don’t think they’ll win. They’re playing the San Francisco Giants and one of their fans asked me today how nervous I was about Leake pitching today. I said I was very nervous. Not just for today, but for the series and that I didn’t think the Reds would win. The Nationals trail in their series 2-1, but have the next two at home. The downside is they’ve lost the last two games by a combined score of 20-4, including being shut out 8-0 at home today. I’m not optimistic (shocker). Two more teams down the tubes.

Lastly there is NCAA football. Normally this is my saving grace. I’ve got the Ohio State Buckeyes and Virginia Tech Hokies. I like to say that I’m a Buckeye by blood and a Hokie by birth. The Hokies have won at least 10 games in a season for the last 8 seasons. They’re 3-3 right now with 6 games left in the regular season. They need to win out and win their bowl game to get to 10 this year and I really don’t see that happening. At this point they’re playing for a third rate bowl that they probably shouldn’t even be playing in. And if they lose this week to Duke, forget about it. Might as well just pack it in completely for the season. The Buckeyes on the other hand are 6-0, ranked 8th in the AP poll and have a good shot at going undefeated this season. Of course all this is moot because they can’t play for the Big Ten or National Championship. So they’re basically playing for...well, I’m really not quite sure. I guess I can pay half attention to them. Bottom line, one more team I don’t have to worry about and another that is playing for very little.

All of this makes for a very exciting time in my world of sports. Of course the Reds could win tomorrow, the Nationals could win their next two games, the Redskins could get hot, the Hokies could run the table, the Bullets could gel and make a run for the playoffs and the NHL could pull it’s head out of its ass and have a season. I could also win the lottery.

Lost Rivalries

I don’t know what got me thinking about this the other day, but what happened to true rivalries in professional American sports? I don’t think it exists anymore. As much as I like free agency, I think it ruined rivalries. The history is no longer passed on from player to player, year to year because players switch teams  every few years. Yes, there are still some cities that will hate other cities/teams and always will. I’m sure the fans in Baltimore will always hate the Indianapolis Colts, fans in Seattle will never root for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Yankee fans will always hate Red Sox fans, but I don’t think it goes past that. Maybe hockey still has some, but when divisions started getting switched around, rivalries suffered.

Growing up I always looked forward to football season. I knew there were three weeks that were going to matter more than any three weeks of the year. The Ohio State Buckeyes would play that team from up north and the Washington Redskins would play the Dallas Cowboys twice. If the Redskins lost to the Cowboys, you could expect a tough test in class the next day, but when they won, class was much more fun. Those were two of the great rivalries in all of sports. Now, only one of them really matters. Since Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder and free agency entered the picture, the Redskins/Cowboys rivalry really doesn’t mean much. Sure, there are still fans like myself who HATE the Cowboys and always will, but it pains me to hear players talk about the rivalry. They weren’t part of it, don’t understand it and I don’t think they care. I wish it could go back to the days of this...

Rivalries still exist in college sports and I think they always will. Nothing trumps school spirit. I know former Miami Hurricane football players used to call their old dorm rooms randomly to talk to current players and explain to them what it meant to be a Hurricane. There are probably other schools that do that as well and it’s something that keeps tradition alive. I used to work with a guy who went to Ohio State and when we started doing some painting around the office, it was decided that some of it would be done in yellow and blue. We both cringed and shook our heads when asked our opinion of it.

Today’s fan I think is more a fan of a particular player than a team. It’s not that they don’t have a favorite team and aren’t loyal to it, but the priority is to the player. I still look forward to those three weeks every year and those three games, for me, carry more weight, but I think if you ask a current, average Redskins’ fan, what game (or games) they look forward to the most each year, they would need to look at the schedule first and that’s just sad.

Finally

The Redskins finally made a free agent signing that I agree with. They signed Brandon Meriweather to a 2 year contract. Meriweather played last season in Chicago after starting his career in New England. He will be replacing Laron Landry. While Landry at times was an impact player, he also made a lot of mistakes. He had also been hurt recently. I consider this an upgrade. I liked Landry and was happy when the Redskins drafted him, but I believe his time was up.

In other Redskins news, it looks like they didn't sign Eddie Royal. I guess Royal felt that whatever the Redskins offered him wasn't enough. He'll be playing in San Diego this season. I think this is actually a good thing for the Redskins. I don't think Royal would have been much of an upgrade over what they already have at the position.

Obviously there is still plenty of work left to do and it's still early, but I still see more of the same. I realize that some will say that we need to give it time, that players will develop and RGIII hasn't even played yet, but there is still the issue of who is running the team. I make no apologies for my opinions of the Redskins. I've been a fan for over 35 years and grew up watching a team that was run by a man who was more interested in winning championships than making money. A team that was run by a coach who cared about the team and players that had each others back. I know times have changed and the game is not the same that it used to be, but how much is too much? How many times do you say that they just need more time for players to develop? How many times do you have to predict 8-9 wins only to suffer through another 5 or 6 win season? How many times do you have to say that maybe if we had just gotten that call or hadn't had a stupid penalty?

I have a very hard time supporting an owner that is more concerned about making money than he is about winning championships. Yes, it's his team and he can do what he wants with it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I can't support an owner that makes a big splash by signing a big name coach or player, but then doesn't give that person a chance to develop. Only one coach has lasted more than 3 years since Dan Snyder has been owner and that one coach had won the franchise 3 Super Bowls. When your franchise shows up more than any other franchise for the worst free agent signings over the last 20 years, what does that tell you? It tells you that the person who is calling the shots has no idea what they're doing. It is an endless cycle.

I said it before, I don't mind that the Redskins traded for the opportunity to draft RGIII and you can say at they only gave up 3 picks instead of 4, but it was still too much. There are three potential outcomes from drafting him. One is that he is the second coming of Manning, Brady or Rodgers and leads the Redskins to the playoffs every year including making it to and winning the Super Bowl. Second option is that he is good enough to lead them to the playoffs from time to time, maybe making it to an NFC Championship game. Maybe he makes a Pro Bowl or two and plays consistently, but is not a Top 5 QB. The third scenario is that he doesn't adjust to the pro game or the Redskins can't get the right pieces around him or they switch coaches a few times and in 5-6 years he's playing for another team after a possible playoff season or two.

Yes, it's good to have hope, but I'm running out of it. You can keep making excuses, but I'm tired of it. Did the Redskins get the shaft by receiving a $36 million penalty against their salary cap? Maybe, but they were warned by the league not to do what they did. If they can't sign the right players because of it, I'm sure many will blame the league and they might be right, but it comes back to Snyder. Take a look at the teams that were penalized and how many weren't. Whether the Redskins were screwed or not, look at why they're in this position.

Call me a hater all you want, but I do love my Redskins. I'm just tired of the constant inability of management to do the right thing. I want what's best for the team and maybe I have been too critical of some of the moves they have made, but if I'm that wrong, why does the same thing keep happening.