Well, anybody who thought Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright was going to stay in the background until November was mistaken. Wright spoke last night at an NAACP conference and today at a National Press Club symposium. I tuned in last night to watch the speech in its entirety because I didn't want to rely on sound bites alone. His message was one of defending the black church, but mostly he pushed the idea that, whether it be churchgoers, students or citizens, that different is not deficient. Different but equal. Watched in total his message resonates, yet as I watched I could pick out the sound bites that the media would likely seize upon this morning. Indeed, headlines and video clips this morning picked the most controversial (though they really weren't) statements that he made. I am often quick to judge and I urge anyone who forms an opinion based solely on the clips to watch or read the speech in full.
There is little doubt that Wright is a blatant self-promoter, a trait that I believe diminishes his message. His points can be lost in his sometimes clownish need to turn heads and drop jaws. He, and I understand he doesn't care because he is a pastor not a politician, didn't do Obama any favors. What impact putting himself in the spotlight has on Obama remains to be seen.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Is it October yet?
Two video clips stand out from the aftermath of last night's heartbreaking Caps OT loss. To see them you have to sift through the fog of disappointment, anger and hatred of the Flyers. To see them you have to stop thinking, "Same old Caps, teasing me just so they can rip my heart out." The first clip was watching Alex Ovechkin in the handshake line. The second clip was of Ovechkin's postgame locker room interview with reporters. The kid gets it. He responded to a bitter defeat with the poise of a veteran. He enumerated the postives, spoke with pride about the team's accomplishments and looked to the future. Any fan of this team must realize that we have a special guy here, on and off the ice. The Caps should be positioned to make many playoff runs in the near future. Maybe learning to crawl before you walk is just the way it has to be. Many a great NHL player-Howe, Gretzky, Lemeuix, LaFleur- failed to win their first playoff series. All went on to win many. Michael Jordan took merciless playoff beatings at the hands of the Detroit Pistons before growing into a six-time champion. It's difficult to be patient, but we fans must. We have a superstar, a leader, a veteran despite his years here that will lead this talented team to more disappointing losses and hopefully a bunch of thrilling victories.
I said I would be happy no matter the outcome in Round 1 simply because the Caps made it in. Maybe proud is the better word because this morning I am certainly not happy. To get that close and lose leaves me so bitter I might have to cling to guns or religion. The Caps had so many chances to put the game away early and late that I had the feeling it was going to end the way it did. They dominated the third period without putting home the game winner. Ovechkin had the series on his stick, but chose to pass to Federov. If it connects we celebrate Ovechkin as an unselfish superstar (which he is), instead we're left to wonder what would have happened if the best goal scorer in the league had shot the puck.
Much has been made of the controversial calls costing the Caps. Every team that wins a playoff series must overcome questionable officiating; it is not the reason the Caps lost that game. The OT power play was justified, in fact, John Erskine should have been called for a tripping minor 30 seconds earlier. As for the Thoreson wipeout of Morrison and Huet that left the easy second goal? The more I watch the replay(and I've watched it a lot) I understand why there was no call. I'm not saying there couldn't have been a call, but I get why there wasn't. The NHL has said that Morrison played the puck and that's why Thoreson was allowed to check him. I don't know that Morrison played the puck, but the puck was certainly close enough that calling interference is dicey. Also remember that Caps fans are watching that play through a prism of their goalie being run all series. Tough no call, after cooling off I get it. I don't love it, but I get it.
There will be many more chances for the Washington Capitals to make pleasant playoff memories. It hurts like hell today, however, this is a team that underachieved before December not one that overachieved after. Better days await.
I said I would be happy no matter the outcome in Round 1 simply because the Caps made it in. Maybe proud is the better word because this morning I am certainly not happy. To get that close and lose leaves me so bitter I might have to cling to guns or religion. The Caps had so many chances to put the game away early and late that I had the feeling it was going to end the way it did. They dominated the third period without putting home the game winner. Ovechkin had the series on his stick, but chose to pass to Federov. If it connects we celebrate Ovechkin as an unselfish superstar (which he is), instead we're left to wonder what would have happened if the best goal scorer in the league had shot the puck.
Much has been made of the controversial calls costing the Caps. Every team that wins a playoff series must overcome questionable officiating; it is not the reason the Caps lost that game. The OT power play was justified, in fact, John Erskine should have been called for a tripping minor 30 seconds earlier. As for the Thoreson wipeout of Morrison and Huet that left the easy second goal? The more I watch the replay(and I've watched it a lot) I understand why there was no call. I'm not saying there couldn't have been a call, but I get why there wasn't. The NHL has said that Morrison played the puck and that's why Thoreson was allowed to check him. I don't know that Morrison played the puck, but the puck was certainly close enough that calling interference is dicey. Also remember that Caps fans are watching that play through a prism of their goalie being run all series. Tough no call, after cooling off I get it. I don't love it, but I get it.
There will be many more chances for the Washington Capitals to make pleasant playoff memories. It hurts like hell today, however, this is a team that underachieved before December not one that overachieved after. Better days await.
Friday, April 18, 2008
What Now?
Clean. Dirty. Trapping. Wide open. It seems no matter which style the Philadelphia Flyers employ, the Washington Capitals can't find a way to beat them. Last night's 2OT loss was prbably the final nail in the coffin that buries Alex Ovechkin's first playoff experience. Throughout the series, even when playing well, the Caps just seemed a smidge short of really making me believe they could win the series. Let's be real, if not for a stunning comeback in Game 1 this series would literally be over. The Flyers have played great, bottling up OV and riding the hot goaltending of the usually average Martin Biron. I wish the Caps had lost last night's game in regulation on the bogus power play awarded to Philly when Viktor Kozlov was checked into Biron. It would have saved me a teeth-gnashing 30 minutes of overtime. Plus, I could have gone ape shit and had something to shout at my TV about. As it was, the Caps played well enough to come up just short. No penalty injustice, no dirty play; they lost because they were outworked at the goal mouth at a really bad time.
Really, what was there to complain about as the game wore on last night? I, with my meager pro hockey knowledge, had made a pregame list of things that the Caps needed to do to win Game 4 and make it a series. The bitch of it is that they made every single adjustment( and I'm sure many others that I didn't think of) and they still lost. A quick rundown of my mental list:
Help Backstrom: Of all the Caps youngsters he has looked the most uncomfortable with rough-and-tumble playoff hockey. Boudreau moved him off the first line, alleviating some pressure, and Backstrom responded with a goal and assist. Yet, it wasn't enough.
Put the power back in the power play: For most of the series Philly has been dirtier than my boxer shorts on Taco Tuesday. (For the record, the last part of that sentence is fiction. I eat my tacos on Wednesday.) The Caps needed to heat up the PP to discourage the Flyers from taking lots of penalties. After the Caps cashed in on a 5 on 3 created when dirtbags Briere and Hatcher delivered wicked slashes, the Flyers began to play smarter. The Caps potted two PP goals doubling their output for the series, yet it wasn't enough.
Spectacular goaltending: In the playoffs your goalie has to be your best player, making saves that he probably shouldn't-in effect stealing a goal. Cristobal Huet did that during his hot push for the playoffs, but hadn't in this series. Until tonight. He made several acrobatic diving saves keeping the Caps in the game. Yet, it wasn't enough.
Washington also cut down on their turnovers, boneheaded mistakes and poor passes. They delivered hits instead of being pushed around. Yet, it still wasn't enough.
I had said before the Caps qualified for the playoffs that I wouldn't care if they got swept in Round 1 as long as they made it in the tournament. I feel getting in has been a milestone for the franchise's comeback and this experience, however bitter, will serve them well in the future. I predicted the Flyers in six, so the Caps can throw me a bone by winning Saturday to prolong the agony. Of course, there is still a little piece of me (the stupid, I should have been a Cubs fan, glutton for punishment piece) that believes the Cardiac Caps have the Flyers right where they want them.
As CapsChick correctly points out, there is a precedent.
Really, what was there to complain about as the game wore on last night? I, with my meager pro hockey knowledge, had made a pregame list of things that the Caps needed to do to win Game 4 and make it a series. The bitch of it is that they made every single adjustment( and I'm sure many others that I didn't think of) and they still lost. A quick rundown of my mental list:
Help Backstrom: Of all the Caps youngsters he has looked the most uncomfortable with rough-and-tumble playoff hockey. Boudreau moved him off the first line, alleviating some pressure, and Backstrom responded with a goal and assist. Yet, it wasn't enough.
Put the power back in the power play: For most of the series Philly has been dirtier than my boxer shorts on Taco Tuesday. (For the record, the last part of that sentence is fiction. I eat my tacos on Wednesday.) The Caps needed to heat up the PP to discourage the Flyers from taking lots of penalties. After the Caps cashed in on a 5 on 3 created when dirtbags Briere and Hatcher delivered wicked slashes, the Flyers began to play smarter. The Caps potted two PP goals doubling their output for the series, yet it wasn't enough.
Spectacular goaltending: In the playoffs your goalie has to be your best player, making saves that he probably shouldn't-in effect stealing a goal. Cristobal Huet did that during his hot push for the playoffs, but hadn't in this series. Until tonight. He made several acrobatic diving saves keeping the Caps in the game. Yet, it wasn't enough.
Washington also cut down on their turnovers, boneheaded mistakes and poor passes. They delivered hits instead of being pushed around. Yet, it still wasn't enough.
I had said before the Caps qualified for the playoffs that I wouldn't care if they got swept in Round 1 as long as they made it in the tournament. I feel getting in has been a milestone for the franchise's comeback and this experience, however bitter, will serve them well in the future. I predicted the Flyers in six, so the Caps can throw me a bone by winning Saturday to prolong the agony. Of course, there is still a little piece of me (the stupid, I should have been a Cubs fan, glutton for punishment piece) that believes the Cardiac Caps have the Flyers right where they want them.
As CapsChick correctly points out, there is a precedent.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Let The Beards Begin.
Whew! So the Caps are in the postseason for the first time since '03. (Yes, Jagr actually got them there once.) The hottest team in hockey ran off 10 wins in 11 games to sneak past Carolina to win the Southeast Division title on the second-to-last day of the season. For fans the last two weeks have been nerve-wracking, anxious, exciting and, above all, fun. The Caps have essentially been in the playoffs for nearly a month as they were on the outside looking in for most of the season. The games lately have had a (cliche alert!) playoff intensity and the fans in the stands and in my living room have been hanging on every loose puck. My pacing (I haven't actually sat down during a third period in like six games), jumping, cursing, contorting and hoping proved so entertaining to Amanda last Thursday that she felt compelled to take these pictures.
The Capitals have a feel about them that they haven't had in many moons. Alex Ovechkin and his merry band of youngsters has inspired a city to "rock the red" and support this team. Diehard fans finally have something to cheer about again after the dark period of lockouts, fire sales and bad, bad hockey. On one hand this team is exactly on pace to fulfill Ted Leonsis's plan to rebuild their way to prominence. The young players acquired by selling off veteran fixtures four years ago are beginning to pay dividends. On the other hand, this team seems as unlikely as any to reach the postseason. Sure, they have a superstar talent in Ovechkin, but beyond that they are still a whole that is far better than its separate parts. Although, I suppose that is the makeup of many championship teams. A rumpled minor league coach, a goalie dumped way too early by his former club, a savvy veteran center with a Stanley Cup pedigree and a dozen guys that will outwork you every night- oh, and the current greatest player on the planet; this sounds like a club that could make a run.
I do, however, urge caution. The Caps could make a great playoff run, but if they will remains to be seen. Ovie, as great as he is, will be on the big stage for the first time. The kid seems unflappable and ready for anything, yet you never know. The team has been so hot that you figure they have to cool at some point, right? Having five days off won't help in that regard. Finally, they are renewing a playoff rivalry with the wretched Philadelphia Flyers who are trying to recast themselves as the Broad Street Bullies again. I've said all month that if the Caps could get in the tournament I wouldn't care how they performed because just getting in is a milestone on the journey back to success. I'll be dissapointed if they get housed by the Flyers, but it won't erase the strides this team has made. Simply tasting playoff hockey will benefit the Caps in the future. Optimism rightly abounds in DC and I hope they make one long, exciting, pace-inducing run.