Friday Caps Clips: Gabby's First Pitch
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 6:45 AM EDT
in Caps Clips
79 comments
Your savory breakfast links:
- Bruce Boudreau threw out the ceremonial first pitch at last night's Nats game (video), and here's a shot of him signing baseballs beforehand (wait - the Nats didn't retire Ryan Church's #19?). [@paulrovnak]
- Of course, Boudreau was a heck of a baseball player growing up, and nearly signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Buy the book and read about it.
- More Gabby (video of his WPL appearance), with an interesting note - Anton Gustafsson is already in town. [Capitals Insider]
- One last Bruce note - on a week in August in which Stephen Strasburg signed and Skins pre-season is in full swing, he's fourth in "buzz" among local sports figures. [Washington Times]
- It continues to not suck to be Alex Ovechkin. [Championat.tv via Caps Message Board]
- Further to that end, "When asked where Ovechkomania is more evident: in the US or in Russia, Ovechkin said: 'At my dacha.'" Jesus. [@dchesnokov]
- All that aside, AO knows it's time to get down to business: "My vacation is over, now I will have a pre-olympic camp at the end of August and then I will fly to Washington." [Alex Ovetjkin]
- Ron Lalonde was an original Cap and played 291 games for the team over five seasons. He chatted about it, and more, with Vogs. [Caps365 (video)]
- The Caps introduced their "Caps at School" program in which kids will learn math using AO's stats (though I'm not sure "8>87" is sound mathematics), reading from Chris Clark, some hippie crap from Matt Bradley, and how to be healthy and active from Mike Green. That last note, by the way, isn't a punchline. [Capitals.com]
- John Carlson will likely be wearing a Caps sweater on February 27, but will it be in Hershey or D.C.? [HersheyBears.com]
- If you're waiting on a Trade Deadline deal to fill-in whatever holes you think the Caps might have, here's a list of 2010's top UFA's who might be in play. [The Hockey News]
- Apparently Caps and Wings bloggers have "a complete ignorance of the game of hockey" (writes the guy who wrote this). [NHL Home Ice]
- A really great interview with one of our heroes, Allan Ryder, on the use of advanced statistics in hockey. Money quote: "The holy grail of sports analytics is a good attribution of team success to individual players." I'm in love. [Cult of Hockey]
- The NHL has a new fan site chock full of all manner of technology where they call SB Nation "the largest... network of fan-centric blogs." Does this browser make the site look fat? [NHL Fans]
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Mick Kern
On-Air Personality
Mick Kern is host of The War Room coming to NHL Home Ice after 14 years in broadcasting. His first job was at a lemonade stand in Edmonton, Alberta (when you’re a lemon, you make lemonade). Mick first hosted a show on the all night trucker network (“This is Rick ‘Lint Picker’ Kern bring you all the latest hits to all you yard jockeys and road warriors…it’s 3:20 am and we’re giving away free passes to “Smokey and the Bandit IV” at the Bumf_ck Movie Palace here in Bodunk, I-oh-AAA) determines his sports memory by year, counting 1993, 1986, 1979, and 1978 amongst them (the only years he was sober over that period). Mick’s favourite NHL team is the Montreal Canadians (that’s not a misprint folks…that’s how it’s spelled on the web site, and WE don’t know from hockey???) and he’s so fond of Montreal he marks the Expos as his favourite baseball team! (he digs Youppi!…and don’t forget the exclamation point!). Mick digs late ‘70s punk rock music (*no one “digs” 70’s punk rock music, not even 70’s punk rock musicians*). Hey Ho, Let’s Go.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 6:57 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Mick Kern should continue to be a clownish douchebag in the manner which has made him practically unknown even among hockey fans, but he should also understand when someone decides to go all Brock Lesnar on him.
(And we may recall that when Kern wrote that previous gasbaggery on his blog he refused to publish comments disagreeing with his ‘position.’)
by TylerG on Aug 21, 2009 7:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hell yeah!
I was going to the clubs in NYC in the late 1970s (sneaking in, I was underage) and on any given night you could see at least two of these bands: Ramones, Blondie (they started as a punk band), Patty Smyth, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Television, The Plasmatics. Plus, if you weren’t in a “punk” mood and wanted something different, you could also see Talking Heads, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, etc.
Growing up in the NYC area in the mid and late 1970s had its advantages…
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Caps on Aug 21, 2009 9:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For me, growing up in the late 70’s/early 80’s in the backwaters of far (way, way, way far) southwestern Virginia, I would mentally escape by reading the Village Voice (whenever I could find a copy in a bookstore or library). I vividly remember the ads/reviews of the groups playing at places like CBGB/OMFUG and marvel about how different that life was from mine.
"I tried to capture the spirit of the thing"
by tuvanhillbilly on Aug 21, 2009 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
CBGB
Alas, it is gone. The lease was not extended past 2005, and the chap who ran it died of cancer soon after (likely he knew he was dying, hence he didn’t fight to keep the club going). It was also nearly impossible to get in there most weekends as Ramones had a standing gig there most Saturday nights. If they weren’t on the bill that night and were in town, they’d sometimes show up anyway, and if they felt the band playing sucked, they’d kick them off stage and play in their place.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Caps on Aug 21, 2009 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This ain’t no party!
This ain’t no disco!
This ain’t no foolin’ around.
No time for laughin’
Or CBGB’s
I ain’t got time for that now!
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Aug 21, 2009 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Montreal Canadians
What’s the problem with that? I’m a huge Washington Capitols fan.
by Sct112 on Aug 21, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Nice work.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You deserve some of the credit, too. The link to the strange but true site was in Wednesday’s Caps Clips. And the basketball Capitols won their conference in the NBA’s first year, iirc.
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can’t find a link just yet, but I saw in some almanac that the Caps had won the conference in the first year they listed for NBA. I think there were 3 (or maybe 4) conferences back then, so they might not have made the Finals. I know that the Philly Warriors won it that year. I’ll keep looking for that almanac.
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I found a link. Looks like there were only two conferences back in 46-47 after all. Apparently, Washington had the best regular season record, but didn’t make it to the Finals.
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I generally like Mick Kern on XM, despite the fact that he likes to make fun of the Caps fan base for being too sensitive (not all of it is undeserved, although the Caps fans calling in to XM are certainly not the only sensitive bunch). He certainly makes his feelings known, but he is usually amusing and does have some good insights into the game. I’m not sure where this latest comment came from, but it definitely seems as though he has a hard on for provoking the Caps fan base.
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 21, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Honestly I don’t take hardly anything else in that article seriously, so why take that quip seriously?
by David M. Getz on Aug 21, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bingo. Some people have no sense of humor.
by LSF76 on Aug 21, 2009 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Humor helps when it’s actually funny. It also takes away from the “it’s a joke” angle when he repetitively dumps on the same fan base. I’d dismiss what Kern writes, but that’s because I think he’s an aaaaaaassssss. Not because he said it “as a joke.” I also don’t see anything in KC’s comment that suggest he was taking that article all that seriously.
Don’t make me [argue], I’m full of chocolate.
by Fehr and Balanced on Aug 21, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s obvious that every statement in that article was absurd and that the entire article was tongue-in-cheek.
My guess is that he is making fun of his own propensity to rip on Caps fans.
by LSF76 on Aug 21, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He used the word “bloggers” not “fans.” I thought the Caps blogosphere had a pretty good, and well earned, reputation. I don’t take him seriously and I don’t really care that much.
by Fehr and Balanced on Aug 21, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought that entire “article” was supposed to be “funny”, and thus he was actually complementing Caps and Wings bloggers. But I seem to be the only person who read it that way.
by sonia on Aug 21, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Of course, Boudreau was a heck of a baseball player growing up, and nearly signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Seriously? That’s pretty cool. Or is it somehow a Nyjer Morgan joke?
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 7:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Chris Drury won the LLWS, and what’s that pitcher who played hockey too.
by red army line on Aug 21, 2009 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, I knew that many athletes play multiple sports, but I didn’t know that Boudreau played baseball. I’m a big baseball fan.
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Based on Bruce’s weak first pitch last night ( he bounced it to the catcher), I find it hard to believe Pittsburgh wanted to sign him. He didn’t exactly pull a Caron Butler, but it was mighty close.
by b.orr4 on Aug 21, 2009 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
[insert “Well, they ARE the Pirates” joke here]
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’s probably having to throw across more body than was the case when he was a prospect.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
pfft… amateurs.
Signed,
D. “drafted in three sports” Winfield
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But not hockey, therefore, D. Winfield < Bruce Boudreau/Tom Glavine.
by DrinkingPartner on Aug 21, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fact (at least per the book).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 8:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, based on all the chatter this week, it appears that generally the baseball draft is considered even less reliable than the NHL draft. Seems like in general they don’t expect a prospect to make an impact until well into their twenties.
by gfcaps fan on Aug 21, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lots of guys drafted in baseball are drafted to fill out the lower levels. There are quite literally thousands of guys drafted every year. So while getting drafted is very very cool, very few of them will be major league players.
by RedBirdie on Aug 21, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
…some hippie crap from Matt Bradley…
This guy’s leading the vote for 19th most valuable? Go take a shower, treehugger!
http://wewintrophies.com/ - 12 major trophies in national and international competitions. Be a part of the next one.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 21, 2009 7:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wait a minute… I though Professor Bradley taught physics…
by Murshawursha on Aug 21, 2009 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Allan Ryder
JP:
Next time you link to an article full of pictures of the Penguins, please warn us, ok?
by RPI93 on Aug 21, 2009 8:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The money quote…
Finally, the game is ‘chaotic’ and full of interrelationships."
People who study traffic patterns seriously (like at Los Alamos National Laboratory, to cite one heavy-duty lab) use supercomputers, choas theory, and fluid dynamic equations to try to figure out why traffic is so nuts. There are so many interdependencies — many bodies in motion in a defined space, whose motion depends on the bodies around them.
Hockey probably doesn’t need supercomputers, but folks have only scratched the surface at the sort of “meaningful statistical summary” Ryder says doesn’t exist. What Ryder is looking for — “The holy grail of sports analytics is a good attribution of team success to individual players” — is like the Grand Unified Theory of Hockey Methodology.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 8:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Somewhat related: If you’re on your way to work to “study traffic patterns seriously,” and you’re stuck in traffic, can you bill that time?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 8:36 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
And do these same people study why we drive on parkways and park in driveways?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just rec’d both of the above. Priceless. Also not necessarily original, but who cares?
by gfcaps fan on Aug 21, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Geez, no love for the set up guy?
I…I…feel all Crosby now….
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Sorry, it was too scientific.
But I’ll rec this.
by gfcaps fan on Aug 21, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Steven Wright is holding on line two.
http://wewintrophies.com/ - 12 major trophies in national and international competitions. Be a part of the next one.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 21, 2009 8:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is he getting a full body tattoo of himself, only bigger?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 9:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m betting those folks telecommute… or use Star Trek transporters.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 21, 2009 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Upcoming UFAs....
Problem with that list is that I don’t see ANY of those teams really “out of it” at the deadline except Atlanta.
The whole Kovalchuk thing reminds me of the Alfonso Soriano sweepstakes a few years ago.
Ron and Fez Noon to Three
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 21, 2009 8:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You know, reading the Allen Ryder interview actually made me think of one of the great works of Russian literature, “War and Peace”. In it, Tolstoy actually makes an analogy between the analysis of a particular point in history and math (calculus, to be precise). Basically, he argues that historical actions should be examined as being made up of “the infinitesimal contributions of individuals integrated together”. Hockey=heavy Russian lit.
"I tried to capture the spirit of the thing"
by tuvanhillbilly on Aug 21, 2009 8:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Further to that end, “When asked where Ovechkomania is more evident: in the US or in Russia, Ovechkin said: ‘At my dacha.’” Jesus.
Should I know what a dacha is?
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 21, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks. I was too lazy to look it up.
Fear the Rebel Polar Bears (trust me, this sig makes sense)
by crabchowdah on Aug 21, 2009 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those things are pretty sweet. Some of the google images of them look like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland.
by bigmac1124 on Aug 21, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Professor Bradley can certainly show the kiddies how to artistically spatter jerseys with the perfect mix of someone else’s blood and their own blood.
"My face is my mask."
by jakeshapiro on Aug 21, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Or he could teach Phys Ed...
…and demonstrate how to take a shot on the jaw in Nashville…man did he get walloped there (he’s really not a good fighter).
Also, for extra credit, he can show how to win a 12 round shoot out….
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Caps on Aug 21, 2009 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
…At least someone besides Brash and Erskine threw up their fists.
by bigmac1124 on Aug 21, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, Brads could teach statistics even better than AO—he’s got a perfect record as captain!
"My face is my mask."
by jakeshapiro on Aug 21, 2009 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
…At least someone besides Brash and Erskine threw up their fists.
by bigmac1124 on Aug 21, 2009 10:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hey now…Schultz dropped the gloves once last season…
by Yoshietree on Aug 21, 2009 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Clark was pretty active in the fight department when he dressed
by David M. Getz on Aug 21, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yikes, I think you’re kidding but I’m not sure.
Clark had two fights , one a boring tilt with Adam Hall and the other a knockout loss to Wade freakin’ Redden.
by Cluster on Aug 21, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was about to link to the same site. The HockeyFights.com voters just don’t get it though—the best fight of ‘08-’09 was by far the Bongomaster vs. Marc Staal!
"My face is my mask."
by jakeshapiro on Aug 21, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I remembered more than that, but I guess it was just that he was pretty ornery in that relatively short stretch between injuries.
by David M. Getz on Aug 21, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re definitely right about that. You’ll notice his two fights were in back-to-back games, and he was the old, feisty Clark for a stretch of games.
by Cluster on Aug 21, 2009 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe you’re thinking of the “behind-the-play-after-the-whistle-elbow-to-the-head-that-negates-a-pending-PP.” That was ornery. And Captain-like.
by Fehr and Balanced on Aug 21, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Alright, I"m ready for Part V….Today can’t possibly drag any slower than it is right now.
by Yoshietree on Aug 21, 2009 11:09 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I was just thinking the same thing…
Rockin' the Red in Section 412
by boutros23 on Aug 21, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So this really has nothing to do with that Capitals but I figured you guys would appreciate my creation.
by zephyr on Aug 21, 2009 12:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is that a coffee table book that doubles as a coffee table?
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
- Ferris Bueller
by war_capitals on Aug 21, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love it. Wish I had a deck so I could do something similar.
Rockin' the Red in Section 412
by boutros23 on Aug 21, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Alan Ryder is the best hockey analyst on the web.
At least, in my humble opinion he is. It’s really too bad he only does one update per season, even if that single update contains more high-quality material than most hockey analysts provide in a season.
When his season review of 2008-09 finally comes out, I will be a very happy man.
by LSF76 on Aug 21, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I love the Rink, but J.P. has a long way to go before he can be mentioned in the same breath with Alan Ryder in terms of analysis. OTOH, J.P. has tons and tons of content (including quite a lot which does not attempt to analyze player performance), so I can’t compare them fairly. And J.P. is better at analysis than most hockey commentators. He’s just not in Ryder’s league.
JR is my favorite Caps blog, if that counts for anything.
by LSF76 on Aug 21, 2009 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wish I had brought my camera, but I went to the MoCo fair today (ack, suburbia!!!! I’ve got hives!) and spent a good bit of time ducking in an out of the animal barns because silly me forgot to check the radar…….Anyways, some kid named his goats:
Ovie
Varly
Marcus (as in Marcus Johansson!)
He helpfully provided photos for the hockey-impaired. Hilariously awesome.
by RedBirdie on Aug 21, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 30 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 23 |
|
Atlanta
|
18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 22 |
|
Florida
|
20 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 |
|
Carolina
|
21 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 13 |
(updated 11.21.2009 at 8:36 AM EST)
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
