Optimism

You might have thought, being a Blues fan for the largest part of my life, I would be used to the whole playoff chase thing. After all they made the playoffs every year from 1979 until they finally missed one in 2006. They were rarely threats to win it all, but making the playoffs was expected. Oh, once or twice they were close to missing the cut but it never really seemed all that likely. No, it took a season finishing dead last in the league to make missing the playoffs a reality.

However, since that dead last finish the Blues have looked just as unlikely of ever earning their way into the playoff again. The NHL was no longer the league where nearly everyone made the playoffs every year. It was possible to be lost in the wilderness for considerable periods of time. (Witness the fruitless seasons in Columbus since 2000.) Given the state of the roster, the ownership situation, and the lack of any sure-fire talent in college/juniors, a lengthy basement dwelling period was inevitable.

Don't get me wrong, that is exactly what happened. However, what I think I wasn't counting on was how much more enjoyable watching the Blues contend again would be after this period in the doldrums. It really isn't comparable to the other sports I follow. The Cards will also go through periods where they are not competing at the highest levels, but so few teams make the playoffs anyway, it is hard to think of October baseball as some sort of birth-right. (I know its different if you are a Yankees fan...but that doesn't make it right.) There has also been those season DC United misses the playoffs, but soccer teams are just mercurial in ways other teams in other sports are not. One year a team will absolutely suck, and the next, with almost the exact same roster, they will play great. You just chalk up missed play-offs as "one of those things" and move on.

Hockey doesn't work that way. Most of the time when a hockey team is deficient in an area it is glaringly obvious, and most of the times there is nothing a team can do about it on the fly. If, for example, the Cards need lefty help in the bullpen you can imagine them finding some way of plugging that hole, however imperfectly. But if you have suspect goal tending or a lack of first-line scoring in hockey you are screwed. In baseball you die by a thousand cuts and you hope not to run out of band-aids. In the NHL you die by severed arteries and all you have are band-aids.

That is what has been fun about this group of Blues and this management group. Slowly but surely you can see them working to remove the deficiencies littered in the organization. Draft-pick were accumulated, players scouted and selected, and the depth chart was filled out in a way alien to the history of the Blues. There was no quick fix, and in this day of the NHL salary cap maybe the quick fix is no longer a real option for any team. Now, the fruit of this hard work is starting to shine on the ice, and all of us Blues fans have had the chance to say "I was there from the beginning."

It looks like its the beginning of something good. Real, real good.

My Cup Runneth Over

Evidently, Billikens are just like potato chips; you just can't have one. United acquire M DiRaimondo in waiver draft

D.C. United on Friday acquired midfielder John DiRaimondo via the waiver draft.

DiRaimondo spent the last two seasons with the Colorado Rapids before being released on Wednesday. He made his MLS debut with Colorado in March 2008 after being drafted the previous year and appeared in a total of 11 games with the Rapids, scoring one goal.

A native of St. Louis, DiRaimondo spent his collegiate career at the University of St. Louis, where he was named to the NSCAA All-American third team and was a Hermann Trophy finalist as both a junior and senior.

I wonder what this "University of St. Louis" is, and if it is related to St. Louis University.

Actually, I think this is a decent pick-up by DC. I can certainly view him as an improvement over Dyachenko.

Inspirational Stuff

I did the following for a comment thread at St. Louis Game Time (where I go by the name Rich of GASL), and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share.



Rich of GASL: Oh, would that we had one of those superstars in St. Louis that will do no skating today!



Andy Murray: What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Rich of GASL? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do the Blues loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one injured superstar more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
(Unless it be those bastards of the Winged Wheel)
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet a playoff spot,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from the IR list:
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one Kariya or Johnson more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Rich of GASL, through the scoring and checking lines,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
(Yeah, I said purse! The pussies!)
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of St. Catherine of Genoa:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Catherine.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Which seems unlikely given hockey demographics,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Catherine’s:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
Where that jackass of a Angeleno slashed him!
And say ‘These wounds I had on Catherine’s day,
As well as a five minute major for fighting.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Oshie the King, Jackman and Juan,
Perron and Fragile Jay, RFJCC and Winchester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Saint Catherine’s shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
Or the beginning of training camp,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
(I’m looking at you Janssen!)
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in St. Louis now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Catherine’s day!!!!!!!

Oh No, Don't Give MLS Refs Ideas!

Referee Sends Off An Entire Team In Argentina

Violence in Argentinian football is not exactly an uncommon occurrence at the moment but last Saturday a situation erupted that was far from normal.

Days after clashes in the game between Godoy Cruz and San Martin, an encounter in Primera C ended with one team having all their players sent off, including substitutes.

Barracas Bolivar and General Lamadrid were the two teams involved, and when the incident occurred the home side were leading 3-0.

However, with 60 minutes gone the game had to be abandoned after what can only be described as an extraordinary series of events.

It started when three players and four staff from Lamadrid became involved in a dispute between the local fans of Bolivar.

The incident soon escalated and within moments all the players from the away side came over to defend their team-mates and staff, clashing with the supporters.

Plenty of punches were thrown and the violence had to be broken up by some of those present at the stadium.

In seeing what had happened, the referee decided to issue 18 red cards to the away team, sending off not just the eleven players on the pitch, but also the seven substitutes.

Not only did the decision destroy that encounter, but it means Lamadrid will have to play with a team full of reserve players in the next match.

That is pretty bad when a ref allows home fans to goad a team into such a fate.

Of course, now the precedent has been set....what should we do to the Fire??

Hmmm....

MLS Descent To Garbage League Continues

Good fucking God almighty. I worried going into this season that referees might "magically" give a boat load of breaks to the Galaxy so that when Beckham returns he would be "playing for something."

Look at this "penalty" and tell me what you think.

DC was robbed pure and simple. So, was this a case of mind-blowing incompetence or a mandate from the league office?

Time will tell.

(Really that is the worst penalty call I've ever seen.)

Gutting It Out (Blogging Style)

Yours truly is not in tip-top condition these days. I woke up yesterday, went to take a leak and it felt like I was pissing glass shards. Because of my keen powers of observation I was able to helpfully point out "this hurts like hell!"

A quick trip to the doctor later, with the accompanying examination of my prostate ("Moon RIVER!), it was deemed I had an infection and not a stone. The upshot is I've got meds and I still feel mostly like shit...though I'm not pissing blood anymore so I'll take that as improvement. (Those keen powers at work again.)

I'm glad I'm feeling a little better because this is opening day for DC United. Things have been so screwy around the home front that I've had little time to keep up on MLS matters, though it may not have mattered much where DC is concerned. But here are some random thoughts as we go into the 2009 season:

1) My, but DC seems a little long in the tooth. Everything I read seems to be counting upon positive contributions from Moreno, Gomez and Olsen. Good Lord, I hope they all have good seasons, but how much can we really expect from them realistically?

2) After watching the Thursday ESPN match all I can say is , Good on the Sounders. Hey look, I was a season ticket holder in DC and I appreciate what Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles do, but the crowd in RFK never looked Seattle good. A new facility might change that for the better in DC. I'll begin holding my breath now...

3) I'm happy that United finally has a SLU player on the roster in Brandon Barklage. Let's see if he can stick.

4) Speaking of St. Louis, I was sorry to see MLS pass them by (again) for expansion. This makes 5 of the last 7 expansion teams put into the West. (And one of the other teams was fucking Canadian so it hardly counts.) Its good to know MLS believes in ignoring Flyover Country.

GO UNITED!

Pictorial Depiction Of Blues Effort Last Night

We shall speak no more of it.