The Fisch Fry

2008-10-17T01:47:00.008-04:00

Magic in the Air, tonight. Wow. I haven't posted since January, but events tonight merit my posting outside of the Washington Post's Soccer Insider blog, or even the Daily Kos -- and, while it's a momentous time in politics, I'll stick to sports tonight...

Tonight, I watched DC United stage one of the most memorable comebacks in team history. Then, I got home and watched as the Red Sox completed one of the most memorable comebacks in baseball history.

As for the United game -- I'm afraid to call that awesome, because it was even better than that. Here's how it went: DCU playing as well or even better than they've played all year -- creating the best chances they've had in weeks or even months, but unable to put it in the net. In the second half, they go on a break so promising it seems like there's no way they won't score, but Emilio somehow manages to give it up. The Revs come back with a great counterattack, leaving United goalie Louis Crayton helpless to prevent Twellman's goal (by the way, I've now looked at those replays several times and I'm 100% convinced the Revs' play was onsides all the way -- just a really well-timed run).

So, now it's looking incredibly grim, as United is on the brink of elimination from playoff contention. Coach Tommy Soehn looks to his bench and finds some magic. Jai-me Mo-reno! Jai-me Mo-reno! The fans feel it, too. What followed was almost too good to be believed.

Two magnificent goals by Francis Doe. Sprung by Jaime's pass, he puts a serious move on the defender, and then makes a great shot to beat Reis, who left just enough room at the near post. Second goal -- by rights, Doe probably should have gone down with Parkhurst pulling at him, hoping the ref would have the sense to call a penalty. Instead, Doe refused to go down and trust in the refs. He fought to stay up and get the ball. He broke free from Parkhurst's cluthces, and then he struck an incredible shot to beat Reis, this time high to the far post. Doe struck it hard enough to leave Reis flat-footed, but with enough touch to sneak in under the crossbar.

The fans? Sheer ecstasy! Utter Bedlam! I threw my beer in the air, after Doe's first goal! I never throw my beer. There are no words to adequately describe the thrill after Doe scored the game-winner.

When I got home, I was thinking I ought to promise to name a child, boy or girl, Francis Doe. If he never does anything else to remember while wearing the DCU kit, we'll never forget his performance tonight. Doe will always have a place in our hearts, indelibly carved there tonight.

If I might add -- I thought Doe actually looked really good all game. Even before his goals, I thought it was his most skillful performance of the year. Very encouraging for the young Liberian. It's possible that United has really scored in scrounging up some talented young African strikers who were overlooked by other MLS teams -- the Liberian, Doe, and the South African, Boyzzz Khumalo. Certainly, the team's new goalie, Louis Crayton -- also Liberian - has been an instant sensation.

While the much ballyhooed off-season South American signings were busts, as was the trade for Wells, United came up with some surprisingly good player acquisitions during the season, bolstering a team that was on the verge of total collapse. It hasn't been pretty, but the team is moving into a strong position to claim the final playoff spot on the final weekend.

Louis Crayton's spectacular diving save on a free kick, midway in the first half, was the #3 play on SportsCenter's top plays tonight. It definitely deserved to be there. It's too bad the folks at ESPN didn't also recognize how extraordinary Doe's performance was. Either of those goals could earn MLS' Goal of the Week. Right now, I'm still giddy and tempted to say "Forget Schelotto". If United makes the playoffs, maybe Doe should get the MVP vote -- and, yes, just on the strength of one incredibly thrilling and unforgetttable game. Ok, I might be exaggerating a little...

Columbus -- look out -- there's a big, bad, black head of steam headed your way...

Absolutely magic tonight.

Lest I forget -- the Boston Red Sox somehow borrowed that DC United magic to stave off elimination tonight, too. Trailing 7-0 with 2 outs in the 7th inning, the Bostons mounted the biggest comeback ever in a postseason elimination game. In my book, this ranks up with the comeback against the Yankees in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS (down 3 games to none) -- the greatest series comeback in any sport -- as well as the Mets' comeback against the Boston Red Sox in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the '86 World Series. The fourth best comeback? Might be the Red Sox' rally in the 9th inning, facing elimination against the Angels in the '86 ALCS. Funny how all of those involved the Red Sox, no? They're a special franchise. So is DC United.

There was magic in the air tonight.

2008-01-14T18:10:00.000-05:00

DC United Remakes Roster -- United is undergoing some serious changes. It's not clear if the team is getting stronger, but they're certainly not getting any younger.

Most obvious will be changes in goal. The red, white and black's sparkling young goalkeeper, Troy Perkins, has gone off to try his hands in Europe. United replaced him by dealing 2006 defender of the year Brian Boswell, to Houston, in exchange for the Dynamo's back-up keeper, Zack Wells. In addition, United is reportedly on the verge of bringing in a veteran Peruvian goalkeeper, Jose Carvallo, to back up Wells.

The team's defense will remain largely the same, except that Boswell is to be replaced by an aging Colombian international, Gonzalo Martinez. Midfield is a question mark. With a visa and plane tickets already in hand, Juan Sebastian Veron backed out of a deal with United, leaving United with no plan B for bringing in a top international to fill the team's Designated Player slot. This jolt makes it more imperative that United re-signs Christian Gomez. Indication are that Gomez will return.

The front line continues to be anchored by Luciano Emilio. Jaime Moreno has reportedly signed up for another go-around with United, but he will be fighting for playing time. United has brought in a new striker, from the Argentine Primera division, the truly diminutive Franco Neill.

Although there is no official word on their return, United seems likely to bring back Moreno and Gomez, because they have no other options. This is an aging team, and isn't getting younger, replacing Boswell with the 32 year-old Martinez. This leaves United with two starting defenders in their 30s, and a host of midfielders and strikers that are probably on the downside of their careers.

Worse yet, United doesn't have a top draft pick. However, the team could remedy this, if United is giving up on using their DP slot.

The Galaxy have the fourth pick in the draft and seem to be lining up Luis Figo, but they need a DP slot. United could make that swap, and bring in a young talented player to bolster a rapidly aging roster. If LA is interested, and DC really has no one in mind for the slot, why not jump on this?

DC United will have to move on this. My guess is there will be several teams interested in dealing their DP slot.

With KC losing Eddie Johnson, they're going to want a young star in the making. No one is fool enough to think they can afford to sign a DP, nor is there much chance that anyone worth signing is going to come to KC -- maybe in a few years, with a new stadium, but not while they're playing in a minor league baseball park.

The Rapids might also think about dealing their DP slot. Denver won't be attractive destination, except possibly for a Mexican. Of course, there are those Borghetti rumors... Of course, Toronto, or San Jose might also be willing to deal their DP -- even Houston might consider the possibility, but they'd likely reject it, given the number of international competitions the team will be playing.

Personally, I'd love to see United find someone worthy of the Designated Player slot. The team lacks depth, and the quality of the top 11 isn't overwhelming. United could do with improvement at any position. However, if that slot is going to go unused, United should seriously consider dealing the slot before Friday's SuperDraft. Perhaps United management thinks DC has a realistic chance of signing a top international -- perhaps Veron has expressed a commitment to come after the Copa Libertadores. If that's not the case, then I would suggest United make the deal, assuming the Galaxy are interested.

2007-12-04T01:15:00.000-05:00

Has 'Trader Jim' Lost It? Nats GM Jim Bowden is on a roll of sorts. First he makes a trade to bring in one possible head case, with Lastings Milledge, and now he goes after Elijah Dukes, probably the most troubled, if talented player in baseball today. Dukes is the poster child for the "bad boy." His troubles are well documented in Washington Post article about the trade. By all indications, Dukes has hardly put his troubles behind him, and this was on display for the Nationals just last week. Tim Tolman, the Nats' third-base coach was managing Dukes in winter ball, when Dukes had to be restrained after being ejected from a game. Dukes left the team after the incident.

It boggles the imagination that they would so covet him, under the circumstances. Still, Tolman is playing the good company man, saying "The whole time I've had him, he handled the situation as good as -- or better than -- a lot of guys do down here."

The Nats gave up one fantastic prospect to get Dukes. Before this past season, Glenn Gibson was not as highly touted as some, despite a pedigree as a son of a former major league pitcher. Still Gibson outshone his more highly touted teammates, Colton Willems and Jordan Zimmerman, to turn in some of the best numbers in the Nats' minor league system, with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the NY-Penn League. Gibson is listed as one of Baseball America's Top 10 prospects from the short-season league. Although his ERA climbed in his final appearances, to a still excellent 3.10, Gibson had the lowest WHIP on the team, and averaged exactly one strikeout per inning.

Everyone knows Dukes is an extremely gifted athlete, but this trade looks unduly risky for a guy who hit only .190, and clearly has profound emotional problems. Dukes may have tremendous upside, given his athletic prowess, but he seems a long way from realizing his potential. Frankly, Dukes probably isn't really ready to play at the major league level, either emotionally, nor as a function of his skill level. He tried to make the jump, last year, from the Carolina League to the majors, and did not flourish. By rights, the Nats should start him out at AA, or AAA, and give him a chance to build his confidence -- but they will probably rush him by handing him the major league centerfield job.

Also, having just traded for Milledge, who is considered best as a centerfielder, it's curious that the Nats went after Dukes, who would probably lay claim to the centerfield job, if he can straighten out his personal issues, and produce at the major league level. This makes me wonder whether the Nats really want Milledge to suit up for them next season, or whether they expect to move him during this week's winter meetings.

The Post is also reporting that the Nats have traded their top relief pitching prospect, Jonathan Albaladejo, for another roll of the dice with a prospect from the Yankees, who wasn't even among the Yankees top 3 rookie pitchers last year. Tyler Clippard, however had an incredibly strong finish, including a no-hitter over the last two months of the 2006 season, for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, in 2006, hinting at great potential -- even topping Baseball America's hot sheet at the end of August that year.

In 2007, however, Clippard struggled at every level. Clippard did not turn in an impressive year with the Yankees Triple-A team, but the Yankees' rash of injuries forced him into action with the big club, where he did win three games, despite an ERA of over 6.00. When he was returned to the minors, Clippard stepped back down to Double-A Trenton, where his struggles continued. Still, the Post article suggests he will contend for the Nats' starting rotation. That's not an encouraging statement.

While it's true that the Nationals need starting pitching depth more than bullpen depth right now, Albaladejo stood out among all the Nats' prospects. In 14 innings with the major league club, during a September call-up, Albaladejo, struck out 12 batters, and had an ERA of 1.88. Those are special numbers, and I believed he had the potential to close games for the Nats, an important consideration given the constant trade rumors surrounding the current closer, Chad Cordero.

Of the players the Nats have given up in the past week, including Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Gibson, and Albaladejo, I believe the one they will miss the most over the long run is Albaladejo. That's what makes it so troubling that they Nats dealt him for a questionable prospect -- one who had a great 2006 at AA, but had a miserable eyar last year, at all levels. I cannot understand how the Nats would consider him a prospect for the rotation right away. Even if he can recapture his 2006 form, Clippard is still probably a year away from being a major league starter.

Trader Jim has sure been busy, but I wish he'd slept on these last two deals another night. These were trades that did not have to be made, and probably shouldn't have been. I woke up this morning thinking about how Bowden has done such a great job completing deals that were one-sided in favor of the Nationals. I think today, Trader Jim came back to earth.

2007-11-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

Hot Damn! It's Hot Stove time! Not a moment too soon. The Nats strike while the iron is still cold....Getting super-prospect Lastings Milledge, for the streaky Ryan Church, and the anemic-hitting Brian Schneider.

What's NOT to like, or love, about this deal? Except that I'm a life-long Mets fan, and still a little conflicted when the Nats go up against them.

Church was never going to be given the chance to be a regular with the Nats, for whatever reason. On the other hand, Church killed the Mets this year -- his performance up in Shea, in September, took the division crown away from the New Yorkers. No doubt, this influenced the Mets greatly. Maybe he'll flourish up there, though he will surely still continue to strike out in many clutch situations. And maybe Schneider will regain some of the promise he had when he was picked for the USA roster at the World Baseball Classic. Mets' fans can only hope.

For the Nats, losing Schneider puts the team a little bit behind the eight-ball. He played quite nicely down the stretch -- showed off a laser rifle of an arm, and hit some, too. This deal means that Flores will stay up with the big club in '08, but it also means the Nats need to find someone else who can split the catching duties with Jesus. On the other hand, the Nats aren't going to win games without some more offense at the position than Schneider could give -- and the Nats need to be focused on 2009, and 2010, anyway.

In the meantime, as for Milledge, I see two possibilities. The Milledge trade could be preliminary to another deal -- possibly for the A's Danny Haren (the A's have been trying to pry Milledge from the Mets for years, but the teams couldn't swing the deal. If they do deal Milledge, then the Nats would continue to pursue that Japanese centerfielder. However, it's a mixed bag when you bring over a Japanese player -- you don't know what you'll be getting, especially in the beginning. Just ask the Metropolitans about Kaz Matsui. The Nats do (or did) need to find a major league centerfielder. As much as I love the idea of J-Max (Justin Maxwell), the local boy doing good, he's not ready for the bigs, yet.

So, the Nats just might hang on to Milledge. He'll flash a little leather, and bring the crowd to its feet with a few triples. Even if he takes some more time to develop his raw ability, he can contribute some excitement right away. Right now, they've got the prospect that Alex Escobar was supposed to be when he came up with the Mets...and they've got him young and healthy. So, we can forget about Escobar, let J-Max get some polish at Columbus, and focus on getting another backstop and pitching.

Forget about the stuff about Milledge's supposed character issues. In the words of Warren Zevon, he's just an excitable boy. When he started high-fiving the crowd? That was brilliant. I wish that happened more.

In two years, the Nats will be picking between Milledge, Pena, Kearns, J-Max and maybe Marrero (I guess we can't rule out Casto, either). I'd say they will be able to put together a pretty good outfield by then...and maybe, a lot sooner. If management can shape the rest of the team with the same kind of promise, the Nats will in pretty good shape.

2007-11-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

Announcing: The Armistice Project -- In the United States, we're celebrating Veterans Day. There are ceremonies on the National Mall, most notably at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. Across the country, there are the usual parades, and the television has the usual bevy of films celebrating heroic battles, like "The Longest Day" and "We Were Soldiers." While Americans honor a holiday, American troops are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, facing the twin dangers of IEDs and ambush.

The rest of the world remembers this date in history a little differently. Across Europe, in Australia, in many other countries, today is Armistice Day. Eighty-nine years ago, the great Western powers -- the allied Entente armies of the United States, Great Britain, Italy and France, reached agreement to stop fighting with the Central powers, consisting of the Austro-Hungarian, German and Ottoman Empires. The agreed cease-fire wasn't immediate - it was scheduled to take place on this day, 89 years ago. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918, the slaughter that was once called the Great War came to an end. That is the Armistice which the world remembers this day.

Eleven years from now, we will commemorate the centennial -- the 100th anniversary of that most famous cease-fire. Of course, that Armistice ended a war we now know as the First World War. At the time, the fight was described as "The War to End All Wars." Obviously, that proved to be an overly optimistic prediction, as various conflicts erupted in the late 1930s, and eventually turned into the still greater conflagration of the Second World War. Much effort has been put into avoiding a Third World War, but there have been literally hundreds of other regional conflicts in the years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought an end to that most terrible of wars.

We are still, as the NGO GlobalSecurity.org calls it, a World at War. By this group's count, there have been 1883 separate conflicts -- separate either in time, geography, combatants or events, just in the years since WWII ended in 1945.

Currently, according to another NGO, Ploughshares, there are currently 29 ongoing conflicts. That count is likely to hit 30 in the coming weeks, if, as expected, Ethiopia and Eritrea go to war. Even as I write this, armies are massing in that border region.

Concern about the carnage and death toll from mankind's seemingly endless series of armed conflicts is hardly a new phenomenon. As long as there has been recorded history, humans have longed for peace. The Bible speaks of a day when "they shall beat their swords into plowshares." Even governments have tried to end all war. In 1928, many nations signed on to the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which called for "the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy."

As discouraging as our history of violence can be, it is important to remember that, except for those 29 conflicts (some of which are in a state of cease-fire, including most obviously, the Israel-Hezbollah war in the Lebanon border region), every war that was ever started eventually ended. From that hopeful realization, comes the dream that a global peace is possible.

Numerous organizations have dedicated themselves to the promotion of peaceful resolution of conflicts. There are so many groups, small and large in number and focus, that it is impossible to compile a comprehensive list. Notable ones include the above-mentioned Ploughshares, the Centre for Conflict Resolution, and The International Institute for Strategic Studies . Leading American groups include The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for Strategic and International Studies , and the U.S. gov't-created United States Institute of Peace.

While the above-mentioned groups represent only a small sample of NGOs focused on conflict resolution and education, any such enumeration must include the largest organization or body contributing to the furtherance and maintenance of a peaceful globe: the United Nations' Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). There are currently 20 peacekeeping operations supported by the DPKO.

The United Nations itself is actually the preeminent organization in this arena -- the promotion of peaceful diplomacy and international relations. The organization was founded in the aftermath of WWII, by the nations of a war-weary world. The very first line in the U.N. Charter declares the nations' determination "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war."

Of course, the U.N. has had very mixed results in pursuing that end. In Korea and in the first Gulf War, the organization acted to authorize the member states to conduct military operations, in response to significant breaches of the peace. Sometimes, it seems, conflict is unavoidable, or at least, justified. Article I of the U.N. Charter declares the organization's purpose to "maintain international peace and security." It is understood that to achieve "that end" it is necessary "to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace."

Any advocate of peace must understand that it the first principle of international law is the right of self-defense. With the advent of U.N., that right has been expanded to include the right of the organization to authorize actions in collective defense -- that is the right of nations to intervene and protect other nations, or even threatened peoples within nations. That latter principle is understood as the right of Humanitarian Intervention. However, these rights stand as exceptions to the overarching principle established with the Nuremberg War Crimes trials, that it is a grave breach of peace and a crime to wage aggressive war.

Peace is, clearly, a complicated business, and has always been achieved on a piecemeal basis. In recent years, the United Nations has been the focus of efforts to go beyond piecemeal conflict resolution. In 1981, the United Nations created a yearly event designated as International Peace Day. The UN's resolution declared
"that the third Tuesday of September, the opening day of the regular session of the General Assembly, shall be officially dedicated and observed as the International Day of Peace and shall be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples." The general concept was "to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its Member States, as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways."

Twenty years after that resolution was first adopted, the UN amended the original resolution, by declaring that the International Day of Peace would always be September 21. The original "Third Tuesday in September" was meant to commemorate the opening of the first UN General Assembly. It was decided to fix a permanent date, rather than continue the third Tuesday tradition. Somewhat ironically, this resolution was adopted less than three weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The 2001 resolution also included an "invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day."

To date, not one nation or combatant militia group has accepted that invitation.

I believe what is lacking in this effort is the symbolism needed to coalesce vague aspirations into a concerted effort to bring about a world-wide cease-fire. I believe that the coming 100th anniversary -- the centennial observation -- of the original WWI Armistice offers the necessary symbolism. I propose an effort to call for a new United Nations' resolution, and a global coalition of committed NGOS and governments, that would call for a universal cessation of hostilities on November 11th, 2018.

It is with that belief that I have begun to organize a new NGO dedicated solely to this effort. I have dubbed the effort "The Armistice Project." Because of admittedly halted efforts, the website, and the project itself, is still very much a work in progress. I am just laying the foundations, but I am using this moment to fully dedicate myself to the realization of the project goals. I ask all those interested in getting involved to contact me. I haven't worked out all the bugs yet. There is a contact link at the project website (the link is above). However, for now, you can also write me at fischy@comcast.net.

Why today? It is 11 years until the centennial day. 11 years, until the world observes the 100th anniversary of the the cease-fire that began on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Today, I announce an 11 year campaign. The goals are still a bit undefined, We can work for a day-long cessation of hostilities, as the U.N. has tried to do in the past. Or we can use that day as the platform for a greater effort aimed at ending all, or as many of the ongoing conflicts, as possible. The original International Day of Peace resolution called for the U.N's Economic and Social Committee to investigate "the possibility of declaring an International Year of Peace at the first practicable opportunity." The UN's ECOSOC has not followed through on that, and the realization of that directive could also be a goal for the Project. I invite you to look at the materials on the website, Additional materials will be posted in coming days or weeks. I invite you to offer your own ideas, and to get involved.

As a species, we have scuttled the dreams of 1918. It is time to dream once again. We've got eleven years to do something really incredible. Hope you can help.

2007-11-02T01:27:00.000-04:00

United's Future -- Now that D.C. United is out of the playoffs, it's time to ask: What's in store for this club? What goodies should we ask Santa to bring for D.C. United's fans? It is obvious that United needs to get someone up top to pair with Emilio. It would be nice to see Jaime Moreno stay on as a sub, if he is willing to take that role. Moreno would be a good late-game extra attacker, but he can no longer be one of the featured attractions.

In his Soccer Insider blog for the Washington Post, the paper's United beat reporter, Steven Goff has hinted that there are a couple of significant rumors about, which may impact the club. I would guess that one of those rumors he is hinting at is that Juan Sebastian Veron will finally sign with United, after ditching them at the altar last Spring. Given his credentials, I imagine that would be a nice addition. I think Veron and Gomez would make a nice center midfield.

Of course, that assumes Gomez stays. I am guessing the other rumor will be a loosening up of the roster rules -- either raising the cap, or allowing for two Designated Players -- so, United will be able to give Gomez the money he wants. I have read some harsh feelings here toward Gomez. I have been sharply critical all season of his effort -- and his condition. I do not think he was in shape this year. Ran out of gas almost every game. Not tonight, though. Gomez put his heart and soul in that last flurry of action. He won me back over. His free kicks weren't very good tonight, but I still hope they keep him.

D.C. United has won the Supporters Shield in two straight years, but winning the regular season doesn't really get recognized here. So, United hasn't really won anything. Still, they do have one of the best teams in the league, if not the very best. That said, there will be some changes -- because some players may want to go, and others need to be replaced. Hopefully, we will see some upgrades in the defense, and another capable striker. And maybe, Juan Sebastian Veron.

This has been...The Fisch Fry. Over and out?

2007-11-02T00:40:00.000-04:00

Once Again, United Flops in Playoffs -- This time was a little different, though. This time, United saved its best for last, even if the team came up just short. After a ghastly defensive performance over the first 60 minutes, United put on the most furious comeback tonight. It just wasn't enough.

D.C. came into tonight's game needing to win by two goals, because they'd lost 1-0 in Chicago last week (on a boneheaded defensive play). Tonight, they couldn't finish their chances early on. Emilio floated a ball to the keeper from the top of the six. Simms somehow failed to score when the ball came to right at the doorstep. Pretty soon, United's attack started to bog down in the midfield.

You could feel the game was about to go south, when Chicago got a breakaway and a goal that nearly sank any chance of a D.C. rally. Then, a couple of minutes later, another defensive breakdown, and it was suddenly 2-0 Chicago (3-0 in the aggregate). At halftime, the small, but vocal Chicago Fire fan contingent was singing "Our House, in the middle of D.C." We were dead on our feet.

But....then like a prayer was being answered, D.C. turned it on. They'd played scared and not exactly vigorously for 60-some odd minutes. Like a switch coming on, United starting playing like a team on the brink, because they were. They got one goal, and then another. The crowd was going wild -- never has 22,000 people made so much noise. And the team was playing with more energy and abandon than I've seen in a long while. Suddenly it was 2-2, and D.C. needed just one more goal to tie the series and force an overtime period.

United almost got it, too. There was such an explosion of disbelieving joy when, over a minute into the extra time added for stoppages (the ref added four minutes), Christian Gomez ran onto a ball in the box, got around his man, and buried his shot in the corner of the goal!!! Incredibly, United had come back to force the overtime. Or had they?

For two seconds, RFK stadium was the epicenter of an earthquake -- then the referee came up and started pointing to the spot where Gomez played the ball, indicating a foul. Seems ol' Christian hit the ball with his left arm as he raced the defender for control.

There is no joy in Mudville, or Bethesda, for D.C. United, mighty, mighty D.C., two years in a row the team with the best record in the league, has once again bowed out...of the playoffs.

Now, I'm stuck with two tickets to the final here in 17 days...and it won't be United in it... I was thrilled by the comeback attempt, and United players can be proud of the way they finished -- perhaps this ending will leave a slightly better taste in their mouths than the last couple of years. Still, I am deeply disappointed that United is out of the playoffs.

The disappointment, for me, is that United won't be playing in the MLS Cup. There may be other MLS Cup finals for the club, but there will likely never be another played in RFK. Even if United is able to someday play a final at home, it will be in a much smaller facility. This was an irreplaceable moment in time, and it ends up being wasted.

My overall impressions? I only got a quick look at the play on the Jumbotron, to see if I could figure out why the goal was being waved off. By that time, I was sitting to the right of La Norte (crowd was seriously into it) -- meaning that I was about 125 yards away from the screen. Still, it looked like a handball to me -- at least enough so that I realized instantly that was the call. I didn't have a chance to determine if Gomez intentionally handled the ball or not.

Of course, goalie Troy Perkins should have been called for a penalty earlier. Fortunately, the referee ruled the foul was committed just outside the box, but the replay I saw apperaed to show it happened just inside the box. I don't know from where Perkins has suddenly picked up this habit of these half-assed challenges at the top of the box, but it is no way to play goalie. If you're going to do that stuff, you damn well better get the ball -- otherwise, get set and make yourself big. He's done this quite a bit recently, and he's getting burned more often than not.

In the end, I do not know how to feel about this game. United blew an extraordinary opportunity that may never come again for the franchise -- at least not like this -- to play in the final, in front of a huge, sellout home crowd, in the year people are actually paying a little attention. I guess the league has some integrity, because I am sure the league wanted United in the final...very, very badly.

Of course, United played like dogs for much of the first half -- after missing some good opportunities earlier, you could feel that it was about to turn ugly...and then it did.

Still, United gave us twenty of the most thrilling minutes in the history of the franchise. I do not know if they will ever match the excitement and intensity of that burst. The crowd -- no crowd has ever been louder -- we could have outshouted a full house at Wembley. I just wish the team had that intensity throughout. It's been missing for a month.

There were odd personnel moves. I don't know why Bobby Boswell was in there to start. He's been terrible all year, and tonight was no exception. I'm not clear why Marc Burch came out just before halftime. Was he beat on the goals? After the goals, he made a sparkling defensive tackle -- the first sign of life for the defense. Then, suddenly he was out, and he didn't appear injured. Without the benefit of the TV cameras and replay it's not always possible to see everything.

I guess Luciano Emilio was struggling with his injury. It seemed like coach Tommy Soehn was throwing in the towel, when he subbed out Emilio, the only guy who can score with any regularity -- even though United needed to score three goals in the last half hour. In fact, United was able to pick up its pace at that point, and began the comeback. So, that was a good move. One can't fault Soehn for giving Emilio a chance. I'm not so sure I feel the same about the Boswell start, and the Burch exit.

Oh well. I guess it's Hot Stove League time.

2007-10-18T15:14:00.000-04:00

Al Gore's Political Capital -- Nobel Peace Prize laureate!! Al Gore is definitely riding a wave of profound personal popularity and respect, beyond anything he has achieved previously. Indeed, his current stature, in some ways, exceeds that of any other world figure, for many years -- maybe even generations. As Mr. Gore's political standing has grown, a grass-roots movement has coalesced and grown with it, over the past year, seeking to impel the former Vice-President to run, once again, for President. There is no more enthusiastic supporter for a Gore candidacy than me.

If, however, we are to believe his public pronouncements, Mr. Gore is more interested in realizing the objectives of his campaign to initiate action to reduce greenhouse gases and limit the consequences the of global warming. He claims to believe that he is not a very good politician or campaigner, but I believe he is skilled enough to realize that he has built-up enormous political capital, which is probably now at its useful peak. It is with this in mind, that I am proposing a way in which he can productively use that capital.

According to a diary on the Daily Kos site (by NY Populist), the leading organization in the Draft Al Gore movement (AlGore.org) has commissioned a Zogby poll to assess how Mr. Gore would fare in a contest against the Democratic primary candidates. If that poll shows Gore doing reasonably well, the pressure to mount a campaign will increase. Concomitantly, so will his ability to influence the race and the direction of U.S. policy, should Gore choose to flex his new-found political muscle.

Given her tremendous fund-raising, and ever-growing popularity, Hillary Clinton is looking like not only a formidable opponent in the Democratic primary race, but also seems increasingly likely to be the next President. Of course, it is still over a year before the actual election and several months before even the primaries, but Mrs. Clinton is a supremely skilled politician and is unlikely to commit the kind of stumble that could derail such a juggernaut.

Many of Gore's supporters, especially those on this site, believe Mr. Gore does not favor Mrs. Clinton's candidacy. Assuming that is true, Mr. Gore could decide to run himself, to oppose Mrs. Clinton. Some in the Draft Gore movement view him as the man who can wrest the nomination from Clinton. Others, myself included, hope for a Gore candidacy because of their belief in the man and his positive agenda. We wait for a sign or a pronouncement that he will heed the call.

With the primary windows starting to close, Gore's supporters need to consider the alternatives just as Gore needs to decide what he can best do to further his agenda. Because Mr. Gore's personal popularity is at a peak, the time for a decision is now, lest he squander the moment. If Mr. Gore is firm in his decision not to enter the fray on his own, then the next most obvious course of action would be to endorse one of the Democratic primary candidates.

Assuming Mr. Gore would favor a candidate other than Mrs. Clinton, the question to be asked is whether a Gore endorsement of one of the other challengers holds the potential to change the outcome of the race? That seems a highly dubious proposition, not least because Gore's endorsement did not prevent Howard Dean's campaign collapse in Iowa four years ago. The gap appears to be too wide, and it is hard to imagine that Gore's endorsement of another candidate would pull away enough votes from Mrs. Clinton to make a decisive difference.

What then is Gore to do with his substantial political capital? What good is all this political prestige he has accumulated, if he cannot act decisively to move the country in the direction he would most prefer? The answer is to ensure that Hillary Clinton moves in the directions that Al Gore demands for this country. That is where Gore can make the greatest impact.

Mr. Gore should meet with Mrs. Clinton to discuss the terms of a possible endorsement. Would Hillary Clinton be interested in such a meeting? Consider the curious result in recent polling that has her in a virtual dead heat against Giuliani, despite significant preferences for a Democratic candidate. Given that dynamic, I would think that Sen. Clinton would be anxious to rally her base.

Moreover, the Clinton campaign must be anxious about the former Vice-President's plans, since the newest polls suggest that Gore may be a more popular candidate than Senator Clinton. Until and unless Gore rules out a run of his own, Mrs. Clinton will be running in his very large shadow. Mr. Gore's early support for her candidacy could go a long way towards uniting the party behind this likely nominee. It might also influence independents to support her candidacy.

If an endorsement from Gore is strong enough and memorable enough, it might even swing over a few Republicans -- those who are disenchanted with their own party, but still hold an unfavorable image of Mrs. Clinton, formed through the prism of the years of her husband's presidency. No doubt, there are a number of Republicans who might want to atone for supporting George Bush 8 years ago. If Gore were in the race, he might get their votes. However, he might also convince them to support another Clinton, the second most obvious antidote to the Bush years. A Gore endorsement at this time would surely cause a reexamination of Mrs. Clinton, and might kick some more momentum her way. A little momentum, after all, can have a snowballing effect on a candidate's popularity.

So, Al Gore would be in a position to exert some influence on Hillary Clinton, in exchange for a ringing endorsement. Gore should extract promises from her to pursue certain objectives. He should insist that Clinton publicly commit herself to aggressively pursue the two or three major policy initiatives that Mr. Gore is most determined to see enacted into law. He should take the measure of the woman and get her to pledge on record that she will cooperate fully in his efforts to cut back on human-generated climate change. If there are other issues that he wants moved to the forefront of her agenda, he should seek to get some commitments there, as well.

Then, Gore should make a statement (sort of a "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Hillary Rodham Clinton" thing) to the American people -- and I humbly suggest it should read something like this:

"My fellow Americans, I stood before you seven years ago, seeking your votes for my own candidacy to be President. A record number of Americans did give me their votes, but in the end it was George Bush that took the Oath of Office. Over these last seven years, the current Administration has governed from a blind faith in an unreasoning, deeply flawed ideology -- against all evidence, logic, science, and reason -- even against the constitutional traditions of our country. They have struggled against the laws of nature, and the laws of man. They have not changed direction even when all evidence and logic would compel any reasonable person to do so. They have ignored the lessons of their own errors, and it has cost this country deeply.

It has cost us our standing in the community of nations. It has cost us the respect that we earned over generations with our commitment to the rule of law, and our efforts to work with other nations to solve the problems that confront all of us. It has cost us lives, as thousands of brave young men and women have died for a misbegotten cause, and it has severely damaged our efforts in the struggle against the terrorists that seek to impose a totalitarian ideology upon the Islamic nations.

Perhaps most dangerously, it has cost us years that were more important then of us realized at the time, in the race to stop climate change. Many lives were lost here due to a powerful storm, and the powerlessness of the government's response, and still the dangers went unheeded. Now, leading climatologists are telling us we may already have reached the crucial tipping point. Reason tells us it is time for action -- that it has become too costly to wait any longer. Still, that is all this Administration seems intent on doing.

We cannot wait. We need action. Many Americans know this. People all around the world know this. I have spent the years since the 2000 election leading a personal campaign to increase awareness of the danger, and to insist on action. In October, the Nobel Prize committee acknowledged the seriousness of this cause by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize -- shared by the United Nations panel of committed scientists, and myself. It is, without a doubt, the greatest personal honor I could receive. However, this recognition does not mark the end of this campaign. It just makes it all the more important to seize the moment and generate the needed momentum to act.

I have just finished a very profound discussion with Senator Clinton regarding this issue and other issues that concern me today. I came to the Senator because she is in a unique position. I also came because she is one of the most talented political leaders of our time. I have the greatest respect for her husband, whose administration I was privileged to serve for eight productive years. Bill Clinton's appetite for and knowledge of issues became legendary. However, I can say that the Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton, is more than his equal in this regard. There is no person more dedicated to public service, more interested in government and policy, and more committed to changing the direction of our country -- getting this country back on the track we were on 8 years ago.

I have discussed how the Senator and I can work cooperatively to promote a new agenda for this country, especially in the area of reversing climate change. She understands the importance of acting, and I am pleased by the commitments on policy that she expressed in our meeting.

I understand that a lot of people believe this is a moment of great consequence for the country and for the world. I understand why so many have rallied to insist that I enter the Democratic primary race. I am humbled and flattered by their support. I stand here today, though, to say that Senator Clinton also understands how important this moment in history really is. I stand here today to tell you I believe there is no person as prepared or as qualified to lead this country as President over the next eight years. As I stand here, I want to tell you, as well, that I believe Senator Clinton is more prepared and better qualified to be President than any candidate in a very long time. She is a skilled politician, a woman who commands respect everywhere she has been, because she is so capable, and so dedicated. She is, without a doubt in my mind, the right person for these times.

Anyone who knows her can tell you she is a woman of great personal faith. She also knows how important the office of President is, how influential. She knows that the President must demand evidence, must follow logic, and insist on the rule of law and the rule of reason. We cannot afford to have a President who insists on being unreasonable. With the problems we face today, the time is growing short to make a difference. Hillary Clinton will make a difference, and that's exactly what we need now.

I have the utmost respect for the other candidates in the race, I have worked with some of them in the Senate, and I have met the others since. I wholeheartedly support the agenda that John Edwards has been campaigning for, and he is the most forceful advocate for those issues I have ever heard. Barack Obama is an incredibly talented leader, and I am confident that voice will be among the most important of his generation and that his message of a new politics will carry the day -- his time is coming. Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson -- they are all leading lights, dedicated public servants, committed to bringing about needed changes for America.

I would gladly support any of these men, if they were to win the nomination. However, I stand here today to offer my support now to Hillary Clinton because I believe she is the right person to lead America for the next four years.

Eight years ago, I tried to offer America a choice. If I had the political skills that Senator Clinton has, I believe I would have become President. As I said, I am flattered that so many people want me to run again. I am involved in a different campaign now - maybe one that is better suited for me. It is a time for a new direction for this country and Hillary Clinton is the woman to lead us on the path."

I still hope that Al Gore will decide to run, because I believe HE is the right person for the time, the one who best understands what the next President of the United States must do. My second choice, in this regard, would be John Edwards, because I think his policy priorities are similarly well-ordered, and he has dedicated himself to the important causes. However, I expect that Al Gore will not run, and I further expect that Hillary Clinton will emerge as the Democratic nominee, regardless of any Gore endorsement. If it matters, my record's been pretty good in this regard. My first choice doesn't always come out as the nominee, but my predictions have been spot on.

I think Gore can do an awful lot of good by sitting down with Mrs. Clinton and getting some policy commitments from her. I'm not as engaged on the issues as Al Gore, obviously. I wouldn't presume to suggest what policy initiatives he deems so important he could trade his endorsement. However, I believe that, if he is not going to run, the moment is ripe for such a meeting -- it might even be imperative. This diary is offered to recommend that course of action, but only if Mr. Gore will not run himself. And, also to suggest what Mr. Gore might wish to say in such a hypothetical endorsement. That, and nothing more. That said -- I say Run, Al. Run!

2007-10-17T16:30:00.000-04:00

Youth is Served as U.S. Wins in Basel -- Put this one in Ripley's Believe it or Not. For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Men's National soccer team has finally won a game on European soil. It was a friendly match in Switzerland, played in poor conditions, on a rainy day and a very slippery field. The U.S.A. has rarely won on European soil, including a losing streak on the continent that dates back to the tune-ups preceding the 1998 World Cup. That record of futility, however, meant little to some of the younger players on the U.S. roster, and it was the kids that combined to deliver the surprising, streak-busting victory.

Coach Bob Bradley fielded a young lineup to begin with, as the most veteran players were Carlos Bocanegra and Eddie Lewis. When DaMarcus Beasley left the game early due to a bruised leg, the lineup got even younger, and younger still when Brad Guzan replaced Marcus Hahnemann in goal, at halftime. The U.S. played the Swiss evenly. The best chances came to the U.S. with a flurry late in the first half, but Eddie Lewis and Carlos Bocanegra both sent balls right at the Swiss goalie.

In the second half, there were few chances before Brad Guzan was called for handling a ball at the edge of the penalty box in the 82nd minute. Although the call could have gone either way, it was an unnecessarily risky play. Fortunately, Guzan made a nice save on the ensuing free kick.

The U.S. attack was lacking much inspiration, and Coach Bradley found the right touch to change that. Freddy Adu came on in the final 15 minutes and immediately made an impact. His first touch was a crafty back heel that set Steve Cherundolo on a run into the box. the most creative play the U.S. had put together. After the close call coming on Guzan's dicey play, Danny Szetela checked in as a substitute. Szetela's insertion further opened up the attack, and proved decisive.

Maurice Edu, who sparkled in his first start for the senior side, recovered a loose ball in the Swiss end. Instead of playing it pointlessly into the defense, Edu turned and sent the ball wide to Szetela, who was unmarked at the touch line. Szetela sent a nearly perfect cross over the defense. The ball fell to a sprinting Clint Dempsey (Dempsey may have intercepted a pass intended for Adu, but no matter). Though Dempsey couldn't control it, the ball went off his knee and over the final defender. As the Swiss goalie raced Dempsey for the loose ball, it was Michael Bradley, the coach's young son, who got his foot to the ball as it came down. Bradley just beat the Swiss goalie to the loose ball and touched it into the goalmouth.

Adu nearly produced a second goal as he got on the end of a nifty pass over the defense from Dempsey. Adu couldn't control the ball, but was able to stretch and chip it over the goalie. Unfortunately, Adu's touch was a bit much, and the ball also floated over the crossbar.

Finally, Robbie Findley came on to earn his first cap, and showed the potential danger that comes with a player that has his speed. Findley's play led to a couple of nice attacks involving Adu. Freddy probably deserved a penalty kick on one, when he was kicked in the face by the defender. Just before the final whistle, Adu was tripped about 25 yards out. He sent the final free kick right into the goalie's midsection, but his talent still shone.

One other American player deserves mention. Heath Pearce came on as a sub, for Beasley, and turned in a very strong game in defense.

For most of this game, the U.S. did nothing very remarkable, except shut down the Swiss attack. This game will be remembered for ending the winless streak in Europe, as well as ending the U.S. team's five-game losing streak. However, the game should really be remembered as the day the torch was passed to a new generation of U.S. soccer players. When the kids got a chance to show their stuff, we got a look at a very promising future.

On a related note, there is an interesting article about Thierry Henry in The New York Times. Henry admits to a fascination with the U.S., and American sports. The best news in the article? The French superstar, supremely talented and probably the most elegant striker in the game, would like to play professionally in the U.S. someday. He's in love with New York City, so it would seem that he might be destined for the Red Bulls. Unless, of course, the MLS comes around to my suggestion of placing a team in New York City. In the meantime, we can expect to see more advertising taking advantage of Henry's fame, paving the way for what we hope will be his eventual Atlantic crossing.

Today was a pretty good day for Henry. He scored two late goals, within 2 minutes of each other to give France a win over a game Lithuania side, in a Europe '08 qualifier. With those goals, Henry become's the all-time leading goal scorere for Les Blues, passing the great Michel Platini. Dare we dream of getting to watch him play in the MLS, perhaps when his current contract with Barcelona runs out? Dream on!

2007-10-10T21:53:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow (Friday) is Nobel Peace Prize day -- the day that Gore-illas hope will launch the man who "used to be the 'next President of the United States'" on a quest to win, once again (and this time for keeps), the Presidency of the United States. If you're a reader of the Daily Kos (where I am cross-posting this essay), I'm sure you have not missed the deluge of Gore-love paean diaries, proclaiming our hopes for a new Presidential run by the former Vice-President.

Just for review, though: How do I love thee, Al Gore? Let me count the ways!

First: Everyone is always talking about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it!

Many of us fear that every other issue in this campaign is almost meaningless if we don't do something soon about global warming. For us, Al Gore represents the last best hope. Other politicians may say some of the right things about climate change peril, but Gore has lived the cause. A President Gore will be committed to moving heaven and Earth to do something about climate change and greenhouse gas production.

Second: "He's my Commander-in-Chief" vs. "Bernie, thank God George Bush is our President."

Astute readers will recognize the first quote as Gore's perfectly-struck note of unity, offered after the attacks of September 11th. They may also recognize the other quote as Rudy Giuliani's declared recollection of his comment to Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, when he realized New York was under attack.

Al Gore was no weak sister, when it came to Saddam Hussein. Gore was reputed to be the strongest proponent within the Clinton Administration of a more aggressive stance toward Iraq. Yet, in 2002, Gore understood that a war on Iraq would be a terrible distraction and counter-productive to the struggle against militant, terrorist groups. He was right on Iraq -- and for all the right reasons.

Gore may lack John Kerry's Bronze Star and Purple Hearts, but on this issue, he has the right credentials. He can make the best case for a new direction in the struggle that consumed this country on September 11th -- actually refocusing our efforts where they need to be.

Imagine this scenario next September, or October: Al Gore will get on the stage to debate against the Republican nominee, Rudy Giuliani. Gore will remind America that he loyally and enthusiastically supported Bush's decision to move against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Without rehashing whether the Bush Administration could have prevented the attacks, Gore can still remind America why Bin Laden is still at large. More importantly, he can ask Americans if we are as thankful as Giuliani claimed to be that George Bush has been President these last 7+ years.

Heck, Gore can even put the question rhetorically to Giuliani, as to whether he's still thankful that Bush, and not Gore was President. Is this a trap to be avoided? I'm sure Giuliani would have a glib answer already prepared, but Gore can win this debate. He can tell the American people what things he would have done the same as Bush, and what he would have done differently. He can describe how things would be better now. Finally, he will lower the boom on Giuliani, when he asks Americans to answer for themselves whether they are thankful these days that George Bush was the President for nearly the last 8 years.

I ask, rhetorically, "Is there anyone else that can ask those same questions, with the same impact as Al Gore?" Of course not!

Third: Restoring the Pride! A Nobel Prize Winner before taking office -- How cool is that!?!

Unlike Woodrow Wilson, who won the Nobel Prize near the end of his second term in office (and Jimmy Carter who won the award two decades after his term), Gore may already have this extraordinary honor to his name before he ever announces. As I write this, the 'net is rife with rumors that Gore is headed to Oslo or Stockholm for the announcement. Even if the Peace Prize goes to someone else, Al Gore could bring something to the office of President that no one else could. No American has ever begun a Presidency with the degree of international regard and respect that Al Gore commands.

No other person could reestablish the international credibility and prestige of the office as swiftly and surely as Al Gore -- both by dint of the world-wide respect he has gained, and the radical change of vision an Al Gore Presidency would represent. With Albert Gore at the helm of our ship of state, we would no longer have a "We're America -- Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes!" attitude." A Gore Presidency would mean an America that understands its policies have to change in order to account for the needs and concerns of other countries.

So much of what has gone wrong the last seven years -- including the disdain even our friends have for us, and the despair and disgust most Americans feel when they think of their government -- would change dramatically on the day Al Gore takes the Oath of Office. The challenges that would lie ahead: ending the war in Iraq; reviving American economic strength; reducing the deficit; climate change, of course -- tackling these challenges would seem possible because we would have someone in the office committed to solving these crises.

Al Gore is uniquely positioned to ask the Ronald Reagan question: "Are you better off than you were 8 years ago?" How many would answer yes? To use the pollsters’ favorite question: How many could say this country is headed in the right direction? If George Bush has the country headed in the wrong direction, who is the obvious choice to get us moving in the right direction? Al Gore!

Fourth: Look! Up In the Sky! or A Man of Action Proves Caring is Cool

When Brownie, and the rest of the federal government couldn't figure out how to get into New Orleans and help, Al Gore did something. He took a plane into New Orleans and brought out people who needed attention which they could get elsewhere, making the demands on the local hospitals somewhat more manageable. Isn't that the image we want of our President, not some contorted photo-op on a carrier outside San Diego Harbor?

The resemblance to Superman is uncanny...but he makes caring cool, too.

Fifth: The Rock Star

Al Gore isn’t just another candidate. He may lack some personal charisma, but he’s achieved something grander with his celebrity. His magnetism is based on his ideas, and his dedication to the cause. People believe and trust Al Gore now. The nonsense about the Internet and Love Story can’t hurt him now. He’s established a level of credibility on issues that no other candidate, Democrat or Republican, can approach, or besmirch. He’s not a Teflon candidate – he’s better. He’s become a brutally honest one. We believe Al Gore, because he’s willing to risk ridicule in order to speak painful, even terrifying truths.

Sixth: Second Chances

America has often been the land of second chances and second acts -- where redemption is possible. A second chance to make amends, and set right what went so horribly wrong 8 years ago. Not for Al Gore's sake. For our own sakes, a second chance for America.

Finally: No more 'Mourning in America'

O.K. I could list a lot more reasons for this hope against hope, but brevity is beautiful. Remember that it's always darkest before the dawn. Al Gore wants to bring an end to the 'assault on reason' -- bring an end to the dark madness of faith-based politics, by shining the light of reason. It's been a long night in the wilderness. Soon, it could be "Morning in America" -- with a President Gore.

Cross-posted at

2007-10-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

Shocking News? Marion Jones Admits Steroid Use -- To paraphrase the famous line from Casablanca, "I'm shocked...shocked to find there is steroid use in the Olympics." So, the Washington Post breaks the story that Marion Jones will plead guilty to using steroids, and admits to using the performance-enhancing substances in advance of the 2000 Olympics. Shocking!

I actually don't mean to detract from what Ms. Jones accomplished. She set new standards for female athletes, but this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, least of all Marion Jones. Yet, according to the article, it was a surprise to her. In the latest dodge that athletes have turned to, Ms. Jones is pleading ignorance, blaming it all on her trainer. According to the Post article, Ms. Jones was told she was taking flaxseed oil supplements.

Of course, this was all done with a wink and a nod. Jones says "Red flags should have been raised when he told me not to tell anyone about" the supplement program.

She also says she noticed that she was recovering more quickly from her workouts. Another red flag for Jones might have been the changes in her body. She looks fantastic, but few women are able to achieve that level of strength and development naturally. As it turns out she was getting THG, the synthetic steroid at the center of the Balco case.

I say we shouldn't be too harsh on Jones, because she achieved remarkable things. 3 gold medals and 2 bronze medals. Not because she is feigning ignorance, but because how many other competitors have done the same? How many of Jones' competitors have always been clean?

This case really brings out the crux of the dilemma in modern sports: We demand the highest performance, but attempt to deprive the athletes of tools they could use to elevate their performance. The temptation to cheat is irresistible, particularly when one suspects your competition won't hesitate to cheat similarly. Testing will always be behind the curve. Some athletes will be caught -- maybe, in time, all will be caught, as test catch up to flag preserved blood samples.

The fact is steroids can be harmful to one's health -- destructive to joints, etc. So are sports. 'Roid rage is a problem, too, but we don't criminalize alcohol, which has similar affects. With women, there can also be considerable, and permanent masculinizing changes to the body, but it's a choice women can make, if it's in the open. Otherwise, they may be victimized by unethical trainers.

So, why are we making criminals of athletes who are playing by the rules their competitors are? I know I'll never be able to compete without the chemical boost, and I won't take it. Then again, I’m no wannabe Olympian or professional. Instead of destroying competitions by pretending we're just leveling the field, why not allow the athletes to do what athletes do? Why not do what they do in bodybuilding, with natural competitions for those who want that, and the prestige competitions for the steroid-using hulks, who've taken their body to the extreme levels that fans want from their athletes?

Cross-posted at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/4/203158/398

2007-10-03T00:52:00.000-04:00

Drought Continues as United Falls in Jalisco -- In case anyone is interested in my impression, I think United was probably ill-served by the defensive shell in which they played this night in the Estadio Jalisco. Chivas was always one ill-considered pass away from the goal that would send them through to the next round. Not entirely surprisingly, that pass came from Clyde Simms, whose defensive play seemed to break down in the second half. Simms made some foolish passes under pressure last week, and did much the same tonight in the return match.

Meanwhile, United did little to generate any offense, and this was largely by design. Christian Gomez nearly scored on a free kick in the first half, but United did nothing to challenge the Guadalajaran goal until after the home team scored, giving them the series advantage, based on away goals. In the final minutes, United was able to generate some good chances, including some goalkeeper-testing efforts by Stephen DeRoux and Ben Olsen, and a couple of near misses by Luciano Emilio, Brian Carroll and Christian Gomez.

If United had been intent on pressing an attack, I think there might have been more chances -- and those chances might have come when United players were fresher and more likely to convert. Moreover, Chivas would have had to play with more attention to defense. Though Coach Tom Soehn was quoted as saying United would play its game, instead of going into a defensive shell, apparently that was no more than mere gamesmanship. The strategy that United employed meant they were behind the eight ball the moment Chivas scored. While it might have seemed to be working in D.C.'s favor, as the game went deep into the second half without any goals, the reality is that United had little time to recover when their defense finally cracked.

No U.S. club team has ever won on Mexican soil. So long as they continue to play for draws, that drought will continue.

2007-10-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

Burch's Blast -- Luciano Emilio is being promoted for Sierra Mist's Goal of the Week. I have to admit I was shouting "Goal of the Year", when I saw Emilio's one-time scoring volley, knocking in the rebound of Christian Gomez' free kick that had caromed off the crossbar and out to Emilio. The big goal, though, was Marc Burch's magnificent left-footed rocket (of course), which drew United even with Toronto on Saturday night. Burch's goal was his first -- one that was a long time in coming -- and it touched off a cascade of goals by United, who buried Toronto by a 4-1 score.

About a minute before his goal, as Burch had sent in a nice cross, I was telling my gal-pal all about Burch's amazing left foot. I really think this young man has national team potential written all over him. If he can raise his game, especially on the defensive end, he should become a fixture at left back for the U.S. national squad. His gifted left foot is something no other American has -- something the U.S. team has lacked for the last ten years or so, since the days of Preki.

Burch is really in his first year playing regularly as a defender. He's learning this totally unfamiliar position, while playing at the highest level in this country. His occasional struggles must be expected, but his ability is both obvious and surprising, given the circumstances.

I think Burch can become a very good defender -- I've seen him make some very good plays. Though he was undone last week by the speedy Chivas attackers, Burch will benefit by more such encounters with top players. Hopefully, United will hold on to their one-goal lead over Chivas on Tuesday night. This will mean more games in the Copa Sudamericana, and more chances for Burch to learn how to defend against the speedy, skilled competitors he will encounter someday with the national team, should my predictions for him come true.

D.C. United has once again become the best team in the MLS. It would seem they are reaching their potential at a much more opportune time than last year's squad, which burned out in August. The crowd was ecstatic with United's offensive outburst on Saturday. United is, without question, the best ticket in town. Seeing them win the title this year, in RFK, would be absolutely amazing -- I get goosebumps imagining the celebration that will ensue.

Should United win the MLS Cup this year, it would be the best thing that could happen for the MLS and American soccer. The size of the crowd, the enthusiasm, and crowd's reaction would be something the American media couldn't ignore. No Beckham -- just the best-supported soccer team in the MLS, and an indication of the sport's potential in this country.

So, when Marc Burch or some other left back takes the field for the U.S in the World Cup, and there are tens of thousands of Americans cheering the team on, we can say it is America's game, too. It might also influence the D.C. city government to reconsider it's decision to take bids against United's bid to build a new stadium at Poplar Point.

Speaking of American national team players -- If you saw Kasey Keller post a clean sheet for Fulham, against Chelsea, you have to pleased for him. Keller had one particularly good save. Clint Dempsey is becoming a real fixture for Fulham, and someone English defenses have to watch out for (he had a couple of good chances against Chelsea) -- although he really pushes the limits of the rules with his physical play.

The American I was most impressed by, however, was Carlos Bocanegra. Boca was given the nearly impossible task of defending Didier Drogba. Sure, Drogba was coming off an injury, and was a bit of a surprise in the lineup -- probably not at his best. Yet, it was still Didier Drogba -- the most dangerous attacker in the Premier League last year -- and Boca ran all day with Drogba, and made several solid stops.

Throughout his career, Bocanegra has really been most notable as being a defender who is a good offensive threat -- not especially known for his defending. In years gone by, I don't think Boca could have kept with Drogba, but this weekend, Boca took his game to a new level. This was great to see. Though his national team play has been mostly underwhelming, Boca could still become a strong central left back for the U.S., perhaps flanked, one day soon, by Marc Burch.

2007-09-27T00:03:00.001-04:00

D.C. United Is an Upset Winner; Nationals, too -- What a night for D.C. I haven't posted to my blog in a month (since I turned 43), but I had to post a report on tonight's doings. I've just returned from a rocking RFK Stadium. Reports of the old grey flying saucer's demise were somewhat exaggerated. There was a good turnout for tonight's Copa Sudamericana match against CD Guadalajara (Chivas) -- just over 21,000. United opened up the upper deck, and that's where I plopped myself -- amongst the Chivas supporters. I hadn't seen a soccer match from up there in years.

Actually, most of the fans were cheering for the visitors, but D.C. United's supporter clubs were well-represented, and the atmosphere was electric. The game itself was played at a frenetic pace that MLS fans aren't accustomed to seeing. While United probably held the balance of the possession in the first half, there was no question that Chivas was the more dangerous side. Marc Burch and Bryan Namoff were frequent victims of the speedy and talented Chivas wingers.

Yet, it was United that struck first. Most of United's threats were coming from the left side, where Fred was working his tail off, and Burch was sending in his customarily picture-perfect long crosses into the area. It was off a cross by Fred that United got its first goal. Jaime Moreno found himself in front of the goal, but couldn't stretch far enough to get a solid touch on Fred's pass. If Moreno had let the ball go through, Emilio was in position to finish, but Moreno tried to make the play himself, to no avail. However, a bad clearance followed, coming straight to Ben Olsen who sent a grass-cutter into the lower left corner of the goal, putting United in front, 1-0.

United had a couple of other good chances in the first half -- really, Luciano Emilio did. Emilio narrowly missed a long-range shot, and was denied from point-blank range, near the end of the half, by Chivas' goalie, Luis Michel.

Most of the good chances belonged to Chivas, but Troy Perkins was really on his game -- at least, between the pipes. Perkins was simply awful with his goal kicks, putting three of them wildly out-of-bounds, much to the delight of the Chivas' supporters. However, flying this way and that, Perkins was clearly the man-of-the-match for D.C., stopping shots and denying balls that seemed certain to be put in by waiting strikers. United's defenders were also crucial, blocking numerous shots, and clearing the ball when Perkins wasn't able to do so.

Unfortunately, while Burch was strong on the attack, he was horribly overmatched on defense. He has looked good in the MLS, but he's never had to face an attack with such skill and such speed. This might have been a learning experience for the young defender, but the lessons came to an end early when Burch received a second yellow and was ejected just before the half, having played a ball with his hands as it was skipping dangerously between his legs.

So, playing a man down for the entire second half, United struggled to weather a punishing Chivas' attack. Chivas' players couldn't penetrate Perkins' shield, except with some balls that sailed just wide or just over the crossbar. It seemed only a matter of time before Chivas punched through for the equalizer. However, ten minutes into the second half, United made a rare run into Chivas' end, and Christian Gomez was brought down just outside the penalty area. His free kick went in to the ball, but Clyde Simms raced for the rebound, and drilled a low shot into the Chivas' goal, giving United a surprising 2-0 lead, and some much-needed breathing room.

Chivas responded quickly -- this time it was Devon McTavish that was schooled out on the wing, and Xavier Baez' cross was hammered in for a goal -- Sergio Santana's shot was so powerful that Perkins barely flinched before it had gone past him. Once again, United was desperately clinging to a one goal lead, while Chivas controlled nearly all the possession. Christian Gomez left the game with about 20 minutes remaining, as he appeared to be cramping up in the heat -- leaving United with no one really capable of running at the Chivas' defense. still, United was able to hold on, as Chivas was unable to finish any of its chances. For the game, Chivas was credited with 21 shots (it seemed like more), but only one found the net.

There's no doubt that Chivas is the more talented squad, even when playing at even strength. So, United's 2-1 victory tonight was a remarkable achievement. Can United manage a tie or better in the return match, next week in Guadalajara? It seems unlikely, but so was tonight's undermanned victory.

As for the Washington Nationals -- It's true that the New York Mets are playing simply awful baseball, unable to get anybody out, due to ineffective pitching and really bad defense -- and all of this was especially true in the two September series against the Nationals. However, one has to give credit to the Nationals for a stunning achievement. They went up to New York and swept the division leaders, scoring 32 runs in three games. Sure, the Nats nearly gave away the game last night, as the Mets came up just 90 feet short of an all-time historic comeback. The fact is they won that game, and they won the others, too, with an amazing offensive display.

This really does raise some serious questions for the off-season. It's beginning to look like the answers for the Nationals are already in the system. J-Max (Justin Maxwell) might be the answer in center field, even though he hadn't played above A-ball before this month. The way Willy Mo Pena has hit since joining the Nationals last month, and the way Ryan Church has hit this month, it looks like they may have a battle for left field. Best of all has been Austin Kearns, who has been outstanding the last couple of months. It makes one wonder where the team is going to play Dmitri Young. If he returns at first base, what do the Nationals do with Nick Johnson, who was the best hitter left from last year's squad?

Ronnie Belliard has hit so well, and played such good defense that he seems certain to return as the starting second baseman, leaving Felipe Lopez to try and compete with Cristian Guzman for playing time at shortstop. The only obvious weak spot in the order seems to be at the catcher spot, but Schneider and Flores have excelled defensively. Of course, the Nats still lack a lot of power, but moving into a smaller park will make their numbers seem a little more impressive. Young could hit 20 HRs next year, and the Nats could expect at least that from the corner outfielders, based on the way they've hit in the second half. Ryan Zimmerman is also likely to hit at least 20 HRs. If they can get double figures from Belliard and the center fielder (maybe Maxwell), the offense wouldn't seem so anemic any more.

As for the pitching staff, with Hill and Bergmann, the Nats have a pretty good one-two, when healthy. Tim Redding is looking like a good candidate for the staff next year. Which means Matt Chico and John Lannan will be competing for the fourth and/or fifth rotation spots -- at least, as it stands now. And then there's the wild-card of John Patterson -- what kind of pitcher will he be after his nerve repair surgery this month? The bullpen should be outstanding, from end to end, with Rivera, Albaladejo, possibly Schroder and/or Munoz, Ayala, Rauch and Cordero.

I'd like to see the Nats go after a front-line free agent starting pitcher, if there are any this offseason. They may have the makings of a good, albeit very young rotation, but there are still too many question marks. Getting a proven starter will take the pressure off the youngsters. If they can land one, this team might be ready to contend next year. I know they don't have anyone who can compete with the big hitters on the Phillies or the Braves, or even the Mets...and yet...the Nats seem to have an intangible that makes them better than the sum of their parts.

There are still questions for the Nationals to ponder in the offseason, but it's beginning to look less crucial that the team seek answers outside the organization. It would be nice if the Nats can bring in a slugger -- and maybe Jorge Posada to catch. It would be equally nice if they can land a big free-agent pitcher. What I'm saying is, that even if none of these things happen, the Nats just might be a winning team next year. Don't be shocked -- if you leave aside the disastrous first six weeks, the Nats will probably have a winning record this year. Once you realize that, you have to admit the Nats already have become a good team. The next step up may be a contending team. I know back in May or even June that idea seemed ridiculous -- but, now, is it really so far-fetched?

2007-08-23T02:22:00.000-04:00

Gotta Hand it to the Os -- Apparently, the Orioles don't want to repeat the Joe Girardi fiasco. Perhaps owner Peter Angelos fears that few top managerial candidates would agreee to take over the Orioles. So, instead, the Orioles gave next year's job to the current interim manager. The team celebrated this bit of news by surrendering more runs in one game than any other team in the modern era of Major League Baseball. The Texas Rangers pounded out thirty (30) runs on 29 hits. If ever there were a bad omen....

It's too bad, really, because the Os have some great young starting pitching. If they can put together a team around those young arms, they could find themseleves back in contention in the A.L. East. Orioles' fans are learning not to get their hopes up...but 30 runs??!??!??!?

2007-08-23T01:36:00.000-04:00

Big Night -- for Jaime Moreno and D.C. United: Let's not dwell on the United States' tough loss to Sweden, because tonight we honor the new Sultan of Score, the Genie of Goals, Jaime Moreno. United's long-time scoring leader became the all-time goal-scoring leader in MLS history, with a penalty shot early in the second half of tonight's game against the New York Red Bulls.

It was an interesting game for some United stars, including Moreno. As a team, United really outplayed the Red Bulls. Most notably, Ben Olsen had a brilliant start to the game. First, he put away a rebound off a shot by Fred, who drove at the goal after taking a beautiful long clearance from goalie Troy Perkins. A few minutes later, Olsen's hustle again paid dividends, as he intercepted a pass on the wing. Olsen then executed a give-and-go combination with Moreno, and then Olsen crossed the ball to Christian Gomez, whose header gave United a 2-0 lead in the first nine minutes.

The best play of the night came later in the half, as Moreno again played the middle in a give-and-go with Olsen. This time, however, Olsen was surprised the return pass, a nifty back heel pass by Moreno that was so creative and so well-executed that Olsen was as surprised as the defense and couldn't control it. Following his fast start in this game, Olsen's night took a turn for the worse. Later, he found himself behind the defense (the linesman appeared to have missed a clear offsides on Olsen), but Olsen chose to try to force a cross to the onrushing Luciano Emilio, despite having an excellent, wide-open shot at the goal himself, with only the goalie to beat.

Late in the first half, United gave back a goal, when Marc Burch, who was the last defender, fell down and lost control of the ball just outside the penalty area. Burch immediately took down the Red Bulls' Juan Pablo Angel. Burch deserved a red card, but the referee allowed play to continue, because another Red Bulls player took possession with a chance to score. Perkins took down Richards, and Angel scored on the ensuing penalty shot. Frankly, United was very fortunate that Burch was not ejected for his deliberate hand-tackle of Angel -- giving up a goal, and going down a man would have changed the character of this game. As it stood, it was a rare miscue by Burch, who made several standout plays on defense. Like some of the other United players, Burch's night was a mix of the great and not-so-great.

Finally, United put the game away with Moreno's record-setting penalty shot goal, which followed a take-down of a streaking Emilio in the Red Bulls' penalty area. The jubilant crowd celebrated by serenading Moreno, and the game ball was given to the Bolivian striker's young son. Perhaps that bit of history will be headed to the United States Soccer Hall of Fame in upstate N.Y. -- or maybe just a place of honor in the Moreno home. Either way, United fans will long remember the moment.

United has disappointed in other tournaments, but remains a strong contender for top honors in the MLS this year. This game was emblematic of so much of their season. One can see the quality of this squad, just as one can see how this team sometimes fails to put away inferior opponents with inexplicable misplays. All-in-all, though, this was a dominating performance that thrilled a big crowd of the faithful at RFK. Can you really ask for more?

With Gomez and Moreno starting together for the first time in months, United is getting healthy, and looking much more energetic and creative. Troy Perkins has looked shaky recently, but not so tonight. Aside from the penalty, Perkins was decisive, and made several acrobatic saves. While the offense could have done more, with more aggressive shots, Coach Tom Soehn has to be happy with the chances his team created. Of course, things can turn in an instant. Luciano Emilio had to be helped from the field, during the second half. Hopefully, this will not be a serious injury. Otherwise, it was a great, historic night for D.C. United.

2007-08-11T01:27:00.000-04:00

Detwiler's D.C.-area Debut -- The Nats' ballyhooed first round pick, Ross Detwiler took the mound tonight for the Potomac Nationals in his Carolina League (and D.C. metro area) debut. I think it's safe to say there wasn't quite the same level of anticipation and excitement that attended David Beckham's MLS debut, across the river, at RFK, last night. Still, there were hundreds of fans who showed up to get a look at Detwiler, and maybe score a Randy Knorr bobblehead doll. Count me in their number.

The Nats have been suggesting that Detwiler was on track to pitch in the majors come September. If that was ever true, the train derailed tonight. It wasn't that Detwiler was serving up batting practice quality pitches, but he was hit hard, and with regularity. Still, he wasn't totally ineffective. In fact, all of his troubles came with two outs.

In the second inning, Detwiler allowed his first run with a pair of two-out doubles -- the first being one of the strangest doubles I've ever seen. The ball was actually bounced off the hard dirt in front of home plate, but was driven hard enough that the bounce took it well over the head of the third baseman, and into left field. By the time Chris Marrero got the ball back into second base, the runner was in just ahead of the throw. Tonight wasn't really Chris Marrero's night either, but I'll get to that later.

In the third inning, Detwiler looked like he was going to escape a jam, but the Potomac catcher Devin Ivany couldn't handle a two-strike foul-tip. The batter stroked the next pitch for an RBI hit that made the score 2-0. Detwiler failed to cleanly field a dribbler towards first base to lead off the fourth, but he got a nice double play, and a strikeout that made the fourth inning his strongest of the night.

In the fifth inning, the wheels came off with two outs, again. Another double had a man in scoring position, but Detwiler looked poised to record another strikeout to close out the inning, Instead, he hit the batter with a 1-2 pitch, and that was the end of his night. It was a bit ironic, because I had just commented that Detwiler had, at least, shown good control, not having walked any batters. when he hit the batter, manager Randy Knorr came out to tell him he was done for the night.

Detwiler left to a standing ovation -- having surrendered 8 hits in 4 and 2'3 innings, but having given up only 2 runs at that point. Unfortunately, the bullpen was no relief, and the runners Detwiler had allowed came around to score. His final line included 4 runs allowed. Still, it wasn't even the numbers that tell the story. Most of the outs were hit sharply. If Detwiler had been throwing like that to major leaguers, he wouldn't have lasted through the second inning. Right now, he would be cannon fodder for big league hitters. Of course, that can change, and it could be that he just had an off night.

Chris Marrero certainly had an off night. He did show some potential, with a sweetly stroked double to the right field corner. His other at bats were disappointments. Weakly hit grounders, and a strikeout that came after he thought he got ball four on a 3-1 pitch. Marrero also missed a ball that was dipping down in front of him. He looked like he might make a great play on the ball. Instead, it got past him and went for a triple.

Overall, the two top prospects for the Nationals had some moments tonight, but they weren't good enough to outweigh their miscues. Potomac showed some life with a three-run homer in the ninth inning, but the team also came up short, losing 6-4. There will be better days and nights for both Chris Marrero and Ross Detwiler, but fans of the Washington Nationals should not expect to see either of them in the majors any time soon.

I continue to be impressed by the catcher Devin Ivany. Barring trades or injuries, I think he can be ticketed to arrive at RFK in the 2009 or 2010 season, possibly even before Marrero, though he lacks Marrero's sweet power stroke. Detwiler needs to find something other than a straight fastball, and he probably needs to add some muscle, especially in his legs, but there is clearly some potential there.

There were probably three future major leaguers in the lineup for Potomac tonight, and possibly a fourth. Marvin Lowrance turned in a nice game, with a beautiful running catch in right field, and he got the ninth inning rally going with a leadoff hit. Lowrance's batting average has been falling lately, but he's got some major ability. He and Marrero may both be patrolling the outfield in the new Nationals' Park in a few years.

2007-08-10T00:10:00.000-04:00

Another Game, Another 1-0 Win for United -- Of course, this was hardly just another game. This was Beckham's competitive debut for his MLS side, the Los Angeles Galaxy, and there was a sellout crowd in RFK. Still, while the former Galactico turned Galaxy superstar waited on the sidelines to make his debut, D.C. United relied on a now-familiar formula to take control of the game. Marc Burch continued his remarkable contributions, both on defense and as spark for the offense. It was Burch's pass that set up Emilio's decisive strike, but Burch also had a couple of good chances of his own. Troy Perkins' gutsy goalkeeping produced another clean sheet. Ben Olsen produced some good crosses and helped secure the midfield. Finally, Luciano Emilio was good enough to score the winning goal, again.

Of course, once again, United failed to finish off a number of excellent chances that could have put the game out of reach. In addition, some favorable refereeing was crucial in maintaining the goal advantage. Landon Donovan was pulled down, and surely deserved a penalty kick early in the second half, but none was given. Late in the game, Donovan had another chance, when the Galaxy striker slipped behind the defense to take a fine pass from Beckham. Although it seemed impossible that Perkins could avoid a penalty, or a handball call, his bold slide appeared to cleanly strip Donovan of possession, while the Galaxy striker flipped over the sliding goalie. Perkins gets credit for a game-saving play, but it would have been hardly surprising if the referee had awarded a penalty for the initial contact, or called handball on Perkins, after his momentum carried him outside the box.

Once again, Christian Gomez sat out. One wonders if this about his health, or if a signal is being sent by Coach Tom Soehn. Certainly, Gomez has seemed more interested in international matches than he has in MLS games. Still, I expect to see him next week, in the SuperLiga match with the Galaxy.

Much drama at RFK, but another slim victory for a United club that can do better. At least they're winning, right?

*********

In "Yanks Abroad" news (you might have missed the report if you were at RFK -- ESPN mentioned it at halftime), Benny Feilhaber is headed for the E.P.L. Recently promoted Derby County has arranged for a work permit for the U.S.A. international, and has completed his transfer from Hamburg. Presumably, Benny will get much more playing time now, given his new team's investment in him. A couple of days ago, DaMarcus Beasley tallied in European competition, scoring the game-winner for his new club, Glasgow Rangers. Rangers, of course, was where Claudio Reyna made his real mark in European soccer. Danny Szetela appears to be on the verge of parlaying his strong performance at the U-20s World Cup into a transfer to AS Roma, one of the top clubs in Serie A. It still seems a bit silly for Landon Donovan to be plying his trade here in the U.S. Yet, with that one notable exception, we are starting to see, bit-by-bit, the emergence of a new class of Americans gaining top-flight foreign experience. Maybe, we can expect a more competitive effort in South Africa, three years hence.

2007-08-09T01:33:00.000-04:00

WooHoo! 3,000 Hits! Barry Bonds gets 756, (and 757, for that matter), and The Fisch Fry, at long last, notches 3,000 hits. Took a year and change (although I suspect that I might have made the total weeks ago, if I had the counter up during the first days), but the deed is done. Despite reaching this milestone, it's clear that readership has definitely dipped. Clearly, I need to sex this up to get the readers again. Any suggestions?

2007-08-08T01:07:00.000-04:00

The Deed Is Done -- Despite the steroid scandal (and the virtual certainty of HGH use, too), one still has to respect Barry Bonds' achievement, and give credit where credit is due. However, you have to give credit to the Nationals, too -- for challenging Bonds. Most teams have just pitched around Bonds for years now -- whenever the situation allowed. Last night, pitching in only his third major league game, John Lannan kept going after Bonds. Of course, Lannan didn't have a lot of choice. Time after time, Bonds came up with men on base, in a low-scoring, closely-contested game. Lannan walked Bonds twice but he also retired him three times, including striking out the slugger to end the seventh inning. Lannan allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base in almost every inning, but he kept pitching out of trouble. He even got Bonds to hit into a double play.

Tonight, Mike Bacsik kept challenging Bonds, even though he had much less success than Lannan had the hight before. The difference was that balls were flying out of the park. The Nationals had already hit three home runs, and Bengie Molina had hit one for the Giants. When he came to bat in the fifth inning, Bonds already had two hits, having slammed a double over Austin Kearns' head, and lacing a single to center. There was one out, and nobody on base, in a game that was tied 4-4. Bacsik could have pitched around Bonds, but he didn't fear being part of history -- being remembered as the guy who gave up #756. I think everyone felt that this was going to be the historic at-bat. Still, Bacsik nearly had Bonds, who grounded a 3-2 curveball to Dmitri Young. The ball was ruled a foul ball, but it was a close call -- even a questionable decision. Then, Brian Schneider called for a fastball on the outside corner. Bacsik's pitch, though, came over the inside of the plate, and Bonds smacked it to deep center.

The Nats, it must be said, didn't lay down. They came back to win this game, and make a little team history in the process. They've tied the Florida Marlins for fourth place. The night before, the Nats had the chance to catch the Marlins. When Dmitri Young came to bat in the 10th inning, I correctly predicted he would hit the third pitch for a home run. That run didn't hold up though. Felipe Lopez came on a s a defensive replacement, but came up just short of reaching a pair of grounders, giving the Giants men on the corners, and Chad Cordero couldn't prevent the run from scoring. The Giants won it in the 12th. On this historic night, the Nats overcame that disappointment, and the historic home run by Barry Bonds.

Tomorrow night, Tim Redding may be pitching with the chance to move the Nats past Florida, and out of the cellar. Props to Bonds, but props also go out to the Nats, who continue to play really good baseball. At this rate, a winning record ir a s real possibility.

2007-08-04T23:29:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow A Red Letter Day for the Nats? -- There's no denying it. The Nats are, quite simply, hot. The Nats won their season-high fifth game in a row, with a 12-1 thrashing of the St. Louis Cardinals (who bear no resemblance to last year's World Series winning team). Once again, it was the Ryan Zimmerman show, as the second-year star had his first multi-homer game -- one night after he hit a ninth inning, (walk-off) game-winning single. OK -- so he's not going to challenge Barry Bonds' record (Bonds tied Aaron tonight), or Alex Rodriguez, who may surpass Bonds' home-run total someday (A-Rod hit his 500th today). Still, Zimmerman is a pretty special player -- the kind any franchise is fortunate to develop.

While Zimmerman is the cornerstone of the team's future, it's OK tonight to mention that the present isn't so bad, either. The Bonds and A-Rod milestone home runs made Saturday a red letter day in baseball history, but the Nats can make a little team history on Sunday. The Nationals are on the verge of a series sweep of the Cardinals. If they can win tomorrow, they would move out of the National League East cellar, provided the Florida Marlins lose to the Astros. It's that close.

The Nats are now one-half game behind the Marlins. With the injuries the Marlins' pitchers have suffered, and the way the Nats makeshift rotation has overcome the Nats' own pitching injury woes, it seems inevitable that the Nats will move past the Marlins, into fourth place. That really is far better than I predicted at the start of the season -- and better than anyone had a right to expect.

The truly amazing thing has been the contributions by Mike Bacsik, Tim Redding and Joel Hanrahan. Since the All-Star break, this threesome has outpitched any other three pitchers on any team in the National League. What makes this truly remarkable is these guys lost in the Nats' vast spring training auditions. They were the last pitchers to be sent to the minor league camp, but failing to make the Nats' staff is not the kind of thing to put on one's pitching resume. One of those three, or young John Lannan, is likely to be the one to surrender Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run next week, but they should be remembered for more this season than that ignominy. Amazingly, since the All-Star break, Redding, Bacsik and Hanrahan have each allowed fewer than 3 runs per game -- actually, they've each put up an E.R.A. of less than 3.00.

On top of that, the Nats' hitters are producing as they never have before. Zimmerman and Kearns are finally in good grooves, while Ronnie Belliard and Dmitri Young keep plugging along, hitting over .300. For the first time in memory, even pinch-hitters are delivering. D'Angelo Jimenez one night, Tony Batista another. I wrote that the Nats would win more games the second half than they did the first, but I'm positively giddy over how well the team is playing.

The Nats' management will have some tough decisions sorting out the rotation for the remainder of the year, and trying to figure out which of these pitchers will belong in next year's rotation. I don't envy them for having to make those calls. If they're on the horns of a dilemma, at least they're enjoying the ride.

2007-08-02T00:18:00.000-04:00

United Goes Down, But Moves On -- If you didn't stick around to see the second game in tonight's SuperLiga action, you missed an exciting finish. D.C. United fell to the Houston Dynamo once again, by a very familiar 1-0 score. That result meant United would not advance to the next round if Monarcas Morelia could beat Club America. It got pretty hairy in the second half. America squandered a 2-0 lead, and Morelia was peppering their opponents' goal with a number of difficult shots and near misses.

Finally, a Club America counter-attack resulted in a third goal, giving America the win, and sending United through to the next round. The game-winner came when the Uruguayan striker, Hernan Rodrigo Lopez, delivered a ball up the middle to America's Argentine midfielder, Frederico Insua. Insua got behind the defense, and knocked his first touch to the right, beyond the reach on the oncoming Morelia goalie. Actually, the goal was very reminiscent of the goal that Houston's Brian Ching scored, in simliar fashion, to beat United just two hour earlier.

So, United lives to play another day. They are still struggling to score goals, but they still have a shot at the million dollar prize. United will have to take on the L.A. Galaxy, who dispatched FC Dallas with a flurry of goals last night, in a wild 6-5 affair...and that was without David Beckham. It seems United may get two looks at Beckham, in the span of six days. First, the Galaxy will come to a sold-out RFK for an MLS match next Thursday, and then the SuperLiga match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, for the SuperLiga semifinal. Great stuff.

2007-08-01T01:35:00.000-04:00

Baseball Trading Deadline Special: Among contending teams, the big winner is clearly the Atlanta Braves, having brought in Mark Teixiera and Octavio Dotel. While the Braves gave up a real talent in Jarrod Saltalamacchia, they got more than they gave. This will be especially true, if they can re-sign the Georgia native, Teixeira.

Of course, the Braves are focused on catching the Mets right now. The Mets added Luis Castillo to play second. Presumably, this trade makes the Mets a better team than they were. While Castillo's defense isn't what it once was, Castillo is still a better fielder than Ruben Gotay. On the other hand, Gotay was putting up great numbers at the plate, and Castillo will be hard pressed to match them. I guess the real explanation here is that the Mets just didn't have faith in Gotay, didn't believe he could keep up that level of production. So, they jumped at the chance to add a good veteran like Castillo. The key for the Mets, however, will not be the addition of Castillo, but the healthy return of Pedro Martinez. The Mets' starting pitching has been very inconsistent lately. Getting Martinez back into the game might be the difference in this race.

The team that was most improved with the recent trades, though, is likely to be the Texas Rangers. For once, this misbegotten franchise seems to have gotten it right. I think they fleeced the Red Sox' pockets in the Eric Gagne trade. As a Red Sox fan, I have to hope this doesn't turn out like the infamous Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell deal of yore. Kason Gabbard had the best debut of any Red Sox' rookie pitcher since Roger Clemens. The Red Sox don't really need Gagne. The trade makes some sense for the team in that it keeps Gagne out of the Yankees' hands. The Yankees coveted Gagne, and had greater need for him.

In the long run, having Gagne (assuming they re-sign him), may allow the Red Sox to move Jonathan Papelbon into the rotation, but I thought that wiser heads prevailed a few months ago, when that experiment was abandoned during spring training. I think the Red Sox would be a better team with Papelbon as the closer, and Gabbard in the rotation. Only time will tell if the Red Sox made the right move here, but I'm inclined to think they did not.

The Red Sox are turning into another version of the Yankees, and this is not a good thing. They seem to believe they can deal their best young prospects because there will always be another top veteran they can bring in, regardless of cost. Even the Yankees no longer believe that, as they have made a commitment to hold on to young Phil Hughes, no matter what offer they have to reject because it would include Hughes. The Red Sox have struggled to find a shortstop ever since they dealt Garciaparra, but they had the shortstop of the future in their own ranks, when they had Hanley Ramirez. This is not to dismiss what Josh Beckett can bring to the team, but I think that trade was misguided. They may have made another unnecessary, shortsighted deal today.

The local team? The Nationals made two interesting moves in re-signing Ronnie Belliard and Dmitri Young. Once again, Jim Bowden chose to stay pat, unmoved by any offers he might have received for Nationals' players. Keeping Belliard was a no-brainer, but keeping Young is an interesting move. It only increases speculation about Nick Johnson's future. It's always possible that Young could return to the outfield, but he'd have to drop 20-30 pounds to make that a realistic option. Will Young be willing or able to do that? For his own health (he has diabetes), he ought to, but it's an open question as to whether Young will be in shape to play the outfield next year. Even a more svelte Dmitri would be a defensive liability in the outfield, but if he hits as well next year, as he has done this year, it would be an acceptable liability. If the Nationals could add Andruw Jones in center field, during the off-season, having Young and Kearns as the corner outfielders wouldn't be such a bad thing, and that lineup might finally have the ability to score some runs.

2007-08-01T00:20:00.000-04:00

Freddy's Excellent Adventure Begins -- The much ballyhooed career of young Freddy Adu has taken another turn, the most interesting yet. He's headed to Benfica, the historic powerhouse of Portuguese soccer. I think the Portuguese game may be especially well-suited to Adu's size and skills. No doubt, Freddy's agent, Bethesda's own Richard Motzkin deserves some credit for making this happen. If Freddy cracks into Benfica's regular lineup, he will certainly deserve a long look for U.S. national team play. Even though Peter Nowak, his former D.C. United coach, is the top assistant with the team, if Freddy can prove his worth as a playmaker in Portugal, he'll have to be considered for that role with the U.S. senior squad. Bon voyage, Freddy.

2007-07-30T23:56:00.000-04:00

Manny Acta was at the Game -- Shawn Hill, the Washington Nationals' young, but injured ace, made his first rehab start tonight, starting for the Potomac Nationals. The home team came up short, as a young man named Brian McFall smacked a pair of two-run home runs, as the P-Nats fell 6-3. However, Hill breezed through three very quick innings of work, allowing three hits and no runs. Washington Nationals' manager Manny Acta took in the game -- or at least part of it. When the autograph hounds descended upon him in the sixth inning, Acta graciously signed everything thrust his way, but soon disappeared from his seat behind home plate.

Acta had to be pleased with Hill's effort, but here was little else to please him. Acta might have wanted to see what Chris Marrero had in store for the Nats in a few years. I'm sure this is a game Marrero will like to forget. He couldn't hit the ball out of the infield, and misjudged a fly ball, leaving himself in a poor throwing position, unable to prevent the runner on third from scoring. No doubt, there will be better games for the young outfielder. Since the real focus was on Shawn Hill, the Nats' top brass, including Manny Acta, have to be feeling a little better tonight.

2007-07-29T23:27:00.000-04:00

United Looking Better -- D.C. United played much more confidently, although United only managed to tally one goal, in beating Club America, during tonight's SuperLiga action. Christian Gomez played a truly inspired game, despite taking an ugly, vicious elbow in the 34th minute, that had him repeatedly running to the bench to ice the side of his head. Gomez set up the lone goal, as he headed Ben Olsen's crossing pass back across the goalbox, where Rod Dyachenko ran onto it, blasting a low drive for the decisive goal.

Kudos have to go to Gomez, who attacked consistently throughout much of the game, and narrowly missed scoring himself, on a couple of efforts. This was Gomez' best game since the MLS season got underway in April. Marc Burch played another strong game. Burch's crosses continue to pose danger for opposing defenses, and Luciano Emilio should have scored with a header on one of them. Burch also created a decent chance for himself, with a good run behind the defense. I am sure that Coach Tom Soehn is taking notice, and we can expect Burch to be a regular in the lineup. Josh Gros did a good job controlling the ball and setting up the offense, and Dyachenko turned in his best effort in a United uniform, before being substituted for Clyde Simms.

Perhaps the best news was the surprise of seeing Dominic Mediate take the field, to help run out the final minutes of the game. It's almost exactly a year since Mediate suffered a badly broken leg, on a vicious tackle that wasn't even whistled for a foul. It was wonderful to see Mediate get another chance at an MLS career, despite being released by United earlier, in the preseason. Mediate had several touches, and showed both quickness and deftness with the ball. His return gives Coach Soehn much better midfield options, coming off the bench.

United has a tough challenge on Wednesday, taking on the Dynamo in the final match of group play. United needs at least a point to guarantee advancing to the SuperLiga semifinals. Of course, since Morelia gained a tie with Houston, if D.C. ties with Houston on Wednesday, and Morelia beats Club America, that would leave three clubs tied with 5 points...and the result unclear. So, United may need a win to advance.

Against the Dynamo, even gaining a tie will be no small task. United must shut down Dwayne DeRosario and Stuart Holden, and try to deny the ball to Houston's deadly forwards. At the same time, United really needs to show it can attack Houston's defense. No team has done that in over a month, not in the MLS, nor in the SuperLiga (Houston did give up a second-half goal against Morelia, but that came off a freakish, horrible error by the Dynamo's back-up goalkeeper, in failng to hold on to a loose ball). This will offer United a chance to show it can compete with the Dynamo. Even though the other teams in the Eastern Conference have been loading up with foreign talent, United is still the team most likely to earn a berth in the MLS Cup, where the likely opponent will be the defending champion Dynamo.

2007-07-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

A Memorable Debut, But One to Forget -- John Lannan made his major league debut today, for the Nationals, in Philadelphia. It would he an exaggeration to say this was much anticipated. Prior to this year, few Nationals fans would have even heard of Lannan. He was a low round draft choice, who struggled some with his control in his first full year in the minors last year. He figured it out this year, though. Beginning the year in Class A ball, Lannan was so masterful that he climbed first to AA, then AAA, and finally to the big club, in just over three months.

Of course, Lannan was up primarily as fill-in, because of recent injuries to Jason Simontacci and Jason Bergmann. Still, he had the chance to show he was ready for the majors. In truth, he didn't pitch badly. He was more effective than Tim Lincecum was in his debut with the Giants, a couple of months ago -- and now Lincecum is pitching as well as anyone in the National League. Lannan doesn't really have Lincecum's stuff, but he has the potential to do well, if he hits his spots.

Today, Lannan did struggle some, giving up a walk, a couple of hits and a run, before he'd even recorded his first out. What an out it was, though!! The Nationals had spotted Lannan with a two-run lead in the top of the first, and the rookie was trying to hold on to what was left of the lead, with the score now 2-1. Lannan struck out Ryan Howard on three straight curveballs. The last one really dropped right out of the strike zone, leaving Howard flailing off balance. Lannan closed out the inning, by getting Aaron Rowand to hit into a double play, on a first-pitch fastball.

In the third inning, Lannan lost the lead. With two outs, he walked Chase Utley, and then he tried to throw the curve past Howard, again. This time, the ball stayed up a little, at the knees, and Howard drove it deep to straight-away center, for a two-run homer.

As rough as the third inning was, it was not nearly as wild as the events of the fifth inning, when Utley and Howard came to bat again. First, Lannan hit Utley on the hand. Though Utley raced to first base, we learned after the game that he had broken a bone in his hand. The next pitch hit Howard in the back, and the umpire, Wendelstadt, immediately ejected Lannan from the game. Manager Manny Acta soon followed his starting pitcher to the showers. Reliever Chris Schroeder allowed a single to drive in both Utley and Howard, with both runs charged to Lannan.

The news wasn't all bad for the Nationals. Actually, it was all bad for the Phils. The Nationals rallied to win the game, the game-winning shot coming on a two-out three run home run by Jesus Flores, in the eighth inning. Chad Cordero came on, and fought through a tough inning, allowing one run, but nailing down the save. Despite a start that John Lannan would probably like to forget, the Nationals won a really memorable game. With the loss, and the injury to Utley, the day was much worse for the Phillies.

If nothing else. Lannan learned he has the stuff to strike out Ryan Howard. Hopefully, the injury to Utley, and the ejection won't mess too much with his psyche. With his first major league start behind him, Lannan can go about his learning, and earning a place in the rotation, especially for next year.

The next big milestones for the Nats will take place back in A ball. Shawn Hill will have a rehab start for Potomac, on Monday. The next week, first-round draft-pick Ross Detwiler will move up to Potomac, and make a few starts there. If things go well for him, he will make a fairly quick jump to AA, and be fast-tracked to get a shot pitching in RFK, before the season is over. It's even possible that Hill, Lanan And Detwiler will be the cornerstones of the Nats' rotation next year -- of course, it's very premature to predict anything like that.

2007-07-26T01:30:00.000-04:00

Thursday is John Lannan Day -- No official commemeration, but it will be the big league debut of the wunderkind, who has sky-rocketed through Nats' minor league system this year. A glimpse into the team's future, perhaps.

2007-07-26T00:36:00.000-04:00

It's SuperLiga!!! And United Still Disappoints -- It was a bad night for D.C. sports fans: The Nationals gave away a game with two outs in the ninth, with one play, and a comedy of errors...and then lost it deep into extra innings. Our soccer team, D.C. United, didn't lose. Once again, though, it kinda felt like they did. United completely dominated their Mexican opposition in their opening SuperLiga match, especially in the first half. All they had to show for that domination was a great free kick goal by Christian Gomez in the 7th minute.

After that, United made a real show of how hard it can be to put the ball in the net. Fred and Rod Dyachenko showed great understanding, as Fred delivered a ball to Dyachenko as he ran towards the net, behind the defense. As the goalie came out to defend, Dyachenko delivered a cross to Luciano Emilio that was just a little behind the striker. Emilio couldn't finish, putting the ball over the crossbar, despite a wide open goal.

There were other misses, and most of them came after United gained a man advantage early in the second half. Bobby Boswell took out his frustrations by kicking a Morelia player, an action that should have gotten him thrown from the game. Instead it was the Mexican who was ejected, for a rather tame retaliatory slap at the back of Boswell's head. Frankly, the refereeing was a complete mystery. In the first half, Gomez made a brilliant run through the defense, before he was pulled down from behind, deliberately, just before he got into the penalty box. Yet, there was no foul call. Later in the half, D.C. got an undeserved free kick just outside the box, on a phantom foul. It was like that all game.

Actually, after Morelia began to play short-handed, the game turned in their favor, for a time. Thiago hit the post with a shot that had Troy Perkins beaten. There were a couple of other good chances for Morelia, but Perkins kept the score even, until D.C. seized control again. Fred missed a good chance. Gomez, as well. Emilio had a nice cross that Nick Addlerey couldn't reach to slide in the net.

Just about the time one had to be wondering if D.C. would pay the price for missing those chances to add to their lead, Morelia struck. With about ten minutes remaining on the unofficial clock, Diego Martinez brought down a nice switch-pass and then blasted a shot to the far corner, beyond Perkins' diving reach. United turned on the gas, to try and regain the lead, but still couldn't find net.

So, once again, United squandered a lead they should've held -- failing to finish off their opposition when the opportunities presented themselves. There were some good signs in this game, though. Gomez turned in his most spirited outing of the year. Marc Burch showed he has one heckuva left foot, with really dangerous bending crosses into the area. Burch was doing so well that he was called to the other side of the pitch to take a corner kick, and make use of that wicked left foot of his. He also made some good plays on defense. The most encouraging part should have been that United dominated the game, but the disappointing result tempers any enthusiasm for the team's overall performance.

Another disappointment had to be the turnout. United fans turn out for league games, but haven't caught on to the charms of these international competitions. This stands in contrast to the near capacity crowds that have turned out for the other SuperLiga contests. Of course, D.C. doesn't have the huge Mexican populations that are found in Texas and California, where the other games were played. Still, the league has to be disappointed by the small turnout for tonight's game at RFK.

Sunday ought to be different -- both because it's a Sunday night, rather than a weeknight, and because the opposition is Club America, probably the most popular team in Mexico. There figures to be a decent-sized contingent rooting for the Mexican side. One hopes that United's fans turn out in even larger numbers. If not, one might expect that United may not be included in the next SuperLiga.

Kudos to Houston, and young Stuart Holden. It sems that even Mexican teams are finding it hard to score against the Dynamo. I've already sung Holden's praises here, but he keeps adding to his legend. Tonight, he was the difference for the Houston Dynamo, in beating Club America 1-0. Holden took the ball down the side, and delivered a great bending cross in front of the net, where it was redirected for the game's lone goal. This guy just has to get a serious look with the senior national team -- right now, he's with the U-23 team. After the Beijing Olympics, he could be a big part of the World Cup qualifying effort.

An interesting note about the SuperLiga -- the MLS has not fared well against Mexican teams in other, prior competitions. Those games, however, always took place during the MLS preseason, which was midseason for the Mexican teams. Now, the situation is reversed, and the games reflect that. The MLS has won 2 of the first 4 games. The other two games were ties that ought to have been won by the MLS team. It would be a great surprise if the SuperLiga semifinalists were all MLS teams, and it might diminish interest significantly in the tournament. Certainly, the Mexican press would ignore the rest of the tournament, but it wouldn't have the same appeal here, either. It's a weird turn of events, and it wouldn't surprise me if the MLS marketing people will be rooting for at least one Mexican team to get through to the next round.

One note about the Barra Brava -- Cool it with giving the finger. After the Morelia goal, while one of the Morelia forwards was getting treatment, the fans delivered their ire -- I think it was directed at Mexican fans. It was caught on TV, and it just looked awful. A disgusting display. Basically, I love the Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles. I'm not a big fan of the "If I could fly high like an eagle...I'd shit on those tossers below" cheer. We could do without that one, but at least it's in the right spirit of fun. The finger stuff doesn't have any humor or sense of fun about it. While it is bad enough to make a display like that, with young kids in the crowd, it's even worse when it shows up on TV because it catches the cameraman and director off-guard. Keep those fingers in their holsters, guys....

2007-07-25T00:45:00.001-04:00

The Democratic 'YouTube' Debate -- Unlike some bloggers, I found very little reason to cheer the format of Monday night's Democratic Presidential candidates debate -- at least, I didn't see it as incredibly groundbreaking and revolutionary. There has always been a place for questions from the audience. This was just a flashy new way to do it. Some bloggers see it as a great challenge to the mythic power of the mainstream media. Ironically, what made this format work was that the media sponsor, CNN, had a chance to review the submissions, and selected the most interesting or most creative, or some combination of the two. There was nothing revolutionary in this, except that the questions were presented in a more entertaining way. For the most part, the answers were still the same old rehearsed political pablum.

Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama have gotten into an unnecessary pissing match. Obama answered a question about meeting with our 'enemies,' by making a point about using diplomacy. Clinton used the question to imply that Obama's answer was not a good one -- that her vast experience would lead her to be more cautious. Clinton's answer was the one that everyone was talking about, and she should have let it go with that small victory. Instead, she was quoted today as saying Obama's answer was "naive." Now, she looks like she is playing politics. Of course, that's what she was doing in the debate, but she came off as statesman-like. Now, she's killed that impression.

Without a doubt, the real highlight of last night's debate was "Hair" -- the John Edwards campaign's brilliantly conceived and executed 30-second spot, with images set to the strains of the title song from the '70s musical. If you haven't seen the clip, you should -- click on the link above to see watch it at YouTube. It's one of the finer political ads I think I've ever seen. Bravo to everyone who had a hand in it.

This ad is so good that Edwards should take whatever funds he's got and blanket the airwaves with it. Not just in Iowa. There could be a series of similar ads with images touching on different issues. It can even be made into a radio spot -- sans images, but with John himself talking about issues -- and then a voice-over asking about "what really matters?" It runs the risk of making too much of the hair "issue," but most folks know about it already. It's so good I wish it could have been sprung on us in the general election to crush Republican attempts to make light of Edwards' "haircut problem." Of course, first, Edwards has to get there -- so, we have the ad now. The campaign should make good use of it.

2007-07-24T16:59:00.001-04:00

The Year of Blogging Vigorously -- It's been a year since The Fisch Fry debuted, and it has become more of a sports blog than I intended or expected. It's rare that I write about much else. I'm closing in on 3,000 hits for the website. This seems pretty impressive -- to me, anyway. It's a big number in baseball -- a Hall of Fame number -- why not in blogging? Since I didn't figure out how to add a counter for the first five days, I still have time to get to 3,000 hits in that first year -- at least, by my way of reckoning.

It's been an interesting year, though. This blog was early to the question of why George Allen was denying his Jewish family roots. Indeed, my posts may have played a role in prompting Peggy Fox's question on the subject, directed to the Senator in a debate. That touched off a furor that came on top of the Macaca moment, and helped propel James Webb to victory in that race. On the other hand, my efforts to make Tom Davis' ethics a major issue bore no more fruit than did the efforts of his challenger, Andy Hurst.

I intend to focus more on politics in the future, but The Fisch Fry will be less of a focus for me, in general. Already, I'm not posting nearly as often as I did in the first six months. There's so much to comment on, including the refereeing scandal at the NBA, more doping at the Tour de France, the Michael Vick mess, the talk of impeachment, last night's Democratic Party debate. I guess I could write forever about any of those things, and give you my opinion on all of these things -- but opinions are worth what you pay for them. I'll keep to myself on most of these questions, but I will post an entry regarding the debate.

Back to the question of blogging -- I hope to make a more formal announcement, in the very near future, of a new website, and blog. It's something I've been working on for a few months, but getting the website up is out of my hands. I turned that task over to a friend who has been generous enough to donate his services. I just don't know when the site will officially debut. Look for it at www.armisticeproject.org. I'm not linking yet because there is nothing at that address yet. I have great hopes for the Armistice Project, but I'll write more about it when the website is officially up and running. I'm hoping that will be this weekend, but I'll make a formal announcement here.

Otherwise, I expect to attend the SuperLiga contest, so you can look for my reports on the action at RFK, here on The Fisch Fry.

2007-07-24T02:03:00.000-04:00

Veron Turns Down United's Millions -- According to El Clarin, Kevin Payne came to Buenos Aires and offered Juan Sebastian Veron, a package worth at least $20 million, including $10 million in salary. Veron said "Today my answer is no." Veron added, though, that his answer might change: "But, in a few months, in December? I don't know." So, United can look to fill the designated player slot with someone else...or hope to slide through with what they've got now, and hope to bring in Veron for next year. Right now, with management surely aiming at the MLS Cup final in RFK this October, they must take a long look around. The question is who else is out there?

2007-07-21T02:58:00.000-04:00

Poplar Point Stadium in Trouble? -- The Washington Post is running a story this morning (Talks Fall Apart On Stadium for D.C. Soccer Team), on the apparent collapse of negotiations between the team and the city over United's plans to develop Poplar Point. United is asking for the moon here, even though they aren't asking the city to fund the proposed stadium, itself. Still, my biggest concern about the plan is the Metro accessibility.

Under the team's proposal, the new stadium would appear to be a bit of a hike from the Anacostia station, which is on the other side of I-295. United doesn't even mention Metro access in its online presentation, though they mention a water ferry (I guess residents in the area around the new baseball stadium could take this ferry over -- United aren't seriously thinking they can substitute a ferry for Metro access?). I might suggest a redesign that brings the stadium closer to the station, and possibly offers the prospect of access from the station directly -- or, at least has safe passage across or under the highway.

Personally, I think it makes the most sense to try and place the stadium on the other side of the highway, near the Metro, but the team wants the prime waterfront property for the stadium. I'm not sure that's the best use of the waterfront property, and city officials may have similar misgivings. Still, it seems like that could be worked out. The D.C. United proposal is probably too ambitious in developing too much of the park land, but that is also something that could be worked out in negotiations.

Some are talking about building a new stadium on the current RFK site. It's not such a bad idea, though it lacks the symmetry of having the baseball and football stadiums in such close proximity, on opposite sides of the Anacostia River. As a soccer fan, though, I'd hate to see RFK get torn down. United is planning for only a 27,000 seat stadium. Thare will be exhibitions and national team games that will be better suited to RFK, than either the smaller, new stadium or the cavernous FedEx Field. Realistically, though, the city is not likely to maintain the stadium for very long, with the prospect of only one or two events a year.

The RFK site might be preferable, though, for the new stadium. I think United is being shortsighted in building such a small facility. Already, we see the demand for tickets to games like the Beckham (Galaxy) match, is much greater than that. In 20 or 30 years the team may want a bigger park to play in. The RFK site might present a better prospect to build a bigger facility later on.

Of course, stadiums should have a longer life than 20 years. In building the new stadium, I think United ought to reconsider and aim for a capacity of at least 30,000 now -- but the plans ought to be flexible enough to allow for future expansion.

In the current negotiations, both sides need to be more flexible. I know United wants the whole shooting match, to build a Poplar Point stadium, and develop the land around it, but they shouldn't make the mistake of leaving the city for the suburbs. The grass really isn't going to be any greener in Mayland or Virginia.

On the other hand, as for giving the team such control to develop a wide swath of prime real estate, the city could do worse. Someone's going to get that land -- why not the DC United ownership? That would weave the team into the fabric of the city for generations, without worrying they might move to the suburbs. Besides, a lot of young Capitol Hill workers may end up there, when the residential components get built. There will be a lot of soccer fans in that group. They'd love to have the stadium close by. And it can't hurt the city to make congressional staffers happy.

2007-07-21T00:41:00.000-04:00

D.C. United Rumor Mill: Juan Sebastian Veron -- According to the New York Times' soccer blog, an Argentine newspaper is reporting that DC United officials are traveling to Buenos Aires to conduct negotiations with Juan Sebastian Veron. Veron's reported salary demands are farcical -- the Times notes he's demanding $20 million.*** Even if that were stretched out over anything less than 5 years, it's still way too much to be paying Veron -- I doubt that United will pay anything like that. Even Beckham's base salary will be closer to $5 million.

However, United's been holding on to that precious designated player slot for someone special, and Veron could be that special player. It's true he struggled in stints with Manchester United and Chelsea, earlier in this decade, but he's been quite successful everywhere else he has played. He helped Inter win the Italian Serie A title (the scudetto) in 2000, and he's won the Coppa Italia four times, with three different teams. With Lazio, he led the team to a rare Italian triple in 2000.

Last December, Veron completed a successful return to his native Argentina, helping Estudiantes to its first premiership title in 23 years, including a stunning comeback win in the playoff final against Boca Juniors. Most recently, Veron got plaudits for his contributions to Argentina's run to the finals of the Copa America.

Veron certainly has a strong pedigree. He was named to the FIFA 100 in 2004, after returning to play in Italy. When he signed with Manchester United three years earlier, the team paid what was then the largest transfer fee in league history. It may be that Veron's game was ill-suited to the blistering pace of the E.P.L. If so, Veron will probably find the sometimes ponderous pace of the M.L.S. more to his liking.

He will likely join Christian Gomez in the central midfield, but play more of a holding, or defensive role. This will probably relegate Brian Carroll to a substitute role, in relief of Ben Olsen or Fred, along with the occasional spot start. But, that's getting ahead of ourselves.

The competition has been improving. The Dynamo haven't brought in a designated player of their own, but they've added considerable depth with Nate Jacqua, and they are dominating the league right now. FC Dallas is rumored to be the likely landing spot for the Brazilian veteran Denilson. In New York, Juan Pablo Angel has become quite simply the best player in the league, making everyone forget that New York has 2 designated players -- the other being Claudio Reyna. Eddie Johnson is scoring at a prodigious rate for Kansas City. New England is still a strong team, despite losing Clint Dempsey to Fulham. The Revs have the best goalie in the league, and still have a potent attack. Lastly, the Chicago Fire are to debut their designated player, Cuahtemoc Blanco, this weekend -- possibly lost amid the Beckham hoopla.

While Emilio and Fred are starting to really contribute to United, signing Veron would be a big shot of adrenaline -- perhaps helping United avoid a collapse similar to the one that occurred last season, beginning shortly after the All-Star break. But, that's getting ahead of ourselves. First, Veron needs to come down to realistic levels. He's out of contract, so United won't have to pay a transfer fee, but the number they will offer will be exponentially lower than the one he is seeking, if reports are true.

Veron to United? We'll just have to wait and see. According to the Argentine newspaper, El Clarin, Veron would like to stay with Estudiantes for another year, to play in the Copa Libertadores, before making a jump to North American soccer, in June 2008.

Still, if he does come to United, Veron's likely to get a shot at the Copa Sudamericano or possibly even the Libertadores, anyway -- if he can help lead D.C. to a title. According to the El Clarin article, Veron might wish to sign a commitment to go to D.C., but that he would want to defer playing there for the year. I imagine he is hoping that perhaps a one-year loan to Estudiantes would be worked out. But, that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Besides, United wants help now -- to secure a return berth in the MLS Cup final, which is being played at RFK this year. Winning the title at home would be a great boon to United's local popularity, as it tries to win approval for its Poplar Point stadium plan. (see related post above)

**** [Update] **** I might add, that as I read the article in El Clarin, it doesn't suggest the $20 million is Veron's salary demand -- rather, that is what United is expected to offer him, along with various incentives. Presumably that would be stretched out over at least five years, as I can't imagine that United would offer more than $4 million a year for Veron. He's a nice player, but he's no goal scorer. He might help win some titles, but he won't put fannies in the seats just to see him play.

2007-07-19T23:28:00.000-04:00

MLS All-Stars Beat Another Foreign Club - What Does it Mean? -- I'd like to say the MLS All-Stars 2-0 win over Celtic means that American players are making great strides. Of course, if I begin with a sentence like that, obviously I'm going to follow by adding that I can't say that. It's true -- I can't say that.

One could say that all this win shows is that a team consisting of the best players in the MLS, playing with midseason form and condition, can beat talented foreign club sides that are just beginning training for their next season. That isn't giving the MLS' team its proper due. The MLS all-star team has won the last four years, defeating CD Guadalajara, Fulhma, Chelsea, and now Celtic. I think these wins show that the best players in the MLS can play with good clubs, even the top European club sides -- and I won't qualify it by pointing out the European teams are not at the top of their game, or in the best of shape.

The biggest disappointment is that the American players are not really shining in these games. Last year, it took a brilliant piece of individual play-making by the Canadian Dwayne DeRosario, to beat Chelsea 1-0. This year, DeRosario made a nice pass to set up Colombian Juan Pablo Angel (of the N.Y. Red Bulls) for the first goal. The second goal was scored by another Colombian, FC Dallas' star Juan Toja.

So, the league has some pretty good foreign-born players. It is also true that the level of the play in MLS is improving greatly. The triumph of the U.S.A. in the Gold Cup, and the strong performance of the U.S.A. U-20s suggests that there are some fine American players. It's just that there aren't very many of them. Tonight marked the last All-Star game for two of the best: Cobi Jones, whose speed and skill hasn't been replaced in the U.S. midfield; and Eddie Pope, who was the best defender the U.S.A. has produced -- his absence from the U.S. back line is obvious each time the national team plays these days.

With the league looking to expand next year -- and probably twice more in coming years -- the MLS will have to look abroad for much more talent. Having Beckham here enhances the league's prestige, and makes it more likely that the league can attract good foreign players. However, the league will have to significantly adjust the salary cap so teams can sign foreign talent. The league might also consider granting each team another designated player exception to the cap (the Beckham rule).

These changes are necessary, if the league wants to continue to raise the quality of play. Expansion can only dilute the overall quality of the teams. Look at D.C. United. They are struggling to find any depth. They were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup, playing a team of second-stringers -- beaten by a third division side. The teams will become more profitable, but the league has to have the foresight to invest in the product.

The league needs more stars, but also deeper, better rosters -- better players at all levels. That will take some money, but it has to be done. Ultimately, to succeed, the league needs to be something Americans stay home to watch on TV. Similarly, home games need to become events that the home city fans turn out to see. There are too many choices -- too many other ways to spend one's time and entertainment dollars, but also too many other options, even for the soccer fanatics.

The M.L.S has the toughest road of any American sports league, because it's not just competing against the other sports, in the battle for fans' attention. The M.L.S. is also competing against the best foreign soccer leagues...and international competitions, as well. Now, soccer fans in the U.S. can watch the E.P.L., the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and the Mexican league -- as well as the European Champions League, and Euro 2008.

Even against such daunting competition, the M.L.S. does have a potential built-in advantage, because it is the national league. That's only potential, which will be squandered if the product isn't good enough to meet the demand. As exciting as those other competitions can be, Americans still will have a natural inclination to watch the M.L.S. -- if the quality of play makes for entertaining soccer games.

2007-07-19T16:39:00.000-04:00

Detwiler's Debut -- According to Nationals Farm Authority (a fan blog), first round pick Ross Detwiler pitched two strong innings in his Gulf Coast League and professional debut. He struck out three, and surrendered two bloop hits. The Nats envision moving him up to Class-A Potomac next month. Detwiler may get a chance to start in Frederick on or about Aug. 8. This would be a great place for locals to catch him, but he'll also be on track to pitch at home on or about Aug. 13th. The Nats believe he may be ready to make an appearance with the big club before the end of the season.

2007-07-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

Beckham -- 'Nuff said. It all starts Saturday.

Around these parts -- United doesn't have a home league game until Beckham and the Galaxy come in on Aug. 9th. We'll just have to make do with the Superliga. Morelia comes to RFK on the 25th and Club America comes on the 29th. The atmosphere promises to be electric. I just hope some D.C. United supporters show up.

Breaking news: United's U-17 (SUM) club won the championship this afternoon -- part of the MLS All-Star festivities. The youngsters from the D.C. area beat the Kansas City Wizards' representatives by a 3-0 score. Team headliner and local legend Shane Cook tallied one of United's goals. The win puts the squad into the 2008 Club World Cup tourney, competing next August, in Spain, for the Quixote Trophy. Congrats to the lads.

Last bit of news. The guys that are trying to move the Oakland A's to Fremont, Calif. have staked a claim to bring back the San Jose Earthquakes. The hope is that they can build a stadium adjacent to the San Jose Airport, perhaps as soon as 2010. Personally, I still think the city of San Francisco would be a better place for the team, but what do I know? For now, they have plans to play games at two (currently) undisclosed locations while a new stadium is constructed for the team.

One more team. The talent pool for the MLS keeps getting thinner, but it should be little surprise that there is a desire to expand while the Beckham thing is hot. Hopefully, this will be done more intelligently than the NASL handled expansion in the giddy days of Pele, and the stars that followed him here. There certainly should be a team in the Bay Area. And I think there should be a team in New York City. Right now, the NY Mets' ownership is attempting to craft a proposal for an entry to be based in Queens. Interesting how Don Garber, who came over from the NFL is crafting relationships with baseball people.

Since an odd number isn't good, there will be at least one more opening in the next few years. I know there is a push to move into St. Louis, and there is a tentative deal to put a team in southern Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. My instincts tell me Seattle is the best candidate, for a number of reasons. Geographic balance, market size, interest, and the chance to give the league a presence in the Northwest, making it truly an almost national/continental league. The league would still lack a presence in the South. So long as the league continues to play games throughout the summer, the lack of a southern team isn't the worst thing. Someday, though, the league will have to give North Carolina and/or Atlanta a shot, to spread the gospel and the reach of MLS soccer in that part of the country.

2007-07-16T23:25:00.001-04:00

Nats' Second-Half Outlook (Why the Nats Will Win More) -- I've just returned from watching a Washington Nationals game -- their first home game since the All-Star break. This game went almost as scripted, except maybe better. The Nats ended up beating the Houston Astros, 4-3. The fun, as it always is in baseball, wasn't just in the final score, but in the getting there.

The Nats had good pitching from started Mike Bacsik, who shutout the Astros through the first five, before surrendering a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. Saul Rivera came on to put out that fire. In the bottom of the inning, Ronnie Belliard led off with a solid single. Then, amazingly, Ryan Zimmerman bunted for a base hit. He did that a lot last year -- 11 times, I believe. I'm pretty sure this was the first time he did it successfully this year. The Nats, and the crowd, were fired up. Dmitri Young smacked a 3-run home run, to grab a 4-2 lead for the Nats. Carlos Lee did hit an upper-deck smash, off Jon Rauch, to narrow the gap. Chad Cordero came on in the ninth, to shut the door and earn the save.

Besides Zimmerman's bunt base-hit, there was another unusual moment in this game, with tremendous portent for this team. In the seventh, there was a close play at first base. Dmitri Young fielded the ball, and threw to the pitcher Rivera, who was racing to the bag. Young's throw was not the best, as he didn't lead Rivera enough, and it knocked Rivera a bit off stride. That made the play closer than it might have been. It was either a tie to the bag, or Rivera got there a fraction of a step before the runner. The umpire ruled the runner was safe.

With the crowd cheering him on, Manager Manny Acta came out of the dugout to argue the call. That's almost unprecedented for Acta, who was quoted in an article this weekend saying it doesn't make much sense to protest, because the umpire's won't change the call. Sometimes they do, but Acta's point is well-taken. That's why it was so striking to see him gesturing to the base, as he discussed the matter with the umpire. Acta wasn't incredibly demonstrative, but even this low-key approach made the fans and players take notice. The Nats came through, turning a double play to end the threat.

So, why will the Nats be better in the second half? Firstly, they couldn't ever be so bad as they were in the opening ten days of the season. Secondly, they will be a healthier team. Yes, Christian Guzman is lost for the season -- with Lopez' anemic hitting lately, that's a big blow. Still, Ronnie Belliard is doing a pretty good of hitting, and his average is now comfortably over the .300 mark. Dmitri Young is in a serious groove -- you won't see many hitters in a better groove than he has been in the last two months.

Of course, trades could muck that up, since Belliard and Young are the most likely to be moved. One would think Young has tremendous trade value, given his torrid hitting pace. Given his weak fielding, though, he's best as a DH in the American League.

The problem is that, except for the Yankees, the AL contenders are pretty well set at DH. Will the Yankees make a play for Dmitri? It's possible, but Young doesn't strike me as a Steinbrenner-type of player. Moreover, until the Nationals know whether Nick Johnson will be back this summer, they may be reluctant to trade Young. He makes the fans happy, and he's a bargain at $500,000.

Another possibility would be to see the Atlanta Braves go after Young. They need an upgrade at first base. Actually, though, the Braves have reportedly inquired about Young -- and they were scared off by the Nationals' asking price. Unless one side or the other in those talks makes a drastic change in its negotiating stance, that deal isn't going to happen.

As for Belliard, he's probably more marketable than Young, given his versatility -- but the Nats can't get the same kind of talent in exchange for Belliard, as they hope to get for Young. The Nat would be much better off keeping Belliard as their utility infielder, and I think they probably realize that, too.

Ryan Zimmerman's average and power numbers are climbing. For all the talk about how he hasn't performed up to eh standards he set last year, he's actually not so far off that pace. If his average climbs another 15 points, he'll be where he finished last year. His home run total might be similar, as he will surely hit more in the dog days of July and August than he did in the cooler months. While he might not get 110 RBIs this year, he will give it a run, and probably get 100 -- not bad considering the Nats do not score many runs.

Zimmerman's bunt single tonight is a great sign. With that threat back into the picture, he will find that some of those hard smashes to the corner infielders go for doubles, instead of the outs he's been getting. I swear Ryan Zimmerman gets called out looking at more badly called third strikes than anyone I can recall. Tonight was another instance -- with two hits already in the game, Zimmerman took a pitch for a called strike three. The pitch appeared to be about at Zimmerman's neck level. That might be an exaggeration, but the pitch was far too high to have been a legitimate strike call.

Personally, I think the home plate umpire was in a hurry to get out of the heat -- he returned the favor for the Nats, in the ninth, with a called third strike to end the game, even though the pitch appeared to be considerably outside.

In any case, as Zimmerman's average continues to climb, he will get a better strike zone. This will help Zimmerman, and it will make Young a more dangerous hitter. With Zimmerman on base more often, Young will see better pitches -- so, we can expect more extra-base hits, including home runs, out of Young, in the second half. Dmitri is a power hitter. Perhaps, not in this lineup, but as the lineup improves, so will Young's power numbers.

Adding Alex Escobar should bolster the offense. He's a terrific hitter, if he can stay healthy. I thought Escobar would play today, but I guess his arrival at RFK was put off until tomorrow. With Escobar and a hot-hitting Belliard at the top of the lineup, Zimmerman and Young will have more RBI opportunities. And. there is always the possibility that Nick Johnson will return to bring his slick glove to first base, and his consistent hitting to the middle of the Nats' order. The might even try the portly Young in the outfield for six or seven innings. As comical as that might be, the batting order would be a lot more formidable.

The pitching will be better, as well. The real strength of this staff, as advertised, is the bullpen. Cordero's early-season struggles are a distant memory. Trade Cordero? You don't trade Trevor Hoffman, when he has his best years ahead of him. Cordero is the best young closer since Hoffman. There's no way the Nats can get fair value in return -- unless they're going to get a can't-miss power-hitting prospect, or can't miss flame-throwing pitching prospect (and there really is no such thing), and I don't see that happening. Stop thinking like a small-market team. The Nats have to start acting like one of the big boys. Don't trade Cordero -- sign him to a long-term deal.

Cordero also has great set-up men, with Rivera, Rauch, and now Luis Ayala. I suspect Ayala isn't quite at full strength, but he's put up good numbers, and been effective almost every time out. Traber and Schroeder are good, and King has his moments, and his role. There are some good prospects down on the farm, too -- for late-season call-ups.

The starting rotation is going to be quite deep. Shawn Hill may return to lead the rotation next month. Sean Bergmann is already back, though not with the sharpness he had before his injury. There's no reason to think that he won't work out whatever problems he's experiencing now. If things work out as the Nats hope, we might see three pieces of the rotation of the future, as well. Ross Detwiler, John Lannan (who is astounding everyone, as he has climbed from Class-A Potomac to Triple-A Columbus, and continued to dominate) and Colin Ballester are being talked about as late season additions to the roster.

Certainly, that would be something to make September interesting for Nats' fans -- rather than just closing out the string and waiting for the last games to be played at icky old RFK. On a night when your team wins, everything seems better. I think there will be more nights like this one, in the second half.

2007-07-14T23:33:00.000-04:00

A Tough Day All Around -- Give Dallas some credit. They showed tremendous tenacity tonight, in rallying from a 3-0 deficit early in the second half. D.C. United looked positioned for a memorable victory. I was prepared to write about how all the team needed was a little home-cooking, and a little Jaime Moreno, to return to form. Dallas ruined all that, as they kept clawing back at United, and eventually tied the game at 3-3.

The crowd booed lustily, blaming the referee for two consecutive bad decisions that gave Dallas possession and led to the tying goal. However, I'm not convinced that the refs didn't miss an offsides call against Jaime Moreno, before he delivered a cheeky, looping cross that found Fred's head at the back post, making the score 2-0 for D.C., at the time. So, maybe that balanced out -- or maybe it didn't. In the end, United failed to prevent the FC Dallas goals, and can't really blame the refereeing for this one.

I think United missed Moreno's presence in the latter stages of the second half -- Moreno had been replaced by Guy-Rowland Kpene. Kpene had one good shot that was saved, but he whiffed on another, and showed that he is no Jaime Moreno. ON the other hand, Jaime Moreno showed he's still got it. Coming off his great showing for Bolivia in the Copa America, Moreno looked fit. He showed pace and creativity. His play created the first two goals for D.C. It was great to see his electric yellow boots flashing about at RFK again. Though I didn't see it, reportedly Moreno came off when he did less than 10 minutes into the second half), because he hurt his hamstring. That could prove to be a devastating loss for D.C., if Moreno is forced to miss much time.

The player who looked like he was gasping for air during much of the game was Christian Gomez. He showed great skill throughout the game, but there were a couple of moments when he might have made a difference, instead of standing and watching the play. Gomez really needs to raise his fitness level. Perhaps that is the biggest difference between Gomez this year, and his league MVP play last season.

The defense had shaky moments, but also delivered with a number of fine sliding tackles to save the day. Troy Perkins mad some great saves, but he looked like an amateur getting beat to the ball once by Carlos Ruiz, who scored on a header, and also by Juan Toja, who headed home the decisive, game-tying goal. Perkins left the line late both times. Hopefully, Perkins can improve his timing or decision-making on those kind of plays.

In short, the game that had started so beautifully finished with a big letdown for the faithful. Not as big a letdown as the U.S.A. U-20 side experienced earlier in the day, losing to Austria 2-1. After all, United still got a point, and they weren't eliminated from anything (although they were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup earlier in the week).

Still, United should have gotten a better result tonight. The good was the way the offense played when Moreno was in the game. They didn't create that many chances, but the ones they did create were finished off with goals. United needs to find a way to keep Moreno in the game for more than sixty minutes, or they need to find a way to get the scoring touch even when he's not on the field.

2007-07-14T18:23:00.000-04:00

The Unkindest Cut -- The U.S.A.'s U-20s blew an early lead, and fell to Austria 2-1, in the U-20 World Cup quarterfinal match. The U.S. opened the scoring with a brilliant cross from Freddy Addu that was nailed into the net with a sharp header by Jozy Altidore. After looking strong early on, the U.S. team began to sit on their lead, and the Austrians took control of the match, tying it up before halftime. In the second half, things got worse, but somehow the U.S. survived to take the game into overtime. Chris Seitz' sharp goalkeeping kept the game tied, although at least once the goalpost saved the U.S.. Seitz also had some spectacular help from Nathan Sturgis, who kept one shot out of the goal, when Steitz was beaten. keeping the score tied. In the first half, a misplay by Seitz, in not holding on to a long shot, did lead to the first goal. However, he played brilliantly thereafter.

In the first overtime period, the U.S. did start to play stronger, as they had done against Uruguay, but defender Anthony Wallace was ejected with his second yellow card of the game, in the 15th minute. Wallace's first card may not have been merited, but the second clearly was. Austria brought on their super-sub Erwin Hoffer. About a minute later after Wallace's ejection, there was a mad scramble in the box. One Austrian got off a shot which a diving Chris Seitz may have touched just wide of a goal. The ball bounced into the goalpost. It's hard to know whether the ball would have gone in anyway, but Hoffer was there to carry it over the goal line.

Though down a man, the U.S. had some chances, and were still in the game, because the Austrians missed on two breakaways. The U.S. players just couldn't manage the tying goal, and the favorites were eliminated. The loss is an especially hard blow, because this was the very first U.S. men's team that had a legitimate chance of winning a world championship. There's no knowing when such a chance may come again.

There were some good takeaways from this tournament. Most obviously was the play of Adu and Altidore who must have attracted the notice of some of the wealthier clubs out there, especially in Europe. Robbie Rogers and Danny Szetela had breakout performances -- not by scoring goals, but in opening up the offense, though not so much today. Ditto for Sal Zizzo. Michael Bradley, who scored the game-winner on Wednesday, turned in the game of his life today. If he'd had more help from his mates, the U.S. would have come out on top.

Overall, I was not impresed by the U.S. defenders, however, I was impressed by the play of Nathan Sturgis. He's a midfielder in MLS, but I think we've seen his future role in defense with the national team. Tony Beltran was the weakest link in the defense, except for his replacement. Tim Ward looked absolutely horrible in this game.

Though both goalkeepers gave up goals by allowing rebounds they could have prevented, neither were truly "soft" goals. Seitz and Perk look like good options for the U.S. down the road.

There are some players we will need to see more of in the future to make any assesment. Most notably is Johann Smith, who missed this tournament because of an injury. Andre Akpan and Gabe Ferrari could be good forwards down the road, but didn't have the chance to shine in Canada. I guess all these guys will get another chance at glory in the U-23 championships, the next time around, or in the Olympics.

Ah well. I'm off to see D.C. United.

2007-07-12T23:50:00.000-04:00

A Dynamo Dynasty? As if the defeat last week of D.C. United weren't proof enough of the Houston Dynamo's dynastic potential, the Dynamo destroyed the Chicago Fire tonight. The game was a clinical exercise, as the Fire were whipped in almost every department. Actually, the Fire did have a good start, and tested Dynamo goalie Pat Onstad with a couple of cheeky chip shots, but Onstad was up to the challenge. Once the Dynamo got their first goal, though, this game was all over, except for the shouting...and some dynamite play by the Houston side.

The first goal came on a play started with a nice wide pass by Ricardo Clark, a good run and cross by Craig Waibel, and a spectacular finish by Stuart Holden. With Holden, the Dynamo seemed to have caught lightning in a bottle. He has been stellar since first substituting for the injured Brad Davis. Holden has three goals and four assists in his first three weeks. At this rate, I would think there is an excellent chance that Holden may find himself getting an invite to practice or play with the senior national team. There are some good, young American players that are waiting for such a chance, and Holden may be shooting to the top of the list. For now, he's with the U-23 squad, but the senior national team could use someone with his energy and flair.

Nate Jacqua finished the second goal. Although Jacqua struggled with the L.A. Galaxy, his recent transfer to the Dynamo gives this team extraordinary depth at he forward position. It's almost unfair to the rest of the league. Joseph Igwenye made a scintillating run through one defender and around the Fire's goalie, before scoring as sharply angled a shot as is possible. That made the score 3-0 Houston. The Dynamo added one more for good measure, for a thoroughly convincing 4-0 rout.

Last week's 1-0 Dynamo victory over D.C. United vaulted the Dynamo to the top of everyone's rankings. If that game was a preview of this Fall's MLS Cup, United has some real work to do to get back on Houston's level. Of course, United beat the Dynamo last month in D.C., but that was just before Houston went on a tear. They have shutout their opponents in their last six outings, but they have combined that squelching defense with a strong attack. United was fortunate to hold Houston to one goal. Right now, it looks as if the defending champs are growing a dynasty in Houston.

2007-07-12T16:33:00.000-04:00

United's Early Exit -- D.C. United traveled up to Amish country and lost last night to a third division team, the Harrisburg City Islanders. I believe this is the team's earliest exit from the U.S. Open Cup. According the report in the Washington Post, Coach Tom Soehn played less than a handful of regulars, and the substitutes did not seize their opportunity. Most disappointing, apparently, was goalie Jay Nolly, who got tangled up with Bobby Boswell on a corner kick. With Jolly failing to get the ball, it was a simple task for the Harrisburg team to knock the ball into the empty net. That was enough to send United home, losing 1-0.

I am writing about the loss because it is an especially profound disappointment for Marylanders -- particularly Montgomery County residents. We look forward to United's annual journey up to the Germantown SportsPlex. United has made a tradition of hosting a U.S. Open Cup game at the Germantown stadium, to the delight of an annual sellout crowd of over four-thousand soccer fans. The game has been one of the highlights of the summer. Although there will be fewer greenhouse gases generated because we won't see the thousands of cars filing in and out of the suburban venue, my summer will be the poorer because United won't be playing in Germantown this year. Perhaps, in future years, the team will not take the opening rounds of the tournament so lightly.

Maybe, we'll get lucky, and one of the local lower-division teams will make a run in the Open Cup, and bring another MLS team to the site for a late summer tilt. The Richmond Kickers are alive and kicking, after all -- having upset the Los Angeles Galaxy. Actually, the way the Galaxy has played this year, that might not have been such an upset -- but it's a shame. Beckham might have brough some more attention to the tournament. Incredibly, the Houston Dynamo were also knocked out of the Open Cup this week. I guess D.C. United wasn't the only MLS team to underestimate their Open Cup opponents.

2007-07-11T23:18:00.000-04:00

2-1; 2-1; Dos a Uno; Two to One -- That was the message that Michael Bradley kept flashing at the Uruguayan, Mathias Cardaccio. Whatever set off Cardaccio as he and some teammates went after American players at the end of tonight's game, there was no arguing that point. The U.S. side had been minutes from elimination, after falling behind 1-0, on a goal in the 73rd minute. Brian Perk had made a nice diving save on an attempt by the ever-dangerous Edinson Cavani, but Perk gave up a big rebound, which was put away by Luis Suarez. It's hard to be critical of a diving save like that, but Perk should have done better. On the other hand, Perk's defense really broke down on this play, with the worst offender being Julian Valentin. He looked like a spectator while his man, Suarez, raced for the rebound.

As it turned out, giving up that goal was precisely what the American squad needed. They had been sleepwalking through much of the game. Jozy Altidore had played with some determination, and he had produced the United States' only shot on goal in the first half, but Altidore was long gone from the game, with a leg injury that appeared rather ominous. TV announcers are prone to commenting that a particular game "really needs a goal." That was true of this game. Though the U.S. was suddenly facing elimination, the goal changed everything. With their backs against the wall, the Americans finally threw themselves into the attack.

In the final minutes, the Uruguayan defense was trying to clear a loose ball, but Danny Szetela got his body in front of the clearing attempt. Then, Szetela collected the ball and sent in a perfect low cross that passed out of the reach of the Uruguayan goalie, Yonatan Irrazabal. The defender Cardaccio tried to intercept the pass before Andre Akpen could get his foot to it, but Cardaccio actually deflected the ball into the net, for the tying goal.

Just prior to the end of regulation, Uruguay nearly produced a winner when Juan Diaz' brilliant header deflected off the post. Otherwise, Perk, who was playing for the injured Chris Seitz, was up to the task, and kept the U.S. in the game. Perk's finest save was a diving stop in the first period of extra time.

In the second extra time period, the U.S. was back on the attack, and it finally produced results. Freddy Adu sent in a terrific corner kick that Irrazabal tried to punch the ball clear, but the ball came to Julian Valentin, who shot it back towards the goal. Valentin's shot was headed just wide, but it was also heading right towards Michael Bradley. Bradley stretched his leg out and kicked the ball up into the top netting, putting the U.S. in front for the first time.

Sure, the U.S. was lucky to win this game. Uruguay played the better game, and was the more dangerous team on the attack. Still, as Bradley kept flashing with his fingers at Cardaccio, the final score was 2-1, in favor of the U.S. U-20s. It's on to the quarterfinals on Saturday, when the U.S. takes on Austria.

2007-07-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

U.S. U-20s to play Uruguay -- It's official. The U.S. U-20 squad will be taking on Uruguay in the Round of 16, on Wednesday, at the U-20 World Cup in Canada. Despite a surprising loss to Zambia that knocked Uruguay from the top spot in their group, this is not a team to be taken lightly. They have Edinson Cavani, one of the most promising young South American players. The much heralded Cavani (he's called "Edison" on Wikipedia, but the FIFA site uses "Edinson") has justified pre-tournament hype, having scored in each of Uruguay's first two games, a tie with Spain, and a win over a determined Jordanian team. Of course, Uruguayans live and breathe futbol (the senior team has advanced to the semifinals in the current Copa America), so this squad is certain to be a deep and talented one.

The winner of the U.S.-Uruguay match will advance to the quarterfinals, and play the winner of the Austria-Gambia match, but that's getting ahead of ourselves. See you at Summers Restaurant for the game on Wednesday. I'll be wearing my 'good luck' Sam's Army tour of Germany shirt. Hey -- it may not have been much help in Germany, but I was wearing it Friday, when the U.S. U-20s beat Brazil.

2007-07-06T22:43:00.000-04:00

The Freddy and Jozy Show: U.S.A. beats Brazil 2-1 -- In a crucial game, with both teams needing to secure at least a point to advance out of the group stage, the U.S.A.'s U-20 squad held off a talented Brazilian team to capture first place in their group in U-20 World Cup play. The second half of this game offered some of of the most exciting football, or soccer (call it what you will), that I have ever watched (I took in the game at Summers Restaurant in Arlington, the best soccer bar in the land). It was probably the most electrifying soccer that I have ever seen a U.S. team play. In the end, the U.S. came out on top, with a stunning and memorable victory.

The stars of the game for the U.S. were Jozy Altidore, who scored both goals, and Freddy Adu, who set up both goals. The Man of the Match, though, had to be goalie Chris Seitz, who somehow seemed to be in the way of every Brazilian effort. Seitz made some terrific saves, but his positional play was remarkable. Shot after shot peppered the U.S. goal, but Seitz was always in the right place to stop the shot.

The U.S. had a 1-0 lead at halftime, and was badly outplaying the Brazilians over the first fifteen minutes of the second half, when Brazil finally struck the back of the net. Seitz made a terrific save of a great shot from outside the penalty area, but a sliding Leandro Lima was there to put away the rebound. Lima's momentum carried him into Seitz. Though there was no indication that Seitz was injured on the play, he must have taken quite a knock. Subsequently, goal kicks were taken by a fullback. In the closing minute, Seitz was limping noticeably -- and he collapsed with the final whistle, in obvious pain. His injury made his performance all the more remarkable and heroic. Brazilians no doubt still recall the game Kasey Keller played to beat Brazil in the Gold Cup, back in the 1990s. Seitz's performance will have to be similarly remembered. He was credited with 14 saves, but it almost seemed like twice that number.

With this game, though, Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore served notice to the rest of the world that the U.S. is developing world-class talents. Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley used the U-17 World Cup to showcase their skills. Adu and Altidore might be exceeding their performance, with this tournament. Late in the first half, Adu challenged on a ball in the defensive zone. The deflection went forward to Jozy Altidore, at the edge of the Brazilian box. Altidore did a little dancing to create some space, and then drilled a shot past the Brazilian 'keeper. After the Brazilians had tied the game in the 64th minute, Adu and Altidore clicked again. Adu took a ball in the corner, and fought his way through two defenders, with some truly gifted footwork. As he drove toward goal, Adu blasted a shot that deflected off a Brazilian defender to the waiting Altidore. Jozy put the ball in the back of the net, and put the U.S. ahead to stay.

Actually, the niftiest combination between Adu and Altidore was one that just missed producing a goal. The ball came to Adu about 30-35 yards from goal, but Adu was tightly marked, and had his back to the goal. Still, Adu was able to back heel a pass to Altidore who beat a defender to the ball with his sliding shot that just skidded wide. This was one of many creative, skillful efforts by a U.S. team that showed more talent than I have seen at the senior level. Robbie Rogers, Sal Zizzo, Danny Szetela, Dax McCarty and Michael Bradley all exhibited great understanding, and some flashy ball control, creating chances, and putting the Brazilian defense back on its heels, as the teams were nearly equal in possession.

The Brazilians had two talented attackers with Pato and Jo. Pato was quiet for much of hte night, but just missed a goal on a breakaway, when he chipped the ball over Sietz, but sent it into the side netting. Carlos Eduardo also had Seitz beaten late in the game, but also sent his shot just wide. Jo sent some terrific shots Seitz's way, but Seitz hadled each one.

The U.S. team showed some weaknesses -- Michael Bradley had some indifferent touches that caused real trouble, and Tony Beltran was consistently beaten on the defense -- but the defense survived, thanks to great goalkeeping by Seitz, and the great offense provided by Adu and Altidore.

As good as the young Brazilians, Pato and Jo, are, Adu and Altidore were the two best players on the field tonight. If they can stay healthy themselves, and continue on this trajectory, U.S. fans will be drooling with anticipation for the day the Freddy and Jozy show takes to the senior circuit. The U.S. has a tough road ahead in the knockout stages, but they are a legitimate contender for the title...especially if Chris Seitz heals before the next game.

2007-07-05T22:14:00.001-04:00

Washington Nationals Show Potential; U.S. Nationals Do Not -- At RFK, on July 4th, I took in one of the Washington Nationals' best performances of this or any other season. Matt Chico delivered 7 strong, shutout innings. In fact, it was a little disappointing to see him removed from the game, as Saul Rivera took the mound to start the 8th inning. Chico should have had the chance to complete a shutout, but the Nationals are being protective of the young prospect -- at least, as protective as they can be, considering they threw this young Double-A ball pitcher to the wolves in the majors.

The Nats showed some of their potential before a robust crowd of over 39,000. Ryan Zimmerman stroked a two-strike first-inning home run, and Dmitri Young finished the scoring with a grand slam in the fifth inning, also coming with two strikes. Of course, Young isn't likely to be part of the Nationals' future. It's unlikely that he will finish the season with the Nationals, as some contending team is certain to offer the Nats a nice deal for the All-Star. Unlike last year's fiasco with Soriano, the Nationals will surely have more realistic expectations, so a trade for Young seems likely.

Zimmerman and Chico may be big parts of the Nats' future, so this memorable Independence Day victory may be a harbinger of future successes. With one exception, the Nats played excellent defense, including a fantastic, inning-ending, rally-killing diving catch by Nook Logan. All-in-all, this was a great effort, and really appreciated by the team's fans.

This contrasts with the performance by the other Nats -- the U.S. Men's National soccer team. Coming into the Copa America, everything coach Bob Bradley had touched seemed to turn to gold, including the victory in the Gold Cup, last month. For the Copa America, Bradley made a serious misjudgment in piecing together a squad that probably wouldn't even be the U.S.' "B" team. The U.S. team lacked real quality. Though some commentators suggested that the U.S. played much better than the results suggest (a 4-1 loss to Argentina, a 3-1 loss to Paraguay, and a 1-0 loss tonight to Colombia), they are overstating the level of the Americans' play. The U.S. might not look so terribly outmanned, and might even have the better of the possession, but the U.S. team lacked the quality and skills to create and finish enough scoring chances. They also give up too many good chances on the defensive end.

The real mistake here, though, is that Copa America officials are now justifiably upset at the lack of respect shown by Coach Bradley, in leaving the best American players off the roster for this tournament. One wonders if Bradley has jeopardized the chances of securing invites for the U.S. to future Copa America play. Moreover, the U.S. coach should be trying to instill confidence in American players and fans. We need good results. If the U.S. looks competitive now, we are more likely to see winning teams in the future. Results like those that the U.S. came home with from Venezuela will not encourage the growth of American soccer culture.

As for this team, goalie Brad Guzan turned in a decent game tonight, stopping a penalty shot, and making at least one brilliant save to deny a goal. Speedy, young Lee Nguyen came on as a late sub, and tracked back to deflect a seemingly certain goal. While the U.S. controlled the play for much of the second half, the U.S. really didn't threaten the net. There were chances to be sure, but the U.S. lacked the skill in the air to finish them. There were also numerous opportunities wasted by off-target shots, easily defended crosses right into the defense, and generally unproductive passing. The U.S. team out there tonight lacked the ability to deliver the kind of pinpoint passes that actually create real scoring opportunities. Similarly, when the passes were close to the mark, the U.S. attackers lacked the skill to score on headers, or to trap the passes and make something of the chance.

The worst moments for the U.S. actually came while the U.S. played with a man advantage, during the five additional minutes of stoppage time, added after the Colombian goalie received his second yellow of the game for time-wasting. I'd say the U.S. team looked amateurish during this stretch, but any Division I varsity squad should be expected to a do a better job with the ball, even against the Colombian national team. Despite having a man-advantage, and a field player defending the Colombian goal, the U.S. couldn't seem to piece together an attack, and gave the ball away twice in their defensive zone -- the first time came when one lone Colombian striker effectively chased the ball as it was loosely passed among three U.S. defenders. The Colombian kept the U.S. defenders from advancing the ball, before finally forcing the turnover. After the U.S. thwarted the ensuing attack, the team gave the ball away again, this time inside their own defensive box. This was not a moment to instill confidence or pride.

Currently, the U.S does have a few players with world-class skills, most notably Landon Donovan. The U-20 team may add a few to that number, including Jozey Altidore, and Feddy Adu. However, it is clear that the U.S. does not have an especially deep talent pool. The next generation, headed by players like Adu and Altidore may change that, but it's far from clear at this point. The U-20 team bears serious watching. They take on Brazil tomorrow, and they have to be considered a real contender for the title, after thrashing Poland 6-1.

I saw a taste of the more distant future this past weekend. I attended some of the Region One championship games for the US Youth Soccer organization. This is where the travel teams from all across the Northeast come together to produce one team at each age group to compete in the national championship in Frisco, Texas. The Region One tournament was held in Maine this year. I came to watch my niece's team (actually, two of my nieces' teams qualified, but one of my nieces had other plans). Mostly, I watched girls' soccer. I have to say that there were some excellent players, and some teams that played terrific combination play. They knew where to pass the ball and they knew where to run when teammates controlled the ball. A few players showed some real touch with the ball, and accuracy with their passes and shots. In fact, they looked better, at times, than the U.SA. Men's team did this past week.

I also got to meet Tab Ramos. I've been a huge fan of his, ever since I sat in the stands in Florence, during the 1990 World Cup. While most of Tab's teammates played scared, looking to make safe passes, usually backwards, the instant they touched the ball -- Tab tried attacking the Austrian and Czech defenses. He provided the real thrills for the American fans, during otherwise desultory efforts. Of course, I was nervous in meeting Tab, and tripped over my words, but I thanked him for his efforts in Italy.

Tab was there coaching a team -- his son, Alex, was on Matawan, New Jersey's U-13 boys' team. They were undefeated in group play, and won the region championship by routing the Olney (Md.) Rangers 4-0 in the final (Alex's team outscored their opponents 22-1). There is no national championship at that age level. Tab didn't seem to do much coaching, as he spent the game seated on a soccer ball. However, his team was clearly very well drilled. As the level of American coaching improves at lower levels, one hopes the level of play will continue to improve as the players make their way up through the ranks. For now, that is the hope of American soccer -- until it supplants the other sports as the major playground sport, and our kids develop world-class skills on their own.

There is some good youth soccer being played in this country -- the question is how good? How will these kids compare against international competition as they move into senior level play? I think American girls are still ahead of their international competition. Are the boys catching up with their competition? I guess it will be fun watching to find out.

2007-06-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

If There was Ever Any Doubt About Barry Bonds, the man has confirmed he's a complete jackass. He has been quoted as saying that the Baseball Hall of Fame can have his gear from the record-breaking home run game, when it happens. Sounds great, right? Barry Bonds that generous and munificent? Something's wrong with that picture, right? Well, it seems, what Bonds meant by his gear is his underwear and pants, and maybe his hat and glove. Not the things the Hall of Fame would actually most covet -- his bat and his jersey. Nor his shoes, for that matter. He "just" wants his bat, jersey and shoes. The Hall of Fame can have the rest of his "gear". Gee, Barry. Thanks for the smelly socks.

I can see the display now: "These are the socks and the jockstrap Barry Bonds wore when he broke the all-time Home-Run record. Everything else is in the slugger's private collection -- no doubt alongside the syringes he used to inject steroids and human growth hormone, to help build the body that was capable of so many home runs."

2007-06-25T01:06:00.000-04:00

The Copa America roster: There's no beating around the bush here. Coach Bob Bradley wants to use these games to give some high-level international experience to a lot of players who aren't accustomed to it. He's obviously not afraid of an early exit -- in fact, he might be thinking he's avoiding embarrassing the top U.S. players by not taking them to Venezuela. Tim Howard is obviously being brought along slowly, as Kasey Keller will lead the U.S.A. in goal, backed up by Brad Guzan.

There are some talented players to be sure -- but they're almost all very young and very inexperienced. Some of these players gained notoriety playing for an earlier incarnation of the U-20 team, and are now being given their first big chance with the senior squad. Included in that number is Lee Nguyen, whom I believe is one of the most promising young American players. Nguyen has struggled to get time with PSV Eindhoven in Holland, but he'll probably be on the pitch against Argentina. He's joined by the Gold Cup hero, Benny Feilhaber, as well as a slew of young Americans from the MLS -- none of whom are especially impressive right now, at that level. There's Marvell Wynne, Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Gaven and Kyle Beckerman.

Bradley has chosen a few players with experience. From the Gold Cup winning squad, Bradley has Jonathan Bornstein (when I say experienced, I'm being a bit sarcastic, since Bornstein's first cap came this year). Bradley will be relying on some players who had bit parts in the Gold Cup, including, Jay DeMerit, Ricardo Clark, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman and Justin Mapp. There are a few players who are playing in less-familiar European leagues, with Heath Pearce, Danny Califf, and Charlie Davies.

Also in the club are some really raw players, such as Bobby Boswell, and two MLSers who could earn their first caps: Herculez Gomez and Drew Moore. Finally, for real experience, Bradley has brought in Ben Olsen, and Jimmy Conrad, who is coming off a fractured jaw. I am surprised that Conrad is there only because I did not expect him back so soon. His presence on the defense would be a great addition, as he is probably the steadiest American defender.

It's an intriguing roster, but it would be unfair to expect much in terms of good results in Venezuela. Still, it will be interesting to see if any of the second-teamers, like Twellman, Mapp and Johnson, or any of the youngsters like Gomez and Nguyen can make names for themselves on the international stage. Perhaps, one could look on this squad, as well as the current U-20 team which will be playing at the same time in the U-20 World Cup, as the national team of the future. We will get a glimpse of what they might be capable of doing down the road. Stay tuned.

2007-06-24T19:48:00.001-04:00

Wow! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! -- The U.S. men's soccer team wins an instant classic, with Benny Feihaber scoring possibly the most memorable goal in U.S. soccer history -- certainly, the biggest goal since 1990, when Paul Caligiuri put the U.S. back in the World Cup, following a 40-year absence. This has become a wonderful rivalry. I hope that, in the future, more fans will support the U.S. side, and I hope the Mexicans will show better sportsmanship. They have great talent, and they seem unable to abide the fact that they keep losing to the Americans.

I imagine you saw this stunning, pulsing, thrilling match -- Mexico dominated the U.S. in the first half, with dangerous run after dangerous run, finally breaking through just before half, when Andres Gaurdado buried a terrific cross that left Tim Howard stumbling to try and get over to that side. This was an extremely physical match, with the referee allowing defenders an extraordinary amount of latitude. Still, the Mexicans. especially Guardado and Nery Castillo, usually had the U.S. defense on its heels. There seemed to be an enormous disparity between the two teams in terms of skill.

In the second half, of course, it was a different story. The U.S. put together it's best half of the tournament. Bringing on Ricardo Clark, in favor of Pablo Mastroeni, who picked up a yellow card in the first half, seemed to really spark the attack. The U.S. was unable to score on its best attack, as the veteran Mexican 'keeper, Oswaldo Sanchez stuffed a furious assault, with three good saves within seconds of each other. However, the U.S. struggled to get another similar opportunity, and soon Taylor Twellman was warming up to inject spark in a flagging offense. Clint Dempsey was set up on a break by Landon Donovan, but Dempsey hit a weak uninspired shot, which didn't challenge Sanchez.

Suddenly, though Brian Ching took a long pass in the box, turned on his defender, only to go down in the box, as Jonny Magallon stuck his right knee in Ching's path. Was the penalty kick deserved? There were many more physical challenges in the box, but this contact brought Ching down, as he was driving for the goal. Donovan finished, converting the resulting penalty kick, and the U.S. was on its way.

Some ten minutes later, Donovan was taking a corner kick, which was cleared by the Mexican defense. The clearance header, however, fell to Benny Feilhaber, who showed the touch he'd lacked throughout the tournament. Feilhaber had not been shy about shooting from distance, but he'd also sent a lot of balls wildly over the goal. This time, his one-time strike rose over the defense, but dipped down inside the far corner of the net. Truly a stunning goal, and a stunning bit of skill. A goal that brought the U.S. the Gold Cup championship, and one U.S. fans will long remember.

Of course, the U.S. missed great chances to salt away the victory. Ching hit the post after dribbling away from his man, and the Mexican goalie. Later, Donovan delivered a ball to Beasley, that left Beasley with an easy finish into an open net, but Beasley's shot struck the crossbar. This was a familiar story for the U.S. which had trouble finishing off their opposition throughout the tournament. However, it didn't matter today, in part because Tim Howard made a great save on Bautista's point-blank blast, just two minutes shy of ninety, just before Beasley's glaring miss.

The standouts for the U.S.? Onyewu played well, for stretches -- though another referee might have been less forgiving of the way he uses his forearm to gain leverage, and he was beaten by Castillo on the Mexican goal. Onyewu makes a habit of recklessly physical use of his upper body -- today he got away with it. The U.S. certainly benefited from refereeing that overlooked some very questionable defensive tactics. Bocanegra took advantage of the loose officiating, although he received the game's first yellow card. Boca played what was probably his finest game in the U.S. defense, consistently saving other defenders who'd been beaten by Mexican attackers. I've been critical of Boca's defense on other occasions, but he was the star of the defense on this day.

Substitute Ricardo Clark really did make a huge difference in the U.S. attack, which helped the defense immeasurably. Howard played decently in goal. Though he doesn't seem very effective in distributing the ball, he made the big save when it was needed. Ching made some things happen up front in the second half, after being invisible for the first 59 minutes. Donovan wasn't a huge factor in the first half, either, but his performance in the second half was spectacular. Beasley continued to look dangerous, except when it came to finishing his chances. Twellman was a strong substitute, as well. Jonathan Spector was particularly vulnerable on defense, but showed some real daring in his efforts to spark the attack, until he had to leave for an injury. Frank Simek looked strong coming on for the injured Spector.

Feilhaber? He made the biggest play, so his weaknesses on defense are easily overlooked, Jonathan Bornstein wasn't very effective, on the defensive end. However, Bornstein had one good shot and also a tricky cross that forced the corner kick, which resulted in the game-winning goal. Mastroeni did not make much of a positive contribution, and Coach Bradley was wise to sit him down at halftime.

The biggest disappointment might have been Clint Dempsey. Though Dempsey did make one lovely back heel pass to Donovan in the box, during the first half, Dempsey seemed off. He had two good looks at goal, but shot right at the 'keeper each time. He seemed to lack the skills to make plays at this level, but U.S. fans know this isn't true. Dempsey has shown prodigious skills in other games, so perhaps he just didn't have it on this day. Besides, this isn't a day to dwell on negatives.

The U.S. played a great second half, against a very talented Mexican side. With the exception of a few squandered opportunities around the net, they took what the game presented. They have qualified to play in the 2009 Confederations Cup, in South Africa. This will be an unparalleled chance to prepare for the 2010 World Cup, by playing against some of the best teams in the world. Speaking of playing against some of the best teams in the world: The U.S. next plays Argentina on Thursday, in its opening effort in this year's Copa America. Having survived, and defeated Mexico, it will be very interesting for the U.S. to take on the next level up, with Argentina. It would a great surprise if the U.S. advances out of their Copa America group, but today's win could provide them with serious momentum.

But, you already know all that....

So, I'll just add an interesting historical footnote: With the victory over Mexico, the U.S emerges from the Gold Cup with a winning record in international play -- for the first time. This was the United States' 191st victory, against 189 losses (the disputed victory over Canada last week was actually the win that first provided the U.S. with an all-time winning record, but today's win kept the U.S. on the winning side of that historical ledger. That historical winning record might be in jeopardy in Venezuela over the next couple of weeks. However, if the U.S. can win a couple of games, the U.S. team will likely remain a winning side for the foreseeable future. As the reigning power in CONCACAF, it seems the United States will continue its winning ways for a long time to come, even if the team continues to stumble outside the region.

For now, they remain undefeated (10-0-1) under head coach Bob Bradley. Be Proud. Be Very Proud. This was as satisfying a win as the U.S. has had since their surprising run of success in the 2002 World Cup.

Now for something somewhat different: A few comments about D.C. United, which turned in a miserable game against Real Salt Lake. United lost 2-1, but they were thoroughly outplayed. In their defense, I'll say only that it's a very different game on the astroturf field in Salt Lake City. It's all about running -- more track meet than soccer game. Real Salt Lake just looked more used to kind of game played on that field, and maybe their team is just a little better suited to it, as well. United needs to put this game behind it, and just keep playing their game. They though they may have to play to a similar field in the playoffs against New York, that's not something they have to worry about right now, Besides, the surface at Giants Stadium plays more like a grass field than does the awful surface they played on last night.

2007-06-22T00:23:00.000-04:00

Sunday, Bloody Sunday -- It'll be the U.S. facing Mexico in what promises to be a physical, hard-fought, memorable Gold Cup final. These teams are bitter rivals, with much to prove, because both teams have struggled on the road to the tournament final. Tonight, the U.S. weathered some dangerous Canadian attacks, to get two goals in the final minutes of the first-half. Officially, the U.S.A. held on to a 2-1 win, and gained a berth in Sunday's final, but they had some undeserved help from the officials.

Once again, the U.S. did not do a good job of protecting their lead. They allowed one goal midway through the second period, and then surrendered what should have been the tying goal, deep into stoppage time. Indeed, it was so deep into stoppage time that one wonders why the teams were still playing. Four and a half minutes into stoppage time, the game Canadians tried to pass over the undermanned U.S. defense (the U.S. was playing with only 10 men). Oguchi Onyewu got his head to the ball, but couldn't redirect it. The ball deflected off the top of Onyewu's head, and fell to Canadian striker Atiba Hutchinson, behind the U.S. defense. Hutchinson's shot beat U.S. goalie Kasey Keller. For some reason, the play was ruled offsides, a call that was incorrect for two reasons. First, when the pass was first struck, the Canadian striker was still onsides. Second, the ball was played next by the American Onyewu. That couldn't put the Canadians offsides, even if Hutchinson had moved beyond the defense (replays appear to show he may have still been in an onsides position, even at that point -- but he was surely onsides when the pass was first struck).

The only rational explanation is that the officials were confused, and thought the ball was being sent on by a Canadian, instead of Onyewu. If the linesman believed Hutchinson was already in an offsides position, he was mistaken. It was a glaring error, and the Canadians are right to believe this game was taken from them by the officials. Perhaps, the Candians can take solace that they have served notice -- Canada has certainly closed the gap, and now have to be considered among CONCACAF's elite. The U.S. can no longer take games against Canada for granted. A good effort by Canada, but it is the U.S. that will play in the Gold Cup final.

Mexico struggled to find net through much of their game against Guadeloupe. They were denied repeatedly, thanks to several scintillating plays by Guadeloupe's goalkeeper. The Tricolores also failed to finish some good chances around the net. Their honor, and place in the final was secured with a long blast by Pavel Pardo that twisted through the defense, and found the upper corner of the goal, in the 70th minute. Chicago's Soldier Field positively rocked with the cheers of the Mexico faithful.

It appears the U.S. will be facing a surprisingly unfriendly crowd on Sunday in Chicago. Even in Chicago, the American fans will be vastly outnumbered, if tonight's crowd was any indication. The Mexican team will be out for blood, and the U.S. squad has played indecisively. However, the U.S. has shown flashes of brilliance. They will be missing Frankie Hejduk, who has been the best defender, and scored the game's first goal tonight. Hejduk accumulated his second yellow card of the knockout stages, and will have to sit this one out. The U.S. will also be without hte services of young Michael Bradley, who was ejected in the 89th minute. Bradley's solid positional play will be sorely missed. Still, the U.S. has an excellent chance of beating Mexico. In games outside of Mexico, the U.S.A. have dominated the series in recent years, and are well-positioned to continue that dominance. Hopefully, the Americans have saved their best game for last.

2007-06-16T23:11:00.000-04:00

In a Groove -- The goals keep coming for D.C. United. Last Sunday, United notched four goals against New York. Tonight, United found net three times, against the surprisingly sparkless Chicago Fire. United won 3-1, totally dominating the Fire. The Fire's lone goal was probably the softest goal allowed this year by United's goalkeeper, Troy Perkins. The first goal came seven minutes into the contest as a cross was mishandled by the Fire's goalie, and fell onto the feet of young Rod Dyachenko, who couldn't miss from three feet. Later in the half, Luciano Emilio sprang loose behind the Fire defense, gathered in the long pass, and chipped the Fire's goalie, to put United comfortably ahead, at 2-0. In the second half, Emilio was in the right place at the right time, when Cristian Gomez's shot was saved by the Fire's 'keeper, but the rebound fell right to the goal-hanging Emilio. The Brazilian's second goal of the game put the game out of reach at 3-0.

Besides the obvious choice of Emilio as "Man of the Match," United got great play on both ends from Josh Gros, and a surprisingly good effort by Rod Dyachenko, who started in place of Jaime Moreno. United's coaches have spoken highly of Dyachenko for over a year now, but this was the first time that the Ukranian native played a complete game worthy of the praise bestowed on him.

To put it bluntly, the Fire did not look like much of an opponent, but United may finally be showing the form that was expected of them, when all the world tabbed the D.C. squad as the pre-season favorite to capture the M.L.S. title. They've played two very strong games in a row, and seem to be raising their level of play a little higher, with each game. Hopefully, this year's squad won't peak just before the All-Star game, as last year's team did......

2007-06-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

Team U.S.A. Puts it Together -- After two underwhelming victories in the team's first two Gold Cup matches. the U.S. Men's national team finally played a convincing match, defeating El Salvador 4-0. In the the first two matches, the U.S. outlasted Guatemala 1-0, and registered a 2-0 win over a Trinidad & Tobago team that was more of an U-23 team, than a senior national team. In both games, though, the U.S. looked good early, in grabbing a lead, but then let the other team control the game. The U.S. missed too many chances in those first two games -- though, to be fair, their attack was short-changed by a series of woefully bad offsides calls in the Guatemala game. Tonight, the U.S showed more of a killer instinct.

Tonight, the U.S played much more decisively and insistently. They took a 1-0 lead on delightfully tricky shot by DaMarcus Beasley, following the rebound on a corner kick attempt. Beasley's light shot sneaked through several defenders and found the corner of the net. Landon Donovan converted a penalty kick just before halftime, after Benny Feilhaber pass at the edge of the box was intercepted by a defensive handball. The U.S. did let El Salvador press the attack in the early part of the second half, but soon the U.S. side was delivering effective counter-attacks. Two late goals, one by Taylor Twellman, and Beasley's second of the game, each came off terrific no-look passes on breaks down the center of the defense. The first was set up by Brian Ching, while the second was a truly remarkable bit of full-speed wizardry by Clint Dempsey.

While Landon Donovan remains the star of this team, Clint Dempsey is developing into a wonderful talent, with a tremendous feel for the game, which he combines with great skill on the ball. Dempsey's former Revolution teammate, Taylor Twellman, is becoming a really good option upfront, and continues to justify the complaints of those who criticized then-USMNT coach Bruce Arena for not including the striker in last year's World Cup team.

Beasley made terrific plays on both goals, and showed great hustle throughout, but he also botched two excellent opportunities with widely errant shots. Benny Feilhaber had looked strong in the early games, and shows much promise, but he showed poor decisions or a poor shooting touch with his repeated long-range shots that all missed the target. On defense, Oguchi Onyewu played a pretty strong game, though he made a few errors. His size makes up for other shortcomings, though it also gets him in trouble sometimes. Jonathan Spector continues to disappoint this observer, who would like to see Frank Simek at the right back position. Spector commits too many unforced errors. The real star on defense for the U.S. right now is young Jonathan Bornstein, who seems on his way to becoming the best defensive player the U.S. has had.

Pablo Mastroeni had a few poorly timed tackles, but also one or two real gems, and he remains a better passer than the other options in the midfield. One hopes that Ricardo Clark will grow into the position -- he certainly has the athletic ability and the potential to develop into a great midfielder. Lacking Clark's talents, Michael Bradley always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and just doesn't seem to make many mistakes -- he may not be experienced at this level, but his inexperience doesn't show.

The United States should sail through to the Gold Cup final on cruise control. Though Mexico remains the better team against top-flight international competition, the United States now dominates regional play. Based on the early returns, the U.S. should claim the CONCACAF crown, once again. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. fares in the Copa America, at the end of the month. With genuinely talented players like Donovan, Dempsey and Bornstein, and a strong supporting cast including Twellman, and young Justin Mapp, the U.S. may be poised to take the next step up and play competitive football against the world's best. The future looks pretty bright -- the Copa America will be a chance to see where the U.S. stands right now.

2007-06-11T15:08:00.000-04:00

Looking Ahead for D.C. United -- After a strong performance against the first-place New York Red Bulls, United finds itself tied with the Chicago Fire for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference -- what would be the final playoff spot. United, however, has played two fewer games than the Fire. United has also has two games in hand, compared with the Red Bulls. Two wins and six points would pull United even with the Eastern Conference leaders.

Saturday night, the Fire come to to RFK. United cfan put some distance between the two clubs. It's certainly early in the season -- much to early to determine how the playoff chase will shake out. Are the Wizards as good as they have shown this early -- how will Eddie Johnson be affected by what is apparently a minor knee injury he suffered in the Gold Cup match on Saturday? Is the Fire's slow start an aberration, or will they struggle to make the playoffs? On Saturday, United will be facing a somewhat diminished Fire roster, as the Fire's top player, Justin Mapp, is with the U.S. Men's national team. While it is early in the season, a little breathing room is always welcome. United will be expected to win. Can they live up to those expectations, now that they appear to be in a groove?

2007-06-10T19:30:00.000-04:00

Oly-Oly-Olsen's Three -- D.C. United finally put it all together, playing their best game of the year by far. The squad was led, as always, by Ben Olsen, but today there was a twist. Benny wasn't just the field general. He tallied not just once, but three times. A hat trick for the United veteran. United defeated the division leading New York Red Bulls, in convincing manner. The final score was 4-2, but the game was dominated by United.

The crowd was driven into delirium by Olsen's exploits. There were some nervous moments after the Red Bulls answered Olsen's first goal before the cheers even died down. Dema Kovalenko's long shot was deflected in for an own goal that tied the score. Juan Pablo Angel seemed certain to put the Red Bulls in the lead, but Facundo Erpen was able to beat him to the ball and head clear a cross that Angel would surely have buried in the net. The teams went into the dressing room tied at halftime, which had to be disappointing for a United team that controlled most of the play.

Early in the second half, Fred broke down the middle of the field and sent a wide pass to Luciano Emilio. The Brazilian scored to put United in front, but there were still a few nervous moments to come. Josh Gros made a fine defensive play to deny Angel a scoring opportunity. Things seemed about to take a drastic turn for the worse, for the home squad, when Bobby Boswell was sent off with his second yellow card. In fact, playing a man down, United became an even more dangerous squad. Olsen got his second and third goals, and was nearly in position for a fourth. Gros went almost end-to-end with a give-and-go, but his shot was saved by a diving Ronald Wattereus.

Incidentally, the effort turned in by Josh Gros might have been the biggest difference between this game and past United games. There had been talk that Gros might be headed to the bench. While he had a couple of uncertain moments in the defense, he also made a couple of sparkling defensive plays. However, it was on offense that Gros's star really shone. He set up Olsen first goal with a great pass over the defense, and helped get the play started that resulted in Olsen's second goal. Still, the real star today was Ben Olsen. It was Olsen who got the standing ovation when he was removed in the final minute of play -- and it was well-deserved.

In the final minutes, the Red Bulls' Angel did notch a goal to bring the Red Bulls a little closer, with a couple of minutes to go. The former Aston Villa player played an excellent game -- almost every touch was perfectly played, and he was a constant threat. His free kicks were not sharp enough, but he is clearly a tremendous talent. Perhaps Angel was the most talented player on the field, but it was Ben Olsen's day. While Olsen's first two goals were nicely turned finishes of good team play, his third goal was just a picture perfect blast from about 25 or 30 yards. Bravo, Bennie.

If United gets to the MLS Cup, today is really the day that became a realistic quest -- the day the team began to play like potential champions. Everyone in the stadium felt it. RFK pulsed with excitement and ecstasy throughout the second half, but the last ten minutes were as raucous a celebration as one could expect for a regular-season game more than four months ahead of the championship. I cannot even begin to imagine the scene at RFK, if United is playing for the league title in October. Surely, the media will have to admit that, at least in the nation's capital, Americans have caught football (I guess that should be "soccer") fever.

United's back on track -- I might add that the FischFry is back as well, after a 2-week hiatus while I moved. It's been a tough time, as it truly was the "Move from Hell," but I wanted to share my joy with the wonderful showing today by D.C. United. United. United. Vamos United.

2007-05-26T23:04:00.000-04:00

Party Time at RFK -- United Wins 2-1: A mosh pit broke out just inside of Gate E, as D.C. United fans celebrated their team's victory over the defending MLS' champs, the Houston Dynamo. United looked pretty good -- this was the team's most complete game, and they deserved the win.

My story? I just missed a Metro train, and it was almost 15 minutes until the next one. So, it was into my car, for a quick sprint around the belt, and down to RFK. $12 for parking??!!?? Anyway, I got a ticket, then a beer, and made my way to a seat, just in time to see Christian Gomez being brought down outside the 18-yd. box, about three minutes into the game. Gomez took the ensuing free kick, which he curled over the wall and just inside the near post. He was clearly very satisfied with his effort, as he played to the Barra Brava.

Later in the first half, it was Gomez again, with a nifty bit of skill to make some space at the top of the box, and slot a pass diagonally through the box ahead of Ben Olsen. The pass was perfectly timed, and Olsen drove his first touch right past Pat Onstad, the Dynamo goalkeeper, giving United a convincing 2-0 lead.

On the other end of the field, Troy Perkins was both lucky and good. Twice, he stretched over everybody to punch out dangerous corner kicks. On one crossing pass, Perkins slid over and found himself in just the right place, as Brian Ching's header went right into Perkins' midsection (Ching shot wide a few minutes earlier on another open header). A little later, Brad Davis sent a blistering shot on goal, but Perkins elevated to deflect it over the bar. While the Dynamo created more chances, United did more with their chances.

Last year's MVP, Gomez played his best game of this MLS' season, as he had several dangerous runs from midfield, through the defense. United's best player, though, was Perkins, who played a spectacular game. The most memorable play came midway through the second half, after Josh Gros handled a ball in the box. Brian Ching took the penalty shot, and Perkins guessed right -- he dove to his right and got enough of his hand on the ball to deflect it into the goalpost, before rebounded back into play. A minute later, the magical Dwayne De Rosario dribbled into the box, then made a sweet move, stopping, while defenders flew by him. With lots of space to shoot, DDR knocked home the Dynamo's lone goal. Perkins had no chance on that goal, but he was good enough to deny the Dynamo on a number of good chances.

NOTES: There was a Rod Dyachenko sighting, as the big Ukranian/man without a country, came on as a late sub for Gomez. Dyachenko looked much more confident than I have ever seen. He had a wonderful run in the 88th minute, before being taken down just outside the box. The foul was obvious to everyone but the officials. This was actually the ref's second huge omission. In the first half, with United winning just 1-0, Guy-Rowland Kpene was knocked off a long pass in the box by Eddie Robinson's shoulder charge. Kpene had the position, and Robinson's play should have drawn a penalty shot, but the ref waved play on.

Kpene started in place of Jaime Moreno, who is playing for his Bolivian national team. Besides the takedown that wasn't called, Kpene had one really nice move, but he couldn't finish, as he pushed his shot a bit wide. Luciano Emilio played a fairly strong game -- nothing like his sensational CONCACAF Champions' Cup efforts, but probably the best game he's played in MLS' competition. The United defense played pretty well against a very talented opponent -- though they allowed a number of good chances, it's hard to argue with a 2-1 win. All-in-all, there were plenty of reasons for United fans' post-game party.

2007-05-26T03:20:00.000-04:00

Kearns Saves the Day! Amazingly, the Nationals just keep winning. The streak is now 11 wins in the last 15 games. Dmitri Young is putting up "softball numbers," batting at an almost .600 clip over the last week. Brian Schneider has homered twice on this road trip, and has been a .300 hitter in May. Felipe Lopez is piling up the hits on the road trip, after a prolonged slump earlier. The patchwork pitching staff is doing amazing work. And Nook Logan is hitting, including two doubles in Friday night's game.

The big news out of Friday's game is, however, the catch made by Austin Kearns. Perhaps a speedier rightfielder would've made the play in less spectacular fashion, but that doesn't take away from the spectacular qualities of this play, Kearns saved two runs, when he tracked down a line drive just shy of the right-field wall. Kearns, running towards the corner, dove towards the concrete and brick wall. He stretched his right glove as far as possible, and gloved the ball no more than a few inches off the ground. He slid to a stop just inches from the concrete barrier, pushed himeslf upright and threw to Dmitri Young to double the runner off first.

In a game that the Nationals ended up winning by one run, Kearns' play was the biggest -- a game-saver. It will be remembered as one of the finest defensive plays in team history, along with Ryan Zimmerman's highlight film, diving, over-the-head catch in short left field, last year.

Meanwhile, the team has already guaranteed that this will be a winning road trip. If they win one of the two games scheduled for this weekend, they will have won three straight series. Let's Go Nats!

2007-05-24T19:11:00.000-04:00

Two Goals in Two Minutes -- Juan Pablo Angel was named MLS' player of the week in his first start with the New York Red Bulls. Angel hasn't had any adjustment issues in coming over from Aston Villa. The Red Bulls seem to have struck gold with the addition of Angel. In tonight's game against the Chicago Fire, Angel set up Jozy Altidore's goal-scoring drive a little over a minute into the game. Angel held the ball at the top corner of the box. As the defense fell back in reaction to Angel, he found John Wolyniec, with his back to the goal, just inside the six-yard box. Wolyniec redirected the ball to the top of the box, where Jozy Altidore slammed in just inside the corner. A minute later, Dane Richards drove down the wing, sent a pass into the box, which Angel neatly brought down, and then scored with his second touch, beating the Fire's goalie, to the far side. This gave the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead, just 2 minutes and 15 seconds in.

In the second half, Angel continued to dazzle. When Craig Stammler delivered a cross that made its way to Angel, standing just outside the six-yard box, Fire defender Chris Armas came sliding to block Angel's certain shot, which he was teeing up. Instead, Angel dummied with his right foot, allowing the ball to slide past him to his left. That left Angel with an amazingly easy shot for goal off his left foot. He didn't miss. It would seem that Angel will earn player of the week honors again, in only his second MLS start. It may be a little humbling for the MLS to see someone of Angel's quality plainly have his way with inferior defenders, but it's a huge leap forward for the Red Bulls. It might not be a stretch to say that Angel is the most talented player the league has seen -- certainly, he is the best since Marco Etcheverry was at the top of his game with DC United.

Bruce Arena, with some help from the free-spending ownership, has put together a team that is a delight to watch. They are everything DC United hoped to be this year. Although they have already been eliminated from U.S. Open Cup competition (they lost to the Galaxy in a qualifier, though by all reports, the Red Bulls were by far the better team) they will be a serious contender for the MLS title.

If only fans in the New York/New Jersey tri-state metro area start coming out, the project that Bruce Arena embarked on last summer will be a rousing success. He has brought in two exciting veteran American players, with Clint Mathis and Claudio Reyna, He has inherited the most exciting young American player, with Altidore. He's brought in the speedy Jamaican, Richards, to open up the offense. Now, with Angel, Arena has the international star needed to bring the team respectability, talent and polish.

The MLS has wanted, even claimed to need a winning team in New York. Now they have one. Will New York area fans live up to their end of the bargain?

2007-05-24T00:55:00.000-04:00

Alexis Morales: You heard it here, first! -- Who? Alexis Morales is a Nationals' farmhand. He was recently called up from Potomac (the Nats' High-A team) to Harrisburg (the Nats' AA team). Another pitcher made the same trip last week -- John Lannan. Lannan is a starting pitcher, whose success at Potomac has been noted here before. More recently, the Washington Post has also noted Lannan's rise to AA. However, I have seen no mention of the stunning numbers put up by relief pitcher Alexis Morales.

Morales put up some strong numbers at Potomac last year. Alas, when he was called up to Harrisburg late in the season, he struggled mightily with his control. Morales allowed 16 hits in 15 2/3 innings, (a hit per inning). Worse, he surrendered 25 walks, with the AA club. So, Morales, a native of the Windy City, was back at Potomac, when the new minor league season started in April, to prove he could master the lower levels. Master them he has surely done. Morales gave up only three hits in over 13 innings with Potomac, and struck 8 batters, without walking any. That earned him a fairly swift promotion back to Harrisburg. This time around, Morales hasn't suffered from the jump up to AA ball. In over 9 innings with the AA club, he has allowed only 2 hits, struck out 5 batters, and again, hasn't walked anyone.

With those gaudy numbers, Morales may make a fairly quick jump up to AAA Columbus. In any case, if he keeps pitching this well, I expect that we will see him coming out of the Nats' bullpen to pitch in the majors before this season is over. Remember: You 'heard' it here first!

2007-05-23T21:19:00.001-04:00

Who Are These Guys? If the Washington Nationals could play their home games in Cincinnati, it seems they'd be a totally different team, offensively. On Monday night, the Nationals took an early 6-1 lead, but squandered it in the final innings, to lose 7-6. Last night, the Nats won on Felipe Lopez big smash, as the Nats put up a season-high 8 runs. Tonight, the Nats really outdid themselves, as they did their best 'Bash Brothers' imitation. Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and Ryan Zimmerman each homered, with Church doing the trick twice. This time the Nats went up 9-1. Though their bullpen surrendered a bunch of runs, the Nats scored in double figures for the first time this season, and held on to win 12-7.

They brought their team batting average above .230 (the Nats are still the weakest hitting team in the NL), and brought their won-loss record even with the Reds' own. That means the Nats are on the cusp of giving up first position in the contest for the highest draft pick, at least among National League teams. Since they ended their previous road trip, the Nats have posted a 9-4 record. a hot streak that any team would be proud to have. So, I have to echo Bob Carpenter's words: "Who are these guys?"

2007-05-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

Milan Conquers Europe -- Already leading Liverpool 1-0, AC Milan delivered the fatal blow about 10 minutes from the end. Kaka held the ball, while the Liverpool defense dropped back a step or two, bringing Filippo Inzaghi back onsides. Then, Kaka threaded a pass through the Reds' back line, as Inzaghi darted back towards the Liverpool net. Inzaghi grabbed the pass, clinically cut to his right to evade the onrushing Pepe Reina, then slotted the sharply angled shot beyond the reach of the diving Reina. That made the score 2-0 in Milan's favor.

Liverpool controlled play for much of the game, but the score was not in their favor. Perhaps it was a mistake to leave the team's leading scorer, Peter Crouch, on the bench, until the 78th minute. Despite the possesion advantage, Liverpool mounted few good threats. When the score was still 1-0, Steven Gerrard narrowly missed a tying goal, as his long shot sailed just wide. The Reds couldn't put a shot on net until Dirk Kuyt's header in the 88th minute beat Dida, for Liverpool's lone goal.

Kuyt's goal probably revived the debate regarding Inzaghi's controversial first goal, but it proved to be too little, too late for the lads from Merseyside. Over the final four minutes, Liverpool failed to mount another attack. In the end, in this match between two of Europe's most storied clubs, Milan avenged their 2005 Champions League final loss to Liverpool, winning tonight 2-1. The win is redemption for Milan, which narrowly avoided being disqualified from the tournament, as a consequence of the team's involvement in Italy's match-fixing schedule. One more title for one of the world's most famous sports teams.

2007-05-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

AC Milan Grabs the Halftime Lead -- In the first half of the European Champions' League final, Liverpool looked the stronger side, but it was the crafty Milanese side that grabbed the 1-0 lead, just before halftime. In the 45th minute, Xabi Alonso fouled Kaka just above Liverpool's defensive box.

As Andrea Pirlo readied to take the free kick for Milan, the half moved into stoppage time. Pirlo bent his free kick around the Liverpool wall, where Inzaghi basically got in the way of the shot. Filippo Inzaghi had broken towards the goal, presumably to go after any rebound, but the ball found him on its way towards the net. As he twisted to try and get his arm out of the way, the ball deflected off of Inzaghi, changing directions completely. Liverpool's goalie, Pepe Reina, was caught diving one way, while the ball was redirected off of Inzaghi towards the other end of the Liverpool goal. Inzaghi gets the credit for the goal, but didn't really do anything more than get in the way of Pirlo's well-taken, neatly bending, free kick.

If Liverpool cannot comeback in the second half, people will be studying this goal for years to decide whether the goal should have been allowed. The ball appeared to hit Inzaghi's arm, and then was redirected into the net. The ball may have struck Inzaghi's chest, but it surely got part of his swinging arm. Did the ball play Inzaghi's arm or the other way around? Not exactly the "Hand of God," but this will be a pretty controversial goal.

2007-05-23T12:50:00.000-04:00

The NBA Craps Out -- The NBA Draft lottery was held last night, and it seems to have confirmed that it really is a crapshoot. In most sports, the teams get ordered in the amateur draft, according to the inverse order of their won-loss records. The logic is to provide the worst teams with the best chance to improve quickly. In the NBA, teams with the worst records do get a weighted chance at the top picks, but they're not guaranteed as they are in other sports.

The lottery was instituted in the NBA, in 1984, because it seemed that teams were deliberately tanking to get the top pick in the draft. The NBA wanted to diminish the perverse incentive in finishing last. Given that the teams play so many games, and that the top draft picks usually do go on to star in the pros, the incentives were stronger in the NBA to finish with the worst record, rather than the third or fourth-worst record. So, the NBA tried to remedy that problem. The result is the strange doings taht took place, last night. The three worst teams were passed over in the lottery by the teams that finished ahead of them during the season. The bottom four through six, will pick ahead of the bottom three teams. The latter group includes my favorite team, the Milwaukee Bucks, who will pick sixth.

I guess these things go in cycles. The NBA put in the lottery because teams were tanking their seasons. Now, everyone is going to be criticizing the lottery, because the teams that need the help aren't getting it. Here in the nation's capital, we've got a baseball team, whose management decided to deliberately tank this season, because they are hoping for one of the top picks in their draft -- instead of spending money on getting new free agents or keeping their own.

Frankly, the Nationals' owners are not getting the criticism they deserve, because they've basically been up-front about it. Since even before spring training, they've made it clear that they expected to lose. They spoke hopefully of getting one of the top young players -- so much so, that it seemed the team was looking forward to having a truly horrible season, this year. And that's in baseball, where it's much harder to project who will be a star, if they even get to the major leagues.

At least, in basketball, if you tank deliberately, you could tell your fans to bear with "The Plan" (that's what the Nationals are calling it), because it will pay off in the long run (unless you draft Len Bias or Glenn Robinson) -- except that you might get screwed in the lottery. If there is any consolation, the Bucks have had the first pick twice in the last 15 years, and they made lousy picks both times. Moreover, the Bucks shouldn't have gotten the first pick the year they took Big Dog. Maybe, Oden won't turn out to be the best player in the draft....If they hadn't gotten then the first pick, they might have wound up with Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Donyell Marshall, or Juwann Howard -- all of whom have had better careers than Robinson.

OK, maybe I'm being unduly hard on Robinson. The truth is one expects more out of the first pick, especially in basketball. Although he's not in the NBA any more, he had a better career than Marshall or Howard. Certainly, Big Dog was prolific scorer with the Bucks. Even if Ray Allen and Sam Cassell were the real keys to the team, Robinson did contribute to one good playoff run for the Bucks. Yet, despite his offensive skills, Robinson wasn't the guy you expected to make the big shot, or to take over a big game. No one would suggest that Robinson was as good a pro player as Jason Kidd or Grant Hill turned out to be.

In any case, it's been over ten years since the Bucks came out of the draft with a worthy first-round selection. I don't think any team has a worse track record in the first round. The last time the Bucks did a good job in the first round was the year they swapped picks to get Ray Allen, instead of Stephon Marbury --- that was over a decade ago. Their best pick since then was Michael Redd, but he came in the second round. Maybe, the Bucks will end up with a stronger selection in the first-round, than they have over the last ten years. Or, maybe, they'll be back in the draft lottery next year.

2007-05-19T03:02:00.000-04:00

Nationals' Starting Rotation -- Take Two: Saturday night, Mike Bacsik will take the mound for the Nationals, instead of Jason Bergmann, who was placed on the disabled list. The significance of this start should not be overlooked. The Nats are now six weeks into the season, a season that began with the Nationals putting together a starting rotation of John Patterson, Shawn Hill, Jason Bergmann, rookie Matt Chico, and Jerome Williams. Though the Nats' pitchers had a rough go-around the first time through the rotation, this crew proved surprisingly effective.

Unfortunately, the Nats are down to their 'last man standing': Matt Chico. The other four starters are all now on the disabled list. This isn't entirely surprising, given the fact that three of the four were coming off significant arm injuries suffered last year. The Nats have been able to bring up Jason Simontacchi, an early contender for the rotation, who got bumped from consideration because of a groin injury he suffered in spring training. The other two most likely replacements would be Joel Hanrahan and Emiliano Fruto, but both of them are currently injured. So, it falls to Mike Bacsik, on Saturday. On Sunday, Micah Bowie will make what I believe may be his first start of the decade. Then, relief pitcher Levale Speigner will get his second consecutive start, before the Nats finally get back around to Chico, the lone survivor from the original rotation.

None of the injuries appear very serious, and mostly they might have been predictable for pitchers that were coming off previous arm injuries. The exception might be Hill, whose elbow pain is being attributed to a shoulder separation he suffered sliding back into third base, a few weeks back. The injury was to his non-throwing arm, but may have added stress to his pitching arm.

While the Nats seem to be victims of circumstance, one has to wonder why the Nats are suffering so many injuries. The New York Yankees went through a similar spell at the beginning of the season, and they canned their new fitness coach. Perhaps, the Nationals should take a look at their conditioning program, and consider whether they need to make changes in their practices or their personnel. Most pitchers will miss a start or two during a season because of some tenderness, or nagging injury. But so many pitchers, and all so early in the season? This cannot auger well for the rest of the season.

2007-05-19T02:34:00.000-04:00

Nats Blow it on the Basepaths -- The record will show that Ryan Zimmerman just missed delivering another game-winning hit with two outs in the 9th inning, against the Baltimore Orioles, but the game was lost earlier. To be sure, the Nats were trailing by a run, with runners on first and third, and Zimmerman laced a 3-2 pitch, but not quite hard enough to get it beyond the reach of the leftfielder. Zimmerman had a great game at the plate, including a two-run home run in the 8th inning, that narrowed the deficit to just the one run. As good as Zimmerman looked at the plate, it must have been very disappointing for him to just miss delivering an extra-base hit that would surely have scored the tying and winning runs.

The Nats didn't come up short because Zimmerman's liner fell into the outstretched glove of Freddie Bynum. Rather, the Nats came up short because of a couple of blunders on the basepaths. With two outs in the fifth inning, and the Nats trailing 3-0, Felipe Lopez singled, and Cristian Guzman walked. Ryan Zimmerman had his first chance at heroics in this game. The first pitch to Zimmerman was a ball. The second pitch was in the dirt and the Orioles catcher, Ramon Hernandez couldn't control it, as it deflected off him and towards the Orioles dugout. Lopez easily reached third, but Guzman reacted late, and he was thrown out easily at second base, ending the threat.

Still, the Nats were able to generate a couple of runs the next inning, as Ryan Zimmerman drew a leadoff walk, and scored on a homer by Dmitri Young. They came into the ninth inning, trailing 5-2 though, because the Nats bullpen surrendered a couple of runs, after over 23 scoreless consecutive innings. In the 9th inning. the Nats would surely have tied the game, but for another base-running error. Nook Logan walked, and then stole second -- his first steal of the year. Logan should have taken third base, when Ronnie Belliard hit a dribbler back to the third base side of the pitcher's mound. Instead, while Belliard was being thrown out at first, Logan stayed on second base. The next batter, Lopez, grounded out, hitting a bouncer to the right side, that advanced Logan to third. If Logan had advanced earlier, on Belliard's grounder, he would have scored on Lopez' ground-out.

Logan's timid base-running put the pressure on Zimmerman to deliver with a two-out hit. Zimmmerman almost did, but it wasn't his fault that the Nats were still trailing, when he came to bat. If they had been smarter, quicker, and more aggressive, the Nats might have already won the game, or at least they could have tied the score just before Zimmerman came to bat.

2007-05-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

Afternoon Baseball - Nats Keep Rolling; Mets Rally Big in 9th -- It was getaway day, with the Nationals trying to pile on to the visiting Atlanta Braves' misery. Yesterday, the Nats rallied to beat the Braves, while the Mets waited out a long rain delay, before they whipped up on the Chicago Cubs. The result: The Mets moved past the Braves to regain first place, for the first time since the Braves snatched it away over a month ago.

Today, the Braves wanted to grab the top spot back again, and at one point in the afternoon, it looked like they would. The Braves had a 3-1 lead over the Nationals, in the fifth inning, and the Mets had fallen behind the Cubs 5-1, in the sixth inning at Shea. The Nats kept pecking away at the Braves' lead, though. They had scored one run in the fourth inning, after the Braves had grabbed a 2-0 lead. Trailing 3-1, the Nats inched closer, with a run in the bottom of the fifth. The Nats grabbed their first lead, in the bottom of the sixth, on Dmitri Young's pinch-hit two-run single. Once again, the Nats' bullpen completely shut down the Braves in the game's final innings, completing a surprising and impressive series, with the Nats winning three of four against the Braves.

Watching the Nats' game on MASN, I heard Bob Carpenter report that the Mets were trailing in the ninth, with Ryan Dempster on to try and close for the Cubs. So, I clicked on my XM radio and listened to the Mets' game, while I watched the Nats leave two men on in the eighth. The Mets needed four runs just to tie the game, but Dempster couldn't stop the Amazin's.

The Mets did it, with contributions from surprising places. David Newhan led off the ninth with a single. After Ramon Castro flied out, Carlos Gomez, still in his first week in the big leagues, singled. In a rare pinch-hitting appearance, Carlos Beltran worked out a walk, to load the bases. Dempster then walked Endy Chavez, making the score 5-2.Surprisingly, manager Willie Randolph left Ruben Gotay in to hit, with David Wright sitting on the bench. Gotay is another recent call-up, but Gotay performed like a cool veteran, coming through with a single that made the score 5-3.

When Scott Eyre replaced Dempster on the mound, Randolph countered by using Wright to hit for Shawn Green. Wright drove in a run with a single, bringing the Mets within a run. Then, Carlos Delgado came to the plate. Delgado has struggled mightily this season, and this afternoon had been no exception, as the big man had struck out twice, and left 3 men on base. Delgado, though, is hitting over .300 against lefties. In the ninth inning, it was that fact that proved to be the most salient one. Delgado singled home the tying and winning runs.

Within a couple of seconds of the Mets' dramatic finish, Jon Rauch finished off the Braves, to earn his third save since temporarily becoming the Nats' closer last week. The fireworks exploded over RFK, signaling the Nats' win, which was bad news enough for the Braves. The Braves couldn't know that the Mets had just won seconds earlier, so the news would only get worse for the Braves, when they went into the visitors' clubhouse and they learned of the Mets' improbable rally.

A nice afternoon for those of us who still root for the Mets, but are becoming big Nats' fans. The Mets go into the big interleague Subway Series weekend, with a 1.5 game lead in the N.L. East. The Nats go into their Baltimore-Washington Parkway/I-95 series against the Orioles with six wins in the first seven games of this homestand (Some call it the Battle of the Beltway -- which is a misnomer. Battle of the Beltways would be more accurate, since each city has its own beltway. I'd go with the I-95 Championship, or the Battle of the BWP). A footnote: This was the first time since 1999 that the Mets had overcome a four-run (or larger) deficit in the ninth inning. A nice afternoon, indeed.

2007-05-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Jorge Sosa? While fans of the Nationals are salivating over the recent performances of Shawn Hill and Jason Bergmann, fans of the New York Mets may have found a surprising pitching gem of their own, in the last couple of weeks: Jorge Sosa, who had shown only flashes of brilliance amidst a wildly inconsistent career that was not living up to early billing. The Mets gave Sosa a chance to win the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, and Sosa stunk the joint out. So, Sosa was sent down to New Orleans, where he pitched terrifically, and won his first four decisions. Then, El Duque came up lame, and the Mets needed a replacement. Unfortunately, Hernandez' injury came too late to prevent Sosa from making one of those starts. Chan Ho Park was called up to make one abysmal start, and then it was Sosa's turn.

Sosa is now 3-0 for the Mets. After waiting out a 3-hour rain delay (not much of a wait compared to the month Sosa spent in AAA ball), he pitched brilliantly tonight, carrying a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning, before finally allowing a run. He has been brilliant. In fact, as John Maine has begun to struggle a bit, Sosa has been the Mets most effective pitcher during the last three turns through the rotation. Mike Pelfrey, who beat out Sosa for the fifth starter's job, pitched unconvincingly, and has been sent back down. The Mets will need one more spot start before El Duque returns to the rotation, but Sosa looks like he's up for the duration.

In fact, if Sosa keeps pitching the way he has in his first three starts, the Mets will have a very tough decision to make later in the summer, should Pedro Martinez complete his comeback. Martinez is supposedly on track for a late July or August return to the rotation. It will be interesting to see how the Mets pare six starters down to five. It will also be incredibly ironic, given the fears that many fans and so-called experts had about the Mets' rotation. Anyone remember the talk in March? There was the old guy, Glavine, and four question marks (there were a lot of skeptics regarding Maine and Hernandez, and no one seemed to believe that Oliver Perez belonged). Come August, the Mets may have an embarrassment of riches.

2007-05-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

Surprise! The Nationals Are On a Roll! -- The Nats got an unexpected win tonight, against the Atlanta Braves. With Shawn Hill out, the Nats started reliever Levale Speigner. The timing was propitious for the Nats, as they faced the Braves' weakest link, Kyle Davies. In the early going, Davies was better than Speigner. The Nats' emergency starter didn't pitch badly, but he was hit fairly hard in both the first and fourth innings. Speigner surrendered a pair of runs in each of those innings. Though Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI double, and added his first solo home run, Davies cruised through the rest of the Nats' batting order, until the fifth inning.

The Nats took advantage of a rare Braves' error to put together their best rally of the season. With runners on first and second, it seemed that Cristian Guzman had grounded out into an inning-ending double play. Kelly Johnson, the Braves' second baseman, tried to hurry the play and dropped the ball, literally. That kept the inning alive, and set the stage for a serious rally. Ronnie Belliard hit a ground ball also, but he avoided a double play when he beat the throw to first base. Ryan Langerhans scored on the play, bringing the Nats within a run. Ryan Zimmerman worked out a walk to load the bases, and it fell to Ryan Church to deliver the clutch hit. Church has not been a great hitter in situations like this, and he has been in a slump besides. Church, however, came through with a huge, bases-clearing double.

After that, it was on the Nats' bullpen to close out the Braves over the final four innings. The Nats' relievers performed brilliantly, including Chad Cordero, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Billy Traber got the win, with a strong fifth inning, before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter. Jon Rauch earned a save, with a dominating ninth inning. Including Speigner, the Nats used seven pitchers out of their bullpen. They'll want some innings out of tomorrow afternoon's starter, Matt Chico, but the combination worked tonight. The Nats have won 5 of 6 games on this homestand, and can register a surprising series win over division-leading Atlanta, with a win tomorrow.

2007-05-16T01:47:00.001-04:00

It's Coach Bradley -- No More "Interim": US Soccer is acknowledging the obvious -- that Bob Bradley has done an awfully good job in his first months on the job as the "interim" head coach of the men's national team. Of course, there may have been some question as to whether the job would be sufficiently attractive to an experienced European coach. By rewarding Bradley's early success, USSF President Sunil Gulati is avoiding any further disappointment like last year's courtship of Jurgen Klinsmann. Announcing the "upgrade" for Bradley now, also comes as a strong endorsement of Bradley, without any indication that he is anything less than USSF's first choice (or, at least the first choice, after Klinsmann). So, it's full steam ahead, with Coach Bradley at the helm. Destination: South Africa, and, at least, advancing to the second round of the 2010 finals (the round of 16).

2007-05-16T01:45:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Jason Bergmann, for an extraordinary effort at RFK, Monday night. His command was incredible. The Braves' hitters were totally overmatched, as Bergmann took a no-hitter into the 8th inning. I was against giving the Lerners any of my money this year, since they were also determined, this year, to spend as little as possible of their money. Still, when there are performances like Shawn Hill's on Friday night, the 9th inning rally that began after 1:30 in the morning to win Saturday night, and Bergmann's near perfect outing on Monday, it's a real shame that there aren't more people in the stands. If Bergmann had completed his no-no, it would have been a little embarrassing to see shots of a stadium that was two-thirds empty.

I'm still angry at the contempt and disregard the Lerners have shown the Nats' fans by not spending on a new centerfielder, and at least one starting pitcher. I don't buy into the canard they are peddling to the Washington Post that you can save the money until next year, and expect to see great results on the field next year, and great support in the stands. I don't even believe they are being honest in holding out the prospect of going after top free agents, to fill seats in the new stadium.

Right now, I don't expect that the Nats will spend much money in the free agent market, after this season, or any other. The evidence is that the Lerners have no interest in spending on players' salaries. They might want to win, but they intend to do it on the cheap. Until I see any evidence otherwise, I expect that the Nats will try to win the way the Cleveland Indians did in the early 90s, with young talent from their own system. If that's the model, it's not a good one. The Indians did make the World Series once, but they came up short. They lacked all the pieces they needed to win, and the great core eventually moved on.

This year's Nationals' team seems to have real potential, and a good core to build around. "Build around" -- that means bringing in top players to fill the gaps that the farm system can't fill. I'm not optimistic that the Lerners will spend the money it will take to build a consistent winner, and a championship team, although I hope that I am pleasantly surprised in years to come.

Even though I buy my tickets from scalpers outside the stadium, I don't feel good about paying for beer and hot dog. Still, I think the Nats' players deserve support from the Nats' fans. They're playing their hearts out, and creating some memorable moments. We should show our appreciation by turning up for the games.

2007-05-14T00:42:00.000-04:00

A Sweep? A Sweep! Didn't get to watch the game, but I can say that this was a delightful result for all Nationals' fans. The Nats came into the series against Florida, hitting only .218 against lefthanders. They had two of their best games offensively, against Olsen and Obermuller. They got a decent start out of Jason Simontacchi, which they will need to see repeated, with Shawn Hill on the mend. They got a save out of Jon Rauch. Right now, the Nats are a patchwork affair, but they held together just fine this weekend. If the Nats had dropped these games, they would already be on a pace to obliterate the '62 Mets all-time worst won-loss record. Instead, things are looking up at RFK. The division-leading Atlanta Braves come into town next, for a real test.

2007-05-13T04:01:00.000-04:00

1:42 a.m. Zimmerman Sends 'Em Home Happy! -- I don't imagine there were two many folks left in the stands at RFK, after two separate rain-delays, totalling over three hours. Me? Well, let's put it this way. Zimmerman should be paying me to drive to New York. On a Saturday afternoon, almost a year ago, I was listening on my XM radio, in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on the NJ Turnpike, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a a game-winning home run of the walk-off variety, against the New York Yankees. Another Saturday, and I was headed to my ancestral hunting grounds in New York, for Mother's Day. I looked forward to listening to the Nats' game on the way up to New York. I listened to the first four plus innings, until the rains hit RFK, and play was stopped. I checked in before bed to hear if the game was still going on. It turned out the teams were about to resume play, following the second rain delay, with the Marlins holding a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning.

Nook Logan was on first base, when Dmitri Young delivered one of the Nats' few successful pinch-hits this year. The Nats' pinch-hitting has been so bad that it's almost inconceivable that the hitters being replaced, including the pitchers, would have done as badly. Even with Young's clutch single, you can count the number of pinch-hits with your fingers on one hand. Still, Young's effort had to be applauded. It's a shame so few were left to applaud. Logan took third on the play. Felipe Lopez then singled to right field, to tie up the game. After Cristian Guzman struck out, Ryan Zimmerman came to bat with two outs, and the bases full.

This was the second time the Nats had loaded the bases during the game. Their track record with the bases loaded has been almost as bad as their pinch-hitting average. Three hits in thirty-one chances coming into the game, for a batting average of just over .090, with the sacks full. In the fourth inning, Austin Kearns flied out, on a 3-2 pitch, with the bases loaded, to continue the Nats' incredible ineptitude in such situations. In the ninth inning, early this morning, Zimmerman had the chance to exorcise the demons that produced all those missed opportunities.

Mysteriously, the Marlins brought in Jorge Julio to face Zimmerman. As I've written before, bringing in Julio with the game on the line, is almost akin to throwing in the towel, in a boxing match. Watching Julio pitch in the 9th inning, can make Nats' fans grateful we have Chad Cordero. Even when he's struggling, Cordero has a 50/50 chance of succeeding. Julio has maybe a one-in-ten chance, and that's only if the other team helps him out, with some bad at-bats.

After a high and tight fastball that got Zimmerman's attention, the Nats' young star drove the next pitch over the wall in left-center field, for a game-ending grand slam. That's two Saturday trips to New York for me, and two walk-off homers for Ryan Zimmerman. If the Nats, or Zimmerman, are interested in contracting me to make this a regular gig, they can reach me at fischy@comcast.net.

2007-05-11T23:19:00.000-04:00

Who Were Those Guys (in the Nats' uniforms)? I just got home from RFK, and a few of us waiting for the Metro were wondering just who those guys were -- the ones that pounded out 15 hits, and shutout the Florida Marlins (who are the highest-scoring team in the National League), winning 6-0. Apparently, the Nationals just needed a little home-cooking to snap the seemingly endless losing streak that began in San Diego, and continued for swings through Chicago and Milwaukee. Were those really the Nationals?

The Nats weren't perfect, but they were pretty darn good. They left 8 men on base, and probably should have scored more than 6 runs, considering how many hits they had. Austin Kearns made one boneheaded play, when he took off from second base on a fly to centerfield that had a chance of falling in for a hit, but was caught by the Marlins' Alfredo Amezaga. Kearns whipped around third and then stood and watched in bewilderment as the Marlins' doubled him up with a throw into second. The infield botched a couple of throws to first base, as well.

Despite all that, the Nats looked pretty good, and they beat up on the Marlins' getting a little revenge for last month's 12-6 drubbing in Miami. No home runs, but the Nats hit some balls hard, and hit some 'seeing-eye' singles. They also had some good defense, including the team's most spectacular outfield catch, when Ryan Langerhans dove for and robbed Miguel Cabrera of an RBI line-drive double that would have ruined the shutout.

The Nats weren't perfect, but starting pitcher Shawn Hill nearly was. He retired the Marlins in order through the first four innings. In the fifth inning, he got ahead of Josh Willingham, and nearly struck him out, but just managed to hold up his swing on the two-strike pitch. The Nats appealed the call, but to no avail. Hill seemed a little rattled by that decision, and lost his bearings. His next three pitches to were balls, giving the Marlins their first baserunner. Hill also walked the next batter, Aaron Boone but then retired the final three batters of the inning, preserving his no-hitter.

As Hill finished his warm-ups for the sixth inning, Manny Acta came out to the mound, and Hill's day was done. Early reports are somewhat encouraging, saying there was no one moment when Hill injured himself. He has an inflammed elbow, and will have an MRI next week. With luck, there is no serious injury, and Hill will return to the rotation in two weeks. Hill is on the verge of stardom. He has pitched as well as anyone in baseball. He has a history of elbow trouble, but if he can avoid any further serious injury, Hill will become an ace starter.

Still, Hill's injury -- coming while he was in the middle of a no-hitter, and on the night the Nats played their best game to date -- is the kind of bad luck that seems reserved for the Nationals. Manny Acta has to wonder what he has to do out a major-league team on the field, and win some games. At least the Nats got their 10th win, and started the home stand on a pretty good note. Hopefully, that will continue with a few more wins, and some good news about Hill's elbow.

2007-05-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

Hollywood Ending Outside Madrid -- Getafe Dumps Barcelona -- In a win almost as unlikely as the "Miracle on Ice," Getafe routed Barcelona, and ousted them from the Copa del Rey tournament in Spain. The teams met last month, in Barcelona, in the first leg of their tournament semifinal match-up. As expected, mighty Barcelona, with its star-studded lineup, ran tiny Getafe out of the park, with a 5-2 drubbing. The game was really memorable only because it proved to be Lionel Messi's coming out party. The Argentine teenager not only notched a hat-trick, he contributed the most spectacular dribbling run and goal of the last 20 years.

Tonight, the teams met in the return match. This time, the setting was Getafe's intimate stadium, before 16,000 fans, who couldn't have imagined, in their wildest dreams, that their heroes would recover the three-goal deficit and advance to the Copa final. Incredibly, that's exactly what happened. Getafe got two goals in the final ten minutes of the first half. As the second half played out, Barcelona seemed completely impotent, and needed a couple of terrific saves from backup goalkeeper, Albert Jorquera, to keep Getafe from gaining the advantage in the series, based on their away goals.

If you were scripting this, for a Rocky-type movie, you would, of course, build expectation towards the totally improbable outcome. Your script would have to include shots of the rabid fans, pulsing, ready to explode out of their seats, as they sensed the crucial goal was coming. No doubt, these scenes were being played out, for real, across the stadium in Getafe.

Sure enough, as if it had been scripted, just shy of 26 minutes into the second half, Getafe got a free kick in a dangerous position. The kick bent down and found the head of team captain Vivar Dorado, whose last name means "golden." His touch was certainly golden, as he pushed the ball low and towards the corner, beyond the reach of Barca's 'keeper, Jorquera. Not even two minutes later, Getafe sprang Daniel Güiza, who blasted the ball past Jorquera, for the "insurance" goal, giving Getafe a 4-0 lead, and a 6-5 aggregate goals lead.

Barcelona finally showed some life in the last ten minutes. First, Samuel Eto'o displayed his incredible skill in bringing down and controlling a long pass into the box, while defenders watched helplessly. Eto'o gained a clear shot at goal, but pushed the ball over the crossbar. A few minutes later, Getafe's goalie, Luis García, denied Ronaldinho a chance to put Barca on the scoreboard, as he charged the Brazilian superstar and deflected the shot across the box. As Garcia scrambled to his feet and raced to get back into position, Getafe's defenders twice stopped shots that seemed like sure goals.

Having survived Bareclona's greatest threat, all that remained for the underdogs was the celebrations, as Getafe's fans joyously bounced and sang as the final minutes and seconds ran off until this most unlikely upset became official. Without question, this will be regarded as the most memorable win in the team's history, even if Getafe goes on to beat Sevilla in the final -- just as the U.S.A. hockey team's semifinal win over the U.S.S.R., in the 1980 Winter Olympics, is what everyone remembers, instead of the gold medal game against Finland.

This may been the most remarkable result in football/soccer since the U.S.A. beat England in the World Cup, in 1950. A truly fantastical finish that would seem contrived if you read it in a script, or saw it on the screen -- but, this night, in Getafe, it really, truly happened.

2007-05-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

Baseball Fans should check out tonight's ESPN game. This will be one of the most interesting debuts by a pitcher in a very long time. The Giants' Russ Ortiz is hurt, so the Giants are starting Tim Lincecum. His minor league numbers are simply staggering: In 2006, Lincecum struck out the highest percentage of batters (minimum 100) of any Minor League pitcher in the last 10 years, 30.9. This year, he has a 0.29 E.R.A. In his minor league career, with 62+ innings, he has over 120 strikeouts, and has surrendered 26 hits and eight runs. Giants' fans were wondering how long their team could keep this wunderkind down on the farm. You can be sure none of the Giants' starters wanted to be the one to get hurt, because it may be hard to make a case for being allowed back into the rotation. Remember Wally Pipp?

2007-05-06T18:20:00.000-04:00

D.C. United!!! One Win and Counting -- I made my first appearance this year in the Barra Brava/Screaming Eagles section, in the third row. Sitting (I should say standing) there is the greatest sports experience in the capital region. On a sunny afternoon, I think that it is one of the coolest things a sports fan can do in this country. These folks know the game, and they are not quiet about vocalizing their support, nor are they shy about criticizing the guys in the black United uniforms. Admittedly there's a few cheers that aren't exactly family friendly, but it's all in fun.

As for the game itself, United got a wonderful first goal, as Benny Olsen got himself a little space in the corner, and crossed the ball into the goal box. Guy-Rowland Kpene, making his first start, skillfully deflected the ball past a couple of defenders, where it set up for Cristian Gomez. Last year's league MVP, Gomez volleyed the ball into the net, to put D.C. on top, 1-0.

A little later on, an even younger rookie, Kasali Yinka Casal, grabbed a long pass on the wing, and tried to cut back inside of the defender, before going down hard. It appeared from my perch that Casal might have forced the issue, as he tried to run through the defender, after pushing the ball into the box. Whatever the case, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Jaime Moreno hit a cheeky lob down the middle of the goal, just under the bar, as the Chivas goalie dove to his left.

With a 2-0 lead, it felt like a rout might be in the offing. Chivas USA had other notions. The game suddenly turned in their favor. United's offense appeared to be completely spent. Gomez and Moreno played as if they were completely out of gas. Gomez was eventually replaced, but Moreno was either unable or unwilling to do any more running. On the other end, Chivas began to find holes in the United defense. Maykel Galindo got back one goal for Chivas. A shot by Ante Razov was deflected slightly by United's goalie, Troy Perkins flatfooted and beaten, but United were saved by the crossbar. Perkins made two spectacular saves to preserve the slim lead, including a game-saving stop of a header by Francisco Mendoza, a highlight reel save, coming in the 89th minute. Along the way, Perkins made several other good saves, one off a header by Claudio Suarez, for good measure.

Time ran out on Chivas, and D.C. United had its first victory. The players showed real appreciation for their cheering section, as they came over and applauded the fans. Sometimes, this is a perfunctory gesture, but the United players seemed completely thrilled by their support.

Sure, United struggled late, but this could be a galvanizing victory that really sets them on the path towards the championship everyone was expecting back in the preseason. Of course, I know it's early, and United is still only 1-3-1. On the other hand, United finally won a game. It's a sunny day. Optimism abounds.

Report card: First the new guys -- Though he flubbed a near-certain goal with a header that bounced to the goalie, off a corner kick, Kpene turned in yeoman's work. I expect that Coach Soehn will be seeking opportunities to work Kpene into the lineup. Casal looked fairly good, too, particularly on defense, where his work-rate was more in evidence. On offense, he seemed to become a spectator too often, especially when he was in an offside position. He needs to get himself back onside, rather than waiting for the game to come to him. Justin Moose got a surprising start. He had two fine opportunities to score, On the first, Moose seemed indecisive about whether to shoot or pass. It appeared that he chose the in-between option. His centering ball went wide of the net, but went through the goal box, just beyond the reach of the charging Ben Olsen. Moose also struck one good shot that sailed just a little bit high. His defense was a little spotty, and he picked up a needless yellow card. Moose found himself on the bench to start the second half.

The veterans -- Gomez' goal was a good bit of skill, but he seemed out of sorts for most of the game. Moreno didn't have his best game either, but his penalty shot goal was a beauty. The defense made good plays, but had some real breakdowns late in the game. Josh Gros was the least effective of the defenders, and it was Gross who was beaten on Galindo's rush that resulted in Chivas' lone goal. Boswell, Namoff, Carroll -- they all made excellent plays to break up Chivas' attacks. Facundo Erpen played fairly solidly, though he made one curious play with a bicycle back-pass to the goalie.

Speaking of the goalie, Troy Perkins seemed a little nervous -- his confidence may be a bit shaken from the rough start -- but he really came up huge in the final minutes. The save that stoned Mendoza just at the 89th minute may have been the most spectacular, and the most important of Perkins' young career.

Finally, Ben Olsen. Always, Ben Olsen. He's a marvel of consistency. He has his limitations, but he works hard and he's the guy who makes this offense go. It will be Kpene and Gomez who get the kudos for the first goal, but it was Olsen who made their skillful touches possible. Bravo, Ben.

2007-05-06T00:18:00.000-04:00

...And, Sometimes, a Tie is Thrilling -- I wrote that D.C. United fans couldn't be satisfied with the tie Thursday night. However, the fans of Real Salt Lake must be thrilled with their team's tie, this night. Coming into this game, RSL looked outmatched by the New York Red Bulls on every level, including the coaching. Jason Kreis was making his coaching debut, after his sudden retirement and elevation, and was taking on the most experienced coach in U.S. Soccer, the Red Bulls' Bruce Arena.

The Red Bulls broke out to a 2-0 halftime lead, and looked well on their way to their 5th straight win to start the season -- and RSL's rookie goalie, U. of Md. star, Chris Seitz, was looking especially overmatched, as his misplays were at least partly to blame on both goals. In the second half, RSL got one goal back on Chris Klein's terrific blast from distance. Then, the Red Bulls also lost their starting goalkeeper, Dutch international Ronald Waterreus. RSL fans must have thought things were moving their way, but New York's Clint Mathis punctured the balloon with his second goal of the game.

Miraculously, RSL won a penalty kick, in the 89th minute, when the Red Bulls' Jeff Parke fouled Carey Talley. Jeff Cunningham buried the kick to move RSL within a goal of New York, with the game now in stoppage time. The home crowd of over 14,000 surely went home ecstatic, when RSL got the tying goal less than two minutes later. Chris Brown chased down a long pass over the defense from the young'un, Freddy Adu. Brown spun with the ball at the edge of the box, and went around the defender as he drove towards goal. Brown finished the play, beating Red Bulls' goalie Jon Conway with a shot to the far post, for the tying goal, before the final whistle.

RSL's tie tonight was very reminiscent of the win they pulled out against D.C. United last July with a penalty kick in the 89th minute, and another goal in stoppage time to beat United 2-1. That game seemed to signal the drastic reversal in United's fortunes last year. Before that game, United had dominated the other MLS teams. After that crushing loss, United became an average team, at best. The Red Bulls will have to be stronger than United was in rebounding from the disappointment of letting the win get away, giving up two goals in the final minutes.

Some ties are better than others. Not a bad start for Jason Kreis' coaching career -- it might ease the pain he'll feel, when Jaime Moreno passes him for all-time league scoring honors tomorrow (it could happen).... D.C. United hosts Chivas USA -- a game that features the only two active players with more than 100 goals: United's Moreno, and Chivas' Ante Razov.

2007-05-05T16:51:00.000-04:00

Dempsey Got a Goal! Way to go Clint! OK, I was promising that I would shift my focus to American sports, but I can't ignore Clint Dempsey getting his first E.P.L. goal. With Clint Dempsey, it's never pretty, but he just seems to have a knack. He's no gazelle, but he possesses a sudden burst of acceleration, an instinct for scoring, and a touch with the ball that serve him well. Today, he bulled his way through the middle of the Liverpool defense, pushed the ball to a teammate on his right wing, and then knocked in the return pass, for the only goal in a 1-0 Fulham victory. It's been a struggle for Clint, four months spent just working his way into the Fulham starting lineup. Today's win secures a place for Fulham in the E.P.L. for next season. Hopefully, Dempsey will be rewarded with a regular place in the lineup, and a chance to continue his arc to stardom.

Speaking of American internationals: My brother reports that he was on the No. 2 subway line in New York, headed from Brooklyn to downtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. He was engrossed in reading an article in the New York Times, on the new sports stadiums being built in the New York metropolitan area. As my brother got up to exit the train, at Chambers St., he noticed that the guy sitting directly opposite him, reading the Times' sports section, was none other than Captain America -- Claudio Reyna.

The former U.S. national team captain, the finest soccer player this country has produced, went completely unrecognized by the other riders. As he exited the train, my brother stared, probably open-mouthed, at the seated Reyna -- while other riders probably wondered what my brother was looking at. I guess Reyna probably appreciates that he can ride the New York subway in such anonymity, but it seems we have a long way to go before American soccer players reach a status we can call "stardom." Meanwhile, Reyna's New York Red Bulls are in action tonight, vying to continue their stunning start, having won all four of the team's games in the young MLS season.

Tomorrow's Chelsea-Arsenal match (11:00 EDT on FSC) could well decide the EPL title. Chelsea needs a win to stay alive in the chase, or else Manchester United has its first title since 2003. Not quite as long a run as the New York Yankees have had without a championship -- however, in 2003, no one would have imagined that it would be another four years until the next one for the world's most famous football club. At the other end of the table, I'm personally delighted by West Ham's thrashing of Bolton, which moves them past Wigan and out of the relegation zone. It will be a pleasure to see the exciting Carlos Tevez playing for the Hammers in the EPL, next season.

Speaking of the New York Yankees -- I would never want to jinx a no-hitter (I may have already done that once this year, when I left a message for a friend after six innings of no-hit ball by John Maine), but if you're near a television, turn to the Yankees' game on FOX. Update: Chien-Ming Wang lost his perfect game on a home run in the 8th inning.

2007-05-05T13:22:00.000-04:00

What am I supposed to drink when Kentucky Derby day falls on Cinco de Mayo? Anyone got a mint julep recipe that calls for tequila?

2007-05-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

Turn on the Nats, and See Something Special -- No, not any of the Washington Nationals. The Chicago Cubs' rookie pitcher, Rich Hill. With two outs, Ryan Zimmerman singled, and stole second. That gave Ryan Church the chance to drive in a run. Rich Hill threw the wickedest curveball you will see, leaving Church off-balance and flailing away at a ball that wound up in the batters' box on the other side of the plate.

I've seen Hill on ESPN highlights, but it's just not the same. You don't get a real sense of the majesty of his curve, unless you're watching it as it happens. Hill is reputed to have the best curve ball in the majors. I might go further, I can't recall anyone who ever threw a better one. Check it out. Let me know if you agree.

While you're at it, you get the added bonus of watching Derek Lee hit. He's got a 13-game hitting streak, and is batting almost .500 over that stretch. Talk about being in the zone....

2007-05-04T17:22:00.000-04:00

The play of the game came with one out in the first inning, with the Washington Nationals already beating the Chicago Cubs, 4-0. Dmitri Young put a charge into the ball, but Jacque Jones chased down the ball in right center, laid out and made a spectacular backhanded, diving catch. The Nats' had their best start to a game, yet. Felipe Lopez led off the game with a triple, and came home on a professional ground-ball out by Belliard, to the other side. Ryan Zimmerman walked, Ryan Church doubled, and Austin Kearns drove a three-run home run to center field. If Young's smash had fallen, it was at least a double, and perhaps a triple, even for a porker like Young. There was a good chance of the Nats adding to their lead. More to the point, it's likely that the Cubs' starter would have been relieved.

Instead, the Nats relied on their own starter Jason Bergmann to shut the Cubs down. He did will, until there was one out in the third, when the other crucial play occurred. Alfonso Soriano had a check swing hit, that got past Bergmann, and left Ronnie Belliard with no chance of throwing out Soriano. Two batters later, Derek Lee got the Cubs on the board with a two-out, two-run shot. Then, Aramis Ramirez doubled. Ramirez would score an unearned run, when Ryan Zimmerman's wild throw went over Young's head at first base, on Michael Barrett's grounder.

It was game on, at that point. The lead got away from the Nationals, in the fourth inning. Once again, Bergmann had trouble getting the third out, and it was costly. Soriano hit a run-scoring double, and then scored on Cliff Floyd's single, both coming with two out.

In the ninth inning, with the Nats down 6-4, Belliard delivered a two-out single, but the game ended when Ryan Zimmerman fanned on a 3-2 pitch. Zimmerman is in a serious funk. Baseball is not an easy game, but Ryan Zimmerman has made it seem easy. That changed for him, when the Nats broke camp and headed north from Florida, five weeks ago. Few of the Nats are getting key hits with men on base, but Zimmerman may be the biggest disappointment in this regard. This is especially true, because he set such high expectations based on his performances, in a late season call-up in 2005, and a marvelous rookie season last year. As a Nats fan, you feel for him, but you also wonder what he has to do to turn things around.

Meanwhile, this was the kind of loss that we expected to see a lot of, but hadn't yet. The Nats getting a good lead, but then fizzling at the plate, while the Nats' pitchers squandered the lead. I'll say it again: It's a long season. Teams lose games in lots of different ways. This game was one the Nats should not have lost, but the Cubs went out and won it -- so they are the better team.

2007-05-03T23:13:00.000-04:00

If a Tie Is Like Kissing Your Sister, then how are D.C. United fans supposed to feel about tonight's game against the New England Revolution? Frankly, United didn't deserve so much as a tie. On the other hand, after three straight losses to open the season, United fans have to feel at least some relief that their team didn't lose.

D.C. United had a few surprises in their lineup, as two new players made their debut. Without a doubt, though, the central figure in this match was the referee, Terry Vaughn. From my vantage point, it seemed as if the officials got more calls wrong than they got right. Calls that went New England's way should not have, and some of the calls that went United's way were probably even worse.

In the first half, Cristian Gomez was pulled down from behind, with a yank on his jersey, as he waited for a pass in the penalty area, but there was no call. I led the crowd in delivering a second round of catcalls for that glaring omission. As a United fan, one had to hope that the referee would try to atone for that bad mistake. Boy, did he ever!

The Revolution opened up the second half with their strongest counter-attack, as Shalrie Joseph's long ball sprung Taylor Twellman past the fading Facundo Erpen. Twellman's shot was saved by Troy Perkins, However, Andy Dorman had also slipped his defender, and he was there to knock the rebound in for a goal -- even as many fans had not even returned to their seats.

Five minutes later, though, Jaime Moreno was the one trying to run down a long pass for United. Moreno was knocked off the ball with a shoulder challenge by the defender, James Riley. Moreno went down, and the ball rolled to the Revolution's goalie, Matt Reis. A penalty was awarded on the play. During the second half, I sat almost directly in line with the penalty spot, and almost in line with the spot of the alleged foul. I believe I had a much better view than the referee, who was racing across midfield to cover the play. It looked to me that this was no more than the usual shoulder challenge that goes on for most loose balls, except that the defender wasn't able to reach the ball, and the contact occurred in the penalty area.

In short, it was a surprising decision, and it might have been influenced by the reaction to the missed penalty call in the first half. In any case, Moreno tied up the game with a successful penalty kick, going the other way, when Reis dove to his right. Although it was not entirely deserved, it was probably sweet redemption for Moreno, who sat on the bench during the first half in favor of the young Jamaican, Nick Addlery.

Addlery is big and strong, and fairly quick, but his resume, which includes a stint playing in Vietnam, and two stints in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as playing for the Virgina Beach Mariners, where he came to United's attention. He was not especially effective, and Moreno was a welcome substitution. One wonders whether Coach Tom Soehn was just sending a message to Moreno, or whether he sees a new role for the aging Bolivian striker.

Several minutes after Moreno's penalty kick tied the game, the Revs' Joseph was ejected for a hard tackle on Ben Olsen. Admittedly, I did not have a good view of the play, but it seemed that a red card was grossly excessive. The foul was probably deserved, and possibly even merited a yellow card. A red card was not warranted. Apparently, the TV announcers agree with my sense of the play.

The man advantage largely removed the Revolution's threat, as they chose to go into a defensive shell, and take way any open space in their own defensive 18-yard box. United showed little creativity, as they kept trying to penetrate this gauntlet by punching through the middle. The few forays down the side were unconvincing and amounted to nothing.

Finally, in stoppage time, United began to look like their attack might be able to generate a goal on its own, without an assist from the officials. Moreno had the ball along the end line and lofted the ball in front of the goal. Olsen sent a header towards the post that beat Reis, but rang off the crossbar. A few seconds later United had a corner kick, and the ball made its way to Bryan Namoff. This time, it was Namoff who lofted the ball into the middle, and this time it was Luciano Emilio, who got his head on the ball. He directed the header towards the other post, where Matt Reis made a spectacular diving, one-handed save, stretching for the ball and getting enough strength behind his effort to push the ball out of danger.

I suppose the strong push at the end should give United fans some hope that their team might yet regain their scoring touch. I think that might be a tad optimistic, for now. United played much of the second half with a man advantage, but only generated a handful of shots on goal, and no goals.

There were some good signs. Coming off the bench at halftime, Jaime Moreno played exceptionally well on both ends of the field. Although he only played a few minutes, after coming on for the injured Fred, newly signed Ivorian native Guy Rowland-Kpene, looked like he might be an exciting addition to an againg squad that could use some youthful energy and pace. Fred also looked like he could be a big part of United's offense. He showed some anticipation, and a strong shot, from about 30 yards, that Reis handled cleanly. a few minutes earlier, it appeared that Fred passed up a great chance to shoot on a break winside the box, and his ill-advised centering pass ended that threat. Overall, though, Fred played pretty well.

Goalie Troy Perkins turned in a good game, as well. I suspect his leg injury continues to hamper him, as he only punted the ball once, and that was a weak effort. He made a nice play to save a header by Twellman, in the first half. Perkins wasn't able to intercept the pass, and he backed off in time to get in position to make a reaction stop on Twellman. If Twellman had headed the ball more solidly, he probably would have beaten Perkins, but sometimes goalies make their own luck. Certainly, Perkins appeared to be blameless on the Rev's goal.

Problems abound for United. The offense still lacks enough imagination to create any real openings. Gomez seemed hesitant and too often lacked the hustle to get open and give his teammates a passing target. Still, Gomez did have one great chance that Reis was able to save by knocking the ball over the crossbar, and Gomez did feed Emilio with one of Emilio's best opportunities. Emilio's shot appeared as if it would have Reis beaten, but it was deflected wide of the net by Jay Heaps. Unfortunately, Emilio also seemed to disappear for large chunks of the game.

Looking at the game as whole, the defense did a pretty good job shutting down a formidable Revolution attack, even in the first half, when the teams were at even strength. However, the Revs' goal showed once again that United's defense, especially Facundo Erpen, is still too susceptible to breakdowns. True, United was playing their biggest nemesis, but there is a lot of room for improvement. A point is better than no point, but this tie was nothing that D.C. United can feel very good about.

2007-05-02T23:05:00.000-04:00

A Bump in the Road -- For three innings it looked like another quality start for a Nationals pitcher. According to Tom Boswell's column earlier today, the Nats' starting pitchers had allowed three runs or less in 18 of the Nats' last 22 games, coming into tonight's game. Making his first start in front of family and friends in his native San Diego, Matt Chico weathered a bunch of hard hit fly balls, but did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the third inning, when a ball dropped just in front of the onrushing Austin Kearns' glove.

Chico ran into some considerable trouble in the fourth inning, allowing three bases on balls and five runs. He surrendered an RBI triple by Khalil Greene, and then walked the bases loaded. The Nats' rookie pitcher couldn't quite shut the Padres down. First, he gave up a sacrifice fly, and then got truly unlucky, when Geoff Blum hit a run-scoring bloop double that landed just inside the right field foul line, and another double to Marcus Giles that plated two more runs. When the dust settled, Chico was out of the game, and the Nats were suddenly trailing 5-1.

The Nats simply do not have the hitting to come back from that kind of deficit, especially against the quality pitching the Padres threw at them. Help may be on the way, though. The Nats dealt Chris Snelling, who had been a real drag on the team, to Oakland, in exchange for Ryan Langerhans, whom the A's had just picked up from Atlanta. Langerhans had only three hits in over 40 at-bats with the Braves, but he is a better hitter than that. He had been expected to be the Braves left fielder, but his struggles forced the Braves to look elsewhere. Langerhans gives the Nats increased depth in the outfield, and first base.

The Nats got off to an unusually good start, scoring in the first inning for only the second time this season. Felipe Lopez led off with a double, stole third, and scored on a one-out hit by Ryan Church. The Padres' starter, Chad Hensley left the game in the third inning, with an injury, but that only meant the Nats had to face the Padres' bullpen, which has been nothing short of spectacular, from top to bottom.

The Nationals also put together a decent rally in the 7th inning, scoring the first two runs that Clay Meredith had allowed this year. It should have been three runs, but Robert Fick really botched up things, when he failed to score on a one-out double by Kory Casto. The ball carried to the wall, over the head of the centerfielder, Mike Cameron, but Fick ran back to second base to tag up. At the time, that mistake appeared as if it might be crucial, since it forced the Nats to play for two runs over the final two innings. It became a moot point when the Nats gave back two runs in the eighth inning.

Though they have dropped two of three to the Padres, the Nats are looking like a much improved team these days. Casto is an improvement over Snelling, and, tomorrow, the team will add Langerhans to the roster. Monday, they are expected to activate both Cristian Guzman and Nook Logan. Manny Acta will have some decisions to make about who will stay on the roster.

They will have an extra outfielder and/or first baseman. Presumably the Nats will send Casto back down, but if he hits some more doubles between now and Monday, Acta may have to think twice about that move. They are almost certain to trim one pitcher from the roster. That pitcher will probably be Ray King, who surrendered a ninth inning home run tonight, that really put the game out of reach.

From the Minor Leagues: It looks like the Nats may have a phenom at Hagerstown. Cory van Allen has struck out 18 batters, without allowing a single base on balls. Van Allen struck out the astounding total of 12 batters in five innings last Saturday. If he keeps that up, he will leapfrog Colin Ballester as the Nats' top pitching prospect.

American League: I don't write much about the junior circuit, but Josh Beckett's turnaround is worth a mention. After dealing future All-Star Hanley Ramirez to acquire Beckett from Florida, the Red Sox were hugely disappointed in his effort last year. He had an E.R.A. above 5.00, and only one other pitcher allowed more home runs. This year, it's a different story. Beckett is 6-0, and the early front-runner for Cy Young. I'm still not sure that the Marlins didn't get the better end of that deal with Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez, but if Beckett can pitch this way all year, the Red Sox faithful will forgive management for dealing Ramirez. Right now, the trade looks better than the infamous one that sent Jeff Bagwell to Houston for Larry Andersen.

2007-05-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

AC Milan Routs Man Utd -- A.C. Milan has secured a berth in the finals of the European Champions League, with a thorough 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United. The game began in a driving rainstorm in Milan. Milan dominated the first ten minutes, and Seedorf nearly gave the Italian team a 1-0 lead in the first minutes. Van der Sar made a terrific reaction save to direct Clarence Seedorf's blast over the crossbar. The home team grabbed the early leg up, an fine strike by Kaka, coming in the eleventh minute. Kaka took a back-pass header from Seedorf, at the top of the box, and struck a left-footed drive across his body, that beat Edwin van der Sar, the Manchester United goalie.

That first goal gave Milan the lead in the game, and the lead in the series. Though the teams were even at 3-3 in the aggregate, Milan would have advanced on away goals. With Milan already leading on Kaka's goal, Seedorf got his goal, about a half hour into the match, when he intercepted a wayward pass, stepped around a defender and beat van der Sar with a rocket to the corner.

Kaka's goal put Milan in the catbird's seat, but Seedorf's shot may have given United too big a challenge to overcome. Manchester United need to score twice, but one goal seemed too much for a United side that could not seriously threaten the Milan goal. United struggled badly, both on offense and defense. They had but one real shot on goal, which came in the 20th minute, when Ryan Giggs tested Dida. The final goal came late, on a breakway by Alberto Gilardino, but the game already seemed well out of United's reach.

Two days ago, the football world was anticipating a Champions League final that would pit Chelsea against Manchester United, the two teams that have dominated the English competitions this year. In a stunning reversal, these two teams, with the highest payrolls in the sport, were both badly outplayed by their opponents, and shown the door. Milan advances to the Champions League final, on May 23, in Athens, against Liverpool. The game will be a rematch of the 2005 final, which saw Liverpool rally to overcome a 3-0 deficit, with three goals in six minutes, finally beating Milan 4-3. As they were two years ago, A.C. Milan will be the favorite, but Liverpool certainly has the capability to give Milan a much stronger test than they faced tonight against a depleted and disorganized Manchester United side.

'Extra Time' Notes -- I anticipate that I will post an entry on the Champions League final, and maybe another post or two on the final days of the English football season. I will be turning my focus almost exclusively to American sports, and politics -- with the occasional comment on world affairs.

Tomorrow night, D.C. United plays at RFK, against the New England Revolution. One might have looked forward to the game as an opportunity for United to avenge its loss to the Revolution in last year's MLS Eastern Conference final. However, the game means even more than that to United. The preseason favorite to take league championship honors, United has lost its first three games, and looked fairly inept in doing so, in both ends of the field. Only the expansion club, Toronto FC, has a worse record. There is considerable pressure on the players and the coaching staff to right the ship, but they can expect a good crowd rooting them on. See you all there.

One last note -- FIFA President Sepp Blatter has identified four countries that would be considered as replacements to host the 2010 World Cup, should South Africa fall short in its preparations to host the tournament. The United States, Mexico, England and Australia are the possible destinations, because they each have the necessary infrastructure in place. The real significance of the announcement is that it is the first official indication that FIFA is, at least, considering contingency plans, rather than issuing solid, unwavering commitments to South Africa as the 2010 host.

This might just be meant as a kick in the rear to spur on the South Africans, but it is looking increasingly doubtful that South Africa can manage to get it together in time. There is too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. In my view, if FIFA is going to switch the host country, it would be better to do this sooner, rather than later. They could acknowledge the time pressures, and simply promise South Africa the 2014 or 2018 Cup. This would allow the South African organizers the time to make the preparations in a more thoughtful manner, without spending huge sums rushing to meet the 2010 deadline. Moreover, FIFA is set to decide the location of the 2014 Cup tournament. It would be best to make that decision after FIFA has made the final decision to either cut or go with South Africa in 2010.

2007-05-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's Liverpool over Chelsea, in a shootout-- A classic, thrilling match at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium home. Needing at least one goal to counter Chelsea's 1-0 win last week, Liverpool dominated the game at the outset, culminating with a brilliant run-on shot by Daniel Agger on a set piece. Agger ran on to Steven Gerrard's free-kick pass, and buried his shot through the Chelsea defense and just inside the post. The explosion of joy among the Liverpool faithful was as raucous and joyous moment as ever witnessed at a sporting event. Agger's goal brought the crowd to ecstasy, but it also seemed to wake up slumbering Chelsea, who began to press the attack. The Blues' best chance came when Didier Drogba got past the Liverpool defense, and blasted a shot that was nicely parried by goalie Jose "Pepe" Reina.

The second half was a pulsing back-and forth affair. An off-balance Didier Drogba just missed a wonderful chance, as he tried to touch a crossing pass into a vacated net. In truth, it appeared that Liverpool's Jamie Carragher had saved Liverpool, deflecting the ball over the goal, before Drogba could reach it, but the officials awarded the goal kick to Liverpool. Chelsea had other moments, but were unable to beat Reina, who made some big plays. The best chances, however, belonged to Liverpool. Peter Crouch rose above the Chelsea defense to send a header down towards the goal. Crouch's shot nearly made it through Petr Cech's legs. Later in the half, Cech was beaten on a shot by Kuyt, but the blast ricocheted off the crossbar.

In extra time, Liverpool continued to be the more dangerous side, but was undone by several close offsides penalties. One such penalty overturned a seeming goal, when Kuyt broke through the defense, just as a long shot came through, and tested Chelsea's Cech. The rebound came to Kuyt, who buried the ball in the net, over the sprawled Cech. The offsides flag eventually quieted the round of celebratory cheers that had erupted, following the apparent goal. The second extra time period was a little more subdued than the first, but it was not without excitement. As the teams readied for penalty kicks (Liverpool brought on Robbie Fowler), Kuyt teed up a shot from just outside the penalty box, but was unable to get it past Cech.

It's always a shame that such results have to be determined by penalty kick shootouts, but no one can say that the fans didn't get their money's worth of exciting football over the first 2 hours. Liverpool's Boudewijn Zenden buried his team's first attempt, while Chelsea's Arjen Robben was denied by a diving Reina. On the second attempt, Cech guessed correctly but wasn't quick enough to reach Xabi Alonso's blast. Frank Lampard kept Chelsea in the game with a well-struck attempt over the sprawling Reina. Gerrard went the other way on Cech, making it 3-1 in favor of Liverpool. Reina then came up big once again, as he denied Chelsea substitute Geremi Njitap. Finally, Kuyt, who nearly won the match in extra time, knocked home the clincher.

Liverpool is again on its way to the Champions League final (they won in spectacular fashion, with the most famous comeback ever, in 2005), while Chelsea is again denied honors in what might be manager Jose Mourinho's final run with the club. Chelsea was missing some of the team's finest players (including defender Ricardo Carvalho, midfielder Michael Ballack, and striker Andriy Shevchenko), but that will be little consolation to the highly touted Blues. Tomorrow, A.C. Milan will be seeking to duplicate Liverpool's effort, as they host Manchester United. The Italian squad is trailing 3-2 on aggregate. Milan will have visions of getting a rematch in the finals with Liverpool, and a chance to avenge their '05 loss. Facing Manchester United, though, requires complete focus. It would be a stunning upset, if Milan could beat United, but Liverpool's effort against Chelsea shows that expectations mean little at this juncture.

2007-05-01T00:53:00.000-04:00

9 Wins and Counting -- Once again, the Nats won the first game on the road trip, beating the San Diego Padres. They're still on a pace to lose more than 100 games, but good signs abound. The pitcher who was supposed to be the teams' "ace," John Patterson, finally pitched a good game. He was touched for a home run by former National, Termel Sledge (Sledge actually hit the first home run for the Nationals, on Opening Day 2005, in Philly). That was all the Padres could manage in six innings against Patterson. They did load the bases in the sixth inning, but Patterson pitched out of the jam -- he got a weak fly ball out to short right field, and then got some defensive help, when Ryan Zimmerman cleanly fielded a first pitch smash by Khalil Greene. Patterson finally hit 90 on the radar gun, and shows signs of finally getting back his arm strength. The team, its fans and Patterson should all be encouraged by this start.

The big hit came from Kory Casto, who was back with the big club, after hitting the cover off the ball, during 10 games with AAA Columbus. With the Nats up 2-1, Casto hit an RBI double, after fouling off his attempt to lay down a sacrifice bunt. That brought home the Nats third, and decisive run. Although the Nats loaded the bases, after Casto's double, they were unable to add to their lead. Earlier, Ryan Church doubled, in the second inning, and scored the Nats' first run -- a rare instance of the Nats scoring in the first two innings. In the fourth inning, Church was hit by a pitch, and then stole second base, He scored on Austin Kearns RBI single.

The most impressive part of this win is that the Nats beat the Padres' ace, Jake Peavy. Patterson's effort, outpitching Peavy, was the fifth straight outstanding start by a Nationals' pitcher. Although they lost two of those games to the Mets, they were within one out of winning on Saturday night -- losing despite Jerome Williams' one-hit performance over seven innings. On Sunday, Jason Bergmann outpitched John Maine, but the Nats got beat by Carlos Beltran's solo shot. The Mets' pitchers were just good enough to shut out the Nats, who couldn't get the clutch hit they needed to score, despite several good chances.

As I've written repeatedly, the biggest question mark for the Nats, coming into this season, was always the starting rotation. This past week, it's been really good. If they do that week in and week out, the Nats' season will have been a success, regardless of their final record. This year is about building a foundation. If they know they have the pitchers, the Nats' management can go into the free agent market looking to beef up their lineup.

There's a long season ahead. The Nats still have the worst record in the National League, and they're still on pace to lose 100 games. Still, there are things to like about this team, and reasons to think they will only get better as the season goes along, especially if they can get Nick Johnson back before too long. Chad Cordero, who earned his third save, is showing signs of getting back on track, despite the Mets' two-out rally on Saturday night. The Nats' likely number one set-up man, Luis Ayala, is now pitching in rehab stints in the minors. Right now, things look pretty good for a team with only 9 wins against 17 losses.

2007-04-30T02:51:00.000-04:00

You Don't See That Every Day! The Colorado Rockies' rookie shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, turned an unassisted triple play. Reportedly, this was the 12th in major league history. Clearly, a play that rare bears mentioning. Tulowitzki wasn't even sure about it. After catching the drive hit at him (for the first out) and stepping on second to double up the runner who had been on second (out #2), Tulowitzki ran through the base, and tagged out Edgar Renteria, who was running from first base (triple play!!!). Tulowitzki didn't realize he'd just registered all three outs himself, so he went back and stepped on second base, then threw on to first base. You can't be too careful, when you're putting together an unassisted triple play. It can get really confusing.

2007-04-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

The Chief is Back -- I was a little late to RFK last night, for the Nats-Mets game. As I as walking past the Armory, the fireworks rose up above RFK and exploded in the early evening sky, signaling that one of the Nationals had hit a home run. The first time the Nats scored during the first inning this year. Coming in the 23rd game of the season, it hardly approached the historic streak of 28 games without scoring in the first inning, held by a Chicago White Sox team of yore -- but, it was an amazing streak of early futility.

As I settled in my seat during the second inning, the scoreboard registered a 3-0 lead, coming off Austin Kearns' three-run slam. This was a surprise on two levels -- reflecting the Nats' first first-inning score, and also reflecting that young Matt Chico had kept the powerful Mets' lineup off the board in the first inning. He did the same in the second inning, before surrendering runs in the third and fourth innings.

Chico was a surprise, as he earned his second win of the year, pitching far better than he did in his last start, and showing much better control than he has in any of his prior starts. The real story, though, was the Nats' bullpen. In the sixth inning, Saul Rivera replaced Chico, with the bases loaded, and the Nats clinging to a 3-2 lead. Rivera struck out the Mets' pitcher, Oliver Perez. With the crowd roaring for a strikeout, Rivera got Jose Reyes to ground out to Ronnie Belliard.

The Nats extended the lead to 4-2, in the bottom of the sixth. Rivera returned to the mound in the seventh inning, and retired the side in order. In the eighth inning, Jon Rauch gave up back-to-back doubles that brought he Mets back to one-run again. Then, Rauch responded by getting three straight fly ball outs, setting the stage for Chad Cordero in the ninth.

"The Chief" had struggled in each of his outings this year, but on this night, Cordero came out of the gate with his overpowering fastball. It made all the difference. Cordero dominated Reyes, who finally hit a weak foul pop fly that Ryan Zimmerman put away for the first out. The second out was a long fly by Paul LoDuca, that settled into Chris Snelling's glove just shy of the warning track in left center.

That brought up Carlos Beltran, as the Mets final hope. Cordero blew strike one down the heart of the plate. When Cordero began his windup for the next pitch, with the crowd roaring, Beltran signaled for a "time out." The umpire, either didn't notice, or decided not to give it. Beltran had started to step out of the box, but hurried to get back into his hitting stance, as Cordero reared back to fire his next pitch. The ball blew down the middle for strike two. Finally, Beltran popped up to Belliard, and "the Chief" closed out his first 1-2-3 inning, this season. The fireworks exploded over RFK, for a second time.

Summing up -- a lot of good signs for the Nats here: Good defense, including a spectacular grab by Zimmerman in the second inning; Kearns getting back his power stroke; scoring runs in the first inning, for the first time this year; Chico walking only one batter over 5-plus innings, the strong middle relief pitching; and Cordero setting down the Mets' best, in order. There was also good news from the minor leagues, as Jason Simontacchi pitched five good innings in a AAA rehab outing. The Nats' quest to avoid 100 losses is starting to look like mission possible.

2007-04-27T01:42:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Politics and the Media -- If you haven't seen the special that ran on PBS this week, by Bill Moyers...you must watch it -- online or as a rebroadcast. Just make sure you watch it. It should be required viewing for any professional journalist, and should be a core component of any civics curriculum. Mostly, though, all consumers of media ought to watch this -- and aren't we all consumers of media? The program is a modern cautionary tale on why we shouldn't believe everything we read...or see, or hear, in the media.

Moyers explores why only a few reporters bothered to question the credibility of the Bush Administration's claims about Iraq, in the run-up to war -- and why most of the so-called "serious" pundits and reporters bought into the propaganda, hook, line and sinker. It's an interesting assessment, really a damning indictment, of a media that has become accustomed to being spoon-fed stories and sound-bites, from both parties. They have mistaken "balance" -- reporting the views of both sides (as if there really are only two sides) -- for the good, fair reporting and actual truth-seeking, which used to be the aspiration of most dedicated journalists.

The program is called "Buying the War." You can find it on PBS' website at Buying the War

2007-04-27T00:46:00.000-04:00

The Democratic Presidential Candidates Debated Tonight (sort of) -- There were no clear winners. Some folks thought Obama did the best job, while others thought he seemed hesitant, unfocused and amateurish. Some thought Hillary Clinton was the star, while others found her shrill. Some folks thought that John Edwards gave the best account, while others were struck by his silences and evasive answers. Some folks even preferred Bill Richardson or Joe Biden, while others were almost oblivious to their performance.

Everyone seemed to agree on a few points. First, there wasn't much debating going on, except for Mike Gravel's attacks on the other candidates, who, according to Gravel's interpretation, are contemplating nuclear attacks on Iran. Second, everyone agrees that Mike Gravel is at least a little bit nutty. Third, Dennis Kucinich's young wife is stunningly sexy. Readers might recall that Kucinich was a bachelor when he ran four years ago -- and his supporters arranged some dates for him, or something like that. This happy match, between the leprechaun candidate and the sultry redhead, is the result. Everyone also agreed that the format was not very illuminating, and there was a consensus that Brian Williams and MSNBC did not do a good job moderating/hosting the event. Perhaps, they should have gone with FOX, after all.

Finally, according to the article on the New York Times' website: "Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut also took part in the debate." The Dodd campaign must be delighted by this exciting news, confirming their candidate's attendance. Apparently, Sen. Dodd did not say anything worth mentioning in the Grey Lady's report.

On other topics: Fisch will be in attendance at RFK, Friday night -- to catch the Mets, in action against the Nationals, weather permitting. Regular readers can look forward to my report, though I might not get it up before Saturday.

2007-04-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

Nats Find a Stopper, Still Seek a Closer -- Shawn Hill had a great outing this afternoon, for the Nationals. In Philadelphia, Hill took a shutout into the 8th. His crisp sinker was causing the Phillies to beat ball after ball into the ground. In the eighth, Hill surrendered a home run to Aaron Rowand, but rebounded to close out the inning, with the Nats holding a 4-1 lead. When Hill opened the 9th inning by walking Shane Victorino, Manny Acta made the call to the bullpen, to bring in the Nats' putative "closer."

Chad Cordero gave up a big blast by Chase Utley, that carried all the way to the wall in straight-away center, where it fell into Ryan Church's glove, a couple of feet shy of a home run. The next batter, Ryan Howard hit a smash down the right-field line, eluding Robert Fick, for a double. Two batters up, and both had hit Cordero very hard...and the tying run was coming to bat. Nervous moments for the Nats. Even the next batter, Pat Burrell, hit the ball hard, sending Austin Kearns back to the warning track, and scoring Victorino on the sacrifice fly.

With two outs, Cordero finally pitched like a closer, which is his pattern. He does dial it up, once he's gotten the second out, but sometimes that's too late. This afternoon, it was just in time. Cordero blew the third strike past Wes Helms, to earn the save.

Every team goes through stretches where they lose two, three, even four in a row. Winning teams have that one pitcher, who stops the skid almost every time -- a "stopper." Shawn Hill has shown he is that pitcher for the Nationals. Five starts for Hill, and there hasn't been a bad one yet. The last four have been masterful. With Chico, Williams and Patterson pitching poorly, Hill may have a lot of opportunities to show off his "stopper" stuff.

So, today's game raised two questions. Shawn Hill answered the first one. Nats fans can say the team finally has its ace -- a true stopper. The other question, still open, is whether Cordero can be counted on to be the team's true closer. Acta thinks the game is "a good sign that 'Chief' is bouncing back for us." Stay tuned.

2007-04-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

Nationals: The Minor League Report: With the Nats back in free-fall, maybe it's time to look at what's going on down on the farm. I haven't had a chance to see any of the Nats' minor league teams in action, but we're blessed as the Nats have three affiliates within 2 1/2 hours drive -- so, a road trip may happen later this summer. In the meantime, I've combed the statistics, and I'm summarizing the highlights for you.

The most notable performance in April has been that of Joel Hanrahan, with the Nats' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Hanrahan was the final cut among the various pitchers brought in to try out for the Nats' starting rotation. Hanrahan has great numbers, with 22 strikeouts and only 20 baserunners allowed in over 21 innings pitched. I suspect, if current trends continue, that Hanrahan will be up before Memorial Day, replacing either Matt Chico (who needs at least another year in the minors to master his craft) or Jerome Williams, who is on track to be the losing pitcher in each of his start this April. In fact, if Williams doesn't step up his performance this weekend, Hanrahan may jump up very quickly.

Another possibility for promotion could be Mike Bacsik. Bacsik is a veteran reliever, but he has also started once this April for Columbus. Bacsik's numbers are outstanding, most impressively striking out 13 and issuing only one walk in 15 innings. He could be added to the Nationals' bullpen, or given a shot with a start or two for the big club. Chris Booker and Chris Schroder have strong numbers out of Columbus' bullpen. Schroder hasn't allowed an earned run in ten innings, while Booker has struck out 14 in eight and a third innings. Billy Traber and Winston Abreu also have been extremely effective out of the Columbus bullpen.

Emiliano Fruto, who failed to make the Nats' bullpen, has been nearly unhittable as a starter, with only five hits allowed in 16 innings. Unfortunately, Fruto has issued a stunning 11 walks. He seems like a real-life Nuke Laloosh. If he ever cures his wildness, Fruto will have a very bright, major-league career. One other pitcher at Columbus bears mentioning. An unheralded Dominican, Felix Diaz, has put up very credible numbers, and he may yet find himself pitching for the Nationals, before the season is over.

Of course, any discussion of the Nats' prospects should begin with Kory Casto. Though he struggled mightily in a short stint with the big club this year, Casto has hit his stride, since he was sent down to Columbus. Casto has 2 HRs in 7 games, and is batting over .300. In contrast, Larry Broadway has not handled his demotion well. The first baseman has the same 2 HRs as Casto, but his total is spread over 19 games, and he is hitting an anemic .167.

Going a little deeper into the Nats' system, there are two or three notable performers with the Nats' AA affiliate in Harrisburg. The Nats' top pitching prospect is Colin Balester, and he has definitely pitched well for the Harrisburg Senators. Very encouraging results, especially his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Even though his record is only 1-1, the only negative to say about Balester is that he has given up a few too many hits, with 21 in 22 innings pitched. If he can start to dominate a little more, cutting down on his hits-to-innings pitched ratio, Balester might have a shot at the big squad next year.

The big surprise at Harrisburg has to be Michael Hinckley. At 24, Hinckley is still young enough to be considered a prospect, but his performance at Potomac last year, a losing record and an E.R.A of 5.52, would not have merited much discussion of his potential. At Harrisburg, Hinckley has flourished. If anything, he's outpitched Ballester. He's 3-1, and has only allowed 15 hits in his 22 innings. Last year, Hinckley was hit around, and didn't overpower hitters, with only one strikeout for every two innings pitched. He's improved greatly in both respects. This year, Hinckley's one bugaboo seems to be his control. His walks/strikeout ratio was not good last year. He's probably still walking too many, with nine in 22 innings, but his 20 strikeouts so far have left him with a much improved (BB/K) ratio. He's probably on a slower track to the majors than Balester, but he bears watching.

Harrisburg also has one of the Nats' top position player prospects, the young outfielder Rogearvin Bernardino. As advertised, he has speed, with 10 stolen bases. Though he hasn't hit any home runs. Bernardino has a good batting average, above .290, and a respectable .360 on-base percentage. The Senators are also getting strong play from unheralded Josh Whitesell. He's been a strong hitter, showing both pop, with 4 HRs, and a very impressive .365 batting average (up .100 from his .264 average last year with the Senators).

Way down on the farm, the standouts at Potomac, so far, are the outfielder Marvin Lowrance and the starting pitcher John Lannan. Lowrance has a .302 batting average, and four HRs for the Potomac Nationals, the Nats' franchise that plays its home games closest to Washington. Lannan has a 3-0 won-loss record, and has 17 strikeouts and only 3 walks in 24 innings -- a truly amazing display of control. He may move up the ladder to Harrisburg quickly. I'm thinking I'll need to head out to Prince William County Stadium soon to see young Mr. Lannan pitch, while he's still in our backyard. Alexis Morales has nearly as impressive numbers, out of the Potomac bullpen.

A little farther up the road, up I-270, and then a little west on I-70, to be exact, the Hagerstown Suns have a few players worth mentioning. First, there is the Nats' highly touted outfield prospect, Chris Marrero. The 18-year old Marrero has decent numbers, hitting .275, with one HR. Presumably, his numbers will only get better as he gets accustomed to playing professionally. Looking a little more polished than Marrero, right now, is the outfielder Michael Daniel, with 5 HRs and a .290 batting average.

The Suns also have some of the Nats' most touted pitching prospects. Jhonny Nunez and Yunior Novoa have lived up to their billing in one respect, as they are each averaging about a strikeout per inning. However, both have been susceptible to the long ball, and Nunez has issued too many walks with 9 in 18 innings. Another prospect with some potential is Cory Van Allen, who hasn't issued a walk in over 9 innings, while striking out six. Coby Mavroulis has been fairly effective, out of the Hagerstown bullpen.

Lastly: Colton Willems -- the Nats' pick in the first round of last year's amateur draft is scheduled to pitch in the Gulf Coast League. If any information surfaces about young Mr. Willems, I'll try to report it here.

2007-04-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

Rooney Saves United -- In a thrilling match, with the momentum swinging back and forth, Wayne Rooney struck just beyond the 90:00 mark, to deliver a crucial 3-2 victory to his Manchester United side. It was Rooney's second goal of the half, as United rallied back from a dispiriting 2-1 halftime deficit. Certainly, Manchester did not want to have the pressure of needing to win in Milan, in the return leg of their semifinal Champions League series with AC Milan, next Wednesday. Rooney's strike, off a neatly slotted pass by Ryan Giggs, beat Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, a few seconds after the game slipped into stoppage time...and touched off an explosion of joy among the Red Devils' faithful.

The game had started well for United, and miserably for Dida. A corner kick found it's way to Cristian Ronaldo's head, but Dida was unable to stop Ronaldo's header. The ball bounced off Dida, high into the air. Dida chased after the ball as it was coming back down, but wasn't able to get enough of his hand on to it, to keep it out of the goal. United followed with some excellent chances, but Dida did much better, making difficult stops on Michael Carrick, Giggs and Ronaldo.

Defensive breakdowns by United opened the door for the Milan squad, and it was Kaka that kept walking through. First, Kaka sprinted past Gabriel Heinze and cut his shot back beyond the reach of of United's 'keeper, Edwin van der Sar, just inside the far post for the tying goal. Then Kaka raced for a long ball and headed it away from the battling Heinze, who was knocked off the play by the charging Patrice Evra. That Left Kaka all alone in front of van der Sar, and the Brazilian buried the shot to put Milan ahead.

In the early parts of the second half, though United missed a golden chance early on, it was Milan that looked the more dangerous side. Kaka missed two excellent opportunities to gain his hat trick. With the United defense looking badly exposed, United responded by throwing themselves forward against a suddenly depleted Milan defense. Team captain Paolo Maldini and Gennaro Gattuso were both replaced because of injuries. The weakened Milan defense gave way, as Paul Scholes' touch over the defense came down to Rooney, who forced the ball under Dida's save attempt -- though Dida did slow the ball down, the shot got past him and found the goal.

While United continued to press the attack and challenge Dida, it seemed, as the clock edged towards 90:00, that Milan would escape with a hard-fought, deserved draw. However, as the game crossed into stoppage time, Giggs drove down the center, forcing Dida to cover the back post. Giggs delivered a nice pass to his right the crossing Rooney. Dida failed to react, holding his back post position, leaving Rooney a huge amount of real estate to aim at on the near side. He didn't miss. United got the much-needed win, making an all-England final a likely prospect. Chelsea meets Liverpool tomorrow, in the first leg of their semifinal series.

2007-04-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

Jozy Altidore continues to impress -- The announcer for Fox Sports Channel's broadcast of tonight's Red Bulls-Dynamo tilt referred to Altidore's living up to his billing as the "Next Big Thing in U.S. Soccer." I would take issue with that statement in one respect. I think he's the "First Big Thing in U.S. Soccer." O.K. That might be a slight exaggeration. Altidore's new teammate, Claudio Reyna might have been the first true "Big Thing in U.S. Soccer." Reyna, however, has never been a goal scorer -- he's the guy who distributes the ball, and maybe makes his teammates better. Moreover, after he left U.Va., Reyna played his pro ball in Europe. As Americans, we got to root for him, and see him play only in international matches...until tonight's match. Reyna played a good game, but Josmer Altidore was the real star.

Of course, Reyna is now finally playing pro soccer here in the U.S., and he gets to help develop the true "Next Big Thing." Altidore definitely has the tools to become a top-rank striker. Strong, fast, nimble, with some touch, and that undefinable instinct for the goal. I've been writing about Altidore since he first came on as a second-half substitute in a Red Bulls' game last summer. I'm delighted that he is getting national attention.

Altidore was the best player on the field tonight, constantly menacing the Dynamo goal. With a little more precision. Altidore might have scored earlier on one of several chances. Even with the Red Bulls playing a man down for much of the game, Altidore was far more dangerous than anyone on Houston's side. It will be interesting to see how his play changes when Juan Pablo Angel joins the team and, no doubt, takes on Altidore's role as the guy with his back to the goal.

Tonight, Altidore scored the game's only goal, taking a pass at the top of the box, and directing it past the marking defender. He raced around the defender, caught up to the ball and drove a quick shot towards the near post, in the upper corner, beyond the reach of Pat Onstad, the Dynamo goalie. Soon thereafter, coach Bruce Arena sent on a substitute to relieve the exhausted Altidore, who had kept battling despite being taken down repeatedly by the Dynamo defense.

With Altidore, the Red Bulls are a real contender. The Red Bulls are much improved, in many respects, but having Altidore in the starting side is the biggest change from last year. Maybe, with Angel on the way, soccer fans in the New York area will finally turn out to support their side.

This summer, Altidore will be playing for the U.S. in the U-20 World Cup in Canada. After that, I'd like to see him get some chances with the senior team. Even at 17, I think he's the equal of any of the U.S. strikers, with the possible exception of Landon Donovan. Besides Donovan, Altidore is the most exciting American player I have seen.

The U.S. national team coach, whomever it turns out to be, should try to get some senior international experience for Altidore, before qualifying begins for the 2010 World Cup. Altidore will still be only 20 years old in 2010. Nevertheless, I believe, if he is given the chance, Altidore will show that he should not only be included on the 2010 team, he will earn a place in the starting eleven.

2007-04-21T16:56:00.000-04:00

A Correction: A correction and an apology is in order. After Thursday's disappointing loss to the Phillies, I wrote that the Nationals would be cellar-dwellers from start to finish this year. That was clearly wrong -- and not just as point of poor prognostication. It was wrong, as a statement of fact, at the time I wrote it. Unbeknownst to me, the Phillies had already fallen behind the Nationals. A simple check of the standings would have shown that I was misinformed. This is only my first official correction, but I hope to do better and avoid the need to publish any future corrections.

Tonight, the Nationals play in Florida, with the chance to move past the Marlins, and into third place in the division. Who woulda thunk it?

Though it is really early to make a definitive assessment, it appears that the Nationals were correct in not re-signing Ramon Ortiz and Tony Armas, Jr. The Nationals decided instead to try and and find younger pitchers with more potential. The suspect candidates included a number of castoffs, and a few promising young hurlers within the Nats' own system. The choice seemed to defy logic. The pitchers being brought in from the outside could not be expected to match even the mediocre efforts produced by Armas and Ortiz, and the Nats' own prospects had struggled tofind spots in the rotation alongside Armas and Ortiz.

In truth, only one of the outside tryout candidates has made any impact. Most were complete busts. Jerome Williams did make the starting rotation, even though he has shown the least potential of the Nats' five starting pitchers. Still, Williams seems to have a firm grasp on the fifth spot, and hasn't pitched badly. Ramon Ortiz has been excellent for the Minnesota Twins. This, however, could not have been predicted. Ortiz, himself, actually credits the Twins' own Johan Santana for adding a new, highly effective pitch to Ortiz' repertoire. Though Ortiz is flourishing, Tony Armas has struggled mightily with his new team.

However, one cannot judge the Nationals' decision by comparing the results of the Nats' own pitchers with those they let go. The Nationals are building for the future. They need to find out what Patterson, Hill, Bergmann, Chico and Williams have to offer -- to see which of them will be part of that future.

The most surprising and exciting thing is that each of the Nationals' starters shows some promise, with the possible exception of the one somewhat proven quantity -- John Patterson, who still needs to build up his arm strength, following surgery last year. It will be a bonus if this motley crew can lift the Nats to respectability this year. Chico throws tonight, as the Nats hope to ride their momentum into third place -- a position that, only ten days ago, no one dared to think was still possible.

2007-04-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

Friday Night Lights: What I said last week about keeping Chad Cordero? Forget it. If the Nats can still get something for him, they should deal him. What is it with this guy? Maybe the Nationals need to scrutinize his warm-ups. Is it possible that he just isn't getting loosened up enough before he comes in? He's the closer, so it isn't like he has to come in on short notice. Maybe he needs to throw more warm-up pitches, or throw harder in the bullpen... (Scroll down to the end of this post for the A-Rod update, or read on for my report on the Nationals' game).

Though they eventually won in 14 innings, the Nationals blew a 5-0 lead tonight. Shawn Hill had shut down the Marlins through five innings. In the sixth, the Nats nearly broke it wide open. The Nats had the bases loaded and nobody out, but their rally came apart due to the quirks of Dolphin Stadium. A passed ball to the backstop had Hill break for home. Unfortunately, the backstop is very close to home plate and very springy. The ball came right back to the catcher and Hill was caught in a rundown. He actually managed to make it back to third, but a hard slide took him past the bag, where he was tagged out.

As it turned out, Hill strained his shoulder on that slide. He came out to pitch in the sixth, but gave up a two-run home run. With two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth inning, the Marlins were clawing their way back into the game. Still, it looked like the Nats might manage to hold on to their lead, when Ryan Church threw out Aaron Boone, who was trying to go from first to third on a hit to center. The bang-bang play at third base preserved a 5-4 lead in the eight inning. In the ninth inning, Chad happened.

For his second straight appearance, Chad Cordero blew the save. This time, he did it in short order, as he surrendered a home-run to lead-off the ninth inning. Cordero gives up a lot of home runs, especially for a putative closer. I'm serious about the observation regarding his warm-ups. He rarely gives up a lot of runs, but he often gets into early trouble, either putting runners on base, who come around to score, or giving up the long ball. In the future, he should try throwing more warm-up pitches in the bullpen.

Cordero wasn't the only closer to to run into trouble tonight. Yesterday, the Phillies nearly blew a four run lead in the ninth, against the Nats. Tonight, Tom Gordon failed to hold the Phillies 1-0 lead in the ninth inning. In Milwaukee, the Astros got four runs in the ninth inning against the Brewers' bullpen, but the Astros' deeply troubled closer, Brad Lidge, gave back three of those runs in the bottom of the ninth, before Chad Qualls came in to nail down the game. Most notably, in the biggest game of the night, the Red Sox rallied against the incomparable Mariano Rivera, scoring five runs in the 8th inning. This was the first time in two years that Rivera blew two saves in a row.

While Cordero had good company in failure tonight, I think the Nats should try to to find a way to get Cordero ready to get some outs from the start of the inning, rather than after he's already got the team in trouble. If he cannot become more consistent, the Nats really should think about dealing him. Right now, I'd be much more comfortable with Ryan Wagner in the closer role.

It was important for the Nationals to get off to a good start on this road trip. They are starting a truly nightmarish stretch. They will play fifteen of the next eighteen games on the road. The only three home games in that stretch will be the series next weekend at RFK, against the New York Mets. The Mets beat up the Nationals last year, especially at RFK. If the Nats can win enough games during this stretch to preserve their dignity, they might defy expectations and avoid losing over 100 games.

The Nats deserved to lose this game. It should have been lost in the 13th inning. With two outs and runners on first and second base, manager Manny Acta really went against "the book," and ordered Jesus Colome to intentionally walk Hanley Ramirez. While Ramirez is one of the Marlins' best hitters, this moved the winning run, Boone, over to third base -- one wild pitch, or a walk away from scoring the winning run.

The Marlins were denied that game-winning walk when Colome got a called strike on a 3-1 count slider to Matt Treanor, a pitch that looked to be about six inches off the plate. Though Brian Schneider set his glove towards the outside corner, Colome didn't quite hit the target. Schneider had to move the glove a few inches, and pulled it back, getting the called strike. Colome then got the hitter with a fastball down the middle that left Treanor flailing at air.

Ryan Church led off the 14th inning with a single. Church then stole second, but he was still standing on second two outs later, when Chris Snelling hit a one-hop smash at the first baseman that ate up Mike Jacobs and went off his hand toward right field. Church was waved around by the third base coach, as the Marlins' second baseman retrieved the ball. The throw home beat the sliding Church, but the catcher, Miguel Olivo, wasn't able to hold on to the throw, which short-hopped him. Church was in safely with the go-ahead run.

It was up to Saul Rivera to nail down the save that Cordero had squandered five innings earlier. Rivera had better luck than that other Rivera had for the Yankees, earlier in the evening. Rivera got the first hitter to ground out to the second baseman, Rafael Belliard. The next batter, Mike Jacobs, doubled to left-center. Jacobs went to third when Schneider couldn't hold on to a pitch that was way outside. Rivera rebounded, striking out Borchard, and getting the final out on a grounder to shortstop.

So, the Nats' marathon road swing started with a 14 inning marathon game. The Nats can be relieved and delighted that they won. Hopefully, the injury to Hill will not be serious (not least because I added him to my rotisserie team earlier tonight).

Alex Rodriguez update: It looked like A-Rod had single-handedly beaten the Red Sox tonight. He has struggled at Fenway in the past, but not tonight. He homered twice (HRs #11 and #12) and had a double in his third at-bat. As mentioned above, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera blew a 4-run lead in the eighth inning. Trailing by one run in the ninth inning, Rodriguez failed to deliver, seemingly for the first time this year.

Everyone is wondering if the Red Sox will continue to pitch to A-Rod, or give him the "Barry Bonds" treatment. I'm guessing the Red Sox will continue to throw to him, if only in hopes that they can throw him off his stride, and get to him psychologically in the way that A-Rod seemed to struggle with his confidence last season.

2007-04-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

World-Class Talents -- The last 24 hours have provided us with incredible efforts from two of the finest professional sportsmen in the world. One name will be very familiar to Americans: Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod hit a game-winning three-run home run, this afternoon, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. This was his second two-out game-winning home run this month. He is in the midst of what may prove to be the finest April in baseball history.

Rodriguez's phenomenal start is all the more extraordinary, given the meltdown he had last summer, and the constant cascade of boos he had to endure at the big ballpark in the Bronx. Lest we forget, this is still the highest paid athlete in all of team sports. If it's possible to earn his $20 million-a-year salary, A-Rod is doing it right now. His statistics for the month of April will match the season totals for some pretty decent ballplayers.

The other amazing talent is Lionel Messi. If you aren't familiar with the name, you should be. He has been talked about as one of the all-time soccer talents since he was 15 years old. He is still two months shy of his twentieth birthday, and he has now created his singular moment: One of the most memorable goals, most impressive displays in the history of the sport. Messi is a native Argentine, and he has had the burden of being compared to the all-time Argentina great, Diego Maradona. Maradona is infamous for his off-the field behavior, and his "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, but he is equally remembered for the most dazzling dribbling display ever on another goal during that '86 Cup tournament.

As hard as it is to believe, Messi now may have matched Maradona, dribble for dribble. It didn't come in the Argentina uniform, so the Argentine fans will continue to wait for such brilliance on Messi's part in a major international competition, wearing Argentina's blue kit. Messi plays for FC Barcelona, who currently sit atop the table in La Liga (and are still the incumbent European Champions League winner). Last night, against Getafe, Messi brought the crowd to its feet in collective disbelief and admiration. Everyone who saw it had to know they had witnessed something truly extraordinary.

Messi took a pass, short of the midfield stripe, near the right sideline (touch line, if you insist on using English terms). After dribbling across midfield, Messi cut the ball back between two defenders. One was completely faked and went down. The other recovered, and tried to keep pace with Messi. The young lion, however was determined. Messi finally outraced that defender, and then he cut back again towards the middle, eluding two more defenders with his deft, sudden shift.

By this point, it looked as if the entire Getafe defense was chasing after the streaking Messi, and losing ground. Messi pressed forward, and raced around the goalkeeper, as he pushed the ball towards the end line. Finally, Messi corralled the ball to the right of the goal and drilled a sharply angled shot, over a sliding defender, and in the net, for the most amazing goal in the last 20 years.

Want to watch Messi's goal for yourself? You should. Here's a YouTube link to click:
Messi's masterpiece - videoclip or Messi, en Francais or Golazo por Messi, en Espanol

2007-04-19T17:10:00.000-04:00

O.K. They're not that good, yet. The Nats were the Nots (or the Naughts) again, for eight innings today. John Patterson was in trouble during each inning that he took the mound, with the Phillies hitting him HARD. Patterson gave up an extra-base hit in each inning, including four doubles and a home run. He was also wild, with four walks and a wild pitch. Ultimately, Patterson was charged with three runs in his four-plus innings.

On the other side of the ledger, Jaime Moyer really quieted the Nationals' bats, until the ninth inning. In that respect, you have to give the Nats credit for not just folding their tents. Down 4-0, Ryan Zimmerman led off the ninth with a double, and Dmitri Young doubled him home. The Phillies brought in Tom Gordon to squelch the rally, but the Nats kept battling. Austin Kearns was hit by a pitch. Ryan Church hit a bloop single to load the base with no one out.

The Nats' faithful were on their feet, trying to cheer the next three runs home. Alas, it wasn't enough. Robert Fick flied out, as Young tagged up to score the second run. Brian Schneider grounded out to the second baseman, and Chris Snelling struck out, looking at a nasty curveball, ending the rally and the game.

The lessons of today's game: The Nats aren't nearly as bad as they looked in that first week, but aren't as good as they have looked over the previous week. They're missing on a few cylinders, and that is why they will be a cellar-dweller from start to finish.

The pitching: Patterson was supposed to be the Nats' top pitcher -- their 'ace.' He isn't even a good number 3 pitcher right now, and the Nats need at least that from him. Shawn Hill could prove to be not only the best pitcher on this staff, but a pretty good pitcher by any standard. Jason Bergmann is looking as if he has put it together enough to be a good no. 2 or no. 3 pitcher. If Patterson can step it up, the Nats' could live with the maturing rookie, Matt Chico, and the struggling-to-get-it-back-together veteran, Jerome Williams, in the no. 4 and no. 5 slots. Right now, that seems questionable. Patterson has the talent, but he is coming off a serious injury -- it might take awhile for him to regain his sharpness.

On offense, it's also pretty simple. The Nats need more consistent production from Ryan Zimmerman, but one expects that this will come. Where the Nats can be expected to struggle is with the outfield production. Ryan Church was hot for awhile, now he's cold. He's a streaky hitter. Too streaky. Austin Kearns is a good overall player, but he's not a clean-up hitter (where he started the season), or even a fifth-spot hitter. He's the kind of guy you can have in right field, if you're getting all kinds of offense and power from the other outfield positions, and from the corner infield positions.

Right now, the Nats are at least one, maybe two outfielders short. If Nook Logan can fill centerfield, and hit like he did before he was hurt on opening day, the Nats could get by with that, so long as Church becomes more consistent. Chris Snelling isn't going to be a major contributor, and Michael Restovich isn't likely to be, either. The Nationals also need more production from the catching position. Schneider is showing signs of coming around, but, once again, he made a crucial rally-killing out. He does the right things, hitting behind the runners, etc. It's just that except for his home run, yesterday, and a good game earlier in the week, he hasn't hit the ball squarely. Far too many of his outs have come on weakly hit balls.

The Nats seem to have some of the answers already in place, but probably not enough of them to be consistent winners this year. In baseball, though, there's always next year.

2007-04-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

Are the Nats Really This Good? Don't look now, but the Nationals are hot. With a 13-inning marathon win tonight, the Nats have won 4 of the last 6 games. They are getting decent outings from the starting pitching, each time out. The streak started with Jason Bergmann's win in Atlanta, last week. It was Bergmann's turn again, tonight. He pitched very well. In the second, he got careless and served a meatball that the Phillies' pitcher drove to deep center for an RBI double, and he ran into a rough patch in the 7th inning, before being relieved. Otherwise, Bergmann was dominating the Phillies' lineup.

The offense looked good, too. Brian Schneider rallied the Nats in the bottom of the 2nd, with his first big hit of the year -- a 3-run home run. Then, the Nats actually worked together to manufacture a run, just the way you plan it when you set the lineup. Felipe Lopez led off the third inning with a single, and then stole second. Rafael Belliard was walked. Ryan Zimmerman hit a long fly down the right field line, allowing Lopez to tag up and advance to third. Finally, Dmitri Young drove a ball to deep center, again allowing Lopez to tag up and, this time, score.

So, everything was clicking, until the seventh inning, when Bergmann got in a little trouble. Saul Rivera wasn't able to deliver, in relief of Bergmann, allowing the two inherited runners to score, but Micah Bowie came on to get an inning ending, lead preserving double play. Jon Rauch was great in the 8th inning. Then Chad happened. A closer cannot continue to live as dangerously as Cordero does. Unsurprisingly, he allowed the first two hitters to single off him. After that, sacrifice bunt and a ground ball out was enough for the Phillies to score the tying run, touching off the mini-marathon that ensued.

The surprise hero was probably Michael Restovich. Called up in the afternoon, as Kory Casto was sent down, Restovich made a big sliding catch, and had two hits, including the big hit in the 13th inning that advanced Chris Snelling to third. A Lopez fly ball was enough to score Snelling with the winning run. Except for Rivera and Cordero's big hiccups out of the bullpen, this is the kind of game every good team tries to put together each night out.

So, are the Nats turning into a good team? Well, last time I saw them in person, on Opening Day, they were a terrible team. They had one good inning in the first week. They are definitely looking a whole lot better. I'm planning on going to tomorrow afternoon's game. Hopefully, I'll get to see a pretty good team. It will be a get-away day lineup, but I'm looking to see John Patterson turn in a good effort, in contrast to his opening day nightmare. Then, I'll answer the question about how good the Nationals are.

2007-04-17T14:45:00.000-04:00

A Day of Mourning -- There's always things going on in the world -- things I'd like to write about. In sports: The Nationals have won two games in a row -- we might even whisper about a winning streak. while D.C. United ponders 6 goals given in 2 games, a ride up I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike takes one up to East Rutherford, where D.C. United's one-time coach may be putting together the biggest surprise in the MLS, with young Josmer Altidore, veteran signings Claudio Reyna and Clint Mathis, and today's announcement of a potential coup, pulling the Colombian national Juan Pablo Angel away from fading Aston Villa. Angel will be an instant hit with the large number of Colombians in the New York metropolitan area, and he may be a great addition on the field, as well.

In the world: John Edwards' campaign seems to be gaining traction, at least among the party activist blogosphere. The Iraq mess only gets deeper. The Darfur genocide goes on, as the world still only talks about doing something.

Today, however is a day of mourning, in so many ways. As a nation, we Americans are in shock over the events yesterday on the Virginia Tech campus. The world has taken notice, and shares our shock. We must also, though, ask the world to remember another great tragedy. Yesterday was Yom Ha'Shoah. The Israeli national holiday translated into English as Holocaust Remembrance Day (technically the date was Sunday, but it is observed here on Monday, when the date falls on Sunday). The connection is even more poignant today, as the news from Blacksburg comes with the almost obscene irony that one of yesterday's victims was a professor who was a Holocaust survivor himself.

The horror at Virginia Tech was a kind of mini-Holocaust -- a few minutes of enormous terror and senseless murders. It's worth remembering the pain here is but an infinitesimal fraction of the agony that the Jewish people suffered, beginning with Kristallnacht some seventy years ago. For Jews, remembering the ones we have lost -- the ones we remember each year at this time, and the survivors we honor is important, but it should not replace our grief and our empathy for the those lost and those who were so traumatized in Blacksburg yesterday. The Holocaust museum calls for a week of remembrance. Today is a day of profound mourning in America. It is also a day of remembrance for all of us, to remember all the victims of senseless violence.

Last night, I read a complaint about narcissistic grief junkies who had no connection to the tragedy. I'm not sure what connection one needs to have to feel pain. That individual thought being a Virginia Tech grad would suffice. I went to law school nearby. While the area has a place in my heart, I'm not sure how that is of any relevance. We should all feel shock and grief, even if it's not the inconsolable grief a loved one feels. As all Jews are called to remember on Yom Ha'Shoah, today -- and this may may seem cliched or hokey to some -- today, we are ALL Virginia Tech, all Hokies.

2007-04-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

Is D.C United in Deep Trouble? The MLS season is two games old, and United has started by losing both of its games. A 2-1 loss last week, to Colorado, and a 4-2 pasting by the Wizards and Eddie Johnson in United's home opener. So, I've asked the question...is United in real trouble, or were these flukey losses? I'd say the answer is pretty clear: United has some serious problems, and it's not clear if the team has what it will need to fix those problems.

Everyone has focused on United's incredible offensive potential. It was on display tonight, as United's creative passing led to numerous moments of danger for the Wizards. However, United looked shaky on defense in their Champions' Cup games. Troy Perkins show great potential, but also has been exposed as an unpolished talent in goal. It's the slow-footed defense that really poses problems for United. The Wizards were determined to use their team speed to break down the noticeably slower D.C back three, and they were quite successful with that strategy.

The slick conditions at RFK definitely played into the Wizards' approach, but it is dangerously naive to blame United's problems on the weather. The Wizards' tactics really exposed United's weaknesses, and the rest of the league will take notice. While United's emphasis on attacking is fun to watch, they will have to find a way to slow down the opposition, or they will be "surprised" over and over again, throughout the Spring and Summer, and, especially, in the Fall.