Quality matters. This is a very smart move. It is better to lose some revenues short term and get it right again. This retraining and shutting down stores is a very public and transparent act on Starbuck’s behalf. It is symbolic and smart.

That was a game for the taking but we skated away with no points.

That was a game for the taking but we skated away with no points.  Atlanta won last night, tying the game in the waning moments against NJ and then winning in OT. They got two points. The night before, Carolina got the two points when they needed it. They are now both ahead of us in the standings although we have a game in hand. We play suddenly hot Tampa tonight. Every game matters. We are down many players to injury and we are playing back to back road games but we have to overcome that and get a win tonight. Then we can rest up a bit and try to get healthy for our next game which is Wednesday against the Islanders at home. Every game matters. Every game is like a playoff game.

Good for DC United. They deserve a new stadium. Good for the Washington Nationals. They deserve additional help from the city on additional parking after having spent more than $700 million – all in – on their soon to be opened stadium. Who designs a stadium for 45,000 that only has parking for 5,000 anyway? But let us never lose track of the facts. The main reason that the city is booming is that Verizon Center opened in downtown DC when the city was abandoned and needed help. The new arena made it OK to live again back in downtown DC. The area boomed; the tax dollars started to flow; and suddenly we have capacity as a city to help build new arenas and stadiums that ultimately compete with our building for sponsors, suite renters, and for consumer dollars and time. We are in competition with our own city for consumer and sponsor dollars and time now.

Good for DC United. They deserve a new stadium. Good for the Washington Nationals. They deserve additional help from the city on additional parking after having spent more than $700 million – all in – on their soon to be opened stadium. Who designs a stadium for 45,000 that only has parking for 5,000 anyway? But let us never lose track of the facts. The main reason that the city is booming is that Verizon Center opened in downtown DC when the city was abandoned and needed help. The new arena made it OK to live again back in downtown DC. The area boomed; the tax dollars started to flow; and suddenly we have capacity as a city to help build new arenas and stadiums that ultimately compete with our building for sponsors, suite renters, and for consumer dollars and time. We are in competition with our own city for consumer and sponsor dollars and time now. But Verizon Center was funded almost in its entirety by Abe Pollin and Washington Sports and Entertainment. We have become Abe’s partners via Lincoln Holdings. We understand the economics and the reality of competing with publicly funded venues when we pay a privately guaranteed mortgage and much more in debt service than either DC United or the Nationals will pay on their more modern structures. Verizon Center is now ten years old.   I write this today because it pains me. Yesterday I was asked to join a group of DC based executives to support the rehab of the libraries in the city. I can