Monthly Archives: October 2010

Enough Sugar for You?

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Got a sugar buzz from last night’s Caps game?

We came out and played well. But quickly went down 2-0. I wasn’t concerned because I thought we were playing well and just not capitalizing on our chances. We have a lot of talent on the ice and at some point, a break will come our way and a power play will click.

But after ten minutes into the game, the emails started coming to me I see this morning. Whine. Cry. Bitter. Sour. Dyspeptic. Random. Disrespectful. Some obviously from the same person – same typos but from different email addresses. Sad, lame, funny.

We then played better scoring at the right time. Scoring in bunches. Alex Ovechkin scored 2 goals in 12 seconds. Nice to see.

We win 7-2. But no more emails? Thank you.

So a 3 game road trip – 3 games in 3 different time zones. We win 3-0; we lose 2-1; we win 7-2. Three games with f0ur goals let in. Two wins out of three games. Do you see a change?

We win 7 games in the month of October – 1 less than last season. Is it time to panic yet?

We score less and we defend better than last year. Our goaltending seems to be stronger.
We are short handed with lots of injuries. We don’t care about that. We care about keeping the other team from scoring.

We sit 4th in the East in the standings.

First month is out of the way. We get a few days off to rest up and heal up from a crazy schedule and road trip.

And after 12 years of random pixel generation to me, I reach a breaking point and I am now shutting down access to me from certain individuals via email. It just got old and I feel battered. Sorry but it is just time.

Go Caps!

A Loss is a Loss

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But last night’s loss was a good loss.

There was a lot to like.

We played with enthusiasm.We played defense and we rebounded.

We ran the floor well.

John Wall played a great all around game - 28 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. And a game that is scary fast with pace and strength. As advertised!

We seemed short-handed last night and we didn’t have the veteran presence to know what to do when the game is close, i.e. go hard to the basket and draw a foul. We still settle for jumpers from our big men but we will learn and we will heal up. And we will improve.

Also, I have never seen as many turnovers – without the ball - on screening fouls in my life from both teams. We have to work on that alignment. We also just have to work harder in the paint. We work too hard for every point it seems sometimes.

We looked like the team I thought we would be last night - young, fast, and big with upside undergoing a rebuilding process but a team that likes to play together.

A loss is a loss.

But we made progress from game 1 to game 2. That is a positive sign for all.

Onward to our first home game on Tuesday night. See you all then and there.

Odd

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We get beat by Orlando by 29 points in game 1. It is “historic.”

Orlando then loses by 26 to Miami the next day. It is just a box score.

The NBA is a tough league. There are many great teams and many committed ownership groups. It is a long season. It would be appropriate for fans to calm down a bit. I have already received emails to fire this person; trade that player; do this and do that after one game.

I guess I will need to be more calm and patient than some of our fans. :-)  I have been through this before. It is always dark before the dawn.

Stats

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China will soon double the Internet penetration of the US. China has 420 million users today. The US has 240 million. China’s growth rate is more than double the US.

And here comes India which will soon hit 100 million Internet users. They have about 80 million today.

It May Be All of That

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But I am hopeful we sell out the first game of the season at home next Tuesday. Come see for yourself. Read this one.

The Wizards have very affordable season ticket holder packages and very low general admission ticket prices, too. Come on out and enjoy a game. We also offer a lot of value now in our new plans.

As an aside, something funny happened last week. I was walking past a nice dining establishment near Verizon Center. A man walked out of the establishment, saw me and said, “Hi Ted. We are attending the Caps game tonight as a family. We would come to more games but tickets prices are so expensive.”

I said, “I empathize. How much did you pay for your tickets? Can I see them? The face value of the tickets - $50. Times 4 people - $200. This fan had been given his tickets by a friend who is a season ticket holder.

I then said, ”Can I see your check for dinner tonight or is that too bold?” He laughed and pulled out the receipt - $ 219 with tip.

I said, ”So did you complain about the price of dinner and wine to the chef?” :-)

So a dinner for four in this restaurant costs more than four tickets to the game. The restaurant got the business because the family was coming to Verizon Center and wanted to eat dinner before the game and we get accused of having high ticket prices. :-)  That is the business that we have chosen.

A Second Ugh For the Night

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A 2 to 1 loss for the Caps. We have let in 2 goals in 2 games on the road and we have only won 1 of those games. Where is our offense? That is the question that is being asked of me in email after email?

We will get to work, hard work, and adhering to systems will help. Getting a bit healthier will also help as we can’t have players logging 25 and 30 minutes per game, and playing back-to-back games, in two different cities. A tough, grueling schedule–but that is life in the NHL.

Onward. A long trip now to Calgary. We play again on Saturday night. Lots of time for practices and team bonding on the road.

Welcome to the NBA

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I knew we would have nights like this one.

Lots of young players, playing against an amped up, vet-laden squad, on the road. If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.

I have been through this before–it doesn’t surprise me.

We will improve. This road loss, by a million points, is part of a process.

It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t pretty, but game one is out of the way.