Rock your red at either of our two Capitals vs. Bruins Game 7 viewing parties on Wednesday night for your chance to win a Washington Capitals signed hockey stick!

Join Drew Forrester, Damon “The Bulldog” Yaffe, and Peter DiLutis at Jilly’s Pikesville for your chance to win an Alexander Ovechkin autographed stick!

During the game you can enjoy $2.50 Natty Bohs and half-priced wings. Plus, receive 15% off your bill if you’re wearing your Capitals red!

Or, hang with Nestor Aparicio at The Gin Mill in Canton and you’ll have a chance to win a Mike Green autographed stick! You’ll also find $2 Natty Bohs and $2 Miller Lites. Plus, it’s Sushi Night!

Both parties will start at 7PM.

We hope to see you at either The Gin Mill or Jilly’s Pikesville on Wednesday night.

Rock your Red!

It’s been an emotional week for me on many levels with more big news forthcoming about WNST.net and its future, so please allow me a little space today to write a very personal blog that comes from the heart.

Kevin Eck – you probably know him as the “Ring Post” guy at The Baltimore Sun — has been in my life since 1979 and for large swaths of time we were as close as any brothers could be. We met at the Games store at Eastpoint Mall (remember that place?) at an autograph signing for Billy Smith. We also both met Al Bumbry, Scott McGregor, Mike Flanagan and Rich Dauer (his favorite) there on the north end of the mall during that “Magical” summer. I was a legitimate “mall rat” at Eastpoint Mall in the early 1980’s – PacMan, soaping the fountains, that sorta thing.

As Bruce Springsteen once wrote so eloquently in the E Street Band classic, Bobby Jean: “We liked the same music, we liked the same bands, we like the same clothes.” That could’ve been the story of Nestor and Kevin. Except we liked the same girls, baseball, football, basketball, rock bands and, of course, professional wrestling of the WWWF and the land of Bob Backlund and George “The Animal” Steele.

This isn’t just a story about my lifelong best pal from Holabird Junior High and Dundalk Senior High. It’s not just a media or journalist story.

It’s really about a kid from Dundalk who dreamed of working in professional wrestling and next week is embarking on a journey of a lifetime.

I can say with all of the conviction in my being that Kevin Eck ate, slept, talked, walked, learned, researched, watched, critiqued, worked in and worked out of nothing but the world of professional wrestling.

The genesis of our friendship wasn’t born of the Orioles or Colts or any rock music band like Rush — and they’re all closer to the heart of our friendship. The truth: Kevin was the only other WWWF wrestling aficionado and wrestling magazine nut when I was in the 7th grade. It was our special bond – a love of the squared circle and the work of Bruno Sammartino, Superstar Billy Graham, Greg Valentine and Andre The Giant.

So, this isn’t just about another “Dundalk boy did well” story, it’s more like a Willy Wonka kind of story with imagination .

Look, I could tell Kevin Eck stories all night. Chasing girls in the 8th grade. Attending every middle school and high school dance. Girlfriends, births, deaths, jobs, journalism, careers, wives…we’ve done it all.  Crazy weeks in Jamaica. Long weekends in Ocean City. All-night benders in Las Vegas and San Diego. You name it. World Series games, crazy cab rides that I chronicled in “Purple Reign” when Eck was the first person in Baltimore to hear the news that the Browns/Modells were moving their NFL franchise to Baltimore.

Eck and I have been around the world together and have shared our lives together. If you want to see a bunch of crazy old, embarrassing pictures I posted them all on my Facebook page here. Please feel free to fan me and I’ll try to make you laugh more often.

And there’s nothing better in life than when your friends do well. Nothing!

Especially when your oldest friends succeed and thrive and live their dreams.

Kevin Eck’s life and dream came full-circle and into the squared circle a few weeks ago when he accepted a job to work on the WWE creative team with Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Dusty Rhodes in Greenwich, Ct. He’s packing up his family and moving to take a job a lifetime at Titan Tower.

In baseball, we’d say he got the call to “go to the show.”

And this must be what it feels like when your brother or best friend or son makes his first big-league start.

You almost want to pinch yourself for them, you know?

Our lives and our career paths have followed a similar, strange path – we’ve worked directly in the same industry as competitors for the better part of two decades and somehow have managed to keep our friendship (and that’s not always easy with two fiery personalities).

I got a job at The News American in September 1984. He soon followed.

I got a job at The Evening Sun in January 1986. He soon followed at The Sun.

I left The Sun in January 1992. He left a few years later to go to work for Ted Turner and WCW as a magazine editor in the last 1990’s and was there during a turbulent corporate time when Vince McMahon’s then-WWF empire usurped the entire industry and my pal came back from Atlanta having to start his local journalism life all over again.

Because of his immense talent and deep depth of knowledge of local sports, Kevin got his job back on the editing desk at The Sun, right back in the sports department. He began writing his passion – a little blog called “Ring Posts” a few years ago and it quickly became a viral hit. (As I told him it would be…)

So many times I talk about expertise in journalism, integrity in reporting and fairness in news judgment and I’m proud to say Kevin Eck has all of that and has for the most part been a “behind the scenes” guy at The Sun, who never had a high profile beat but has been a rock star in his department on the high schools and the dirty work that so many don’t want to do in the journalism business — editing, planning, managing people.

He’s kind of like that lunch pail rock star football player – a Jarret Johnson, Kelly Gregg kinda underrated guy. But a guy you’d never want to lose. And he’ll be the first guy in the clubhouse and the last to leave.

The Sun is taking a major hit losing a guy like Kevin Eck, especially given his deep knowledge of Baltimore sports, which I sadly never put to better use. I always thought Kevin would’ve been a star doing local sports talk radio and I told him that. But he already had a gig and one that both of us dreamed of having as kids, which is what took us into the newspaper business back in 1984.

We both watched “The Odd Couple” as kids and wanted to be Oscar Madison, truth be told.

Meanwhile, the WWE is getting a rock star – someone who is so dedicated to wrestling that it honestly baffled all of our friends, especially when it became apparent through his mom taping every single episode of every single match on VHS tapes for the better part of 25 years.

Kevin Eck has watched as much wrestling as Mel Kiper Jr. has watched college football tape.

Seriously…

This summer, as a hobby, I took it upon myself to work on one project outside of direct WNST sales and development business and that’s been collecting all of my pictures, memorabilia and boxes o’memories to use on my Facebook page and in an upcoming reality TV show I’m participating in with a friend. (I can’t tell you more about it until they let me.)

Two weeks ago, at the bottom of a box, I found this gem of a memory.

And even though it happened on July 25, 1981, I remember it pretty well. Kevin and I were crashing at his Mom’s house and we began working on a project to quietly unseat Vince McMahon from his kingdom by publishing our own Pro Wrestling magazine. We were gonna make millions with this partnership venture.

His mom Shirley, who has struggled with her health lately and was like a second mother to me, was the only person we knew who could type so she was our typesetter and we had to go to the library to make copies and we planned to sell them for 25 cents.

Kevin and I worked all night to make the inaugural (and only) edition of Wrestling, Inc. with Dusty Rhodes on the cover.

That was 30 years ago last month. I don’t think Kevin has missed a WWE wrestling match since 1981.

Other than Dave Meltzer and perhaps Alex Marvez, my pal Kevin Eck is as expert about all things professional wrestling as anyone on the planet outside of Vince McMahon himself.

There’s not much Kevin Eck doesn’t know about pro wrestling, except now he’ll be on the inside of the WWE kingdom helping put on the show and make it better.

He’s off to the WWE to make a difference to follow his dream.

He loved The Baltimore Sun. He loves Baltimore sports and has quietly dedicated his life to it the way I did.

I was the loud boisterous pal. He was always the quiet one in the shadows.

I traveled the world, got syndicated, did my thing and he was always so supportive – like a brother – through all of my victories and challenges.

Kevin did the family thing, came back home to Baltimore to be a factor at his dream job in The Sun sports department and now he’s gotten the job of a lifetime at WWE and one that he’s richly deserving of and one where he’ll thrive and be the best in the world.

You should follow him. You should root for him.

I’m so proud of him and so happy for him that I could explode.

I just wanted to brag on my pal, spread his great news and tell him “good luck” in the most public way that I can because I’m proud of how his hard work has paid off for him.

And I have a feeling I’ll be watching a lot more WWE and SmackDown in 2012 and pining away for the days of Lord Alfred Hayes and Captain Lou Albano.

And if somehow they could only bring Bruno Sammartino back into the ring for one night at the old Civic Center!

(Originally published in April 2011, this is my story about Rush. They’re back in the area this weekend and I’m geeked up about seeing them so I’m re-posting this blog…)

With Friday’s reappearance in Baltimore of the greatest musical trio of all time, I thought it was time to put words on a page to describe why seeing Rush at age 42 still inspires me and makes me feel like an eighth grade-school dork with a Super Bowl ticket. I might even buy a tour shirt this time so I’ll look cool at work on Monday morning!

Yes, I’ll be at First Mariner Arena with 12,000 others who “get it” when it comes to Rush, Canada’s greatest export this side of Don Cherry and Lord Stanley’s Goblet. But I’m about as old-school as you can be with Rush these days, one of the few who were there back on Sept. 26, 1980 in Largo when I spent my first of 38 evenings with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. I’m sure there are some in our WNST audience who saw them at the Civic Center with Kiss or at some point in the 1970’s when they toured tirelessly as a opening act for virtually everyone of that era.

There’s so much I could write about – and the fact that Rush was the first byline interview I ever really had in The News American (I’ll tell that story later) adds to their mystique – and so much about them that still inspires me but the fact that all four of us are still alive and will be able to gather in the same room with my best pal, Kevin Eck (yes, you know him as the wrestling god/diva from RingPosts and fame at The Baltimore Sun) and jam – well, it’s just a nice Friday night in Charm City.

Eck and I attended that first show with Rush and Saxon 31 years ago at the Capital Centre. I got a tour shirt and my Mom was particularly dismayed that I wore my tour shirt from that night when I posed for my 8th grade class pictures at Holabird Middle School but all these years later I can now post it on Facebook and be completely delighted enough with my decision to say: “See, Mom! I was right!” Turns out, it was the right shirt for a “period piece” kind of portrait because Rush and baseball were my two favorite things in 1981 and 1982.

Through all of the albums, all of the tours and all of the places I’ve seen them in concerts over the years and all the fun I’ve had just cranking up a cassette tape of “Permanent Waves” or a piece of vinyl with “Exit Stage Left” or a CD of “Moving Pictures,” trust me, I’ve worn out thousands of hours of Rush over the years.

If you haven’t seen their documentary from last year, “Beyond The Lighted Stage,” it’s a phenomenal story – a really vivid tale of a few dorky, rebellious

Let’s start with these simple facts: the last three days have been the best weather days of this or any other century and Oriole Park at Camden Yards has been pretty much devoid of any signs of life from Baltimore fans. There have been roughly 10,000 Orioles fans at the ballpark each night while the team is en route to probably getting swept tonight by the New York Yankees.

The evil empire. The doers of bad deeds, like paying the best players on the planet the most money to come and continue a winning tradition. They’re easy to hate but it’s mandatory that you respect the New York Yankees.

They play to win. For the most part, they exclude class. And you get your money’s worth.

And you know how much tickets have been for these games?

Yeah, eight bucks. So for just $8 anyone in a four-state area could come and watch the Orioles play under the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.

So, clearly, people aren’t as turned on by Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, etc. as the ownership hoped we’d all be.

To my way of thinking, after 12 consecutive years of putrid, rancid baseball you’d think any signs of life and youthful exuberance would at least put a spark under people to support this seemingly nice young group of men who wear “BALTIMORE” on their road jerseys, except on Friday nights.

So it’s bad enough that no one really cares about the Orioles. Once again, for the 12th cruel summer in a row, we’ve been subjected to making the Orioles irrelevant in the sports landscape.

But what’s worse? It just occurred to me while seeing the sea of empty seats and hearing these MASN commercials continue to make me want t puke that not that many Baltimoreans have any interest in seeing the best baseball players in the world play for $8, either.

You would think between Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, local frenemy Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia and Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite, some folks here would love the sport of baseball to come and see several sure-fire Hall of Famers play.

And, like on Opening Day, the ballpark had the potential to be overrun with Orioles fans but it’s not.

They’ve had 25,000 available empty seats the past three nights that the Orioles can’t seem to get their own fans to occupy for as little as eight bucks. And if people don’t want to see the Yankees play for $8 and they don’t want to see this group of “exciting young group of future Hall of Famers” what do they have left to sell?

Pretty sad.

Honorable Mention: NASCAR Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (Sunday 1pm from Watkins Glen live on ESPN-Is That Really The Name of the Race? Jesus Snider, just try to defend this “sport”), IRL Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (Sunday 1pm live on VERSUS), WNBA Washington Mystics vs. Detroit Shock (Thursday 7pm Verizon Center), Boxing-Friday Night Fights: Alfredo Angulo vs. Gabriel Rosado (Friday 9pm from Primm, Nevada live on ESPN2), U.S. Air Guitar Championship Finals (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club)

10-American Idols Live (Wednesday 7pm 1st Mariner Arena), O.A.R. (Friday 7:30 Merriweather Post Pavilion), Dave Matthews Band (Saturday 7pm Nissan Pavilion)

I’m only going to 1 of these 3 events. Can you guess which one????

Actually, it’s O.A.R. But you’re not gonna hear me say a single negative word about Seacrest; mostly because I’m pretty certain he runs the entire media world. And you can be down on American Idol as much as you want, but I would suggest the young ladies going bring an extra pair of underpants for the moment when Kris Allen does his best Kanye West impression…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9I4fyayqxo[/youtube]

Also, O.A.R. are good boys from Rockville, and they can do this. I don’t know about you, but I cannot….

[myspace]http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=198998[/myspace]

Forgive me for acting remarkably unlike me; but for “The Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet” and I-that’s “our song.” It was a hard choice to go with that one; but she preferred it to my first choice (Editor’s Note: Language NSFW. Unless you work at the Gold Club. In which case, please leave your cell number below)……

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtOPWWG2z1c[/youtube]

9-G.I. Joe Opens in theaters (Friday, wherever you most enjoy dropping $15 on a tub of popcorn)

Dude, make fun of me all you want; but I’ll be there. In fact, if TLDGOTFOTP is reading, please plan on us seeing this at noon on Friday. Also, if TLDGOTFOTP is reading; I want barbeque chicken for dinner tonight. Please get on that.

And I’m not sure who Karolina Kurkova is or what role she plays in G.I. Joe; but the answer should be EVERY role….

8-Chick-Fil-A opens in Middle River (Thursday 6am)

“Drew…..its Glenn.”

“What’s up Glenn?”

“Here’s the thing. Thursday morning…..I might be a little late. It’ll be fine.”

“Why are you gonna be late?”

“No reason.”

“Seriously man, we have to do a radio show. I’ve got stuff to talk about. Why the hell would you be late? This isn’t really okay.”

“Ummmm……….dentist appointment?”

“Dude, the dentist’s office isn’t open that early.”

“LOOK MAN YOU GET A YEAR’S WORTH OF FREE CHICK-FIL-A IF YOU’RE ONE OF THE FIRST 100 PEOPLE IN LINE!”

“Oh. Get me some chicken minis.”

This has been another addition of Comcast Morning Show theater, where we remind you to purchase your next vehicle at Koons Ford. And true story: this was an actual conversation I had with Intern Steven Patrick this morning; who will no longer be with us if he shows up Thursday morning WITHOUT chicken minis.

Addendum: Which of these pictures is more attractive to you?

A-

or B-

I think you know my answer.

7-Soccer: DC United vs. Real Madrid (Sunday 3pm from FedEx Field live on Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura)

For all of the complaining I have done in recent weeks about how everyone from Europe has a better name than I do (You know, “Alex”, Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, Alberto Contador, etc.); Real Madrid coming to town makes me realize I don’t have things nearly as bad as I thought I did.

Kaka? Awful. Just awful.

Although, if I had a $94 million contract, I’m pretty cool you could call me “Melewski” and I’d be okay with it.

(Editor’s note: I’m still waiting to hear if Steve will be taking me up on my offer to be my partner in next weekend’s Maryland Cornhole Tournament. Ball’s in your court, Steve.)

6-Maryland Football Media Day (Monday 2pm Gossett Team House at Byrd Stadium)

Is it just me, or is Maryland camp remarkably less interesting knowing that there is ABSOLUTELY no QB battle for the first time since this guy was in College Park?

(Editor’s note: You think Chris Turner is a big man on campus? This guy could’ve walked into Cluck-U and walked out with 15 phone numbers.)

(Editor’s note 2-Hey, it’s my blog damnit: Chinese lunch bet says Ralph somehow uses Jordan Steffy’s name in Monday’s preseason press conference. Don’t know how yet, but you just know he will.)

5-Golf: WGC Bridgestone Invitational (Thursday & Friday 2pm Golf Channel, Saturday & Sunday 2pm CBS. All golf from Akron, Ohio)

Tiger Woods is playing again this week, so there’s a chance you might peak at this. I’d try to make an intelligent golf joke here, but frankly-you care about golf probably as much as I do. So instead I found a picture of Ray Bachman playing golf in Alaska. I think you’ll like it.

4-Tennis: US Open Series Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Action Monday-Sunday; TV Friday 12 & 7pm ESPN2, 2:30pm Tennis Channel; Saturday 3pm Tennis Channel, 7pm ESPN2; Sunday-FINAL-3pm ESPN2. All action from Fitzgerald Tennis Center), LA Women’s Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife (Friday & Saturday 5pm Tennis Channel, 7pm ESPN2; Sunday-FINAL-5pm ESPN2.)

If for some reason you hear this on the news this week: “American tennis star Andy Roddick is believed to be missing. He was last seen with a doughy-looking white male who was wearing a Greivis Vasquez jersey and is believed to be in the radio industry. If you know have any information about the suspect, please call Metro Police”…….

Just be cool, guys. Please?

This is another one of those “Hmmmm….” type of questions. If you could spend the evening with one of these people, who would you choose:

A-Andy

or B-Andy’s wife Brooklyn Decker

Can I get back to you?

3-Ravens Training Camp (Tuesday-Monday, McDaniel College)

I know the Ravens don’t do “King Ugly” anymore, but if they did, could I nominate Domonique Foxworth?

Also, thank God they don’t do a Media version of King Ugly. I mean, Coleman already wins at everything else in town (other than his wrestling matches with Brian Mitchell, apparently); why add to his embarrassment of riches???

2-Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Saturday 7pm from Canton, Ohio live on ESPN & NFL Network), Hall of Fame Game: Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans (Sunday 8pm from Canton, Ohio live on NBC)

THANK GOD THANK GOD THANK GOD THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw6H3crLzpg[/youtube]

SUCK IT BASEBALL! REAL (TEAM) SPORTS ARE BACK!!!!!!!

(Editor’s note: Kinda. But that doesn’t matter. Not even a little bit. When Patrick Ramsey is throwing the ball to Dominique Edison in the 4th quarter, it will STILL be football.)

1-UFC 101: Declaration (Saturday 10pm from Philadelphia live on Pay-Per-View, WNST bus leaves at 3pm from White Marsh Park & Ride, bouts start at 8:15), WEC 42: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Brian Bowles (Sunday 9pm from Las Vegas live on VERSUS)

It’s like God knew it had been a long summer and wanted to give me my own personal weekend. If you haven’t signed up for the UFC bus, you’re out of your mind.

This will be the best thing that’s happened to me in Philly since……

…..yeah, we’re finding a way to go to Geno’s while we’re there. That city is a miserable hell hole otherwise.

Here’s an Anderson Silva highlight video for you to gander at as well. I’m so good to you people.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkZkgcwn42I[/youtube]

-G

The Miller Lite was ice cold. Our Gunther charter got us to The Bronx plenty early yesterday. And the “new” Yankee Stadium was big, bold and pricey as promised. We were having a blast last night amidst a sea of pinstripers right up until the time Chris Ray came into the game.

And, of course, it’s hard to win when you only get three hits over nine innings.

Orioles starting pitcher Brad Bergesen kept the Birds in the game for six innings, pitching some inspired baseball after allowing ARod a first-inning home run. But Ray’s seventh inning implosion and the dominance of C.C. Sabathia, who allowed just three hits in seven innings, led to a blowout 9-1 Yankees win in Gotham City.

The video from the trip is coming to wnsTV and the many observations about the stadium will be discussed on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m. today. All in all, a beautiful, antiseptic environment for baseball in New York is kinda weird but the fans there certainly seem galvanized to support the club and spend the money to come to the new palace.

Did I mention that a beer cost me $9?

There was palpable energy in the seats all evening and I saw more kids at the game than I remember seeing at the old Yankee Stadium. Their new crib reminds me more of the current Comiskey Park (U.S. Cellular Field, or whatever they’re calling it this year) in Chicago than any other park.

WNST will be doing another bus trip back to The Bronx on Wednesday, July 22 for an afternoon game between the Yankees and Orioles. We’ll put this trip on sale this weekend here on the site.

We’re also doing a combo baseball/football trip called “Fenway and Football” to Boston the weekend of Oct. 3-4. It will include Fenway Park on Saturday night (Red Sox-Indians) and the Ravens game in Foxboro with the New England Patriots on Sunday.

More details at 2 p.m. on my show.

Tonight in Washington D.C., a place where five years ago hockey was a rumor or perhaps a myth, the Capitals will host the Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. I don’t need to tell you that it will be one of the best sporting events of this (or any) year. I can all but guarantee it.

Honestly, tell me another sport — other than an NFL playoff game, but even those are influenced by injuries, weather, weird bounces, blowouts, etc. — where you know you’ll be getting what you’re paying for tonight.

It’s 3-3. The teams clearly don’t like each other. The penalties have been lopsided in the Penguins direction. The “one name” stars are all out — my man Jim Williams of The Examiner wrote about the incredible worldwide audience for this game — Ovechkin and Federov, Sidney and Malkin.

Who’ll win? The pesky Capitals who have been outplayed dramatically but have been incredibly resiliant and realiably cardiac over the past three weeks certainly have a shot. They are the NHL team with nine lives at this point.

A home crowd of 20,000 red maniacs, taunting Sidney Crosby and Segei Gonchar not to mention Marc-Andre Fleury all night.

For all of the initiated, don’t worry about all of the strange pronunciations and rules and icing and penalties. Don’t focus on “I can’t see the puck” anymore.

Just watch the action. And the passion. And the flow of the game. And the intensity of the crowd.

Unfortunately “scheduling” has cost me an opportunity to be at the Verizon Center tonight acting like a fool. But instead, you can watch me flip out in a red Skipjacks jersey tonight and participate in the idiocy and intensity of Game 7.

We’ll be at Donna’s Tavern in Dundalk for the Coors Light King (or Queen) of Baltimore Sportstalk competition at 7 p.m. We have 12 contestants (Jay Trucker has unfortunately had to withdraw) each doing a few minutes of live, mystery radio.

Our competition will end well before 9 p.m., which means a post-competition party with 3rd period, Game 7 nuttiness as a dessert for the evening. We might even have a few Coors Lights.

And, as important as the competition is, we DO have a game to watch tonight. Drop by Donna’s and support some of the amateurs and Rock The Red with us!

Orioles go for the sweep. Caps go for a Game 7 win. And WNST has some fun with some real Baltimore sports fans in Dundalk with celebrities, cheap beer, great food and all on a Wednesday night, no less!

Game 7 is the best, isn’t it?

Today is gonna be a great day!

Part of the pain of being a lifelong fan of the Washington Capitals has been the “tease” factor and the dalliances with greatness. It’s a franchise that has had a long history of tragic, Game 7 losses in April and early May.

Tonight, with a rabid crowd and the greatest player on the planet registering a hat trick and a kid in goal who is playing electrifyingly exciting between the pipes, this team seems on the verge of doing some special things this May.

Despite a few retaliation penalties in the early going before righting their ship, the Caps played the part of a gritty, determined team — the kind that holds serve in their own rink and now must go to Pittsburgh with a chance to exterminate the Penguins in the Igloo on Wednesday and Friday.

No doubt the folks at the Verizon Center tonight will be telling people for years about the night that Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby both scored three goals and the Caps won 4-3 in the most exciting local sporting event of 2009. The building sounded like the roof was about to explode.

I went to the game on Saturday, which was a great event. But, tonight, I’m embarrassed that I missed out on the fun in person. That said, it was a pretty wild night just watching on TV. (I even got to watch the Orioles beat the Rays in between periods and the hockey game ended in the 8th inning, right on cue)

Sure, there’s a ton of hockey left to be played but these are the kinds of games and momentum builders that win championships. Simeon Varlamov clearly is unfazed — if not inspired — by the pressure of a sold out, singing crowd and the constant attack of the Penguins offense. And all of this comes after being woefully down 3-1 in the New York Rangers series and finding a way to come back and win.

The Caps are onto something good. It’s not a bad time to get on the bandwagon. There’s a lot of fun to be had watching the Caps this spring.

Hope to see you at Silver Spring Mining Company in Perry Hall on Wednesday night rocking your red. We promise $2 Michelob Ultras and plenty of noise in the room.

There’s nothing better than Stanley Cup hockey.

Nothing.

Previewing Round Two

On Saturday at 1 pm the Washington Capitals will be hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins as they resume their run at advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.  The second round will begin and it will put two of the game’s great young players, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, against each other.  The one who shines the most will more than likely be playing for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Capitals were able to survive a seven game series against the Rangers because their offense was in a different class than that of the Rangers.  They were able to overcome defensive laps in concentration and execution as well as careless passing and untimely giveaways because they were that much better of an offensive team than the Rangers.  The Capitals were third in the league in scoring while the Rangers got in more with their defense as their offense ranked 28^th in the league.  Because of their ability to outscore a weak Rangers team, they did not have to play their best hockey on the defensive end.

This will not be the case when the Penguins come to town.   Sidney Crosby will bring his Pittsburgh Penguins to town to take on Alex Ovechkin and the second seeded Washington Capitals.

This matchup is compelling to many hockey fans; but this battle between the Capitals and Penguins is about more than just two players.  Both of these teams have given their young stars plenty of support while on offense, as was evident by each team being ranked in the top six in scoring during the regular season.  Both teams proved to have a potent offense with the Capitals scoring just ten more goals then the Penguins during the regular season.

Defensively they are a wash since the Caps were at a seven goal disadvantage and both teams were in the bottom half of the league.  As good as these teams are offensively, this series may come down to which team can get the key defense stop when the game is on the line.  It will be on the defenders to keep the opponents’ offense off of the attack and on the goaltenders to keep the pucks out of the nets when the game is on the line.

To succeed in the series, the Capitals will need to play a complete game.  Their defenders will need to be aggressive and force the Penguins into an outside shooting type of game.  They will need to keep the forwards for the Penguins from in front of the goal.  They like to put the likes of Crosby and Malkin close to the net and create scoring for them by putting shooters around the perimeter of the scoring zone.  By pushing these two players away from the goal and keeping constant contact with them should increase the chances of Varlamov to continue his stellar play in net.

Offensively, the Capitals need to be more aggressive in attacking the net.  I felt as though there were times when they got too slap happy from the outside.  I felt there were periods were they would settle for hard outside shots instead of taking a little more time to generate more offense around the next.  I also feel as though they will need better execution in their passing game.  There were periods, such as in the beginning of game seven, when their passing was not crisp and accurate.  Their passes would be bouncing off the line of the intended target. 

This cannot happen against the Penguins because uncontested giveaways will give the offensively explosive Penguins easy scoring opportunities.  Both teams can transition to the offensive attack so quickly that any turnover could easily result in a fast break opportunity for the other. The team that commits the least amount of giveaways, thus limiting the opponents’ scoring opportunities, should come away with the victory.

In the end this matchup is so compelling because both teams match up very similarly and the one who takes care of the puck offensively and protects the zone defensively will move on to the conference finals. 

I predict that Varlamov will be the key in leading the Capitals to a 4 games to 2 victory over the Penguins in this second round series.   

You gotta love the NFL. The league hasn’t snapped the football in almost three months and the buzz is as strong for the draft as it is for Week 7 of the regular season. It never ends this love of American football. So much enthusiasm and energy and talk about the 26th pick on Saturday for the Ravens.

Amidst that, there are all sorts of stories and storylines:

What will happen with Anquan Boldin and are the Ravens really involved?

My gut AND my sources tell me that it’s not very likely. The notion that Ozzie Newsome would trade a No. 1 and a No. 3 and then have to back up a brink’s truck for Boldin is highly unlikely. Plus, the cap issues of taking on another superstar making a super premium salary seem daunting. If the Ravens had that kind of money, they should’ve kept Bart Scott, right?

Who are the players the Ravens really like and would select at No. 26?

It’s always a crapshoot on draft day when you pick so low. The Ravens were greatly affected by the Atlanta trade for Tony Gonzales yesterday because it’s clear that the Falcons won’t be taking tight end Brandon Pettigrew with pick No. 24. Every name that comes off the board in the first 25 spots – and every trade up or back, and we expect a few – will affect what’s left when the 26th pick hits the clock.

So, when people ask me today and all day tomorrow, “Who will the Ravens pick?” I tell them the same thing every year: “Even Ozzie Newsome has no idea who they’ll wind up getting with a pick so low.”

That said, I’ll take a low pick on draft day every year into perpetuity. The joy of a single-digit pick is far outweighed by the agony of dealing with 16 weeks of bad football during a 6-10 season. Let Cincinnati and Cleveland pick early every year from now until the end of time.

All of these weeks and months of mock drafts are just that: a mockery. One unexpected trade on draft day – and with lunatics like Al Davis, Mike Brown and Daniel Snyder running drafts there’s always somebody doing something – not to mention other legitimate trades for more picks or value, it’s more impossible to predict a mock draft correctly than filling out a perfect March Madness pool. I think you’d have a better chance of hitting the lotto tonight for $150 million.

And once one team or one player goes awry, the whole draft changes. Everyone tries to handicap it but it’s a futile effort.

But this much I know: The Ravens would LOVE to trade a few times over the weekend, which is all the more reason to be on our text service. They only have six picks. They’d rather have seven or eight.

Here are some names of guys — and some key positions of need for the Ravens — that you should keep an eye on over the weekend as the names come off the board:

Center – Alex Mack, California. The Ravens brought him into town and checked him out thoroughly. He’s a tough, smart “Raven” kinda guy. If they trade out of No. 26 to move backward (and I still think this is VERY likely because they really want more picks), Mack would be a early 2nd rounder that will help the team. The only question is whether he can help the team at guard because the team already has a two-year solution at center in Matt Birk.

Tight end – A “dream” scenario for the team would be if Brandon Pettigrew fell to them at No. 26. The Philadelphia Eagles at No. 21 would be the one team to tie them up but that’s looking less likely. Again, the Falcons deal yesterday to acquire Gonzales helps the Ravens if they indeed covet Pettigrew, who is a beast at 6-6 and could help the pass protection and provide a safety valve for Joe Flacco.

Wide receiver – While the whole universe seems to think the Ravens are desperate for a wide out, I’m not convinced they’ll take one in the first round. Perhaps they’d select Kenny Britt of Rutgers if he’s still on the board but I don’t think Hakeem Nicks will be their choice. I’ve been saying for two months that WR is not the team’s most acute need nor should they burn a first-round pick on the riskiest of all positions on draft day.

Defensive back – Vontae Davis and Darius Butler. You can never have too many cornerbacks. They’re like pitchers in baseball. If you don’t get one in the first round you’re probably not getting one you feel comfortable in calling a starter. It’s the toughest role this side of QB to fill in the NFL. Davis comes with some immaturity and a little bit of baggage, but he’s the closest thing to a poor man’s Chris McAlister in this draft.

Defensive line/LB – Rey Maualuga. He’s probably the only player in the No. 26 range that the Ravens would consider and this isn’t their greatest need. If they were to take a LB here it would tell you a lot about how highly rated this player would have to be on their overall board. Honestly, all of the USC linebackers look attractive and will almost certainly be gone by the time the Ravens get on the clock in the second round with pick No. 55.

Here’s my hope: Brandon Pettigrew

Here’s my “prediction”: Rey Maualuga

The real story of the Ravens’ drafts and their relative success since 1996 has been tied to what happens AFTER the first round. Between Newsome, Eric DeCosta and Phil Savage and their staffs, over the years the Ravens have become the best team in the league on the last weekend of April. It’s how Newsome and this department has survived so long in one place. It’s an absolute anomaly.

Think about it: What were the odds that in 1996 when Ozzie Newsome passed on Lawrence Phillips and selected Jon Ogden and then went on to take Ray Lewis instead of Leland McElroy at the No. 26 pick that he’d STILL be here in April 2009 making decisions for Baltimore’s football team?

Newsome is still here because he’s really, really great at evaluating talent. He’s got a gift. He’s not always right but he’s been right more than virtually anyone on the planet at doing this.

And most experts say this draft is NOT deep for starting talent beginning Sunday morning. For whatever reason, most scouts aren’t feeling great about finding the next Adalius Thomas or Jason Brown late in the day on Sunday.

It’s a great weekend to be a football fan. It’s a great weekend to be a draftnik. Or just a nerd, like me.

I’ll be bellied up to the bar at Padonia Station at 3 p.m. drinking $2 Michelob Ultras and watching the draft and sending texts to everyone on the text service.

We’re having a “Textathon” weekend because this is the one weekend when we know we’ll be sending you a lot of stuff.

We hope if you’re not on the service you consider joining. And, if you are, we hope you’ll forward our texts to your PSL, purple-loving friends so they know the news and know about WNST.net and our cool text service.

Thanks!