Baltimore Earned a 14-8 Game-Two Victory to Sweep Rochester in the Eastern Division Finals

The Blast swept the Rochester Lancers in the Eastern Division Finals to advance to the MISL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Wave. Max Ferdinand, Machel Millwood and Pat Healey each scored two goals Monday night to lead Baltimore to a 14-8 Game-Two win in Rochester.

Baltimore will host Milwaukee in Game One of the MISL Championship Series Friday night at 7:35 at 1st Mariner Arena; Game Two will be Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee

Honorable Mention: Auto Racing-NASCAR Food City 500 (Sunday 12:30pm from Bristol, TN live on FOX); Golf: PGA Tour Transitions Championship (Thursday & Friday 3pm live on Golf Channel, Saturday & Sunday 3pm live on NBC. All golf from Palm Harbor, FL); LPGA Tour RR Donnelley Founders Cup (Thursday & Friday 6:30pm Saturday & Sunday 4pm from Phoenix live on Golf Channel); Champions Tour Toshiba Classic (Friday 8:30pm Saturday & Sunday 7:30pm from Newport Beach, CA on Golf Channel); Tennis: ATP Tour  WTA Tour BNP Paribas Open (Tuesday & Wednesday 2pm Thursday 2pm & 10pm Friday 6pm & 9pm Saturday 7:30pm live on Tennis Channel, Friday 4pm & 11pm live on ESPN2, Saturday & Sunday 2pm & 4pm live on ABC. All tennis from Indian Wells, CA); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Kendall Holt vs. Tim Coleman (Friday 9pm from Cabazon, CA live on ESPN2), ShoBox-Omar Figueroa vs. Ramon Ayala (Friday 11pm from Indio, CA live on Showtime), Sergio Martinez vs. Matthew Macklin (Saturday 10pm from New York live on HBO); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 61 (Friday 8pm from Bossier City, LA live on MTV2); NBA: Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks (Tuesday 8:30pm from Dallas live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ New Orleans Saints (Thursday 8pm from New Orleans live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks (Friday 7:30pm from Atlanta live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Memphis Grizzlies (Sunday 6pm from Memphis live on Comcast SportsNet)

10. Soul Jam featuring Whispers/Stylistics (Saturday 7pm 1st Mariner Arena); Girl Talk (Saturday 9pm Power Plant Live); Pop Evil (Friday 6:30pm Rams Head Live), Dr. Dog (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Rich Robinson (Sunday 1pm Rams Head on Stage), Psychedelic Furs (Monday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Uncle Kracker (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club); Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors (Wednesday 8pm Jammin Java)

I’ve seen Pop Evil at RHL before. And think, THIS is amongst the notes from my life I’m actually willing to admit…

Dr. Dog is the type of band that everyone assumes I’ll really like based on the other acts I really like. They’re probably right, I’m just lazy.

I’ve never seen Rich Robinson solo. I HAVE seen the Black Crowes a few times. I know what I like. I like what I know.

You remember Drew Holcomb as the man who authored the song everyone was thinking about on Christmas after that TNT basketball promo. Let it come to you…

9. Henry Rollins (Friday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Charlie Murphy (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Aisha Tyler (Friday & Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Robert Kelly (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House), Gabriel Iglesias (Sunday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric); Glenn Clark’s St. Patrick’s Day plans (Saturday whereabouts unknown); “The Descendants” available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday); “21 Jump Street”, “Jeff Who Lives At Home” and “Casa De Mi Padre” open in theaters (Friday)

Of note from this cornucopia…

Aisha Tyler’s arrival in Charm City allows me another opportunity to sing the praises of the show “Archer” on FX. She plays the role of Lana. I like to pretend that I’m Sterling Archer sometimes. I’m 28 years old.

Do you want to have the host of “The Reality Check” afternoons on AM1570 WNST.net visit your establishment Saturday to celebrate St. Patty’s Day? Tell me why your Bangers and Mash are the best in the area. I’ll be ALL IN.

MISL Central Division Finals Set

Milwaukee Wave, Missouri Comets set dates for playoff series

TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League today announced the schedule for the MISL Central Division Finals, which will see the Milwaukee Wave and Missouri Comets meet for a place in the MISL Championship Series.

While the Wave have not yet clinched the Central Division title – they would do so with one more victory – the Comets will host the opening game of the series on Friday, March 9 at 7:35 p.m. CT at the Independence Events Center. The Wave will then host Game 2 on Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. CT at U.S. Cellular Arena. Should the game require a deciding third game, a 15-minute mini-game will be played immediately following Game 2 in Milwaukee.

The Eastern Division Finals schedule scenarios have yet to be confirmed, with the Baltimore Blast waiting to find out whether their opponent will be the Rochester Lancers or the Syracuse Silver Knights. The Lancers currently hold a half-game lead over the Silver Knights for the second playoff berth in the division, with Syracuse having three games to play and Rochester two.

Thanks to their playoff matchup, the Wave and Comets will play four consecutive games, including two games at the IEC to close the regular season next weekend. The Comets, who are currently on a five-game winning streak, will host the Wave on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. CT, with the two teams then meeting on Sunday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. CT to close out their regular-season schedules.

The MISL saw another big weekend at the box office, with the Baltimore Blast recording the highest attendance of the season so far when they hosted the Milwaukee Wave on Saturday night. A crowd of 9,644 packed into 1st Mariner Arena to see the Blast keep their hopes of taking home-field advantage throughout the playoffs alive with victory against Milwaukee. The Wichita Wings also concluded their season with another sellout at Hartman Arena, helping push the league’s total attendance close to the 300,000 mark with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

This week sees a seven-game slate, all of which can be seen on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com), the league’s free online video service. In addition to the Milwaukee Wave’s trip to Missouri, the Wichita Wings could play a key role in determining which side advances to the Eastern Division Finals as they travel to face the Rochester Lancers on Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, with a trip to meet the Syracuse Silver Knights also on the slate for Saturday night.

ZACH LEDERER WILL KICK OUT THE FIRST BALL BEFORE SATURDAY NIGHT’S BLAST GAME

Fans Will Take Park in Pre-Game “Zaching” Show of Support

BALTIMORE – Zach Lederer, the University Maryland, College Park freshman who has inspired people around the world after his recent brain surgery, will attend Saturday night’s Blast game and kick out the first ball.  The Blast, 14-6, will host the Central-Division leading Milwaukee Wave tomorrow night at 7:35 at 1st Mariner Arena.

Lederer, who underwent surgery on January 25, first flexed his muscles for a photo just hours after his procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in an attempt to let his friends and family know that he made it through the surgery and intended to fight his second bout with cancer.  Lederer’s cousins posted the photo on Facebook and the craze known as “Zaching” spread across the country and around the world.  Just days after his surgery, Lederer, 18, returned to his duties as a student manager for the Terps men’s basketball team and pictures and videos of people from all over the world “Zaching” began pouring in.

“It is our honor to have Zach Lederer kicking out the first ball at our game on Saturday night.  Zach is not only a Maryland resident and manager of the University of Maryland basketball team, he is also a long-time Blast fan,” said Blast President and General Manager Kevin Healey.  “Zach showed his strength and determination after brain cancer surgery by striking the Zaching pose.  From front office to coaches to players and all of the great Blast fans that we will have tomorrow night will show their support by Zaching before the game.”

Saturday is the Blast’s annual breast cancer awareness night, highlighted by the Blast players taking the field in pink jerseys.  The jerseys will be available via a seven-day eBay auction Sunday night at 7.  All proceeds will go to the MedStar Good Samaritan Cancer Patient Assistance Fund and MedStar Union Memorial Oncology Giving Tree, courtesy of Blast partners MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital and MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.

Baltimore – The Baltimore Blast will celebrate school and community on February 18 when the Blast host the Milwaukee Wave at 1st Mariner Arena on Hope4Life and breast cancer awareness night. The Blast, 14-5 on the season, have already clinched the 2012 Eastern Division regular season title and a spot in the 2012 MISL postseason.

Hope4Life is the Blast school and community program, initiated and run by assistant coach David Bascome. The Hope4Life school program is geared towards schools and recreational programs throughout Maryland and students of all ages. The program focuses on the importance of staying in school, avoiding drugs and violence and working hard to meet your goals. As the Blast celebrates 32 seasons of professional indoor soccer in Baltimore, the team strives to entwine itself in the community and promote the good that can come from positive role models and positive reinforcement. Due to generous partnerships with a number of local organizations including MECU, IWIF, Northwestern Mutual and Rudolph’s Office and Computer Supply, the Blast has invited students from across the state to attend the game against the Wave and to take part in a pre-game Hope4Life talk by Bascome.

“Hope4Life and breast cancer awareness night on the 18th is a night that I am very proud to see happen,” said Bascome. “The Blast has been a strong presence in the community for many years and giving back every year makes me proud, not just as an assistant coach or former player, but as someone who has been through hard times and needed the same support. I encourage everyone to come out and join us on this special evening because it is these continued collaborations between the Blast and the community that will help give our young people hope.”

In addition to the Hope4Life festivities, the Blast will pay tribute to breast cancer awareness on the 18th by taking the field in special pink jerseys. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and pink pom poms will be handed out to the first 2,000 fans who enter 1st Mariner Arena. The pink jerseys will be auctioned off online from February 19 to February 26 and jerseys will be shipped to high bidders after the 27th. In addition to the online auction, two team-autographed jerseys (one pink and one black) will be raffled off during the Blast vs. Wave game. Auction proceeds will go to the MedStar Good Samaritan Cancer Patient Assistance Fund and MedStar Union Memorial Oncology Giving Tree, courtesy of Blast partners MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital and MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. MedStar Health will also be hosting a pre-game informational presentation for fans who want to learn more about breast cancer prevention and what they can do to help the cause.

The Blast will travel to play the Comets this Friday before returning home to host the Wave on the 18th. The Blast and Wave share the longest-running and most-heated rivalry in the MISL, dating back to the 1992-93 season when the teams played each other for the first time. The Wave lead the all-time series 46-29 and the Blast lead the all-time postseason series, 9-4. The teams have combined to win 10 of the last 14 league championships with each team claiming five titles.

Single-game tickets are available at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office and at all TicketMaster outlets including TicketMaster phone charge at 410-547-SEAT. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $30, $22, $19 and $16. For additional information on Blast tickets, call the Blast at 410-73-BLAST.

Honorable Mention: NBA-Charlotte Bobcats @ Washington Wizards (Wednesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets (Friday 8pm from Houston live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Bobcats (Saturday 7pm from Charlotte live on Comcast SportsNet), Chicago Bulls @ Washington Wizards (Monday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet/NBA TV); Women’s College Basketball: Virginia Tech @ Maryland (Thursday 7pm Comcast Center); Golf: PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open (Thursday & Friday 3pm live on Golf Channel, Saturday & Sunday 3pm live on CBS. All golf from La Jolla, CA); Monster Jam (Friday-Sunday Verizon Center); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Ruslan Provodnikov vs. David Torres (Friday 9pm from Airway Heights, WA live on ESPN2); High School Basketball: Parkville @ Perry Hall (Wednesday 6:30pm), Perry Hall @ Kenwood (Friday 7pm)

10. Miranda Lambert (Thursday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); Matt Nathanson (Sunday 6:30pm Rams Head Live); Marc Broussard (Monday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club); Ryan Adams/Jason Isbell (Tuesday 7:30pm Strathmore); Widespread Panic (Tuesday/Wednesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); FUEL (Saturday 1:30pm Sandy Point State Park)

I feel as though I really shouldn’t admit how much I enjoy this song “Faster” by Matt Nathanson. It’s just that I can’t help it…

Ditto for “Rocksteady” by Marc Broussard…

Ryan Adams has made about a million songs in his life. None top this…

I saw FUEL like five times between 2000-2001. Make fun all you want, but you know you’ll be singing along to this…

9. Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge (Friday-Saturday Sandy Point State Park); Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week (Tuesday-Sunday); “Luck” premieres on HBO (Sunday 9pm); “50/50” and “Real Steel” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

You know who’s part of Restaurant Week? A spot I can’t name (because they’re not a sponsor) but who makes the best salad in Charm City…

You know who it is. And you know it’s fantastic.

Also, did everyone see 50/50? I thought it was one of the best movies of 2011 (Clip NSFW)…

The Eastern Division-leading Baltimore Blast will host the Norfolk SharX tomorrow night in a rematch of last week’s 17-12 SharX victory over the Blast in Norfolk. Tomorrow is also the second of four games between the Blast and SharX in 20 days. The SharX come to Baltimore on a two-game win streak after having defeated the Blast and the Silver Knights last week.

The Blast is led by Machel Millwood (37 points), Adauto Neto (36 points) and Max Ferdinand (35 points) while goalkeeper Sagu is 9-3 on the season and Akira Fitzgerald is 1-1.

The SharX, one of the four new MISL teams, started the season 0-9 before beating the Rochester Lancers, 18-16 on December 29, for their first MISL win. The SharX are led by Miguel Ferrer (27 points) and Gersen Dos Santos (26 points). Goalkeeper Jamie Lieberman, this week’s MISL Player of the Week, is 2-0 on the season. Tonights crowd of 4,718 is expecting another win for the Blast.

Play begins and it is dictated by the Blast. Lots of possession and several good scoring opportunities and it’s still 0-0 half way through the quarter. With 7:30 left in the quarter Blast forward Ricardinho gets his first goal with the Blast and they take an early 2-0 lead over the SharX. With 2:13 left in the quarter Blast forward Pat Healey scores his 7th goal of the year and puts the Blast ahead 4-0. A minute later the Blast have some sloppy play in their own defense and the SharX take advantage and score to make it 4-2 Blast. That’s the way the first quarter end with the Blast ahead 4-2.

The second quarter starts and the Blast commit a 2 minute penalty for a hand ball in midfield. The SharX will be looking to tie the game during this penalty. The SharX can barely get any good scoring opportunities and cannot score on any of them. This lack of a goal almost immediately hurts the SharX. With 9:16 left in the quarter Blast forward Max Ferdinand takes a set play opportunity and scores to make the score 6-2 Blast. The combination of Machel Millwood from Max Ferdinand do it again and the Blast extend their lead to 8-2 with 4:45 left in the quarter. With 1:12 left in the half Blast forward Warren Ukah takes the pass at the top of the box, turns and rifles in the best goal of the night. Its 10-2 Blast and that’s how the half ends. The Blast have had the better of the play all night and have to be careful about a second half letdown.

The Blast and SharX played the first 10 minutes of the third quarter, it’s just that I don’t remember any of it. Pretty pedestrian stuff. With 5 minutes left in the quarter Blast forward Max Ferdinand scores and the lead goes up to 12-2. The third quarter ends at 12-2. The SharX had 1 shot that quarter. That was like watching the first 50 minutes of most Denver Broncos games this year….boring.

The Blast start the scoring with 10:20 left in the quarter. Blast Forward Warren Ukah scores a goal even prettier than his first. Warren Ukah is having the game of his life tonight for the Blast. Most of this final quarter is just like the third, lots of Blast possession and everyone watching the clock tick down. Its great when you have a huge lead. The Blast add to that lead with 6:44 left in the game. Neto scores and puts the score to 16-2. The only thing left is to see if the SharX get dirty. With 1:10 left in the game Blast forward Max Ferdinand gets his hat trick. Blast win 18-2 in a game they completely dominated all game long. Frankly the game wasn’t that close.

Honorable Mention: Women’s College Basketball-Wake Forest @ Maryland (Thursday 7pm Comcast Center), Maryland @ Duke (Sunday 3:30pm from Durham, NC live on ESPNU); Golf: PGA Tour Humana Challenge (Thursday & Friday 3pm Saturday & Sunday 4pm from La Quinta, CA live on Golf Channel), Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric Championship (Friday 6:30pm Saturday & Sunday 7:30pm from Ka’upulehu-Kona, HI live on Golf Channel); Boxing: Eddie Chambers vs. Sergei Liakhovic (Saturday 9pm from Philly live on NBC Sports Network); High School Basketball: Woodlawn @ Perry Hall (Wednesday 6:30pm), Milford Mill @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm)

10. Dru Hill (Saturday 7pm Rams Head Live); Taproot (Saturday 6:30pm Recher Theatre); Jimi Haha (Thursday 8pm 8×10 Club); Aimee Mann (Monday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Ozomatli (Saturday 9pm 9:30 Club); Bryan Adams (Monday 8pm Strathmore)

For those of us in Charm City, Sisqo and the boys from Dru Hill are a bit of royalty-even if they’re not really all that famous anymore.  They were so freaking awesome in the mid-90′s…

I heart Jimi Haha-and not just because I beat the Jimmie’s Chicken Shack/Jarflys frontman a few weeks ago in “Everybody Beats Glenn”…

You’ve probably heard some Ozomatli, even if you don’t think you have…

I love Bryan Adams. So sue me.

9. Adam Carolla (Saturday 8pm & 10pm Fillmore Silver Spring); “Haywire” out in theaters (Friday)

Adam Carolla is a funny hombre. I LOVED him with Dr. Drew on “Loveline”, but I think I loved Crank Yankers even more…

I don’t know if you’d call me “excited” about the pending release of Haywire, but I AM excited about posting another new picture of Gina Carano…

Tonight the Baltimore Blast take on the Missouri Comets at First Mariner Arena. The 5-3 Blast sit in first place of the Eastern Division with 1.5 game lead over Syracuse. The 7-3 Comets are 1 game behind the undefeated Milwaukee Wave, 6-0, in the MISL Central Division. The Blast look to end a very difficult streak to explain tonight which is a season long losing streak at home. The home crowd tonight of 4,081 is looking to help the Blast end that streak and stay in first place.
In a bitter sweet story this is the last game for Blast forward Matt Watson. Matt has been given his release so that he can keep his soccer career going forward and play with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the Major League Soccer league. Matt has been a valuable Blast for 5 seasons and a member of several Blast Championship teams and it is a shame to see him leave. However he is moving forward with his soccer career and we wish him the best.

A little over 1 minute into the game the Missouri Comets made a terrible defensive mental and physical lapse and Blast Forward Shaun David was there to put away the mistake for an early 2-0 lead. What a great way to start the game. The Comets keep up the mental mistakes by committing a penalty with 10 minutes to go in the first quarter, too many men on the field. The Blast thank the Comets 22 seconds later by scoring a goal on their first shot of the penalty. Blast forward Neto scored the goal by putting it through the goalies legs. The Blast commits a holding penalty with 7 minutes to go in the quarter and the Comets are looking to get on the board. The Comets get several good scoring chances but are unable to capitalize on any of them and the score remains 4-0 at the end of the Blast penalty. The rest of the first quarter finishes out with good steady play from both teams but no scoring and the quarter ends with the Blast ahead 4-0.

The only thing I can say about most of the second quarter is that it was played. It was pretty boring stuff without many shots on goal or general action to speak off. The Blast had possession most of the quarter but couldn’t get any good scoring chances. With 2:33 left in the quarter the Comets finally show a little life. After a restart the Comets put a nice shot on goal and beat Sagu in the corner to bring the score to 4-2. 40 seconds later the Comets tie the game off a nice crossing pass. 4-4 just like that, for 9 seconds. That’s right, Blast forward Machel Millwood scores 9 seconds later and the score is 6-4 Blast. All that boring play and in minutes worth of time we have 3 goals. And that’s how we end the half, with the Blast holding a slim 6-4 lead.

Another slow start to a quarter as both teams continue to play a little conservative. As with most indoor soccer goals the play happens very fast. With 5 minutes gone in the quarter Blast forward Carlos Garcia takes a nice crossing pass from Pat Healey and scores to put the Blast back ahead by 2 goals at 8-4. At 8:55 of the third quarter the Comets commit a hand penalty at midfield and the Blast go on their second power play of the night. And they do it again. Blast forward Carlos Garcia scores on a great junk goal after the Comets goalie stopped a rocket of a shot from Mike Lookingland. I hope the Blast haven’t forgotten last week’s loss to the Comets, when they had a 10-4 lead in that game with less than 6 minutes to go in the game. With 3:30 minutes to go in the quarter Blast forward gets called for a striking penalty. Comets go on a 2 minute power play. They don’t need that much time to score. A shot went off the back wall and Comets forward Leo Gibson was there to put in the rebound. 10-6 Blast. Right before the quarter ends the Blast get another penalty for kicking. Most of that will take place in the fourth quarter as the third quarter ends with the Blast still ahead 10-6.

Comets start the fourth quarter with a man advantage for 1:50. The Blast will have to play some solid defense to keep a 2 goal lead. And they do it. We are at even strength with 12 minutes to go and a 10-6 Blast lead. With 8:30 left in the game Blast forward Neto tries to put the game out of reach by scoring an unassisted goal to make the score 12-6. With 4:06 left in the game the Comets pull their goalie. It works. The Comets get a 3 point goal with 2 minutes to go in the game and the score is 12-9 Blast. As the Comets continue to pull their goalie, the Blast get 2 goals within 30 seconds and take a 17-9 lead with 45 seconds left in the game. This game has a much better ending than last weeks final seconds loss to the Comets. The final score is Blast 17-9 victory and they go to 6-3 on the season.

Honorable Mention: High School Basketball-Bel Air @ Perry Hall (Wednesday 6:30pm), St. Frances @ John Carroll (Wednesday 7pm); Mixed Martial Arts: Strikeforce-Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal (Saturday 10pm from San Diego live on Showtime)

10. Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live); Bret Michaels (Wednesday 7pm & 10pm Rams Head on Stage); Pietasters (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Virginia Coalition (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Devo (Thursday 8pm State Theatre), Phil Vassar (Sunday 8pm State Theatre); Chris Isaak (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); Anthony Hamilton “Back to Love” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I am not a Lyle Lovett fan, but I am a human being. Because I am a human being, I am ABSOLUTELY a fan of this tune. One of the happiest days in my life may have been the day I walked off a hangover into the DC Farmers’ Market and saw a folk band playing the song. If it hadn’t been in DC it would have been the HAPPIEST…

Is there any chance I could go see Bret Michaels and skip everything besides this?

I saw the Pietasters most recently at Artscape this summer. They were fantastic. They always are.

Virginia Coalition is ABSOLUTELY the best band you’re not listening to. Unless you’re not listening to U2. There aren’t people that don’t listen to U2, are there?

9. Glenn Clark’s Christmas Party (Saturday 8pm undisclosed location in Monkton); “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” & “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol“ out in theaters (Friday); Christian Finnegan (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv)

This is how last year’s Christmas party ended…

That’s my girlfriend cleaning up vomit. The vomit happened to be on the ceiling. It is what it is.

Oh…and last year’s party also involved the following….

Ours were of course much manlier than this, but you get the point. This is not to be missed…like…say…ever.