Sports is an interesting animal... sometimes there are down days and sometimes there are Saturday's packed tighter than a Tom Jones jumpsuit. The first Saturday of May always presents logistical problems-- will one go to Gold Cup or a Derby Party? Are there conflicts between the NBA and NHL Playoffs? And what food and freaks would be at my friend's Cinquo de Mayo party?
6am--wakeup for XM Radio Shift at the Baseball Channel...breakfast consisting of Granola with cranberry/grapefruit the post-cereal juice of choice. Tough to see the Red Sox lose again to the Rays (this time thanks to a grand slam by Evan Longoria)...took the customary break at 10am to get McDonalds orange juice (a highly underrated menu item).
12:30pm--XM shift complete...time to race down NY Ave to the Verizon Center for Caps-Penguins...a series that has NBC jumping up and down. Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are the sport's two up and coming stars--and have been labeled as hockey's Bird and Magic. Although four years into their respective careers, Larry and Earvin had combined for three NBA titles while Alex and Sidney...not exactly. It's a matchup between the tradition of a Canadian home-grown superstar and a flashy Russian with intriguing celebration antics (don't know about the "lighting his stick on fire", but hey I used to play air guitar in high school). It's also a battle between old-school Patrick Division rivals (hockey's biggest mistake in the 90's was to do away with the divisional playoff system and division names in favor of a homogenized just-like-the-NBA system...thanks Gary Bettman). Seven times these teams have met in the postseason-- with the Penguins advancing six times (although the Caps are 6-1 in game ones...go figure).
A sluggish start by the Caps resulted in an early Sidney Crosby goal...and rest assured after a few minutes one could see this round would be nothing like the Caps series with the Rangers: incredible up and down the ice movement...wide open attacking...and more than one shot every ten minutes. Two first period goals by the Caps highlighted their depth (David Steckel off a rebound) and starpower (Alex Ovechkin lighting the lamp on a 5-on-3 power play).
The second period saw the worst and best of 21-year old Simeon Varlamov...the rookie allowed a soft goal off a deflection before posting an incredible behind-the-back one inch away from the goal line grab that his teammates said sparked them on to victory.
Tomas Fleischman tallied the gamewinner early in the final stanza...and the Caps special teams (5 for 5 on penalty killing) helped ice an intense game one. It's nice sometimes to see the game live up to the hype.
The food lived up to the hype as well--instead of the sitdown meal downstairs near the interview rooms...I went straight upstairs to the press box and was greeted by hot dogs (with sauerkraut as an option!)...nothing beats a dog or three (for the record, I treat dog 1 as my shock troops--hitting the beach with just a little bit of mustard before I bring in the artillery of relish and kraut and fullblown mustard before the "mop-up" mustard/onion dog). Dessert was an oatmeal raisin cookie...the perfect combination of healthy (Wilford Brimley's huge on how good for you oatmeal is and raisins are "nature's candy") and fun (it's a cookie for heaven's sake!) .
4:30pm--raced from NY Ave to Mass Ave to Wisconsin Ave to Idaho Ave with interviews on tape...I'm a loyal viewer of 24 and with this season taking place in DC I have no idea how Jack Bauer and company are able to get around the city as quickly... perhaps I should be shouting as I drive ("LEFT TURN IS A YIELD TURN! WE'RE WASTING TIME!).
6:25pm--after editing interview audio at WTOP...time to head over to my friend Lee's Kentucky Derby Party...and I'm unable to make it in time-listening to the race on my car radio. I know, showing up to a Derby party after the actual race is over isn't ideal...but I've done much worse on the first Saturday in May (Gold Cup 2007 is a story in and of itself). A muddy track at Churchill Downs plus the scratching of favorite I Want Revenge set up an intriguing afternoon...with 50-to-1 longshot Mine that Bird going from worst to first after a slow start under jockey Calvin Borel. This was Borel's second Derby win in three years-- he rode Street Sense to a first place finish in 2007 and was overcome by emotions, his high pitched voice and Cajun dialect... I swore after thanking his family he said something along the lines of "chang-chong a jibba jab".
Unfortunately, Mine that Bird is a question mark for May 16th's Preakness...perhaps lending more credibility to my proposal that they move the Preakness back to the first Saturday in June and the Belmont to the first Saturday in July. Today's horses are bred, raised, engineered and trained in such a manner that three races within a little over a month is too much for most three-year olds to handle. In recent years, we've seen injuries and scratches rise... with no Triple Crown winner since 1978. The moving back of the second and third legs would help the horses recover better and thus generate stronger fields for those races. Looking at the big picture, what's the point in having the second leg of the Triple Crown minus the Derby winner--or the final leg minus the Derby and/or Preakness winner?
8:15pm--five barbecued chicken wings and one Mint Julep later I'm off to my friend's Cinquo de Mayo party...unfortunately one of Kim's friends decided she'd bring 4 strangers she watched the Derby with over to the house--a decision right out of the SNL "Bad Idea Jeans" sketch ("we've been drinking a lot-- I've just met you people... want to come over to my friend's house where there's more alcohol?")... and there's nothing quite like going to a Cinquo de Mayo party wearing Kentucky Derby party gear. I must have a sombrero and baja shirt to change into next year.
11pm--Four magical words: Barbecued Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. Somehow fantastic finger foods make really drunk and irritating people tolerable. Finished watching the Celtics advance to the second round-- what a series...perhaps the most memorable first round affair ever. (I recall a double-whammy of Knicks-Pistons and Nets-Sixers in 1984)...I'm not a huge fan of first round series being best of sevens...but they're here to stay. Cab has been called for our four new friends and another magical sports Saturday is finished. Just as soon as I knock out some of this seven layer dip.
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