The Caps can never take July Rookie Camp away from us, ever. It would be a high crime against hockey humanity. Imagine this week, with the mercury flirting with 100, without the refrigerated oasis at Ballston. You can boil hotdogs in our swimming pools. The air quality indicators are in dangerous hues. Only scorpions and cactus could be happy here this week.
I had planned on arriving at Kettler-Capitals late Wednesday afternoon, for the week’s first scrimmage, but after today’s thermometer baking, I may pack a bag and snag a pillow from home and sleep in the stands there beginning tonight. Like Duke students and their encamped anticipation for hoops tickets, that’s how I’m longing for live hockey this week. Kettler Krazies?
From a simple karma point of view, the Caps’ July Rookie Camp is perfectly perched in a mid-point of hockey’s calendar absence from our lives. We last witnessed live hockey here more than 10 weeks ago, and when this week’s summit of skilled skaters adjourns early Saturday evening, we’ll have about eight weeks before training camp commences. I’ll need your commiserating camaraderie to help get me through August.
In my business comings and goings in Northwest today and tomorrow I want to happen upon a family of heat-frazzled tourists from Minnesota, their tempers short, the children ornery, and I want to emergency transport them to the Metro Orange line and home to their hockey hearts at Ballston. Who needs monuments when soon Swedes on skates will be in sublime motion?
Years ago, pre Bud Selig, I used to lose myself a bit in June, July, and August in Major League Baseball games. It seemed inoffensive to my hockey heart, rejuvinative and patriotic. But for at least 10 years now I’ve been unable to distinguish the cheaters from the honorable on Bud’s diamonds, and requiring as I do a modicum of integrity to the games I invest my time, money, and emotion in, I simply cannot and will not play the sucker, the duped. This morning the media is reporting that Alex Rodriguez homered for the 30th time this season yesterday. He’s on pace perhaps for 70 dingers. After the season he had last year, I want a drug test. He may well be perfectly clean, but on Bud’s watch, I have zero basis for believing it. Don’t even get me started on Barry Bonds’ profaning of Hank Aaron. What happened to sports America’s ability to blush?
Last night I was seated in the stands of Shirley Povich Field, in Rockville’s Cabin John Regional Park, taking in a doubleheader between two senior league baseball teams. Under every cap was short, grey, receding hair. On the basepaths there was more strolling than scampering. There were one or two dropped fly balls, but I was pleasantly engaged in the overall quality of play — clearly most of the guys had played college ball. I was watching authentic baseball, and even in breezeless suburban D.C., I was happy. It was an oasis.
Kettler-Capitals brings us another this week — relief from the heat. And the hot air.
7 Comments
Haha, I like Kettler Krazies! All you need is head to toe Caps gear (including hockey socks) and you will be set.
And, I commiserate regarding baseball. It was my offseason past time as well (somehow, watching poker on ESPN just doesnt do it for me). But I cant help but feel like all the things I loved about the sport are fading away.
Looking forward to the reports from Kettler.
This guy will be there at least on Wednesday, and if I have too much wedding stuff, I’ll be sure make a wrong turn to head the Iceplex.
VT,
Empty Maybe is in the same boat. Perhaps the same wedding?
pucksandbooks and I will be there on Wed. See ya there.
-g
p.s. Go ‘Hoos!
I used to love baseball, I played it as a youngin’ but I too have sworn off the MLB. Its been 3 years now since I have last seen a major league pitch thrown. I don’t watch highlights, or read the articles. I am MLB, NBA, almost ESPN free. I only watch College Football, NFL (on mute, in the background) and Hockey. Any and all Hockey. Center Ice is my tv, tivo prodives the safety net for shows like Lost.
That said, I did go to a Columbus Clippers game (AAA minors) and it was great. I paid $10 to sit front row, 3rd baseline and it was how baseball should be.
I had planned on spending at least 2 days there this week, but I’ve just had a nasty week sprung on me at work that’s going to have me staying later than usual. I’ll try my hardest to make it on Wednesday… I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks now.
A-Rod gets tested multiple times a year, as per the MLB drug policy. Incidentally, MLB’s drug policy has been called the most stringent in professional sports by people more in the know than I. I love hockey and I love baseball, and I don’t see the need to knock down one to prop up the other.
mattymatty, this is a Kool-Aid-free zone. While not indicting A-Rod per se — though the Bronx stench there is thick and pervasive like July refuse in a big-city alley — I am wholly comfy with my censure of the sport as a whole, having had frank, off-the-record discussions with a small number of MLB scouts. (I still patronize places where they hang out.) The folks who truly care about baseball’s integrity are today directing their reformist energies at the high school and minor pro levels, where perhaps — perhaps — the doping and drugging damage can be stemmed if not undone. Incidentally, who among baseball’s powers persuaded you that the sport had cleaned up its act — Donald Fehr? Was it Mark McGwire’s congressional testimony?
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