Fighting Talker

Via Fisher… ESPN’s Jon Miller on Nationals Park:

“This is sort of the La Scala of American baseball,” Miller said. “It’s the setting of high drama, tragedy, even redemption. And then you go back to your everyday life.”

I don’t hear Camden Yards being compared to European opera houses. Take that, syphilis-towners!

In a word: amazing.

In two words: amazingly cold. (more…)

2-0, KC.

Unlike D, I am quite disappointed. It’s not that we lost, it’s that we lost making so many of the same errors we explcitly sought to fix. Does this sound familiar to anyone. (more…)

The channel producing the KC broadcast, MetroSports, appears to be a public access channel from the look of its production values. The on-field reporter sounded like a hostage reading off a card with a gun to her head. The camera appears to have been smeared with vasaline. At random times, Spanish audio comes over louder than the English commentator. It’s just dreadful.

The Columbus Sports Network telecast of the Crew-TFC game was much better and that channel can’t have that much of a larger budget than MetroSports. These kinds of broadcasts make the league look bad.

It’s located at behindthebadge.com. There is also a Spanish version.

So, we likely don’t need to tell you that we’ll be providing ridiculous access to the players, coaches and front office of the most successful soccer team this country has ever seen. Allow us to share, however, that what you see here is only the beginning – we’ve got a ton of great features launching over the next few weeks, so keep checking back. You’ll hear primarily from members of the four-time reigning PR department of the year, but from time-to-time, our players, coaches and higher-ups will check in with their thoughts.

This potentially could be a great way of communicating with fans and I am thrilled that they also did a Spanish version. Why haven’t other teams done this?

For the eternal enjoyment of United fans.

That never gets old.

Well, we’ve already gotten through the contenders, now how about teams so laughably bad that we wait with baited breath for matches with them just so that we can laugh. (more…)

Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer by John Foot

This, and God Save the Fan, have been my two favorite recent reads and I recommend both highly. I am not a serious fan of Serie A or Italian soccer in general. But thanks to the funny tales of James Richardson (a former Serie A TV host) on Guardian Football Weekly my interest in the game there was piqued. This book, available locally in many “big box” bookstores provides an engrossing overview of the history and culture of Italian soccer. (more…)

Having summed up DC’s chances all offseason (they’re a contender), let’s now take a look at some of the other contenders this year in MLS. The mushy middle teams and abject jokes will come later on. (more…)

So there’s even more good news in the Nats food department as the SportsBog confirms that Five Guys will be at Nationals Park, though not necessarily on opening day. Even though (like Ken Beatrice) I don’t eat that stuff anymore, Five Guys in a ballpark is a match made in heaven. They’re even bringing all their toppings.

“That was a debate,” Beresford said of the decision to import all those toppings to a ballpark setting. “We decided, of course, it wouldn’t be a Five Guys burger if we didn’t.”

(Beresford and Gaines already run three Five Guys stores, with the Chinatown location their flagship.)

Subject to change, hamburgers will be $7, cheeseburgers and bacon burgers $8, and bacon cheeseburger $9, including sales tax. Regular dogs will $5.50, cheese dogs and bacon dogs will be $6.50, and bacon cheese dogs $7. No “little” burgers at the Park, though.

And Steinberg, if you want a proper DC Sports “quest,” go chase Beatrice down, wherever he is.