DC Sports Kid

Great Performance

2011-09-13T17:25:00.003-05:00

Sorry for not posting in a while...I have been busy with Bar Mitzvah preparations.

Last night during Monday Night Football, The Patriots dominating win over the Dolphins 38-24 was capped of with franchise records, and MNF records by who else than Tom Brady. Brady passed for 517 YARDS!!! Not to mention his four touchdowns. The defending MVP was nearly flawless last season if not for the playoff game against the Jets in Foxboro last season, where the Jets stunned the Patriots. ESPN's John Gruden (former NFL coach) said "Brady is a man on a mission." Brady happens to be an athlete I personally look up too. He is great leader, and an intense player. I am looking forward to see what kind of show Brady puts on this season.

Running His Mouth

2011-01-17T21:48:00.002-05:00

I personally don't like the Jets, particularly Rex Ryan. 2 weeks ago Ryan used the line, "it's personal," when he was talking about 'fulfilling his destiny' to beat Peyton Manning (he has previously only played him twice). He used the same line this past week talking about Bill Belichick, and not coming to New York just to "kiss Bill's rings," he wanted to prove he is better. Whether it's Rex Ryan working all these miracles by beating the best two quarterbacks in the league in Brady and Manning, I don't know. All I would say to Rex is to keep his mouth shut or else on Sunday the Steelers will put their best foot forward and pound Ryan's less than Stellar offense....just for Rex; also Ryan should really start kissing Tomlin's rings.

So Long Agent Zero

2010-12-21T22:16:00.003-05:00

The Washington Wizards traded Gilbert Arenas to the Orlando Magic Friday night in a major 3 way deal between Washington, Orlando, and Phoenix, in exchange, the less than stellar Wizards received F Rashard Lewis. The trade may not have helped the Wizards in terms of skill, but the trade got a franchise crushing and immature player in Gilbert Arenas of their backs. Rashard Lewis is 31 years old, averages 12,2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 1.2 apg. Gilbert was apologetic to the city of Washington for his carless prank last year, when he brought a loaded gun into the Wizard's locker room. Gilbert is now acting humble for a new opportunity to be a part of a successful franchise.

Back on Track?

2010-12-21T21:40:00.002-05:00

The Washington capitals recent 8 game losing streak finally came to an end Sunday where the caps triumphed in a battle of North American capitals against Ottawa. The caps entered the streak atop the NHL with a 18-6-2 record sitting pretty in the Southeast division. However, the caps came out of the streak 18-12-4, 10th in the NHL, and 3rd in their division. Many questions surrounded the franchise and particularly the head coach Bruce Boudreau. Many people thought that Boudreau would be fired. Boudreau and the caps lost their games against: Dallas 2-1, Atlanta 3-1, Toronto 5-4 (SO), Florida 3-0, Colorado 3-2, New York Rangers an embarrassment of 7-0, Anaheim 2-1 (OT), and Boston 3-2. Big name stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green performed horrifically with a combined less than 10 points. The caps were outscored during the stretch 28 to 11, they averaged 1.375 goals per game, last year they averaged over 3.5. The caps have turned it around lately, with a 3-2 hard fought win in Ottawa, and just recently a prevail over New Jersey 5-1, with the 3rd and 4th line gritty guys making a significant difference. The caps face the "streaking" Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday where the stars will have to step up in order to win 3 in a row, and turn the franchise around in the right direction.

Caps Face Dallas

2010-12-02T16:18:00.002-05:00

The Capitals face The Dallas Stars in a crucial east-west showdown tonight. Both teams are relying on their hot forwards and goalies in Brad Richards and Kari Lethonen, (Dallas) and Alexander Semin and Semyon Varlamov. (Washington)

Racking Up the Wins

2010-11-12T21:29:00.002-05:00

The Washington Capitals, and their young stars have won their past 6 games with authority. The win streak started 2 weeks ago against the Calgary Flames. The caps won against the Flames 7-2, with a 6 goal offensive outburst in the second period. Later in the week, The Caps played lazily late in the game, but still managed to come out on top against Toronto in a shootout 5-4. The caps kept the streak alive against Boston, in a hard fought close game that the Caps triumphed in, 5 to 3. Next game, the Caps improved their overtime record to 5 and 0, beating Philadelphia by a score of 3-2. Then, the Caps ventured to Madison Square Garden, where they outplayed, and beat the New York Rangers. Just recently, the Caps topped a division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning in a lead-turning game by a score of 6 to 3. In the caps 6 game stretch, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom have been tremendous, with 38 combined points in the past 6 games. The Caps play the Sabres tomorrow night, and they look to make it 7 in a row.

Breakdown in Dallas

2010-11-08T21:50:00.003-05:00

The Dallas Cowboys are off to a shocking 1 and 7 start this season, 2nd worst in franchise history and Dallas has finally made some changes. Former head coach Wade Phillips was fired today after Green Bay's rout of Dallas last night, 45 to 7, Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over for Phillips. A upsetting defeat, as Dallas expected to bounce back last night, instead things are just getting worse for the Cowboys. In the beginning of the season owner Jerry Jones, fans, and the players of the Cowboys had expectations for Dallas to play in the super bowl at Cowboy Stadium this year, but Dallas has almost been eliminated from the playoffs halfway through the season already.

A Stone Wall

2010-11-05T09:10:00.002-05:00

Tonight the Capitals run into a red hot goalie in Tim Thomas as he and the Bruins look to go 3-0 against the Caps this year. In 2008 Thomas won the Vezina Trophy as the leagues best goalie. However, last year, he struggled and gave up his starting role to young and rising goalie, Tukka Rask. This year Thomas is performing absolutely outstanding this year with 7 wins, 0 losses, a GAA of 0.72, and a save percentage of .980, he leads the league in all 3 categories. Both teams are on win streaks, so I hope it will be a good game, I will be there selling programs in the first period. Go Caps!!

Wall Vs. Turner

2010-11-03T20:32:00.001-05:00

Tuesday night, John Wall and the Wizards topped Evan Turner and the 76'ers 116-115 in an overtime thriller. Wall recorded great stats with 29 points and 13 assists, Andray Blatche also pitched in with 23 points and 8 rebounds in the first win of the year for the Wizards, who are 1 and 2. Wall and Turner, the top two draft picks this past year faced off for the first intriguing matchup out of many to come in their careers. Turner started on the bench for the sixers, but still racked up 27 minutes, also he only tallied 9 points.

Hershey Bears

2010-10-31T20:24:00.003-05:00

On saturday my hockey team played one of the best teams in the world, the hershey jr. bears AAA select team, then we stayed in the chocolate town to watch the Hershey bears play the AHL Pittsburgh Penguins, if I were George McPhee (who was in attendance) I would not be too pleased. Because of Semyon Varlamov's injury starting Hershey goalie, Braden Holtby was called up to back up Michael Neuvirth for the caps. This left Danny Sabourin in net for the bears, Sabourin struggled early going 4 saves out of 7 shots he got pulled before the halfway mark in the first period. The bears did score first but would never recover from Sabourin's crucial mistakes. They lost to Pittsburgh 6 to 2. The players for the bears all looked sloppy by whiffing shots, making unintelligent passes, and not skating hard. Overall the effort by the Caps AHL partners was way below expectations and did empress few.

World Series Picks

2010-10-29T22:58:00.002-05:00

I know it is a little late, but I'm taking Rangers in 7 despite the 0-2 lead with the Giants ahead. For MVP i'm taking Josh Hamilton even though he is hitless so far.

Here We Go Again

2010-10-29T20:57:00.002-05:00

Last night, the Wizards lost to the Magic 112-83 in the season debut and highly anticipated rookie debut for star shooting/point guard John Wall. The Wizards, coming off a less than stellar 26 wins and 56 losses last year, are at it again so far with a blowout beginning of the season. Wall, held his ground last night, but did not put up stellar numbers with 14 points and 9 assists. Although it is the beginning of the season the Wizards need a win on Saturday against the 2 and 0 Atlanta Hawks.

Get r Dunn

2010-07-31T15:22:00.001-05:00

Adam Dunn stays, at least for now. I'm glad as I think he will hit 40 homers this year and that isn't easy to replace in the Nats lineup.

Win or Go Golfing

2009-05-11T15:49:00.002-05:00

The Caps face Game 6 tonight in the Igloo. Do or die. I won't even be able to watch as I have the first session of several hockey tryouts. Kind of do or die for me too, but I don't get to go on vacation and play golf if I get cut. I'd be miserable for a bit and then resolve to work my butt off to make the top team next year.

Non Calls

2009-05-08T08:10:00.002-05:00

If I were George McPhee, I wouldn't complain about the officiating. I would complain about the LACK of officiating. You cannot say that the calls on the Caps were not committed by the players. But you can say (and have strong video evidence) about the calls not made on the Pens. Our guys get interferred with, and then get a penalty for slashing. Our goalie gets slashed, knocked around, and interferred with constantly and we take the penalty (or there is no call). It is not a question of the Penguins having 7 power plays. It is a question as to why the Capitals only had 2. The Kid hope tonight's game is a little more balance. Let's hope my brother's favorite linesman Don Van Mastenhoven is skating elsewhere.

One Day the Post, the Next Day the Local News!

2009-05-07T22:41:00.002-05:00

Tonight I was interviewed about the death threat against Alex Ovechkin by a Pens fan. My brother and I were at a stick and shoot at Kettler where the Caps practice:

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0509/620747_video.html?ref=newsstory

Pretty sad and pathetic, and maybe even a little scary.

Anyway, it was a heartbreaker to lose the Flightless Fowl last night in overtime, but tomorrow is another day and the Caps are still ahead 2-1. I'd be more worried if I were a Bruins fan. Would like to see Nylander sit though and one of the Hershey guys get the call up instead. And I'm not just saying that because I have to play against Nylander's kids (and they are seriously good).

Prediction for Friday night's game: Like I said in the interview, Ovie is focused and gets two points, but someone else steps up who hasn't scored yet like ahem perhaps the Other Alex, maybe someone like Gordon or even Clark, and then hopefully the MIA Norris Trophy Deserver Mike Green.

I'm BACK!!

2009-05-04T13:20:00.002-05:00

Tip of the Caps hat to Washington Post reporter Mike Wise for covering Donald Brashear's visit to Ft Dupont Ice Arena.

Oh, and Mr. Wise interviewed me too, and mentioned THIS blog. So now I am back in business, just in time for:

Caps to beat the flightless Penguins tonight (and I'm going!)
Nats to be rained out probably again
Skins training camp with a well done #1 pick
Gilbert still being Gilbert
Hibbert hanging out with some Hoya pals during his off season
My upcoming hockey tryouts....

Happy Holidays

2008-12-25T19:04:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa or in my case, Happy Hanukkah everyone.

Caps Pull One Out

2008-12-17T14:44:00.001-05:00

With less than 11 seconds left in overtime, Alex Ovechkin made one count and the Caps walk away from Long Island with 2 points. It should never have been so close, but the Islanders played tough in the thrid period, and the Caps had put on the brakes. I really really hate Jon Sim though. No matter what team he plays for, he always looks like a superstar against the Caps.

Good to see Gordon get a goal too.

Caps and Hoyas are Rolling

2008-12-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

It was a good sports weekend, with the exception of the Redskins defeat to the basically winless Bungles. The Caps took two games and four hard earned points from good teams. Simeon Varmalov had his debut as goalie and was the first rookie goalie to win since like 1978 or something like that. Not bad for the kid. I guess it was a better choice to play him over the Caps website producer who was the backup the night before. He is at least a goalie, but it was funny to see someone we had never heard of sitting on the bench for the first period until Varmalov arrived on Friday night. I had a feeling Johnnie would need the night's rest, but had no idea Varmalov would be so solid in Montreal, for Hockey Night in Canada!

I cannot even watch the Wizards anymore.

The Hoyas (ranked #19 at the time) defeated Memphis (#17) so they should continue to climb in the ratings. I like how they are playing, even if it took overtime to knock off Memphis.

But the Sports Kid has to make a comment on the Heisman. Colt McCoy led the Longhorns to a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners and Sam Bradford this season, despite Oklahoma being higher ranked at the time. Each team lost one game during the season, OU to UT, UT to Texas Tech and Texas Tech to OU thought Tech was out of it at the end. Nevertheless OU gets to play for the national title, despite losing to UT. And now Bradford wins the Heisman over McCoy too. Colt won the much lesser known Walter Camp award, given to the best player by coaches and sports information directors.

At least Colt plans to return for his senior year, and then he can smash the stats he set this year. And perhaps prove himself over Bradford and Tebow yet again as worthy.
Maybe Colt can have the last laugh in the NFL?

Caps Clip Bruins, Nats Go For It

2008-12-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

I went to the Caps game last night and was excited to see slick Alexander Semin back in the line up. He was leading the league in points before going down with one of those "undisclosed" upper body injuries. Whatever it was, he was out for 12 games, but seemed to pick up where he left off as that first powerful line of the two Alexes and Backstrom contributed 2 of the 3 goals last night. More importantly, Johnny once again looked like the #1 goalies, creating a goalie controversy given how much Theodore is getting paid and given how many goals Theodore has been letting in when he gets the nod. There were lots of Bruins fans (especially since me and my brother sat near their bench) but the phone booth was still painted red. I'm glad we stayed for the Ovechkin empty net goal, which showed just how fast the Great 8 can skate.

The team is hard to recognize with so many call-ups from the Hershey Bears. Collins look liked he belonged out there last night, and I hope if he continues to play like that, he stays. I didn't even know his first name until now.

The Wizards made a trade that I am not sure will help them, but they needed to do something.

The Nats supposedly offered Teixeira a huge contract worth $160 million. That would make him DC's highest paid athlete, should he accept. Even more than Ovechkin...

Back to school for now, that's the view from the DC sports kid for this morning.

Brush with Brash

2008-12-03T19:02:00.000-05:00

We had a chance to meet Donald Brashear on Monday night. He is of course known as an "enforcer," someone who will drop the gloves and fight against anyone in the NHL. This was not my first time meeting him actually, as he has come to Ft Dupont Ice Arena before. The Kids on Ice Hockey Club, which is changing its names to the DC Presidents (which has a storied past in historic DC hockey circles), hosted Brash, along with Wilson High School's hockey team. Wilson is the first DC public school to have a hockey team, and they have Ft Dupont as their home ice this year.

It is always nice to see a professional athlete out there in the community, helping people and meeting kids. The Caps are really good at that. But I have to tip my hat to Brashear who came back again to this inner city ice rink to support two very worthy hockey programs. The Kids on Ice Club is where I started skating. It provides professional coaching, expensive ice time, and most importantly, the program also loans equipment to kids who need it. Hockey is expensive and this program exposes kids to hockey who would probably never be able to play otherwise.

Donald Brashear is a good guy, despite his tough guy reputation. He worked on the ice with both teams for an hour and a half, and then stayed on to sign autographs. Two years ago, I managed to get him to give me a game used stick and then sign it for my little brother. I surprised E with it for his Chanukah present, since "the Donald" is a lefty like him, and one of his favorite Caps. We had him sign some sticks for some friends of ours, and talked to him too.

The best part of the night though was seeing other kids there, who were able to see a professional hockey player who looked like them. Any kid who dares to dream that they could be a pro, or they could even be President, now knows that these days those dreams can come true.

No, Really I'm Back

2008-12-02T11:59:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe a year has gone by since my last post. I was NOT grounded the whole time, this time. Last night I met a Wapo reporter (Mike Wise) and he prompted me to get back in the saddle again.

Besides, where else can I express my outrage at Texas getting eclipsed by OU in the BCS polls to create the farce that Oklahoma gets to go play Missouri for the Big 12 Championship while the Longhorns have to sit there and watch two teams they beat play for the right to go to the national championship. It really stinks. I'd say sucks, but my mom might censor that.

A lot has happened in a year. The Caps went on a run and made the playoffs. So did the Skins and Wizards but they were not nearly as exciting. The Nats opened a new stadium (and I was there) but found new ways to lose even more games. The Hoyas didn't go as far as I would have liked and the Hibbert era ended. School got a lot harder. I changed hockey clubs too, and even became a ref.

But some things stayed the same: Arenas is still hurt, Portis is a total warrior, Ovechkin is MVP, and the Nats still need pitching.

Meanwhile I am going to post again regularly, even if I have to use my free period at school.

Long Time, No Blog

2007-10-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

I know this sounds redundant, but I have been caught up in my own sports and have not been focused on DC Sports. So now I truly, definitely, am back unlike Bob Hartley, who isn't back-yet.

World Series Prediction: Sox in 5; Papi will be MVP if he plays (Terry Francona said he is leaning towards sitting Youk and letting Papi play)

All 4 Teams in the Playoffs?!

2007-09-04T15:23:00.000-05:00

Laugh if you want to, but it could happen. All 4 DC teams could be in the playoffs in their next season. The Nats have gotten much better after the All-Star break, especially Ryan Zimmerman. He has been on a tear lately, most recently helping the Nats top the Marlins 6-3. Wily Mo Peña has provided a badly needed power hitter, Dmitri Young gets on base frequently, and the pitching has been magnificent (except for Cordero's scattered blown saves).

It's A Dog Eat Dog World

2007-08-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

Every NFL fan knows players make mistakes and get suspended. Michael Vick, the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, has been the most recent one to do so. Vick is a great player, but has just pleaded guilty in his dogfighting case. The question is, will one of the NFL's best rushing quarterbacks ever get to play in the NFL again? In the instance of Ricky Williams, the answer was no. But Williams and Vick have done totally different things. Williams' problems were with drugs; Vick's with dogs. So maybe there will be totally different solutions, too.

New York Knicks Guard Stephon Marbury defended Vick a few days ago, saying "dogfighting is a sport, from what I've heard". Marbury also compared it to hunting, and I agree with him. Just because the animals that are being killed are dogs instead of deer, does that make it illegal? Both are animals. So what's the difference? Not much.

This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Nats Coming Home...

2007-08-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

They lost two in Arizona but managed a big come from behind victory to end the west coast swing on a high note. It hurt to play against the hottest pitcher in baseball (Webb) despite our buddy John Lannan pitching such a good game in a losing effort. Plus this team functions differently without the Fatman -- Dmitri Young. Hope he returns from his hamstring tightness soon, three big games against the Phillies and then 3 bigger ones against the Mets. The division could look very different if the Nats go on a bit of a streak here...

Barry Did it....sadly

2007-08-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

We all knew he would, it ws just a matter of where and when. But why oh why did it have to be against the Nationals?!

At least John Lannan took care of him the night before.

The Kid strongly supports the use of an asterisk. Either that or A-Rod hitting a whole bunch of homers over the next few years and getting over 800. Not that I like anyone who is a current Yankee, but I think A-Rod is at least drug-free.

Subbing for the Kid

2007-08-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

Between camp and vacation the Kid has been out of commission. He is currently serving a several week sentence in western Mass in the Berkshires at sleepaway camp, and he asked me to sub for him since two whole months have gone by and most of his readers have stopped looking.

Well we are back!

And what a night to return...will Barry Asterisk Bonds make history? If he does, it will be against our own red hot beloved Nationals who have swept the Reds and then the Cards. And if Barry hits 756 if will be in front of Frank Robinson, another beloved DC related icon. And finally if Barry hits the historic homer, it might be against rookie southpaw John Lannan who coincidentally went to high school with our buddy Joe Graziano, featured prominently on this blog. What a way to get into the record books on your 3rd MLB start.

The Kid was glad the Nats gave the Fatman (Dmitri Young) a contract. Same with belliard. Those two have earned it with seasons that have surprised everyone around. Good news also came from the Washington Caps who made some nifty free agent pick ups (we like Nylander as we met him his first time around in DC when he drove a beat up old mini van as he has a ton of kids), signed Captain Clark for a few more years, and made some other good signings (Sutherby -- we like him despite lots of noise of not living up to potential yet, Eminger (same thing in spades), Jurcina and even Brooksie.

That's it for now, the sub for the Kid must go see how Barry does on his 3rd at bat (so far no go!)

I'm Back!

2007-06-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

As the title says, yes, it's true. The DC Sports Kid is back! I took a one month "sabbatical", partly because I got punished, partly because I had more hockey tryouts, partly because school was almost over, but now that it is, and summer is here, I'll be blogging throughout it.

The Stanley Cup is well underway. The Anaheim Ducks are up two games to one against The Ottawa Senators. The Ducks should win, as they have been successful in shutting down Ottawa's top line of Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley in the two games that they have won. In their losing effort, though, Alfredsson scored a goal. this series will be decided by the performance of this line.

The NBA Draft is coming up on June 28. I think that Portland will choose Oden over Durant with the #1 pick. Durant will then probably go to Seattle, who has the #2 pick. A round of applause for Roy Hibbert for staying with the Hoyas. Jeff Green chose otherwise, and will probably be a top 10 pick in the draft. I saw Roy on the street a few days ago. I held up my pointer finger in a "1" sign, and he did it back. Hopefully the Hoyas can win the championship next season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs are in the NBA Finals. I want Cleveland to win, but I think the Spurs will. LeBron James is the X Factor in this series. If the Spurs can contain him, they will definitely win. If not...

I'll try to be regular- with my sports blogs, that is! This is Connor R., signing off(with a new haircut, too!). This has been MY view in sports, from the DC Sports Kid!

I'm Back!

2007-06-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

Way to Go, Joe!

2007-05-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

My buddy Joe Graziano came off the DL after what was almost a season ending shoulder dislocation to play for Georgetown Baseball this past weekend. He was in a lot of pain but played through it and had a great series against U Conn. Joe hit .400 this weekend, with a hit in every game including a 2 run homer and a double. More importantly, Georgetown took two of three games from their Big East division rival.

Since Joe was hurt, he missed 15 games. In that time, his team lost 12 of 15 games. They had a 4 game losing streak snapped with his triumphant comeback. Most kids might have given up after suffering several fluke injuries. Not Joe though. There is no one who has more heart than this guy, and we are glad to see he is back!

Too bad the Wizards could not get Gilbert or Caron back early.

This is the DC Sports Kid, Connor R., signing off until next time (I have hockey tryouts and lots of my own baseball games coming up)

Skins draft LaRon Landry

2007-04-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

In Saturday's draft, the Redskins, with their number six pick, decided to boost their secondary by drafting safety LaRon Landry from LSU. Landry might take Adam Archuleta's spot next year. Personally, I was hoping that Calvin Johnson would fall to the #6 spot, and the Redskins might pick him, and that he might be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Skins would win more games (a.k.a. the Vince Young Process), but that didn't happen. Instead, the Detroit Lions picked him as #2.

If you were amazed at the Dolphins fans' reaction to their being told that their team selected Ted Ginn Jr., you are not alone. Why would they boo? It's not like Miami chose a person who should have been chosen in the fifth round or something. Beats me.

The Wizards are in dire need of a win in the playoffs, which they probably won't get, the Nats have lost two close games to the Mets, and I need to go to bed.

So I'm signing off, and good night!

Back Again!

2007-04-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry about not posting in a while. I had many things to do including: a science fair project, numerous hockey tryouts and the Special Hockey Tournament.

The Stanley Cup Quest is not going so well. I wanted Uncle Bob's Thrashers to win. But they lost to the evil NY Rangers. This sentence is dedicated to Harris Weber, who's from NYC and reading my blog! Dallas also lost to Vancouver, which I didn't want happening either.

The Wizards have no hope in the playoffs with Gil and Caron out. They have no hope with LeBron healthy and Gil not. A fearless prediction: the Mavs will win it all! Most of my family is from Dallas, so I've been to a few games (my mom even shot a free throw with me when I was a baby on the court)!

The Nats lost. What else is new?

We still have to wait for Change to Come for the Caps (changing jerseys).

So I'm signing off. This is my quick view on DC sports from the DC Sports Kid.

Special Hockey Tournament

2007-04-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

from the CBHL web site (my mom and my friend Zach's dad helped write this)

On April 19 to 21, Kettler Capitals Iceplex will host the largest Special Hockey International Tournament in history. More than 500 Special Athletes from the U.S., Canada, and Britain will compete in three days of hockey in what will be the "Special Olympics" of hockey.

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is scheduled to kick off the Opening Ceremonies. The tournament's host team is the Northern Virginia Cool Cats, a Special Hockey team based at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Other Special Hockey teams in the area are the Washington Ice Dogs, based in Laurel, and the Montgomery Cheetahs, based in Rockville.

Special Hockey, the renowned program for youngsters with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities, is one of fastest-growing sports in the worldwide special development community. It is supported by Athletes Against Autism, co-founded by Washington Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig, the father of an autistic son.

Competition will begin Thursday evening, April 19. The Opening Ceremonies will be held at 12 noon, Friday, April 20. The tournament closes Saturday evening with a banquet for players and families. Spectators are welcome and fans are encouraged to cheer for all the players. It is a rare game that has everyone in the stands cheering for a goal, no matter the team.

http://www.shtour2007.org/index.html

I'm a mentor and if you are reading this, you should come and see these kids play!

This is the DC Sports Kid and hope you can support the tournament too!

Stanley Cup Quest

2007-04-16T06:35:00.000-05:00

I picked Atlanta because I like Bob Hartley (Uncle Bob as I call him) but so far they are down two games to the evil Boys in Blue (especially a certain ex Penguin ex Cap who even came out and said he did not try his best when he played in DC) from NYC. It isn't that I like the Thrashers as no self respecting Caps fan really could LIKE a division rival. It is more that I don't like the other teams. I want NYR, Pittsburgh and all their #1 picks, Tampa Bay and their midget and the Canucks to lose in the first round.

It is hard for this kid though to stay up and watch the west coast games; this is Connor R and this is MY view of the quest for Lord Stanley.

Who's #1?

2007-04-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Greg Oden's father has just said that he will enter the draft. Not surprising! Everyone knew that Oden was leaving, but Durant almost stayed. Still, the #1 burning question on everyone's mind: Who's going to get picked first? Some say Oden, and some say Durant. I guess we'll just have to wait until Draft day.

In other news, the Wizards broke their losing streak, Change is Coming for the Caps, and I got my stitches out!

So now that I have 2 hands, I'm signing off.

Kevin Durant Goes Pro

2007-04-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

Kevin Durant decide to enter his name in the NBA Draft. This is not good news for Texas, because Durant almost decided to stay another year but then didn't. Nike is also offering 20 million dollars in endorsements. I'm sure Oden is next to put his name in. The only question left is about who will go #1?

In other news, the Wizards finally clinched a playoff spot, the Caps moved down in the draft, the Nats are losing, and I have an important test tomorrow.

So I'm signing off, and good night!

Down and Out in DC

2007-04-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

What a rotten weekend in DC sports.

The Nats lost three games straight to the Dbacks. Ryan Zimmerman has 3 errors in 7 games. And he has a chance to be a golden glove guy. Oh, and Teddy lost in the President's races too -- see my earlier post about his stinkiness!

Then the Caps were shut out in their season ending game to the Barfalo Bananas (the logo looks like a banana and not a sabre). They show this video near the end of the game: "No one comes into our house and direspects us..." Ouch. There were busloads of Buffalo people, booing Ovechkin every chance they can. Not sure what scary good means, but I hope the Islanders knock them out in the first round. We still had fun, I got to go to this "chalk talk" thing before the game that some of the Caps Alumni did. And we tried to shout LETS GO CAPS everytime the Buffalo people would say something.

Without their two all stars, the Wizards lost twice, once in overtime (after a sweet 3 pointer by Antwan Jamison to tie up the game against the Nets) and cannot yet clinch a playoff spot. I am sad Gilbert had to join me on the DL.

Daniel Snyder and the Skins did not buy any big name players. Even DC United lost their season opening MLS game. The cherry blossoms are gone and it actually snowed this weekend too. Almost makes a kid wish you were from some other town...

Until you think about the positives:

Manny Acta is going to be a good skipper. The Nats also have some big bats this year. The two "fat men" Belliard and Young are swinging hard and will drive in a ton of runs. Even in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs on Friday night when I couldn't even feel my toes because I was so cold, we had our rally caps on, and sure enough Church hit a homer. Bang zoom went the fireworks and it was worth staying.

What can I say about the Caps? Maybe they will get a top draft pick. My man Boyd Gordon played himself into a spot for next season. Now the guys in Hershey will hopefully come back with another Calder. Ted is ready to spend some big bucks, and we'd better be in the playoffs next year.

And the Wizards? Well, they have been holding their own without Agent Zero and Butler, but would be nice to just win one and clinch the playoff spot. My mom told me that hope springs eternal, and it is spring now, even if it doesn't feel like it.

So I am happy to be the DC Sports Kid and not some bandwagon fan.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view of sports.

Teddy Stinks

2007-04-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Have you been to a Nats game?
If you have, then you probably remember the Presidents Race in between the 4th inning. The one thing I've noticed is that Teddy Roosevelt stinks and loses on purpose. He came in tonight with a head start but then stopped to play the air guitar. Another time he rode in a golf cart and then stopped to sign autographs. Then on Opening Day he rode on a zipline but still couldn't win. This is pathetic, Teddy. You're supposed to have been a president. So win a darn race! What happened to being a Rough Rider? You would think he could win one race!

This is DC Sports Kid signing off. Good night!

Going to my First Nats Game of the Season!

2007-04-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

Today I'm going to my first Nats game of the year. This could be the start of a rocky season for the Nats, as many people predict that they will lose 100 games. Or, it could be a miracle season for them, going on to win a World Series! (although that's highly unlikely), who knows? If they don't lose 100 games, it's because of Ryan Zimmerman, their young, star third-sacker who almost set a new record for RBIs for a rookie, with 110.

Anyway, there's a big weekend coming up in DC sports, with the Caps, Nats, and Wiz playing.

So DC Sports Kid has a lot to cover!

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

3 in a Row for the Caps?

2007-04-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Caps have won two in a row. Last night the Caps had a fun party at their new practice ice, Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston Common Mall. You could skate (for free!) or just hang out with Brian Sutherby and John Erskine. I showed them my sewn up finger and told them, "Birds of a feather!" as they both are out because of hand ailments too.

There was a huge screen projection television set up on the ice to watch the game. I hope the Caps do this again next season for lots of big games. This one was against the Thrashers, which is always a good game. Sorry Uncle Bob (my hockey camp coach and coach of ATL) but we were the better team this time! Maybe you should have let Ilya play more! And my man Boyd Gordon whom I have been raving about all year (and happy others are finally jumping on the BG bandwagon) scored a sweet goal and fed Ovie on one of his. Of course Boyd's face off wins (6 for 9) were pretty good too. The best part was when Uncle Bob pulled Lehtonen and Atlanta already had a 5 on 3 so this made it 6 on 3, and Johnny and the penalty killers held tight for the big win.

Next up....BUFFALO! And this Caps fan would be appreciative on fan appreciation day if the Caps could make it 3 in a row.

This is Connor R., still on the DL, signing off since it is a school night and the Nats already lost, the Wizards don't play and there is nothing much to report about the Skins... This has been MY view in sports from DC Sports Kid

DC Sports Kid Wins Caps Contest!

2007-04-05T17:29:00.000-05:00

Despite being one-handed, the DC Sports Kid won a Caps Contest! I won a sweet prize for my most memorable Caps moment. It was an Ovie signed stick and a jersey signed by the whole team. I don't have it yet, but I'm so excited that a kid could beat many grown-ups! You can enter the contest here, but try not to beat me for Moment of the Year!

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

DC Sports Kid Goes on the DL!

2007-04-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

Today was a bad day for the DC Sports Kid.
I was carrying about 13 plates up at school someone bumped me and a plate fell. It hit the ground and a piece came up and nicked me on the right ring finger. I didn't mind it much, and thought it was just a small cut until a teacher told me to go and see the nurse. The cut was called a "lacerated finger", but she said it was right below the knuckle and I had to go to the hospital. Then my mom came to pick me up. I went to the hospital and got 4 stiches on the finger. It hurt a lot. Now my whole right hand is in a splint, and I'm a righty! Now I know how Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Cristian Guzman, Brian Sutherby, and John Erskine feel. The splint comes off in a week. Until then, the DC Sports Kid is now a lefty!

This is I.M. Injured, signing off. This has been MY view in absolutely no sports at all, from DC Sports Kid

Georgetown Loses To Ohio State

2007-03-31T19:52:00.001-05:00

Georgetown lost. What more can I say?
This might give Green and Hibbert another reason to stay; so they can win a championship.
At least Kevin Durant won Player of the Year.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Ha Ha Washington Post! The Kid Beat You!

2007-03-29T22:06:00.000-05:00

Today the Washington Post published an article about college kids staying in school. Sounds familiar, right? The fact is, I posted something about the same thing yesterday. Mike Wise wrote about how Greg Oden (he only played college because of the NBA's age rule), Joakim Noah (who did stay in school), Al Horford (who did also), and Roy Hibbert (who supposedly hasn't made his decision yet). Like Greg Oden's going to play a sophmore year at Ohio State. Right....

Ah, but Mike Wise can keep his opinions to himself. I don't agree with him that Oden might stay in school, but that's OK. I agree that he SHOULD stay in school, just like I wrote. Oden is only in college because of the NBA's age rule.

Which means, according to the saying "great minds think alike," I will leave the decision up to you on who is the smart one.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Georgetown Players - Stay In School!

2007-03-28T12:15:00.000-05:00

A lot of people know that Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, are juniors, and not seniors. These two players have another year left of NCAA eligibility. So why are Green and Hibbert considering leaving Georgetown and going to the NBA? It has been said that Hibbert needs to get better before going to the NBA, and Green would be the first person in his family to graduate from college. So are they staying or going? That choice is up to them.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Caps Lose Again!

2007-03-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

The Caps once again lost a lead; 2-0 to be exact, and lost again. The officiating was bad, but this is one thing I hate a lot. Every time the Caps play a team that has many fans, e.g. Detroit, Pittsburgh, or the Rangers (especially them), their cheers are louder then the Caps fans'. For example, the last Caps vs. Rangers match up I saw, whenever the Rangers scored, the Ranger fans (who must be crazy to come all this way for just one game) are obviously louder than Caps fans when we score. It was the same thing last night. The Pens fans "outcheered" us, as usual. This should not be happening, Caps fans! So the next Caps game you go to, when the Caps score, really cheer.

In other news, Brashear fought a Penguin alright, but it was not Crosby or Whitney. It was Georges Laraque.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Big Hockey Game Tomorrow!

2007-03-26T22:43:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow the Caps play the Pittsburgh Penguins . So what if the teams have played each other already?! Maybe Ovie will knock out Sid the Kid on the boards just like he handled Daniel Briere... And maybe later he could get back at Ray Whitney for spearing him where it hurts the most last year; or Brashear could pull out a fight resembling this one (against Brendan Shanahan, when Brashear dusted off his hands).

Here is a great quote: "Our 87 (Brashear) can beat up your 87 (Crosby)."

Anyway, I hope the Caps win.

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Georgetown Beats UNC!!!

2007-03-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

There haven't been any new posts for a while because I was punished. And no, these are not excuses. My mom will vouch for me. (she will probably post something confirming this).

Today,a miracle happened for us Hoya fans. The Georgetown Hoyas beat the North Carolina Tar Heels to get into the Final Four in Atlanta. They play Ohio State (my man Roy Hibbert is 2 inches taller than "40-year old" 7-footer Greg Oden). The game started off with UNC having a small lead which grew larger and smaller as the game progressed. But, Georgetown came back and tied the game into OT. Then, GTown had a lot of rebounds in order to make UNC score 3 points in all of OT. Hibbert, Jeff Green, Jessie Sapp, and Jonathan Wallace were big contributors to the Hoyas' 22-3 run, which made Georgetown win the game.

But, that wasn't the best part...

I live not too far from the Georgetown campus, so when the game was over, my brother, Mom and I put on our Hoya jerseys and ran out to the enormous mob forming by our house. We followed the mob until we got pretty far from the gates. We led the crowd with rousing chants of "Hoya Saxa!!!" Many soon-to-be-drunk college students said such things as:"Oh look, a Baby Hoya" , " You rule kid", "You rock", and "Oh look it's my little brother". We got countless high-fives from students, Numerous pictures taken of us, and I am SURE that someone posted something of me on YouTube (go see for yourself)

Newsflash!

I'm on TV (FOX 5 to be exact)

This was a great night, and I'm sure I will remember it (at least until my hoarse voice gets better).

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Caps Win 2 In A Row!

2007-03-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry there hasn't been any new posts in a while. I was in a hockey tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where my team did not do too well. Plus I have been in trouble this week...

Isn't it fun to play spoiler in a playoff race? The Capitals must think so, with two blowout wins against two contending teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1 and 7-1. Alexander Semin had a hat trick in the game against the Lightning.

Uh oh will have to post more tomorrow. Even if it is spring break (FOR TWO WEEKS!) I have to go to bed now....

Bob Hartley Rules Post

2007-03-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

If we (Caps) had to lose tonight, I'm glad we got to lose to the Thrashers (And yes, I know that this is making me sound not like I'm a real Caps fan, since the two teams hate each other so much). There are two reasons: Reason One is I don't like Tampa or Florida or Carolina. They have some guys easy to hate such as The Midget in TB (St Louis) or Florida's star Man-Pig-Bear Olli Jokinen (I attached a funny picture of him), or ESPECIALLY Mike Commodore from Carolina. Reason Two is "Uncle Bob" runs a camp that my brother and I get to go to, and he was a beloved coach at Hershey, winning the Calder Cup with the Bears and later the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche (he wears his ring everywhere at camp!).

I like Johnny a lot, but I wish the Caps would give Cassivi(who is the goalie coach of Hartley's camp), a start before Olie gets back. Paging Glen Hanlon!

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

March Madness

2007-03-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a trip to New York. Music that I made will be posted soon.

Selection Sunday has come and gone. The brackets are out, and my little brother won't shut up about how Texas got ranked #4. I just want to see Georgetown take it all. There are many teams close by that are in the Big Dance, such as Georgetown, Maryland, and GW. BUT, I want Kevin Durant as player of the year. HOOK 'EM HORNS!!! Duke is a surprise ranked #6. Needless to say, I wouldn't want to play Coach K anyway.

More on the Caps' woes, the Nats' throws, and the NCAA knows later.

This is Connor R. signing off, only because it's past my bedtime. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Caps Throwaways

2007-03-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

There's always lots of talk about how George McPhee picks up Waiver-Wire trash. But many of them have earned a spot on other teams, such as Bates Battaglia (11 G 10 A), Glen Metropolit (12 G 17 A), and Joel Kwiatkowski (5 G 5 A H) Just think... Metro would be tied for 4th in points with the Caps' current roster, and Kiwi would be our Defenseman with the most goals. Just something to think about...

This is Connor R.,signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Caps Season Ticket Holder Party

2007-03-07T23:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I was lucky enough to go to this annual event and thought I would write a few things:

1. Ovechkin was signing my 2007 Dallas All Star Game hat, and we noticed that Zubie's brother was working the table with him, helping get jerseys and stuff ready to be signed to keep the line moving. My mom said, "We're glad you are still here!" Ovechkin chimed in, "Me too!!" Alex has a good sense of humor.

2. Good thing Muir was sick because it would have been tough for Bryan to be there next to the fan favorite.

3. I got Johnny to sign a game used stick (win against Ottawa) that he gave me. That was awesome.

4. Donald Brashear was hysterical. If you were not at the party, you need to see the video of the Donald being introduced. You will crack up!! Plus he is a really really nice guy, because he came to help out at Ft. Dupont this year.

5. We found a Kris Beech card at home (from his first caps tour) and had him sign it. I bet no one else had a Kris Beech card! (even he was a little surprised!).

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Boyd Gordon Appreciation Post

2007-03-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

Boyd Gordon is a key player for the Caps. He might not be that noticed while on the ice, but the Caps' best faceoff winner/defensive forward's presence has been missed enormously. I have called in to the Caps Open Line Show many times commending him on his work. The Caps need him back soon. GET BETTER BOYD!!!

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Funny Video of NHL

2007-03-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

This video is really funny if you know the big names of the NHL.
Take it from DC Sports Kid!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp1DMQ-x33k

This is Connor R., signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

Redskins Sign London Fletcher-Baker

2007-03-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

The Redskins signed London Fletcher-Baker to a five year, 25 million dollar deal. http://www.thehogs.net/content/index.php?id=875 He better make an improvement on their 31st ranked D, OR ELSE. Greg William's defense is great for anyone. Heck, I cou- Wait. No I couldn't. Fletcher-Baker was on Sporting News' list of the best free agents.

This is Connor R., signing off. This was MY view in Sports, from DC Sports Kid

Glass Breaks at Caps Game(AGAIN)!

2007-03-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

The glass on the boards just broke at the Caps game for the 2nd time this year. Milan Jurcina (robbed from the Bruins about a month ago) absolutely HAMMERED Ryan Smyth into the boards so hard the glass shattered.

Of course this happens after earlier in the game, Bergeron (Islander), broke the glass by shooting the puck.

This is Connor R. signing off. This was MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

The Gyroball: Fact or Fiction???

2007-03-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

Is the gyroball, (Daisuke Matsuzaka's special pitch), a fake or not? MLB scouts have said that Dice K's PITCHING is extrordainary, but not the gyroball. Two geeky scientists made up the wacky pitch, figuring out that if you turned the ball this way, and flicked your arm this way, and put this much spin on th-.

Those scientists must have had absoulutely nothing to do for about (my estimate) 10 years to come up with that way to throw a baseball. Isn't the fastball good enough? This is Connor R. signing off. This has been MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid

THE FIRST POST BY DC SPORTS KID!!!!!!!

2007-03-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

I'm Connor R., a.k.a. The DC Sports Kid. I pretty much cover any team or sport, but I warn you, I have an incredible bias torwards DC (Washington DC) teams, e.g. Capitals, the awful Nationals (at least this year, sorry Manny Acta), Wizards, and so on. Like I said, I cover every team I know, and even like some of them, being a Red Sox fanatic. Dice K= THE MAN!!! I have a little brother named Ethan (who is beside me in that picture of us at a Caps game) who is sort of like my Mini-Me. He pores over the sports page every day(and draws moustaches on the pictures of people). Hoo-rah to you, because you have just read history in the making. (sorry if that's a little too bit egotistic for you)!

Let's hope the Caps beat the Islanders tonight, and if the game goes into a SHOOTOUT, here's a shootout order for Mr. Glen Hanlon, the Capitals coach.

#1 Guy in section 101

#2 My friend Zack R., who I mentored for special hockey

#3 Cotton Candy Seller

And if those don't work, they're still better than the order you gave on Thursday. Tomas Fleischmann as your #2 shooter. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!

This is Connor R. signing off. This was MY view in sports, from DC Sports Kid