MissAdventures

27

Start spreading the news…the Yankees win the 2009 World Series! Here’s how they got to number 27:

(Above photo © Nick Laham/Getty Images on Detroit News website)

Every 2009 Yankees Walk-Off Win

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DC Baseball Is Here!

Hey…while I’m working on the blog, I thought I’d register my happiness at the news that it looks like DC will get baseball after all. Hoorah!

So, I won’t be there for the initial excitement. But, that’s okay. The Expos’ first year in DC will probably be hard. Plus, the team is currently in LAST place in the NL East…dead last and DC just go together. It’s perfect.

I’m still not too keen on the name the Washington Expos, as I’ve mentioned before. And, I hear that those who bought the Senators way back in 1971 own those naming rights and will not sell them. So, maybe we should go with the Washington Grays, the name of DC’s former negro league team.

All of my advocating for a team will be for naught if they change the team colors to teal and puce or try to rename the Expos something like the “Sting” or the “Raptors.” Yes…those are WNBA/NBA names. I actually don’t hate some of the new-fangled baseball names like the Devil Rays or the Diamondbacks. Couldn’t care less about the teams. But the names aren’t that bad.

What I really hope is that the team keeps its official website in English and in French, just to piss off all those anti-”Old Europe” types. That would be icing on the cake.

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UN or Man U.?

Living in USA/Europe-cable-free zone can really change one’s priorities concerning television. Do I watch the Man U.-Liverpool match or Dubya addressing the UN? As it’s a case of my future safety, I end up watching W on the BBC. He looks dapper, I’ll admit, wearing a royal blue tie. He’s not at all in his “bring it on” mode. In fact, I think he’s addressing AIDS and “human dignity.” Kudos.

But, forgive me if I go on a little political tirade for a moment.

Homeland Security is one thing. In fact, I was more than ready to leave the States, thanks to daily Orange alerts and whatnot. Historically speaking, Washington and New York are the center of the bullseye in many ways. But, when you’re living abroad and the only news that’s filtering through is from Christiane Amanpour, you start to worry about your safety as an American, no matter if you’re in Istanbul or Ile de France.

Certainly, there are more Americans in America than are living abroad. But I can’t help but think that the Americans that are most at risk are those who are living abroad. I’m working on my absentee ballot right now and I hope it goes through – in favor of Kerry (why mince words, you know?) – because I feel that a Bush win could put Americans abroad at peril. Just an opinion. Still, I think that more countries will be apt to strike at the U.S. because of a “perceived threat” (i.e., lots of fingers on the button), than willl be towards an America that works through its fears and problems diplomatically. Hey…Americans aren’t the first to think up the “preemptive strike.”

So, when you vote, why not think of lil ol’ me out here – a sore thumb amongst many unsore ones, who’d like to remain friends with people who haven’t the same background as me but have the same values.

Can’t we all just get along and take out our grudges in soccer/cricket matches?

Oooh..oooh! One more political thing before I go. Please read the Ny Times article on genetically modified grass! This is the kind of crap that people in Chapel Hill, NC have been screaming about for years, and it’s just now in the Times. People…this has enormous environmental and political implications.

My two cents….

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Naming America’s Team

So little time these days to blog, but thought I’d highlight a website that someone made a comment about.

The site rememberthegrays.org seeks to move a team to DC and rename them after Washington’s erstwhile Negro League team the Grays. It’s not totally a bad idea. I mean, just think of all the other likely names if DC gets a team.

The “Washington Expos” sounds like something at the convention center. Both the Senators and Nationals would be fitting, given the area’s baseball history, but the former name is already taken (by Ottawa’s hockey team…different sport, sure, but not totally original anymore) and the latter name is too reminiscent of the local airport. (I’m sure after some time some Congressmen would vie to change the name to the Washington Reagans…)
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World Sports Around the ‘Net

I just watched what is sure to be one of the most thrilling matches of the entire Wimbledon tournament, and I never even turned on the tele.
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The Case FOR Baseball in DC

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching the New York Yankees trounce the Baltimore Orioles 10-4. So the Yankees bought their talent – isn’t that what professional baseball teams are supposed to do? Alex Rodriguez’s salary is indeed bloated, but after seeing him belt two homers – and drive in half of the Yankees’ runs – I certainly feel like he was worth every penny. He made me a believer.

I’m sure he made a number of Orioles fans believers, too, even if they didn’t like the score. Last night was the highest attendance EVER at Camden Yards. 49,696 people came to the game. And though it was a great night for a ballgame, I’m pretty sure that many people showed up on a Tuesday evening just to watch A-Rod play.

Baseball is back, and early attendance records can back me up. For this reason, but not for this reason alone, I’d like to advocate the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, DC.
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Euro Spittoon 2004

All I have to ask is what’s with all the spitting?
Totti Gets Three-Game Spitting Ban
UEFA Revive Frei Spit Charge

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Why I Love the French National Team

I have been an avid follower of the Euro Cup since 1992, when a start-up Denmark beat reigning World Cup champs Germany. I was an apathetic exchange student in Germany at the time, and was more than happy to cheer on – along with my Nirvana-loving host brother – the defeat of a powerhouse. My love for underdogs goes way back.

Now it’s time for Euro Cup again, and I’m ready to watch. Only thing is that you can’t watch any of the matches in the U.S. unless you get pay-per-view. I clicked on ESPN2 this morning and got to watch the wife of NRA President Wayne LaPierre hunt down and kill big game in Africa. Why can’t I watch something more civilized like the second biggest soccer tournament in the world??
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Hail to the Underdogs

It was a great weekend for sports and a great weekend for the underdog. I’m happy to see the Detroit Pistons proved me wrong last night with their defeat over the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Let’s hope their streak continues.

Now I was a bit disappointed to see Smarty Jones lose his bid for the Triple Crown. Although I watched the Belmont on tv, I could hear the anguished yelps from the crowd as they lost hundreds – maybe thousands – of dollars on a “sure thing.” I wanted to see history in the making, but it was not to be.

When it was all over, I found myself rooting in retrospect for the underdog – Birdstone – who came up from behind at the last moment. In fact, I think it was a bit of schadenfreude because I’d bet on “Read the Footnotes” at the NY OTB for the Kentucky Derby and he’d let me down.

Anyhow, what irked me at the end of the race was that no one really talked about how Birdstone gave a tremendous effort. When it came time for interviews, the cameras turned from the winning trainer Nick Zito to a “smarting” John Servis. That showed an utter lack of class.
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Why the Pistons Will Lose the NBA Finals

This Sunday, when the NBA Finals kick off in L.A., the Detroit Pistons will be overwhelmingly the underdogs. Forget that the team is young and that most of its players have never been this far in the playoffs. Forget that the Lakers have home court advantage. Forget, too, that Pistons Coach Larry Brown has an incredible track record of winning conference finals but losing when it counts.

The real reason why the Pistons will lose ultimately comes down to this fact: four of the team’s starters once played for the Washington Wizards.
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