William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog

New Moon comes out today, let's get caught up on the first Twilight

2009-11-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

If 'Twilight' Was 10 Times Shorter And 100 Times More Honest - CRACKED
I don't remember who pointed me to this a while back but it is a great primer on the first Twilight movie. Can't wait to see what they have to say about New Moon.

Twilight, New Moon, Cracked

Nats' Stephen Strasburg feels a pop in his knee

2009-11-20T06:15:00.003-05:00

Sharp mind is Strasburg's secret weapon - The Wash. Times
Yesterday, Mark Zuckerman wrote an article about how Washington Nationals pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg was more than a 100 MPH throwing pitcher -- he was a thinking man on the mound too. It was the kind of story that raises the hopes of an entire fanbase, city, region, nation,
world. I was going to blog about this morning since I did not have time yesterday. Then Google Reader delivering heart-wrenching headlines like these:

Strasburg scratched from championship start - The Wash. Times
Strasburg hurts knee, out of Saturday's AFL title game [UPDATED] - The Post
Strasburg was channeling his inner Mark Lerner and shagging flies in the outfield when his left knee collapsed with an audible pop. The team is saying they "don't believe its serious" which is almost as bad as saying its "day-to-day." Given the track record of evaluating injuries we must fear the worst -- they won't be able to save the leg. And when he comes back to pitch with an artificial leg it won't even be unique -- D.C. has already had a one-legged pitcher, Bert Shepherd.

That's not the point though. The point is that by praising a pitching prospect of the Washington Nationals, Zuckerman damned Strasburg like John Patterson and Shawn Hill. Have you no deceny Zuckerman?

Washington Nationals, Nats, Stephen Strasburg, panic

Coverage Map: Penn State vs. Michigan State on ABC or ESPN

2009-11-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

College Football TV maps: Week 12 - The Post
Most of the nation will get Penn State at Michigan State on ABC. The only part of the country getting the game on ESPN is ACC country -- basically Washington D.C. down to the Florida panhandle.

By the way, the 126th edition of The Game is on Vs. at noon as Yale hosts Harvard at Yale Bowl.

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football, Michigan State Spartans, coverage map, ABC, ESPN

Chico Harlan off the Nats beat

2009-11-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

WaPo Seeks New Nats Writer - Fishbowl DC
Noted sports-hater Chico Harlan is leaving the Washington Nationals beat for other opportunities at The Post. Back when that infamous Washingtonian profile came out, I wrote this:

My take -- whatever, though it explains the initial level of coverage he provided when he took over the beat last season. It struck me as being written by someone who was cocky and probably too into himself. However, Harlan has improved and if he is doing it despite not liking his job, well that speaks well to his professionalism.

My beef, if you can call it that, with Harlan was sometimes he tried to hard to be snarky; his writing came off as HEY LOOK AT ME, I AM WRITING SOMETHING VERY, VERY SNARKY. When avoided that, he was a competent beat writer. That being said, I hope the new beat writer is more like original Nats beat writer Barry Svrluga than Harlan.

I wonder if any Nats bloggers will actually apply for the job.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Chico Harlan, Washington Post

Penn State football tickets will have different system soon

2009-11-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Penn State is considering annual fees for season ticket holders, sources say - Patriot-News
One thing's for sure: PSU fans, open wallets - Patriot-News
This past Saturday, rumors about major changes to Penn State football ticket distribution got covered by a major media outlet for the first time. RUTS mentioned them a few weeks ago during one of my weekly chats. This is going to upset a lot of people as lots of ticketholders between the 40 yard lines (and maybe elsewhere) are going to have to pay more to retain their seats. Paying the minimum contribution will no longer be enough if you have really good seats. Nittany Lion Club points are also not going to be much or any of a factor either, so I'm really glad I never joined. Basically, loyalty is no enough to keep your tickets, you have to open that wallet now. Loyalty doesn't pay for athletes scholarships, facilities, travel and so on -- money does.

RUTS, in a very thorough analysis on Black Shoe Diaries, is seeing this as an opportunity for other (i.e. younger) fans willing to spend the money to move up to much better seats. That's true and if you have the money but could never get close to midfield, this is good news for you. In general though, this is a big money grab that is going to make Penn State football more expensive for fans. There will certainly be backlash, but how much? Frankly, that is really going to depend on if Penn State is winning and to a lesser extent, what the home schedules look like. Some problems Penn State potentially faces:

Personally, I do not relish the idea of paying more just for the privilege of buying tickets to see Penn State play someone like Indiana State and I bet some of you don't either.
The gameday experience at Beaver Stadium has really suffered since Guido D'Elia was put in charge of it -- I'm sick of hearing about the "Greatest Show in College Football." Every time I go (less and less since I am now a father) I like it less. Too much piped in music, not enough Blue Band.
There is not as much parking and that does make it take longer to get to the game.. I don't mind it so much since the mission of the university is not to provide football parking. I welcome the arboretum and (ugly) law school building as those will get used a lot more often the football parking.
Some fans may be more content to just stay home and watch games on their big HD TVs. Remember, there is no blackout rule in college football like the pros.

Okay, those are some downside to Penn State doing this, there may actually be some upsides:

More revenue might mean they are going to be willing to spend money on the next football coach. Joe Paterno makes very little compared to his peers at other top 25 programs. If they want a big name next time, they have to open up the wallet. That may be one of the reasons they are jacking up football ticket prices.
Left unsaid in any of the articles I have seen, fans outside of the 40s may get less desirable seats as other fans get downgraded since they won't pony up.
That may be true of other sports as well. The new wrestling coach was quite a coup and they spent a lot of money for him.
More, younger fans in key positions could make the stadium a lot louder and improve the atmosphere, though pricing out the "average fan" has a way of having the opposite impact.
Maybe we'll get that hockey arena after all.

In the end, this reeks of hubris and could blow up in Intercollegiate Athletics face, but it probably won't and most fans will just go along with it, grudgingly.

Oh and the student section is going to be moved around so it is completely in the south endzone. That frees up seats on the east sideline for more alumni. Juniors and seniors lose in this deal, but ultimately, that could make the south end zone much louder, so that's a win.

Penn State to hike football ticket cost - The Atloona Mirror

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football,

Thomas Boswell chat 11.19.2009

2009-11-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ask Boswell: Redskins, Nats, baseball hot stove, Caps and more - The Post
"Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell will be online Thursday, Nov. 19, at 11:00 a.m. ET to take your questions about the Redskins, the Nats, the NFL, the Caps and the latest sports news and his recent columns."

Since Bos has an actual Nats column today, there may be a lot of baseball talk.

Washington Nationals, Nats, chat, Thomas Boswell

Nats GM Mike Rizzo has made 17 front office hires since August

2009-11-19T05:57:00.004-05:00

Rizzo, Nationals hire Johnson - The Post
Johnson joins Nationals front office - The Wash. Times
Nats hire two for front-office positions - nationals.com
Davey Johnson is the latest in a string of hires Mike Rizzo has made for the Washington Nationals front office since becoming permanent general manager. Johnson, who has been out of MLB for most of the decade, has managed the US Olympic baseball team though. Stephen Strasburg was a member of that team in 2008. He will be a special advisor to Rizzo.

Bryan Minniti and Jay Sartori are the new assistant general manager and director of baseball operations respectively. They had both interviewed for the assistant GM job, but Rizzo liked them both so he made sure both got jobs. Minniti comes from the Pirates, Sartori from the commissioners' office.

Also, Jim Bowden's college roommate is no longer in the front office. Yay!

THOMAS BOSWELL - This National intelligence estimate is decidedly favorable - The Post
Boswell is pretty excited that the Nats finally have a real front office. He also notes that scouting will be the final say in player decisions most of the time. How quaint.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Davey Johnson, Mike Rizzo

Joe Paterno press conference transcript 11.03.2009

2009-11-17T21:03:00.002-05:00

Joe Paterno News Conference - Intercollegiate Athletics
Video will be added if/when it becomes available.

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football,

Traffic reports used to originate from the Washington Monument

2009-11-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

30 years of steering you home - WTOP
The dean of D.C. traffic reporters Bob Marbourg celebrated his 30th anniversary as a traffic reporter yesterday. Congratulations to him, but the most interesting part of the story was that before he took the job, traffic reports used to come from a department of transportation employee stationed on top of the Washington Monument. That's pretty cool and just about impossible to imagine these days with traffic stretching up to 40 miles away from the monument now, but back that then it was pretty resourceful.

Back to Marbourg, what do you suppose the odds that he and morning traffic reporter Lisa Baden have a rivalry with each other?

Washington Monument, Bob Marbourg, WTOP, traffic report

Jersey Shore pummeled by Nor'easter, Ida

2009-11-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Time to clean up at Jersey Shore - The Inky
Northeaster reminds area that bad weather can soak economy - The Press, Atlantic City
My beloved Jersey Shore got hit hard by the remnants of Hurricane Ida/Nor'easter late last week. From Long Beach Island all the way to the south, there was major erosion and flooding. Avalon lost a lot of beach in the northern part of the borough. Landis Ave, the main drag of Sea Isle City, was flooded too.

It is only November, so there is time to clean up and get everything ready for summer -- so long as no other big storms come by. It is only November...

Jersey Shore, NJ, New Jersey, nor'easter

Marquis Grissom won't be on Nats' 2010 coaching staff

2009-11-16T12:41:00.002-05:00

Grissom will not return as Nats coach - nationals.com
2009 Washington Nationals Outfield and first base coach Marquis Grissom will not be a part of Jim Riggleman's coaching staff next season. Details are unknown and Grissom was apparently offered a job in the organization. Outside of Nyjer Morgan's outfield play, the defense back there was pretty awful, though that isn't on Grissom. Maybe they didn't like the cadence of his clapping as first base coach. Everybody knows its (*clap, clap* go Ryan, *clap, clap, clap*).

Washington Nationals, Nats, Marquis Grissom

Nats Zimmerman wins Silver Slugger

2009-11-16T11:45:00.000-05:00

Nationals' Zimmerman receives Silver Slugger - The Wash. Times
I feel bad that I did not blog about Ryan Zimmerman winning yet another award -- the NL Silver Slugger award for third baseman. This comes after his Gold Glove announced a day earlier. His thunder got stolen by the announcement and coverage of Jim Riggleman's contract extension.

I don't think this news ever made The Post's print edition.

Washington Nationals, Nats, RyanZimmerman, Silver Slugger

PENN STATE 31 Indiana 20

2009-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

We came within a safety of my 33-20 prediction from the end of Friday's chat coming true. So close...

Man oh man that was some bad football by Penn State in the first half. Two really bad Daryll Clark interceptions and two lost fumbles on special teams. There was another one that the Nittany Lions got back. Joe Paterno's "playing it safe" on punt returns really blew up in his face. The idea of playing for the fair catch doesn't work too well when the returners can't hold onto the ball. Unbelievable.
Against any other Big Ten team on the schedule, those 4 first half turnovers would have made for a loss.
Clark was too wound up in the first half. That is his biggest problem, his fiery emotions get the best of him. He settled down nicely in the second half.
Getting that touchdown to tie the game going into the half was huge and yes Bill Lynch, that was probably holding on Penn State. Good tirade though.
Excellent interception return for a touchdown Navarro Bowman, but I still don't think you are ready for the NFL. Come back and get your technique perfected.
OLB Sean Lee had a great final game at Beaver Stadium with over 10 tackles and 4 passes defensed. He also got robbed of an interception by a penalty.
Indiana looked better than they had in a long time. Ben Chappell is solid quarterback that is going to be trouble for the Nittany Lions next year at FedEx Field.
Once again, the defense yielded an early score and then made the adjustments they needed to make.
RB Evan Royster had just shy of 100 yards, but scored two TDs. He'd be stupid to go pro by the way.
RB Brandon Beachem looked to have a pretty serious knee injury.
Guess who is BCS eligible again? Win next week and maybe another BCS bowl, even if they don't deserve it.

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football, Indiana Hoosiers

Redskins fake another field goal, beat Broncos

2009-11-16T06:05:00.005-05:00

Watch this video while you still can!

Good to see that Jim Zorn found a play that he could call -- the fake field goal! Man, I wish the NFL Films feature about him running fake field goals was available on line. Hunter (the Punter) Smith has run and now thrown for a touchdown on two fake field goals this year. He's the best quarterback on the roster!

Oh and Clinton Portis, say hi to obsolescence! Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright ran better than you can these days.

The burgundy uniforms at home looked really weird and always will to me. Denver's uniforms still look bad.

H/T Mr. Irrelevant

Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Hunter Smith

Penn State Football Story: Indiana game

2009-11-15T20:43:00.002-05:00

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football, Indiana Hoosiers

Final game for Penn State's Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer

2009-11-13T11:30:00.000-05:00

Blue Sapphire will shine for final time - The Collegian
Tomorrow's Penn State vs. Indiana game is also Senior Day for PJ Maierhofer, blue sapphire for the last five seasons. She leaves behind an impressive legacy. The big question for me though is whether she'll get proposed to on the field tomorrow. Both of her immediate predecessors were proposed to on the field, though Bobbie Jo Solomon's proposal did not come until Homecoming a few years ago when she was an alumna.

PREVIOUSLY

Q&A: P.J. Maierhofer - 10.17.2007

PJ! -- Blue Sapphire video - 08.26.2006

P.J. Maierhofer, blue sapphire, Blue Band, Touch of Blue,PennState

Penn State football chat week 11 at noon

2009-11-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Penn State Football Chat week 11

Penn State, Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers

Jim Riggleman introduced as Nats manager

2009-11-13T05:28:00.003-05:00

Riggleman officially takes Nationals' reins - The Post
Riggleman keeps 'dream' job with Nationals - The Wash. Times
Riggleman hired as Nationals manager - nationals.com
Valentine moving on after Nats' decision - nationals.com
The Washington Nationals held a press conference yesterday to announce that Jim Riggleman had his interim tag removed from his title. It is believed he signed a 2-year deal with an option for a third. No details about the coaching staff were provided during the presser.

Riggleman, a Rockville, Md. native, considers the Nats and D.C.'s team during his childhood, the Washington Senators to be the same. He says this a dream come true. Let's hope the Nats are not as bad as the Senators for much longer.

Bobby Valentine, the former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager, was also interviewed at length by GM Mike Rizzo. Valentine and Rizzo both spoke highly of each other, but former never got a call from the latter (bad move Rizzo) to announce that Riggleman got the job. Valentine believes Riggleman was the choice all along and rationalized that the rebuilding would be tough.

THOMAS BOSWELL - The right man for the plan - The Post
Bos, ever the fanboy is happy with Riggleman getting the job. He frames the hiring as part of The Plan and makes numerous references to the Capitals rebuilding -- Principal Nats owner Mark Lerner is a minority owner in the Caps. What Bos doesn't say is "Riggleman might be the next Glen Hanlon," the caretaker who coaches the team for a while and then gets replaced when the team is ready to make its move.

Loverro: Rizzo's choice feels right now - but later? - The Wash. Times
On the other hand, Loverro is critical of the hiring and thinks the team is saying "We're hiring a baseball lifer with a losing record because we really aren't going anywhere the next couple of years. So why spend the money to hire a manager with a better record?" Hard to argue with that statement, though Loverro does call Riggleman "a decent man who won't embarrass the organization, a baseball man who can be trusted not to mess up the development of young players."

Loverro also points out that Rizzo has Riggleman's back, unlike the previous general manager Jim Bowden and Manny Acta.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Jim Riggleman

Nick Horvath column attacks Penn State athletic department

2009-11-12T20:33:00.002-05:00

NICK HORVATH - PSU content to be pretender - Patriot-News
Horvath slams Intercollegiate Athletics for making Penn State college football's elite for raising revenue and bricks-and-mortar, but not on the field. The scheduling is specifically called out. There are lot more truths in column than we may want to admit.

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football,

Penn State vs. Indiana TV information

2009-11-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

Penn State vs. Indiana is on Big Ten Network this Saturday. Find it on Gamefinder.

In Alexandria, Va., the game is on channel 715 at 12:00 PM.

Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football,

Nats: Riggleman press conference on Comcast Sports Net at 2:30

2009-11-12T12:02:00.001-05:00

Good news Washingtonians, you can watch the the Jim Riggleman press conference at 2:30 p.m. today on Comcast Sports Net Washington. Why support the Baltimore-based, Peter Angelos-owned, anti-Washington/Nats MASN when you don't have to?

Washington Nationals, Nats, Comcast Sports Net, Jim Riggleman

DC Sports Bog: #26 is cursed in Washington sports

2009-11-12T11:00:00.002-05:00

For D.C. sports, 26 = sign of the devil - The Post
I did not get to this yesterday -- 26 is the number of the damned in Washington pro sports according to Dan Steinberg's frightening numerology. The Nationals, Capitals, Redskins, Wizards and DC United have all fallen victim to this dark number, though the spell seems to be indirect on the Caps.

By the way, the Caps now have 26 standings points - best in the Eastern Conference.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Redskins, 26

Thomas Boswell chat 11.12.2009

2009-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ask Boswell: Redskins, Nats, Caps and more - The Post
"Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell will be online Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11:00 a.m. ET to take your questions about the Redskins, the Nats, the NFL, the Caps and the latest sports news and his recent columns."

Since the Nationals named Jim Riggleman was named manager and Ryan Zimmerman won a Gold Glove, Bos might actually talk about the Nationals today.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Thomas Boswell

Nats: Jim Riggleman named manager, Ryan Zimmerman wins gold glove

2009-11-12T06:05:00.000-05:00

After search, Riggleman is the Nats' man - The Post
Nationals' Zimmerman earns first Gold Glove - The Wash. Times
Nationals keeping Riggleman as manager - The Wash. Times
In seemingly another PR blunder, the Washington Nationals stepped on the news of Ryan Zimmerman's first gold glove win by announcing that Jim Riggleman would be retained as manager after serving in the role of the interim manager since the All-Star break last year. More on that later with some cocktail party suppositions.

Riggleman was solid if unspectacular as manager last year. The knock on him was the Nats ran too much on the basepaths with him in charge. There is also concern that he will abuse young arms too much as some believe he did in Chicago with Kerry Wood. If he can avoid that, he should be a solid caretaker manager. He's also a Montgomery County, Md. native though that is not going to bring much buzz. They ought to try playing that up a little in the run up to the season.

Riggleman's apparent competitor for the job was Bobby Valentine, recently managing in Japan and previously with the Mets and Rangers. He would have been the flashier and more expensive pick. His Japan ties could have been useful too, but as far as day-to-day, I don't see that much advantage having Valentine right now since the team is a few years away at best.

The other news yesterday was Ryan Zimmerman being awarded the NL Gold Glove for third base. Zimmerman beat out San Diego Padres 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, who set a record for fielding percentage and had PR campaign created by his team on his behalf. Zimmerman had nearly 150 more chances than Kouzmanoff and according the Ultimate Zone Rating statistic, Zimmerman saved 18.1 runs over the course of the season to Kouzmanoff's 7.5.

Zimmerman is only the second D.C. player to win a gold glove. In 1960, Earl Battey won the AL Gold Glove for catcher on the original Washington Senators. He won the next two with that franchise after it moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. He died in 2003. Let's see if any of the papers put out an article on Battey.

Washington Nationals, Nats, Jim Riggleman, Ryan Zimmerman, gold glove

Vienna Inn's semicentennial nears

2009-11-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Vienna Inn prepares to turn 50 - The Fairfax Times
The beloved Vienna Inn is approaching 50 years in business. This is just a fairly standard article about the history of my hometown bar, but I quibble with this statement:

The walls, saturated with the smell and color of smoke...

Hardly -- at least compared to what it used to be. When Mike and Mollie Abraham still owned it, the ceiling was really dirty from all of the smoke. Now, it is nothing like that -- I suspect when it changed hands the health inspector said something along the lines of "we were letting Mike slide a little, but you are bringing this joint up to code!"

Also, some specifics to something I've been saying for years -- they used to sell more Budweiser than anybody:

"In 1979, when the drinking age in Virginia was still 18, the Vienna Inn sold more Budweiser beer that year than any other bar or sports stadium in the United States, except Yankee Stadium � over 10,000 kegs..."

This is why the Clydesdales used to show up in the Vienna Halloween Parade every year. Apparently, they don't just show up for everyone.

Vienna Inn, Vienna, Virginia