Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
Defensive end Josh Gaines (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) and safety Anthony Scirrotto (West Deptford, N.J.) were named the defensive captains. Center A.Q. Shipley (Coraopolis) and wide receiver Derrick Williams (Greenbelt, Md.) were named the offensive captains.
In addition, linebacker Sean Lee (Pittsburgh) will serve as an honorary captain in 2008. Lee suffered a serious knee injury earlier this month that will likely keep him off the field this season, but he is planning to return for the 2009 season as a fifth-year senior.
Do they really need four captains? Remember when it was just two and occasionally a special teamer like Maurice Daniels? Also, Scirrotto has no business being captain after the happenings of early April 1, 2007.
What has happened to my alma mater's football team? - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
What has happened to my alma mater's football team?
On the right is yesterday'sCollegian. The highlighted areas are stories about the legal problems of current and past Penn State football players.
Just off of the top of my head, here are Penn State football players, current and former, who have had legal problems over the last year or so.
Anthony Scirrotto Chris Baker Chris Bell Austin Scott Knowledge Timmons Tyrell Sales Phil Taylor
This is MAJOR problem and like it or not, Joe Paterno is going to be held accountable for the actions of his players by the university. These arrests, more than anything else, may mean the end of his career after his contract expires. Something is very wrong with this team and clever ideas like cleaning a section of Beaver Stadium are not fixing the thuggery problem that is running rampant. Yes, Paterno has kicked Bell off for good, but what has he done about Anthony Scirrotto? Nothing yet. Too much is going on and he can't blame the media or Old Main for it. Working at home is not going to make this go away either.
Penn State football has been falling short of its potential on and off the field for several years with 2005 now looking like an abberation. Too many players are getting in legal trouble and big wins are rare. The Grand Experiment to win with well-rounded football players is in the rear-view mirror right now. With each new incident, the thought of seeing someone other than Paterno roaming the sidelines becomes less shocking and more welcome.
Paterno needs to stop picking fights with Old Main and the media and start figuring out why his players can't keep their noses clean. The university does not owe him (or his assistants, who are complicit with the direction of the program) a job. If Paterno is willing to let his standards slide, the university should find someone who will commit himself to success with honor. If they have to go outside the program to do it, so be it.
The tipping point for me was the September game vs. Michigan.
Look, JoePa is the greatest, but there comes a time for everyone to move on. He wants respect for all he's done, and for good reason. But the University has tolerated a lot as well. Major college programs don't keep coaches who have 4 out 5 losing seasons ('00-'04) and don't consistently beat their rivals (Michgan or Ohio State). The off-the-field stuff is even worse, because it reflects poorly on the entire university. And the working from home thing is ridiculous. We'd all like to work from home--get to the office! I don't think Joe will be coaching in '09.
# posted by The Maryland Bureau Chief :
Thursday, April 10, 2008 8:10:00 AM
The real reason Starbucks is closed right now - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The real reason Starbucks is closed right now
Starbucks is closed right now (Seattle Times) so employees can "be trained in creating the perfect shot, steaming the milk and all the pieces that come together in a drink." Not just the local Starbucks, all Starbucks. Seems a little odd doesn't it? The truth is more disturbing:
STATE COLLEGE - A Lansing, Mich., TV personality named Hondo Carpenter took the Jordan Center court two hours before Michigan State's game at Penn State and pre-taped his postgame opening. It went something like this:
"Welcome to the Northwestern of the East where, before 6,000 fans, the Spartans whipped Penn State."
For the record, there was an announced crowd of 11,159 fans, some of whom rushed the court after Penn State won by nine. Final score: 85-76.
About once a year, Penn State shows signs of life and beats a men's basketball good team. That happened yesterday when Michigan State came to town.
Now build on it cagers! The season doesn't have to be a total loss, you have a winning record and can still make the NIT.
We're so romantic...or not - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
We're so romantic...or not
Pop Candy alerts us that Alexandria, my current home, is the most romantic city in the United States of America according to amazon.com. My previous location, Arlington is #9 while Washington D.C. is #11. The Ombudsman works in the #2 city, Cambridge, Mass.
While Old Town Alexandria and the roof of Riverhouse in Arlington have their advantages, I never thought of either place as particularly romantic. I would have expected San Francisco (#15) to be higher and that New York would be on the list.
It has been suggested that perhaps the criteria amazon.com uses, "sales data of romance novels, relationship and sex books" indicates a lack of romance. Seeing that we're lumped in with Cambridge and Ann Arbor supports that statement -- what do Cantabs and Wolverines know about amore anyway?!
Schrag on Dulles-Tysons Metro situation - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, January 25, 2008
Schrag on Dulles-Tysons Metro situation
This morning, I asked Zachary Schrag, assistant professor of history at George Mason University and author of The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro, if he had any comments on the letter FTA chief James Simpson sent to Governor Kaine about the Dulles-Tysons Metro extension. Dr. Schrag responded:
In June 2007, James S. Simpson told the APTA Rail Conference, "we have one shot at building these projects; so we need to build them right and we need to build them to last. Perhaps by thinking big again, we can develop the kind of national consensus we need to assure that we get the kind of cities, and nation, that we want, and find the resources to pay for them." Remarks: James S. Simpson, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, APTA Rail Conference, June 4, 2007
I find little of that approach in his January 24 letter to Governor Kaine. What does Simpson think Tysons Corner should look like a century from now? What does he think Loudoun County should look like a century from now? Unless he explain what kind of metropolitan area, and what kind of nation he wants, I don't see how he can evaluate the Dulles Line proposal.
Not surprisingly, a Post editorial wonders why the FTA took so long (after many millions of dollars were already spent) to announce its intentions. It also raises the question of how much administration ideology played a part (The Post) in the FTA's handling of the Dulles corridor Metro.
These recent developments are bad news for Northern Virginia and greater Washington D.C. There has been failure at just about every possible level along the way. Hopefully, this is just a setback, albeit a large one, to bringing mass transit to the 17th largest business district and 16th busiest airport in the country.
Tysons-Dulles Metro in jeopardy - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tysons-Dulles Metro in jeopardy
Dulles Rail Project Verging on Collapse - The Post The details are still emerging, but it appears the Silver Line linking West Falls Church to Ashburn via Tysons and Dulles is in serious jeopardy. The Federal Transit Administration is very reluctant to provide $900 million in funding for this much needed project.
Jerry Reinsdorf : Still obnoxious after all of these years - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Jerry Reinsdorf : Still obnoxious after all of these years
Capital Punishment found this Yeas & Nays article (The Wash. Examiner) about Chicago White Sox & Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf receiving an award from his alma mater, George Washington University. Reinsdorf took the occasion to note that he didn't want the Expos to come to the nation's capital.
"Whatever you do, don’t give me Washington," he said Selig told him.
That's exactly what they did, although Reinsdorf said the decision had "nothing to do with my love for D.C." (he got his bachelor’s degree from G.W. in the '50s) but was "strictly business.
Nevertheless, he said he preferred Northern Virginia over downtown due to its "better fan base." Then he told the crowd, which included Nats principal owner Mark Lerner, that he "would have requested a different location" in the city.
"We were sold on the idea that there would be enough parking," he said. "I'm afraid that's not the case. I would have insisted on [the RFK site]."
Clearly these are words from a man who loves D.C. Also, as CP noted, he showed his love for D.C. when he strong-armed the city to hiring his son's firm (for $3.7 million) as a ballpark consultant. What a jerk (actual word much stronger, but I try to keep it clean)!
The parking situation will be worked out eventually; a year or two of parking problems beats 30 years of having a Northern Virginia franchise that wouldn't draw from east of the Potomac.
Regarding Selig's desire that Reinsdorf not give him Washington, why not just state the obvious--he didn't want to deal with Peter Angelos's inevitable meddlings.
# posted by Fritz :
Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:41:00 PM
While Peter Angelo$ can generally be blamed for much of what ails D.C. baseball, in this case I think Reinsdorf is just a jerk.
# posted by WFY :
Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:07:00 AM
Post a CommentOvechkin's contract is a 13 year monster - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, January 11, 2008
Ovechkin's contract is a 13 year monster
You have to give it to Ted Leonsis, he's got guts signing Alex Ovechkin to such a huge contract, both in terms of years (13) and dollars ($124 million).
"I'm a risk-taker," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said. "And if you're going to make a long-term investment, who else would you do it with?"
I'm blown away. It probably goes down as either the smartest or dumbest decision in Capitals history, but we won't know for a long time; I'm expecting the former. Five years from now, $9.5 million a year for Ovechkin could very well look like a bargain.
On Frozen Blog, which has been on top of the story all along, took video of the announcement last night at the season ticket-holder party.
Leonsis has likely charted the course for the Washington Capitals for the rest of his tenure as owner. This erases all doubt about his intentions, not that I had any.
Ovechkin did this without an agent too, so he really cashes in. Scott Boras, eat your heart out.
Wow, what a deal for the kid! I generally hate deals that are made for so long because I don't know if younger players have earned that yet. I like Ovechkin though and even I may have come up with an 8 year deal, ten at the absolute most. But you are right, down the line this could be a great deal.
I like that they announced it at this ticket holder event though. Good luck to the Capitals in the long run!
# posted by Kevin McGuire :
Friday, January 11, 2008 6:15:00 AM
This means that Crosby deserves $11+ million a year as soon as his contract is up.....
# posted by The Maryland Bureau Chief :
Friday, January 11, 2008 3:12:00 PM
So let me get this straight...
They outed their source, admitted to being a plant, and admitted to going against the wishes of the team to keep things under wraps while patting themselves on the back about upholding mainstream journalistic standards in the process?????
Yeah...
Ted's right, it is a blackeye for them. Only, as usual, they're too stupid to realize it.
I understand it isn't as good a narrative for aliens destroy Indiana because a burning Wal-Mart isn't a vivid as skyscraper, but still destroying New York is a cliche that actually happened.
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