William World News William F. Yurasko's blog v.14 – Nats, Redskins, Capitals, D.C. life, transportation, not so much Penn State anymore,

Verizon Center to switch from Coke to Pepsi products – DC Sports Bog, The Post
The best news out of Ted Leonsis’ Monumental Sports & Entertainment since Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs is that Pepsi products will soon be the official soft drinks of Verizon Center. Coke drinkers are not [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recently I started putting pennants up in my son’s room. My alma mater and my father’s alma mater are represented on one wall. On the opposite wall, I have started putting up D.C. team pennants, starting with the Washington Nationals and Capitals. I’ll eventually get a Redskins pennant for him [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following last season’s heartbreaking elimination in round 1, the Washington Capitals from the owner down to the fans shared the same point of view:
the regular season does not matter, only the playoffs do
What nobody counted on was just how frustrating the President’s Trophy to early playoff exit hangover would be. The [...]

Back on April 28, right after Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis took control of the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics and Verizon Center from the estate of Abe Pollin, I came up with a list of items that he needed to deliver on. Rather than update that old post, I figured I’d start with a fresh [...]

I bet that Ted Leonsis did not think one of Abe Pollin’s legacies would be 100% of the Verizon Center concession stands having health code violations in 2009, according to an ESPN Outside the Lines report. From Vendor inspection reports:
Verizon Center
Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals
Vendors with critical violations: 100%
Inspection report excerpt: Mice droppings, a critical [...]

We need a Manute & Mugsy statue!

Congratulations go out to Ted Leonsis for completing an agreement with the family of the late Abe Pollin to buy the Verizon Center and Washington Wizards. His brand of management will help the NBA franchise and his control of the building should help the NHL Washington Capitals.
UPDATED 06.19.2010 — I’ve added a new one — [...]

Agreement reached on price for Wizards, Verizon Center – The PostApparently, the estate of Abe Pollin and Ted Leonsis have come to an agreement on the value of the Washington Wizards and MCI Center — $550 million. Of course, Leonsis already owns 44% of that — I’ll let you do the math.
This news means that [...]

Leonsis: ‘We’ll End Up Buying’ the Wizards – DCistAt a booksigning for the Business of Happiness, Ted Leonsis said “It’s my intention and expectation that everything is going to work out fine and that it will be done the right way and that we’ll own the Caps and the Wizards and the building.” Apparently, he [...]

An Update on Today’s News – Ted’s TakeWashington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis issued a statement via his blog about the recent Post article on his bid to buy the Wizards, Verizon Center and the D.C. Ticketmaster franchise outright from the estate of Abe Pollin. This is a “calm down everyone” move, but perhaps also a [...]