Sabres Vs Capitals 12/26/2008 Review

Alex Ovechkin scores game winning goal vs Sabres.
December 26, 2008 Photo by Nick Wass / AP Photo.

Sabres 2 - Capitals 3

With a strong performance by netminder Jose Theodore and a highlight reel game winning goal by star forward Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres in front of their home crowd. After losing in the previous three visits by the Sabres, it was especially nice to get the day after Christmas present.

Theodore was tested early on, and he showed he was ready to play well in this game straight away. Ovechkin also chipped in on defense with a nice possibly goal saving poke check during first period Sabres breakaway.

It was Washington who struck first. Viktor Kozlov got the late second period goal at 17:46. It started with defenseman Bryan Helmer gaining control of the puck in the Caps end and getting it to Kozlov. Viktor skated up the ice, and after a little give and go with Nicklas Backstrom, he put the puck past Buffalo goalie Patrick Lalime. With 1:05 left in the second period, Ovechkin's first goal was waived off. It was ruled no good because of goalie interference by Brooks Laich, even though it looked like the puck was already in the net before the contact.

Things really heated up in the third period, starting with a deflection goal by Boyd Gordon at 1:58, off of a blast from the point by Milan Jurcina. Keep those rockets coming Juice, and good things will keep on happening. After a seriously cheap slashing call on Alex Ovechkin, Buffalo scored on the power play via Thomas Vanek. Somebody tell Gordon to play on until the whistle is blown. He was out of position on the play, while unsuccessfully pleading for a hand pass call on the Sabres.

The Sabres' Toni Lydman would get another goal for Buffalo with just under two minutes left, but only after Ovechkin put the Caps ahead for good at 8:27. The play started with another outlet pass by Bryan Helmer. Ovie skated the puck by a few defenders on his journey to the other end of the ice, overcoming a slash and a hook along the way. He released his shot while falling to the ice surface, before following the puck into the net. The game winning goal is his 23rd goal of the season.

With the win, the Capitals home game record improves to 14-1-1, which is the best in the East. It was also great to see Captain Chris Clark return, after missing 14 games with a forearm fracture. They'll need his grit when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow. One of the best Capitals, Mike Gartner will have his number 11 jersey retired prior to the game.

Rick Nielsen Is 62 Today

Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist, backing vocalist and song writer for the rock band Cheap Trick turned 62 years old today. This wacky and entertaining musician has also appeared on other famous artist's albums. He is known for having a large collection of crazy custom guitars, as well. Nielsen has been in a few good movies too. My favorite was the the hilarious "Daddy Day Care", where he and Cheap Trick played at a fundraiser for the day care center. Happy birthday Rick.

Cheap Trick - "Surrender"

R.I.P. Joe, The Future Is Still Unwritten

Photo by Barry Brecheisen from RollingStone.com.

Rest in peace Joe, the future is still unwritten. There are still many of us enjoying your music, and wishing you were still around making it. For what you gave us when you were here and since you've left us, Thank You.

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From Wikipedia:


John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. He was also a member of the The 101'ers, The Mescaleros and (temporarily) The Pogues. ...

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Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros - "London Calling" at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, NY in 1999.

Capitals Vs Flyers 12/20/2008 Review

Simon Gagne scores third period goal on Jose Theodore.
December 20, 2008 Photo by Tom Mihalek / Associated Press.

Capitals 1 - Flyers 7

Instead of reading my ramblings (which I can't bring myself to write at the moment anyway), head over to WashingtonCaps.com for the recap. As usual, the score above is the link. Also, check out Tarik El-Bashir's Capitals Insider blog post on the game at WashingtonPost.com.

In the meantime, all I can say is that ... Payback Is A Bitch! I know what song I'll be singing on January 6th, when these teams meet again in Washington. Take it away James!

James Brown - "Payback-Part 1" on The Midnight Special in 1974.

Happy 64th Tim Reid

Recent photo of Daphne (Wife) and Tim Reid.
From Virginia Scholarship and Youth Development Foundation.

Comedian, actor and director Tim Reid was born in Norfolk, Virginia on December 19th in 1944. Reid earned his Bachelor Of Business Administration degree at Norfolk State College (now a University) in 1968, the same year he got into show business.

The early years of his entertainment career were spent with fellow comedian Tom Dreesen, a Harvey, Illinois native. Together they formed the comedy duo "Tim and Tom", which has been called the first American interracial comedy team. They published a book together about those days titled "Tim & Tom: A 'Black And White' Comedy Duo".

Reid has also directed some films, but spent most of his career in various American television series. You may remember seeing him in Highlander, Frank's Place, Sister Sister or That 70's Show. The best and most well remembered series he appeared in was WKRP In Cincinnati.

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 18) - "Who Is Gordon Sims?"

Blues Vs Capitals 12/18/2008 Review

Capitals celebrate Viktor Kozlov's second goal of the game.

Blues 2 - Capitals 4

The Washington Capitals won their 20th game of the season at home while facing the St. Louis Blues last night. They managed to hit the mark in just the 33rd match of the current season. Last season, it took until January 17th and their 46th game to get 20 wins. It also gave Washington's goaltender Simeon Varlamov a 2-0 record, after having won in his first NHL game played in Montreal versus the Canadiens this past Saturday.

The first period went by rather quickly. The stoppages in play during this game were held to a minimum in part by the referees, who only awarded one penalty in the first. You could say they were "economical" with their calls for most of the game. Late in the period, Nicklas Backstrom won a battle for the puck at the sidewall and sent it to nearby Viktor Kozlov. Kozlov put it past Blues' netminder Ben Bishop via five hole, while using a defender as a screen. The Capitals have scored the first goal in 10 of their last 12 games. Nine of those goals came in the first period. Like Varlamov, this is Bishop's first season in the NHL.

Simeon Varlamov makes stick save for Washington.

David Backes put St. Louis on the scoreboard at 9:09 in the second period. Varlamov was set to stop the shot by Jay McClement, but Backes deflected it past a surprised Varlamov. Late in the period, Washington went back ahead for good. Tom Poti sent an outlet pass to Kozlov, who fed the puck to rugged forward Boyd Gordon. Gordon forced his way to the front of the net with a defender all over him. Gordon fired off a shot and Kozlov followed up with his second goal of the game, sending the rebound past Bishop at 17:06. Just 40 seconds later, Tomas Fleischmann put the Caps ahead by two. David Steckel won a draw in the Blues end. After regaining control of the puck, Steckel dropped it to Eric Fehr. Fehr sent a centering pass to Fleischmann, and Flash fired a shot that banked off of both posts before heading to the back of the net. That's 11 goals for Fleischmann this season. He had 10 in all of last season.

Washington started the third period with a full two minutes of power play time because Michael Nylander held onto the puck at the end of the second, during a delayed penalty call. The Caps only needed 13 seconds of it though. After Alexander Semin got a shot off and the big rebound sent the puck all the way out to Kozlov at the point, Viktor passed rink wide to Alex Ovechkin. When Ovechkin got to the faceoff circle, he snapped the puck into the net for his 20th goal of the season.

Tomas Fleischmann scores goal versus Ben Bishop of the St. Louis Blues.

Unfortunately, the referees were suffering from temporary blindness (again) around nine minutes into the third period. It didn't cost Washington the game, but they lost Semin to injury again as a direct result of the refs economizing on calling penalties. I don't understand how all of the officials missed it when Backes intentionally tripped Semin, and then seconds later cross checked him in his recently injured back, sending him awkwardly down to the ice in pain. Semin was helped off the ice and eventually back to the dressing room, but no penalties called on Backes. Sure enough though, when Coach Bruce Boudreau complained from the bench, an official gave Washington a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "abuse of officials". Of course, the Blues scored during their ill gotten power play. The goal was awarded to Brad Winchester, but after the puck happened to hit his stick, it actually deflected in off of Alex Ovechkin's. Washington held on to their two goal lead for the rest of the game.

Alexander Semin wasn't the only player taken out of the game due to injury. Apparently, Mike Green has also been injured again, as he didn't play in the third period. Both players are listed as "day to day".

The win is Washington's fifth straight. They are now 13-1-1 at home. The Caps don't face the Western Conference team St. Louis very often, and this was the first time since December 1997 that Washington beat them within regulation. Viktor Kozlov had a three point night, with two goals and an assist. Brent Johnson may get the next start in net if he's healthy enough, when the Caps play the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.

December 18, 2008 Photos by Luis M. Alvarez / Associated Press

Bruins Vs Capitals 12/10/2008 Review

Brent Johnson blocks shot by Bruins' Chuck Kobasew.
Photo by Lawrence Jackson / Associated Press.

Bruins 1 - Capitals 3

The Capitals improved their home game record to 11-1-1 last night, beating the top team in the NHL's Eastern Conference. They overpowered the Boston Bruins, with the return of three players from the injured list. The obvious hero of the game for the Capitals was goaltender Brent Johnson, who fought through an aggravated hip injury during his 33 save triumph.

Although the guys who've come up from the AHL to replace injured players have done a great job, it is good to have regulars Tom Poti and Alexander Semin back on the job. Yesterday's callup, Oskar Osala also did well in his first NHL game.

The presence of defenseman Poti was immediately noticeable, as he got right to work, keeping the Bruin's scoring chances down compared to what they would've been without him in the first period. Overall though, Boston did manage 14 shots on goal in the first, but nothing was getting through Johnson. Johnny made some amazing stops, even after having his old hip injury re-aggravated during a couple of particularly dazzling saves. The lone goal of the first period, scored at 3:53, was a nice Caps' power play strike. At the goal line, Viktor Kozlov passed the puck to Alex Ovechkin, high in the slot. Ovechkin sent a hard shot toward the net, and Nicklas Backstom was waiting in front of the crease to deflect it in.

Alexandre Giroux celebrates scoring game winning goal.
Photo by Lawrence Jackson / Associated Press.

Just under five minutes into the second period, Washington increased it's lead with one of the prettiest puck possession plays you'll ever see. Half way through, you just knew they were going to score. Michael Nylander brought the puck into the offensive zone, while under defensive pressure. He hooked off and sent a cross ice pass to Poti, who dropped the puck off to Kozlov. Kozlov immediately sent it to Alexandre Giroux, who lifted the puck over Bruins' sprawling netminder Manny Fernandez. After a few consecutive amazing saves by Brent Johnson toward the middle of the period, Caps fans gave him a much deserved standing ovation. Boston's only goal of the game came with just 34.9 seconds left in the second period. Milan Lucic got the puck past Johnson on a give and go play with Phil Kessel, after a dump in by defenseman Zdeno Chara.

Both teams picked the pace back up in the third, but both Johnson and Fernandez guarded their nets well. One of Fernandez's stops was on an Alexandre Giroux penalty shot, awarded after he was hauled down with a hook by a defender. A defender who remains nameless, nay nonexistant even, if you look at the penalty summary provided by the NHL within the game recap. Summary indeed. Just before the end of the game, Backstrom stripped Lucic of the puck deep in the Capitals end. He got the puck to Semin, who sent an outlet pass to Ovechkin. Ovechkin sped toward the empty Bruins net and deposited the rubber biscuit with just 51.9 seconds left, for the final goal.

The incredible efforts of Brooks Laich in the faceoff circle have to be mentioned, as he won an amazing 11 out of 16 (69%). Tom Poti did very well in his return from injury, fending off the feisty Bruins during his 22:01 total ice time. Brent Johnson may or may not be able to play again tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators because of that hip injury. If it were up to me, we'd be calling him our number one goalie right now, so I hope he recovers quickly.

Dennis Dunaway Is 62 Today

Dennis Dunaway live on stage.
Photo from DennisDunawayProject.com

Happy Birthday to Dennis Dunaway, who turned 62 years old today. Dunaway was the original bassist for the theatrical rock group Alice Cooper, as well as earlier versions of the band before they started calling it by that name in 1969.

After leaving Alice Cooper in 1974, he co-founded Billion Dollar Babies along with former Alice members guitarist / singer Michael Bruce, drummer Neal Smith and others. As you can imagine, since 'Billion Dollar Babies' was also the name of one of Alice Cooper's most successful albums, that idea didn't go over so well and ended up causing a legal battle.

Dennis' (who married Neal Smith's sister and Alice Cooper seamstress Cindy) most recent effort to have been released (was only available at shows and the web site) on CD is called 'Bones From The Yard' with the collection of artists being called The Dennis Dunaway Project (September 2006). In vintage style dark side music, check out the song "Kandahar". I still love watching a good live Alice Cooper performance of the song "Billion Dollar Babies".

Capitals Vs Hurricanes 12/07/2008 Review

Michael Leighton makes glove save on Alex Ovechkin penalty shot.

Capitals 1 - Hurricanes 3

Both the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes were tired. Both NHL hockey teams have had grueling schedules recently, and both played the night before. Statistically, Washington should've had the upper hand, but apparently Carolina wanted the win more than the Caps did.

As with every game in recent memory, Washington played with another change in the roster due to an injury. With forward Eric Fehr out after being injured the night before, AHL goal scoring leader Alexandre Giroux was called up from the Hershey Bears. One of these days, the Bears and the ECHL affiliate South Carolina Stingrays are going to run out of warm bodies to move up to the next level. As with a lot of teams the Capitals have faced lately though, the Hurricanes have plenty of players on the injured list as well. Injuries can't be used as an excuse, especially when the guys coming up have played so well.

Jose Theodore blocks Hurricanes shot in second period.

The stats were pretty even in the first period. The Hurricanes did end up ahead of the Capitals in the area that counts the most, when they scored the only goal in the period. Washington failed to clear the puck from their end, with Nicklas Backstrom losing control of the puck while under pressure in the corner. Rod Brind'Amour set up Joni Pitkanen (This guy was everywhere.) for a long range shot, and when the juicy rebound came his way, Ray Whitney put it past an already sprawled goaltender Jose Theodore at 13:18.

Neither team found the back of the net in the second period. Michael Leighton was very sharp for Carolina throughout the game, and Jose Theodore did a fairly good job guarding Washington's goal too. Early on in the middle frame, Theodore made a face mask save, with the puck bouncing off his mask and then the post to his left. Just before the end of the second, the post was a good friend to Jose again. The puck then hit his back and plopped down in the middle of the crease behind him before heading out of immediate harm's way. He recovered and spun around in time to block a follow up shot. In the final seconds, Alex Ovechkin was hooked down while driving to the Canes' net, earning him a penalty shot. Unfortunately, Leighton beat him with a pad save.

Paul Maurice during third game after returning as head coach for Hurricanes.

After a couple foolish penalties by Carolina put the Caps on a two man advantage and Washington took a time out to rest the troops, the chances were looking good for a Caps' scoring opportunity. After receiving the puck from netminder Theodore, Ovechkin took it into the offensive zone and sent a pass the width of the ice to Backstrom, just as time ran out on the first penalty. Nicky snapped it to the far side roof of the net, evening up the score 1-1 with the only powerplay goal of the game. A lot of times, scoring a goal like that fires up the team that put it in the net. After not having managed a single shot on goal for the first 11 minutes and 39 seconds of the third period, the Canes were the ones who suddenly found their second wind. At 15:51, the struggling forward Eric Staal sent the puck in short side over Theo's outstretched right leg. His scoring opportunity came thanks to a turnover by Sami Lepisto behind the Caps' net. A couple minutes later, Ray Whitney grabbed the puck as it squirted out from traffic in front of Washington's net. Whitney's (second goal of the game) wrister made it 3-1, in favor of the Hurricanes.

Washington outshot Carolina 39 to 25, but still only found the back of the net once. The Capitals desperately need someone with a more accurate shot to step up, whether that means someone coming off the injured list or one of the already healthy finding their groove. Washington faces a few tough teams over the next eight days, so they need all the help they can get. The good news is the Caps are still four points ahead of the Canes and leading in the Southeast Division. All things considered, they could very easily be a lot worse off at this point.

December 7, 2008 Photos by Gerry Broome / Associated Press

Capitals Vs Maple Leafs 12/06/2008 Review

Boyd Gordon hits Jason Blake in third period on December 6, 2008.
Photo by Chris Young / Associated Press / Canadian Press

Capitals 2 - Maple Leafs 1

In contrast to many previous games between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs, this was a low scoring win for the Capitals in their first match against the Leafs this season. It was the Caps first road win, after having lost four straight.

Both Washington and Toronto have given up a lot of first period goals this season, but neither team scored anything more than a few penalty minutes to start this game. The Caps, who are also good at scoring in the first, did outshoot the Leafs 14-6. However, that technically only brought them two good scoring chances.

Most of the entertaining play of this game happened in the second period. About a minute and a half into the period, Sean Collins (AHL callup replacing injured defenseman Tyler Sloan) sent the puck into the offensive zone for the Caps. Soon after, Karl Alzner intercepted a clearing attempt. Alzner then sent a hard slapshot past netminder Vesa Toskala, for his first NHL goal. Though the scoresheet shows the goal unassisted, Alex Ovechkin helped out by screening the goalie as Alzner released his shot. At the end of the period, Ovechkin provided the most exciting play of the game, though once again without putting a point on the scoresheet. While driving the net and being hooked down (with no call by the refs), Alex somehow got off a hard shot while on his belly. Toskala's glove save wasn't the easiest to make. As in the first, Washington's goalie Brent Johnson only had to make six stops. Unlike in the first, the shots came from a little closer in and weren't so easy either.

To start off the third period, Referee Tim Peel seemed to be picking on Ovechkin with two consecutive penalty calls. The second one (holding) was a legitimate one though. With Ovie in the penalty box, the Leafs got their one goal by Nik Antropov, after a nice overlap drop pass move by Matt Stajan. The Capitals answered back exactly one minute later when, set up by a pass from Michael Nylander at the side wall, Milan Jurcina slapped a bomb through traffic and into the net. Alzner also picked up an assist on the play.

Along with Brent Johnson's 19 saves, it was the defense providing secondary scoring and protecting the Caps' net that won this game for Washington. One of those D men, Karl Alzner provided his first NHL career multi-point game. Tonight's game in Raleigh, NC against the Hurricanes will probably be a little tougher to win with only two goals.

Karl Alzner Interviewed On NHL Live 12/03/2008

Hey Washington Capitals NHL Hockey Fans. WashingtonCaps.com has had a link on the home page for a couple days now. In case you haven't heard the December 3rd NHL Live Interview of Karl Alzner by Don LaGreca and Jim Dowd yet, check it out now. Washington's young rookie defenseman discusses many different things in this short interview about his hockey past and present, including on and off the ice experiences.

Interview (Audio) Link: Karl Alzner On NHL Live 12/03/2008

Islanders Vs Capitals 12/04/2008 Review

Donald Brashear celebrates winning goal with David Steckel nearby.

Islanders 2 - Capitals 5

Last night's win versus the New York Islanders was a first for both Washington Capitals' goaltender Brent Johnson and head coach Bruce Boudreau. This game also marked the debut of the AHL's current leading scorer Keith Aucoin as a Capital. Right winger Graham Mink was sent back down to the Hershey Bears, making room for center Aucoin to be called up to the NHL.

There have been players coming and going between the Caps and the Bears while several regular players remain on the injured list. Meanwhile, the Islanders have been facing similar health issues. With Rick DePietro injured after only three games this season, Joey MacDonald (39th NHL game) was between the pipes for New York, with Yann Danis as the backup. With the loss in his first game facing Washington, MacDonald's record fell to 10-10-2. He was named the NHL's Third Star for November 2008 though, going 8-5-1 with a 2.64 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. MacDonald looked sharp for most of this game, even though four shots (fifth was empty net) got by him.

Brent Johnson blocks Andy Hilbert's shot attempt.

Although he would later on miss some of the first period after a collision, it was Alex Ovechkin (NHL's First Star for November) who scored the first goal of the game at 11:31, during a power play. The Isles left him all alone, and he snapped one in from the left face off dot. Less than two minutes later, Viktor Kozlov deflected in a Bryan Helmer slapshot for another PPG. Sami Lepisto set up Helmer for his shot, earning Lepisto his fourth assist in five games played. At 19:24, New York cut the lead back to one with a power play goal of their own, when Mark Streit scored with Brent Johnson heavily screened.

About a third of the way through the second period, a couple weird events occured. First a Chris Campoli slapshot from the neutral zone deflected into the Caps' net off of a linesman, so it didn't count as a goal. Shortly after, the puck deflected off of Kozlov's skate in Washington's end, sending it all the way to the far end of the ice. The puck barely missed the empty net, while the Isles had an extra attacker on the ice. At 13:38, a very open Trent Hunter scored the first non PP goal of the game for New York, knotting the game at 2-2.

Eric Fehr and Brooks Laich celebrate Fehr's goal.

Rookie defenseman Karl Alzner recorded his first NHL point in the third period, with a very intelligent play that earned him an assist. Milan Jurcina sent the puck across the offensive zone ice to Alzner. With no passing or shooting lanes open, he elected to intentionally bank the puck off the end boards. Donald Brashear gained control of the puck and sent a soft backhand shot in for what later turned out to be the game winning goal. It was Brashear's first regular season goal since March 3, 2008. The Caps weren't done scoring yet. Eric Fehr backhanded the puck past MacDonald from a sharp angle during a power play at 16:14, while following up on Brooks Laich's attempt to bang in a rebound from Ovechkin's long range blast. As with Jurcina, Laich's third period assist was his second of the game. Laich and Jurcina had also assisted on Ovie's first period goal. Alex gained his second assist of the evening on the games' fifth and final goal. He grabbed the rebound from a shot on Washington's goal and skated the puck all the way into the offensive zone. Ovechkin passed the puck to Nicklas Backstrom, who had joined him in a two on one drive. Backstrom recorded his seventh goal of the season, when he sent the puck into the empty net with 49.8 seconds left on the clock.

Unlike a lot of games so far this season, the Caps power play worked well in this one, as they potted three. Like in a lot of games though, Ovechkin had another multi-point effort, with one goal and two assists. Viktor Kozlov was hard worker, creating scoring chances throughout the game. Washington shouldn't be proud of their nine penalties. But their penalty killing, secondary scoring and Brent Johnson's massive 47 saves, helped them overcome their mistakes to defeat the New York Islanders for the first time in a long while. The Caps needed a win, and they got it with an aggressive and relentless team effort.

December 4, 2008 Photos by Nick Wass / Associated Press

December 3rd 1979 Concert Tragedy Remembered

On December 3, 1979, eleven fans were killed by compressive asphyxia and several dozen others injured in the rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out concert by English rock band The Who. The concert was using "festival seating", (also known as "general seating"), where the best seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the festival seating, many fans arrived early. When the crowds waiting outside heard the band performing a late sound check, they thought that the concert was beginning and tried to rush into the still-closed doors. Some at the front of the crowd were trampled as those pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there are reports that management did not open more doors due to the concern of people sneaking past the ticket turnstiles[2].

As a result, concert venues across North America switched to assigned seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts, although it overturned the ban on August 4, 2004. The ban was making it difficult for Cincinnati to book concerts since many music acts prefer festival seating because it could allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd. Some performers and bands insist on a festival seating area near the stage. The city had made a one-time exception to the ban before August 4, 2004, allowing festival seating for a Bruce Springsteen concert. Cincinnati was, at one time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.


- From Wikipedia

Ozzy Is 60

Ozzy Osbourne (John Michael Osbourne), long time lead singer for the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time - Black Sabbath, is now 60 years old! Of course, Ozzy has also had a lot of success with his solo work as well, but his years with Sabbath are among my fondest memories and favorite music. Whatever your preference, he is one of the pioneers of the Heavy Metal genre and a fantastic showman. I love his unique and instantly recognizable voice. Keep on crankin' out the tunes old man, and Happy Birthday!

Black Sabbath - "War Pigs" (Paris, France in 1970)

Maria Callas, A True Diva

Photo source - Teatro alla Scala in Milan

Maria Callas (christened Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulou) was born (Sophia Cecelia Kalos) at Flower Hospital in Manhattan, NY on December 2, 1923. The Greek soprano was one of the most famous and controversial opera singers of her time. There were scandals both real and imagined by the press during her lifetime, which ended on September 16, 1977.

Whatever you might think of her personally, she remains one of the greatest ever to grace the stage or recording studio. Callas had an astounding vocal range, which helped her to be effective in a wide range of opera character roles. There have been few sopranos who could compare to her vocal talents, though all would be honored to be thought of as in the same class.

"Casta Diva" - Norma's aria from 'Norma'

Junior's Eyes Is A One Year Old Today

Junior's of Brooklyn, NY.
No affiliation between Junior's Eyes and this bakery.

Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I started this blog, but it's true. Some say I act like a one year old every day. Maybe by the time Junior's Eyes reaches two years old, there will be one years worth of good posts to be read here. Hey, I do what I can. Too bad I can't devote more time to this thing. It would make a big difference. Probably even more worthless ramblings. Oh well, I hope there have been a few interesting things found on this blog. Whether you've been disappointed or even offended, it's all good, and I've done my job well. If you enjoy reading Junior's Eyes, God help you, you need therapy. Thanks for stopping by.

December 1st Is World Aids Day

From Wikipedia:


World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007,[1] and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007,[2] making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007,[3] of which about 270,000 were children.[4] .....

Canadiens Vs Capitals 11/28/2008 Review

David Steckel celebrates goal on Jaroslav Halak with Brooks Laich.

Canadiens 0 - Capitals 3

Jose Theodore earned his first shutout as a goaltender for the Washington Capitals, when the Caps beat his original NHL team at home last night. The fact that almost half the team now consists of AHL talent callups from the Hershey Bears didn't keep Washington from blanking the mighty Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal only managed six shots on goal in the first period. It wasn't until 8:43, that Alexie Kovalev found the net with a long range wrist shot. One of Washington's nine shots on goal in the first was a close range wrister from Tomas Fleischmann that not only found the net, it found the back of the net. The play started with an incredibly bad choice by Canadien Francis Bouillon, when he tried to send off an outlet pass from behind his own net. Fleischmann got a stick on it near the front of the net and passed the puck to nearby Michael Nylander. Nylander sent the puck back to Flash, who put it past netminder Jaroslav Halak for his ninth goal of the season.

Montreal outshot Washington 13-9 in the second period, with neither team managing to score a goal. One of the more interesting things that happened in the middle frame was another Montreal mistake. It happened when Higgens missed his intended hit target. Instead, he plowed into a linesman, sending him into the Canadiens' bench. The linesman was fine and was helped back onto the ice without any stoppage in play. These funny little incidents happen from time to time.

Alex Ovechkin celebrates goal with Nicklas Backstrom.

Less than four minutes into the third period, Nicklas Backstrom passed the puck from the sidewall in the offensive zone to Alex Ovechkin in the corner. Ovechkin collected the puck and drove to the front of the goal, where he sent it in for his 13th goal of the season. At 8:46, David Steckel deflected a long range shot by Sami Lepisto for the third and final goal. Also assisting on number four of the season for Steckel, was Brooks Laich.

Both goalies were solid in net throughout this game. Both teams have injured regular players at the moment, but the Capitals have twice as many out of action. With that, most weren't expecting much and have to be pleased with the way the replacements have done in their absence. Ovechkin now has at least a point in 10 straight games. That's currently the longest streak in the NHL. The Caps are the first team to shut out the Canadiens this season. Hopefully, the AHL callups can keep up their good play for a few more games, while some of the injured regulars get closer to being ready to come back. The Capitals will face the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio tonight.

November 28, 2008 Photos by Nick Wass / Associated Press

Thanksgiving Day Promotion Was Really Bad Idea

Many of you will remember a Thanksgiving Day promotion for a Cincinnati, Ohio radio station from several years ago, that turned out to be a really bad idea. The following video covers that bizarre and very unfortunate choice made by their station manager.

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 7) - "Turkeys Away"


Happy Thanksgiving!

Mask Man To The Rescue

It was great to see Washington Capitals' goaltender Jose Theodore sporting his new mask in the 5 to 3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers last night. The mask is absolutely beautiful. The Caps' team colors: red, white and blue are included, with a mostly blue background. The silver chrome cross bars originally installed across the front have been replaced with a red set. To see a feature video of that mask at Caps 365, click here.

The new mask reminded me of a former great masked American hero that we haven't seen for a while. Below is a video of that mysterious Mask Man.

Lenny Bruce - "Thank You Mask Man"

Thrashers Vs Capitals 11/26/2008 Review

Superman Alex Ovechkin flies over Thrasher goal crease.

Thrashers 3 - Capitals 5

The Washington Capitals improved their home ice record to 8-0-1 with a win over the Atlanta Thrashers Wednesday evening, on the NHL's 91st Birthday. As of November 27, 2008, the only other team in the league to have no loses within regulation at this point in the season being the San Jose Sharks.

The Capitals managed this convincing win even though they now have eight players, seven regulars and Brian Pothier (out since last season), on the injured list. Four of those players lost after their last game, which prompted a four man call up from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Washington also just returned from a long, rough Western road trip. Netminder Jose Theodore and the Caps played like they were well rested while the Thrashers, who just played a game Tuesday night, looked a little sluggish at first.

Viktor Kozlov (center) celebrates goal with Alex Ovechkin (left)
and Nicklas Backstrom (right).

Alex Ovechkin got the party started with a long range blast from the top of an umbrella formation at 3:29 into the first period, while on the first power play of the game. About four minutes later, winger Eric Fehr scored Washington's second goal at even strength, while on a 3 on 1 breakaway with Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander. Atlanta's Bryan Little answered back with a PP goal at 12:08, off an Ilya Kovalchuk rebound. Down by two goals, the Thrash wouldn't get any closer than that the rest of the evening. At 14:01, Ovechkin scored another Capitals' PPG. As with his first, one of the assists came from Viktor Kozlov.

Just 54 seconds into the second period, Ovechkin snapped in his twelfth goal of the season for his sixth NHL career hat trick. That's three goals in three shots on goal, all within a 17:25 game time span. Atlanta's second PP goal of the game came on Slava Kozlov's 12th goal of the season, which he scored off one of a couple rebounds. The period ended with the Caps ahead by two.

Karl Alzner skates with Milan Jurcina in his first NHL game.

The third period started like the first two, with an early period goal by the Capitals. This time it was Kozlov, assisted by Ovechkin. Ovie served up an outlet pass to Kozzy, who skated smoothly up the middle of the ice and easily deposited the biscuit past Ondrej Pavelec, just under the crossbar of the goal. Atlanta's Nathan Oystrick scored the final goal of the game at 12:28 into the third, when his slapshot deflected off of defenseman Tyler Sloan.

All the Caps played well in this game, including the four call ups from Hershey. It was Karl Alzner's very first career NHL game, and he did very well. Alex Ovechkin now has 12 goals and 17 assists this season, putting him (29 points) ahead of former scoring leader for the team, Alexander Semin (27 points). Ovechkin achieved his hat trick in a total on ice time of 8:20, and he almost had a fourth goal a few times. Obviously, it was good to see Washington score on a couple of power plays. The PP is starting to work well for the Caps. The win is sure to have lifted the spirits of future AHL Hall Of Famer and current Capitals' Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the players and the fans, after having lost three straight on the road.

All November 26, 2008 Photos by Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP

In Rememberance Of Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury continues to be in my thoughts as this day passes, so below are a few more YouTube videos dedicated to him.

Sampling of "Time" (Freddie Mercury version)
and "Who Wants To Live Forever?" Instr. (Queen).


Freddie Mercury in Garden Lodge (Real?), Death Reports


Freddie's True Love was Mary Austin.
Queen - "Love Of My Life"

Wishing Freddie Peace And Happiness In Eternity

Freddie Mercury Memorial in Montreux, Switzerland.
Photo from Montreux.ch

May Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) enjoy peace and happiness in his eternity. I think of him often. I hope Heaven is everything he could have imagined and more. Today is the 17th anniversary of his death, so it's a day when he is on my mind and in my heart more than usual. May he bring as much joy to all those in Heaven as he has done and still does for those still on this Earth.

Queen - "Who Wants To Live Forever"

Hear The Entire GNRs' 'Chinese Democracy' Now

You can listen to Guns N' Roses' long awaited (to put it ridiculously mildly) album 'Chinese Democracy' before it comes out for sale, exclusively at Best Buy stores November 23, 2008. Check out their MySpace channel to hear the whole darn thing now! To read a good and fair review of this historic (?) release, head on over to the Nightwatcher's House of Rock. Nightwatcher's is an excellent source for the latest music industry news.