The Capitals have seem to finally hit their stride after a fairly slow start. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, and both Backstrom and Ovechkin are finally getting on the scoreboard consistently.  This is more like the team I was hoping to see after last season’s turnaround. For the first time in my Capitals Watching Career, I feel like a 2 or 3 goal deficit is not insurmountable with this team. And it’s a damn good feeling.

I gotta ask though…does anyone else feel like this team would be better off without Nylander and Kozlov?  Nyls always hooks off and starts doing figure-8s instead of attempting the quick-strike that this team seems to be built for.  And Kozlov seems to disappear for 3-4 games at a time.  At least they are both nearing the end of their contracts here, and I think the team will be better off when they are gone and players like Fehr, Bourque, or Bouchard start getting a chance.

I think most people figured the Redskins would end up around .500 this year, especially considering the learning curve necessary when installing a new offensive system. After a couple of tough losses at home, the Skins are still doing better than expected at 6-4. Their remaining schedule doesn’t look to be incredibly hard, so as long as they play up to their potential, this team should be in the mix for a playoff spot when the time comes.  However, they have shown the ability to beat the best as well as lose to the worst. Anyone placing any bets on this team is a bolder man than I.

My guess puts them in the 9 win category this year, which is 2 or 3 more than I expected when the year began. Hopefully that will give them enough momentum to carry into next season and perhaps make next year the season that we Skins’ fans have been waiting, oh, about 17 years for now.

One can only hope, huh?

This is a great read for any ‘undecideds’…

Excerpt below:

Here’s a look at where McCain and Obama stand on a selection of issues:

___

ABORTION

McCain: Opposes abortion rights. Has voted for abortion restrictions permissible under Roe v. Wade, and now says he would seek to overturn that guarantee of abortion rights. Would not seek constitutional amendment to ban abortion.

Obama: Favors abortion rights.

AFGHANISTAN

McCain: Favors unspecified boost in U.S. forces.

Obama: Would add about 7,000 troops to the U.S. force of 36,000, bringing the reinforcements from Iraq. Has threatened unilateral attack on high-value terrorist targets in Pakistan as they become exposed, “if Pakistan cannot or will not act” against them.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

McCain: The co-author of McCain-Feingold campaign finance law is running his general campaign with public money and within its spending limits. He urged Obama to do the same. He applied for federal matching funds for primaries but later turned them down so he could spend more than the limits. The Federal Election Commission belatedly approved his decision to bypass the primary funds, but rejected McCain’s claim that he needed no such approval. He raised more than $160 million before having to stop to accept the $84 million in public money for the fall. McCain accepted primary campaign contributions from lobbyists.

Obama: The presidential campaign’s fundraising champion has brought in more than $450 million. He is raising private money for his general election, despite his proposal last year to accept public financing and its spending limits if the Republican nominee does, too. Obama refuses to accept money from federal lobbyists and has instructed the Democratic National Committee to do the same for its joint victory fund, an account that would benefit the nominee. Obama does accept money from state lobbyists and from family members of federal lobbyists.

CUBA

McCain: Ease restrictions on Cuba once U.S. is “confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made.”

Obama: Ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families in Cuba. Open to meeting new Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions. Ease trade embargo if Havana “begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change.”

DEATH PENALTY

McCain: Has supported expansion of the federal death penalty and limits on appeals.

Obama: Supports death penalty for crimes for which the “community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage.” As Illinois lawmaker, wrote bill mandating videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases and sought other changes in system that had produced wrongful convictions.

EDUCATION

McCain: He is not proposing a federal voucher program that would provide public money for private school tuition, in contrast to his proposed $5 billion voucher plan in 2000. Only proposes expansion of District of Columbia’s voucher program. Sees No Child Left Behind law as vehicle for increasing opportunities for parents to choose schools. Proposes more money for community college education.

Obama: An $18 billion plan that would encourage, but not mandate, universal pre-kindergarten. Teacher pay raises tied to, although not based solely on, test scores. An overhaul of No Child Left Behind law to better measure student progress, make room for non-core subjects like music and art and be less punitive toward failing schools. A tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college costs for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year. Obama would pay for part of his plan by ending corporate tax deductions for CEO pay. Has backed away from his proposal to save money by delaying NASA’s moon and Mars missions.

Click the link for the rest…

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gF1ulxhgHBB7Fr0LKa4pA0zVeXCQD93U8S1G1

The Skins, after 2 straight nerve-wracking weekends, are now standing at 5-2, good enough for 2nd place in the NFC East.  The last 2 games should have been easier than they were, but having this record after 7 games should make most Skins’ fans pretty satisfied.  Up next, a road game against arguably the worst team in the league, followed by a Monday-nighter against the Steelers. It says here that the Skins should be 6-3 heading into the bye…well on their way to a playoff game or 2.

On another note, how fun is it to watch the implosion of the Cowboys???

Man, what happened to the political game lately?  Both sides seem to only care to knock the other one down rather than prop themselves up.  Has it always been THIS bad?  The news and commercials are becoming almost unwatchable…and we still have a month to go. I hope everyone truly decides to do their own research before making their choice on 11/4. If someone used the statements coming out of each camp as a basis for their opinion on the other candidate, they would probably hate both of them.

Wow…had you told me the Skins would be 4-1 after the first 5, I would have asked you to take off the burgundy and gold glasses and guess again. Yet, here they are at 4-1…with 3 very winnable games coming up.  If this team is 7-1 going into the Steeler game, with a bye week following, this town may actually go insane. I don’t think the Skins have started that well since, what…’97? That season didn’t end up so well (winning 9 games) but this team seems to be better than that one. This could be an interesting season after all, and for the RIGHT reason this time.

So, the Capitals started training camp over the weekend.  I can’t remember a time when there was more excitement surrounding this team going into a new season.  I’ve seen a lot of preseason articles predicting that this team should be in the top 2 or 3 of the conference in total points.  We all know that preseason opinions don’t matter much, but it’s nice to read some good press about a local team for a change.

Look, we all know that the Redskins will always be the top draw in this town, and by a long shot.  But if the Caps can live up to expectations and build on the momentum from last season, there is at least a decent chance that they could take their piece of the pie.  As young and talented as they appear to be and having enough veteran leadership (and the best player in the league) this team could make some waves this year.  And most Caps fans have been waiting for this for a long time.  Let’s hope the wait is finally over.

Ok, I admit it.  After week 1 I was nervous…I thought the Skins looked overmatched, and more importantly - unprepared. I was figuring a rough start to the season.  Man, am I glad to have been proven wrong. I still have concerns about the run defense and the insanely talented competition in the NFC East, but it’s good to know that this team is outpacing expectations. 2 wins at home are a good start. If they can one or both of the next 2 divisional games on the road, this could make for a very interesting season.  4 playoff teams from one division?  That would be unique, huh?

Man, that was ugly.  The final score was close, and there is nothing embarrassing about losing to the Super Bowl champs by 9 in their home opener.  But the score was not a true indication of the game, was it?  Especially in the first half.  The Skins were manhandled from the start, and if not for a couple of key 3rd down stops by their defense that led to field goals by the Giants, and a nice kickoff return before half, the score could have been ugly.

But it wasn’t.  The Skins appeared to make some nice halftime adjustments on defense and kept themselves in the game.  However, it almost seemed like the team was completely unprepared for what was coming, and had no answer when it came.  I hope this is a case of first-game jitters for their new head coach and that these issues will be resolved soon.

I’ve said it before, I think this team will take a month or so until they begin to figure things out.  They may be 1-4 or 0-5 by then, but hopefully the light bulbs will begin to turn on and they can improve as the season goes on.  Let’s give them some time before jumping ship.

Our site is almost done. Most of the pages are up and we hope to have all them all done by next week. After that, we should be able to update this page and our forum pages on a daily basis. Thanks for your patience…