Capital Spirit

(A quick note before I start this: I started working on this Thursday evening, but got massively sidetracked. Rather than re-type the standings as of today, I’m going to let them stand, and proceed with the rest.–CS)

Tuesday night’s game against the Preds officially closes the books on October’s games, and now it’s time for me to take a look at my predictions. What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Did I miss something that would make me a better reader? You regulars know the drill, so here goes.

FIRST IMPRESSION. I said:

“This certainly isn’t gloom-and-doom by any stretch: the worst I can say here is that it just looks dispassionate and kind of flat. There’s nothing bad per se here, but there’s also not a lot of wonderful news here, either.”

AS OF THURSDAY: The Caps took home 5 wins, 3 losses, and an overtime heartbreaker against New Jersey. That’s eleven points out of a possible 18. Right now, that is good enough to lead the Southeast, but only by one point as I type this. Carolina has got 10 points out of a possible 16, so as of now, the Hurricanes have been doing better, in terms of point percentage, than the Caps. And if we were in any other division, right now, we’d be standing 8th in the East instead of 3rd. So while the Caps are leading the Southeast now, let’s not kid ourselves as we wrap up October: there are a couple of coulda-woulda-shoulda’s this month that we might wish we had back in April if Carolina keeps it close. We have to do better going forward. Here’s what all 15 teams in the East looked like, as of Thursday morning, with percentage of available points (Southeast teams in bold):

1. New York Rangers, 19 points out of 24: 79.167%
2. Buffalo Sabres, 14 points out of 18: 77.78%
3. Washington Capitals, 11 points out of 18, 61.1%
4. Montreal Canadiens, 13 points out of 16, 81.25%
5. Boston Bruins, 13 points out of 20, 65.%
6. New Jersey Devils, 12 points out of 18, 66.67%
7. Pittsburgh Penguins, 12 points out of 20, 60.%
8. Toronto Maple Leafs, 11 points out of 20, 55.%
9. Carolina Hurricanes, 10 points out of 16, 62.5%
10. Philadelphia Flyers, 9 points out of 18, 50.%
11. Florida Panthers, 8 points out of 16, 50.%
12. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 points out of 16, 43.75%
13. Ottawa Senators, 7 points out of 18, 38.89%
14. Atlanta Thrashers, 6 points out of 18, 33.3%
15. New York Islanders, 4 points out of 16, 25.%

Do the math, and you tell me if I’m wrong in extrapolating that if this continues all year, the Caps will be the 8 seed come playoff time.

Not a lot of wonderful news here, indeed.

BASIS: KNAVE OF PENTACLES. I said:

If this is a player, they’re very young: less than two years in the bigs, and possibly even in Hershey right now. Style of play is very physical. But my impression on this wasn’t of a person–it’s that this is the beginning (Knave, lowest court card) of a journey to richness.

Looks like Tyler Sloan slipped under my radar, too! In a way, his story really did parallel the Caps’ this month: perseverence, dedication, sticktoitiveness, and finally, a chance to shine. I’m getting some very beautiful impressions from the angels on this, and I wish I could describe what I’m getting. There’s a message here, and the following words are not my own:

The message here was one of sticking it out, following your calling, and never surrendering even in the face of adversity. Sloan could have hung up his skates long ago and never taken a shot at the NHL. He did not: he played, he stayed, and now he’s in the NHL. Likewise with the Capitals this month: it would be very easy to say that this was a less than ideal month, that the season can’t get much better, and so on. But as Sloan persevered, so also must the Capitals persevere. Sloan found redemption; the Capitals will, as well, if they continue on their path. Ignore the math, and just play. Not just skate and pass and shoot and score: play. Only by allowing to happen whatsoever will happen, can the team succeed. You can’t catch your shadow, but it stays right behind you if you walk away from it. All concerned with the Capitals–players, staff, and fans–should accept this journey, and stay with it, as Sloan did. For with perseverence comes success.

I’m not naming my source for that: they are requesting anonymity.

CROSSING: ACE OF CHALICES. I said:

So if the Basis is where you are, the Crossing represents the “feeling” of the road ahead. It’s not necessarily an outcome: there can be roads of success that end in ruin, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, hard and narrow ways that lead to salvation. So I think that this may be an emotional journey this month, but really, will anyone care about it?

It’s certainly been an up-and-down month, to be sure. And it has been pointed out elsewhere that this is the team’s best October since the Stanley Cup Finals team. Okay…so why isn’t that being seized on by Caps fans as a reason to look up, despite a decent performance? 5-3-1 is certainly better than 1-5-3, but discontent still remains. Now, these are my fellow Caps fans, where optimism seems to be a foreign concept, so some of that is to be expected. Still, I can’t help but wonder how much our negativity is influencing things on more subtle levels.

DISTANT PAST: 3 OF SWORDS REVERSED. I said:

Not quite sure what to make of this one, actually.

I offered two theories on this one: that last season’s heartbreak is now in the past, or that the heartbreak I predicted for this season has been avoided. I’m not going to know the answer to this one until this season is over, quite frankly. I could submit that the Caps haven’t been playing as well as they did in the playoffs last year, but I’d run right into the goaltending argument, so I’m going to leave that alone.

RECENT PAST: THE LOVERS. I said:

But the message here is, put that love behind you. Forget the preseason accolades, because they mean nothing now. That love is already past-tense: now it’s time to earn that love all over again.

Well, the bloom does seem to have fallen off a couple of roses, n’est ce pas? I want Alex Ovechkin back: that impostor who’s been wearing the #8 jersey this month isn’t fooling me.

Although, in all fairness to Alex, his grandfather’s health may have been on his mind for most of this month. That he had to go back to Russia tells me he probably knew about this long before he left. Being the family man that he is, he may have been focusing on family to the point where his game suffered a bit. And there are conflicting stories on when he will return: the boards were saying Thursday, by way of the Post, that he would be back Sunday. But Friday morning’s Examiner was quoting George McPhee as saying there’s no set return date. Um, which way is up? Paging M.C. Escher!

But back to the card at hand, some of the preseason favorites do seem to have cooled a bit. Ovechkin is one, Mike Green is arguably another, and I’m not quite sure what to make of Chris Clark at this point. This isn’t intended as criticism or fault-finding: these men have played better before, and I know they will again. I just pray that their better days get here soon.

GENERAL DIRECTION: 7 OF SWORDS. I said:

The 7 of Swords is a cautionary card. It basically says, Be careful in the face of opposition. You can win, but you have to win SMART. Don’t get too fancy (I’m talking to you, Alexander Semin) and try to pull off some dipsy-don’t that ends up costing you a goal at the other end. Don’t get cute: play smart, and you’ll do just fine. The overall “mood” of the 7 of Swords is one of indifference…

Wow, I think I need to call out a few more players when I do my November reading! Good grief, Semin had a TERRIFIC month, and he may go from “the other Alex” to “the next Alex” if he keeps this up all year. He’s leading the league in points, and in the top five in goals and (I almost didn’t believe this when I saw it) plus/minus. If he keeps this going all year, he might, theoretically, bring home the Hart, Pearson, Ross, Richard, and Selke. And if he behaves himself, he may not be too far from a Lady Byng while he’s at it. I know it’s only Halloween, but man oh MAN, did Sasha tear up the pea patch this month! Great going, Alex–now you need to keep it up and prove this month was no fluke.

As for indifference, and cute versus smart: I’ve still seen a few too many cases of “too many passes”, or “No, your OTHER teammate in the white sweater!” Our defense has shown that it can be among the best in the business (ten shots allowed vs. Vancouver, for instance). But there are times when poor Jose and Brent are under seige, and the defense doesn’t look quite as sharp. The defense needs to be a full sixty-minute effort, as we saw against Vancouver. The Caps can’t play many game like they did against Nashville–shutdown defense early, lackluster defense late–and expect to get very far. That’s actually VERY 7 of Swords-ish, so that was well-predicted, I think.

IMMEDIATE FUTURE: QUEEN OF PENTACLES. I said:

So we may end up winning more than we lose, but I’m still getting the impression that the emotion’s not quite there yet. In a way, that’s fine: you can’t exactly run on playoff-level emotions all year, or you’d be a basket case by Christmas. Still, the lack of emotional indicators worries me a bit.

OK, so we tore down the ‘Bulin Wall at the home opener. OK, so that division championship banner looks really pretty. OK, so we housed Roberto Luongo. OK, so we came all the way back from 3-0 to win 4-3 in regulation in Pittsburgh. OK, so we swiped an overtime win against Marty Turco. So why, at the Nashville game, did the Phone Booth feel so much less enthusiastic?

Yes, the two go-to crowd marshals–Goat and the Horn Guy–were silent. Yes, it was an interconference game. Yes, it was a Tuesday game. Yes, it’s October, not April. But that awe-inspiring sea of red-clad fans that, I swear, made the building shake last spring was MIA, and there were times the place almost felt like it was 2006 all over again. There are more fans in the building, certainly. And the emotional moments, when they do happen, are indeed much more emotional, true enough. But we fans still seem to need a cue to cheer.

I can’t speak for the emotional states of the players, but I think I can speak for the fans, and the emotion really doesn’t seem to be there yet.

QUERANT: 4 OF PENTACLES. I said:

Here again, the message is one of “don’t get cute.” With the 7 of Swords, that’s because getting cute could backfire. With the 4 of Pentacles, don’t get cute because there’s really no NEED to. Just play your game, and let the wins come.

I think I got that one right, and I offer two games for your consideration. Consider the Vancouver game: everything was going right, D was on lockdown, we had Luongo’s number, and we cruised, 5-1. That’s what the team is capable of when it plays the game it knows how to play. Now consider the game at Dallas the other night: too many mistakes, a defense that looked like Swiss cheese, and a veritable grand larceny of two points. If the Caps just play like they know how to, and walk away from their shadows, their lot should improve next month.

OUTSIDE INFLUENCES: THE WHEEL. I said:

This represents good luck coming from outside, so spin the wheel, roll the dice, take a chance. That does not mean get cute: it means to take that less-than-perfect shot, go for that impossible save, and maybe, just maybe, try for a shorty or two if you’re a man down.

Paging David Steckel! The Caps certainly seem to have gotten lucky more than once this month: Dallas, for one, and Pittsburgh, for another. The losses didn’t seem to be the result of bad luck. I was watching the road games–yes, I was up past my bedtime for the West Coast swing–and the losses didn’t feel like “bad beats.”

Now, those of you who don’t play poker may ask, what’s a bad beat? If you’ve ever seen the movie “Rounders,” you might remember the hand early on where Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is holding an Ace-Nine, flops nines full of aces, and loses when the other guy has the two case bullets and beats him with aces full. For you poker junkies, McDermott would have been a 99% favorite given that situation. The odds of his opponent holding pocket rockets at that point would have been over 1,000 to 1. THAT is a bad beat. Losing three stacks of high society like THAT, is a bad beat story you’ll remember long enough to tell your grandkids.

But that’s not how the Caps lost their four games this month. One was a horrible case of opening night jitters; two were 2-1 road setbacks that really could have gone either way; and the shootout loss to the Devils…well, they played Brodeur, ’nuff said? So they’ve gotten some lucky breaks in the wins, but the losses didn’t feel like the universe was out to get them. So that’s pretty much in line with this card’s message here.

HOPES AND FEARS: 2 OF PENTACLES REVERSED. I said:

Perhaps there are a couple of players who are worried about early injuries, which would be understandable. But I think the message here is, don’t be afraid of that: just go out there and play.

It always seems to come back to Ovechkin, doesn’t it? Something tells me his grandfather was heading downhill earlier this month, and it’s only in the past week that his condition got so bad that Alex had to return to Russia. That’s admittedly speculative. But unless it were a sudden, highly acute illness, or some kind of accident, it stands to reason that there would have been warning signs earlier on. And that may have contributed to Alex not being the AO that we’ve come to know and love these past few seasons. Just a guess.

And there have been a couple of injuries so far, but if you discount Brian Pothier–yeah, what elephant, I know–we haven’t suffered a season-questioning injury so far. Let’s hope and pray that continues.

OUTCOME: 3 OF WANDS REVERSED. I said:

You can’t win the Cup in October, guys. And chances are, you’re going to lose a game or two before the month is up. But don’t let that throw you. You do have it within you to win it all.

Well, you can argue that they certainly didn’t play like it was May, but other than that, we’ll just have to see if they DO win it all, won’t we? Jury’s out on this one–we’ll see what comes of it.

I’m going to do November’s predictions tomorrow–this has been enough of a project as it is, so I’m going to call it quits for now.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
SEE YA, OCTOBER

I have yet to read any postgame coverage, so this is my unadulterated take on the game from my perch in 417. I’m not an expert, I’m just a fan in a cloak, so some of this might be a little off.

• If Semin keeps scoring like this, he’s going to need to learn some English so he won’t be giving his Hart Trophy acceptance speech in Russian. Last season, he was hit or miss some nights, but this season, he has been a force of nature. If he were shooting craps in Vegas, he’d be scaring the dots off the dice right about now, and the whole table would be betting in blacks and purples.
• Theodore wasn’t great, but he did play well enough to eke out the W. He didn’t see a lot of shots in the first, and I think he allowed 1 goal on 4 shots. Even if it’s slow, you still have to know how to repair that Maytag. He did make the stop he needed to make in the shootout to seal the deal, so at least we have one shootout victory to our credit. Theodore=PASS.
• At the other end of the pond, Backstrom really should have potted his shot in the shootout. He scores there, it’s game over. Instead, the Preds tied it up, and we went to sudden death. No harm no foul there, as Nylander was good enough to book the winner, but it shouldn’t have had to go there. Backstrom seems to be in a bit of a sophomore slump so far.
• I’m blind, I’m deaf, I wanna be a ref…I’m not sure what the penalty differential was, but there were a couple of calls that looked fishy, and a couple of no-calls that looked fishier. Fortunately, Dave Steckel managed to net a shorty that we ended up needing to stay in the game.
• Speaking of shorties, is there a cute hockey term for a team scoring an even-strength goal, a power-play goal, and a short-handed goal, all in the same game? If there isn’t, there should be. If there is, I don’t know what it is offhand–any of my readers know?
• Defense looked a bit better, but still needs work. The defenseive corps looked good enough to defend the Mustang Ranch, but I wasn’t entirely convinced that they could have done anything worthwhile inside the place. There was progress, to be sure, but I doubt there will be any Norris nominations coming the Capitals’ way come June.
• I was glad to see that they didn’t overdo the Halloween stuff. I do like the music of Mike Oldfield, but I swear, if they had played the opening theme of Tubular Bells, I would have been outta there. What good has Halloween ever done? (Hmm…there might be an essay in that question. No promises, readers, but stay tuned…)
• Well, the Burrito Dash came to 417, and I found out a couple of things. First, I can’t intercept a thrown burrito with wands in my hands and clips on my fingers. Second–and this is the surprise–those aren’t burritos inside that foil. There’s a coupon for a burrito attached to the thing, but what’s inside that foil is actually a Chipotle T-shirt. My seat-mate actually caught one, so I did see the shirt in question. Makes sense, when you think about it: food allergies might be a factor for some fans, and if an actual burrito exploded on someone and made a mess, it would not be a pretty thing.
• Predators jerseys=UGLY. ‘Nuff said?
• I must have posed for a dozen pictures tonight if I posed for two.
• Donated to the Puck Surprise, and drew Tom Poti. My seat-mate got Nylander, and one of the younger fans who knows me well actually drew Alex Ovechkin. They probably heard his shriek of sheer delight all the way up in the pressbox. Aww, the simple joys of childhood. Congratulations, guy, and keep rocking the red.
• Have we won any games this month without doing so in dramatic fashion? Overtime here, shootout there, three-goal comeback in Pittsburgh, and I know I’m probably missing a few more thrillers. Can we please win one going away, just once? Okay, more than once…but let’s at least start with once and work our way up. I’m sure I’m not the only fan in the Phone Booth who would love to see the Cardiac Caps take a vacation, and the Cruising Caps take over for a game or two.
• We have yet to lose in regulation at home this year. We lost one game in a shootout, and won the other 4. Of ten home points this month, we’ve taken 9. 90% of available points at home would mean 70-some-odd points if we kept that up all year, and never MIND road victories. I know it’s early, but that possibility is quite tantalizing, isn’t it? Ah, the joys of a young season!

And that’s going to close the books on October’s games. Over the next few days, I’m going to look back at my October predictions and grade those, then take a look ahead to November.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Alex Ovechkin and his family. I know we miss having him in the lineup, but hockey players are human, too. I lost my father to cancer last year, and I didn’t get the phone call in time: I got there too late. The last time I ever saw Dad, I had just left it at “so long.” In a way, that’s true: I know I will see Dad again one day. Still, I grieved for a time at not being able to say “I love you, Dad,” one last time. This may or may not be Ovechkin’s grandfather’s time: that’s not something I can know. Along with the entire Capitals family, I hope and pray that it’s not, but no one lives forever. If this indeed is his time, then let Alex stay in Russia as long as he needs to, so that he may return to the game with no grief or regrets. Don’t hurry back, Alex: take all the time you need.

Whew–now that I’ve typed all that, I can probably go to sleep now. Good night.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
A GOOD NIGHT’S WORK

What I am about to write, I write with extreme reluctance. I know it’s going to be taken out of context, twisted beyond its intent, and played all over the blogosphere as something I didn’t say. I’m not going to win any new friends saying this, and may lose a few in the process. And nobody’s going to take it seriously. But this needs to be said. This has to stop.

What “this”, you ask? Several.

For some time now, Ted Leonsis has made public, on-his-blog pleas for fans to quit with the constant negativity and re-fighting of yesterday’s battles. Writing nasty emails to the owner accomplishes absolutely nothing. Yesterday is gone, and the players we have are the players we have. Too many fans are hounding team leadership about an unrepeatable past. This has to stop. Item: We must love team management, and release all attachments to past decisions.

Certain players have become whipping boys among the fan base. Jose Theodore comes to mind, as do Jeff Schultz and John Erskine. There are other players who come up for bashing by the fans for this reason or that, and it almost gives me the impression that there are some fans who genuinely hate certain players. This has to stop. Item: We must love the players we have, and accept that they are doing the best jobs they know how to do.

I have seen the flamewars that have broken out on the message boards on various topics, both Caps-related and “off-topic.” We’re all supposed to be fans of the Capitals; we should at least be able to embrace that common ground. And yet, it seems that basic step has eluded us. I don’t see a lot of “personal” posts on the boards, and it’s not surprising to me. We Caps fans are so divided and set against ourselves that the “community” of Caps fans is not where most of us would think to go for support with life’s challenges. Furthermore, I was tipped off a few hours ago that I myself was personally indicted on a “bad fan” thread. We don’t seem to respect each other as Caps fans, and in some cases, we don’t even seem to respect each other as human beings. This has to stop. Item: As Capitals fans, we must lovingly accept that every Caps fan is trying to be the best fan they know how to be. Item: As human beings, we must see each other as made in God’s image, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Even if–especially if–we have differences with them, as persons or fans.

I still saw too many people heading for the exits last night at the end of overtime. I’ve written about this in the past, but I need to reiterate that point here. Leaving before the decision is an act of disrespect, to your fellow fans, to the team you claim to support, and to the very game of hockey itself. It is certainly true that games were not settled this way in the days of Labre, Hunter, and Langway. Yet, it is the way games are settled now. We don’t have to like it; but we do need to respect that it is part of the game. A mass exodus before a shootout is an act of disrespect to the game itself. This has to stop. Item: We must love the game of hockey as it is played, not as we wish it were played.

It seems to me that there are some fans who are being entirely too serious about the Caps, and who are too attached to whatever results they have in mind. Now, as a Caps fan, certainly, I’d love to see the Caps win a Stanley Cup; I’d love to see us whoop the Penguins 10-0 every time the two teams play; I’d love to see this team succeed beyond my wildest dreams. Yet, if they don’t, it’s not the end of the world. Hockey games are where I go to play. And being playful means that you allow for possibility, whatever the cost to yourself (Carse). We need to remember that at the end of the night, hockey really is just a game. We mustn’t get angry/snippy/depressed/down/whatever if the Capitals lose a game, a playoff series, or even a Cup Final. We have to be able to accept victory with grace, and defeat with even more grace. Yet, there are some right now who have succumbed to the tyranny of unbridled seriousness. This has to stop. Put simply, we have to allow ourselves, as fans, the freedom to play. Item: We must lovingly accept the outcomes of all games, whether the outcome is victory or defeat. (A thought: if one of our players were named one of the Three Stars in a loss, would it really be that difficult to give them their proper adulation, even in defeat?)

So, to recap:
We must love team management, and release all attachments to past decisions.
We must love the players we have, and accept that they are doing the best jobs they know how to do.
As Capitals fans, we must lovingly accept that every Caps fan is trying to be the best fan they know how to be.
As human beings, we must see each other as made in God’s image, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
We must love the game of hockey as it is played, not as we wish it were played.
We must lovingly accept the outcomes of all games, whether the outcome is victory or defeat.

I’ve written elsewhere that the impact of the fans on a game cannot be understated. I believe that the emotional and spiritual energy of the fans does affect the game on more subtle levels. It’s not just 18,277 people in an arena. It’s the energy, positive and negative, of the entire fan base, which affects the destiny of the entire team. In a spiritual sense, we, the fans, really do influence the game on the ice by our thoughts, words, and actions. And it’s not just our conduct at the games which matters. Every time we talk about the team with friends, family, or coworkers; every time we wear Capitals gear; every time we write a blog entry; every time we comment on the message boards; every time we send an email to Ted Leonsis; every time we watch a game on television; every time we “touch” the team, however slightly, we influence it on some level, for better or worse. And right now, a lot of what I see in the Capitals fan base is negative, negative, negative.

So, here’s the part where I get in trouble. Read this very carefully, folks, because I’m only going to type it once.

Until we, the fans of the Capitals, become a consistent source of Love for our team, the Capitals will not win the Stanley Cup. Indeed, they cannot. In fact, they shall not.

Now, before anyone accuses me of cursing the Capitals, don’t even start. This is not a curse. It is simply a prediction based on spiritual principles. I would never–could not, CAN not–ever curse the Washington Capitals. This team has given me more than I can ever repay; far be it from me to ever give anything back but the best that I have.

That said, I wrote what I just wrote as a clarion call to all Caps fans. Love the game! Love the team! Love the players! Love each other!

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”–1 Cor 13:4-8a, NRSV

Without Love, we cannot be the emotional, mental, and spiritual support our team needs us to be. Without Love, we will remain divided against ourselves, unable to unite for our team’s common good. Without Love, we have nothing to contribute. Without Love, we are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Without Love, we are nothing.

Without Love, we shall fail.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
AMOR VINCIT OMNIA

If this had been the AHL, I would have titled this “Jump On the Bus, Gus.” As it is…

Last night’s minor setback against the Devils–which is really all it is–seems to be falling right in line with that 7 of Swords a couple of posts back. Not a good game, true enough. But it wasn’t really a bad one, either–sneaking a trio past Martin Brodeur isn’t bad, assuming you can keep the Devils off the board. That didn’t happen, and we had to settle for one point. That’s not a great result for a Saturday night in front of a pretty raucous house, but it’s also not the end of the world. It’s a step in the right direction, no more, no less. We still have miles to go before we sleep, and there’s lots of hockey left to play. It’s one extra-time loss in October–not great, but acceptable. For now.

One more practice tomorrow, and then the Caps take off on a West Coast swing against the Flames, Coyotes, and Stars. This is Jose Theodore’s beat from last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start two (or even all three) of these games. He’s got 19 games against Calgary, and a more or less even record against them.

Phoenix is the site of Ovechkin’s famous from-his-back goal in his rookie year, and this is his first visit to Phoenix since then. Ovechkin has been awfully quiet the first couple of games, and he has done quite well, thank you, in that barn. Is this the game?

Then comes Dallas, and probably Marty Turco at the other end of the pond. It will be very interesting to see who starts that one, and it will be even more interesting to see how they finish.

I’ll refer spiritually-minded readers to Psalm 91, but I won’t type it out in full.

I had this really, REALLY weird dream about the Caps last night. I don’t remember much: I’m awful at remembering what I dream. I do remember it involved Ovechkin and Semin, and something about Semin typing on a computer (in Russian) that I was an idiot. Weirder: I can barely read Russian in real life.

And now, I’m getting out of the house for what’s left of what looks like a beautiful fall Sunday.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
AH, THE NEW HOCKEY SEASON…

NHL Auctions now has the auctions up for Capitals license plates. (UPDATE: Link removed, as auctions have now closed.–CS) If you live in Maryland–and only Maryland–I encourage you to put a bid in, as proceeds benefit Washington Capitals Charities. And if I can’t bid on 94 myself–no wheels, alas–then at least let others bid on it. If you’re a fan of my words, and the “good” numbers are all taken, take a shot at 94 for me. Please? Heck, if it’s legal, I’ll even offer to sign the 94 if the winner’s interested.

Auctions close next Sunday, the 26th. Good luck and good bidding!

CAPITAL SPIRIT
IT’S FOR A GOOD CAUSE

————————–
UPDATE:

Plenty of bids for a lot of expected numbers, and plenty of money is being raised for Caps Charities. Still, no bids on Jose Theodore’s #60?! That’s a bit of a shame. Welcome to Washington, where fans will bid on #68 (68? JAGR?!!!), but not on #60. That’s a bit depressing.

#94 is also unbid as I type this, and that’s not unexpected. Still, my offer to autograph the #94 tags if the winner so requests–assuming that’s legal–still stands.

Get bidding, readers!–CS
———————–
UPDATE #2
Auctions have now closed, so I’m going to delete the link to the auction site. #60 got no bids, which is a bummer–I would have liked to see SOME love for the new netminder. Amazingly, somebody did end up bidding on #94. I’m not sure who it was, and I doubt it was because of me, but an offer is an offer. If the winner of the #94 wants me to sign it, I will. Just let me know.–CS

This is going to be a bit shorter than usual, because I have to get dressed and scamper down to Springfield for the viewing party. So pardon the lack of fluff, but this is going to be as succinct as I can make it on deadline.

Deck: Tarot of the Angels (Scarabeo)
Question: “How will the Washington Capitals do during the month of October?”

First impression: It looks like October is going to be “just a notch in the gunbelt,” so to speak. It’s not like what I have here is predicting disaster: the cards seem to be going “Yeah, whatever.” There’s also only one Water card on the entire layout, which indicates a lack of emotional involvement. This certainly isn’t gloom-and-doom by any stretch: the worst I can say here is that it just looks dispassionate and kind of flat. There’s nothing bad per se here, but there’s also not a lot of wonderful news here, either. Hang on a second–my phone’s going off. (a few minutes later) It was the Elmer’s factory, and they’re ready for their horse. Onwards…

Basis: Knave of Pentacles. If this is a player, they’re very young: less than two years in the bigs, and possibly even in Hershey right now. Style of play is very physical. But my impression on this wasn’t of a person–it’s that this is the beginning (Knave, lowest court card) of a journey to richness. I’d like to be able to extrapolate eight months in the future from this one card and guarantee the Caps a Stanley Cup, but that’s too optimistic. The journey of the season that we’re about to get started on will be a very physical one, but it will also be a very rewarding one. If this Knave had been reversed, I would have had much worse to say, but he’s face-up, so this is a good place to be to kick the season off.

Crossing: Ace of Chalices. This is the only Water card in the reading. Water represents emotion, and the Ace represents pure emotion. There are several ways to read a crossing card: obstacle in the way, something that sounds good but isn’t…those don’t work. One other way to read a Crossing card–and I think that for this card, it’s the correct one–is to see it as the road you’re on. So if the Basis is where you are, the Crossing represents the “feeling” of the road ahead. It’s not necessarily an outcome: there can be roads of success that end in ruin, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, hard and narrow ways that lead to salvation. So I think that this may be an emotional journey this month, but really, will anyone care about it? Keep reading, and you’ll see why I’m asking.

Distant Past: 3 of Swords Reversed. VERY interesting. When I did the full-season predictions last month, this exact card came up as the Outcome. Now, all of a sudden, here it is, showing up in the Distant Past. Two ways I can read this, and I’m going to offer both impressions and see what everyone thinks. Impression Number One: The easy impression–that this is an acknowledgement of our heartbreaking loss at the end of last season, and that it’s now time to put that to bed once and for all and get started on the new journey. Blah, blah, blah. Impression Number Two: The intriguing impression–that changes have taken place since the last reading, and the heartbreak I predicted last month may have already been avoided by a change of course in the present. Hmm!! Not quite sure what to make of this one, actually.

Recent Past: The Lovers (Element: Air) Aww, ain’t love grand? For a hockey team, however, this is a different kind of love. Here, I’m getting the words “press clippings” springing to mind, and I’m going to run with that. Put simply, there’s been a lot of love being shown to the Caps this preseason (at least, by the scribes who actually know what the heck they’re talking about–Mike Milbury doesn’t count here.) Several hockey outlets have picked us to be a Stanley Cup contender–heady stuff for a team that was practically holding open tryouts just three short years ago. But the message here is, put that love behind you. Forget the preseason accolades, because they mean nothing now. That love is already past-tense: now it’s time to earn that love all over again.

Hang on one second, before I read the next card: Might that Ace of Chalices be referring to the Stanley Cup? So Knave of Pentacles crossed by Ace of Chalices–might that perhaps be beginning of a rewarding journey that leads towards the Stanley Cup? This doesn’t look quite so “whatever” now that I’m typing it out!

General Direction: 7 of Swords. And here’s where I got that “Yeah, whatever” impression. While 7 represents wisdom, and Swords represent the mind, the 7 of Swords isn’t quite as pleasant as all that. The 7 of Swords is a cautionary card. It basically says, Be careful in the face of opposition. You can win, but you have to win SMART. Don’t get too fancy (I’m talking to you, Alexander Semin) and try to pull off some dipsy-don’t that ends up costing you a goal at the other end. Don’t get cute: play smart, and you’ll do just fine. The overall “mood” of the 7 of Swords is one of indifference, which is where I got that “yeah, whatever” feeling.

Immediate Future: Queen of Pentacles. If this is a player, it’s a more experienced player with a very physical aspect to their game. Not very flashy and maybe not the smartest guy in the room, but passionate about their game. More likely, if the Basis is the beginning of a journey, the Queen would represent a lot of progress on that journey. So we may end up winning more than we lose, but I’m still getting the impression that the emotion’s not quite there yet. In a way, that’s fine: you can’t exactly run on playoff-level emotions all year, or you’d be a basket case by Christmas. Still, the lack of emotional indicators worries me a bit.

Querant: 4 of Pentacles. Lots of Pentacles to go around this month, and this is a good one to turn up. 4 represents stability and security, and Pentacles represent the physical world. So where the Caps are right now is a place of material security–good health, good ticket sales, lots of merch making registers jingle, and all that. Here again, the message is one of “don’t get cute.” With the 7 of Swords, that’s because getting cute could backfire. With the 4 of Pentacles, don’t get cute because there’s really no NEED to. Just play your game, and let the wins come.

Outside Influences: The Wheel (Element: Fire) Also known as the Wheel of Fortune, no relation to the TV game show. This represents good luck coming from outside, so spin the wheel, roll the dice, take a chance. That does not mean get cute: it means to take that less-than-perfect shot, go for that impossible save, and maybe, just maybe, try for a shorty or two if you’re a man down. Not with reckless abandon, because the Wheel has a way of turning, and good luck can very quickly go sour. Still, if this were a craps table, right now, the dice would be red-hot. Step up and play, guys. Step up and play.

Hopes and Fears: 2 of Pentacles reversed. That’s not good. Subconsciously, there may be some guys in the room who are believing the press clippings. Hmm. 2 represents balance, so, reversed, what’s at work here is material imbalance, or the fear of it. Perhaps there are a couple of players who are worried about early injuries, which would be understandable. But I think the message here is, don’t be afraid of that: just go out there and play. Don’t let your fears keep your material state off-balance. Let your hopes go free, and perhaps that can set this card right again.

Outcome: 3 of Wands reversed. The 3 of Wands is about virtue, dreams, and reality. Reversed, the message is one of not trying too hard to attain something out of reach. And I think that’s as good a final message as any for the preceding nine cards. You can’t win the Cup in October, guys. And chances are, you’re going to lose a game or two before the month is up. But don’t let that throw you. You do have it within you to win it all. Just play your game the way you’ve been taught, don’t try to do more than you can, and don’t get discouraged if things don’t go perfectly all month. You don’t have to be more than you are: just being the Washington Capitals is good enough.

Distribution: 4 Earth, 3 Air, 2 Fire, 1 Water, 2 Majors. A little short on emotion and a little long on sensing, but otherwise, not terribly out of whack. Enough Majors to indicate some destiny here, but a lot of free will is still in play.

Final thoughts: This doesn’t look like it’s going to be a bad month by any means, but it also doesn’t exactly look like the Caps will be tearing up the pea patch. A good, solid effort, it seems, and I feel confident that I can predict more wins than losses, but that’s about all I can say. It should be a solid first few weeks of the regular campaign: not bad, but not world-beating. Overall, looks like a productive month at the rink.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
THE REGULAR SEASON STARTS NOW

No, I’m not going to turn this into a current-events blog–that’s not my topic. But OJ Simpson’s recent armed-robbery conviction has a lot of spiritual lessons involved, for Mr. Simpson, for me, and perhaps, if I may suppose, for some readers of my humble words.

For any new readers who might have somehow stumbled on this post, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for giving this a read. But I will caution you that this isn’t my normal topic: I write about hockey and spirituality, and current events are usually something I steer clear of. But this is something that I need to write about. Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to look around. Be advised, if you’re a hockey fan, that this site is a bit Capitals-centric.

Now, to the matter at hand.

Thirteen years ago, Mr. Simpson was cleared of murder charges in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. I personally thought, at the time, that he’d gotten away with murder, and I still do. And, like it or not, that trial thirteen years ago was the elephant in the Nevada courtroom. There is a sense in some quarters that this verdict is merely payback for Simpson’s acquittal thirteen years ago. And it’s very hard to dismiss that contention out of hand.

What, then, of second chances? I’m reminded of a short-lived TV show, mid-eighties, on the fledgeling Fox network. (Hard to believe Fox is nearly a quarter of a century old, isn’t it? But that may be a subject for another day.) The show was called “Second Chance,” and the premise was that a mid-80’s teenager had spent the rest of his days living a life not good enough for Heaven, but not bad enough for Hell. So, on his death, he was sent back to his teenage years to teach himself character and morals, and if successful, he’d go to Heaven. Inaccurate theology, to be sure, but it made for a funny (I thought) sitcom.

Mr. Simpson was given a second chance thirteen years ago. Justly or not, Simpson got a chance at redemption. Had he been a wiser man, Simpson would have seen how close he got to spending the rest of his life behind bars, and vowed to do better with the gift he had been given. He failed to do so, and he may now, it may be argued, be getting his comeuppance.

About a decade ago, a father wrote down a few hundred observations about life to pass along to his college-bound son. You may or may not remember “Life’s Little Instruction Book,” but that was it. I haven’t read it in a while, but if memory serves, one of the items therein was, “Give people a second chance, but not a third.” The Clark County jury which convicted Mr. Simpson seems to have concurred with that counsel. We’ll never know what was said in the jury room, but I’d bet there were probably a couple of jurors who didn’t want to have “OJ’s third chance” on their consciences for the length of their days.

Probably the best-known “second chance” in Scripture was a very early one: Adam and Eve. God was very explicit about the rules (Gen 2:15-17, NRSV):

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

That’s pretty black and white there, isn’t it? Put flatly, eat that forbidden fruit, fella, and you’re not gonna live to see tomorrow.

Most of you should be familiar with the rest of the basic story, even if you don’t believe it. That’s not my purpose here, however. The point is this: Adam and Eve both knew the rules–eating that fruit was a capital offense. And not, as in the modern American legal sense, a decades-long stay on death row: if they’d have eaten this on February 12th, they’d be pushing up daisies before Valentine’s Day. That’s the rule, right? Not quite. God, in His benevolence, gave them both a second chance. And a very, very big one, at that: Adam lived to be 930 years old, per Gen 5:5. Still, Adam did die; Divine Justice was delayed, but ultimately, it wasn’t to be denied. So Adam did get a second chance, but not a third.

Paul’s letter to Philemon is another example of a second chance. Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, had found his way to Paul, himself in prison. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, along with an epistle asking Philemon to welcome him back “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother–especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” (Phil 16, NRSV).

Escaping from slavery in those days was also, potentially, a capital offense. Paul doesn’t mention the Garden of Eden in his epistle, but the same spirit is arguably there: give this guy another shot, not because he deserves it, but because, if you think about it, none of us do. After all, …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,… (Rom 3:23, NRSV). But God has given us a second chance, as well. Consider:

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.–(Rom 6:20-23, NRSV)

Christianity, when you think about it, is all about second chances. Adam and Eve; Onesimus; heck, even you and me. All of us sin, and we deserve death for it; but, thank God, we get a second chance. It’s up to us if we want to accept it or not.

OJ Simpson got one heck of a second chance thirteen years ago. He squandered it, and now may have to spend a very long time behind bars.

I mentioned that there’s a lesson in here for me personally, and that’s this. I mentioned early in this post that I thought Mr. Simpson was a murderer, and I still believe that to be the case. Yet, I shouldn’t be celebrating this particular verdict. The correct attitude here, I believe, is not “about time he got what’s coming to him.” It’s more properly one of, “how sad, that someone who was given such a gift, has thrown it away.” This is not a triumph of justice. It is not a victory wherein the long arm of the law finally catches up to a thug.

This is, in a word, a tragedy. It is the downfall of a child of God who had been given so much, and who had already overcome so much in his life to succeed, in football and in broadcasting. It may prove to be the sad ending of a calamitous life.

It would be extremely easy to be elated at Mr. Simpson’s perceived requital. It would be very easy to put VNV Nation’s “Nemesis” on my iPod, and chant that “Judgement Day’s not coming, Judgement Day’s not coming soon enough.”

But spiritually, that’s not the right attitude. As difficult as it will be, I myself will be praying for OJ over the next few days, asking God to show mercy to His child, OJ Simpson. That’s not to ask for a light sentence: if Mr. Simpson’s conviction is upheld, then let the law be the law, and let Justice mete out whatsoever it will. What I will ask, is for Divine compassion and love to surround OJ, and remind him that even though he is behind bars, that God still loves him anyway–always has, and always will.

That’s my spiritual challenge over the next few days.

I need to do my October predictions for the Caps now that the NHL preseason is on the books, and I hope to have those up sometime before the curtain goes up in Atlanta Friday night.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
JOHN 8:7

First off: Loved the game last night. 5-1 over the Flyers, and a rollicking crowd for a preseason game. There were a couple of Flyers fans in 417 who caught me at one of the intermissions, and asked (very politely, I might add) what the point of all the gear was. I gave them a quick run-through of the light show, and also gave them a card for this very blog. There was another guy in a Preds jersey who poked his head in at the same time, too. If those Flyers fans are reading this: thanks for coming out, thanks for being good sports, and thanks for giving me more respect than some of my fellow Caps fans.

Come again?

Yup, it’s true. Toward the end of the first, someone in Row D turned around and told me to shut up. OK, fine, up I’ll shut, but how come you’re not saying anything when my seatmate is still carrying on? I have no choice but to take that as a personal slight. When I’m getting more genuine interest in my routine from Flyers fans, I know it’s not my night.

Consolation: whoever slapped the muzzle on the Spirit would probably never fit in at a more rowdy arena (Rangers, Sabres, Habs, Wings, etc.). I was so ticked off when I got home last night that I briefly toyed around with the idea of showing up in civvies for tomorrow’s preseason finale. Nor have I yet ruled that out–that decision is still on the table. Evidently, there are some who think there’s such a thing as too much Spirit. It’s a shame, but what can you do?

Meanwhile, at the Meet the Team party the other night, I came very close to losing my medallion to some negative G’s on the Superman coaster (natch). I hung onto it for dear life in the final corkscrews, and came through with my outfit intact. Never uttered a peep on the thing–can you tell I’ve ridden way too many roller coasters in my life?

Disconcerting moment of the night: being asked by some younger fans to add my autograph to a couple of shirts which were already festooned with the players’ autographs. I’m not going to complain about that, at all–I do carry a Sharpie to games, after all–but I’m still not quite sure why some fans think I’m worthy of signing among the players. I repeat, that’s not a complaint in the slightest. But I am just one fan in the nosebleeds. I’m not quite sure how I ended up being more than that, but I do accept it, and will continue to try to merit the esteem. (I’d love to understand it, though!)

Chuckler of the night: finding out Donald Brashear doesn’t do movie quotes. At least, not from Youngblood. I asked him, completely in jest, if he’d ever had to use the line “Wanna go, pretty boy?” during an actual game. I don’t think he liked the question, judging by his reaction. Dumb question in hindsight, admittedly: it’s probably not appropos in the heavyweight division.

Memo to Donald Brashear, if this ever finds its way back to him: Sorry for the impertinence, sir. I was only trying to ask a light-hearted question, and meant no offense by it.

Put Cancer On Ice game is later tonight, and I need to head out the door to get over to Kettler. See you all at the Phone Booth tomorrow, although I have no idea right now what I’ll be wearing.

CAPITAL SPIRIT
LET’S GET THE REGULAR SEASON STARTED, ALREADY