Sellout at RFK! (And some Rick Ankiel thoughts)

For the first time all season, after going to about 8 Nationals games, I finally went to a sellout at RFK Stadium!

Of course, it had nothing to do with the Nationals.

It had a little more to do with this guy.



I, avid soccer fan that I am (cough, cough), got to see David Beckam's first MLS Soccer game. He only played for a little over 20 minutes, but it's pretty cool to have been part of history. I feel pretty lucky to have seen a few historic sports events first hand... Ozzie Smith's left handed home run in the playoffs in 1985, Ron Dayne breaking the college rushing record, Roger Clemens' 300th win, the Nationals first home game in 2005.... now I have another to add to the list.

I have to say, the D.C. United fans put the Nationals fans to shame. There was so much more energy in that stadium than I'd ever seen at a baseball game.


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In other sports news, it's the moment I and many other Cardinals fans have been waiting for... the return of Rick Ankiel to the major league roster. The transformation from pitcher to outfielder is complete, and he even hit a home run his first night back!

I have this vision in my mind that I'll be telling my grandchildren the cautionary tale some day of a pitcher who had all the talent in the world but let his emotions get the best of him. Now, with a little luck, this story's going to have a happy ending.

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Unfortunately, Ankiel's return to the Cardinals roster comes at the expense of Scott Speizio, who is seeking treatment for substance abuse. The details, including what substance he has been abusing, are unknown, but I wish him the best and hope he wins whatever fight he's fighting. In a year in which the manager got a DUI and a pitcher died from another drunk driving accident, the team doesn't need to be taking substance abuse lightly, and I consider it an extremely positive sign that Speizio is voluntarily seeking treatment. I hope the red goatee returns to the roster soon.

Barry Bonds is the New Home Run Champ. Deal With It.

Don't give me that asterisk crap.

Here's how I see it.... And personally it doesn't matter much to me whether Aaron or Bonds holds the record....

Once a home run is hit, and the umpire doesn't overrule it, and the game isn't contested... Mark it down for history.

Baseball is all about history. Home runs can't be erased. If there was sufficient proof that Bonds used steroids to ban him from baseball before he broke the record, fine. But that didn't happen. The home runs count.

To take away home runs throws the entire baseball universe into chaos. If you're going to take Bonds' personal achievements away, don't you have to change the scores of all those games? Don't you have to take away the Giants NL Pennant from 2002 away? And that's not even getting into McGwire, Sosa, etc. Not just in baseball either... Are you going to take a few rings away from the Pittsburgh Steelers?

And if we're talking about unfair advantages, are we going to put asterisks by all statistics before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier?

The game is over. As far as I know, the Nationals are not contesting the outcome (seeing as they won, I sure hope not).

Barry Bonds is your new home run champ. Deal with it. We'll pick up this conversation again when A-Rod and Pujols break the record.

Could I become...*gasp*.... a Trekkie?

Don't worry. The answer is almost certainly no.

Look, I embrace my geekdom in many respects, but for me, Star Trek obsesssion has always been the ultimate level of dorkiness that even I would never obtain. I've probably seen no more than five episodes of any version of Star Trek on TV.

The movies are a somewhat different for me... I've probably seen most and I've genuinely liked at least a couple. I've never really eagerly anticipated a Star Trek movie, though...

But my interest is pretty high for the next one. "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams is directing, and Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar on "Heroes," is onboard to play a young Spock.

When all is said and done, it will still be Star Trek, but I wanna see this one.