Thursday Coffee Pours Some Sugar On You

A SPECIAL THANK YOU: I read each and every comment we get at this site. I may not always respond, simply because I'm really more interested in what you have to say than what I have to say (I've usually already said what I had to). Still, I want to say thanks to each and every comment we've had recently. Your thoughts on what it feels like to fall from the Copa Sudamericana, the excuses we might use, and the debate on the USWNT, have been conducted with intelligence and decorum not usually associated with TEH INTERNETS. You may disagree with me, or with each other, but you're pretty good about keeping things civil. My thanks. And for those of you that took issue with me saying "United bunkered" -- you're probably right. It was more of an emotional sense I had of the tactics then a reflection of the field. You are correct: United didn't bunker by choice, they bunkered because they couldn't pass the ball through the middle third.

POPLAR POINT AND POWER: Four, count 'em, four Poplar Point related articles in the Post. First, Marc Fisher notes Marion Barry's support of the plan, and if anything is slightly bemused. Second, Marc Fisher notes that some soccer team is still at RFK. And, for the life of him, he can't understand some of the venom he sees. Now, we can't be accused of any such thing, as we have consistently preached co-existance with our red and white RFKin. I like baseball. No, I think Fisher confuses attacks against him with attacks against other sports. Marc writes " I don't think it is disrespectful of United or its fans to note that RFK has not worked out as a venue." No Marc, and in fact, we agree with you. We want a different venue. In case you're wondering, it's comments like this one that are disrespectful of United and its fans: "...a soccer stadium is used far less frequently than a baseball stadium and draws much smaller crowds, so it might make more sense for it to be further away from the center." Used less frequently? Sure. Much smaller crowds? You're having a laugh. We draw crowds that are comparable to, if not exceeding Nats crowds, most nights. I could even defend you if you had said "smaller on aggregate" or "slight smaller on average" or something like that, but you had to go for the trivial and insulting column. That's why we're annoyed with you.

PRAISES FOR V-MAC: However, read these two articles. One is on a separate development that Mr. MacFarlane is developing, and the optimism that comes with it. The second article, despite a somewhat disappointing lede, turns into a glowing article on Victor himself. Key graf:

...MacFarlane has set himself apart from his rivals because he has built winning projects in challenging urban areas that others never thought to enter. As one of the few African Americans to control such a large amount of institutional capital, MacFarlane made his reputation and fortune by helping to revitalize poor, long-neglected black neighborhoods.

Surely this kind of track record is exactly what is needed for Poplar Point and the Anacostia neighborhood. This is a man who has results, who has done it. Is the District willing to sacrifice success in this project simply because they might want $20-$30M in additional development on a bid? Is it worth that kind of risk? I ask you, Mayor Fenty.

MARCO GETS A ROCKET, YEAH, FOR HIS OPPONENT (BUT IT'S NOT ROY LASSITER): I'm not sure what this means at all. Other than he'll play ball after ball, but they'll all look the same. And DeRoux spends some quality time on PG. Oh, and congrats to Looocheee, who gets Player of the Month and takes it from Troy Perkins.