Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Do You Remember April 18, 2006?

You probably don't, and I don't blame you.

So I was sitting in the bar with my buddy from Boston last night watching the Celtics wrap up Game 1 with the Cavs, and this comes out of his mouth in my direction:

"Celts waan, B's waan, Sax waan. Great frickin' day fa Baaaaston spaarts."

Translation:

"The Celtics and Bruins are doin' work in the postseason, the best is yet to come for the Red Sox, and you can go screw yourself."

I was so jealous. The Caps and Wizards are currently working on their short games and, while the Nats have been a pleasant surprise thus far and appear to be on the right track, they aren't exactly championship material.

So I got to thinking: when was the last time the Nats, Wizards, and Caps all won on the same day? Scheduling presents obvious obstacles - barring playoff runs by both hockey and basketball teams, the three would only have a few weeks at the beginning of the baseball season to simultaneously emerge victorious. I did a little research and found the answer.

I guess the title of this post is what you'd call a spoiler, but you got it: April 18, 2006. The winningest day in DC professional sports in the last five years.

Wizards: Gilbert Arenas scored 43 points and added 5 assists and 4 steals as the Wizards beat the Bucks, 116-103, inching closer to clinching that "coveted" 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. Why is coveted in quotes? Because the 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers were waiting, and we all know how that went. Still, it's funny to read the AP recap's theory at the time: "Fifth is important because no one wants to face one of the top three seeds when Cleveland, returning to the playoffs after an eight-year absence, is an available opponent at No. 4."

Nationals: Ryan Church (OMG, flashback) went 2 for 5 with a HR and 4 RBI, Ryan Zimmerman went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI, and Tony Armas, Jr. (OMG, flashback) pitched 6 solid innings as the Nats beat the Phillies, 10-3. The Nats pulled to 5-9 on the season with the victory and would end the year 71-91.

Capitals: The final game of the season for the Caps was a doozy, beating the playoff bound Tampa Bay Lightning - the defending Stanley Cup Champs, no less - by a score of 4-1. Alex Ovechkin wrapped up his Rookie of the Year campaign with his 54th assist of the season, putting him at 106 points. Also picking up points on the night? A few of these should elicit a chuckle or two: Jeff Halpern, Brian Willsie, Ben Clymer, Nolan Yonkman, Brooks Laich, Steve Eminger, Dainus Zubrus, and Matt Bradley.

***

So there you have it. Not quite the greatest day in DC sports history. Nope, not even close. But perhaps the most complete in quite some time.

And finally, to answer the question on all your minds, April 18, 1025, was also the day that Bolesław I Chrobry was crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.

7 comments:

  1. Outstanding, outstanding, outstanding.

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  2. My God, is it even possible to find an overlap with the Redskins too?

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  3. I think it would be next to impossible to find a 4-way overlap for two reasons:

    1) Baseball regular season usually ends around the beginning of October - around the time hockey season starts and a few weeks before basketball season starts. In order for an overlap to occur, the Nats would have to go deep into the postseason.

    2) Football games are played on Sundays 90% of the time. Even if the Nats made a deep run in the postseason, to have all four teams playing on Sunday would be a miracle in itself. For them to all win? When pigs can fly.

    I seriously doubt it has ever happened for DC sports, even if you include the Expos. But to find this out would require way too much research, or a little help from the guys at the Elias Sports Bureau.

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  4. Well for the agony my teams have put me through, I don't think it's too much to ask.

    Also, what the fuck letter is that thingy in the middle of this dude's name? "Bolesław I Chrobry"

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  5. I don't know but I copied it from Wikipedia and it's freaking me out!

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  6. Bushwood BushwhackerMay 6, 2010 at 4:14 PM

    Nice calendar. "University of Rochester Laboratories for Laser Energetics. OMEGA TSV II ASPHERIC MIRROR"

    Hahahaha.

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  7. that was my 21st Birthday!

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