millz58

Well, the Caps are up against it now, down 1-0 to Montreal midway through 3rd period. Each team has a goal disallowed because of goalie interference (no penalty called in either case), although Lapierre continues his sketchy ways by being "more" in the crease, actually pushing Varlamov a bit before the puck went in. The refs are being generous there; but both goalies are playing great and especially Halak, who is coming with the same game as he had two nights ago... Man, Washington losing in round one THIS year would be an upset of great proportions, and could really bring some off-season upheaval. And how would the Habs fair against the Penguins in round 2? I'd be equally interested in the resulting Flyers-Bruins matchup should the Caps fail to win tonight.

...exhaaaaaaaale....

I can only hope Montreal puts up a better fight v. the Caps tomorrow night in their game 7. I hate anti-climactic endings... anyhoo, strength, skills and experience will out in this series, at least the Coyotes took it the distance. "full marks" for the season. I'll skip Babcock's post-game, if you please...

...summon Captain Lidstrom... 5-1... nay, 6-1... same old 'Wings...

Unfriggin' real, Datsyuk with two goals in 1:40? I thought I was watching a replay when I saw the second... I was trying to get my mind used to not having the Wings in the conference semifinals (maybe so also were a bunch of 'Hawks fans) but it looks like they're catching fire... edit (11:37) that was a flukey goal off the face-off, but it's 2-1 Detroit now, maybe the Coyotes will make some noise... edit (10:30) now the Phoenix fans are chanting "Hooo-ward", why? he has been really good so far for Detroit edit (end of 2nd) breakaway goal for detroit, they have this one firmly in hand 4-1

nice job Johnson did on Posada, a guy who (as tonight) also seems to hurt the O's.... we might even take this one!

nice hit by Reimhold... with RISP... Pinch runner...? montanez...got a chance to do something, like take advantage, maybe... edit: yes! Izturis! now maybe jones?

Great throw by Wieters and great glove position by Izturis to nab Canoe... Haven't seen anything that nice defensively in a while...

WTF "on-air banter" about fried bologna sandwiches? why is that even happening? Jaws probably laughed at that, right? sheesh

dude had a great arm though, on a line to 2nd...

Why did they just show that goofball throwing Posada's HR ball back onto the field? This ain't Wrigley...

Meanwhile, Phoenix v. Detroit, game 7...woo-woo-wooo-oooooooo!

I didn't see the 2nd call on Lapierre but I saw the first one, and I also so his facial reaction to enough of the calls against MTL, somewhere between indignance and that "sucking-teeth" expression I get from students after I catch them doing something wrong... I haven't seen enough of the Habs this year; I do know the Caps spend way too much time in Halak's face, but still he dazzled. Hey, game 7, the road teams have been better in this series..., except for last night, when the home team did dominate.

Yeah, Subban contributed to a great PK performance by the Habs, and great defense in general as Montreal forces game seven in DC. great win, Halak was unreal, I know how they say when a goalie's playing great that they see the puck like a beach ball, you could see how fluid and anticipatory his actions were in goal. He certainly knew every time where the shots were coming from, and his defense did a good job not obscuring the shots, and getting in to deflect rebounds and block shots. Also they played physically, although it did seem some were hammin' it up (Lapierre, e.g.) and trying too hard to draw penalties, the refs were clearly not afraid to make calls (too many IMO, especially game misconducts piling up). but overall a great effort, great crowd, now let's hope they make it count and show up well for what should be a great game 7. The Caps, on the other hand, cashed in way too early, showed little heart and no urgency after Halak showed quickly he was in prime form. Caps seemed to be confused as to how to keep the puck in the zone, Montreal's defense extended out to the blue line many times, and forced the Caps to regroup often, which they clearly grew weary of doing; also Washington's PP was stagnant, stationary and uninspired. I hope Boudreau reams his scorers this time after already calling them out earlier... meanwhile, kudos to the B's in ousting the Sabres. I feel badly for Miller, but hey them's the breaks. So, if Washington wins, we have Caps/Flyers and Pens/Bruins; if the Habs prevail Wednesday night, then they get Pittsburgh and Boston gets Philly. I think I like the latter scenario, but I'd love to see if Chris Pronger could handle the scorers of Washington (he and the Flyers had little success handling the Pens' offensive weapons, which he was brought to Philly to do this year.)

HOLY CRAP Daniel Sedin scores with under 2 minutes and the Canucks go up 3-2 on LA, looking to clinch the series! and now they get the empty netter!! cool.... Maybe Vancouver and Roberto Luongo will have more than the Olympics to celebrate this year! This is good for Vancouver and particlularly Luongo, who's had his share of detractors, doubting his abilities on the larger stage (before this year, he's proven his detractors right). But the gold medal for Canada, and now advancing to the second round, and showing very well in net in the process, should bring some deserved praise. The close-ups of the end-game line-ups, where the teams shake hands, shows the respect these teams have for each other; hockey is so cool. Go 'Nucks!

Maybe I don't read enough from different sources, but I found most descriptions of draftees starting with strengths and then weaknesses, but in Browns' case it seemed the opposite. anyway nothing can go too wrong for them, they needed just about everything.

Well, if I were a Browns fan I'd not like to hear most descriptions of the main draftees starting with doubts... http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/teams?team=cle&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2fdraft%2fteams%3fteam%3dcle

Holy $#!|, Luongo is great for the 'nucks, he is (as they say) "standing on his head" in this game, some fabulous saves... Quick is also doing great things for the Kings. This is a cool series. Like in the Boston/Buffalo series, great goalies are showing their stuff; although the latter series has been truly more defensive, lower-scoring. I'm looking forward to seeing game 6 of MTL/WAS as Halak and Varlamov defend for their teams.

Howdy Scotty, welcome! Most of us are happy with the way the draft turned out, even though the Ravens' front office did something unprecedented in bailing out of round 1, they made good by securing more picks and drafted for both need and depth at several key positions, and for what will likely be very reasonable cost. And this, after getting a couple receivers via free agency that will definitely help Flacco and the offense develop into a real force in the AFC. Getting around to road games is tricky for most because of the vast expanse (and expense) that travelling in the U.S. negotiates (for instance, Scotland's approximate 83,000 sq. km. would fit inside of South Carolina) and also as our typical work-week is Monday-Friday I daresay it's only the brave, stupid, unemployed or independently wealthy that can go to many road sunday games.

Yikes, what our leaders will do to make B'More's population count higher... http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-inmate-census-20100425,0,5378657.story [edit: okay I'm having trouble posting links from Sun's website, I don't know what the deal is, but it's a story by Erica L. Green titled "Baltimore will gain residents in prison count shift" posted on Apr. 24th, Maryland section of site] The best is this: The decision has significant implications for Baltimore, which has been losing population for decades, and which produces as many as 6 in 10 of the state's 21,000 inmates. Baltimore's official population could grow by 12,000 because of the new law, an increase that could help preserve the city's political clout when congressional and state legislative district lines are redrawn to reflect the 2010 census. and then this: "Baltimore City is trying to pad their numbers in the census, because they're scared they're going to lose representation," said Del. Kevin Kelly, a Democrat who represents Allegany County. "I don't see where the fairness is." Kelly said the 4,500 state and federal inmates kept in Cumberland will cost the county money for years. The prisoners in his county are doing enough time to make them more a part of his communities than their hometowns, he said. and then finally this: In Somerset County on Maryland's Eastern Shore, officials hope the new rule leads to the election of the county's first-ever black county commissioner. A prison built in the 1980s, they said, disrupted a settlement of a Voting Rights Act lawsuit intended to create a majority-minority county legislative district. Though the county is 40 percent black, no black representative has ever been elected to office. "It's been a long time coming. I believe that people in the county, both black and white, are ready for change," said Clarence Bell, who was the county's first black police chief. Lawmakers said they were pleased that the new law could bring diversity to places like Somerset. "I am so proud that Maryland did this, I think that it speaks highly of us," said Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, a Prince George's County Democrat who was a lead sponsor of the House legislation. "It's really a civil rights issue, a fairness issue and an equality issue plain and simple." Give u$ back our Criminal$!!!

Regarding the CB issue (and general thoughts on the draft), Jamison Hensley reports... http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-draft-0425-2-20100425,0,3534177.story edit: okay, this link isn't good, but Hensley has a story on the Sun's website, quoting Harbaugh and Oz: After the Ravens took Pitta midway through the fourth round, only one cornerback was selected in that round, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah of Indiana (Pa.). "I don't think it was a really deep corner class myself," Harbaugh said. "There was a group of corners at the top of the draft that you really liked. After that, it was a second tier of guys. Those guys are like rolling dice; you're never sure which one of those guys are going to make it. We were looking at those guys in the fourth round, but we couldn't justify one of those guys over Pitta. We just couldn't do it as far as being the type of player that we know he's going to be. We'll find a way to add a corner." Harbaugh wouldn't rule out the return of Frank Walker, but the Ravens expect veteran cornerbacks to get released in the next couple of months. Teams who were keeping high-priced veterans as contingency plans might cut them after drafting a cornerback. Newsome, though, said the Ravens didn't need to draft a cornerback to help their pass defense. "How you can affect a passer is you have to get after the passer," he said, referring to the addition of Kindle. "If you can hit the quarterback — and hit him enough times — you don't have to be as good in the secondary."

If you've gotten to the point where you know your students have learned your 'tricks' then it's your turn to improvise, adapt, overcome (marine corps credo) and reinvent yourself; but it's good you see that. I mostly heard about the "3rd year" mark, where during that year a teacher really begins to figure it all out and become who they are, so to speak (ironically, one year beyond the typical TFA stint, when many bail after their obligatory 2-year contract is over). I went through that myself, finding that pivotal time to really open my eyes to what was expected of me (by students and administrators alike) and to what I was capapble of, and most importantly to what the realities of the job are. By the way, the whole english thing is crucial, meaning instruction of reading, writing, comprehending and articulating in other content areas, very important to know how to get kids to communicate effectively in subjects other than english. Even in math, vocabulary, usage, proper speech, etc. are keys to understanding and speaking to processes and concepts.

Yeah, I'm happy that they really took over the last 30 mins, and how (as did happen last year with guys like Talbot and Letang) some less-heralded guys stepped up at the few but key times in this series when Crosby and Malkin were being handled; but wow they can't afford to play in 1st gear in the 2nd round. I'm really looking foward to Habs/Caps tomorrow, and how am I gonna juggle my time if somehow Bos/Buf or Hawks/Preds make it on VS.? or at least NHL network... How cool is it for Phoenix to stroll into Hockeytown and dominate the Wings? Awesome, 9 months ago the talk was all about how the heck the coyotes remain in Phoenix, and now the NHL-owned team has one of the original-six and current powers against the ropes. Beautiful (not just coming from a Pens fan that wouldn't mind a change in Western-conference representation; I'd love to see the once Gretsky-fronted franchise succeed.) And San jose shaking off some bad karma? Yes, and if the Hawks can get by Nashville, the new guard will arrive in the west. I have no rooting interest in the Kings/Canucks series, just like watching a good matchup, game 6 tonight!

Wow, so you're certified in SS, then you majored in it at UMCP? I majored in math, but have found history as sort of a secondary (no pun) interest; my good friend, old college roommate and teacher-wing-mate for the last 10 years is a history guy and reading specialist, we plan on doing a good bit of co-teaching next year and try to really ramp up the curriculum and instruction at our school for the next few years. always important to collaborate with other staff that you trust and confide in. Also of course, learn your administrators, and (particularly for public schoolers), your district-level nabobs. For the most part I just bang around with the kids, learn them and their families as well as possible, and try to thwart the intrusive efforts of nefarious outsiders. HSAs are kind of a joke, except that the 'achievement gap' really does rear its statisticaly ugly head and put some districts (like Balto. city) behind the 8-ball; luckily my school is so heavily laden with special ed kids that our budget will give us extra SPED staff next year, whereas alot of schools that are losing enrollment numbers have to cut positions across the board.

Hey dc, props on getting through your first full year! By this time, you can sense the end (literally, kids are all grabby and smelling funky as it warms up and they get all spastic), especially with the last testing wave of the year approaching (I assume your school doesn't deal in HSAs, being a Catholic school?). Hey what is your class and course load like? Are you teaching math? I have one class in each of 9th (transitional math), 10th (algebra 1), 11th and 12th (both algebra 2), and I'm also saddled with test-coordinator duties. so I keep pretty busy.