Charlottesville, Virginia

Greensboro, NC -- I'm out of action today, nursing an extremely sore throat from the weekend. I thought that I would take this short time to inform you about my recent travels to Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville is a quaint, colloquial town located in the center of Virginia. It is rich with history being the birthplace of both U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. After a quick 3 hour trip from Greensboro, we arrived at the UVA campus. The campus and town themselves are very artsy. The rhythms and melodies of Dave Matthews Band's music echo their hometown -- groovy, artistic, and playful.

After rising early at the Cavalier Inn, a former UVA dormitory, my group quickly traveled to the great Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. The 45 minute tour was very inciteful about Jefferson's life, inventions, thoughts about slavery, etc. The house was well thought out when it was constructed. After a lunch break and short drive down the parkway, we reach "Mishe's Tavern." Owned by a Revolutionary War soldier, this famous tavern provided a sanctuary for overnight travelers to relax and have a beer. There wasn't much to the bar and quarters, but the place was chock-full of Revolutionary era antiques. Toured out, we headed over to Jefferson's own vineyard, "Jefferson's Vineyard." The name of the vineyard is a bit ironic because Jefferson himself attempted to make wine, but his efforts were ultimately fruitless (pun intended). Nevertheless, the vineyard had a well decorated tasting room and patio to enjoy some fine wines. To top the day off, we headed downtown to sample the best dishes of Charlottesville. Sticking to the wine theme, we tried "Sipps" and left satisfied. All of the restaurants downtown open up to a brick-paved street, which is cornered off for pedestrians only. So, many of the restaurants, like ours, had tables set-up in the middle of the street.

Jefferson's Monticello (rear)

We had to squeeze in the final piece of the "President's Pass" on Sunday morning, which was "Ash Lawn," the home of James Monroe. Ash Lawn was a little further out from Charlottesville, but our intimate tour group (2 people and our group) made the trip worthwhile. Our knowledgeable tour guide walked us through the original home of Monroe. The home was very similar to Jefferson's -- old, beautiful, well-restored, etc.; it just didn't have all of the inventions. As the tour guide put it; "in Charlottesville, there are three levels; 1. God; 2. Jefferson; 3. Everyone else." Well said. Our trip concluded with a self-guided tour of The Rotunda at the UVA. Jefferson designed the Rotunda as the centerpiece of the campus. Further, it was a symbol to bring faculty, staff, and students together. All three of Jefferson's strongest attributes are on display in this town: 1. Political; 2. Religious (freedom); 3. Intellectual (UVA).

Monroe's Ash Lawn (side)

If you haven't been to Charlottesville before, and you're a bit of a history buff, this place is one for you. It's a perfect weekend getaway.

Do Not "Play Ball!"

Greensboro, NC -- In the words of Bono, "time is irrelevant, it's not linear." That lyric surely rings loudly to the Winston-Salem residents overseeing an eyesore of a ballpark. The word on the street is that many of the subcontractors are having difficulty obtaining payment. Billy Prim, owner of the newly named Winston-Salem Dash is attempting to buy out his partner, which has caused all but a standstill in the park's construction. With many residents curmudgeonly reluctant to approve funding for the new stadium, I'm sure many are feeling betrayed. As for the team itself, the Dash (renamed this season for the new park, but named for the dash between "Winston" and "Salem"), have embarrassingly had to move back to Ernie Shore Field, which is now owned by Wake Forest. To make matters worse, the team is off to a very slow start, and attendance has been putrid. I drove by the new ballpark about a month ago and snapped a few photos. Not much has changed since then, if anything at all.

As you can see, the seats have yet to be installed. The concourses have yet to be developed. This skeleton all but guarantees that there will be no baseball here in 2009.

I snapped this photo in motion because the home plate corner of the park is bounded by Business Interstate 40 and Peters Creek Parkway. The brown brick facade shows much promise!

Washington's Team

Greensboro, NC -- After another 2 pick draft and crazy offseason spending spree by the Redskins, a dozen win season by the Wizards, and a huge stumble out of the gate by the "Natinals," DC does have one team it can focus its attention: The Washington Capitals.

After a come from behind, 7 game series against the frustrated New York Rangers, the Caps were skating high into the NHL match-up of the year: Ovechkin vs. Crosby. If you didn't see tonight's game, you missed a scintillating, duo hat trick performance by the Pens' and Caps' star players. The Caps now take a 2-0 lead heading into Pittsburgh.

Ted Leonsis, the Capitals' first class owner, realized during the 2004 season that trading for star players (Jaromir Jagr) and spending on pricey free agents (Robert Lang) isn't the correct way to build a consistent playoff team for a sport based on team unity and cohesion, very much like football, and to a certain extent, basketball. By building the core of the team through the draft -- Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Green -- then supplementing the team through low priced free agents -- Federov, Kozlov -- the Caps used the standard blueprint for building a perennial playoff team. Fans from DC are delighted that one team finally did it right.

You would think the Caps could share their blueprint with their city friends, but Snyder and Lerner choose to hum their own tune. Coincidence or not, Leonsis is the most approachable owner in DC (and in sports for that matter); he wants you to contact him, and he listens. Snyder and Lerner both shun the spotlight and their fans' reception... and their teams are awful... karma?

The Nationals have a choice next month to go the "Capital Route" and draft uber prospect RHP Stephen Strasburg with the first pick in the MLB draft. For a team needing a facelift, or a face for that matter, Strasburg would solve many of the teams' problems: pitching depth, a franchise player, an ace, etc. Of course, all they have to do is negotiate with Scott Boras. Let's go Caps!