One Turkey To Rule Them All

Just when all hope was lost. Just when there was no light left in the building. Just when I feared I would have to close the Diaries due to lack of interest, my Muse returned to remind me that I still have important things to say ... snarky things to say ... about the gall and the stupidity of people.

And for that, I truly thank The Night Owl (or, as I think I may have to start calling him, The Gift That Keeps On Giving).

Mr. Barry has been giving away turkeys at the Union Temple Baptist Church for the several years now. It's a very popular program in my Ward 8, which is the most economically depressed area in my fair city. You will not hear me breathe one bad word about this program. The holiday season is especially hard on those who are struggling and anything to help make their Thanksgiving better is alright in my book.

But I do have to call out incompetence.

Last year, the demand far exceeded the supply and Barry promised such an oversight would never happen again. This year, people who wanted a free bird had to sign up ahead of time to get one. Once all of the people listed got theirs, whatever was left would be handed out to whoever showed up. (Or at least that's my understanding of how this was supposed to have worked.)

Well, this year's giveaway hit another snag that left people frustrated and upset. All because that evil Giant wouldn't deliver the birds.

First of all, I must apologize to the Ward 8 community for Giant’s failure to provide timely support to the Community. It’s simply pathetic and incomprehensible to me that a multi-billion dollar corporation, like Giant, would take a position that would deprive children, seniors and other adults of food for the Thanksgiving holiday.

But, you see, the fact that the turkeys were a no-show wasn't Barry's fault. Except for that part where it was.

D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), well known for his annual turkey giveaway in Southeast Washington, had no Butterballs available for residents Tuesday morning after he failed to pay Giant food stores $26,000 for their delivery.

In a news release, Barry said he had $17,000, falling short by $9,000, but promised Giant that the rest was coming. " ... Giant insisted that the full $26 thousand dollars be received by the store on Monday and that without full payment, the Company would not delivery the birds to Barry," a news release read.

Look, I know people are suffering. I know that some residents in Ward 8 depend on this annual event to put a decent Thanksgiving dinner on the table. But this whole mess could have been avoided. It's not like we don't know when Thanksgiving is going to happen from one year to another. (Not like that blasted Easter.) It's the fourth Thursday of November, for Pete's sake! Mr. Barry had plenty of time during the year to raise whatever funds he needed to ensure that his turkey giveaway would happen on time and without issue. The fault lies on him, not on Giant.

(Giant, by the way, did deliver some of the birds with the rest coming today, even though they still haven't been paid for them.)

I have a suggestion to my fellow Ward 8 residents. Stop putting your faith in Marion Barry. He will fail you constantly and consistently. Next year, if you need some extra help putting food on the table, make a trip out to Landover where you're far less likely to walk away empty-handed.

Sports Happenings

I know I'm a bit behind on the chatter here but I wanted to share my thoughts on these stories.

1. Washington Redskins - Some might think that the story is this, this, or maybe even this. Those people would be wrong. The real story is behind the scenes.
   
   Here's my take. Clinton Portis needs to go. Yes, there were seasons when he almost literally carried this team on his back. But past performance doesn't give anyone a license to skate by, especially in the NFL. It certainly doesn't give you license to shoot your mouth off on a radio program. You have a problem with your coach? Talk to your coach about it behind closed doors. You have a problem with your teammates? Talk to your teammates in the locker room. Don't do it publicly. He has become a canker in the locker room and has lost the respect of many of the veteran players. He doesn't produce on the field. He doesn't inspire on the sideline. He doesn't lead in practice. Hell, he doesn't even show up to practice! Sorry, dude, but I think you're done. I'm hoping that one of Coach Shanahan's first moves is to trade Portis.
   
   
2. Washington Wizards - If there are two things I know about the next owner of this franchise, they are the following: he knows how to build a long-term winning team and he won't allow his players to embarrass his team. Odds are that this NBA off-season will see the Wizards go through a change like the Capitals did during the 2004 NHL season lockout ... he will make sure he has front office people who know basketball and they will blow this team up and start building toward a team that will be perennial playoff contenders. Quite frankly, for as much pain as that will bring in the immediate future, it will be the best thing to happen to Wizard fans since they last won the NBA title. Trust me on this, because it leads me to ...
   
   
3. Washington Capitals - I love my Caps. And I love Ted Leonsis. This is an owner who gets it. He respects his fans. He respects the tradition of hockey. And he respects his players. He is every bit as passionate about bringing the championship title to DC as a certain other major league team owner; but, unlike said other owner, he knows what is necessary and required of him to accomplish that. But that's not what I wanted to say about my Caps. What I wanted to say was that, seven days after trading their team captain to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team finally decided on a new captain. I was too in shock last night to appreciate the choice. But after having some time to sleep on it, I think it was the right one. Firstly, Ovechkin is going to be here for a very long time, quite possibly for his entire career. Secondly, he has been a leader and always gives his all on the ice. Thirdly, well, there's this ...
   

   "I had talked to a lot of [players] the last couple of days and they said Alex is the only choice," [Coach Bruce] Boudreau said. "He's our leader, he's our guy. What shows he was ready was when I talked to him two or three days ago, he said he would accept the responsibility but 'only if my teammates want it.' He was already thinking about the team instead of himself, which is what captains do."

   Congratulations, Ovie, on the captaincy. And congratulations, Caps, for getting a quality captain.

Like, Total Randomness, Y'know?

1. I am treated far too kindly by people who barely know me.
2. I love my ex and am saddened that we find ourselves where we are today.
3. There is too much unsettlement in my life at the moment.
4. Waiting for other things to happen so I can proceed sucks (and not in a good way).
5. Mario Spinetti rocks my socks. (Hey, Mario, where's the full-length album already?)
6. I still hate exercising. Cardio sucks. (But waiting still sucks more.)
7. Jim Zorn? Okay, if you say so. We'll see how that works out. At least I have something to be excited about right now.
8. I'm already hoping that Obama wins the White House so that, after his first veto, I can start using my newly coined term ... Barak-ade©! (As in, the latest bill passed by Congress was Barak-aded© by the White House.)

A Low Blow

LaRon Landry is hurt in a bad place. And here I thought "team-building outings" were supposed to, you know, pull teams together. Maybe this is the way football players initiate each other? Ah well, no one ever accused defensive players of being smart.