According to ye olde DC Sports Bog, today has been proclaimed "Abe Pollin Day". The geriatric former owner of the Washington Capitals (remember that?) and the current owner of the Wizards turns 84 today.
In recognition of, and I quote, "all of his contributions to the city", the section of F Street NW between 6th and 7th will be renamed Abe Pollin Way as soon as the DC City Council passes the appropriate legislation. For you out-of-towners, that's the section of DC where the Verizon Center is located...gee, I've always wanted to walk all over good ol' Abe.
So happy birthday, Mr. Pollin. Thanks for years of "hard" work and "loving" attention to both the Caps and Verizon Center. In celebration, we here in the Cheap Seats invite everyone to participate in a range of activities that will honor Mr. Pollin and all the wonderful things he's done for Caps' hockey. You could rope off a section of your living room and charge your friends inflated prices to sit there.
Or you could buy two dogs, making one sleep outside in the cold and rain, eating bugs and bark for sustenance, while the other gets a comfy cushion inside by the fire and filet mignon for every meal.
The day is not over yet - how are you celebrating?
6 comments:
The dog comment made me pee a little.
It is a shame we can't just celebrate Abe Pollin's birthday and the success the Verizon Center has been.
Of course, that isn't the fault of Caps fans.
I don't think it was ever a secret that Abe bought the Caps to have something going on at the Capital Centre when the Bullets were on the road...but if he hadn't, I can't imagine that DC would have been in the running for a team in the later expansions.
Plus, the Pollins have been remarkably generous to the community. I've been eating overpriced hot dogs since 1974, but I can't muster up much bitterness toward Abe.
Given that the league founds ways to put franchises in Tampa, Miami, Nashville and Columbus I would think D.C. would be in the running for an NHL franchise eventually.
The funny thing is that if you tool around Caps sites on the internet you'll find people who want Abe back as owner and claim Leonsis is ruining the team.
As a Caps fan, I hate Abe Pollin's guts.
As a resident of DC who lives not far from Gallery Place/Penn Quarter, I really appreciate having a large movie theater, several acceptable drinking options and a Bed Bath and Beyond all within walking distance of my apartment.
Hey, the famous story was that Jimmy the Greek put DC at 500:1 odds to land an NHL team. Maybe if Abe Pollin had not bought the team, they would have ended up in Baltimore or Norfolk or something.
He should be commended, even though he kept the wallet closed for years. He built the MCI Center which rejuvenated that area of DC.
Who owned the team during the 98 Cup run??? Yep, he did.. Kind of too little, too late, though.ph
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