*Bryan Helmer in the DC Sports Bog talking about the experience of the up-and-back yo-yo game of a callup.

if I get sent back down and I don’t come back up, you know, I’m still gonna be happy. I’m playing hockey for a living. How awesome is that? I love my job and I love coming to the rink. And if it has to be in the minors, it’s gonna be in the minors. If it’s up here, it’s a bonus

* A Gay NHLer (anonymously) speaks about his experience. Excerpt from “In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity.” My inner sport sociologist just had a seizure of joy and needed to share.

*The world is shutting down around DC as we speak so that some dude can go stand on some stairs somewhere and speechify. Sheesh. As such, expect me to be scarce(r than normal, sorry) for the next few days, as my job requires me to be maintaining high schoolers through this. With any luck, though, Steph of Capsinpictures will successfully get out of town Saturday night and make it to Hershey for Sunday’s game. I’ve tasked her with pictures of Beagle, to prove he’s really back in the lineup. And pictures of Vladimir Sobotka at Bruins v. Caps on Saturday, but that’s just so I can wave them at people and say “HE THINKS HE’S OSALA SIZED! IT’S SO CUTE!”.