Did someone say it wouldn't end . . .

Today's lesson is: How to be a whiny elitist.

Let's look at the Toronto Star's article about the Ovechkin signing.

Step 1.

Mention erroneous facts.

A quick scan of the Washington Post's front-page stories yesterday:

-President Bush was in Israel helping broker Middle East peace talks.
-A look at Hillary Clinton's popularity among women voters.
-An obituary of mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary.
-A local woman says she killed her four children because they were possessed by demons.

Not a single mention that Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin had signed a watershed $124 million (U.S.) contract extension – the biggest pro sports contract in the city's history.

I don't know about you, but a presidential election, world peace, a quadruple murder, and the death of someone FAR more famous Alex Ovechkin all qualify as bigger news. This is newspaper that sells far more copies in a single day than the "Toronto Star" will sell in a year.

Step 2
Leave out facts that counter act your argument.

Look at the Washington Post's Sports section from last Friday. It's a giant picture of Alex Ovechkin on the front page. Above the fold. Big article. The largest Caps story since the team was dissasembled in 2004. Below the picture, a nice infographic of the largest contracts signing in Washington Sports history to help people put this in perspective. No mention of the amount of space the article was given, but hey, that's counter productive.

Step 3
Make a different argument because you don't have enough made up facts to fill up an argument with your first point. Bonus points for faulty logic!

Nevertheless, the unsavoury facts about hockey in the U.S. capital are inescapable. The Capitals have been a perennial money loser and, unless owner Ted Leonsis opens his wallet to build a supporting cast around Ovechkin, little will change.

So lets get this straight. The Caps lose a lot of money. They must spend a ton more money, or else they will lose even MORE money. Remember when the Caps were losing $20 million a year before the lockout? They had Bondra and Gonchar and Olie. They brought in Jagr and Lang to support. Top 5 payroll, bottom 5 result. Cut the team dow and the team did BETTER at half the payroll,and lost a whopping $4m. So the logic given in this article, before we start looking at future scenarios, already fails.

Step 3
Attack the fanbase.
In 1997-98, led by Peter Bondra, Joe Juneau and Adam Oates, the Capitals advanced to the Stanley Cup final to play Detroit, even though the Red Wings won in four straight.

"I remember the sea of red in our seats," said Hudgins. He paused. "Maybe that speaks to the passion of the Detroit fans."

Sadly, it also speaks to the indifference with which Washington views its NHL franchise.

His argument, the Caps made the finals, and it was all Red Wings fans that showed up. No mention of the reasons why.

The owner of the Caps sold the tickets to travel agencies long before they ever went on sale to the public. So people in Detroit were able to buy tickets before Caps fans. Do you know how many tickets to the finals ever went on sale to the public in Washington? ZERO.

I know Toronto is extremely jealous of the great team the Capitals are building, but you need to look no further than your own inept management and ownership as to why you can't one day get back in the playoffs, too.