Feeling conflicted...

So it's the first week of April and baseball season is underway, time for my Padres to star on the long road to September showdowns and defeats of the Dodgers to my my heart sing all summer long.

Except...

The Caps are still playing. My Caps, are in the hunt!

I can't remember the last time the baseball and hockey overlap actually mattered. OK, so maybe I can, it's been five years. Five long years since the Caps even got a whiff of the post-season. Not only are they close but the excitement is incredible. Hockey fans can't help but get swept up in the energy being created by this team. You just want to be a part of it all.

Which brings us to tonights showdown - Carolina is in town tonight to play the Caps. They hold a two point lead on us, two points that we can make up tonight!
Basically, the Caps need to win all three games this week to have a shot at making it. Assuming that we do that, we still need one of the teams ahead of to stumble so we can pass and slip in. My God, the idea of the playoffs is so sweet.

Anyone who doesn't think the Caps would be dangerous over a best of seven series is deluding themselves. The Eastern Conference in not dominated by one team, if we make it, we can spoil things for a few teams. Can you imagine Ovechkin getting to play on that kind of stage? Anyone who hasn't seen how good he is would become an instant fan.

But first things first - We need to win tonight; in regulation - tonight is HUGE!

Oh yeah, and as for my Padres - Jake was Jake.

Not only did he shut the Astros hitters down for 7 strong innings, and helped his cause by driving in two runs off Roy Oswalt.
Yeah, that's right, our Cy Young award winning pitcher can use the stick too.

So I'll be keeping checking in on the Pads, but my Caps have my attention right now and I wouldn't be to upset if they got to keep it for several more weeks.