The Washington Post has put up a lengthy interview with MLS Commisioner Don Garber in the following article: United Seeks Stadium Solution (washingtonpost.com)

Chief amongst them is the most serious discussions about building a stadium for DC United. They even have a local developer, Akridge Companies, picked out. Baseball's relocation indecision over the relocation of the Expos has always trumped any talk of the city and team building a soccer-specific stadium but it sounds like the league is losing patience. They even talk of playing in Annapolis if they have to, which I suspect and hope is more of a negotiation tactic to show the City that United is serious.

Garber said the possibility of baseball coming to the city should accelerate the urgency of completing a plan for a proposed 25,000-seat stadium for United.\ But if a deal can't be reached, "then we'll continue what we are, which is a tenant in a good soccer facility but not a facility that can compete with the other soccer stadiums that are being built across the country," he said.

While that thought won't sit well with many die-hard fans, the thought of having a dirt in-field on the field if United shares RFK with a baseball team is even worse. It'd be preferable to have an all grass field for a year or two while our own stadium is being constructed. I think its a small price to pay.

Other interesting bits:

No Women's MLS in the plans after WUSA's demise. This might have to wait until more MLS owners control their own stadiums and want another tenant to fill in dates.

Reserve teams next year, more details to follow. This should help evaluate and have talent on hand for when a team is really banged up: Nelsen to Have Surgery.

Expansion by two teams for next year is already known. Expansion in 2006 might not happen.

Off Wing Opinion writes about the impact Title IX has on both men and women's teams.

n many sports, like track, swimming, gymnastics or even tennis, men and women athletes often train together. It is widely recognized that this practice improves the caliber of performance of women athletes, not to mention fosters camaraderie between the sexes. So, when men's teams are cut to comply with Title IX, their teammates on the women's side are usually just as outraged and suffer competitively as well.

The comment by Beau Dure, columnist from USA Today, is a worthy post itself.

That said, I have issues with the quota system because only schools with many more men than women (Ga. Tech and the service academies) meet the standard. I would've thought the whole point of Title IX -- not just the athletic aspects of it -- was to mix up the genders a bit more. I'm sure the men of Georgia Tech would appreciate that.

So watch out for me to bulk up soon and be full of RAGE. I was suffering a bad outbreak of poison ivy on my neck, right eye, and left arm. When it started to show up on Thursday, I was hopeful that it wouldn't be too bad and I could take care of it with home remedies. Well, by Saturday morning I was proved wrong and managed to find an urgent care center in Fair Lakes that would see me. At this point, I'd like to send kudo's to Kaiser for having me in their system but not active as well as whoever manages benefits at Staci's work and thought it was ok to snail mail the paper on Tuesday instead of faxing it in.

Anyway, after just one day on Prednisone the rash has been reduced to red splotches on my skin and isn't itchy or irritating. This should teach me to go outside. I'm considering building a plastic tunnel from the door to my car, I'll need one like this at work, ala the plastic tubes they use to kidnapp E.T.