Five things to check out over a Wizardless summer

June 17, 7:37 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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The Washington Mystics are on a roll. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

From April till October there is a large gap of time in which Washington fans must suffer the brutal boredom of a summer without constant Wizards action.  Fear this Wizardless time period no more by enjoying one of five ways to beat the heat (Dwayne Wade strategies sold separately).

01. Put that 19-63 in Perspective
Wizards fans, last season wasn't that bad.  Just think about being half way through the season at 9-32 and finding comfort by saying, "Just another 41 games, and then we can focus on next season."  Heck, you might have even sang along to Jon Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" in the third quarter on our way to beating Sactown, as ugly as that turned out to be.  And we still had high hopes of an epic Gilbert Arenas return by then (the Cavs game was more epic than the Detroit game; boo to former Wiz Rip Hamilton for playing the foul game).

Now, imagine you're a Washington Nationals fan (and if you are one, God Bless).  The Nationals, at 16-46, are currently dead last in the MLB.  In fact, if you check out the standings at the time of this post, no team has fewer than 11 more wins than the Nationals at this point in the MLB season.  That's right, every other team in the MLB could take a week off and still be ahead of the Nats.  And at 16-46, the Nationals are only one third through their season.  100 games to go.  100.

Forget about the Wizards for a second---they'll be fine come the fall anyway--and support your local Nationals.  They sure could use it.  At Examiner, John Dugan and and Chuck Hixson are still giving their all to the cause, and if you want to check out the Nationals, they are the guys you want to read.  The Nats began a game tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET on the MASN network, and are in a challenge against the New York Yankees and an 0-4 Chien-Ming Wang.  Let's go Nats!

02. Mystical?  Maybe.
After a pair of preseason match-ups against New York, there was nothing fictional about the Washington Mystics' 3-0 start to their WNBA season.  Proven by their last game in a win over last year's champs, the Detroit Shock, the Wizards could certainly take pointers from the Mystics, as it took us 15 games before we amounted 3 wins last season (but at least we got some revenge on the Nets for stealing our home opener).

The Mystics next game is this Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, as Washington challenges the Atlanta Dream on the road.  Of course, staying in touch through your television is another story, one best answered by Examiner's own Mladen Baudrand.  One date you should pen down though is July 25th, the date of the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game.

03. Move over, 'American Gladiators'
If you're like me, you not only watched the original American Gladiators, but you saw Hulk Hogan say "Dolphinmaniacs" on the NBC rehashing of the now ESPN "classic."

With AG currently cancelled, a new show on ABC called "The Superstars" caught my attention.  And by new, I mean another show rehashed for the current mainstream, this one from the 1970s.  "The Superstars" will feature celebrities and athletes, including the NFL's Terrell Owens (and avid NBA All-Star baller), competing in various athletic tasks.  The series will first air on Tuesday, June 23rd, at 8 p.m. ET.

04. Make it a Basketball Night
In the past I've talked about all of the films that incorporate basketball somehow, even when you least expect it like in the five-time Academy Award nominated film Doubt, a very serious film about an allegation that questions the behavior of a priest in 1964 New York.  I've even began a tepid list over at my other, seldom updated, just-for-fun site, of all of the films I come across with instances of basketball.

For Wizard fans, it doesn't get much grander than My Giant, starring Billy Crystal and former Bullet Gheorghe "Big George" Muresan in his finest (and only) feature film performance of his life.  But slipping in a film with basketball involved doesn't have to be so obvious.  Perhaps you are with a significant other, for example, that so happens to love this Wizardless span of time.  Use your favorite film to ease that significant other into enjoying basketball a little better. 

Ah, so what are some "Mario Karts" of the film world that can get those could-be fans in the seats?  Let's start and end with Princess Diaries.  If that film isn't far reaching, I don't know what is.  For the slightly more mature crowd, perhaps Father of the Bride.  And if you're really lucky, you'll be able to swing The Cable Guy in no time.  By then, it'll be the fall; final step, making it to an actual game!

05. Keep it Commercialized
Commercials are hit and miss, but when it comes to Gatorade's "Mission G" and the hilarious "Quest for G," and this year's Most Valuable Puppets by Nike, you can waste more time than that Denali guy (#50) in the Player's Lot on laughs.  Sure, they won't last us the whole summer, but if you haven't checked them out, especially the "Quest for G," do so immediately.  Although, I have to warn the young readers out there, "Quest for G" is sort of out there.
 

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