Bright Shiny Toys

The Peerless is in a really, really bad mood today. Maybe it's a product of watching 16 other teams having a good time. This little piece of it has been brewing for a couple of days now. The issue -- a "Caps-themed browser." Here is the story:

The Washington Capitals have partnered with Brand Thunder, a leader in computer browser branding, to create the first team-branded Internet browser in professional sports.

The customized Firefox theme allows fans to stay informed on the most up-to-date Capitals’ news no matter what website they are visiting. Once the browser theme is downloaded to a fan’s computer, the program transforms the average browser into a Capitals-themed experience. Additionally, there is an interactive toolbar that allows fans to purchase tickets, check out the Caps upcoming schedule and keep tabs on their favorite player by visiting the team roster. There is also a news scroll that keeps fans informed of recent Caps happenings.

“Brand Thunder’s customized theme helps our fans show their love of the Caps while keeping them informed with the latest Caps news,” said Sean Parker, the Capitals’ director of new media. “We are extremely pleased to be the first professional sports team to have a customized browser.”

“It extends the brand by using a fresh, innovative and effective channel,” said Patrick Murphy, CEO of Brand Thunder. “Themes offer passionate users another avenue to display their affinity while facilitating more frequent and focused communication to consumers.”

The display is simple and easy for fans to use and gives them the chance to stay on top of what is happening with the team, while working or relaxing on the Internet.

Well, gee...let's make sure we "transform the average browser into a Capitals-themed experience," because the experience at the rink sure hasn't been a lot to get excited about the last three seasons.

The Peerless is really, really tired of the gimmicky crap that surrounds this team. Anyone remember the Caps being the first club to offer a ticket for opening night on a CD a few years back? Yeah, that caught on. Here is a bulletin -- fundamentals matter, and winning sells. Need a glimpse of how?...here's an example (thanks to TANK1 on The Official for pointing this out). And this is a club that teetered on the brink of bankruptcy just a few years ago -- they sold out their season this year. They have almost 15,000 STHs and a season ticket waiting list of 6,000.

Meanwhile, the Caps have bright shiny toys.