Catching up: vacations, schedules, notes

Through all of this stuff the past few weeks, no one relegated Bridgeport to the Central League? You’re slipping, Internet.

Even if you’ve been to the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall in Washington, seriously, get yourself out to Dulles and see the relatively new Udvar-Hazy Center. The grown-up review is that it’s a must-see, packed with artifacts and examples from the space age and the era of flight. My folks have not stopped talking about Discovery. And the inner 10-year-old’s review would be something like “omigodomigodomigod,” so we’ll leave him alone.

Meanwhile, we’re a week or two away from the day planner:

(NBA: Wednesday. Remember, if you complain about this but watch the NBA on national TV, you’re part of the problem.)

Some accumulated notes: The Dallas Stars are buying their AHL affiliate. They get Owen Newkirk in the bargain, apparently, and good on Owen, a great dude who took some inexplicable setbacks at this level to get where he was going. Good luck, too, to Derek Wills, also moving up (destination unspecified).

A couple of former BSTs sign in the ECHL: Josh Holmstrom to Toledo, and Ben Rosen to Orlando. Meanwhile, Drew Fata to Arizona to play for Kevin Colley.

Andrew Callahan on Drew MacKenzie and Jack Downing of New Canaan. RPI coach Seth Appert will run a marathon next month in honor of Rich Curadi, dad to RPI defenseman and former Notre Dame-West Haven player Luke Curadi of Cheshire. Rich died last month, and Appert will be running to raise funds for Defending the Blue Line.

Was away while this whole Hunter Pence sign thing went down, but kinda neat how he’s responded.

And RIP, Pete Van Wieren and James Brady, Lauren Bacall and, so devastatingly Monday, Robin Williams.

Michael Fornabaio