The only thing better than noshing fresh hot empanadas at 7:28 a.m. is watching tempestuous Argentine hero Diego Maradona go apeshit while you chew. Special correspondents C.T. Schwink and Mike Madden report from El Patio in Rockville early Thursday morning, where the owner demands that everyone stands during the broadcast of Himno Nacional Argentino:

1st minute-About 30 people are here. They've set up rows of seats inside, as well as tables outside to watch the game. Couple of guys throw their blue and white jerseys over their button-up shirts and ties. Seems some people will be late to work today.

16th minute-Argentina goes up 1-0. The applause here lasts almost as long as the Univision announcer's "gooooooooooooooooooool!" That applause turns to snickering when the replay reveals that South Korea knocked the ball into its own net.

32nd minute-Argentina goes up 2-zippy. A man is tossing his baby in the air in excitement. The baby, for some reason, doesn't seem as thrilled.

45th minute-Two young Korean women, who wandered into the restaurant midway through the first half, shriek with delight as South Korea scores a goal just before halftime. A cameraman from Univision videotapes their celebration. Everyone else mostly ignores them. The Koreans leave abruptly after finishing their breakfast. As they depart, a waiter remarks, "I couldn't believe they were cheering for the Korean goal...but they're cute!" About 50 people are here now.

75th minute-Argentina scores again! An older woman in the kitchen starts ringing the order-up bell with a beaming smile.

Final whistle-Argentina wins, 4-1. A waitress points out that Schwink's Spanish is about as poor as the Koreans' play on the pitch today. At least his empanadas era muy delicioso.

Games resume at 7:30 a.m. Drinks at 8 a.m. Where to go? Consult our trusty guide: Where to Watch the World Cup.

Photo by Arne Musseler/Creative Commons Attribution License

You Just Lost Your Tip, Buddy:

Other uses for the iPad?: On June 12, District cops busted nine suspects for peddling sex over the Internet. In an email, cops revealed that authorities cooperated with "the management of various PSA 307 hotels" to bust the sex workers:  "Along with these arrest came the seizure of various electronic items that were utilized to enhance their trade..."

Bad Sign: On June 8, cops had to call in a sign language interpreter to sort things out after an argument between two deaf D.C. residents turned deadly. It happened at a residence in the 4300 block of Livingston Road SE. According to cops, after a heated exchange, "the suspect used a knife in the kitchen, and stabbed the victim to the left side of the stomach."

Sexual Assault in Rockville: Maryland police are looking for two suspects they believe responsible for a June 13 sexual assault. The assault took place at about 12:30 a.m. in the area of Aspen Hill Road and Veirs Mill Road in Rockville. According to cops, "The preliminary investigation revealed that the 26-year-old female victim was walking along Veirs Mill Road when she was accosted by two male subjects. The two males forced the victim into a wooded area along Veirs Mill Road and sexually assaulted her. After the assault, the victim was released and she called police."

I'm Your Private Dancer: An MPD first district listserv poster reports that on June 9 his wife encountered some disturbing morning nudity:

Yesterday morning (approx 0720) my wife was approached by a man on the 900 block of 10th Street NE. He was stumbling and seemed to have mental/SA issues. Black male, approx. 6'2", very skinny 110 lbs. He proceeded to take off his clothes and flash my wife and a few passing cars. He repeated this a number of times, and attempted to approach my wife as she walked back to our home."

The poster said he and his wife spotted the possibly deranged stripper again on K & 10th Street NE the next morning "wearing very little clothing." Cops have promised to be on lookout for the Chippendales wannabe.

Fatal Fall

Senior Jenn Choi said she was walking back to South Hall when she and her friends found a male sprawled out on the grass in Guthridge Park.' As we were walking along the way we saw this guy who was face up on the grass and we thought maybe he was just drunk and we kind of looked to see if he was ok,” Choi said. “But then we realized he was erratically breathing and that his wrist was swollen and he had cuts on his arm, and then we realized we had to call 911...'

Though he was whisked off to the hospital, Hubbard was gravely injured and didn't make it. A high school buddy of Hubbard's, Timothy Bartsch, tells City Desk in an email that he played soccer and lacrosse with the deceased: "He was a great kid. very smart, the type of kid that would do anything for you," says Bartsch.

And You Wonder Why She Only Dates Mature Guys: Montgomery County police report that a teenager sexually assaulted an older woman after she rebuffed his advances. The assault happened on May 1 in the 1200 block of First Street in Rockville at around 1:30 p.m.: "An adult female victim was walking from the Metro when the suspect approached.  He said he was sixteen years old and the victim told him she was twenty-one years old and he needed to move on. The suspect touched the woman inappropriately and fled towards Gude Drive."

To Catch a Bike Thief: Crackjack bike thieves may be on the loose on Capitol Hill. A member of the New Hill East email discussion group, Marika, writes on May 15 that, despite the fact that her condo has an attendant, a video camera, an automatic door,  four expensive bikes were stolen from the building's garage:

"Each bike had both a Kryptonite lock and a heavy chain lock. The thief knew exactly what he was looking for — he only took the valuable bikes — and came equipped with an industrial blow torch or a diamond saw, which according to the police is the only way to remove all those locks. So beware, there are professional thieves on the lookout for bikes on the Hill as well as the regular opportunists."

Now, that's Really Disorderly: A man tried to grab a police officer's gun on May 14, at around 2:15 a.m. in the 1200 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Cops say the officer was attempting to interview the suspect in reference to a report of disorderly conduct: "That's when the suspect became combative and attempted to take the officer's issued service weapon." The officer subdued and arrested the perp.

Tune In, Turn Up, Cop Bout: At approximately 11:08 p.m. on May 14, cops Ebony Richardson and Cosandra Carr showed up at a house in the 3000 block of Brinkley Road in Temple Hills, Md., in response to a loud noise complaint.  They asked the occupants of the house to turn the music down, and they did. But before the officers got to their car, the volume went up again. When the officers returned to the house, the officers were allegedly assaulted. Backup soon arrived and eight people were arrested.

Mere hours after the Washington Nationals named a new manager, local genius and longtime City Paper person Dave Nuttycombe sent me some photos from an old Richard Montgomery High School yearbook of the small, tough kid known around Rockville as "Little Jimmy Riggleman."

Apparently Riggleman, a jocky sort, grew enough right after his 1970 graduation to make everybody drop the "Little" in his nickname.

Best of all, back in Riggleman's day, the school baseball team, called the Rockets, had an awesome rally cry. The climactic couplet:

"Thunder, Thunder, Thunderation, we're the Rockets Delegation/When we fight with determination, we create a soul sensation!"

After the jump: Check out the Richard Montgomery team photo (with Little Jimmy circled) and try to tell me that "soul sensation" doesn't come to mind!

The renovations to the system will cost $177 million (only $80 million more than anticipated last summer!) and will take upwards of 4 years to complete, beginning in early 2010.  Among the important tasks of the renovation are:

• New escalators at the south entrance of Dupont Circle – Please, slow down this exit even more.  And give me an opportunity to walk up and down that ridiculously long escalator when it's not running.
• Upgrades to the air conditioning and ventilation – Does the Metro really need to be colder?  Maybe when the trains are filled to capacity, which will only worsen when the Red Line starts single-tracking to solve this issue.
• Rehabilitation of the Rockville and Shady Grove platforms – What does that even mean?  Re-grouting the tiles?  Adding a few benches?
• New staircases, escalators, and a canopy at Foggy Bottom – A canopy?  Really?  Get an umbrella.

The other planned maintenance seems more on track, if you'll forgive the pun.  Like an upgrade to the automatic train controls and track maintenance and fixing the tunnel ventilation and fire equipment.  Maybe those should be the primary focus.  Because it's always better to prevent train collisions than to prevent getting wet while entering the station.