Songaila watch, SLAM on Arenas, and the Caron all-star watch

Songaila, the Wizards' prized free agent signing, has missed the season with a lower back injury, but he said Wednesday that he plans on making a return before the all-star break. He has been practicing with the team for a week and said he has felt steady improvement.

"Practices went well. I'm waiting for the doctor to okay the process and we'll take it from there," he said. "The stiffness is gradually going away. It's getting there, but it's a work in progress."

All of that got me thinking today about Gilbert Arenas, and I came to this conclusion: Gilbert is the internet's first Blog-fueled superstar. In the past, Gilbert would have been the kind of player who came along and got his features in SLAM and then SI and then would've been mentioned in the notes sections of various newspapers as a quirky dude. But blogs have limitless space, and Gilbert continually fills those areas.

It's almost like Gilbert came into his own during the perfect storm. Blogs went crazy, and the voluminous Wizards blogs were all there to cover it and cover it well. Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog has feasted on Gil info for the last few months, as has the Wizards' beat writer blogs at the Post. All the fan blogs, from Wizznutz to MVN to Gilbertology and on and on have been there, covering Gilbert like crazy. Gil has a wacky birthday party? Everyone's there! Gil gets the altitude adjusted at his house? Blog it! even his "Agent Zero" nickname came from a blog. (Holler, Wizznutz.)