Reputation Management
Jason Mraz
Win: Wins two Grammies. Gets engaged.
Loss: Remixed music starts being heard in elevators.
Assessment: Crunchy, but nice guy. A hometown fave who's not too big to make a surprise visit to his former elementary school in Mechanicsville. And he's marring Tristan Prettyman.
Gov. Bob McDonnell
Win: Married to former Redskins cheerleader. Picked to give Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address.
Loss: Takes hits for staging the speech in State Capitol to a hand-picked, adoring crowd. Overshadowed by Cuccinelli. Forgets about slavery in his Confederate History Month pronouncement.
Assessment: Great hair, even if it were (and we're not saying it is) colored. But not nearly enough to get him to the White House in 2012.
Gay Rights Advocates
Win: Get welcome boost from a grass-roots Pennies in Protest group that counters the hate-based Westboro church anti-gay protestors with a perfect touch. Reverse of Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
Loss: Must defend against attorney general's interpretation that language protecting gays should be removed from public university anti-discrimination statements. Still no gay marriage in Virginia.
Assessment: Still know how to solider onward and upward. Plus, “Wicked” comes to town with a three-week run at the Landmark Theater.
Virginia Department of Transportation
Win: Audit finds $900+ million in unspent money from previous years.
Loss: Before finding that money, agency is ordered on a pothole repair blitz by the governor and asks for volunteers to help mow grass.
Assessment: We're still paying the car tax.
University Presidents
Win: Hampden-Sydney installs its first black president, while University of Richmond's president leads difficult conversations citywide on the painful issues of the Civil War. Former Virginia Commonwealth University president gets press for his new think tank to study Richmond.
Loss: VCU decides to put its current president's inauguration on hold while it evaluates his performance.
Assessment: Eugene Trani finds a new energy in retirement.
Big Event Participants
Win: Attendance records reach peaks at the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, the Richmond Folk Festival and the inaugural Flying Squirrels season, while people go nuts at World Cup watching parties and flood the first World Beer Fest.
Loss: In a summer-long showdown, people just can't stop getting iced by their bros. Also, balloon holders in the Dominion Christmas Parade end up snagging a giant Rudolph on a pole and see a hilarious video clip of the episode repeated on television nationwide.
Assessment: It's a win for all who like to be healthy, happy and drunk.
[image-6]State Delegate Harvey B. Morgan
Win: The 79-year-old Republican delegate introduces legislation to decriminalize marijuana.
Loss: He gets shut down.
Assessment: We love Harvey Morgan.
[image-7]Chris Brown
Win: Pumps up fans and Shockoe Bottom with a concert after-party.
Loss: Must pick up trash in Richmond as part of court-ordered community service.
Assessment: Has pockets of fans left. Still sexy, but future girlfriends should be careful.
