Ronnie!

Even with the Charm City Crew this year.

O's fans agree

Sitting next to a couple of O's fans last night, and one of them went to get a beer in about the 3rd inning. He was gone for more than an inning, before returning with his beer. He then remarked how they had at least figured out how to serve customers at RFK. Another visiting fan joins the I miss RFK bandwagon.

Coming clean

So as I've mentioned before, I've got two kids, both girls. 9 & 6. I loved taking them to RFK and I like bringing them to STBNGNP. After five or six games, I'd successfully avoided all the kids crap. Arcade, batting cages, playground, and most importantly, Build-A-Bear. The last one was easy. I simply said that it had no place in a ballpark and that I was morally opposed and there was no way they would get one from me and if they didn't pipe down about it, no Dippin' Dots.

Well, the wife joined us for the first time tonight, hence the picture.

Ugh.

Nice win

The Jesus comes through in the clutch and the gNats get a win. What I really liked was Lo Duca coming out and hugging the Jesus and giving what looked like words of encouragement. Could have been otherwise, so who knows.

Stop the fireworks during the Anthem

So I strolled in just before game time last night, and was walking behind the center field wall to my seats out in left field. While we were behind the wall, outside of the seating bowl, the fireworks went off in the middle of the National Anthem. My friend, who was walking alongside me, jumped out of her skin. Funny, but annoying. Those explosions are way too loud, and completely unnecessary.

More errors than runs

And the gNats have three runs. I've always appreciated the civility of fans here in Our Nation's Capital toward the home team - no matter which one. When Lez Bullets were winning 20 games per year. When the Caps were at the bottom of the Patrick (except '89.) When the 'Skins had Jack Pardee, the hometown fans took the losses with class. But none of those teams threw a $611 million toilet seat around the necks of said fans. Which is why I think it's time we got our Philly on. Boo the bums. Boo all of them. From "Fragile" Nick Johnson to HR Puff-in-chief Cordero, to Face of the Franchise David Wright v 0.5 Ryan "0-2" Zimmerman. Oh wait...they're all on the DL. Well...I can't get that worked up over Pete Orr and Wee Willie Harris so I guess I'll just stay home. Say hi to the Birds this weekend. I'm sure we'll get swept and give them the continued ability to keep screwing DC. Just like the gNats did to both ex-Senator franchises.

So this is what it's like to be a Royals fan. But without the '85 series.

New fave blog

firejimbowden.blogspot.com

"I'm not allowed"

Well blimey, just when I was getting all warm and fuzzy about SOON TO BE NAMED GAYLORD NATIONALS PARK, Scott Watson over at WaPo's "Gounds Crew" blog posts a story about a manager at the Red Porch refusing to turn half the Teevees to the Belmont Stakes thus depriving the crowd of the idiotic in-stadium pregame show starring "Clint."

Hat tip to Big Train for alerting this blog to the story and one of the comments which pretty well sums up what life in DC has become.

"there's a 'totalitarian undercurrent' to the ballpark, and the organization."

Again, we waited 36 years for this?

Yes, the anti-bellyachers will come out in force against us but ask them...how many other parks have they been to? It doesn't have to suck.

Free Willie

Wee Willie Harris is on fire. Lopez, not so much. Easy call, no? It was heartening that the gNats took a potential WS team to the wire in a game they should have won (thanks fLop, Orr, the Jesus, etc.) Bergmann looked like good Bergmann for a change. I was not at the game but did go on Sunday with my kids. Drove for the first time and because it was getting late, I decided I would pay for parking before hand online as I've been hearing never ending ads for that on the radio...untill I saw the total service charges were in excess of $7. So, taking my chances against what ended up being a decent-sized crowd, I drove to the "T" lot at 3rd & M and payed the $20 flat rate. Excessive yes, and I probably won't do it again but with two kids under 10, it was a luxury that was worth it at the time.

SI piles on

In the current issue of SI, Josh Levin has an article about new corporate parks (STBNGNP specifically) and their inherent lameness. It's called Shake Me Down at the Ball Game and is right up our alley:

Yes, the freshly poured Nationals Park has wider concourses, better food, fancier souvenir shops and, for the corporate-lawyer types, opulent club sections with leather chairs. But the 21st-century ballpark peddles a different brand of friendliness. If RFK Stadium was an old acquaintance who'd seen better days, then Nationals Park is the pal who's always asking you for money.



Well done Mr. Levin.

Farmer's tan

According to Dan Steinberg over at WaPo's DC Sports Blog, a group of immodest baseball fans at STBNGNP were told to cover themselves by an usher.

This is a good thing. I don't want to see sweaty dudes with their shirts off. Someone commented that it's perfectly acceptable in places like Chicago, NY and Boston. Precisely the reason I don't live in any of those cities.

Thoughts?

Calling The Jestaplero

As our only known visiting Mets fan, what's your take on the way they handled "Free Willie?"

Ex-Senators vs. Ex-Expos

Last night, the gNats anemic offense was on display in a park which looks far, far worse (at least on TV) that STBNGNP. Livo didn't top 80 in either mph or pitch count and the game lasted a whopping 1hr59. Do you think they walked off after the top of the ninth and asked for their paychecks?

Has anyone seen been to a game at the Metro-Humphrey-Dome?

We're not the worst!

A sweep of the lowly Mariners in the "pesto of cities" grants the gNats some separation from the AL bottom dwellers. More later as I am of to enjoy the waning hours of Father's Day by watching some golf.

Battle of the bads

Nats up 1 nothing after one.

This sucks.

Tim Russert, a fine Nats fan and journalist is dead at 58.

Poland 1 - nil over Austria in the second half

Why am I blogging about a Euro 2008 match on a day when the gNats played? Because they are an awful, awful baseball team undergoing a horrendous run of bad luck. Anyone know if they have half-smokes where the Potomac Nats play?

So the Dukes vs. Manny dust up has gotten some good coverage over on the WaPo blog. Anyone have any thoughts on whether they think Dukes will make it to September? Once AK-47 comes back and hits a rollicking .249 sending Dukes to the bench, does ED accept the diminished role?

"D.C. shelled out $611 million for this?" -Boz

Boz gets on board...almost. But I do like the Senators III line.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/10/AR2008061002747.html

44 Mill does it again(sort of)

44 Mill won it with a HR last night, making that 2 in 2 games. Well, sort of, since his home run Monday night was ruled a double. I have yet to see a replay, and Milledge ended up scoring so it must not have been that controversial. From my seats in section 142, you could clearly see the dent that Milledge's blast left on the metal on top of the wall. Did it hit the plexiglass and bounce back in? Either way, its good to see 44 Mill driving the ball. Dukes is showing flashes as well. It may be a long season in the standings, but it is exciting to watch young players mature into quality major leaguers. Hopefully I won't miss their growth, because I am standing in line for a hot dog.

Only 46 more chances for overpriced misery

Last night was an awful culmination to an awful 1 - 6 homestand. The gNats showed that even among the crappiest teams in the league, they still suck by letting the Giants beat the snot out of them. Mike Rowe should to an episode of Dirty Jobs on being a gNats fan. Luckily, this weekend we get to play the Mariners and find out exactly who is the worst team in baseball.

It was 20 (minus 17) years ago today

The Nats were in first place and in the middle of that awesome third base line seat bouncing 10 game winning streak. The had a home (RFK) record of 19-9.

Bergmann tanks. Nats exhume Walter Johnson for Sunday start

That. Was. Pitiful.

Over/Under on food lines

We were discussing what the magic number is which throws food service at S-T-B-N-GNP into utter chaos. 30K? 28K? 25K?

The gate last night was about 32K and it was business as usual, e.g., 20 minutes at a Nats Dogs for our favorite tepid treats.

Anyone have anecdotal evidence to share?

Solution to the problem

Have every game be a day game after a rain out. With no one in line at Red, Hot, & Blue 10 minutes before the first pitch, I was able to get my lunch, add BBQ sauce, and still get to my seat in the top of the first.
Of course, game 2 was an entirely different story. Lines were absurd enough for Cardinals fans to ask me if they are always like that. This was before the game got started. I had to reply, yes, of course. I thought about getting a drink after the first inning, but the shortest line would have cost me an inning worth of viewing.
Here's to a series of rain outs, followed by day/night double-headers.

Nats suckage prompts DC to ask for refund

DC Council member and notorious baseball hater David Catania wants some money back. Apparently the District hired one of those smoke and mirrors consultants to stare into their crystal ball and project how many tickets to S-T-B-N-GNP would be sold over the first five years. Their projections were for 39,130 for this year. At a 41,000 seat park. Now I'm just some idiot blogger, but I could have told you there was no effing way the Nats were going to pull that as an average. So Catania wants a refund, which is stupid because he and other people should have called bs on this when they got it in the first place.

The Examiner wrote it up.

The St. Louis Baseball Cardinals and the curse of the bobblehead

So Zim's on the DL the week of his bobblehead night. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Da Meat was on the DL when his Chinese made wobbly miniaturized likeness was given away. A coincidence? Kearns' must be next.

The big O Perez throws against Phillies cast-off Kyle Loshe tonight. Wonder if Pujols can hit the Red Loft?

At the urging of a commenter, I spent some time reading the Post's S-T-B-N-GNP (soon-to-be-named-Gaylord-Nationals-Park, hat-tip to Scoreboard Scotty) blog and came across this entry on ushers. Of all the lousy STBNGNP experiences I've had, this isn't one of them. The ushers - a few I ever remember from our beloved RFK - have always been professional.