Mother and Son at the Ballpark (My Husband was There Too!)

My seventeen-year-old daughter has just begun her Senior year in high school, so for the past three years, our lives have been consumed by countless track meets (and corresponding pasta parties), college visits all over the Mid-Atlantic, and numerous meetings, appointments, and activities related to my daughter's academics, athletics, or extracurricular activities.  All along the way, my thirteen-year-old son has tagged along (many times begrudgingly) and served as photographer, stopwatch operator, bag carrier, or whatever "other tasks as assigned" have been thrown at him.  But he's been a pretty good sport (especially since each college visit came with either dinner at Panera, a visit to the college ice cream shop, or a stay in a hotel with a pool).  Constantly in his sister's shadow, he still manages to maintain a sense of humor while my husband and I try to accommodate his concert band schedule around everything else going on in our busy lives.  

One thing that has helped our bond is baseball.  He has been watching baseball with his mother since he was in utero, and despite "retiring" from Little League over a year ago, he still enjoys watching and following the sport with his overenthusiastic and highly competitive mother.  He went trick or treating dressed as Jayson Werth one year (complete with full bearded mask), has a respectable baseball card collection, and owns a wide assortment of Washington Nationals apparel.  He doesn't just watch baseball because it's what's on TV; he actually sits down, asks questions, and follows certain players' statistics (and admittedly, he's learning how to heckle.  Who could be teaching him that?).

One recent Sunday, my son, husband, and I traveled to Washington, DC to catch a game at Nationals Park.  The Nats were playing the Mets, the weather was perfect for an evening game, and we scored great seats for a decent price (just a few rows behind the Nats' dugout).  It was game two of a day/night doubleheader - a make-up of a previously rained-out game from July.  Tanner Roark was on the mound, and despite many of their big players being on the Disabled List (Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Trea Turner...), it was refreshing to see a lot of the younger guys playing so well.  The Nationals won the game 5-4, but that's not why we had such an unforgettable time.

There was the walk from the parking lot to the park.  The area around Nationals Park has really undergone a tremendous development, and there were new outdoor dining venues, numerous street vendors, and many sights that were not there since my husband and I were last there a year ago.  My son was all over the fact that you could buy a bag of peanuts right outside the park for less than half of what they charge you inside (yes - we bought one to share).  He has always enjoyed people-watching, so standing in line waiting for the gates to open was entertaining for him (he's not one of those teenagers who is constantly on his phone - he actually keeps himself occupied looking at his surroundings and making good observations and occasional snarky comments.  He is my son, after all).

Once inside the ballpark, we perused the gift shop, where of course my son wanted one of everything (actually, so did I!) but was horrified at the prices.  Now he knows that we're not willing to pay $113 for a jersey; time to revise your Christmas list, kid!  We walked around a bit, showing him things he had never noticed before (his last two visits to Nationals Park earlier this summer were with "boring people," according to him) and then found our seats.  My son was AMAZED at how good our seats were - his other visits came with outfield seats located in a section where you couldn't see the big scoreboard.  So he marveled at the wealth of information shown on the big screen - lineups, statistics, highlight videos...

When the game began, he put on his "focused" face.  This kid can get so focused sometimes that I swear he could perform microsurgery on a human brain while wearing headsets so he could direct "Sully" Sullenberger to safely land his airplane on the Hudson River.  He intently watched every pitch, every swing, every catch, only getting up once to get some ice cream.  We laughed at the drunk people behind us, at the frat boys in front of us who kept buying beer after beer (despite my son insisting that they did not look twenty-one), and at the Racing Presidents in the middle of the fourth inning.  One drunk guy had us laughing so hard, I don't think I had ever heard my son laugh so non-stop.

When I asked him on our way home what his favorite part of the evening was, he said he liked feeling like a real fan; not just a spectator.  Aw! I don't know if he'll remember this moment as fondly as me, but spending those few hours on a beautiful Sunday evening with my not-so-little-anymore boy taking in a game of baseball was a definite highlight for his mother.

What Makes a Ballpark Great?

In my continuing efforts to visit every Major League ballpark in my lifetime, my husband and I traveled north to Boston to catch a game at the legendary and iconic Fenway Park.  We brought along my 11-year-old son, who was rooting for the visiting Orioles but was excited to see Pablo Sandoval and David "Big Papi" Ortiz in person.  It was a beautiful day for baseball, and the ballpark was packed.

So what did I think of Fenway Park?  Well, I had actually been there before, but I was a college student, there was alcohol on the bus, and I honestly don't remember much other than being the only fan rooting for the Minnesota Twins (seeing Kirby Puckett in person was a pretty cool thing for me back then).  So I decided to look at Fenway as if I was visiting it for the first time, and I made some comparisons between this park and my most-visited ballpark:  Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

First of all, Nationals fans expect to get something every time they visit the ball park - either a score card, a rally towel, or any freebie featuring the team's curly "W" logo.  Never mind the fact that most of the fans are federal employees who drive Lexuses or Priuses and can afford to buy Nationals jerseys in both home and away colors - they want something free!  I'm one who tries to plan her visits according to the promotions schedule (remember last year, how I wasn't able to attend "Jayson Werth Garden Gnome Night?"  Those things are going for crazy amounts of money on eBay!)  At Fenway Park, programs with score cards cost money, no one is handing you anything free, and fans are OK with that.  The only promotion on the day we visited was "Nun Day," where many area nuns were given a free ticket to attend the game.  It was nice seeing so many nuns enjoying themselves so much, even though they had crappy seats.

Another difference between the two ballparks is the PA announcers.  Apparently the Red Sox have more than one, and on the day we were there, the dude sounded ancient. Not Vin Scully or Harry Caray ancient, but just old, like a man who has had his prostate removed  But again, the fans are OK with that.  They don't need the Nationals' PA announcer, who sounds like a car commercial and stretches a two-syllable name like "Ramos" into a ten-second line that makes him sound like a Univisión soccer commentator announcing a goal.  Red Sox fans don't need fanciness or flashiness - they don't need the Mount Rushmore presidents racing each other during the fourth inning; they are perfectly happy singing "Sweet Caroline" during the eighth, no need for t-shirt cannons or dancing hottie girls.  Plus Fenway Park has a real live organist who plays a real live organ!  How cool is that?  He even cranked out "Sister Christian" and Mister Mister's "Kyrie" in honor of the nuns!

Red Sox fans also don't need cup holders at their seats.  While there are some plastic seats with cup holders in the rows of seats that are shown on TV, the farther-up rows have wooden seats (mine even had some areas of rot) without cup holders, an occasional obstructed view due to support columns, and no valet service that allows you to text your order and have it brought directly to your seat (yes, Nationals Park offers this service).  Fenway fans are happy to get up, walk around, and buy an overpriced beer ($9, just like at Nats Park), a Fenway Frank, or an Italian sausage.  They don't need the offerings from Ben's Chili Bowl, Nationals Taquería, or the carving station in the luxury boxes.  These fans are die-hard, and they've been happily rooting for their last-place Red Sox all season long despite their park not having leather couches for relaxing (found at Nats Park near one of the ramps that take you to the upper levels).

So who has the better ballpark?  Well, it depends on what you want out a visit.  Do you just want to watch a game with thousands of fans who have followed your team for decades, or do you want to be pampered and doted on?  Do you plan on celebrating every base hit and every run scored during every inning, even if your team is losing (the Orioles beat the Red Sox 8-6 at our game), or do you plan on arriving late, staying for a few innings, and leaving after they stop selling alcohol in the seventh inning?  Going to a baseball game should be an experience - something you can cherish and remember and tell your grandchildren about someday.  So is it better to tell them that an underpaid valet parked your car for you, or would you rather tell your grandkids that your ball park had a lively atmosphere both inside and along the streets surrounding it; that your park has a "green monster" (which I did not like seeing covered in advertisements), and that both Ted Williams and Pedro Martinez played in your park? And the fact that you no longer have to pee in a trough was a bonus for my husband, who grew up using the bathrooms in Cleveland's old Municipal Stadium.  I will always be a Nationals fan, but despite the terrible-quality toilet paper in the bathrooms and lack of natural lighting in their concessions area, Fenway Park is pretty great.  Ask any baseball purist out there, and he/she will agree.

If You Have Nothing Nice to Say...

You know the saying:  "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."  So I'm going to try and write today's post with a positive tone, not pointing out how my Washington Nationals are 2-5 with shortstop Ian Desmond committing 5 errors in his first seven games.  Nope.  Not gonna say anything about the Nationals' lack of offense and Little League-quality defense; instead, I am only going to focus on the positive aspects of this year's Major League baseball season so far.

For starters, my husband and I had a great time at Nationals Park on Opening Day, with beautiful weather, a great atmosphere, and a flyover (I won't mention the $9 beer, because that's not a positive thing to point out).  I may not be the most patriotic person in this country, but flyovers are always cool, especially when there's an enormous American flag taking up the entire outfield and there are several dozen sailors in uniform making the giant flag undulate.  Pretty majestic way to kick off the baseball season (this is where I'm not going to mention the fat guy with the bad cologne who sat next to me and didn't know a thing about baseball and had to have the lady sitting on the other side of him explain everything).  It was also exciting to go into the sixth inning without Nationals' starter, Max Scherzer, giving up a hit - I got all nervous thinking I was going to witness a no-hitter in person!  While the no-hitter was broken up in the same inning, it was still fun to think that I still have many more ball games to go to in my life, and someday I might even witness a no-hitter.

As for the other teams in the league, the Kansas City Royals are starting off on a tear at 7-0, and the Detroit Tigers are kicking butt despite placing ace pitcher Justiin Verlander on the Disabled List.  The Atlanta Braves traded away their closer, Craig Kimbrell, to San Diego, but are still atop the NL East with Jason Grilli as their new closer.  And how about that Billy Hamilton, who already has 7 stolen bases for the Cincinnati Reds?  As far as home runs, the Dodgers' Adrián González is leading the Majors with 5, followed by former Oriole Nelson Cruz with 4 for the Seattle Mariners.

Hmmm... what other nice things can I say?  Well, there's the return of Mets hottie Matt Harvey, who missed the 2014 season after having Tommy John surgery.  He's back in pre-surgery form, as is the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka.  Both of these pitchers will be closely monitored and have innings limits, as will the Marlins' José Fernández when he returns to the mound in a few weeks.  Also back after surgery is Jayson Werth, who is moving from right field to left because he's just getting too old to handle that side of the outfield.  No, that's not me being mean - just stating the obvious.

So there you have it - my analysis of the first week of the baseball season without any snarky comments or sarcasms.  I held off on saying I could drive a car through the gap in Commissioner Manfred's front teeth; I neglected predicting that Andrew McCutchen is going to suck this year because he had his dreadlocks cut off; and I certainly didn't mention how awful the new Jumbo-Tron looks in Wrigley Field.  See?  I can be nice! But I can't promise I'll stay this way - there is still a long season ahead of us, I have at least 4 more games to attend, and I haven't even mentioned Alex Rodrguez.  Stay tuned, my friends! :-)

WHO is Pitching on Opening Day???!

Beware, Mudville Mom readers – I am in a bad mood.  I am usually a sunny disposition-type of person, but today I’m not, mainly because I got to work early for a meeting that ended up being canceled and no one told me.  But that’s neither here nor there – I was in a bad mood to begin with, since Max Scherzer was announced as the starting pitchers for the Washington Nationals on opening day this year.  I know; it's only baseball and I should not let baseball matters get me in a bad mood.  I'm trying to work on that.

So what’s the big deal – it’s only the first game out of 162 – why does it really matter who pitches on opening day?  Well first of all, I paid a pretty penny to be at Nationals Park on opening day, so in a way I’m glad they didn’t select Stephen Strasburg to pitch the first game of the season (yawn!).  However, I thought Jordan Zimmermann was a shoo-in for the position, since he’s the best pitcher in the Nationals’ rotation (in my opinion, and as you all know, I have lots of opinions!).

Yes, Max Scherzer signed a gazillion-dollar contract with the Nats this off-season.  Yes, he won the Cy Young award in 2013 when he was with the Detroit Tigers. Yes, Scherzer has a lifetime record of 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA – he’s no slacker.  But Jordan Zimmermann has been the quiet voice of the Nationals’ pitching staff for the past few years, recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2009 and compiling a respectable 57-40 record with an ERA of 3.24 (slightly lower than Scherzer’s).  He pitched a no-hitter in the Nationals’ last game of the regular 2014 season, and pitched 9 2/3 innings in game 2 of the NLDS (which he should have been allowed to complete – I’m still bitter about that one!).  What better way to start what promises to be a successful season for the Nationals than by starting their workhorse on the mound?  He may not even be around to do so next year, since his contract is up at the end of this season.

Jordan Zimmermann is not flashy.  He was not a #1 draft pick like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper.  He is not known for driving fast cars, ranting tweets, or clubhouse antics.  Zimmermann is a quiet and shy midwestern guy who works his ass off and can be counted on every fifth day for a good quality start.  He never complains (even when he gets no run support), and is the most dependable pitcher the Nationals have.  Yes, Scherzer makes for bigger hype ESPN-wise, but true Nationals fans would rather see a familiar face on the mound than some new guy who still needs to prove himself in the National League.  I’m still going to go to the opening day game (since I paid an arm and a leg for good seats), and I’m going to hope that Scherzer doesn’t disappoint, but a part of me is going to wish that I was there watching Zimmermann pitch instead of the new guy.

You know what else disappoints me about opening day?  The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by the new Commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred.  Nothing against the guy (even though he took a job that was clearly meant for me!), but I think the first pitch in our nation’s capital should be thrown by the President of the United States.  Regardless of your political views, you have to admit it’s pretty cool to watch the POTUS throw out a first pitch.  I was there in 2012 when Barack Obama threw a terrible first pitch, but that’s probably the closest I’ll ever be to a US President, so I thought it was cool.  It’s no secret that Obama is not a baseball fan, but just like pardoning a turkey at Thanksgiving and having to put up with John Kerry, there are certain things a President must do that he doesn’t like.  Throwing out a first pitch on opening day should be one of them, and it’s not as exhausting as putting up with the Secretary of State (I'll have to share my personal  Kerry story with you all at some other time).  Heck, I'd even take crazy Joe Biden - he would at least be entertaining!

OK, enough ranting for now.  It’s time for me to embrace this Scherzer guy, try to get an updated list of Puerto Rican players in the Majors this year,  and get my curly “W” jersey out of the bowels of my closet in preparation for opening day just 12 days away.  Let’s hope for a great baseball season – there sure has been a lot of hype to live up to, my friends!

My Husband and Me at the PNC

Since my husband and I have decided (actually, I have decided - I'm not sure how he feels about it) to try and catch a baseball game in each Major League city, it was time to venture outside of the Nationals Park/Camden Yards radius and visit another ball park (we have been to two games so far this season - one at Nationals Park during opening week and one at Oriole Park in early June).  We decided to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of reasons.  First, it's only 3 hours away and we wouldn't have to kennel the dog for very long.  Also, it is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who not only are in first place in the NL Central, but it is the team where Roberto Clemente played during his illustrious career.  So why not go to Pittsburgh?  We bought some game tickets, booked a hotel, and were on our way.

Pittsburgh is a very interesting city.  It is divided by the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (which turn into the Ohio River), so you can either go to the North Shore or the South Shore.  We picked a hotel in the North Shore within walking distance to PNC Park, which was VERY convenient.  The park was built in 2001, and for being only 12 years old, it had pretty crappy bathrooms (no pun intended).  I didn't really mean to make that my first observation, but really, a modern-day park should have more than four stalls in each bathroom.  So anyway, the park isn't the most beautiful park I've ever seen, but its façade blends in nicely with the surrounding 70s-style buildings in the area (Heinz Field is about a block away, so Steelers fans take note).  PNC Park has statues of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente on the outside, and is super-easy to get to since it's right next to the Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the many bridges that can get drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders from one shore to the other.

OK, so my husband and I donned our Pirates garb (they were playing the Phillies, so there was no way I was wearing their colors) and walked around a bit before finding our seats.  The park reminded me a bit of Camden Yards - a ball park that was shoehorned into an already-existing spot, so everything is very... let's call it "intimate" or "cozy" so as not to call it cramped or crowded.  I'm so used to Nationals Park, where everything is spread out and there isn't much going on around the park itself, that when I go to well-established ballparks, I can't help but feel a little claustrophobic.  But on a positive note, these parks (and PNC is one of them) have bars and restaurants and plenty of ambiance right outside the park, which is something you won't find in DC (unless you're fascinated by the Department of Transportation building or the Navy Yard).

So we get to our seats, and there is a VERY large man taking up two seats - his and half of mine.  Now, I don't mean to offend any of you readers who may be of large girth, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, you either need to buy the seats on either side of you, or you need to buy a seat at the end of a row so only one person is sitting with your excess spare tire on his or her lap.  Not only did I have "Tubby" spilling onto my seat and taking up my arm rest, but he was helping himself to an entire bucket of chicken wings, which he polished off in no time and then proceeded to lick his fingers loudly and disgustingly.  He was not my favorite person at that point (I won't even tell you how nasty sweaty he was when he got up to refill his 32-ounce soda in the sixth inning - that would be insensitive of me).
 
Also annoying were the people sitting behind us.  Why is it that every time we go to a game, there are three couples sitting behind us who spend way too much time talking and catching up on gossip instead of paying attention to the game?  The one dude's daughter got to march in a parade, the other dude talked about how he likes to scare away the boys that his daughter dates, and the third dude kept talking about his deer hunting adventures.  The last deer he shot at didn't even bleed when the arrow penetrated his side!  Shut up and watch the game, people!  You already said that you were all going to have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus after the game, so do your chit-chatting then - some of us actually want to watch a ball game!

Anyway, the game itself was a good one.  The Pirates allowed too many hits and lost 6-4, but it was nice to see All-Star Andrew McCutchen driving in 2 runs (did you know he hasn't cut his hair in the past 6 years?  I found that fact fascinating!).  The Phillies sent veteran (and Bryce Harper hater) Cole Hamels to the mound, and despite getting the win, he still has a lousy 4-11 record.  The fans were loud and were engaged throughout the whole game, and it was nice to see a team with such a rich history and such loyal fans.  Nationals fans are relatively new, since the team came over from Montreal in 2005, and they are generally polite, well-dressed and reserved government employees (except for the occasional loud Puerto Rican female).  It was neat to see fans - both Phillies and Pirates fans - with swagger and attitude and sheer dedication to their team.

Something else I liked about the fans at PNC Park was the amount of Clemente jerseys and shirts worn by Pittsburgh fans.  While I did see a lot of people sporting McCutchen shirts, the Clemente ones by far outnumbered those of current players.  Not only are Pirates fans passionate about their current team, but they seem to know their team's rich history and seem to embrace those past players who made such a positive impact on baseball.  Clemente's number, 21, was everywhere - on jerseys, around the outfield, and throughout the park.

The view of the Pittsburgh skyline that I got from my seat was also very nice.  It definitely beat the view of the tall parking garage at Nationals Park (you have to sit in the nosebleed seats to get a view of the Capitol) and it's way better than the old factory in the outfield of Oriole Park, which makes me claustrophobic.  It was nice to see some sky, some tall buildings, the Allegheny River, and of course the bright yellow Roberto Clemente bridge. 

Two things that were pretty lame were the racing pierogies and the song choice of Clint Barmes.  Regarding the racing pierogies, they were four people dressed as oversized pierogies who raced around the outfield before the top of the 6th inning.  They just ran around, and it was honestly a little bit boring.  You see, I'm used to the Racing Presidents, who push, shove, trip and do whatever it takes to win.  Abraham Lincoln has been known to push Mr. Taft out of the way, Teddy Roosevelt has tied all the shoelaces of his presidential mates together to make them trip, and George Washington has sent the other presidents running in the other direction so he could cross the finish line first.  At Nats Park it's a contact sport; at PNC Park it's just boring.

Now regarding Clint Barmes... he's the Pirates' shortstop, and the song that they play after he's introduced at every at-bat is "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  Now, I enjoy Journey as much as the next child of the 80s, and yes, "don't stop believing" might be an inspirational message, but it's just a lame song to use before an at-bat.  "The smell of wine and cheap perfume?"  Really?  How about some AC/DC or some Ozzie Osbourne or a little bit of Daddy Yankee?  Barmes' song choice is almost as bad as relief pitcher Ryan Matthieus, whose song of choice is "Firework" by Katie Perry.  Not too manly of a song, I must say.

All in all, it was a good experience at PNC Park.  Our next game will be at Nationals Park in a couple of weeks, but in August we get to experience Progressive Field in Cleveland, where I am excited to see the Tribe hosting the Detroit Tigers and hope to check out yet another Major League park for the first time.  But before that, stay tuned for the All-Star Game selections, which will be announced in the next couple of days.  The season may be halfway over, but there's still a lot of baseball to be played, and I'm enjoying every bit of it!

A Tale of Two Teams

Baseball fans in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area have not had much to cheer about in the past few years.  In Baltimore, once Cal Ripken retired, sports fans shifted their attention to football and the Baltimore Ravens.  In DC, the team that came over from Montreal had some pretty lousy seasons, and the hopes of glory faded in 2010 when pitching ace Stephen Strasburg required season-ending Tommy John surgery.

But wait!  Who is that team currently tied for first place in the AL East?  It's the Baltimore Orioles, under the leadership of former Yankees manager, Buck Showalter.  With the never-give-up attitude and 28 home runs by Adam Jones and the recent power surge from the previously-slumping Mark Reynolds, the Orioles are playing meaningful baseball for the first time in about 15 years.  The "birds" are filling their cozy ballpark with excited fans and unveiling statues of past Orioles greats like Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, and their most recent addition, "Iron Man" Cal Ripken.  Orioles fans, born and bred in the suburbs of Baltimore or in the Charm City itself,  grew up cheering for these legends, and their storied past (forget the 1969 World Series!) has had many loyal fans who love to tell "I remember when..." stories about their team.

Then there's the other baseball team just as far from my house - the First-place-in-the-NL-East Washington Nationals.  They have led the National League in ERA all season long, and the team features superstars like Gio Gonzalez (my pick for this year's Cy Young award - forget the Reds' Johnny Cueto), teen phenom Bryce Harper who has hit 17 home runs in his short time in the Majors, and of course that Strasburg guy who has recovered very nicely from that elbow surgery he had 2 years ago.  But the Nationals don't have a storied past - most people like to forget that the team came here from Montreal, so they have no memories of nail-biting games, pennant races, crazy uniforms in the 1970s (those blue things the Expos wore back then don't count), or slug fests in the early 1990s.  While the Nationals do have die-hard fans, we did not grow up following the hometown hero or the long-time franchise player.  Our only "I remember when" moments refer to the few years the Nationals played at RFK Stadium, which are years we'd rather forget.

Another problem that the Nationals have attracting fans is that many residents of the DC area are transplants from somewhere else.  Many government employees end up here because of work - military personnel from Ohio (who follow the Indians or Reds); NIH doctors who were brought up as Yankees or Red Sox fans; Pentagon employees who can't tell you what team they root for or they'd have to kill you; and IRS employees who don't follow any teams (because they don't have any fun doing anything but auditing us baseball fans).

While the Orioles have no trouble selling out their park, the Nationals have had very few sellouts this season. Go to Philadelphia on a Tuesday night and the park will be full.  Do the same thing at Nationals Park and you're lucky if you have 22,000 people there (and the expensive seats are full of uptight government workers who won't take off their ties and spend the entire time texting during the game).  DC is still lukewarm about the Nationals, which is a terrible shame for a team that has been so consistent and is so talented.  When the Orioles play at Nationals Park, half the stadium is wearing red while the other half is in orange and black.  But when the Nats go to Camden Yards, there is only a handful of Nationals fans who choose to make the quick drive into Baltimore.

Yankees and Red Sox fans are known for being passionate and outspoken.  Orioles fans are notoriously excited any time their team wins anything.  Phillies fans - they're just obnoxious.  But Nationals fans seem to be just "there" - we need to get more excited, more united, more animated.  Why?  Because this team is going to the playoffs, and we need to fill the seats with red shirts and loud cheers.  In this case, quantity is more important than quality - I don't care if you're a bandwagon fan who only wants to root for the Nats when they win (us die-hards will still be here in 20 years).  The team's slogan for this season has been "Ignite your Nattitude," and that's something we need to do more of as the playoffs get closer.

Opening Day is Finally Here!

Yesterday was Opening Day at Nationals Park, where the Washington Nationals hosted the Cincinnati Reds.  As you’ve probably heard by now, the Nats won that game 3-2 in 10 innings, thanks to a wild pitch thrown by Reds’ reliever Alfredo Simón, allowing Nationals’ third-baseman Ryan Zimmerman to sprint home.  While it was a dramatic end to what started out as a pretty ho-hum game, it was still exciting to be there.  There’s nothing like being at a ball park during Opening Day, where the atmosphere is electric, the fans are enthusiastic, and the weather can be unpredictable.

Yesterday was a bit chilly (in the mid-50s), with a steady wind that made matters even chillier.  But the festive atmosphere was wonderful ,  from the 12-member drum corps that welcomed fans right outside the center field main entrance, to the moment of silence paid to Gary Carter, to the enormous American flag that was unfurled by dozens of soldiers in the outfield during the pregame ceremonies, to the military plane flyover immediately following the US Marine band’s beautiful rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”  It was a great day for baseball, and even for someone like myself who is not very patriotic, it was a great day to be an American.

The best performance of the game was put on by Nationals’ starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez.  In his Nationals Park debut, Gonzalez struck out seven, didn’t walk a single batter, and allowed only two hits in seven innings.  I felt so bad for him when the Reds tied the game in the ninth inning – poor Gio pitched so well and had nothing to show for it!  But those two runs in the top of the ninth were not entirely the fault of closer Brad Lidge; Ryan Zimmerman uncharacteristically bobbled a ball hit by Scott Rolen, which allowed him to reach second base and then be driven home, along with Joey Votto, by left fielder Ryan Ludwick (who was previously 1-10 against Lidge).  Ludwick rolled a single down the line, which also went through Zimmerman, to score Votto and Rolen. 

I was so stressed out at that point, along with the other 40,000 fans in attendance.  The bottom of the ninth and top of the tenth were unproductive, and then in the bottom of the tenth with runners on second and third and two outs, with Roger Bernadina at the plate, Simon threw a wild pitch, scoring  Zimmerman, who is no stranger to the walk-off win.  Phew!  The Nationals had won, they are now 5-2, and half a game ahead of the New York Mets in sole possession of first place! 

Two other noteworthy happenings occurred at the game yesterday:  Gio Gonzalez got his first big-league hit, since he was with the American League Oakland A’s previously.  He hit a blooper off Reds’ starter Matt Latos in the fifth inning, and ended up being tagged out at home plate on a fielder’s choice.  He was so excited when he got to first base!  I bet if you ask him, he’ll say that getting his first hit was more exciting than pitching a two-hitter and striking out seven!

What else could have been more noteworthy than that yesterday?  Well, something set us fans off, and we booed louder than I’ve ever heard a crowd boo anyone.  No, it wasn’t because Jayson Werth continued to struggle (he actually went 2 for 5); it wasn’t because the Nationals store was closed for renovations (it is expected to reopen on May 1st); the booing was because “Teddy,” one of the four “Racing Presidents” mascots and fan favorite, lost the presidents’ race again.  If you’re not familiar with this middle-of-the-fourth-inning ritual, there are four big-headed mascots of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt – who race from a center field gate to a designated spot along the first- or third-base foul line.  This has been going on since the opening of Nationals Park in 2008, and poor Teddy has never won.  There are t-shirts, websites, and Facebook fan groups dedicated to “let Teddy win,” but that has never happened.  Teddy even tied the shoelaces of the other three Presidents together while they were sleeping before the fourth inning, but Teddy still lost (yesterday’s race was won by “Shoeless Tom”).  Fans were not happy – many believe that once Teddy wins, it will be an omen that will lead to a World Championship (or at least a playoff berth); but we still have to wait for that to happen, since poor Teddy can’t get a break!

But the game ended on a good note, so Nationals fans are happy.  We love our ballpark (it is so easy to get to on the Metro!), we have a much-improved team, and we hope to have a lot less booing and a lot more cheering to do during the 2012 season!