First Ladies of Baseball

Posts by Ashley

Nationals at Braves, 7/1/2012

By on July 2, 2012

Ashley’s down in Atlanta for the week, so she took her brother to Turner Field to watch the Nats take out the Braves. It was a brutal summer day (official game temp was 101), but with lots of water, ice cream, and a win, the day turned out to be fun.

It’s hard to come into another stadium and be the lone fan cheering for your team. Ashley’s done it before in college, but it’s different when you grew up with the home team and have become a traitor (according to the brother). The tomahawk chop was still going strong, and the Braves uniforms haven’t changed in years. However, Ashley stuck to her guns and cheered when the rest of the crowd booed.

There were a lot of things that made this game great, but what really stuck out to me was how the overall game experience was so much better than going to a game at Nationals Park. Let’s go through a few of them:

1) Parking – it took us less than 30 minutes to get door to door. The Braves stadium is about 3 miles further away from home than Nats Park, but parking is available right at the stadium and there wasn’t crazy traffic. Yes, we went on a Sunday afternoon during a holiday week, but traffic has been so bad in DC on a weekend that we’ve turned around before. Parking was $10 in advance (plus fees) or $15 in cash.

2) Seating – the seats at Turner Field are slightly steeper, which means that you’re closer to the field. We sat in the 200s, which would be like an upper 100s seat. However, because of the way the seats were situated, I felt like we had a better angle on the field. Turner field holds about 49,000 (vs 41,000 for the Nats), but it didn’t feel like the stadium was bigger. Also, our seats were in the shade the entire game (for a 1:35 start).

3) Concessions – the food seemed of better quality (including a lot of local restaurants) and was cheaper. My brother got basic chicken tenders, which were delicious (even on a HOT day) and only cost $7. I grabbed a small cup of ice cream – $3. And my small had two scoops crammed into it. It was also Mayfield, which elevates it to a whole other level.

4) Season Ticket Holder (STH) Perks – wow, this really showed a difference in the two parks. The Braves had a lounge area set aside for STHs, and all STHs get 33% off concessions all year. It made me want to snap up a season pack.

5) Music – when visiting batters step up to the plate, the Braves organist tries to play something special for them. On Sunday we got “Send in the Clowns” for Harper, OUT spelled out in morse code for Morse, and “Never Gonna Give you Up” (by Rick Astley) for Ankiel. If you ever make it to a game in Atlanta (or are watching on TV), you can follow @bravesorganist on Twitter to give suggestions or find out what he’s thinking for our boys.

6) The Big Screen – in between innings, the music and videos definitely had a Southern flare. I had forgotten just how much I like country music in fact. The best thing they did though was show a montage of clips from a game last year where the Braves rallied back from 4 under to tie, and ultimately win, the game. “We did it before, and we can do it again…” was the basic theme, and then led into the tomahawk chop. I think that’s a great way to motivate the fans.

Overall, the game was one of the more fun, relaxed baseball outings I’ve had in a while. I didn’t realize how much Nats games actually stress me out. Dear Nationals, please take a look at this and try to find ways to make your game experience better. I felt like I was there to watch baseball, not there to make money for the owners. Even if the Braves had won, I still would have had a great day.

(Just to be fair, the one thing the Nats do better is cameras. I can bring an 8 inch lens to Nationals Park, but only a 5 inch lens to Turner Field. Hence, no awesome telephoto pics this time.)

Full album is here.

Goodbye and Good Luck!

By on April 24, 2012

There is always something in the news about baseball, and the First Ladies usually don’t mention it here. However, we can’t let this week go by without saying farewell to Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. Pudge retired yesterday after 20 years playing professional baseball.

Even though we only had him in Washington for two years (and didn’t have enough chances to watch him play due to injuries), he was one of our favorite players. Even approaching the end of his career, he could still grab the ball and rocket it to 2nd to score an out.

So, good luck in all of your future endeavors Pudge – we’ll miss you!

April 13, 2012: Nats vs Reds

By on April 17, 2012

Friday the 13th. You never quite know what to expect when that day rolls around. Usually, it’s a typical day except you have something to blame if anything goes wrong. My evening with the Nats didn’t start off well – our regular lot (HH) was charging $10 for parking (double last year’s price of $5, which is still posted on the Nat’s website) and the Half Street Fairgrounds bouncers were harassing us about carrying water bottles. Neither incident put me in a good mood whatsoever. However, once we got inside the park, things changed for the better.

First, my husband bought me a fried pie from Box Frites. On the spectrum of commercial fried pies, it tasted much better than it looked, but didn’t quite measure up to the Varsity (but really, what could?). Overall, a B+ pushed into A- territory by the decadent caramel sauce. The filling was wonderful (I tried the apple, he tried the mixed berry. We didn’t share).

Next, we got to watch Jordan Zimmermann play. This First Lady loves the tall socks and the good arm. He’s a fast pitcher too – the 7th inning stretch was somewhere around 8:45. At that point, the Nats were down by one, but they soon tied it up with a homer from Nady. Also? The Reds pitcher was in for one batter before he was yanked – Nady. I guess it’s bad form to give up a run on your second pitch. :)

The Nats outfield was pretty solid other than back-to-back errors in the 7th. The team seemed very cohesive too – the atmosphere at the park was more an expectation of winning than of clinging to the faint hope of a win smothered in a blanked of acceptance that the team will lose.

Sadly, even though the Nats came back spectacularly in the 13th, I was in bed asleep by that point. Maggie texted me to see if we were still at the game, but several late nights in a row had done their work and I was out. Next time Nats, next time…

More pictures here.

Wounded Warrior Amputees vs DC Celebrities, 3 Apr, 2012

By on April 7, 2012

After the Nat’s exhibition game against the Red Sox, the outfield was turned into a softball field to showcase the Wounded Warrior Amputee team. They played against an assortment of DC celebrities (a mix of radio and tv personalities, former pro athletes, and politicians).

The game was set up like any other Nats game – the color guard brought out the flag, First Ladies favorite DC Washington sang the national anthem, the Nats pack threw t-shirts into the crowd, Clint interviewed players, and the Presidents even got in a race (Teddy still couldn’t win).

The biggest difference (other than the odd angle of the field and the giant yellow balls) was that the crowd was NOT cheering for the hometown team. There was a lot of good-natured heckling of the DC celebs, and everyone was supporting the amputees. Overall, everyone was having a great time – on and off the field. Whether diving for balls, sliding into bases, or making a fool of themselves, there was a smile on everyone’s faces.

And don’t think that being an amputee slowed any of these guys down. In fact, they were probably in better shape than half of the team they were playing against. It was really cool to see the variety of prosthetic limbs available too. Technology is amazing, and these guys are taking as much advantage of it as they can.

If the team comes to your area (they travel around the country), I highly recommend going out to watch them play. Details on upcoming events and the players themselves can be found on their website.

More pictures from this game are here.

April 4, 2012: Nats vs Red Sox (Exhibition)

By on April 5, 2012

Welcome back to…

Spring! The cherry trees were in full bloom and military helicopters flew by the stadium regularly. What else says spring in DC?

Ballpark food! $5 pregame beers are back, along with Shake Shack (that delicious burger), and Box Frites (not pictured are our garlic fries). Your First Ladies will try to sample some of the new food options, but sometimes you have to go with what you know. Of note, prices have gone up again on some items.

Racing Presidents! We thought Teddy might have a chance in the preseason, but no luck. He was helped out by the bunny (who tackled Abe, Tom, and George), but got distracted by two jugglers right before the finish line.

Fabulous weather! The field started out completely in the sun, but the shadows stretched long as the game played out. Ashley’s new seats are over in left field… a girl could get used to this view.

Silly games between innings! So far the best new game was “Stealing Second”. The contestant has 45 seconds to run from center field to 2nd base, switch the base out, and run back. If he does it, he gets to keep the game used base. Nifty.

Great catches! Derosa was right in front of us in left field, and we got to see several nice snags. The infield wasn’t too bad either!

Home runs! Ramos got things started with a 3 run homer, and Desmond answered with a solo in the next inning. It wasn’t quite enough to put us over the top, but it was lots of fun. And very promising.

Dramatic 9th innings! The Nats had a chance to tie it up in the 9th with 2 outs, Desmond on 2nd, and a nice long line drive by Espinosa. Desmond ran as hard as he could, but the ball just beat him to the plate (at least, that’s what the Ump wanted us to believe…). I wasn’t disappointed that we didn’t pull out the tie (no extra innings in preseason), because the game was just so much fun. (Picture courtesy of Drew).

First impressions? I think the Nats will be a fun team to watch this year. Then again, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself when you’ve skipped work to go watch your team on a gorgeous spring afternoon.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a bonus post – the Wounded Warrior Amputee vs DC Celebrity Softball game.

Full set of pictures can be found here.

Ahh, spring…

By on April 2, 2012

Hi loyal Nats fans! Your First Ladies are both returning from out-of-time-zone trips and looking forward to the return of baseball to DC.

What’s not to love about spring in the South? The flowers are blooming, the breezes are soft, and soon (tomorrow!) the wonderful sounds of bats connecting with balls will fill the air.

We’re both looking forward to renewing old acquaintances and starting up new friendships this year. Ashley will be at the game tomorrow, and both Maggie and Ashley will be at the home opener next week. In between we’ll let you know what our preseason predictions are and get back into the swing of blogging too.

We can’t wait to see you at the ballpark!

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Beginning of the End… Nats v. Braves (9/23 & 9/24)

By on September 27, 2011

My husband and I decided to go all out for the end of the season and attend all three games in the last homestand. It was intense, but we’re both glad we did it. Friday night was a bit rough (even though we had cushy seats in the Club), but the weekend just kept getting better from there. I’m going to do a brief round-up for y’all  with lots of pictures because I managed to pick up a cold that has completely knocked me out. I would like to blame the rain, but it held off for all three games this weekend without causing any delays, and for that I’m grateful.

Friday night was a Strasburg start, which is always fun. Drew had not seen him pitch yet, so he was looking forward to it. However, the biggest excitement of the night was actually the President’s Race. Jayson Werth is really trying to get the home crowd on his side, and roped several other players into helping him try to take down Abe, Tom, and George to let Teddy finally win a race.

Ha! You thought you’d see that here? Just scroll down a bit. We’ll revisit this in a moment. In all honesty, both the pictures and game were much better on Saturday…

Ahh, Saturday. Lovely weather, a fabulous win, and a showing of pre-game friendliness. There was a lot of that going around actually, Ashley’s cousins drove up to watch the game with her. As former Georgians, they were both rooting for the Braves to win, so they did not have as much fun as she did.

And now for a parade of pictures. All of these (except the President’s Race) were taken by Ashley’s husband. Above, Ashley was thrilled to see Pudge behind the plate. She hadn’t seen him play in months due to an injury, and he didn’t disappoint. In Ashley’s favorite move, he threw out two baserunners at 2nd.

Despite only getting to base on walks, Werth scored two of the Nat’s runs.

Ankiel made a terrific catch to end the 3rd inning. This leads us to…

Werth, Ankiel, and the bullpen all tried to help Teddy break his streak, but he was taken down by Abe and ultimately no one won this race. Werth crossed the finish line, but refused to take the win. He did declare himself the last supporter of the Bull Moose party after the game, which is making Ashley consider ordering a 26 jersey with “Bull Moose” on the back.

Look for a post on the last game of the season later this week with pictures from Ashley (up in 311) and Maggie (down in 129).

More pictures from Friday and Saturday can be found by clicking through the links.

August 2, 2011: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

By on August 2, 2011

Finally, a perfect night of baseball. The weather was actually pleasant (a nice breeze kept things from getting too sticky), the game was quick, and the Nats’ bats woke up. Since I’ll be at another game tomorrow with Maggie, I thought I would share a few of the best pictures from tonight’s game with you right now:

Morse and Lannan are ready to play.

So are Desmond and Espinosa.

Desmond watches from the on-deck circle.

Werth breaks for 3rd after the ball is overthrown trying to stop him from stealing 2nd (he goes on to score the first run).

Hey, beer man!

3 runners on base…

… and Ankiel hits a grand slam!

These guys were really into the game.

Finally, one last picture of Werth (because I think it will make you smile).

It really was a fabulous game. Drew took even more pictures, so hopefully I can convince him to upload the best ones tomorrow. The rest of mine are here.

July 26, 2011: Washington Nationals vs Florida Marlins

By on July 30, 2011

I think it’s safe to say that we’re in the doldrums of summer. The weather makes us not want to go outside and the Nats make us want to avert our eyes. Ashley, Maggie, Drew, and Maggie’s sister Meredith took in the game on Tuesday. We were all really excited, because it was the first game we’d seen in weeks. However, the Nats did not put on a grand show for us. We sat in Section 220, so enjoy some views from a new part of the stadium. Here’s a rundown of the lineup:

Bernadina got on base with a walk, and the pitcher tried (unsuccessfully) to pick him off. Center field was fairly quiet all night – only a few balls went his way.

Espinosa didn’t have much luck at the plate, but he started a terrific double play in the 3rd. We were thankful he was able to pull it off, because the next batter up hit a home run.

Zimmerman was excellent on defense. Our favorite play was a run up to grab a bunt in the 7th. Z also scored one of the Nats runs in the 6th.

Morse was a solid presence at 1st, and hit a double in the 6th. We’re glad to see him out on the field.

Oh Jason Werth, this is how we feel about the Nats too. We’re optimistic that things start picking up soon. A dejected Werth had to watch at least 2 home runs sail over his head and two doubles land in the right field corner.

Nix smashed a ball into the stands for a solo homer in the 5th for one of the Nats’ only two runs for the night.

Ramos was solid behind the plate, but all of his at-bats ended in outs.  He connected with the ball each time, but never managed to send it past the infield.

Desmond had much the same luck as Ramos, although he did get on base in the 5th (walked). Sadly, he was stranded by his teammates.

As for the bullpen, we got to see Zimmermann, Burnett, and Coffey before we decided that being awake at work the next day was more important than watching the last inning.

Our Founding Fathers were less interested in baseball and more excited about the end to the NFL lockout. They played a little touch football in the outfield, ending when George tackled Teddy and Tom carried the ball to the endzone, ahem, finish line.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the Nats get their mojo back. In the meantime, you can view more picture from this game here.

Truckeroo

By on July 15, 2011

With the Nats out of town, you would think Half Street would be fairly empty on a Friday night, right? Well, for one Friday each month, you would be wrong. Both of the First Ladies ventured downtown this evening to check out Truckeroo.

The basic premise is simple – the lot next to Das Bullpen is opened up to a selection of DC’s finest food trucks. We all show up to eat, drink beer, and enjoy a summer evening with friends. Since neither Maggie nor Ashley works in the District, we don’t often have a chance to try any of the food trucks. We were excited to give them a taste!

Ashley can’t say no to grilled cheese, so she grabbed dinner here. Maggie decided to go for some goat cheese mac & cheese at CapMac. Both were quite delicious.

We got there around 5 and encountered almost no lines. However, by the time we were heading out a few hours later, folks were waiting at the entrance and two or three of the trucks. Considering how many people were there, we all agreed that this wasn’t bad at all.

Bottom line? Come early, bring cash, and bring friends to share your food with. We both had a great evening and will definitely try to come back next month.

See more pictures of food trucks here.