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July 2, 2011: Potomac Nationals vs Wilmington Blue Rocks

By Maggie on July 3, 2011

Starting Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang (#38, 2.57) vs Elisaul Pimentel (#25, 4.07)
Final Score: Nationals – 14, Blue Rocks – 1

What are the elements of a beyond-awesome minor league game? How about a rehab appearance by an experienced major-league pitcher? How about players wearing jerseys that are as far as you can throw-back? How about an awesome giveaway item? How about a dominant offensive performance that included 4 home runs by the home team? And how about fireworks to top it all off?

Saturday night Ashley, Drew and I all attended the Potomac Nationals “History of Baseball Night”, which featured Abner Doubleday Bobbleheads, players wearing throw-back uniforms in the style of 1860s/Civil War soldier teams, and an excellent color guard in period dress (which means an all-wool uniform). We had fantastic seats – front row of the field box, right next to the visiting team dugout, which allowed us a good view of Wang as he pitched, and into the P-Nats dugout. The best part – these seats cost us $14 apiece and included seat-service for concessions so you don’t have to miss anything.

Wang pitched 4 excellent innings, and it was fun to see the Taiwanese media and all his fans watching with rapt attention to every move of his arm. It was also great to see the hot young players (particularly Hood and Peacock) doing great things for the offense – hitting home runs and just playing excellent ball. Since minor-league games tend to be more experiential, enjoy a few more pictures.

(full album from this game can be seen here)

Vote Michael Morse to the All-Star Game in the FINAL VOTE: http://atmlb.com/l1pGE4

July 4, 2010: Potomac Nationals vs Wilmington Blue Rocks

By Ashley on July 10, 2010

Game #83 Potomac Nationals vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Starting Pitchers: Frias (2-4, 6.75) v. Lamb (4-2, 1.55)
Final Score: P-Nats: 4, Blue Rocks: 13

I’m going to take this opportunity to veer from our classic post and tell you how much fun minor league games are. Although there were a few great plays (amazing snags from 3rd and 1st base), for the most part, this game was not good baseball (unless you were a Blue Rocks fan). Still, let me show you why you should go to a P-Nats (or minor league team of your choice) game:

Minor League mascots: Uncle Slam is a blue headed… patriotic… thing. But, the kids loved him and he seemed to have a good time despite the heat. It was America’s birthday after all!

Minor league seats: The first picture shows you the seats I purchased. My seats were $10 and right behind home plate. I later moved to the grandstand (would have cost me $8) to take some pictures without the net in my way. Look at how low and close to the field I was!

You can get away with a lot more at minor league games. At a Nationals game, noise makers are prohibited. At a P-Nats game, they sell vuvuzelas!

Great stories about coaches and players. The man on the left is Art Silber. He is Chairman, CEO, and 1st base coach for the P-Nats. According to the program he is both “the oldest first base coach in minor league baseball” and one of only two people in professional baseball who is authorized to wear the #42 jersey.

And, the games are fun too. In addition to some old standbys like “spin around a bat as many times as possible” and “sack races” there was this gem. Fans had a chance to purchase a bag of (numbered) tennis balls during the game. Afterward, hula hoops were put out on the field and fans tried to get their tennis ball to land inside. If you made it, you got a prize!

So, I highly suggest getting yourself to a minor league game. You may not watch Strasburg pitch, but it’s a cheap, fun way to spend an afternoon with your friends.

The rest of the pictures can be found here.

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