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June Predictions – Update!

By Maggie on July 2, 2012

We’ve come to the end of another month, and Drew and I are about to post a new prediction post for the month of July (look for it tomorrow night before/during the first game against the Giants). In the mean time, we’ve got to review the predictions from the month of June and see how what we thought matched up against reality.

vs Braves

Drew: 2-1
Maggie: 2-1
Actual: 1-1

Unfortunately, the Nats had to deal with another rain out, but we’ll get to see this game played on July 21st (and Ashley and I may be there)! So we’ll just say for now that the Nats are living up to expectations. A half point each…since we don’t know if we would have been right or not.

vs Mets

Drew: 2-1
Maggie: 2-1
Actual: 2-1

What can we say? Psychics-R-Us. And the Nats? Kicking butts and taking names. 1 point apiece!

@ Red Sox

Drew: 2-1
Maggie: 2-1
Actual: 3-0

This was a turning point. The Nationals showed that they could really hold their own and thrive against a team that has been quite strong in the recent past. And it didn’t hurt to give a little payback for the final pre-season game in April. 0 points…not that we’re sad about being wrong.

@ Blue Jays

Drew: 1-2
Maggie: 2-1
Actual: 3-0

If you don’t believe that Boston was the turning point, look to this set of games. Are the Nats for real? That’s a clown question, bro. Another 0 points apiece, for being wrong in the best way possible.

vs Yankees

Drew: 1-2
Maggie: 2-1
Actual: 0-3

We’d said earlier in our predictions that the Nats were going to lose sometime…it just happened to be in the form of being swept by the Bronx Bombers after sweeping two other AL East opponents. 0 points. It could be worse though.

vs Rays

Drew: 1-2
Maggie: 1-2
Actual: 2-1

After a tough series against the Yanks, the Nats could have folded. Instead they came back tough against the Rays to prove that they still had IT and could run with the big boys. 0 points for flipped standings.

@ Orioles

Drew: 2-1
Maggie: 0-3
Actual: 1-2

We were both wrong. Drew was optimistic, I was pessimistic. The Nats gave us halfway in between. Not being swept against a surging team? Pretty good. 0 points awarded.

@ Rockies

Drew: 4-0
Maggie: 3-1
Actual: 2-2

This was a close one. For the two games they lost, things were close – especially the last game. So while Drew wasn’t going to be right, it looks like I was a lot closer than I thought. 0 points for the split decision.

@ Braves

Drew: 2-1
Maggie: 1-2
Actual: 2-1

Gotta hand this one to Drew. The Nats seem to have the Braves’ number this season. Good stuff. 1 point to Drew!

Total Record

Drew: 17-11
Maggie: 15-13
Actual: 16-11

Drew was a bit closer on this one thanks to the missing game, which gave him the correct losing record. And he wins this month overall, with a score of 2.5 points to my 1.5. We were both fairly wrong about this month…but in the best way possible!

Look back tomorrow for the first part of our July prediction post, and then keep checking back through the rest of the week when Ashley and I go through a backlog of old games we haven’t posted about!

June 15, 2012: Nationals vs Yankees

By Maggie on June 20, 2012

I didn’t think I was going to make it to the Yankees series. But I had a little luck on my side – Ashley and her husband were out of town for a wedding, and my brother was their dog sitter. As part of his payment, he received baseball tickets, so I obviously begged to be his date for the game. Being a generous young man, my brother acquiesced. How nice!

Of course, after that game, maybe I didn’t want to see the Yankees. And no – it wasn’t because I was going to see Gio again. It was because the Nationals played some piss-poor baseball defense. They’d played so well in Boston and Toronto, sweeping both of those teams, but the team that showed up in Washington this past Friday was not the same team. Maybe it was the toll of playing hard to close things out for 6 games, or maybe they’d had too good a time at the ZiMS benefit the night before. Whatever the reason this past weekend was not great.

Things were decently close for 6 innings. But then after allowing 1 runner to reach at the top of the 7th, Gio was pulled in favor of the recently-returned-from-the-DL Brad Lidge. Lidge did very little of use – he walked 2, and allowed a single that put the Yanks up by 2. In 1/3 of an inning, he allowed as many earned runs as Gonzalez did in the previous 6 innings. CRAZY. Everyone sitting around me complained, and when I heard later in the weekend that Lidge had been DFA’d, I was not surprised.

I wish that this post were the kind where you know that our team won the next game, so there was no reason to be sad. But as of the writing, the Nats have not won since. They’re still more than 10 games over 500, but considering how well they’ve been doing, and how they’ve got guys back in the lineup, you’d hope they’d do better. How many times can I use the word “they” or a contraction thereof in a sentence? Apparently 4.

ANYWAYS. Nationals. Baseball. It’s June 20. It’s officially summer. Enjoy the good baseball times, be sure to drink lots of water, and put on your sunscreen, or you might end up like this lobster which tackled Teddy!

Full photo set here.

June 2, 2012 – In Which We Make a Choice

By Maggie on June 8, 2012

Last Friday night was a rainout. Stephen Strasburg was supposed to pitch, so for whatever reason, they decided to just shift his start to Saturday instead of skipping him in the lineup and having Gio Gonzalez pitch like he was supposed to. This was VERY exciting for me. I’ve had the “luck” this year of so far only seeing two of the Nationals – Gio and Edwin Jackson. They’re both fantastic pitchers, and I’ve really enjoyed the games I’ve been to, but there have been 4 other guys taking the mound in the first inning, and I wanted to see someone else. Seeing Strasburg would be a cherry on that cake. I called Ashley, invited her to come with me, and said I’d pick her up at 2:30, with the expectation that we’d park my car at 3 or 3:15, get to the ballpark by 3:30, and buy ourselves some $5 beers before heading up to my seats. This was not to be. Traffic along the 270-spur and the beltway delayed my arrival to Ashley’s house until 3:10. We got on US-50 (because every other route into the city was clogged) and made our way towards 395…only to be greeted with standstill traffic when we reached that on-ramp. We looked at traffic on Google Maps, listened to WTOP, and tried to make a detour through Arlington. We called my mother, and it was at that time (4:00pm) that I made the executive decision that I wasn’t going to sit in traffic for potentially hours to miss the game, and not even see Strassy pitch. We would make alternate plans.

And so, it was with a heavy heart that Ashley and I drove back towards her apartment, but along the way, Ashley had a great idea. If we couldn’t watch the game in person with cheap beer, we’d watch it on tv at a bar with GREAT beer. So that’s how we ended up at Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church. If we couldn’t be at the game, this is where we wanted to be. We enjoyed fantastic brews, amazing bartenders (who were sympathetic to our plight), and great people surrounding us at the bar who were interested in talking about the Nats. Ashley was as happy as it was possible to be in our situation.

I was not. In fact, I was so sulky, that as I drank my Diabolik Belgian Strong Ale, I kept a list of all the things that made me sad that I wasn’t at the game. Here is that list:

Michael Morse returns (along with the return of a-ha’s Take on Me as his fantastic at bat music)
Strasburg (we’ve already discussed this)
Beautiful day (probably the most obnoxious part of listening to the radio broadcasters was how many times they reiterated that it was beautiful, perfect baseball weather)
Zim in tall socks (we are suckers for this particular uniform choice)
Harper crazy eyeblack (from the TV it looked like it was worthy of high-school Harper)
Flores home run (I love to jump up and high five everyone around me)
Game time 2.5 hours for a win!!! (because 1) it’s a win, and 2) it’s short enough where you can still do stuff in the evening)

So that’s our excuse for not having a gamer for the June 2 game. Do you think we made the right choice? Has anyone around here ever sat in crazy traffic for hours for a Nats game? Are there situations where I would have waited? Sure – if it were a playoff game. But it wasn’t. Speaking of the traffic – does anyone know what caused the city-wide standstill on Saturday?

PS (top photo is honor of today – the 2 year Strasiversary! Photos from that game here)

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June Prediction Post – Part 1

By Maggie on June 2, 2012

Since the “Predict the Nats performance” post was such an interesting challenge (and since Drew and I did fairly well), I think a June prediction post is well in order. The Nats have a challenging month ahead of them where they’ll be playing the entire American League East over the course of two and a half weeks. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once again, we’ll be splitting the predictions in two, with the First Ladies taking the first post, and CTmD taking on the second. Let’s get started!

Braves (vs June 1-3, @ 29-30, July 1)

Drew: I got a little carried away in my May preview with the ‘S’ word. I was thrilled to see the Nats actually get one sweep and take care of the Bravos in A-town. These two series are still going to be tough. I know the Braves have been struggling with injuries but so is everyone else. They’ve been pretty good team so far, with strong BB% and wOBA even with a mediocre pitching staff(1.03 HR/9 and 4.06 FIP). Despite that, I think the Nats have this group of Braves number. Since last season the Nats have played really well against the Braves. I’m going to say the Nats go 2-1 in both series and wind up 4-2 for June.

Maggie: This coming week is a big opportunity for the Nationals. They’ll be facing two division rivals, and one of those is the Braves, who they just swept. The Nats will (hopefully!) be getting some players back from the DL (can you say Michael Morse?), so they’ll continue to win. But after a long division road trip, I’m thinking they’ll be tired and don’t see them sweeping the Braves again. By the time we get to the end of the month, the Braves should have more players back and the Nats will be playing at Turner field again. I have a feeling this will be a turning point for Atlanta, so I’m only giving the Nats 1. (2-1, 1-2; 3-3 for the month).

Mets (vs June 5-7)

Drew: I’m still not sure I can buy the Mets as real. Their defense is pretty shaky with a .307 BABIP (3^rd highest in the NL), they still give up more than HR per game, they strike out 21% of the time(5^th most in all of baseball), and they’ve actually given up more runs than they’ve scored (214-234). These are not the makings of a winning team. No matter how they keep winning I can’t believe this team is for real until some of those stats take a more positive turn. I’m going to agree with Maggie on this one and go 2-1.

Maggie: The Mets have been a real surprise this season – maybe more so than the Nationals since everyone was still ragging on them at the beginning of the season and was talking up the Nats. The Nats haven’t played them since their second series, so I have a feeling it will be close, but as a homer, I’ll give the Nats a slight edge. (2-1)

Red Sox (@ June 8-10)

Drew: No one in Boston was really jazzed about the Sox over memorial day. They dropped 2 of 3 to the Rays and there isn’t much buzz. The thing is, they’re not playing terribly. Yeah, they’re last in their division but they’re over .500. In most other divisions they’d be competing for second. They’re offense seems to be performing with a solid wOBA (3^rd in the AL, 4^th overall), a decent BB% (ok, they strike out a fair amount too). Their pitching has been atrocious. The Nats have been a little bit inconsistent bat wise but I’m still going to pick their pitching to carry this one and say 2-1. I’d like to see a little revenge for April 3^rd.

Maggie: The Red Sox have been really struggling this year. Of course, struggling in the AL East means sitting at .500 and still being in 5th place. This is definitely not the team that dominated for a stretch in the mid-aughts, so I’m giving the young and surging Nats a slight edge here (though it will be close playing at Fenway). (2-1)

Blue Jays (@ June 11-13)

Drew: I have no idea what to make of the Blue Jays (really resisting the urge to call them the BJs). They’re playing about as expected from a run production stand point. But since they’re in the AL, and Canadian I don’t know anything else about them. Flipping a coin here aaannnnddd….. 1-2. Nats gotta lose some time right?

Maggie: The Blue Jays are another team that have “struggled” this year (though currently sitting just over .500), but they haven’t had a real signature dominant win within their division. I was originally thinking the Nats would take just 1, but will bump that up to 2 since they may have a decent cheering section considering the franchise’s former base in Canada. (2-1)

We’ll finish things out tomorrow!

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June 22 and 23, 2011: Washington Nationals vs Seattle Mariners

By Maggie on June 23, 2011

There were so many ways I was going to write this post.

Last night, it was going to be a joyous celebration of the Nats finally beginning to achieve their potential by reaching .500, the first step on a list of milestones that Washington needs to achieve before they can be taken seriously by the rest of the MLB. The Nats played a crazy game – Lannan had some solid pitching, Espinosa really kicked up the offense with an RBI and a run scored. Driving home, I realized that there would be another game played before I had a chance to write this post, and that the .500 record would be old news. Oh, how right I was.

This afternoon, I was at work while game was played. I pulled up Gameday on my computer, and was able to check game progress, along with the comments from Nats fandom as it progressed. At the very end of the game, a “live-look-in” was given, and I got to see Nix and his walk-off sacrifice fly. It was a great moment – I got to share it with my baseball friends at work, and everything felt good.

And then I got into my car to drive home, and switched my radio over to 1500 AM to listen to the post-game discussion. I turned it on just in time to hear the team say that we were cutting to the press-room interview with some major news from Mike Rizzo. And then he announced that Jim Riggleman had submitted his resignation effective the end of the game. I don’t know if this will end up being the right move in the long run, but after a homestand that ended 8-1, sweeping the Mariners (a team that took 2/3 from the Phillies, with some really solid pitching and young talent) this just felt wrong. Ugly. A total downer. There is no way this turn of events can be a good thing for the Nats mojo as they go on the road against the White Sox and Angels to finish up their inter-league play.

It’s the end of the era. Let’s see what happens from here. Eyes on the prize, boys, eyes on the prize.

June 18, 2011: Washington Nationals vs Baltimore Orioles

By Maggie on June 19, 2011

Game: #071 – Nationals vs. Orioles

Starting Pitchers: Jordan Zimmermann (#27, 5-6, 3.08) vs. Brian Matusz (#17, 1-2, 5.60)

Final Score: Nationals: 4, Orioles: 2

Nats New Record: 35-36

I’m a nervous person. I worry a lot, and I over think nearly everything. All the good things that happen to me are inspected thoroughly to be sure that they are real. Which is why the Nationals recent winning streak has been difficult for me. I’m trying not to get too excited about what’s happening with Washington’s boys of Summer. Sure – they’ve won a few games. In a row. More than they have in years. They’re also approaching a .500 record – something they have never done when they’ve been 9 games under before. They are currently tied for 3rd place in the National League. People are actually using the words “wild” and “card” in the same sentence as the Nationals.

And I’ve worried – because it all seemed too good to be true. And it kind of is – at some point, the team will break their streak. At some point, they will mathematically eliminate themselves from contention for post-season play. At some point, the players who are “hot” right now will cool down. The team will no longer own the longest current winning streak in baseball, and the longest this year in the National League. At some point, one or more of the players we love will be traded to another team – maybe even a team that we don’t like.

But not today. Today our Nationals played like they meant it. Zimmerman and Morse both went 2-4 with home runs. Jordan Zimmermann pitched for 6.1 solid innings, followed by a performance by Henry Rodriguez that both astounded (with 101 mph fastballs) and shocked (dropping his speed by 18 mph for the strikeout). It was not a perfect game by any means. Espinosa being caught out in a squeeze play that didn’t need happen. Zimmerman having some weak throws.

But overall, this is the team that I’ve loved since the beginning and hoped they would become. They are making great improvements as a team, and I just know that the rest of the summer is going to be a fun time to watch this baseball team come into its own.

(Note: This post was originally written late on Saturday night, before the team ended their streak at 8. As my dad said in a Father’s Day conversation this afternoon, “I’ll take 1 loss for 8 wins in a row.”)

(full album from this game can be seen here)

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June 15, 2011: Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals

By Ashley on June 18, 2011

Game: #068 – Nationals vs. Cardinals

Starting Pitchers: Livan Hernandez (#61, 3-8, 4.15) vs. Kyle McClellan (#46, 6-2, 3.86)

Final Score: Nationals: 10, Cardinals: 0

Nats New Record: 32-36

Hands down, this was the best baseball game Ashley has ever been to. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the baseball was outstanding.

Ashley and husband Drew were at the park and stayed for the entire game (all 2 hrs, 23 minutes of it). That’s right, the Nats were on fire and made a lot of baseball happen in a very short amount of time.

Everyone agrees, the player of the game was Livan Hernandez. He pitched a complete game and only gave up three hits. In fact, he only had two innings where more than three batters (4 in each case) made it to the plate, and he threw just over 100 pitches (105).

At the end of the game, he removed his cap as a precaution and seemed pleased to be given the shaving cream pie while being interviewed in front of the dugout.

The pie was delivered by Lannan, and it seemed to be both recognition of a job well done and a thank you for giving the bullpen the night off.

The runner up player of the game was Michael Morse. He hit his first home run in the 2nd, and really set the mood for the rest of the game. 2 of the 4 HRs belonged to him, as well as 3 of the 10 runs. He was close to getting another HR during his second at-bat, but had to be content with a ground-rule double instead. On defense, Morse was a very solid player at 1st base. With LaRoche out for surgery, hopefully we will see him there often.

Ashley was excited to see Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate. He did not disappoint on offense – he was on base three times and scored twice.

In addition, in a classic Pudge move, he belted a ball from the plate to 2nd base to stop a runner from stealing.

Kudos to all the other Nats who scored – Werth (twice, including a homer in the 8th), Nix, and Espinosa (twice, including a homer in the 7th).

It seemed like the only one who didn’t score was Teddy – despite being assisted by That Cat and the Rally Penguin, he was unable to beat George to the finish. Perhaps it was the lobster claw hands that slowed him down (Happy belated National Lobster Day!).

For the non-baseball part of the game, Ashley and Drew got to the game early to check out the new Scoreboard Walk. It was very nice on a Wednesday night, but we’re not sure how well it will work on a crowded day. It would be usefull if there were more places to rest a beer while you ate a burger – seats are still hard to get. The new sails seem like they will really work well to lower the temperature on hot days though.

Ashley and Drew tried the Shake Shack burgers and the Box Frites fries. The burgers were very good – moist and flavorful. However, it was the garlic-parm fries that made us happy. The garlic wasn’t overwhelming and the parm was higher quality than “green box” cheese. We couldn’t finish them all at dinner, so we took them back to our seats. They were still delicious cold an hour later.

We can’t say for certain that the full moon had anything to do with the Nats great game, but whatever it was, we’re looking forward to seeing more like it in the future.

(full album from this game can be seen here)

June 11, 2011: Potomac Nationals vs Salem Red Sox

By Ashley on June 14, 2011

If you see Uncle Slam, you know that one of the First Ladies must have been enjoying herself at a Potomac Nationals game! In this case, it was Ashley, accompanied by husband Drew and camp friend Sarah.

After an unbearably hot week, a big thunderstorm rolled through Virginia late Saturday afternoon. Although this delayed the game an hour, the weather was crisp and cool – perfect for a night of minor league baseball.

There were three first pitches for the game, but Ashley’s favorite was by George Mason’s new basketball coach – Paul Hewitt. Hewitt coached at Georgia Tech while Ashley was a student there and took the team to the Final Four. Hopefully Mason will have as much success!

Because of the rain delay, Ashley, Drew, and Sarah had lots of time to relax and watch the players warm up. As always, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Above, Higley shows his friends a little dance.

These two played catch in the outfield to limber up. They seemed a bit more focused than their teammates.

The pitcher warmed up while ignoring the hijinks around him.

Like this! (Although you have to admit, that takes talent).

The boys in the bullpen drew pictures in the dirt.

Finally, we all stood for the National Anthem and the game got underway.

The first several innings went by quickly (the entire game was about 2.5 hours) with both teams evenly matched. The light faded pretty quickly by the time the action started to heat up, so there aren’t as many pictures of the game as normal. However, in the bottom of the 6th, the P-Nats scored on an error and took the lead. In the 7th, they scored again on a sac bunt and kept the momentum to win the game.

It’s a bit blurry, but here you see the start of a double play in the 8th. The P-Nats tagged a runner out at third and the batter (#10) decided to try to make it to second base. Right about now, #10 is realizing that he can’t get to 2nd, so he decided to turn back to 1st…

And was rewarded for his judgement with a tag out at the base. Great job P-Nats!

The night ended with a refreshing chill and a fabulous fireworks show. On our way out, Chairman/CEO/First Base Coach Art Silber was at the gate to shake hands with the fans. It was a small gesture that meant a lot – it’s great to see how invested he is with the team. We can’t wait to get back down to Pfitzner Stadium again soon!

(full album from this game can be seen here)

June 22, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals

By Maggie on June 24, 2010

Game: #72 – Nationals vs. Royals
Starting Pitchers: Luis Atilano, (#56, 4-4, 5.03) vs. Anthony Lerew (#54, 0-1, 4.76)
Final Score: Nationals: 4, Royals: 3
Nats New Record: 33-39
Plays of the Game: Homers from Willingham and Dunn were pretty spectacular.
Player of the Game: Hammer gets it for knocking out his 100th MLB dinger.
Favorite Non-baseball Moment: Watching the grounds crew do their job pulling out the tarp, and then methodically rolling it up at the end of the rain delay.
Who was there: Maggie, her Dad, and her cousin Jorge.
Our Records: Maggie – 5-7; Maggie’s Dad – 14-3; Jorge – 1-0
Where did she sit: Maggie grabbed seats in Row B of Section 416 using a Washington Post half-price coupon. It’s a good view, but as the sun goes down over the summer, there are strong sunbeams pointing directly in that direction.
What did she eat: Grilled chicken sandwich from Boardwalk fries. It was super bland. Not bad…just not much of anything, even with a slice of cheese. Get this if you’re on a diet, if you don’t want something fried or greasy, if you’re on a diet, or if you don’t have taste buds.
Promotional Items: “Clipp & Save” “coupon” t-shirt! This was a delightful tee. Love every bit of it. I only wish that I had gotten a size M instead of the L, which I swim in. (see picture in gallery)
President’s Race: Not much to say – George led from wire to wire, and the Nat pack had to bust out the fire extinguishers.

Other Observations:
- The anthem was sung by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. They were AMAZING. And that’s really all I need to say.
- Man, that was some RAIN! Sitting in the upper decks was the ‘perfect’ place to experience high winds and driving rain.
- This game was the very first American baseball game for my cousin. He’s visiting from out of the country, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. I think getting to see a couple home runs and observe a home team win made it even better.
- Poor Luis Atilano! He really got the short end of the stick having to wait more than an hour between innings to pitch. He really looked rough in his last innings – likely lost the ‘warm’ in his arm.
- I filled out 19 all-star ballots before the game. The Nationals have been severely under appreciated during the all star voting thus far, so I did my part.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--7lsDauGJk]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61iLomHJitg]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr_QAKIIxRE]
(the full album from this game can be seen here)
(more videos from this and other games can be seen here)

in HEAVY rain and wind

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June 8, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates (Strasburg’s Debut)

By Maggie on June 9, 2010

Game: #059 – Nationals vs. Pirates
Starting Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg (#37, 1-0, 2.57) vs. Jeff Karstens (#27, 1-2, 5.20)
Final Score: Nationals: 5, Pirates: 2
Nats New Record: 28-31
Plays of the Game: The Home-run derby that this game became. Yes, Strasburg made his debut, but Zimmerman, Dunn and Willingham all proved that they will not be forgotten.
Player of the Game: Stephen Strasburg – who else? Dominated this game from beginning to the end of the 7th inning. Gave up a home-run but didn’t get flustered. 14 strikeouts and 0 walks. As Maggie tweeted last night, it’s like asking for a pony for Christmas, and getting a baby unicorn.
Favorite Non-baseball Moment: Strassy gets two shaving cream pies to the face in quick succession, followed by a crowning with the silver Elvis wig.
Who was there: Ashley, Maggie, Maggie’s Dad, and 40,000+ of their closest friends.
Our Records: Ashley – 5-5; Maggie – 4-7, Maggie’s Dad – 3-3
Where did we sit: Ashley was quick on the draw at ticket time and got us three seats in Section 108, Row X (closer to the field than you would think). A good view, good access to concessions and restrooms, and a couple of balls came to our general area (a few fouls, and the Hammer homer), which could prove interesting in the future.
What did we eat: Maggie and her dad started off with hot dogs that were so ordinary (but good!), that they forgot to photograph them. Ashley had a much more photogenic and value-oriented meal – the Shrimp Po Boy from the Triple Play Grill. This was definitely $9 worth of food, but like many of the other sandwiches at Nats park, the bun fell apart rather quickly (like many of the other buns with Nats park sandwiches). She ended up eating the (heavily battered) shrimp by themselves without the bread. During the bottom of the sixth inning (yes – we missed Dunn’s homer, we’re still sad about that), Ashley and Maggie ventured to the Nutty Bavarian to get cinnamon roasted nuts and a churro for Maggie’s Dad. Unfortunately Ashley got the last bag of pecans (she’s very sorry!) and Maggie had to settle for the cashews, which were still delicious.
President’s Race: It was like the 3rd field gate exploded with the Racing Presidents, Racing Pierogies, Non-racing Sausages, and the two random guys on Segways (who were they, anyway?). Quite the event. Still sad that Teddy didn’t win (Tom took the checkered flag just ahead of our beloved Rough Rider), but we honestly think we would have exploded from Nats awesomeness if that had happened.

Other Observations:
- Tuesday, June 8 will probably go down as the most perfect night of baseball that Ashley or Maggie (or Maggie’s Dad) will ever see. It was so perfect, and in ways we didn’t expect. The metro was crowded, but not unreasonably so, and the traffic driving into the city was heavy, but again – not unreasonably so. There weren’t huge lines at Will Call or the Ticket lines. There weren’t huge lines to get food/beer (and what lines there were seemed to move quickly… which we chalk up to having better trained servers and more places open). The weather was beautiful – not too hot, not too cold, low humidity, and no bugs. The stands were full of people cheering for our team. People were actually enjoying the game, and paying attention – yelling at each other to stand when the count got to two strikes. There 100mph fastballs, double plays, and homeruns! It was everything that was good about baseball distilled into 2.5 hours.
- Ashley met Ken Burns (who threw the first pitch), and thought that was pretty neat. She didn’t get a chance to really talk to him because they were moving the line along, but he was really nice and friendly. Ken also told Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog that Strasburg’s start was “unbelievable”.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyQ9q15f7tY]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8znx8Est9ig]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JyHBT8lYZQ]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si6CIjIrrJw]

(a VERY full album from this game can be seen here)
(LOTS more videos from other games can be seen here)

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