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Last Dance – September 25, 2011: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

By Maggie on September 28, 2011

Here we are, six months later. We started the season on March 31 with rain, cold, and a loss to the Braves. Things have changed dramatically since then. The weather was improved (cloudy, but warm, with eventual sunshine), and a team with more wins and some confidence was taking on the Braves again to close out the season.

The atmosphere down in 129 was like the last day of school. Fans and ushers were hugging, and taking pictures. Lucky season ticket holders chatted on the field as they prepared to be the starting nine – those who run out on the field and welcome the Nats starting fielders at the top of the first inning. And then festivities really started. Glenn Donnellan got the call to do the final National Anthem of the year on his electric batolin.

Ross Detweiler pitched six innings in a start where he hoped to prove he deserves a spot on the rotation next year. He got himself into a couple jams with the bases loaded, but managed to work his way out of it with the help of an excellent defense behind him.

I stepped away from our seats after the President’s Race to get a snack when I heard the roar of the crowd. I quickly turned my attentions to the monitor near the concession stand to see a replay of Wilson Ramos hitting his home run.

At that point, the Nationals had all the runs they would need to win the game. At the top of the seventh, Davey Johnson brought in Henry Rodriguez, who went on to throw seven triple-digit-fastballs in a row. It was such an unbelievably dominant performance that the Braves fans behind us asked if the radar gun in the stadium was stuck, because no one could throw like that.

And just when everyone in the stadium was thinking it couldn’t get any better, Michael Morse went on to smack a two-run homer (his 29th of the year) to lift the team up to 3-0. It was such an electric moment that the fans kept cheering for Morse until he came out and gave a curtain call to the fans.

Cap that off with lights out innings from Clippard and Storen, and it was a magical afternoon.

That’s the last of our game posts for the year. We’ll be back after the season to do some wrap-up posts. So be on the lookout. And if you’re free the afternoon of Wednesday September 28 (final Nats game of the year), there’s a group meeting up at the Clyde’s near Friendship Heights. We’ll be the group in the downstairs bar, and it’s as good a place as any to close out the season. Game starts at 4pm.

P.S. recognize this nerd with the sign? F.P. Santangelo commented on the sign saying, “I’ll second that.”

Full album can be found here.

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

By Ashley 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.

Baseball’d out

By Maggie on September 18, 2011

Fact: Ashley and I are terrible bloggers. I’ve been to three games recently, and blogged about none of them. There have been a few other events and posts that we never got around to sharing with everyone. Part of this can be attributed to a condition that Ashley and I have dubbed being “baseball’d out”. Being baseball’d out happens when you’ve gone to a lot of baseball games during the summer. Another contributing factor is having lots of tickets towards the end of the season.

So we’ve reached mid-late September, and both Ashley and I are struggling. The evidence of my struggle was the fact that I could not make myself go to the season ticket holder Picnic in the Park yesterday, nor the game that followed (which might have been for the best since last night’s game went through 13 innings). Thank goodness I only have 1 more game – next Sunday. Ashley on the other hand, is likely screwed. She has tickets for all three games against the Braves next weekend.

In conclusion: we will try our best to be better bloggers, but it’s September, and we have been to a LOT of baseball games. Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with being “baseball’d out”?

In the mean time: take a look at the pictures that you may or may not have seen. And pray for us, as we reach the end of a marathon baseball season.

August 17: Nationals vs Reds
August 25: Nationals vs Diamondbacks
September 10: Nationals vs Astros
September 11: Nationals vs Astros

September 3, 2011: Washington Nationals vs New York Mets

By Maggie on September 5, 2011

On Saturday, before the Nats game against the Mets, we had already been on our feet for two hours. This was because the Nats had an on-field photo session that had lasted for about 2 hours. And thus we decided to try something new: dinner at the Red Porch. We didn’t get a seat outside/right next to the window/open area, but there was still a cool breeze, and we had a different sort of dinner at Nats park (which included crab balls, a club sandwich, nicer beers than usual, and red velvet cupcakes. All of it was pretty good.)

And then there was the game. We went to find Maggie’s friends who were at the game, and just barely saw Desmond hit his home run at the top of the first, and by the time we got up to our seats on the gallery level, we saw (but did not talk to) Clint as he gave away lucky seat upgrades to a couple in the next section over.

But the real action showed up in the second inning. Recently called up minor league pitcher Tom Milone got his first strikeout at the top of the inning, and followed that up with a 3-run home run on his first pitch seen in his first major league at bat. The crowd went wild – I mean…how often does that happen? Magical.

Then things started to get ugly. In the fourth inning, Milone let his first runs score, and he was taken out the next inning. Gorzelanny replaced him, and did ok for a while…only to have a 2 run homer against him the next inning. Tyler Clippard allowed a run in the seventh, and for the rest of the game, the bullpen shut things down, but the Nats were still down a run, 6-5.

There were good things about the game too, don’t get us wrong. We got to see a new face at 1st – Marrero. He played solidly. We didn’t see him make any huge plays or huge screw-ups. We also witnessed Pudge’s first at-bat in a while. He snuck in off the DL when no one was looking… and promptly grounded out into a double play. Oh, Pudge. We miss you and can’t wait to see you back on the field soon.

And if we’re being honest – this is where Ashley and I left. It was getting to be a long day at the ballpark (close to 6 hours), and watching Clippard slip was difficult.

So we listened to the rest of the game on the radio (hi Dave and Charlie – yes, people do listen to the games on the radio) on the way home. Cue dramatic bottom of the ninth moment. For some reason, Bobby Parnell (the Mets reliever) walked Roger Bernadina to fill the bases, which brought Ryan Zimmerman up to bat. And Mr. Walkoff didn’t disappoint. On the fourth pitch he saw, Ryan lifted a ball into right field, and for once when we all willed it to drop, it did, allowing the two necessary runs to cross the plate and finish the game.

Sometimes I feel bad about leaving games early (especially ones that are frustrating, and the Nats are losing), but occasionally, you get to do a little fist-pump and dance in the drivers seat. Good times.

Full album of photos from this game, including the photo session from earlier in the day (post to follow), can be found here.

Georgetown Cupcake Rooftop Deck Cupcake Party

By Maggie on October 3, 2010

Event: Cupcake Party on the Rooftop Deck hosted by Georgetown Cupcake.
Event summary: It started out with tables with towers of delicious cupcakes in the middle. Maggie and Ashley decided to split the little cakes in order to try as many types as possible. The first one we tried was a seasonal flavor – caramel apple. This was Ashley’s favorite. The next one we tried was the salted caramel on Katherine’s recommendation. Maggie loved that one since she’s a sucker for caramel anything. Then someone said there were red velvet to be had so the ladies snagged the last one.

There were boxes with forms to be filled out for a raffle drawing (spoiler alert: neither Ashley nor Maggie won anything), and a demonstration on how to make buttercream frosting. As Ashley is the baker of the pair, she took careful watch (and lots of pictures). After the demo the (relatively small) group moved to the other side of the tent for a frosting demo. Sophie showed the crowd how to create the signature Georgetown Cupcake swirl. Then the attendees were let loose on tables of plain cupcakes with bags of frosting and decorating supplies. We chatted with Andres who showed us that a bigger piping tip would make the frosting look even better, and Yasmin, who had a lot of “backstage” information about the reality of life at a big-time bakery. Both Sophie and Katherine came by during the decorating, and were nothing but kind and gracious, and even stayed and chatted for a while.

Maggie and Ashley made 4 cupcakes each and put them in the signature pink boxes, and then proceeded to make one more each for additional snackage. Around this time, the raffle drawing began, and as everyone was crowded at the end of the tent, Maggie noticed someone. Or rather – someONES. Mike Rizzo, General Manager of the Nationals organization, and Stan Kasten, outgoing team President. We even managed to snag a photo of Rizzo enjoying one of the cupcakes. If you were wondering during the game where all Kasten’s goodbye cupcakes came from, now you know. Also, as a bit of confession – the photo from the top of our last post was taken after this event when Maggie screwed up the courage to approach both men and ask if she and Ashley could have a photo. They were (obviously) happy to oblige.

All in all, a fun event, and one we would probably attend again if offered in the future. Lots of cupcakes free for the eating, the fun of learning about the baking and decorating process, and a hosting staff that were nothing but helpful and friendly!

(for more pictures from this event, please see this album)

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September 29, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies (Last Home Game)

By Maggie on October 1, 2010

Game: #159 – Nationals vs. Phillies

Starting Pitchers: Ross Detweiler (#48, 1-3, 4.25) vs. Joe Blanton (#56, 5-0, 3.06)

Final Score: Nationals: 1, Phillies: 7

Nats New Record: 68-91

Play of the Game: We would like to go with the Nats only run, but oddly the crowd didn’t seem into it. Yes, we were still sitting in the Phillies section for that play, but it did not seem like anyone other than us was very excited. In fact, Ashley turned to Maggie and said, “Did anyone notice that we scored a run?”

Players of the Game: The entire team! Even though they didn’t win, they all came out of the dugout after the game to recognize the fans and toss stuff into the stands. Being short, Maggie and Ashley couldn’t really see through the mass of people (or take pictures), but it was a nice gesture on the part of the team.

Favorite Non-baseball Moment: At the bottom of the ninth, Adam Dunn stepped up to the plate and the fans exploded. Everyone was on their feet clapping, cheering, and chanting “Sign Adam Dunn”. It was great to be in the middle of a crowd that was both pro-Nats and excited about Dunn. Even though he struck out, he got a standing ovation walking back to the dugout.

Who was there: Ashley and Maggie

Our (FINAL) Records: Ashley – 12-12; Maggie – 12-15

Where did we sit: Our original seats were in Section 143 – at the far left side of the outfield, right behind Nyjer Morgan. Normally, these seats would be in the “just ok” category – you can’t see the big screen, and it’s harder to follow the game from (close to) ground level when you’re way in the back. On the plus side – you can actually kind of tell when pitches are balls and strikes, and Nyjer Morgan (who we love) is RIGHT THERE, miming and having fun with the fans. Unfortunately for us, there were a few too many

Phillies fans in this section that evening who just made it unbearable. We moved to the top of Section 129, and had a better view, and a more enjoyable experience for the second half of the game.

What did we eat: All the concession stands were running out of food – Ashley wanted a veggie burger, but they were out (no hot dogs either), so she had a regular cheeseburger. Maggie wanted cheese fries (and barring that, a soft pretzel with cheese), but there were no cheese fries nearby, and the soft pretzels were sold out, so nachos it was. Fortunately, they both had signed up to be designated drivers, and thus got free small sodas (which were slightly more generous given that we used Ashley’s reusable plastic Nats cups that came in the pitcher set).

Promotional Items: Knit caps (Maggie refuses to call it a beanie, despite it being one). Navy blue with red and white stripes and a curly W. They looked suspiciously like they would not fit at all, but when tried on, they were surprisingly stretchy, and welcome on the cold, damp night of the last home Nats game.

President’s Race: Abe led the entire race, and took his third straight racing championship. To this we say, “Boo hiss! Let ANYONE ELSE win!” Maggie was rooting for George (for a win), and Ashley for Tom (to create a 3-way tie, and thus put Teddy in “second”).

Other Observations:

- We went to the Georgetown Cupcake Party on the rooftop deck, but we have enough pictures and stories for another post.

- We had a chance to say goodbye to a lot of our favorite people around the park – Richard, our favorite usher in section 137; Clint, in-game host extraordinaire; Nicole, our favorite ticket sales rep; and even Stan Kasten and Mike Rizzo!

- Maggie was in a foul mood during the game – was it the weather? The obnoxious Phillies fans? Too much sugar at the cupcake party? Our best guess is feeling the impending doom of no Nats home baseball games for 6 months.

- Dear Nyjer Morgan, where are your tall socks?! Love, the First Ladies

- Although Maggie was displeased with the weather, it actually turned out to be a great night. The rain stopped during the pre-game party, and it held off until Ashley made it back to her car. It was a bit chilly, but we had our new caps to keep us warm!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI1F7BarXY]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAznzF_-w1U]

(full album from this game can be seen here)
(more videos from this game and others can be seen here)

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September 28, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies

By Maggie on September 30, 2010

Game: #158 – Nationals vs. Phillies
Starting Pitchers: Jason Marquis (#21, 2-6, 4.29) vs. Roy Oswalt (#44, 7-0, 1.17)
Final Score: Nationals: 2, Phillies: 1
Nats New Record: 68-90
Play and Player of the Game: Adam Dunn – he had both RBIs for the game, a fielders choice out that allowed Nyjer Morgan to score, and then had an amazing walk-off homer into center field to end the game (more on that below).

Favorite Non-baseball Moments: Last season, Maggie’s sister had gone to a few games, and met an usher up in the Red Loft named Mike, who was really nice to her and her friend, and this season, she told Maggie to keep an eye out for him. Maggie never found him, so when we arrived early at Tuesday’s game (to get t-shirts), we decided to make finding Mike our primary concern. We asked around and found out that he was in the club level. We had passes for the Stars and Stripes Club, so went to see him. He was so nice and took such good care of us, that it made the evening that much more special. Thanks Mike, for being so good to us!
Who was there: Maggie and her sister Meredith
Our Records: Maggie – 12-14; Meredith 1-1
Where did we sit: Section 220. Fantastic view, with no net or wires in the way!

What did we eat: Split an order of (hot, hot!) french fries, a few slices each of Flippin’ Pizza (which we’ve had before), but things really got interesting when a dessert cart in the Stars and Stripes Club caught Maggie’s eye. We split a large piece of Smores cake, which was delicious, and definitely not something either of them could have made themselves. It was a little expensive ($8), but worth it.

Promotional Items: Ryan Zimmerman “Mr. Walkoff” tees. The middle front says “Mr. Walkoff” with Zimmerman’s swinging profile in the middle, and his last name in red down the left sleeve. A great fall giveaway.
President’s Race: Teddy had a MAJOR lead, and it looked like he would get his first win. Meredith noticed a brick wall along the sidelines, and as Teddy turned the corner, the Kool-Aid Man burst through the wall and tackled Teddy with an “Oh Yeah!”

Other Observations:
- There are so many reasons for the Nationals to sign Dunn. One of them happened when the Phillies player Domonic Brown had a hit that was looking like a line drive over first base. At 6 foot 6, he was able to leap and tip the ball so that it stopped, and Ryan Howard was held off from scoring.
- Brian Schneider is now playing for the Phillies. This gives Maggie mixed feelings because he was her first favorite player with the Nats back in 2005, and he signed her hat that year. Fortunately or not, he didn’t have a very good game.
- It was hilarious to watch Marquis drop to the floor as Alberto Gonzalez scooped up a bunt to throw across the pitching mound to first.
- Meredith on Clint: “He’s really good at what he does…do you think he wears make-up?”
- Meredith isn’t a huge baseball fan, so Maggie needed to explain what “Mr. Walk-off” meant. This is how it went. Maggie said, “Well, right now the game is tied. Let’s imagine that it gets to the bottom of the 9th, still tied. Zimmerman is known for getting home runs in these situations where because you break the tie, you can just walk off the field. But since he’s not in tonight’s game – let’s say that guy is Dunn. If he gets up to bat and hits a home run (with 0, 1, or 2 outs), the game is over.”
- Maggie and Meredith left their seats at the top of the 9th because of a self-imposed rule of leaving at 9:30. They saw (and heard) Storen do a great job during the top of the 9th, and were walking back to their cars. On the walk back, a new, large video screen was visible on the back of the scoreboard. We saw Adam Dunn come up to bat, we saw him take the first ball, we saw him swing, and then a view of the centerfield seats. A cheer went up from the crowd, and fireworks went off. Maggie shrieked about having predicted Dunn’s walk-off during her explanation, and they both high-fived a vendor before finishing the walk back to their cars.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7vIGz4fxfU]

(the rest of the album from this game can be seen here)
(videos from this and other games can be seen here)

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September 26, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

By Ashley on September 28, 2010

Game: #156 (of 162) – Nationals vs. Braves
Starting Pitchers: Livan Hernandez vs. Brandon Beachy
Final Score: Nationals: 4, Braves: 2
Nats New Record: 67-89

Play of the Game: Perhaps not the most interesting or game-changing play, but I loved watching Bernadina snag a fly ball two feet in front of me! I rarely get to see plays happening that close, and he made it look easy.

Player of the Game: Again, a position I don’t usually watch very closely, but I had a great view for – Gonzalez gets the nod for showing really great hustle at 3rd. I’ve been sitting in RF a lot, and so I generally pay more attention to what’s happening at 1st, but it was fun to watch Gonzalez play.

Favorite Non-baseball Moment: The Bobby Cox tribute before first pitch. As you may have noticed, Ashley grew up a Braves fan. And, to her, the Braves were Bobby Cox. In fact, he’s been coaching the team longer than she has been alive. So, it was neat to see everyone make a fuss over him. The Nats ran a video about his history as both a coach and a player on the big screen, and then Cox was presented with a flag that was flown over the US Capitol in his honor. Cox is notoriously modest about all of the tributes he has been getting, so there weren’t any fancy speeches or anything. However, after the presentation, the Navy marching band came out into the outfield and performed a few songs.

Who was there: Ashley and her brother
Our Records: Ashley – 12-11
Where did we sit: Ashley hopped online Saturday night and was able to snag half price tickets in the LF corner. Our seats ended up being two rows back from the field, so they were excellent. We were looking down the third base line and we had Bernadina right in front of us. Also, if you want to try to snag a foul ball, this is the section to be in. They were raining down all around us!
What did we eat: Ashley tried the Hard Times boneless wings. They were chunks of chicken drenched in buffalo sauce. They were spicy, but not really what Ashley ended up being in the mood for.

President’s Race: The Grinch stole Teddy’s lead!
Other Observations: In addition to the Cox tribute, there was a lot going on at the ballpark on Sunday. First, they were celebrating Sukkot and had a rabbi throw out a ceremonial first pitch (sorry, no good pictures, but I love it that his red Nats cap was in Hebrew).

It was also Scout day, so they Nats gave away patches and let the winner of the patch design contest throw out the other first pitch. Scouts were also the Starting Nine. Looking across the seats, you could see patches of tan and olive all over the place.

Finally, it was “Signature Sunday” before the game. There were two tables of players set up in the concourse (with Stammen, Radison, Detwiler, and Storen). The lines were long, so Ashley didn’t wait to get anything signed, but it was fun to see the players.

(the rest of the album from this game can be seen here)

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September 25, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

By Ashley on September 26, 2010

Game: #155 (of 162) – Nationals vs Braves
Starting Pitchers: Yunesky Maya vs Derek Lowe
Final Score: Nationals: 0, Braves: 5
Nats New Record: 66-89

Who was there: Ashley, her brother, and her two paternal cousins
Our Record: Ashley – 11-11
Where did we sit: Section 209, which was awesome. The seats were cushy, we were in the shade (it was HOT), and the sight lines were good for pictures!
What did we eat: Ashley and her brother split the nachos grande. They were pretty good, what can I say about nachos? The cousins got a pulled pork sandwich at Teddy’s BBQ and reported that it was excellent.

It wasn’t a great game for the Nats, so here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

Ashley played “By the Numbers” before the game started (mainly because there were very fews fans already at the game, and no one else was willing to play). “By the Numbers” ask questions like “What is Harris multiplied by Bernadina?” Answer? Dunn. (22 x 2 = 44). So, it’s a really hard game. Ashley has never been quick on the draw with trivia, so she did not win this game. To be honest, it was not a matter of skill, it was a matter of speed. The prompt sheet had the answers highlighted, and both of the contestants could see it. After being tied 2-2, the other player got his hand up an instant before Ashley and won two tickets to the Nationals Dream Foundation Gala! To add insult to injury, the next game was “Dunn or Danny?”, which Ashley would have dominated. Oh well…

Ashley wasn’t the only one with some pre-game fun! Tweetup friend Kevin (@DCYetti) won a sweepstakes and had the opportunity to walk the lineup card out on the field. In addition, he had access to the President’s Club and tickets behind home plate. More pictures of his MLB debut are here.

Someone please explain this to me. Any MLB or MiLB players reading the blog? I’ve seen multiple teams where the pitchers walk out to the bullpen with pink and purple princess backpacks on. Do they get them from their daughters? It it some sort of MLB hazing ritual for the new guys?

Nyjer Morgan came back from his suspension and immediately hit a double. I strongly suspect that he doesn’t have fun unless his uniform is dirty, so he slid into second to start the game off right.

There were at least three instances of bats slipping out of players hands during this game. One went into the stands, one flew toward the dugout, and this one landed near 3rd base. Crazy!

The Presidents and Nats Pack had a relay race. The Nats Pack members started in center field and ran over to the bullpen to tag the presidents. Tom won this one too.

I liked this picture because you can see the ball in Dunn’s glove. Usually by the time my camera shutter closes, the ball is already out of sight.

Finally, it was a beautiful day! You only have four chances left to watch the Nats this season, so come down to the park!

(the rest of the album from this game can be seen here)

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September 24, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

By Ashley on September 25, 2010

Game: #154 (of 162) – Nationals vs. Braves
Starting Pitchers: Jordan Zimermann vs. Tim Hudson
Final Score: Nationals: 8, Braves: 3
Nats New Record: 66-88

Play of the Game: Hands down, Willie Harris’ in-the-park homer in the 7th. Harris hit a long ball to center field and the Braves’ center fielder hit the wall and lost it. The crowd in the park (and on Twitter) went wild!
Player of the Game: Adam Dunn, for his 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. As my cousin pointed out, Dunn often bats the extremes – either a home run or a strike out. For this game he was on fire and the crowd loved it. Chants of “Sign Adam Dunn” could be heard around the stadium after these plays.

Favorite Non-game Moment: We got to the stadium as it opened, so we grabbed some $5 beers and went down to center field to watch the Nats warm up. Those of you who might not get to the games so early may not know that only the outfield sections are open while the Nats are on the field. However, the center field seats make a great place to watch, especially because there are so many players in the outfield shagging balls. We were behind several outfielders and pitchers, and it seemed like they were having fun. After the Nats went in, we moved to the seats directly behind the visitor’s dugout and watched the Braves warm up for a while. I highly advise everyone to make the effort to get to the stadium early at least once. It’s my favorite part of the game – everyone is relaxed, you can get really close to the field, and it’s not crowded.

Who was there: Ashley and her brother
Our Record: Ashley – 11-10
Where did we sit: We grabbed grandstand tickets, but ended up hanging out in Section 136 (Richard, where were you?!) because I love the camera angles there.
What did we eat: I tried the gluten free tamale pie. Despite the bland appearance, it was really spicy and flavorful. The pie is actually a commercial product – Amy’s – that comes in the box and the vendor microwaves it for you.

President’s Race: After a close start, Abe and George bumped into each other (taking each other out?) and fell down. Teddy stopped to help and ended up on the ground himself. Tom ran to the finish line unopposed…

Other Observations: Going into this game, I was conflicted about who I was cheering for. I had family in town rooting for the Braves, and as I’ve mentioned before, I was a Braves fan for 25 years before moving to Virginia. The Braves are still the team I root for when they’re not playing the Nats. So the question remained: was I a Nats fan or a Braves fan who is currently cheering for the Nats out of convenience? I am happy to report that before batting practice was over, I knew the answer. I had a great time watching the Nats – I knew all of their names, recognized their faces, and loved watching them interact in a non-game setting. When they went in and the Braves came out, I lost interest. Yes, it was still cool to watch them warm up, but I didn’t feel the same spark. Go Nats!

This game ranks in my top 5 for the season. For the most part, the Nats played really well and there were some spectacular plays. The weather was nice (once it cooled down!), and the crowd was really into the game. Here are a few pictures – most of them are batting practice because I was having too much fun watching the game to get many good ones!

(the rest of the album from this game can be seen here)

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