Last Men Standing: Phillies 6, Nationals 4 (11)
by dajafi on Aug 1, 2010 5:34 PM EDT
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PrintFrom a lineup already missing disabled all-stars Chase Utley and Shane Victorino, the Phillies subtracted Raul Ibanez, their hottest hitter, before Sunday's game against the Nationals owing to a wrist injury. Two outs into the first inning, they lost slugger Ryan Howard to an ankle sprain on a play at second base; X-rays were negative, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Big Piece miss fairly big time. After scoring two runs in that first inning, the Phils went 1 for their next 11 with men in scoring position (and the one hit was an infield single that didn't score a run). They blew a first-and-second, no out opportunity in the fifth, when Nats starter John Lannan set his one-game 2010 season high with three straight strikeouts of the 4-5-6 hitters in the Phillies lineup. (Admittedly, this was Cody Ransom, Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown, but still). They fell behind on a two-run moon shot Adam Dunn hit off Cole Hamels, against whom Dunn had gone 1 for 15 in his career before today.
And yet they won, thanks to some shaky Nationals defense, an overall strong start from Hamels, surprisingly clutch relief pitching and some extra-inning offense. The result, with the Braves losing 2-1 to the Reds, is that the Phils end a difficult weekend that saw Roy Oswalt's underwhelming Phillies debut and Brad Lidge's Saturday night implosion no further behind Atlanta than when they entered it, 2.5 games off the pace in the NL East.
After a ragged outing against Arizona last week, Hamels was sharp again Sunday. He buzzed through the Washington lineup facing the minimum through the first three innings, striking out four. But with a 2-0 lead, he ran into trouble in the fourth by hitting Roger Bernadina, allowing a double to Ian Desmond and, after striking out Dunn, surrendering another double to Saturday night hero Ryan Zimmerman that tied the game. As the Phils failed to crush the eminently crushable Lannan, Hamels gave up a single to Desmond and the Dunn homer in the sixth to put Washington up 4-2. The next half-inning, however, the Phils tied it on a Jimmy Rollins walk, a Polanco double, and, after a Werth foulout and Ross Gload's infield single, a Ben Francisco grounder to Zimmerman at third that looked like a double play before the usually superb defender bobbled it, holding him to one out.
There it stayed through four stressful innings, with J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson handling the eighth and ninth while the Phillies did little against Nationals relievers Joel Peralta and Drew Storen. In the bottom of the tenth, Nyjer Morgan led off against Jose Contreras with a bunt single, moved to second on Bernadina's sacrifice and to third as Willie Harris grounded out. But Contreras struck out Dunn to send the game to the 11th. There, it was Wilson Valdez's turn to bunt for a hit--on a questionable call at first base--advance to second on a pinch-sacrifice bunt by Oswalt and to third on a Rollins flyout. Polanco singled back through the middle to score Valdez, and came around himself on Werth's second double of the afternoon. And in perhaps the least likely conclusion of all, Lidge worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 11th to secure the victory.
The Phils now enjoy their first off-day since the all-star break, casting anxious eyes toward medical facilities in Philadelphia for word of Howard's condition.
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Actually, this could be all moot. They might not be opening a roster spot at all.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/38513490/ns/sports-player_news/
yeah..an ankle sprain can be annoying, but it’s not going to shut you down for an extended period of time if you’re a pro ball player under the constant attention of medical staff. I’ve had a bunch of them as a clumsy oaf, (2-3 very nasty ones), and the worst I was ever out of commission for was a week I think. Crutches a couple days, then light stuff, then back to it.
Seems like football players are frequently sidelined by high ankle sprains for weeks at a time. Granted, the physical demands of the sport are very different from those of baseball, but depending on the nature and severity of the sprain it’s not hard to imagine Howard being out long enough to go on the DL.
I just spent 6 weeks in a cast with a severe sprain similar to what Howard’s looked like. I didn’t get cortisone shots or anything, but the side to side movement of baseball would seem to be very non-conducive to an ankle injury.
He will….it just won’t be when you want him to.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 1, 2010 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed… Although I would settle for his delegation to A ball in a league where no Phillie (current or phuture) had to face him again.
by dannijd on Aug 1, 2010 10:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That phrase should never be uttered by a Philadelphia sports fan
"Bills everywhere, trill everything, and Drake just stand for Do Right And Kill Everything..."
I disagree. In rooting for them under the present circumstances, it demonstrates my disdain for them as a non-threat.
I prefer to have the Mets wallowing in cognitive dissonance/self-loathing as they realize that their success inevitably helps the Phillies. That is much preferable to wishing the Mets to fail over the next three, which is like cutting off your nose to spite your face, if you are a Phillies fan.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 1, 2010 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
But Contreras struck out Dunn to send the game to the 11th.
No thanks to CB Bucknor, who was a big part of the story of this game in his own right.
For sure. But I always get irritated with myself when I write about umps. Plus the biggest questionable call of the game—Exxon’s bunt in the 11th—went our way.
by dajafi on Aug 1, 2010 8:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Exxon would have made it easier if he just ran the damn thing out. I wish the players would figure it out that sliding/diving into first base actually slows them down.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 1, 2010 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I seem to remember him doing this stupid thing before and being out— when he probably would have been safe had he ran it out. What is the point of sliding into FIRST? A slide is meant to slow you down, and coming into first is always a force. Thank goodness it did not cost them this time.
by dannijd on Aug 2, 2010 2:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
it’s not always a moronic idea, just usually. On a bunt, you’re more prone to getting fielders to rush, which leads to bad throws. If a bad throw is up the baseline, a good firstbaseman will do a swipe tag to the baseline to get the runner approaching first. If you slide however, you’re going to be safe, because he can’t catch a chest high throw and then dip down for a tag as easily (and he’s no expecting it)
He’s terrible.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 1, 2010 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Good news. Josh Johnson pitched today, so we’ll miss him in the upcoming series. We’ll also miss Nolasco.
Instead, we’re going to get Alex Sanabia (a rookie), Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Volstad. Those guys aren’t pushovers, but they aren’t Johnson.
In the following series, vs. the Mets, we’ll get their three lefties, which I suppose is bad news. Except that we’ve sort of owned Johan Santana lately.
As long as we don’t face RA Dickey and his slump-inducing knuckleball, it’s all good.
"Clever girl."
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 2, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Lol, uh-oh, obscure rookie alert. Id almost rather face Nolasco instead.
by philiafan14364 on Aug 1, 2010 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Rookie pitcher? No-name scrubs?
Naturally, the Phils will get shut out in one of these games.
Anibal Sanchez is actually quite good, so maybe that means we’ll do well in that game. It will be too bad if Ryan Howard can’t play that day, since he’s had success off of him.
Howard vs. Volstad, meanwhile, is a lifetime 9 for 20, 5 HR, .450/.500/1.200, so hopefully he’ll be ready by Thursday at least. We shall see.
Sanchez has been a bunch of oddities this year. His HR/FB rate is 2.8%, compared to the MLB average of 7.6%. The average pitcher has 2.7% of opponents’ plate appearances end in home runs. Sanchez has 0.9% end that way. His ground ball rate is slightly higher than average, his K rate and BB rate are both below average…basically, it looks like he’s allowing a lot of weak infield BIPs, which tend to go for outs.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
sickels on the oswalt trade
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/8/1/1599742/trade-reactions-part-two
He thinks Houston did well. He says that if Happ “returns close to his 2009 level of performance next year, the difference between him and Roy isn’t that great,” which I think is wrongheaded, but Happ does have substantial value because of his contract situation and I think Sickels’ analysis is not too far off the mark overall.
Happ has outperformed his peripherals so far, and he’s got a reasonable amount of time under his belt. He’s not on the minimal Kendrick level, so I have more faith in his performance. I liked Happ, wish him well, and in 5 years expect him to be better than Oswalt.
He’s definitely better than Kendrick. I don’t see any way he ends up better than Oswalt in five years though, unless you just mean that the 2015 Happ will be better than the 2015 Oswalt. That is, I don’t see the 2015 Happ being better than 2010 Oswalt.
no…i meant the 2015 Happ > 2015 Oswalt. It’s purely a function of age. I wouldn’t try to guess where Happ would be in 5 years, as it could be anywhere from middle relief (or out of baseball) to All-Star. Neither would surprise me that much. Oswalt is better now.
Well that I agree with. I mean, Oswalt could very well be retired in 2015. We will hopefully have gotten some picks for him before then though.
I guess that is one of my biggest reservations with the Oswalt deal. We know (in as much a it is possible) what the Phillies are getting in Oswalt. What is unknown is what they gave up in trading away Happ. While it is true that his injuries could shorten his career or diminish his effectiveness, it is also possible that he has not realized all of his potential yet— this deal could come around to haunt us later.
by dannijd on Aug 1, 2010 11:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Happ is almost 28. He’s just about a finished product as far as that goes. His peripherals were better in the minors than they have been in the majors so far, but not enough to make up for his borderline miraculous results thus far with runners on base, etc. He’s probably going to settle in as a good 4th or maybe OK 3rd starter, and at a pre-arbitration salary, that’s a very valuable commodity.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
My question was more aimed at WC. I think I understand the crux of your position here.
by PhillyFriar on Aug 2, 2010 9:41 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
X-Rays
On Howard’s ankle are negitive. When I my daughter heard that she replied “So Howard has no ankle?”.
I sure hope Howard's ankle isn't broken.
by sowhatifitisasportste on Aug 1, 2010 8:20 PM EDT reply actions
The Phils are dropping like flies. It’s really impressive how well they have done with all the injuries. Not sure the Yankees would have done as well as the Phils have done if Jeter, Cano, A-Rod or Granderson were all out for different periods. The Phils have literally suffered injuries in every position except maybe RF with Jayson Werth
eff you we winning anyway
A.I. IS BACKKKKKKK
if the yankees lost all those peeps, they’d just re-load at the trading deadline with whatever people were willing to sell them at the trade deadline.
Although Werth has avoided the DL, he tweaked his hip in the home opener and was limited to a pinch hit walk in the second home game.
by dannijd on Aug 2, 2010 10:26 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Went to the game today and it was a great one to watch. They would try to start Let’s Go Nats chants but it would end up being Let’s Go Phils.
"Everybody wants me to be a leader, until I make a decision they don't like." -- Jack Shephard
you almost have to feel bad for the nats fans
almost
by Cole Stevens on Aug 1, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Strangely, we’re kind of treating them the same way Mets fans used to treat us when they would invade the Vet back in the day.
I think the Phillies crowds that go down to DC tend to be somewhat more family-oriented than were the Mets crowds that came down to Philadelphia. The latter seemed to be comprised to a greater degree of young drunken hooligans.
it is also my personal opinion that the closer to NYC you get, the jerkier the fans get. Ergo..Philly fans going to DC might be equivalent to NYC fans going to the Vet, on a relative scale.
As one who is culturally a Washingtonian, but a Phillies fan, I think that the Philly folk who have come down have represented pretty well. TP’s assessment about the family crowds coming is more or less accurate.
At the same time, a lot of Nats “fans” are condescending as hell to the incoming Phillie fans, treating them like zoo animals to point at and gasp at….“Look! There are the Phillies fans!”
by WanderingMoses on Aug 1, 2010 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions
That sounds like my reaction to the first Red Sox fans I saw at CBP… I bent over and whispered to my mom, " I didn’t know we let THEM in here!".
by dannijd on Aug 1, 2010 11:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Although I must admit, some Nats fans know where it’s at and realize that if it weren’t for us, they would never have any kind of consistency in filling up the park.
Some friends of mine were complaining that every time the Phillies come to town we take over the stadium, completely oblivious to the fact that if the Nats were actually good, this wouldn’t be a problem. They are also oblivious to the fact that fans of other teams have taken over FedEx Field as well for football games – it all comes back to the teams and whether they are good or not.
I also think that DC is just one of the fakest places on earth, and I have lived around it for 20 years now, and very little has changed.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 1, 2010 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Gentlemen, I'm not a troll. I'm a real live Nats fan.
I’m curious to see what people say about our team. There is absolutely no need to feel bad for our team. We are what we are. We are in last place. We are a better last place team than we were last year, as evidenced by our ability to win a series from a Philly team that is diminished with our own weaknesses (No Guzman, no Capps, no Strasburg). I would find it hard to believe how we would be a worse team next year than we are this year, but stranger things have happened. Hard to see how we’re better than Phillies in the immediate future, but our payroll is decent and if our front office is wise we should be in the conversation by 2012. If we’re not, than Washington risks lower market doom because the Redskins will drown out the season ticket base.
People diss our fan base. That’s basically like kicking a 5 year old toddler around. You can do it, but it doesn’t really reflect high on you. If you were a baseball fan (like the Washingtonian above) you had another team, and I hope you have enough loyalty to stick by that team. If you were not a baseball fan, you were probably a ’Skins (or Cowboys or Giants or Eagles) fan, and the product they have put on the field from 2006-2009 would not make you a baseball convert.
As for whether Philly fans are decent people or not. There’s certainly some and I hope I am talking to that some here. But on the whole, you have to realize that your fan base comes in the largest numbers (good) and worst behavior of any fan base in Nats Park. So in The Bullpen, the beer garden outside the stadium after the Zimmerman walkoff, they have their worst day in terms of security incidents the whole year. You’ve got Philly fans booing kids cheering in the grandstands. Our scoreboard guys ain’t the sharpest tacks in the box. “Let’s Go Nats!” sounds even more like “Let’s Go Mets!” and plays even worse during Mets invasions. But again, we’re toddlers.
If you really want ammuntion to diss DC, I will toss you an olive branch. Following the Strasburg no-show with Miguel Batista, Chad Dukes (who cohosts a radio show with Lavar Arrington) did a radio segment where he went on a rant about how local DC fans need to be compensated for not seeing Strasburg. Keep in mind that the Nats won while embarassing the Brave and creating a season highlight with the scrumptious appearance of Miss Iowa (drowned out by cheering Oswalt to his bullpen) during the first game of the series. This man wants a refund for a game in a team sport after the team won because it is missing one player!
I talked to an intelligent Philly fan on the way to the stadium on the train who was coming to see the game in the Diamond Club. He informed me that if Mr. Dukes had the gall to say something like that on WIP in Philadelphia, y’all would have come after him in chains and pitchforks and he would never work in Philly again.
Again, you guys need to admit that opposing fan bases will find you worst the fan base in the league for justifiable horrific incidents that many Phillie fans look the other way about. It would go a long way to respecting the game of baseball, which I hope we are all about.
Today, you beat my team while terribly shorthanded. A courageous effort by a team determined to fight for a playoff spot. To that I salute you, and any questions about the Nats or our fan base, I’m always here to try to inform.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
It's rough to be a fan on a loosing team
People like to root for winners. To the Nats owners a home series aganst the Phillies is one of the largest paydays they have cause of the number of fans that are willing to travel to watch the team. When I watched the Nats game where SS made his first MLB start those bleachers were packed. That shows a bright future for baseball in Washington the more fans buying tickets the more top name stars they are able to ink to long term deals.
Hey Dez, it's 2am do you know where your mother is?
by sowhatifitisasportste on Aug 2, 2010 3:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Yep. Lerners and Kasten clearly enjoy the money.
I wonder about the long term payoffs of this strategy. Ted Leonsis has taken concrete steps to prevent Flyers and Penguins fans from invading the Verizon Center through secondary ticket markets I believe such as giving preferential treatment to DC zip codes and stuff. (Lazy to google at it at the moment.) So he’s beloved for this kind of stuff. Kasten got much negative press locally for the Opening Day fiasco and ultimately the Nats are trying to woo some Redskins/Wizards/other baseball fans to the ballpark as well for long term season packages.
I’m one of those guys that’s not but so overjoyed with the McNabb trade, but hope it’s the sign of a new era of DC sports where we are not routinely whipped by the Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
response
While I appreciate the general tone of your comments, I think you should understand how much “we” (the Philadelphia fanbase in general, and this blog in particular) hate having to answer to the actions of others, i.e., “you guys need to admit that opposing fan bases will find you worst the fan base in the league” (whatever that means). If you’re frustrated and you want your pound of flesh, great, but I don’t see how getting some commenters on a semi-popular sports blog to confess to all of the sins of the entire fanbase is going to accomplish anything.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
I don’t know that was what he was seeking, I sure hope not.
Every fan base has clowns. More Philly fans go to DC than any other team does, so therefore there will be more clowns from Philly.
I have no problem with booing a kid rooting for the nats. That’s all in sports fun. I might even playfully tease him, but I wouldn’t curse at him, or get mean. That’s where you draw the line. Booing is like cheering, but the opposite.
I'm not looking for a pound of flesh.
I realize this is a popular Phillies site and comments like this can get blowback. My intention is to post a Nationals fans point of view that understands his team and appreciates both the faults and virtues of the team. I learn from reading your posts. There are some times when Nats fans do look at Phillies fans as zoo animals and we don’t always realize how that diminishes us as fans. I probably was too over the top and overjoyed at the walkoff HR game and shouldn’t act like my team won the World Series and just focus on the better line of “thanks for supporting my team. Buy a lot of beer and helps us buy better players. We’ll save more of the trash talking for a day when can compete with the Phillies for the true goals of playoff appearances and World Series championships.” I did a better job Sunday of taking more of the tone with stuff like this post.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
a few thoughts
I’m a native Philadelphian and Phillies diehard who went to grad school in DC and has lived for most of the last 15 years in New York City. So I think I see this from a few different sides.
I kind of admire the Nats and Nats fans. You’re exactly right that yours is an improving bad team, much as the Phillies were in 1998-99. You’ve got a couple true franchise cornerstones, some nice complementary players and a few veterans who know their business and can perform. I think there’s a decent chance the Nationals contend by 2012-13. That we won the season series last year by something absurd like 15-3 isn’t sustainable, and shouldn’t be.
As WC says, we both “get” the perception of Philly fans around the sports world—a perception both based in some fact and blown way, way out of proportion by lazy sports pseudo-journalists—and utterly reject that it in any way reflects personally on us as individuals or on The Good Phight as a community.
One thought about the Nationals fans, though, from having lived in DC: as that city has little to no community per se, with everyone essentially transient, I don’t see you ever building a loyal and enthusiastic fan base the way that the NYC teams, the Phillies or the Red Sox have. In my experience, people don’t bond to the DC area the way they do the other cities of the Northeast (having loathed it there, I want to say this is because the place is so inherently vile, but YMMV). As has been noted in other contexts, you’re far more like Los Angeles in this regard.
The Redskins are the one exception. DC is a basketball town, but it is primarily a Redskins town, and the non-transients of the place are die-hard Redskin fans, although the whole damn place is afflicted with fairy-tale optimism – just witness the reaction from 2005 after the so-called ‘Midnight Miracle’ on MNF vs. Dallas (Santana Moss – two TD’s in the final 5 minutes).
by WanderingMoses on Aug 2, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
This.
As a Redskins fan with dwindling respect for the franchise, the Redskins are a DC embarassment for those who take the time to think about it. It’s depressing when you have to clown your own team and ownership and make you think we’re the high rent version of Millen’s Lions. We’re national jokes because of Haynesworth, Zorn, Spurrier, Lloyd, Archuleta. My god, that’s an endless list. We’’re national jokes because of Arenas.
The Capitals especially and the Nats probably are better run franchises and I’ll root for but not invest but so much spirit in the ‘Skins if they abuse my fandom. I hope part of the passion of Philly fans is because all of their franchises seem like they are doing everything they can to win and aren’t motivated by marketing concerns like the ’Skins.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
Part of the reasons that baseball and all DC sports is important to me is that it's a potential tool to build greater long term spirit in the community
Redskins games bring a lot of DC together. But it’s 16 days a year (because we don’t make the playoffs right now). True baseball fans require a long term relationship with the team. There are lot of people (like myself) who come to DC (came in ‘99) and make a commitment to stay. There are also a lot of people in the neighborhoods outside of the beaten path and in suburbs like Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Virginia (where more Nats fans seem to come from) that do have more committed communities that tend to be low key. If the Nationals ownership, actively works on this kind of stuff that’s how they can build season ticket holders while offering a return on the community trust that is a taxpayer supported stadium. Just as Philliy fans don’t like to be stereotyped as zoo animals and boors, Nationals fans don’t like to be stereotyped as “one of the fakes places on earth”. Most of the people who have this kind of view are justified based on their direct experiences, but seem to be thinking of Washington rather than The District. Washington bugs me and the chic urban folks of some neighborhoods and the percentage of plodding government workers just doing their time creates an impression. The District is committed neighborhoods very active in local politics because of the unique political structure of an area where the small distance between local politics (Area Neighborhood Commissioners) and elected office creates some unique passions.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
Don’t get me wrong: I lived in Takoma Park and kind of liked that area, and I’ve done enough work pertaining to DC community as a public policy research consultant/editor that I know my cartoon view of the place is just that. I think you’re on target with both the possibility of sports helping to build community (beyond the Redskins—a proud franchise sadly under the control of a monster) and the specific likelihood that the Nationals under Kasten/Rizzo are on the right track.
Takoma Park is great, great community.
Justifiably insular because it feels more like a pocket of Seattle [haven’t been there, though ;-) ] and a very unique neighborhood than part of DC. Good choice, though. My aunt lives in the Maryland side of Takoma Park and she loves it.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
Takomatose Park! I lived in that ex-Hippieburb for awhile. Cool place.
The only thing that annoyed me was the weird ass curb enclosed tree planter island things on, I believe that one stretch of Maple Ave and also the fricking speed bumps everywhere. It’s also a No- Nukes zone, quanit in that symbolic ex-hippie idealism kinda way. Real easy to get into the city from there. Not like living in VA. You have to use one of those 3 traffic congested bridges. Don’t miss the traffic of the area one iota.Or the god damn parking tickets. DC. Someday. Statehood be it in of itself, or part of MD, and only if absolutely necessary – VA.
Yeah. I don't dig VA that much myself.
I’ve got family there and the majority of Nats fans seem to be from VA so I suppose that’s one angle if you want to get on the Nats fan base. You can add the traffic cameras in MD and DC to your hatred of the parking tickets. Only moving violations I’ve ever gotten are 1 each in MD and DC where I was absolutely know danger to anyone except to the public coffers.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
I was born in D.C. Lived in VA until I was 7. Back then it was a lot of farmland outside of the city, but now it’s completely congested. I hated Virginia and don’t miss it one bit. D.C.‘s fun and I’ll visit there, but VA? No way.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Arlington and Alexandria are cool for me. Outside of that you can have it. There simply aren’t many valid public transportation options in VA. Montgomery County’s done a much better job of integrating metro into supplemental bus lines that helps increase the value and ease the traffic out there too me. I’m a bit biased though because I’ve lived in DC and worked in Montgomery in the past.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
also
I think the frustration (on my part, at least) when people tacitly want me to answer for the sins of the Philadelphia fanbase is similar to the irritation you feel, as a Nats fan, when people criticize the Nationals’ fanbase as some monolithic entity (“They have no fans LOL!!”), tease really good and loyal Braves fans for the playoff game attendance apathy, etc.
99/100 times, you’re making a “good fan” answer for the “bad” ones, which is just stupid and unfair.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
Like I said above...
…my goal in coming here to make my points is to represent my own fan base positively and learn more about the “good fans” such as yourself. Fans usually have to be on the higher scale of fans to come to SBNation because the communities do a pretty good job of booting the idiots real quick. That’s one reason that I enjoy consistently visiting opposition team’s sites when we play them to get another impression of my team and it’s community. I appreciate your feedback, and I’ll do my best to remember it when I’m talking about your team. Just trying to learn, sir/maa’m/madam.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
I think you’ve done that. Of the “guests” to visit us here, you’re easily in the upper quarter or so in terms of knowledge and courtesy.
Thanks much.
Enjoyed the conversation much, and I hope others from here will check back to see some of my responses. Admittedly, I totally get it if they don’t. Truest fans focus on their team more than other fan bases, especially when they are in the midst of a heated pennant race.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
Some are. Especially around DuPont Circle.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 2, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
This.
Which is where the tourists go and where I rarely go. To me, the Dupont Circling of U. St. is a particular tragedy.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
As a younger kid (ages 8-13), I spent a lot of time in NE, cause my dad worked down that way on Michigan Avenue and 4th St. (around Catholic U.), and I liked it there. You are right, DuPont is pretty much a tourist-y trap, and I hate taking out of town friends and family to see museums and monuments.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 2, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep. That's where I roll.
I live in Brookland in Northeast and that’s a quality part of town. Of course, Metro development is on the horizon for us too within the next 3 years or so and we’ll see how that alters the character of the neighborhood as well.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
Yeah, I lived at 13 and S. for awile . It was weird when a Whole Foods appeared in one of the NW havens where you could get blown or score a billy.
Silver Spring and Columbia Heights resemble nothing like what they used to be when I moved here in ‘99. You look at the pace of change and the relatively easy availability of capital to improve in DC because the Feds never go broke (knock on wood), and that’s certainly one reason why DC gets some resentment around the country. Not the biggest fan of those members and I tend to gravitate toward the more stable and traditional neighborhoods. We’re currently working on trying to build a Nats bar community in a stable area of DC on Federal Baseball. Real indicative of the “toddler” status of our fan base.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.
I hope Howard doesn't miss too many games.
This team can’t afford to lose him for any significant period of time.
Damn, these injuries are just ridiculous.
I am oddly zen about this… A month ago, I thought that this team was done when Cerberez took over the infield. But a funny thing happened on the way to being done— they survived. Has it been pretty? No… But it has been interesting… Cerberez was mostly off of the field, so baseba’al decided to throw another curve- GloMonEz may not be quite as cool to say, but this team will survive— they have won games where Howard has not hit, have survived without Utley for a month (an are in about the same position they were in when he left). It will be fine! (That being said, I hope to never get to know the back up plans quite this well again!)
by dannijd on Aug 1, 2010 11:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
A Lidge 1-2-3…it was like a Sasquatch sighting. I was like a little girl at a horror film, watching through my fingers the entire time.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Yup… Bragita tends to cause that light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an oncoming train feeling.
by dannijd on Aug 2, 2010 2:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
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