Yankees rout the Orioles, 13-3, since there is no MLB mercy rule

The Orioles could've used as much offense as they could get, but Nick Markakis could only sit and watch. He didn't play, since he had been injured after CC Sabathia's pitch the previous day. He sat in the dugout as his team got routed, and I could see that his wrist was wrapped.

I sat 5 rows from the New York Yankees dugout and watched the Yankees take on the Orioles and take the lead in the AL East.  I'm not going to go into the play by play, but let's just say that it always seemed as though the Orioles pitchers were loading the bases and/or the Yankees were scoring. 

The Yankees won the game with a score of 13-3.  Yes, the Yankees scored 13 runs. 

The father-son conversations sums it up nicely.
Son:  Dad, what's the score?
Dad: I think it's 2-0.  Maybe 3-0.
Me: I think it's 4-0.  Wait,  I see it.  It's 5-0.

Yes, it sounded like an auction, and it more or less felt like one. 

The Orioles started to rally in the 4th, but they could never score more than 3 runs.

You want to know who scored?  Everyone scored.  Ok, not everyone scored, but it sure as hell felt as though, every time you looked there was a Yankee crossing home plate.

Another fun moment in the game was when someone started yelling, "overrated" when Derek Jeter was at bat.  Yeah.  If you are an Orioles fan, you should probably tell that guy to be quiet, since Jeter ended up hitting a homerun.

If you're a Yankees fan, today was a BEAUTIFUL day.  If you're an Orioles fan, at least today's game is over and only counts as one loss.

Maybe MLB needs a mercy rule...  I know the Atlanta Braves came back from a 0-9 deficit against the Washington Nationals, but...

After crushing the Orioles today, the Yankees are back on top of the AL East.

THE WIRK

Nats defeat the Braves, 5-4, after 13 innings

I caught the Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals game on Monday August 20th.  I'd flown back from Singapore, thrown my bags in my apartment, and walked out the door to meet Kathy (aka the world's biggest Chipper Jones' fan) so we could head to the ballpark.

Comfortably seated about 4 rows behind the Braves' dugout, we noticed that they were postponing the start of the game for rain, so off to Ben's Chili Bowl we went.

As we waited by a condiments station for the rain to stop, we witnessed a man reach into the onions to put some on his hotdog.  COME ON, PEOPLE!  If you can't get the onions or any of the condiments to dispense, you DO NOT reach your hand into the ingredient(s).  So gross.

The Nats rookie, Bryce Harper, and the Braves veteran, Chipper Jones

Once the rain stopped and before the start of the game, we settled back into the seats.  Quickly the Nats took a 4-1 lead at the end of the 1st.  Kathy didn't seem worried.  After the amazing comeback from a 0-9 deficit (i.e. at least I think that's what it was) in the last game we attended, I'm sure Braves' fans everywhere weren't scared.

Yes, the Braves rallied and the game was tied at 4 after 5 innings.

In what seemed like a marathon game that ended after midnight (i.e. on a night when I had just flown 24 hours) it seems like everyone was exhausted.  The Nats' bullpen was exhausted, and I was exhausted.  I would've closed my eyes a bit, if I could've, but the thought of getting pegged by a foul ball was enough to keep me up and aware.  ****  Incidentally, the man on my left, picked up a foul ball that was hit our way, after the people in the rows behind us couldn't snag it! 

Nats celebrate Espinosa scoring and the win by a score of 5-4

Chipper Jones heading to the bullpen at the end of the game

It took 13 innings, but Chad Tracy hit a single and Danny Espinosa scored to put the Nats up 5-4.  The Nats earned the victory, and I snagged some great pictures!


THE WIRK

Braves defeat the Nats 11-10, after 11 and Chipper Jones sets 3B RBI record

Friday, I casually pinged my friend, Kathy, to see if she wanted to go to the Washington Nationals' game.  I figured that the odds were good that she'd go, since she's a huge Chipper Jones fan.  Sure enough within about 20 minutes we had tickets to the game behind the Nat's dugout.  She chose that location so she could look into the Braves' dugout!!

Anyway, around the 5th inning and with the Nats up 6-0, the rain started.  It wasn't the torrential downpour that DC has been getting used to, but it was heavy and misty enough that we abandoned our seats and planned to watch the balance of the game on the concourse.  We should've only been standing for about 4 more innings and the Nats should've ran away with the victory, right?  Right?!?!

Wrong.

After 5 complete innings the Nats were up 9-0.  The game should've been over, right?  Right?!?!

Wrong.

As we stood on the concourse, and I ate my Dippin' Dots, Kathy kept rooting for her Atlanta Braves.  She kept saying that the Braves had terrible pitching, but that they could hit.

Stephen Strasburg was the Nats' starting pitcher.  It was his birthday.  He should've walked away with a Nats' victory, right?  Right?!?!

Wrong.

Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves played some exciting, amazing, extra-inning baseball to win with a score of 11-10, after 11 innings of action.  Closer to the 9th inning, Kathy and I settled in on the Braves' side of the field and she could hear "her people" (i.e. fellow Braves' fans doing the famous tomahawk chop and chant).  She was on "Cloud 10", until the Nats tied the game after 9 innings.

If you want the box score and/or the play-by-play, you're going to want to hit ESPN.com or another sports website. 

Aside from the score, here's your Chipper Jones' fun fact of the game:  Jones is now the all-time leader in RBI's for a third baseman with 1,598.  I was there.  I saw it. 

THE WIRK

Yankees defeat the Nats 5-3 after 14 innings

Saturday afternoon I was sitting pretty (i.e. eating and drinking) on my perch at the PNC Diamond Club at Washington Nationals Park for the 2nd game of the 3-game series between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.

 

Unfortunately I forgot my camera when I went to the game so all the pictures I have a from my iPhone.  Once again, I went into the game expecting to see Bryce Harper do something special.  After 14 innings, I left feeling a little frustrated that I hadn't seen the special player that everyone raves about.

One special thing that happened at the game was when Eric Chavez hit a foul ball that went into my section.  The older men sitting at the table behind me couldn't catch the ball, so it fell right behind me.  I had to lunge, but I was able to get the ball!  Now both of the baseballs I have are from Yankees!  The first was from Alex Rodriguez, when he tossed me one in Minnesota (i.e. at a Twins game) and now this one from Saturday, 

Yankees won on Saturday with a score of 5-3.  It was a marathon, but a great day for baseball!

I ran into Teddy on the way out and although he never wins the Presidents' Race, he's a winner when he's with ME.

THE WIRK

Yankees defeat the Nats in the 1st game of a 3 game series

I know this blog has been quiet lately, because I've been in and out of the country.  Now that I'm "back", lately I've been focusing more on baseball than basketball since I can't stand the thought of the LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning the 2012 NBA Championship...  Come on Oklahoma City Thunder!!!

OK, enough of that.  Back to the point of this post.

Did you know that the New York Yankees hadn't played the Washington Nationals in DC since June 2006?!?!  Those games were played at RFK Stadium.  No wonder people were buzzing...

I have a lot of friends in the DC area who are Yankees' fans and this series was all they could talk about.  When I was playing on the Nationals' ticketing website, I spotted a pair of good seats behind home plate slightly towards the 3rd base line...  Who doesn't want to be closer to A-Rod?!!?  Let's be real.  Alex Rodriguez is much better looking than Derek Jeter.  Needless to say, I grabbed the seats as fast as I could and called my Jetah-loving friend, Teri, to let her know we were golden!

I went to the game, thinking that the Nats would play better than they did.  I was also excited to finally see Bryce Harper play.  Unfortunately, I can't remember him doing anything memorable at the game...

The AL East leading New York Yankees came to DC and beat the NL East Washington Nationals by a score of 7-2 on Friday night, and I was hooked.  After the game I went straight to the ticket window and picked up a ticket in the PNC Diamond Club for Saturday's afternoon game.  ****  If you haven't been to the Diamond Club yet, I think you should go.  It's a great place to watch a game and reasonably priced if you go there hungry and thirsty! 

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

RFK Stadium is turning 50 ~ I Remember

Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, RFK Stadium...
Happy birthday to you!

I'm not originally from the DC/VA/MD area, but I've been in the area long enough to consider it "home".  Yesterday, I attended a press conference to kick off the RFK Stadium 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Some notables in attendance, were Vincent Gray (i.e. the Mayor of DC), Kevin Payne (i.e. President and CEO of DC United), Charles Mann (i.e. former Washington Redskin), Gregory McCarthy (i.e. Vice President of the Washington Nationals), and Norm Everson (i.e. former player for George Washington University).  If you're like me, you'd never heard of Norm either, but if you were at the event, I assure you that you'd never forget him. 

Greg O'Dell, President and CEO, of Events DC kicked of the event and various government and team officials spoke about their own RFK memories.  Everything from football games, to baseball coming back to DC, to boxing, to musical performances have taken place at a building that was described as having "soul".  The "I Remember" campaign is personal and definitely had people more than willing to recall their own experiences at the venue.  Norm's story was the last one and had people talking (i.e. if you want the details, "google" it)!

As someone who moved to the DC area in 2004, I was bummed to hear that I missed the Michael Jackson "Victory" tour and surprised to learn that boxing matches had taken place there.  I've only been to RFK a handful of times, and it was for the Washington Nationals, the Military Bowl, and a DC United Game... 

Well, RFK Stadium, I look forward to creating more memories with you.

Through the "I Remember" campaign, fans can vote for the RFK All-Stadium Team.  This "team" will be 50 of the greatest athletes and entertainers in stadium history.  Fans can also share pictures and memories with each other.  The URLs are: http://www.rfkstadium50.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/RFKStadium.

In addition to numerous events occurring at RFK the rest of the year, October 29 is RFK Stadium Appreciation Day.  Memorabilia will be on display at the DC Armory from 9AM-7PM.  The event will also feature family-friendly activities (i.e. player appearances and giveaways).  Further, tours of RFK Stadium will be given at 10AM, Noon, and 2PM.  These tours will give visitors a behind the scenes look at the locker rooms and the field.  The tours are free, but please register at the following link: http.://www.rfkstadium50.com/


THE WIRK

I know nothing about baseball ~ Thanks Nationals...

I just got back from vacation in Vegas and let's make a couple of points clear... 

1 - My huge lucky streak (from May) is over. 
2 - I have determined that I know nothing about baseball...

The Washington Nationals have managed to cost me more money than I'm willing to admit.  Seriously?!?!  The Nationals?!?!  The Washington Nationals' bats beat the Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.  Further, to add further insult to injury, the Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night.

Awesome.  Just awesome.


THE WIRK

Mary Poppins & SF Giants defeat the Washington Nationals ~ July 10, 2010

I never turn my phone off.  Ok - that's a lie.  I turn my phone on airplane mode on planes.  Regardless, that's not the point.  The point is I'm rarely if ever away from my phone because you never know who's going to call and what can happen.

I was running around on Saturday and on my way to grab my friend, Amy, so we could go and see Mary Poppins at the Kennedy Center.  I wanted to go to the matinee show so I'd have my night open to do whatever else I wanted to do.  ****  For those of you that are curious about the show ~ go see it.  It's not completely true to the movie, but it's a great adaptation.  My only real complaint is that the show didn't do the whole "Step in Time" song.

View from our seats in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center

Now back to my baseball story...

While I was driving, I received a text from my friend, Pat.  He said he might end up with some really great tickets to Saturday night's game and wanted to know if I wanted to go.  ****  Lucky for me, his buddy was at the beach and couldn't go!  I texted back "Yes!!!!!!"  Next thing you knew I had a ticket to the game in the President's Club.  What a guy!!! 

Awesome night for a baseball game, and I got to see the San Francisco Giants defeat the Washington Nationals.  The Nats had the lead, but blew it.  Regardless, it was a GORGEOUS night out for a baseball game and it was definitely fun to check out the President's Club.

For those of you that don't know ~ the President's Club is the area right behind home plate and the seats are padded.  The seats come with all you can eat food and a buffet before/during the game.  From inside you can see the Nats' batting cages and the Media Room where the post-game press conferences are conducted.

Batting cages behind me ~ Adam Dunn at bat

Pablo Sandoval at bat

Pudge Rodriguez at bat with Adam Dunn ready to run

Awesome seats and a gorgeous night for baseball

Pat and I in our seats

San Francisco Giants won

THE WIRK

Nationals defeat the Mets, bottom of the 9th ~ July 3, 2010

I'm notorious for staying to watch the very end of every game.  I don't care about what time it is.  I don't care about the commute home.  I don't care about the size of the crowd, or what I have to do later or the following day.  In basketball I expect to see 48 minutes of action, and in baseball I'm not leaving until I see the final out. 

Usually I'm in charge of the tickets and my desire to see the ENTIRE game is why I'm the one racing past you in the parking lot znd on the concourse to get to my seat ~ before the opening tip and the first pitch.  I talk to a lot of sports fans when I travel and I find it funny, that I never heard the comment before that new stadiums like Target Field are good, but a major deficiency is that that concourse isn't wide enough.  That's a legitimate and serious concern for fans like me, that want to be able to maneuver easily.  So, for those of you designing new stadiums, arenas, and ballparks - keep it in mind, that when you offer concessions and souvenirs you choke the flow of traffic on the concourse before/during/after the game.  Enough about that...

Wallking towards the park, I noticed 2 guys selling Witness 37 shirts for Strasbug.  I need to get myself one of those shirts.  ****  Mental note: find out how much those shirts are and grab one next time.

Sporting my new Nationals jersey, I went and saw Strasburg pitch and watched the Washington Nationals rally, from a 5-3 deficit, to defeat the New York Mets in the bottom of the 9th inning.  It was an awesome comeback for the Nats (i.e. worthy of fireworks, even though it was only the 3rd of July).  Honestly, the promise of Stephen Strasburg's pitching was enough to get my brother and I's childhood friend, Scott, out to his first game at Nationals Park. 

Even though Scott was there ~ Strasburg's "K-game" wasn't.  He pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs.  K-game....  Hmmm, I like the sound of that. 

****  Seriously, has anyone used the phrase "K-game" to describe a pitcher's best performance as opposed to A-game?!?!  If not, I'm claiming that terminology for TheWirk.com right now...  K-game is defined as a pitcher's A-game, but since we want strikes it's a K-game.  Add it to the Wirktionary. :-P

In between innings Scott tells me that he knows the cousin of another Nats pitcher.  Oh really...  It looks like Scott has been holding out on me.  Scott is now responsible for finding tickets to another game, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know it.  I hadn't seen him in months, and he's been living in the area for almost a year so with the lure of baseball, I was able to get him to come out of "hiding".

Adam Dunn hit was looked like a GAME WINNING GRAND SLAM ~ but the ball hit the wall and bounced back on the field.  The play was reviewed, after Carlos Guzman and Willie Harris both scored for the Nats. 

After intentionally walking Josh Willingham, Pudge Rodriguez had his chance to be the hero of the game (i.e. and he took it) when he singled, and Ryan Zimmerman scored!

You can see the smile on Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez's face

K-Rod aka New York Mets' pitcher Francisco Rodriguez , didn't bring his K-game either...

Ever get the feeling that something amazing is going to happen?  Well, I did.  I shot video of the winning play and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez crossing home plate, but the video killed the rest of my memory card, so I deleted it.   Futther, let's be honest ~ I thought I could scoop a clip of the winning play off of youtube easily.  Turns out I'm wrong, and I just checked my camera and I did delete the video.  Ugh.

Oh well.  Hope you enjoyed the pics from the game.

Remember what Yogi Berra said, "It's not over, til it's over."


THE WIRK

Mets v Nats, July 3 ~ Stephen Strasburg's last pitch for 2010 MLB All-Star roster

I  don't know what you're doing today, but I'm excited to wear my new Stephen Strasburg jersey this afternoon! The New York Mets take on the Washington Nationals at 4:10PM today. The weather looks absolutely gorgeous, and I'm thrilled I get to see Strasburg pitch AGAIN (i.e. before the 2010 MLB All-Star break). Strasburg is now 2-2 and with an ERA of 2.27. 227, huh. Now I'm reminded of that half-hour sitcom back in the day with Regina King and Marla Gibbs, but I digress...

This voyage to Nationals Park will be a new experience also, because I'm supposed to take the metro to the event. If you know me, or keep up with this blog, you know that I'm less than lukewarm when it comes to public transportation. We shall see.

There's a lot of hype around when Strasburg throws, and this game is no exception. This afternoon is Strasburg's last change to make a "pitch" as to why he deserves to be a part of the 2010 MLB All-Star festivities. According to the Mark Newman's article, "A 48-hour poll on MLB.com last week revealed that roughly 65 percent of fans say the rookie pitching sensation does not belong in the event, at least not yet. However, Strasburg is arguably the top viewer magnet in the game right now, his appeal extending beyond Nationals fans. The decision belongs exclusively to Manuel and MLB."

Looks like Charlie Manuel and MLB have something serious to think about.

In honor on Independence Day's impending arrival, Strasburg and Washington Nationals fans can let themselves be heard immediately following the announcement of the All-Star rosters. According to Newman's article (i.e. cited above), "Fans will vote to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster, through the 2010 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint, now in its sixth year. Fans can choose from a list of five players from each league from July 4-8, and the winners will be announced after the voting concludes on July 10."


THE WIRK

White Sox defeat the Nationals 1-0, and Peavy pitched a complete game shut out

It was a Saturday afternoon and the White Sox defeated the Nationals, 1-0.  White Sox pitcher, Jake Peavy, pitched a 3-hit complete-game shutout for the White Sox.  Nationals' Manager, Jim Riggleman was thrown out of the game and a couple got engaged in the section ahead of where we were sitting.  The crowd's reaction to the engagement was mixed (i.e. girls were happy, men were yelling "think it through).  My favorite reaction was Ozzie Guillen motioning to the newly engaged man that his life was over.  Hilarious.

View from section 119

I highly recommend the PNC Diamond Club for those of you looking for seats.  Each ticket comes with a $35 credit for food and drink and there's an air conditioned bar/restaurant area too.  For my money, there's no better place to sit.  Pat and I were lucky to be sitting in the shade, since it was a scorcher with the heat and humidity. 

Washington Nationals' Manager, Jim Riggleman, getting tossed out

White Sox win

With no real horse in the race, it was a fun afternoon at Nationals Park with good weather and great company! I remember Omar Vizquel when he played with the Cleveland Indians, and it's great to see him still in a uniform and playing.  With the win yesterday, the Chicago White Sox had won 5 games in a row.  Needless to say, I've been busy today and have no idea what happened in this afternoon's game.

THE WIRK

White Sox defeat the Nationals ~ Strasburg pitches, Obama at Nationals Park

Yesterday I told my friend, that I'd take him out to dinner for his birthday.  However, later that day, I realized that Washington Nationals', phenom Stephen Strasburg, was pitching against the Chicago White Sox.  Change of plans...  So much for dinner, my friend and I were going to go to a baseball game!

It was my 2nd trip to Nationals Park (i.e. this year) and DJ and I settled into our seats in the Diamond Club.  White Sox scored first and the score was 1-0 in the 1st inning.  We both love baseball so we started to look around the park, and then we noticed that there was a lot of activity in the suites.  Yep, turns out that President Obama was at the game also.  If you ask me, our seats were better ~ but of course, he needs to be shielded/protected and the suites offer him that.

President Obama is at the game

With Strasburg on the mound, I wanted to sit behind home plate and see what it was like to have him throw "at me", and if you ask me the seats were a deal since each ticket came with $35 to spend at the game.  Plus, since the tickets weren't scanning properly, the lady in the Diamond Club gave us $70 in Nats Bucks!  Together, between the 2 of us, we had $140 to spend on food, drink, and merchandise.  Thanks for the free food and drink Washington Nationals and extra thanks for my new Stephen Strasburg jersey!

Can't make it to the game or need some gear for the next time you see Strasburg pitch?  Here's a link to his jersey so you can buy one also!

Here are some other pictures snapped during the game.

Joe West was the unpire, but Ozzie Guillen got to stay the entire game this time

Stephen Strasburg on the mound

Fireworks after the game

It took extra innings, but the Chicago White Sox defeated the Washington Nationals, 2-1. 

Looks like another great day for some baseball ~ take ME out to the ball game!

THE WIRK

The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Washington Nationals ~ June 5 2010

The Rick was in town on June 5 to finish his baseball stadium tour, so I met him at Nationals Park for the Cincinnati Reds v Washington Nationals game.  Being from Ohio, I was thrilled that the Reds won.  Being The Rick's friend it was good to have him in town and be able to see him.

During the game a large piece of a broken bat flew into the crowd and missed my friend's head by about 5 feet.  He's lucky to have me around.

Joe West was behind the plate, and yes he threw someone out of the game.

The Reds defeated the Nationals 5-1.  Enjoy the pictures from the game!


 

Frank Howard statue

Joe West and his men

With The Rick

After the game, I checked my voicemail and realized I needed to be back in New Jersey on Sunday.  Regardless there was still time to see a movie.  This is a picture with Alvin, Simon,  and Theodore (i.e. The Chipmunks) after watching "Get Him to The Greek".

THE WIRK