Goodman League

Look How Many More Nats Fans Wear Red Now

May 26, 2008

April 27, 2014

Date: 5/26/2008 
Result: 4-3 MIL in 11 innings
Nats Record: 22 wins, 30 losses
Weather: 78 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 28,552
Starting Line Up:

Willie Harris / 2B

Cristian Guzman / SS  

Aaron Boone / 3B 

Dmitri Young 1B

Lastings Milledge / CF

Rob Mackowiak / LF

Elijah Dukes / RF

Jesus Flores / C

Jason Bergmann / SP 

Date: 4/27/2014
Result: 4-2 SD 
Nats Record: 14 wins, 12 losses
Weather: 60 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 34,873
Starting Line Up:

Denard Span / CF
Anthony Rendon / 3B
Jason Werth / RF
Adam LaRoche / 1B
Ian Desmond / SS
Danny Espinosa / 2B
Jose Lobaton / C
Nate McLouth / LF
Taylor Jordan / SP

Hank Aaron Coming to National Portrait Gallery

Hank Aaron by Ross Rossin (via rossinfineart.com); oil on canvas, 48x48in

Arguably the best baseball player in the world, ever, will be in DC this weekend. Hank Aaron, the former all-time Major League Baseball home run leader, will be at the Smithsonian Institution on Saturday. The National Portrait Gallery is hosting Aaron in order to formerly receive his portrait by artist Ross Rossin. Aaron, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, will be interviewed by author and journalist Howard Bryant. The portrait is actually already hung, and is on the first floor of the Gallery.

Aaron held the MLB record for most home runs hit from 1974 until 2007, when the record was surpassed by San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds. Bond's record (762 home runs) appears safe for a while; the next closest active players are Alex Rodriguez (654), Manny Ramirez (555), Albert Pujols (492), and Adam Dunn (440). While I admire Bonds, his too-close-but-not-totally-verified links to performance enhancing drugs means that I personally consider Aaron, with 755, the greatest American home run hitter of all time.

From the Smithsonian:

What: Live interview with Hank Aaron hosted by Howard Bryant of ESPN and portrait of Aaron by Ross R. Rossin on view in first-floor gallery

When: Saturday, February 8, 2014 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Where: Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium, National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and G streets NW

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery hosts a living self-portrait with baseball star Hank Aaron in celebration of his 80th birthday. ESPN’s Howard Bryant will host the interview in the museum’s Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium. A portrait of Aaron by Ross R. Rossin was recently installed on the first floor of the museum.

Aaron is senior vice president of Atlanta National League Baseball Club Inc. Before joining the Atlanta Braves’ front office, Aaron enjoyed a 23-year major league career. He holds more major league batting records than any other player in the game’s history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. Aaron has received numerous civic awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal, awarded by President Bill Clinton, and the Medal of Freedom, awarded by President George W. Bush. With his wife Billye, he is the founder of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation.

Guest interviewer Howard Bryant is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine. He wrote The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron (2010). A journalist for 23 years, he was previously a columnist at the Boston Herald and covered the New York Yankees for the Bergen Record and the Oakland A’s for the San Jose Mercury News. He has also been the sports correspondent for National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon since 2006.

Marie Reed's New Pitch

Marie Reed School in Adams Morgan opened its new soccer field last Thursday. It looks amazing! The old pitch was a ragged field of mud and uneven, splotchy grass. But, it was constantly busy with soccer, kickball, and other events. Earlier this year, the group City Soccer in the Community agreed to build a new field. City Soccer is a non-profit organization backed by the Manchester City Football Club and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. Check it out when you get a chance. It's made of artificial turf and it is beautiful. Even the spectator stands next the the tennis courts have been redone. Really stellar job. See more photos on the Friends of Marie Reed School & Park page. 

So, DC Has a Roller Derby Skate Shop!

Department of Skate is located at 919 H St NW.

And that is awesome.

I had never heard of Department of Skate. But, there it is at 519 H Street NW. Right in Chinatown, one block from Gallery Place Metro Station. Department of Skate is a roller derby skate shop which opened earlier this year. They're open six days a week (closed Mondays). If you derby, this is like, THE place for equipment and services, right? Has to be.

While I have to give a shout out to my hometown River City Rollergirls, I have to imagine that most of Department of Skate's business will come from DC Rollergirls players. DC has a very robust scene with four awesome teams; Scare Force One, Majority Whips, Cherry Blossom Bombshells, and the DC Demoncats. There are all-star and travel teams, too. 

FYI - the next DC Rollergirls bouts are this Saturday April 27 at the DC Armory. Here's the full schedule. 

Good luck Department of Skate!

Marie Reed Gifted a New Soccer Field

Marie Reed's new field was gifted by City Soccer in the Community.

Marie Reed Elementary School in Adams Morgan is receiving a much needed gift. The school's lower athletic field at the corner of California St and Florida Ave NW is being revamped into a proper soccer pitch.

A non-profit, City Soccer in the Community, is financing the new facility as part of a broader effort happening across five American cities (DC, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, New York). City Soccer in the Community was formed by the Manchester City Football Club and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC. Their mission is to get young people in American cities to play soccer.

As part of the deal, the District will replace the crude wooden bleachers on the edges of the field, which are in pretty bad shape as is. The soccer field will be 60 yards by 40 yards, use artificial turf and should be ready by August of this year. Such cool news!

The current state of the field is... not good.

The city will replace the wooden bleachers as well.

Photos: Opening Day 2013

Players warm up while fans fill the seats.

There were several new "Division Champs" signs posted around the park.

Even with decoration, the parking lots are still the ugliest part of Nationals Park.

This was a surprise considering you could still buy tix the day before on the Nats website.

Bryce Harper, moments before hitting his second of two home runs.

Post game traffic on South Capitol Street.

Lots of red.

Nationals = Playoffs. Now for a Brief History.

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals for wining the National League East division championship. This will be the first postseason appearance for the team since moving to Washington from Montreal in 2005. Here's a brief recap of how I've felt about the team since the move:

2005 - Baseball is back in DC! Good show! Love RFK!
2006 - Oh cool, Alphonso Soriano.
2007 - RFK feeling a bit old, but hey, the team is getting better, right?
2008 - I bought season tickets for this?
2009 - [response unintelligible due to paper bag over head]
2010 - Future: Signs of hope. Present: Still in last place.
2011 - Getting serious about this winning thing again.
2012 - ??? Best year yet... with more to come! ???

May they fare better in the playoffs than their DC major league counterparts of recent years; save the Kastles. Cheers.

Nationals: Honor Nurses, Teachers Same as Military

During the third inning of each Washington Nationals home game, team public address announcers pause the loud music and crowd promotions to honor United States military personnel. In what has become a park tradition, the crowd stands and applauds the two dozen or more past and present service members, who are displayed onto the big video board in the outfield. "Proud to be an American" or "American Soldier" plays over the speakers. The service members are usually standing in the sections behind home plate, near the Lexus Presidents Club. This is not unique to the Nationals. Other sports clubs honor military veterans and active service members before, during and after games.

The team has a substantial "Military Initiative" comprised of the seats they give away for each game, a specific Military Appreciation Night, Walter Reed visits, a partnership with USO, a wounded warrior amputee softball team and more. The team also has the DC Public High School Baseball Initiative, Youth Baseball and Softball Clinics, MLB Initiatives and the NatMobile for general outreach. (Some of those web pages are out of date, although I'm pretty sure they are all still happening.)

May 16th is Military Appreciation Night at Nationals Park. The lineup is quite impressive.

But, what if the Nationals honored nurses, or emergency personnel, or teachers the same way? I'm not saying get rid of the military initiative or stop playing "American Soldier" during the 3rd inning. But, we can find time to honor some other very important and critical professionals. This is certainly possible. I would say, imperative.

Where would we be without teachers? I think teachers are undervalued when thimes are good and over targeted when times aren't so good. They play what very well may be one of the most influential roles in American society. Whether you attend public or private schools, you interact with teachers daily for at least 12 of your most formative years. Home school students interact with teachers, too: their parents, relatives, neighbors and other members of the community. 

People keep telling me that there is a shortage of nurses in the U.S. I don't know if that's true. But, I do know that nurses keep the health care system running on the ground. They administer in-person care and execute the day-to-day care of patients morning, noon and night. Before you see the doctor, you see the nurse. While you're seeing the doctor, you see the nurse. After your doctor has diagnosed you and moved on to the next patient, you see the nurse. I hope we aren't facing a shortage.

Firefighters, emergency medical technicians and first responders do the early dirty work of human repair and recovery. Victims of fire, crime or accidents may never see the emergency responders who come to their aid because they're often in shock, have endured trauma or are whisked away from a scene during the chaos. Fighting fires, working as an EMT and maintaining certified status of a first responder are mostly thankless jobs. Sometimes you are in the spotlight after a catastrophe or notable act of bravery, but honestly, most of the day-to-day work goes unnoticed by the masses.

What do you think Nationals? Would you be up for having a teacher throw out the first pitch this summer? Invite educators from all over the Washington metro area to sit in the home plate seats for a night? Host nurses from Washington Hospital Center to a standing ovation between innings? Or let DCFD firefighters sing the national anthem and God Bless America during a game? Think about it. Show some good will and imagination. Keep the military initiative. And recognize that there are deserving others, too. Right here in DC.

#Natitude Campaign is Simple, Fun

As a looooong time (heh, since 2005) Nationals fan, I have lived the ups and mostly downs of the club over their seven years of existence. From a walk off win over the Yankees and Soriano's 40/40 monster season to 102 loss seasons and empty ballparks, I've been there as a fan. 

Aside from losing a lot, there have been other indignities, like misspelled jerseys, historically low TV ratings and too many opposition fans. But, those may now be annoyances of the past. I love the new jersey scheme, especially the road jerseys. The TV ratings are up; we were just on ESPN. And opposing fans were pretty much muted during this weekend 2-1 series win over the Phillies. There were over 105,000 total fans at the Nationals Park for the weekend series!

The Nationals instituted a would-be gimmicky "Natitude" campaign this year. Sounds cheeky, but the Twitter ready, made up word has caught on with the early success of the team and I left Friday's game (an 11 inning Nats win) in a great mood. The team even renamed the stadium "Natitude Park" for the weekend.

"#Natitude" is just plain fun. Reminds me of the 2004 Red Sox "idiots;" short-lived, but apropos. It's about time for DC to have fun over sports team not named Captials. This was a great weekend for local baseball fans and I look forward to a fun year at the park. Go Nationals!

Remember When Wizards

Wizards playoff game in 2008

I was lucky enough to have a wealthy (and generous) family friend around when Micheal Jordan decided he wanted to end his second retirement and play for the Wizards. I'd make my way to the MCI Center, sit among well known DC media makers and politcos, courtside, and watch the greatest basketball player of all time perform for the almost-good-enough Wiz. That was just amazing. I was as close as Jay-Z at the Garden: I could trip a referee. Jordan was aging, but magical. The Wizards sold out every game back then.

We never won a championship with Jordan -- he was summarily dismissed from all front office and playing duties just two years after coming to DC. Wiz never made it to the playoffs during his time with the team. Eventually though, the Arenas-Jamison-Hughes-Butler crew took the Wiz back to the post-season in the mid-2000s but they couldn't get past established powers (Heat, Cavs). They provided the city some good times and optimism though. And they were entertaining and one could believe that our team had, at the least, a chance to win.

Not so much right now. This Washington Post article pretty much sums it up for me: I support the team and can probably be convinced to go to a few games for the night-on-the-town value, but in the end, I'm mostly looking forward to better days. Here's to the Wizards not packing it in, giving it all they have and getting up off of the mat after this season, ready to go in 2012-13. Have a great weekend!

Vegan + Super Bowl = YES

Do vegans watch the Super Bowl? Of course, we love sports! And play sports, too. I do anyway. Even the most sports averse can't get away from the Superbowl. It's an American tradition. It's an international tradition. Even the Brits are into it. The best part of SB night is not commercials (or sometimes, the game). It's the food. So where can a veggie or vegan go see the game AND get a proper meal?

Our friends at Compassion Over Killing complied a short list to answer just that: where to Veg Out for Super Bowl XLVI! Pretty cool! 

I've been to all of the places on the list, including Mount Pleasant's own Tonic. Within the last year, Tonic touched up the menu by adding some tasty vegan entrees. Because of this, I've been going more often, especially for Caps games. It's so nice to be able to meet friends at a bar and have more than french fries or salad to balance the adult beverages. Great to have a place like this in Mount Pleasant and I'll always support establishments that make such an effort. 

Check out the full list of other DC veg friendly Superbowl spots and enjoy the game! 

Pitchers and Catchers...

One of the magical phrases for baseball fans is "pitchers and catchers report." This is the day when the Stephen Strasburgs and Wilson Ramos' of the world report for the first team workout of the year.Typically pitchers and catchers report first due the long term nature of a pitchers' work plan. When that date is within reach, fans move the baseball caps and replica jerseys from the back of the closet to the front. Some of us start looking for season tickets to arrive in the mail or eagerly await single game tickets to go on sale. You assessing at what your team has done over the past few months of the off season and begin getting excited about the upcoming year.

Well, that day is now withing sight. The Nationals will have pitchers and catchers report on February 19 at noon. Actually, most other teams will start on that day, too. Then, baseball every week until November. The first regular season Nationals game will be in Chicago, versus the Cubs on April 5. A week later, the Nationals play the Reds at our home opener on April 12. Looking toward another solid year, hopefully improving as much or more than we did last year. Get excited. Have a great weekend.

Guerrilla Ads are Reminder of Caps Loss

Guerrilla marketing for NHL games

Have you seen these? They started popping up on DC sidewalks during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The number one seed Washington Capitals won the first round, but were defeated 4 games to 0 in a best-of-seven series in the second round. The cable sports channel Versus televised some of the games. It is lesser known than ESPN, or Comcast Sports Netowork, but is national in scope. 

These guerrilla marketing-type, sidewalk advertisements seem a little too limited for any significant impact. There were 3 first round games in DC. And at the most, there would have been 4 second round games here. Because of the Caps futility, there were actually only 2 games at the Verizon Center in that round. So, a total of 5 games were played in DC. And Versus didn't carry all of those games.

For all the work the spray painters put into it, DC residents had less than 5 chances to turn on Versus and actually see the Capitals play at home in the playoffs. Also, not that a Caps fan can't branch out, but I'm betting a lot of folks were less interested in watching the playoffs once the Capitals aren't around. Which leads me back to the sidewalk advertisements.

I've seen them around the city. Way up here (on Park Rd NW), on F Street near Verizon, and on U Street (where this photo was taken). They appear to be spray painted through a stencil directly onto the sidewalk. And it has rained several times --occasionally heavy rain-- over the adverts and they don't appear worse for the wear. My main questions are 1) Who's behind this? Versus? Comcast, or another cable carrier? 2) Is it legal? 3) Can the originators please remove them?

I don't even really care if it was legal, it was fun idea. But now that the Capitals players have packed up for the season, the ads just need to go away. We've already got the punchless Nats and Wizards to fret over. The last thing this city needs is a daily reminder of what could have been for the Caps in 2011. So sad.

Baseball Kicks Off Today!

Weather permitting, the Washington Nationals will officially return to DC today. DC will host the first Major League Baseball game of the 2011 season, along with New York. Both the Yankees and Nations have home openers starting at 1:05PM EST. 

The Nationals also opened the MLB season in March 2008; the first regular season game ever played at Nationals Park. That game was against the Braves, as is the game today. Good luck Nationals. As of this writing, you are in first place in the NL East. Let's hope it stays that way! See you at the game. No rain, pls!

Baseball Returns Next Month

The sweetest phrase a baseball fan can hear during the dismal winter months is "pitchers and catchers report." Well that's happening this week and means only one thing: Major League Baseball's season starts in about 45 days. The Washington Nationals officially start spring training next week and the first regular season game is an afternoon matinée vs. the Atlanta Braves on March 31, in DC. 

This year marks the seventh since the team formerly knows as the Expos relocated to DC from Montreal, Quebec. They have yet to post a winning record in DC, but have made major team adjustments over the last two years and look to provide at least some entertainment for the interested and invested. If nothing else, going to the ballpark makes a great alternative to a) staying home on a beautiful spring night or b) being inside a bar/theater/where ever else on a beautiful spring night. Winter, be gone.. and bring on the baseball.

Tennis Love in DC.

Kastles Stadium in Penn Quarter (photo Darren and Brad)

As I watched my current tennis favorite, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, go down in the Australian Open, I was reminded that we have our own mini tennis culture here in DC. From the annual Legg Mason Classic in Rock Creek Park to the World Team Tennis Kastles that call Penn Quarter home, we are a tennis town, to a certain degree.

According to TennisDC.com, there are over 180 tennis courts in the District, 109 in Northwest alone. There are none in Mount Pleasant, though. But, right across the street, at Columbia Heights Education Campus, are two courts. The next closest courts to Mount Pleasant are the two at Marie Reed in Adams Morgan (you can get there on the 42). And then, the Banneker courts near Howard U. The Marie Reed courts are very busy during good weather weekend days. I've never checked out the Banneker courts. East Potomac Park has 23 courts if you're looking to have a better chance of snagging one; you can reserve a court in advance. And Rock Creek Park Tennis Center has 25 courts, 5 of which are heated.

Legg Mason is part of the US Open series and happens this year July 30 to August 7. The final matches are played at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, at the previously mentioned tennis center. This is just up 16th from Mount Pleasant near Carter Barron Amphitheater.

The Washington Kastles are the 2009 World Team Tennis champions and count Venus and Serena Williams as team members. The Kastles joined the league in 2008 and play in a temporary court which is constructed yearly at the 11th and H NW parking lot. The 2011 season is July 5-24. I'm very curious as to where the Kastles will play after Center City DC construction is underway. It will consume the massive parking lot for years with a multi phase build out. We'll see. 

Anyway, totally random post for Friday, but I'm thinking warm thoughts at the end of this very cold, wet week. Have a great weekend!

DC Could Host World Cup 2022 Games

RFK Stadium

In less than two weeks, we will know if the United States has submitted a successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. FIFA will decide the hosts the 2018 tournament at that time as well, but he U.S. is only bidding for 2022.

There is even a watch party for the selection announcement at the Newseum. That's Dec 2, 2010 at 9:00am. And its free.

If the U.S. is selected, Washington, DC will be one of 18 cities slated to host matches. (Included on that list are fellow NE cities Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.) As the nation's capital we're angling to host --at least-- the first and last games of the World Cup.

I would love for the WC tourney to come to DC, but I know that the venue would likely be FedEx Field, located in suburban Maryland. RFK Stadium --adjacent to the Anacostia River in DC-- is a storied venue with a solid soccer history, but seats nearly 45,000 less than FedEx Field. And it is a quarter century older. It shows. U.S. officials didn't even include RFK on an  FIFA visit related to our bid earlier this year. 

I'll be happy if we get the Cup again, where ever the games are played. Honestly, I'll be gladly take the Blue Line out to Prince George's County and walk that mile to the stadium, if I could get a ticket. Or even take MARC to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. As much as I love watching the Cup on TV, I'd go bananas at a live event! 

As for the viewing party this December, I don't know. I tend to jinx these type of events. It's all fun and games until they announce that the other guy one. So,we'll see. We'll see. Fingers crossed!

Full House: Part II

Throwing Rocks Tonight: Lucky Strike

I visited Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge in Penn Quarter for the first time a few weeks ago. I love bowling, but had stayed away from Lucky Strike for different reasons over the years. It opened in the Gallery Place retail development to semi controversy in late 2005. The extensive dress code really irked some Washingtonians and just didn't seem very bowling alley-like. But eventually that sentiment (and some of the dress code) faded away and to me, it was just known as the expensive bowling place.

Lucky Strike is cool for what it really is; a big bar and lounge with bowling on the side, literally. Like an old school alley, there is lots of beer. Unlike an old school alley, they're all fairly pricey, even for the cheap stuff. And very much like an old school alley, vegan food is virtually non existent on the menu. Not a surprise though.

As it happened, I was being treated to almost everything that day, so I barely spent any money at all. If you're going, try to go under these circumstances. From what I understand, you will have a much better time.

We went during the early afternoon on a weekday, so waiting it out for a lane wasn't necessary. Sweet. In most lame establishments with lame dress codes, you often wonder how the codes of dress and conduct never seems to apply to employees. But, that wasn't the case here. Everyone was pretty good to us all around, even when the lane broke (lots of technological hang ups, I gather). They even had an early World Cup game on the huge TVs above the end of each lane. Multitasking: even at the bowling alley. Bowl, watch. Bowl, watch. Cool.

Outside of another very nice person gifting me a night at this place, I probably wouldn't need to go again. Glad I went this one time though. I saw what I had been missing these last five years. Lucky Strike Lanes is not to be confused with Strike Bethesda in Maryland. Totally different. Lucky Strike is located on the second floor of 701 7th Street NW, at G St.

Wondering if this guy's ever tested the dress code.... (one NSFW word at the very end!)