Jaybird's Jottings

Zimmerman!

Ticket for the Park Opener - $15 and up
Souvenir Program - $10
Hot Dog and Beer - $15
Your franchise player greeting the President and hitting a walk off homer on national TV – Priceless.

And on we go to this afternoon’s action.

Baseball is back baby!!

What So Proudly We Hailed

"I must say it was a bit of an out-of-body experience to be walking among a huge throng of people along M Street SE between First and New Jersey at 9:30 pm on a Saturday night. This is not your father's Near Southeast anymore." – Jacqueline "JD" Dupree, Exhibition Game Photos

Nationals Park is:

A - The most beautiful sports venue ever built in Washington
B - One block from metro
C - A place with some good grub and nods to baseball history
D - A field of new dreams

After a morning of antsy anticipation, our day started in earnest yesterday afternoon on The Mall. It was a bit chilly, a comedown from Friday’s comfy high of 74, but we got the canopy of blue sky that always makes Mall events so nice. The grassy squares around the Washington Monument were filled with excited kids and adults with their kites, taking advantage of the winds that pick up at that elevated part of the Mall. Good conditions for the 42nd Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival.

We then walked over to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry trees. At some point I think this experience might get ho-hum for us, but not yesterday. Ok, a bit, after we hit some of the crowds. I also admit I was distracted this year, kept looking at my watch. Around 2:30, I asked Roberta if we could head over the ballpark. We took the Green Line to Navy Yard. It was fun to use the new western end expansion and since we were early, it wasn’t crowded.

Exiting out, we walked onto Half Street, one block from the Center Field Gate. The last time I was down there was four or five months ago. The area around the park was still ugly. Now it is all paved and spiffied up, although the Half Street walk will be immensely better once 55M is finished (office, hotel, retail) and then the other planned stuff for both sides.

After taking in all that area near Half and N Street, where I used to dodge construction trucks and huge pot holes, we arrived at the Centerfield Gate right at 3 p.m. After some grumbling by the other early-birds, they opened up the gates around 3:05. The walk-in is one of the better overtures I have experienced at a big league stadium. And that’s even with the parking garages that loom large to the left and to the right. They’re somewhat of a bummer but as we walked past them, I realized they create a foyer effect, if you will. The banner ads hanging on them are gaudy, but what to do? Baseball is a business and as far back as the 1880s ads were all over the outfield fences.

Once past the gates and the garages, the ballpark opens up. I quoted JD about the out-of-body experience, because that is what I felt at that point. I’d seen the place a thousand times via the Stadium Cam and JD’s photos, but there ain’t nothing like the real thing. And the red white and blue bunting just made the goose-bumps bigger.

Looking to the right, you see the cherry trees. I found out they are of the Kwanza kind, blooming in mid-April. To the left is the Red Porch Restaurant and Red Loft Bar, an area that will be very popular for 12-ounce curling.

Scouts need energy so we headed for Ben’s Chili Bowl. JD’s report shows long lines so we were lucky not to have to wait. Ben’s will be extremely popular because the food is messy delicious (I had a Half Smoke with chili, onions and cheese) and they have just the one location on U Street. We confess to always wanting to go but never made the trek to that part of the city where anger burned in ’68 and Ben’s stayed open through it all.

Continuing on, we walked around the concourse. Being able to see the field from the concourse isn’t that big of a deal at the newer parks, but it’s being raved about here because you didn’t have that at RFK Stadium. Well, a little bit, but not like that.

What I'm raving about it are the supporting columns that have the Hall of Fame players Nats320 first identified. We found Willie hanging out with Hammerin Hank and Satchel Paige with Josh Gibson. I then stopped dead in my tracks after I spotted a History Board that is superbly done. Hat tip to Nats320 for taking the photo.

After taking in the "Strike Zone", an entertainment area for the kids that has a Sony Playstation, Build-a-Bear workshop, a karaoke place and the batting and pitching cages, we headed up the escalators. Boswell had talked about the great views from Section 401 so we walked there. Indeed, the city, The Mallscape and Virginia can be seen. We said hello to Miss Chatter there who was taking photos. She has done a super job of blogging the Nationals and the new ballpark.

One of the questions that has been asked about Nationals Park is - What is its signature element? Some say views of the Capitol while others say it can't be that because some of the views are blocked. From what I can tell so far, I guess the answer will depend. The Dome is obstructed at certain seating areas in the upper seating levels but it can be seen in others. As we headed to our section, I wondered if it would be in view from our seats. Throughout the construction phase, I had tried everything to figure that out. I concluded it would be close and turns out it was. Lucky we are. One more section to the left and we would have been disappointed in that way.

This is getting long-winded so I will finish up by saying this ballpark is a little piece of heaven. The home team won’t shine as much as it will this year, but for now, the Miracle at Capitol and Potomac is enough to keep us coming back.

Oh, I almost forgot. The answer to the question is all of the above.

The Nationals Come Home

“Well, I am just speechless. I saw this place in January and to now come over here and see it finished—a tremendous feeling. I couldn’t wait to get on the field tonight. I am not even a player anymore and I wanted to get on the field—it’s just so beautiful.” - Manny Acta, Welcome Home, Nats320

The Nationals got their first look at their new digs last night and JD and Nats320 were on hand to capture the magic. I was wondering when all this stuff was going to get to me and seeing those pictures finally did it.

And if that wasn’t enough, Jeff took some pictures that include the player columns he first learned about back in September. A select group of Hall of Famers will grace the columns along the concourse, including a certain superstar centerfielder who is a national treasure himself.

Oh my, I am so ready to walk through those gates...

Pink, Green and Blue

By all accounts, everything is ready for what promises to be a wide-eyed weekend in D.C. The cherry trees are showing blooms and are expected to peak as predicted, starting this weekend. Save the usual last minute touches, Nationals Park is ready for the exhibition game on Saturday and Opening Night on Sunday. The Capital Gang Weather guys forecast both days chilly but sunny.

I’m so glad the Nationals are making Saturday’s game about the construction workers. It simply cannot be overstated how far they have come in the short two years. And right on time with that story in recap is Jacqueline Dupree, who I first met when the construction site was still - Walk Around at Your Own Peril!

JD, I’m still amazed at your before and afters, especially the one that shows the north part of the bridge gone and the ballpark ready to go.

This isn’t just a dream, is it?

GWU Wins First Game at Nationals Park

"It is such an honor to play the first game here for our team and for myself. To be lucky enough to get the first hit here is a blast. I will be telling my kids about this and everyone else for the rest of my life." – Charlie Kruer, Outfielder, George Washington University, who also scored the first run at Nationals Park yesterday (Washington Times).

On a chilly but sometimes sunny afternoon in the nation’s capital, it was a day of firsts at Nationals Park. Washington financier Russ Ramsey, a former baseball player at GWU, threw out the ceremonial first toss. GW starter Eric Cantrell, from nearby Oakton, threw the first pitch and won the game. George won the first President’s race and GW won 9-4 over visiting Saint Joseph's. And for the fans, the first chance to see Nationals Park and gain some great memories.

The matinee between the two Atlantic 10 squads popped the unofficial cork at Nationals Park, served as a warm-up for the Opener on Sunday night, and gave the players a once-in-a-lifetime thrill.

We weren’t there but Nats320 and JD were, along with the local media. Don’t miss Nats320 coverage which includes photos of some of the memorabilia on display. Also, a big thank you to "DCNATSFAN" for his photos of a timeline on the south side of the stadium, one that I had not seen or heard about it.

Baseball’s Pioneer Era

"If I were to tell you that hopscotch was going to be a professional sport in 30 years and men would earn a living playing hopscotch, you would laugh and you would say well that's ridiculous. But that's exactly what happened with baseball." - Peter Morris, NPR Interview, March 21, 2008

On Monday night, as the Baseball Prospectus 2008 event was winding down, I walked over to the baseball section at Politics and Prose. Not a big selection, but I spotted But Didn’t We Have Fun, An Informal History of Baseball’s Pioneer Era, 1843-1870, a new book by Peter Morris I had heard about.

Thinking about both this book and the BP annual, I thought about how great a time it is for baseball fans. On the one hand, the leading edge of analysis continues from the sabermetric approach. On the other, historians like Morris continue the exploration of the roots of the game. Morris’s book won’t have the mass appeal of the former, but it will most certainly please fans of “the-older-the-better” baseball history. It's also a good readable look for new fans who want to learn about this era of baseball. Morris is not the first to write about this period, but he sheds fresh light with an emphasis on the fun and joy clubs had playing the game before it became professional.

Morris looks at how baseball transformed from a collection of bat and ball games played in the 1820s and 1830s to the "New York" game, and then into the professional era in the 1870s. Some of the factors to help it gain popularity were the printed rules in newspapers (as opposed to oral passings along), trains and mobility, and college students who enjoyed playing the new “regulation” game. The Knickerbockers made foul balls a “non-event,” a key change which helped when there was a lack of playing space in the urban areas.

One of joys of learning about baseball is the discovery that certain aspects of the game also happened in a time previous to what we’ve been told. Everyone knows that the lively ball era of baseball came after the dead ball era. Thinner handles, Babe Ruth, home runs, new excitement.

Morris shows us a similar development took place when the Knickerbockers found a Scottish man who made harder baseballs. Batters not only enjoyed saying goodbye to the practise of "soaking," but much to their glee, they began to clobber the new balls.

Opening Day starts this week. The first professional one came in 1871. If you want to know how baseball got to that point, read this delightful book.

Take Me Out With the Crowd

Reporters are a smart bunch. They know their craft and are practiced in the art of asking questions to elicit answers to support the angle of their approach. Sometimes all it takes is an obvious question, but every once in a while, the obvious can backfire.

That is what happened yesterday. One of our local news channels had a piece on Stan Kasten, the latest installment of his indefatigable “Take Metro to the Ballpark” campaign. With reporters in tow, Sunny Stan was showing off the nearly completed Navy Yard station expansion, the east side entrance just one block from the ballpark. As they were walking along the platform, a young new reporter asked Kasten (paraphrasing), “Do you think the metro will be crowded on Opening Day?”

The veteran executive replied (paraphasing), “I hope it’s crowded for every game.”

The Baseball Prospectus 2008 Tour Makes a Stop in D.C.

Politics and Prose Bookstore and Coffehouse has become an institution in Washington D.C., an indie favorite among book lovers here. I like it a lot too, but the location, on the other side of the city, makes it a hassle to get to, especially for the 7 p.m. author talks.

This past Monday night, however, was a no-complainer. Steven Goldman, Jay Jaffe and Clay Davenport, on the Eastern swing of their tour, were there to discuss Baseball Prospectus 2008. This marked BP’s fifth visit to D.C., drawing in an overflow audience of about 75.

My friend Don and I met beforehand and caught up with each other. The toastmaster then stood up and got things started. He remarked sports is not usually a huge draw at P&P, but these guys always fill the chairs.

Goldman spoke first. Enthusiastic, he mixed in humor as he gave a brief explanation of what the Prospectus was all about. Of course, anyone laughing heartedly at Steven’s Joe Morgan jokes already knew just how coveted the annual’s release has become.

After Jaffe and Davenport gave a quick run down on the areas they cover, they opened the floor up for questions. A line of about eight long quickly formed.

Some very good questions, and of course great answers. Wish I could do them justice but I can’t. But in light of the ridiculous comments made by Chicago Tribune writer Rick Morrissey, it’s appropriate to note that one person did ask the “how-do-you-measure-heart” question. Steve eloquently gave the reply that seamheads are by now tired of having to give, and one that Eamonn Brennan sums up nicely.

See, it's not that Morrissey's wrong, though he is. It's that he's arguing for a side that doesn't really exist. Baseball Prospectus doesn't claim that heart, or intangibles, or speed, or other hard-to-measure-but-obviously-important factors don't weigh on baseball outcomes. They make that clear in the introduction to this year's annual. Baseball Prospectus' goal is simply to measure in baseball what can be measured, which, thanks to the game's structure, is a whole hell of a lot, and then use it to predict performance in a commercially viable way.

Speaking for a legion of baseball fans, I thank this impressive trio of writers and their colleagues for what they do. In my younger days, we looked up to our local columnists and The Sporting News writers. Now we baseball fans can’t get enough from the sabermetric community of analysts. The BP gang are a baseball institution themselves, and no one has a bigger heart than them.

Nationals' Ticket Discounts

By Jaded Roberts

The Washington Nationals announced their special ticket discounts this past week. Here is the list with my comments. Apologies to the wider audience, a couple of these pokes are area flavored.

At each Tuesday home game, fans may present their Harris Teeter VIC Card at the Nationals Park Box Office and receive $5 off tickets valued at $24 or more.

Write an essay on why Harris Teeter (grocery store chain) has no locations in the District or Maryland, and receive an additional $2 off.

The Family Fun Pack returns for all Sunday non-premium games. Fans may purchase an Upper Right Field Terrace seat, hot dog, non-alcoholic drink and chips for $14.

Write a modern definition of "family," one that does not raise eyebrows, and take an additional $3 off. Take an additional $2 off if you can explain how the Nationals chose their premium games.

All fans attending the March 30 Opening Night game vs. Atlanta will receive a "Welcome Home" rally towel in addition to a "Curly W" lanyard.

The best essay on why teams don’t normally need promotions for Opening Day gets in for free.

...those attending the Sunday June 22 game vs. Texas will receive a Kids Nationals Jersey. Both promotions are courtesy of Smithfield and limited to the first 10,000 children.

Bring in a nutritional product label from a Smithfield product, one where the sodium is less than 50% of the daily value, and receive a free suscription to Nutrition Action HealthLetter.

Every Wednesday fans may receive $5 off tickets valued at $24 or more by presenting the front page of that day's Washington Post at the Nationals Box Office.

Fans with laptops can show the front page of the Post’s website instead of the paper copy and receive an additional $5 dollars off. $2 will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Children under twelve attending the Nationals game on Sunday June 8 vs. San Francisco will receive a Kids Baseball Glove

Can’t touch that one. Enjoy the games!

Old Town Meets New Town

“This Place Changes Everything.”

That’s the catchy marketing slogan touted by National Harbor, the soon-to-open, mixed-use destination south of D.C., on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. Phase One, with a Grand Opening of April 15, will show off the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the cornerstone, 18-story building, along with hotels, the marina, retail offerings and about a dozen restaurants.

In Old Town Alexandria, city planners have watched the mini-city slowly rise from a previously undeveloped spot across the river. The toney community filled with historic homes and buildings is spending $2.3M to get ready for what is projected to be as many as 1,000 tourists a day from National Harbor. Old Town, a popular tourist destination which dubs itself “The Fun Side of the Potomac” (a poke at workaholic Washington), will entice visitors from National Harbor with attractions and restaurants, as well as connections to D.C. via Metrorail. For example, a convention-goer with an afternoon flight might visit Old Town on his or her way to National Airport, which is two miles to the north.

One of the first indications of the coming change in Old Town is a neon sign located at the marina. It sits at the top of the ticket booth for the Potomac Riverboat Company. Neon signs are unheard of in this place that reveres its brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets (ok, there's only two). But there it is, small in size, but big in significance. It announces the “Maiden Voyage” of the seven-days-a-week water taxi service to and from National Harbor. Beginning April 1, two, new 99-seat boats will shuttle across the Potomac every half hour, about a 15-minute trip passing under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (12-lanes opens in late summer).

I noticed the City of Alexandria has also posted Public Hearing Notices at the foot of King Street, a one minute walk from the marina. The six or so primo parking spots there will be taken away to make room for the new trolley bus service to and from the King Street metro stop. The three trolleys will roll along King Street, Old Town’s main east-west thoroughfare, rich with restaurants, taverns and specialty shops.

For those visiting National Harbor who want to get to the sites in downtown Washington, zipping northward along I-295 in a cab is certainly faster than the boat-trolley-Metro route. What Old Town offers is an enchanting diversion and additional tourism options. There’s not really a can’t miss place, although art buffs will certainly enjoy the Torpedo Factory Art Center, a few steps away after de-boarding. History lovers will enjoy reading all those historical markers on the buildings and houses -- George did this here, George did that here. The visitor’s center is at the corner of King and Fairfax, three blocks north of where the trolley starts at King and Union.

The one bummer about the place and the state of Virginia is that over 40 years after the Surgeon General warned Americans about the dangers of smoking tobacco, the Commonwealth has still not banned it in restaurants. There are efforts to get it done in Alexandria, but some of the merchants have resisted. I guess they didn’t read the memo about National Harbor.