William F. Yurasko

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HARRY’S GONE AND HE’S NOT COMING BACK

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by

wfyurasko

CTA 6 WMATA 3

I made my third regular season trip to RFK last night. Deputy Editor Fritz Hamme came along too. It was a sendoff of sorts for him, as he will be leaving for Germany tomorrow to set up the WWN European Bureau.

Despite the defeat, we had a great time. The crowd was hopping, even though there were a lot of Northsiders (or more likely, wannabe Northsiders). We started in 551, but migrated down into the 506/507 area after getting some concessions. It proved to be a wise move, but had we remained in 551, we would have enjoyed it too.

The Nats play was pretty bad, I have to wonder if they were drinking (a lot) in the clubhouse after batting practice. They made three really bad errors in the last third of the game, costing them a couple of runs. Nick Johnson got caught between third and home on a botched bunt in addition to an error at first. The three errors and Johnson’s baserunning gaffe sealed the D.C.’s fate.

Even with those mistakes factored in, the Nats still had a shot to win it and nearly did. In the ninth, Gary Bennett atoned (to a point) for an awful game by doubling to right. Tony Blanco batted him in with a double. Brad Wilkerson and Jamey Carroll then walked. Carroll’s at bat was fantastic — he got stuck in an 0-2 hole, but keep fouling off pitches until he four balls. That brought up Jose Guillen with the remaining crowd bouncing up and down in a frenzy. Sadly, it was naught, Guillen flied out to deep right, coming within about twelve feet of an opposite field walk-off grand slam. If he pulled that off, I think I would still be a RFK celebrating.

Some more thoughts on the game:

  • Esteban Loaiza was solid, giving up two runs in seven innings. He threw a lot of pitches though.
  • Despite batting in the bottom of the 7th, Loaiza did not come out for the eighth inning. Odd, but then again, Frank Robinson is still manager.
  • The Cubs fans were, at least in our part of the park, well-behaved.
  • I tried to see Nats batting practice, but missed it. What time does it start?
  • I think I saw former Senator Del Unser in the stands behind home plate during batting practice.
  • I would have liked to see more of the Negro Leagues tribute. I did not even know it was happening until I got there. The Nats should have held off on doin this until the promotion and marketing really got going, I think a lot of people would have wanted to see it.
  • As part of the tribute to the Negro Leagues, 102 year-old Ted “Double-Duty” Radcliffe tossed the ball to first base coach Don Buford. When he was done, the PA played Rod Stewart’s Forever Young. You know, the man lived through two World Wars and segregation — I think he deserves a little better, less cliched musical sendoff.
  • Okay, that might be a little harsh, Forever Young is a decent song.
  • There was a bunch of guys chanting “Let’s Go Expos” and waving a Canadian flag. Around the eighth inning, they ran around the upper deck. Obviously, chants of U-S-A, U-S-A followed them wherever they went. I thought it was kind of cool.
  • The play of the game happened in the 3rd inning. A foul ball came into our section of the stands and a kid, maybe eight years old, standing on the steps turned around and caught it in his glove. He got a standing ovation.
  • Metro performed well for us. We got the first train out after the game. People who left early probably did not save much time, given the volume of people waiting to transfer at L’Enfant Plaza.

    Media recaps:

  • Nats Stumble in 8th, Lose to Cubs – The Post
  • Miscues galore – The Wash. Times
  • Nationals Honor 14 Negro League Players – AP/The Wash. Examiner
  • Boxscore – ESPN.com
    Here’s why the Nationals will never win – The Wash. Times
    Heller thinks he is jinxing the team.

    Thomas Boswell – As a Home, Improvement – The Post
    Boswell reminds us that as much as we are enjoying RFK, it is only a temporary solution.

    Guzman returns; Vidro out longer – The Wash. Times
    Cristian Guzman was back last night and even made a nice grab at short. 2B Jose Vidro will be out at least three weeks though.

    Gandhi defends ballpark figures – The Wash. Times
    The latest ballpark related goings-ons from the city council.

    A gallery is coming up in an hour or so.

    MASN’s Newest Pitch – The Post
    MASN, the network owned by Peter Angelo$ is trying to make Comcast look bad for not airing Nats games.