The last week has been a rough one for Washington Nationals fans. After taking 2 of 3 from the Philadelphia Phillies last weekend, they took game 1 of the Arizona Diamondbacks series a week ago tonight and have not won since. That yesterday’s loss included a short Jordan Zimmerman start (his last of the year), a blown save by Drew Storen and a 14 inning walk-off home run by the host Cincinnati Reds seems just about right.
Were the Nats hungover from taking the Phillies series or did their skill level (especially at the plate) just catch up with them? I can’t say, but they were not a fun distraction during a week with an earthquake and a tropical storm hitting D.C.
Just as I was getting to write this post over lunch, some happy Nats news came from D.C. Sports Bog. A beer vendor, D.C. native Emmanuel Marlow successfully performed the Hemlich maneuver on a choking child.
At the game in question, Marlow told me that he was selling beer when he noticed a little boy in the crowd, coughing, gagging and turning a strange color. The fans in that section seemed to be panicking, but no one had taken charge of the incident.
“I guess they never had experienced a first-aid situation,” said Marlow, who had once worked a game at FedEx Field when a patron had a mild stroke. “[The boy] was actually going to a new color. I knew I needed to jump in and do it. There was no time for hesitation. It had to be done right then and there.”
And thus, remembering his UDC training, Marlow indeed performed the Heimlich on the boy, who had a piece of chicken lodged in his throat. It took three thrusts, but the chicken was dislodged.
Awesome. If I ever see him in my section, he’s getting a good tip.
UPDATE: WTTG Fox 5 did a profile of Marlow (h/t DC Sports Bog):
Nationals Park Beer Vendor, Emanuel Marlow, Saves Choking Teen: MyFoxDC.com