My Journey That Was Opening Day At The Half Street Fairgrounds (Bullpen)

I was having a rough day.  I woke up late, I forgot to finish some work from the day before, and by the time I was on the metro and headed towards DC I was already late.

My original plan to meet up with friends in Eastern Market was now out of the question due to the time, and I only had 1 option: Go to the Half Street Fairgrounds, or as I will always call it, The Bullpen.

If you are unfamiliar with what The Bullpen is, it is a giant asphalt lot surrounded by shipping crates.  That pretty much sums it up.

This abandoned parking lot features a stage for live music, about 20 beer stands (with a crappy selection of Miller Lt distributor only products), a few tents, some beanbag games, a food truck or 2, and just a bunch of open space.  The crowd is supplied by the Washington Nationals.

As I fought my way through thousands of people to escape the dungeon known as the Navy Yard Metro, I headed towards a giant clump of people which appeared to be a line, although it was more like Kindergarten Cop's class before Arnold got his whistle (BAM TAKE THAT REFERENCE!).

The Ballpark Bus, A Great Way To Get To Nats Games

A few weeks ago I had tickets to watch my alma mater JMU get destroyed by WVU at Fed-Ex field.  It was going to be a long day of enjoying beverages at a stadium that is a disaster to get to.  Instead of worrying about driving, parking, and then finding a designated driver, I decided to try out this new service I heard about on Twitter.

It is called the Ballpark Bus, and for a pretty fair price they drop you off and pick you up right at the stadium for Nats games, Redskins games, concerts, and more.

When I saw them on Twitter (@BallParkBus) I was intrigued.  I have taken my fair share of busses to places in the DMV like the Preakness, wineries, and some other events.  I decided to try out the bus for the football game.

I took some video from the guys at Ballpark bus, so check them out...

The other busses I have travelled on had stripper poles, loud Usher music blasting, and people peeing in gatorade bottles.  Typically on the ride home some "skank" or "bro" pukes all over the floor.  That was fun at some point in my life but thankfully, the Ballpark Bus is not like this.

The bus is a very nice charter bus with...a bathroom! Thank goodness.  I almost got hit by a car on the highway when a Boomerang Party Bus pulled onto the shoulder of a highway to let people go to the bathroom in the woods on the way to Preakness.  I seriously almost got hit by a car going 50 mph as I ran across an exit ramp back to the bus.  This did not happen on the Ballpark Bus.

The bus picked us up at Clydes in Ashburn, and I talked to the guys that run the bus and they are looking to expand to different areas if the demand picks up.  My friend and I got on the bus with our cooler, enjoyed a few drinks on the road, and were dropped off right in the parking lot at FedEx field where we were ready to tailgate.

The bus isn't just for people who drink too much like myself.  It is just plain convenient and removes all the stress of going to a ballgame.  FedEx is the worst, but coming from farther out in Northern Virginia the journey to Nats Park is a pain in the neck too.  The bus made everything easy, and for the first time ever I wasn't all sweaty from walking all over the place and riding on a hot crowded metro.

If you live out near Ashburn I encourage you to look at their website and get on one of the busses.  It looks like they are filling seats for the Nats home Playoff game.   I had a great time, I met the guys behind the business, and everyone on the bus had a great time.

Thanks Ballpark Bus!

So This Is What First Place Feels Like

At the Ballpark

Orioles Park at Camden Yards

I've been an Orioles fan all my life, but I'm not old enough to remember the "glory days".  This season I decided to root for the Nats as well and lo-and-behold I found myself with TWO first place teams.  This is the story of my visit to Camden Yards for the O's 8-2 win over the Royals last night.

Tickets...

Friday night at Camden Yards has always meant one thing for me, 9 dollar upper deck student tickets (no one tell them I graduated).  It also meant having an empty seat in front of you to stretch your legs out on and laughing at paying 9 bucks knowing that you could move down to the lower decks after a few innings had passed.  Tonight the tickets were still 9 dollars, but everything else was...a bit different:

"Even the crowd is in uncharted territory with the 28,954 assembled at Camden Yards featuring nearly 11,000 walk-up tickets purchased, a new stadium record." -Brittany Ghiroli (O's Beat Writer)

What is Going on Here?

So I didn't get to stretch out my legs and I didn't get to go down to lower seats.  You know what else, I also can't remember a game in recent memory that has been so much fun.  I've seen Camden Yards filled for games against the Yankees and Red Soxs, but that's mostly because it was filled WITH Yankees and Red Soxs fans.   For a game against the Kansas City Royals the atmosphere of the park was unexpected and unbelievable.  Dare I say that during the Oriole's 5 run fifth inning the park even took on a "playoff-like" feel.

Even the security guards were feeling the energy tonight:

 

Not So Fast...

I'd be lying if I told you that the park was filled with 29,000 hardcore fans who were lingering on every pitch.  During the 5th inning that statement would have been mostly true.  Two innings later however...most people in my section were more focused on starting the wave.  They had their efforts halted when Chris Davis hit a monster homerun in the 7th, which reminded them about the baseball game.  Fear not though, they actually succeeded in getting a stadium-spanning wave going before the end of the game and it got cheers that rivaled any cheers a baseball play got the entire night.

Being In First Means Fighting?

The attendance might of been announced at around 29,000, but it was much less by the end of the night.  I can say that with confidence because I saw 3 different groups of people escorted out by the police from my section, all of them for fighting...with other O's fans.  Apparently it wasn't only my section because after 2 1/2 innings played I heard my usher say that 40+ people had already been ejected from the park.  I guess O's fans have spent so long having Baltimore invaded by Yankees and Red Soxs fans that they just assume drunken fighting comes with the first place territory.

 

The Right Direction.

I don't want to leave you with a negative impression of the game.  In fact,  as I said at the start, it was one of the best times I've had at Camden Yards.  The crowd was loud, rowdy, and came to cheer on their team.  After 14 losing seasons it's going to take a lot to get Baltimore to return to being a "baseball" town, but tonight showed me that things are moving in the right direction.  If the crowd was that electric for a game against the Royals in May, I can't even imagine what it'll be like if there is still meaningful baseball being played in August and September.


What About the Nats?
Sadly, I haven't gotten an opportunity to make it out to Nationals Park yet, but I am aiming to rectify that situation as soon as possible.  I've heard that Washington just "isn't that into baseball", but tonight has shown me that winning can really change that.  We've already had some coverage comparing the about baseball experiences in Baltimore and Washington (Here, Here, Here, and Here) and I'd like to contribute to that once I get out to see a Nats game in person.  Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below or on twitter @dru90.

    

Philly Friday Invasion

So Nationals fans actually came out to the park on Friday night.  It was quite the site to see.  Obviously not as great as the Strasburg game, but the stadium was just about filled.  The only problem was the thousands of Philly fans.  The locusts shut up after the pinch hitting Wilson Ramos singled in the game winning run with the bases loaded and 2 outs.

Yes there were some Let's go Phillies chants, but because Nats fans showed up the Philly peeps were too dispersed to get anything going.  After 1 or two chants the boos from Nats fans actually drowned out the cheers.  (Typically the Philly cheers would rise above)

The most annoying part about having a mixed group of fans is that you have no idea what is going on if you are in the bathroom line or have an obstructed view.  There were cheers every play, Nats or Phillies.  And everyone had a damn red shirt on which made it even harder.  (from my seats you couldn't see right center field and there were about 4 plays where I didn't know if it was a home run or an out)

The best/worst Philly fan of the game was just to the right of the bullpen in right center field.  This guy stood up the entire game, started Let's go Phillies chants, and danced every time music came on.  He was good natured though.  No cursing, not getting angry, just having fun.  He was pissing off some other Nats fans who dont' get the "villian fan" bit.  I think it is funny, especially after a win.

One dumbass Nats fan threw a bottle at him and was ejected from the game.  Good work!  You stayed for 10 innings and missed the end of the game.  A second really trashy Nats fan with some home-made trailer park wife-beater tank top was the counter to the Philly guy.  Except this woman was angry, cursing, and throwing middle fingers.  It was funny to watch how angry she got as she screamed across 30 rows of people at the guy.

So basically the point is that the ballpark is so much more fun when it is filled.  It sucks if you are outnumbered but if Nats fans actually show up to a game, the other fans can't really get too crazy.  And a filled ballpark is when you get the great fan moments like the one described above.

Harper-mas Turns Into Harper-Flag-Day

Bryce Harper made his home debut on Tuesday night at Nats Park and less than half the stadium was full of people.  One of the most hyped up prospects of all time, and the fans didn't even come out to see him.  It was pretty disappointing.




While Harper didn't do much on offense he did make one play that was worth the price of admission.  On a deep fly to left field with a runner on third Harper caught the ball and fired a strike to home plate to get the runner out.

Wilson Ramos of course did not get over quick enough and the ump called the runner safe.  When that play happened people in the crowd just looked at each other wondering if what they saw was real.  Stay tuned tomorrow on PTI and SportsCenter when they feature this as the 3rd National's outfield highlight of the year...all of which resulted in 0 outs.

A surprising number of fans were left in the bottom of the 9th inning when Espinosa struck out to strand the Chosen One on deck.  Overall it was a fun game to be at, but you can tell how much DC isn't a baseball town by the turnout.

Oh and by the way, the Nationals lost their 5th straight, (5-1 D-Backs) could barely get on base, and scored only one meaningless run.  7 runs in their last 5 games.  That is pathetic.  Zimmerman pitched fine again, only 3 earned runs.  It seemed like the second 2 were because he tried to make pitches because he knew his offense wasn't going to help him.

$1 hot dog night at the park.  If 20k were there tonight then expect like 14k tomorrow.  Philly fans invade on Friday.

Beautiful Day At Nats Park, Fans Don't Care Yet

Saturday afternoon was one of the best "baseball days" I have ever experienced in my life in terms of weather.  It was a weekend game, nobody had to go to work.  The weather was beautiful.  It was sunny and warm, but not too hot.  Then as a bonus the "best pitcher ever" Stephen Strasburg was starting for a first place Nationals team.   And even with all that, half the stadium seats were empty.

It is kind of sad that people aren't coming to Nats Park, but I guess it is early in the season.  People maybe thought it was going to rain?  I don't know.  All I know is they missed one amazing day at the ballpark.

Strasburg pitched alright, got into several jams, but always made it out unscathed.  He pitched 6 scoreless innings giving up 4 hits and striking out 6.  The Nats even gave him 2 runs on a BLAST by Ian Desmond and a solo shot by Werth, but as the Nats do, they blew the win for Strassy.

In the 9th inning Brad Lidge trotted to the mound to close.  I told the girl next to me, not a baseball fan, that Lidge closing was not going to be easy to watch.  I said "he typically walks the first batter or gives up a hit".  Lidge proceeded to do so.  I then told her "Ug now you have the game tying run at the plate and it could be tied in one pitch."  One pitch later...Tied...Sorry Strasburg.

That one pitch was a 2-run homer for Logan Morrison and Nats Park erupted in boos.  Lidge stayed out there to finish the inning, but the damage was done, another blown save (his 2nd).

Gorzelanny threw a perfect 10th and then the Nats started the bottom with a single from Wilson Ramos.  Adam LaRoche grounded into a possible double play but the Marlins shortstop dropped the throw and Ramos ended up at 3rd base with 0 outs.  In came Ian Desmond.  

Desmond came up swinging hard on 2 straight pitches getting a quick 2 strikes.  However he didn't disappoint as he sent a fly ball deep to center to send Ramos home for the game winner on the sacrifice.  

Desmond isn't just coming up big on offense, he is making some amazing defensive plays.  This could be an amazing year...

The Nats mobbed Dezy at 1st and dumped the Gatorade on him, and all of a sudden the Nats had won all 5 series of the season.  12 wins, 4 losses, and 8 wins in their last 10 games.  Nats go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon.