Okay, I am going to try to give my full report a bit early seeing I have a connection and a little time. I saw two Nats ST games during my time in Florida and I am reporting on those two games that have long since past so whether or not the players mentioned have improved or began to suck is up to you to decide. I will also give a little feedback into the stadium and surroundings. I know I misspelled a lot of player's names extra but I will go back later and try to fix them when I have more time. Here it goes:
3/3/07 Nats vs. B-More
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-The day started out cloudy, cold, and threatening rain which never came. Before game practice took place on the surrounding fields of the stadium for some of the minor leaguers and invitees. The players playing that day practiced inside the stadium away from the public although a few made a run out to see what was going on. The most impressive mention was that of Mike Hinckley. He was all over the place shagging balls, throwing, and running down balls even in the outfield. Lots of energy and looked very motivated and healthy.
Jesus Flores was out there throwing from homeplate to second base and I must say the guy has a cannon for an arm.
I almost got hit directly in the face when a foul ball went astray. Luckily I threw up my hands at the last moment and actually palmed the sucker. I got a few cheers from surrounding fans. It made a nice souvenir that I got Ryan Church to sign for me later. Thanks Ryan!
-An 8-year old girl sang the National Anthem with an impressive set of vocals. Unfortunately a few O's fans couldn't hold back the infamous "O" but they were quickly hushed or hissed silent, at least near my section. There were O's fans but majority in attendance were easily Nats fans.
-Patterson looked good despite giving up two runs. He looked a little upset at himself for doing so but considering this is his first time on the mound against a live opponent in months, he did well.
-Hanarhan was horrendous. He just couldn't find the strike zone. It was just ball after ball, hit after hit, until he walked in a run on bases loaded. I screamed, "Throw some strikes!" and right afterward Manny pulled him. Another horrid play was a ball was hit back directly at the mound, easily playable, but Hanny just threw up his glove and got out of the way! On top of the horrid performance, Hanny really needs to lose some weight. For a second I thought the Ghost of Livan walked up on the mound. If this keeps up, he is going to have to look into renting an apartment in Columbus.
-Traber had trouble finding the plate. He nearly took the head off a photographer twice.
-The Wookie shaved but he looked good. Next to Patterson, he gave the only real aggressive pitching performance out there today.
-All around pitching was terrible this game. They just couldn't or wouldn't throw strikes. This game coupled with the Dodgers game I listened to the day before (bless the XM) leads me to believe our bullpen might be in trouble if what we see is what we get. Hopefully, they are just working on pitches.
-Zimmerman got some hits and is looking confident. I don't think there will be a sophomore slump.
-Church let a bat get away from him and it hit the backstop net but other than that you could tell he is a lot more patient at the plate and laid off a lot of pitches he might of swung at last season. When he makes contact with the ball, it is solid. Manny and him are almost talking to each other each inning, talking game or just joking around. You can tell the confidence Manny has in him and that confidence is really doing Church good.
-Nook Logan was a speed machine catching nearly uncatchable balls all game. Impressive in the field. His bat needs a little more work but you can tell he also is a lot more patient.
-Shortstops Wilson and Jimenez were terrible. Neither looked comfortable in the field or at bat.
-Lopez was a workhorse. Hardest working infielder out there today doing everything he could to get the ball. He should work out fine at 2nd base if he keeps it up.
-Robert Fick played a full game at first base and he looked good. He needs some work on the bat but in the field he was busy and working well including a terrific diving catch. If he could turn on the bat juice and keep up the spunk, I wouldn't mind seeing him at 1st until NJ returns.
-NJ was in attendance and hung out in the dugout.
-I sat only seats away from Kasten, Jimbo, and the Lerner Family. They were constantly on the cell phones and blackberries. JimBo's girl came in a see-through lace shirt and high heels.
-Before the game a little girl made a homemade sign cheering on the Nats. As Manny Acta exited the dugout he looked up and saw the girl cheering and waving the sign. He smiled, pointed, and yelled, "You stay right there! I am going to interview you after the game!" The girl and her family laughed at what they thought was a joke but after the game Manny indeed came up into the stands and talked with the little girl a bit.
3/4/07: Nats vs. Dodgers (SS)
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-The early arrival minor leaguers and invitees were warming up and working the bats on the practice fields. Marrero, King, Williams, Zincola, Young, were all there. Here is a little on what I saw:
*Dimitri Young looks like a decommissioned tank. He is going to have to work hard and get in some sort of reasonable shape to have any shot at making the roster.
*Marrero has got some serious power to him. He was blasting balls all over the field and fences and making it look easy.
-Jason Simontacchi looked pretty good though he gave up two runs.
-Matt Chico was a freaking animal. Struck out two batters and had the most aggressive pitching so far. VERY impressive.
-A catcher by the name of Brito easily took "best of game" honors today. He homered, drove in two runs, and got a couple hits. Might want to keep an eye on him.
-Guzman...ugh...Guzman. Not getting hot with the bat at all and had some nasty strikeouts. He will be DH for the next few games so its unknown at this time whether or not he can field well.
-Broadway did well but not overall impressive. He is a big, healthy, guy though.
-Chad Cordero, The Chief, was on target this game. He gave up a single in the final inning on the first pitch but that didn't phase him. After that it was lights out for the Dodgers for he pitched beautifully, aggressively, and with a stone cold confidence that sent shivers down the spines of fans in attendance.
-Tommy Lasorda was in attendance today and sat with JimBo. Apparently he was accused of falling asleep during the last time the Nats and Dodgers met so fans periodically were screaming, "Tommy, wake up!"
-Jimbo, Kasten, and the Lerners were all present again as was JimBo's girl who chose to dress in a normal, conservative, purple shirt and jeans. This was probably because of the older couple sitting with them, I assume her parents. It was a far cry from the lace and high heels from the day before but not only was her shirt purple today but also her thong. JimBo himself chose to wear a pretty goofy looking sun hat this game but it served him well considering the sun was blazing.
-I got to shake Kasten's hand while walking through the concourse.
-Some Dodgers fans were in attendance but not many. I did get a chance to talk to some and they were all classy with great baseball knowledge. They all were very sad that the Dodgers probably were leaving Dodgertown after the 08' ST.
Stadium Notes
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-The stadium has been completely repainted with blues and reds and lots of Nationals logos all around. The seats are now dark blue with the stair railings painted red.
-The stadium used to be surrounded by cow pastures. No more. Development has been moving in and the area is growing nicely.
-There was a rumor that the famous "Taco-In-A-Helmet" food item was no longer being served but rest assured, if it ever had disappeared, it is back and in nice, mini-plastic, souvenir Nats helmets. Think nachos with a fork.
-The sound system in the stadium stinks. Needs a complete overhaul and upgrade.
-The scoreboard is not digital and they have a person go out and physically change the box score. The scorekeepers were constantly falling behind.
-Teddy Roosevelt was present and came out of nowhere during between innings one game. Apparently he is in ST to work on racing so he can actually win a race this year. Go get'em Ted!
-Nats swag was pretty good in the team store. Not excellent but certainly not bad. They had a real nice Nats ST button down bowling shirt but the price was horrid at $52. I got a Nats ST hat. The best item? Probably the collectors Nats ST pins which looked pretty cool.
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If I think of anything more I will post it. If you have any questions, please ask. I am working on the pictures but they will take me some time.
