DCUNATS71 : Introduction....

[Diehard_Nationals_Fan]

Howdy people!  Im DCUNATS71 over on the MLB.com's Nationals message boards for those of you who post over there and remember me.

I posted this intro over on Baseball-fever.com.  Its just an intro about myself, and being a baseball/ Nationals fan.  So here it is:

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  #4  
Old 06-17-2005, 06:45 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Alexandria, VA
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Born and Raised.
Firstly, alittle bit about myself. Im 34 years old, (just turned last
wednesday June 8th) I was born in Prince Georges Hospital Center in
Cheverly, MD. I grew up here in DC (md) and have been a lifelong
Washington Capitals, Redskins, and Washington Dipomats / DC United
fan.

My first love is ice hockey. I began playing at the age of 9, thanks
to the Washington Capitals, and have held season tickets with the Caps
most of my life. That is far and away my first love. Next up would
be both Soccer and Baseball.

I pretty much grew up and O's fan. I began going to O's games in the
late 70s with my father at Memorial stadium, and continued on through
the 80s to mid 90s. I had lots of great times and lots of great
memories with the O's, and for those I am thankful. I always wondered
as a kid why Washington, the United States Capital city didnt have a
club. I was born 3 monhts before the Senators left, and the only real
memories of Baseball in DC I had was seeing footage of the Senators,
and hearing stories from my father and grand father, and the few pices
of memorabelia left over. As much as I enjoyed the O's it was always
bitter sweet for me, because I was not FROM Baltimore, and felt forced
to root for another cities team.

In 94 after the strike, and having to get 1,500 bucks worth of
tickets refunded, I disavowed MLB, and stated the only way MLB would
ever get a dime of my money again is if they gave my hometown back its
rightful baseball club. I never thought id say the day it actually
happend though.

I also over those years from the mid to late 90s grew not only
apathetic about the O's, I grew to dispise them, largely because of
thier owner, the greedy bastard, peter angeloser. Watching Angelos
tear apart a great team, largely on purpose to hurt his own club/
attendance just to make a case to keep baseball out of my home town
planted the seed of sheer and utter disdain. Over the last 5 years,
and even more so the last two, that has grown into some kind of
hatred, and it contiues today. Everytime I cannot see MY HOME TOWN
TEAM play a game on televesion, but can get O's games it grows alittle
more. The fact he planted an Orioles store in the heart of
Washington DC, the comments he has repeatedly made in the press about
how 45% or something of his fan base is based in Washington, and the
fact he came out and blatanly put his foot in his own mouth and said
there are "no real baseball fans in Washington" has shown us all just
how incredibly idiotic and obsessed with fighting a fight that no one
wanted this nutjob really is. Instead of playing off of the
positives, he chose the negative road. He chose to crap on a large
portion of the O's fan base, and baseball fans in general in both
citites, and were now seeing his own club struggling at the box office
because of it. A first place team, as good as the Nationals or
better, and they cant draw 15K on weeknights, and are averageing what,
26K / game? I personally am enjoying the struggles in Baltimore.
peter angelos will never get a dime of my money again, other than when
the Nationals play up in baltimore in interleague. That is it.

Over the last year, and in specifically the last 6 months, it has been
a whirlind. I kept my distance, only buying a red, "swirly W" hat. I
did not go to the team store when it opened, I didnt attend any
rallys, I didnt do anything. WHY? Because I still refused to belive it
was going to happen, that a team would actuall come. We had been
teased several times in the past, and this time I didnt want to go
through the heartache of a letdown, which almost DID happen. So I
kept my distance, until the season began.


The Washington Nationals represent many things to many people. To me,
they are the baseball childhood hometown team that I never had. They
are the chance to root for MY HOME TOWN TEAM I never got. I
unfortunately didnt make it to RFK for the openner, but I was there
the next night, and have been 22 or 23 times so far this season. That
first game I attended, I was in awe. I was shocked, I was amazed, I
felt like a little kid in christmas morning. I cheered, I cried, and I
felt just like that little kid that would have been, finally getting
to root for his own home town team, a team that was truly his and a
part of him. There I was a 33 year old kid all over again, and I
cant really even put into words what that was like, or has been like.

Maybe this is all payback for 34 years of suffering, and maybe im
being gifted those childhood memories I was robbed of. Myabe this
city, has been given a third chance and the third times the charm.
Who knows what it is, but ive said this to almost everyone ive taken
to a Nationals game with me, and I will say it again here. We are in
the the middle of a story book season. We are watching the pages to
great, hartwarming story being written before our eyes, and the best
part of it is, is that WE, US, Washingtonians get to be a big part of
that. When I sit at RFK on these sultry summer nights I cant help but
think of the memories were living through, memories that well look
back on in 20 years and smile, and know that we were a big part in
making them.


So this year, this summer, ive dedicated as much time, effort, and
money as I can to enjoy this for what it is no matter how it ends up.
You only get one first season, and this is it. But theres still one
little matter for me to attend to this year. One that even tough I did
it with the O's, still isnt the same. That matter is I want to bring
my fater back here to DC, to go to a game with me. It will be a true
first for us as it will be a true home town team, in the city I was
born and raised in.


I encourage everyone to not only keep coming out, not only to bring
new people, but to document your experiences as thoroughly as you
can. Keep everything you get. Ticket stubs, T-shirts, schedules,
jerseys.. all of it. ME, if possible im getting 2 or 3 of each thing
I can. One to keep in package or mint condition, one to display, and
one to wear if its clothes. Seems alittle much sure, but in 20 or 30
years its going to be worth it. I still get chills looking back at
all my old Caps memorabelia and ticket stubs, media guides,
schedules.. etc.. from the late 70's and 80s, and 90's.

So thats just a small bit about myself, a little internet intro if you
will. Im sure I didnt do to great/ thorough of a job either, but
hey, was at work when I origionally typed it out.    :wink:

[visionary]

Welcome to this board, hope to have some good baseball conversations and during the week and in the game threads as well...

nice intro...but sadly way too long.
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Just kidding, welcome aboard.

[Senators2005]

Welcome DCUNATS71...I remember you from the MLB board.  Glad to see you here.

[The Chief]

Welcome aboard

[tomterp]

Hey DCUNats71,

Look forward to continuing conversations with you, we probably have more in common than just the Nationals.  I was born at GW hospital, but grew up in Southern PG, and worked at the Cheverly Sport Fair during my Terp days.

Also lived in your current home of Alexandria for 18 years.

Anyway, good to see you aboard!

[BigGameHunter32]

Welcome aboard...glad to have another hockey fan around.

[Kenz aFan]

Hey Diehard_Nationals_Fan

I hope you don't mind if I only scanned parts of all that. Because, man, that sucker in LONG.

Welcome to the board...
Chat hardy, chat often, but chat smile on your face  :wink:

[rileyn]

Welcome to the board.  You and I have alot in common although you apparently like soccer more than I.  I am 35 and grew up in Montgomery County so I was "forced" to be an O's fan my entire life.  I enjoyed it greatly throughout the 80's and early 90's, but I always felt like a visitor at Old Memorial Stadium or Cmaden Yards.  Sadly, Peter Angelos forced me to choose sides and I AM A DC GUY, so there really was no choice.  I'm amazed by how quickly I dropped the O's and have fallen for the Nationals.  This feels right.  This feels like my team.

[Ryan Zimmerman]

Welcome aboard...glad to have another hockey fan around.

LOL, I live in Montreal so I'm a die hard hockey fan.

I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HOCKEY.

Don't worry guys, as it seems, Ovechkin will sign with Dynamo Moscow if there's a lockout only.

[Diehard_Nationals_Fan]

WOW!  Well thanks for the welcome everyone!  

Yeah, it was a bit long, but hey, i tend to be somewhat of a prolific writer at times.   Thats probably half  to 1/3rd as long as my longest post. LOL!  

Nice to know there are common souls here.

BigGameHunter32,  You beat me to it!  I was going to put up my Caps avatar, but oh well.  LOL!   I have an authentic old blue away jersey with the stanley cup patch on it and Hunters name and number, signed, and under glass on my living room wall!  I own about 8 or so Caps jerseys, 3 of which are game worn.   Im sure wed have lots to talk about espeically if youve been a Caps fans as long as I have.  

Did you ever post on the Caps boards? or any of the spinoffs from it?  Just wondering.

 Lookin foward to a much nicer place over here!

Great to be here and great to be a Nationals fan!  WAHOO!

[BigGameHunter32]

Diehard_Nationals_Fan

Haven't been following as long as you, but DH is one of my favs. I want that jersey of yours!

I post all the time over on the caps message boards under Horn Horn Horn!

It is great to have baseball back in DC, and hopfully we'll have hockey returning soon as well.

[Kenz aFan]

NHL: We forgot what the H stands for.

HOOKY of course...

[The Chief]

Yeah Vbulletin has thread ratings, but not PHPBB.  I'm sure there's probably a mod for it though.  You're welcome to suggest it in the community section and poll to see if there's much interest.

[Kenz aFan]

Yeah Vbulletin has thread ratings, but not PHPBB.  I'm sure there's probably a mod for it though.  You're welcome to suggest it in the community section and poll to see if there's much interest.

Ohhhhh nooooooooooo thank you... Every once in a while the rating thing has gotten out of hand over at the Nats mlb.com board... I like things like they are here...

[The Chief]

Ohhhhh nooooooooooo thank you... Every once in a while the rating thing has gotten out of hand over at the Nats mlb.com board... I like things like they are here...

Good, because even simple mods require a lot of fiddling, and I'm lazy  

[Diehard_Nationals_Fan]

Wow Chief, Color me impressed.  

[The Chief]

Wow Chief, Color me impressed.  

I have no idea what you're talking about