Nationals vs Mets, Game 1

[nats2playoffs]

I left after the ninth inning (21.48) myself - usually at weeknights I operate under a self-imposed curfew of 22.30 since I have to go to work at 06.00, so I really can't do extra innings at weeknights; might have stayed for the tenth inning if it hadn't been so cold out (and for the fact that I was kicking a bit of a head cold).

Metro is close to plucking my last nerve this season. The low dependability of Metrobus weekend service and Metrorail's overall performance of evenings and weekends are bad enough...but too much more rubbish like that surprise roll-out of additional track work this past Thursday (among other things it took me fully an hour and a half to get to the ballpark on Saturday) or the Green line closure from Archives to Navy Yard during the Cardinals/Cubs Labour Day weekend, and I just might throw TBSITH up for grabs and drop my season ticket (or for something less drastic, put most of my weeknight and known evening track-work fixtures on StubHub and attend the ones that are left) - it's getting that aggravating, especially at soon-to-increase fares.

And depending on cabs can be leaning on a slender reed - after one of the Orioles matches this year I saw a queue of 100 at the cab rank in M street and hardly a cab within sight.

Those Orioles games had high attendance; 38,000-41,000.  Lines to the Metro may have been longer, promping a rush to cabs.

1. You could call for a cab (not that someone else wouldn't get it.) 
2. You should write a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, urging later hours for extra innings games, and noting the taxi cab situation, so that cab company managers can see the opportunity.
3. Maybe identify a season ticket holder who could give you a ride home. There must be someone heading your way. You could offer the cost of public transportation for each ride.
4. You could hold up a "Ride to South Arlington?" sign, as a hitch hiker might, when you leave games.  You might score a regular ride.




Are cabs hard to find after most games?
What do they cost to go to south Arlington?

[OldChelsea]

[...]Are cabs hard to find after most games?
What do they cost to go to south Arlington?

As a general rule, if one leaves a match early enough it normally isn't a problem, but afterward it can be a bit of a wait (and agreed that the Orioles matches were a bit out of the ordinary as far as crowd size). The only place to really find them near the ballpark is the cab rank they have on M street (across the street from the Fairgrounds, right in front of that electric newsreel with the baseball scores). They have a dispatcher there who flags down the relatively few cabbies who turn up and lines them up in an airport-style queue (although it's nowhere nearly as big a queue as you'll see at National or Dulles - each one that turns up usually gets snapped up pretty quickly).

I've tried flagging them down in South Capitol street (again not too many of them to be seen there) but usually those ones are taken. They used to have a few in Van street (the little side street between Half and South Capitol) but those were long ago chased out.

Last time I took a cab from the ballpark to my place (a mile and a half or so west of the Pentagon) it was, I think, a bit under $20 including tip.

[Minty Fresh]

I missed that frame, but you must really be wearing some glasses not to acknowledge that Flores has made plenty of plays at and behind the plate that Ramos was known for, well, not making.  Including other games where he had to handle H-Rod.  I'm not saying Flores is definitively better, but he sure looked like it immediately following Ramos.

Maybe he's phoning it in now that he knows the gig is his for the rest of the year

I know I'm cherry picking and that it's a totally agenda-driven observation.  I don't care.    But it's one of the things that drive me nuts because people just look at CS% and say, "good catcher" or ""bad catcher."  Blocking balls in the dirt is as much, if not moreso, important than throwing our steal attempts nowadays (especially since so few teams run anyway).

Minty you also forgot how awful Espinosa was.

Agreed.  EspinosAAA needs to be sent down.  I don't understand why he's still here.  He needs to go to AAA or AA and figure it out.

Just to be clear, I was kidding about phoning it in.

You're just a HATER. 

[spidernat]

My humble apologies to "Spider" for doubting his premonition abilities.

Don't doubt the science next time. 

[Lintyfresh85]

Agreed.  EspinosAAA needs to be sent down.  I don't understand why he's still here.  He needs to go to AAA or AA and figure it out.

Last 30 days (25 games)

.253/.330/.494/.824

[GburgNatsFan]

The three breaking balls in a row that he swung at last night override recent statistics. Any statistics, really.

Last 30 days (25 games)

.253/.330/.494/.824

[Lintyfresh85]

The three breaking balls in a row that he swung at last night override recent statistics. Any statistics, really.

Confirmation bias is hard to shake.

I kind of see why Billy Beane doesn't watch games... you can let observations get in the way of data. Something I'm often times guilty of.

[GburgNatsFan]

Yep. He broke my heart last night. I've been his biggest fan. My favorite Nat.

Confirmation bias is hard to shake.

I kind of see why Billy Beane doesn't watch games... you can let observations get in the way of data.

[Minty Fresh]

Last 30 days (25 games)

.253/.330/.494/.824

You can point to numbers, you know as well as I do that especially as a lefty he's been marginal on his best days.

[Lintyfresh85]

You can point to numbers, you know as well as I do that especially as a lefty he's been marginal on his best days.

I didn't say he wasn't marginal as a left handed hitter. Simply stated his stats the past 30 days.

[The Chief]

You're just a HATER. 

My only regret is that I haven't been around lately in GDTs to ask all the <playername> haterz where they are in all CAPS.

[Minty Fresh]

I didn't say he wasn't marginal as a left handed hitter. Simply stated his stats the past 30 days.

I'm glad for you that you didn't say that because he's actually a crappy left-handed hitter and that he's only effective on his really good days.  If they're going to continue having him hit lefty then he should be sent to the minors to work on hitting left-handed.

[PC]

Luke Russert! That's who that was shown in the stands in the 10th.  I knew I recognized the face...

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of the ragged play at the end was fatigue related, including Espinosa's at-bat (which was awful) and Flores non-catch of the Rodriguez pitch but come on, you know HRod was going to give up that run one way or the other.  That's who he is.

And Rick Ankiel's is purely defensive substitute now.  He's worse than Bernadina.