Define Natitude

[Smithian]

Nattitude: Where monsoons don't keep us from walk-offs

[welch]

Didn't know that.

But seriously... if that letter gave Strasburg stress... that's pretty embarrassing.

I read the letter and I'm disappointed in Jim Kaat. I noticed him in 1960, when we mis-pronounced his name like "Cat". Letter makes no point other than what dozens of "experts" have said before. Just baloney.

[wpa2629]

James Wagner ‏@JamesWagnerWP
Werth: "Had a nice little rain delay. Got a little massage, changed clothes, had a chicken salad and tied it up. It was a well-written.





Now that's some Mad Natitude

[mitlen]

James Wagner ‏@JamesWagnerWP
Werth: "Had a nice little rain delay. Got a little massage, changed clothes, had a chicken salad and tied it up. It was a well-written.


Now that's some Mad Natitude

The Mad Natter ..

[PowerBoater69]

Here are some of the details for the Os playoff ticket invoicing:

Fans with full season plans are being given the option to buy tickets for all of the potential 10 home playoff games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards this fall.

This first item is the most interesting of all, the Os are selling tickets for 10 home games while the Nats are forcing fans who want strips to pay for 13 games.  With the NL getting home field in the WS, that explains one game of the difference.  The other two games are pure greed on the part of the shady ass Lerner family.  There is no way for the team playing in the play in or Wild Card games to have home field in the next two rounds but the Nats are charging fans non-refundable deposits for both games plus home field games for all rounds.  When this was announced it was questioned whether this was MLB policy, now we know it isn't, just the greedy bastards once again figuring out tricky ways to rip off their fan base.

Tickets for the wild card and divisional round games cost about the same as a prime regular season game, Bader said. Championship series tickets would cost about 50 percent more than prime regular season games, and World Series tickets could cost fans three times as much as regular season prime matchups.  “We made the suggestion based on what we believe is appropriate,” Bader said. “We made every effort to keep the pricing on the low end.”  The Orioles, who suggested the pricing for postseason tickets to Major League Baseball, do not plan to add any additional seats in the stadium if they make the playoffs, Bader said. Oriole Park at Camden Yards holds 45,971 fans.

So the Os worked with MLB to keep playoff prices down.  Can't say the same for the Nats based on the prices I've seen.  Look for a StubHub bloodbath as speculators buy extra tickets then find that the demand isn't there.

Fans will be refunded their ticket price if the Orioles are eliminated from the playoffs. The money can also be used toward plan holders' 2013 season ticket total.

Refunds!  Wow, what a fan friendly concept!  Old man Lerner can go to hell.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2012/08/22/baltimore-orioles-playoffs-tickets-sale.html?page=all

[Smithian]

Old man Lerner can go to hell.

How can you be mad at the ownership in the midst of this season?

[eddiejc1]

Here are some of the details for the Os playoff ticket invoicing:

This first item is the most interesting of all, the Os are selling tickets for 10 home games while the Nats are forcing fans who want strips to pay for 13 games.  With the NL getting home field in the WS, that explains one game of the difference.  The other two games are pure greed on the part of the shady ass Lerner family.  There is no way for the team playing in the play in or Wild Card games to have home field in the next two rounds but the Nats are charging fans non-refundable deposits for both games plus home field games for all rounds.  When this was announced it was questioned whether this was MLB policy, now we know it isn't, just the greedy bastards once again figuring out tricky ways to rip off their fan base.

So the Os worked with MLB to keep playoff prices down.  Can't say the same for the Nats based on the prices I've seen.  Look for a StubHub bloodbath as speculators buy extra tickets then find that the demand isn't there.

Refunds!  Wow, what a fan friendly concept!  Old man Lerner can go to hell.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2012/08/22/baltimore-orioles-playoffs-tickets-sale.html?page=all

I believe that any unused playoff ticket will also be refunded by Nats, too.

[eddiejc1]

How can you be mad at the ownership in the midst of this season?

Well, keep in mind Powerboater also used to be the troll Zimmm.


That being said, there are plenty of reasons for Nats fans to still be angry at the Lerners despite the success the team has had this season.

[PowerBoater69]

I believe that any unused playoff ticket will also be refunded by Nats, too.

Not according to the documentation sent out with the invoices.  I was told by a rep that they would refund unused tickets, but when I asked for that in writing I got no response.

[PowerBoater69]

How can you be mad at the ownership in the midst of this season?

Charging for 13 home games when the max they can play is 11.  That's some bullcrap.

[mimontero88]

Jayson Werth v2.0 is so awesome!!!

[eddiejc1]

Not according to the documentation sent out with the invoices.  I was told by a rep that they would refund unused tickets, but when I asked for that in writing I got no response.

Powerboater, or should I say Zimmm? The Nats also told me that unused playoff tickets would be refunded in December. That's enough for me.

[Lintyfresh85]

Powerboater, or should I say Zimmm? The Nats also told me that unused playoff tickets would be refunded in December. That's enough for me.

They also said they were capping season tickets at 20K to be fair to the fans.

[PowerBoater69]

Normally I'm not a union guy, I can't stand the federal unions, but in this case they seem like the lesser of the two evils.  $11 an hour with no benes and cameras watching your every move, yeah no wonder they have staffing problems.

Twenty-One Union Organizers Kicked Out of Nationals Park Over Labor Day Weekend
by Mike Elk‚ Sep. 10‚ 2012
   
WASHINGTON, DC--The baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals may have received $693 million in public financing for its construction, but union organizers learned this past Labor Day weekend that doesn’t mean its public property. On Saturday, 17 union organizers with IAM District 4 attended the game, wearing t-shirts that encouraged Nationals Park's 341 guest service workers to vote "Yes" in an upcoming union election. They claim security kicked them out for wearing the shirts. Two days later on Labor Day itself, another 4 union organizers wearing similar t-shirts were also kicked out.

“We were told that our shirts were offensive and escorted out of the ballpark,” says IAM District 4 union organizer Joe Flanders. “We weren't even talking to anyone, we were just wearing our shirts so that workers knew they had support.”

The Washington Nationals dispute Flanders' version of events.

"A few individuals who identified themselves as being with an organized group called IAM were asked to leave Nationals Park for violating multiple guest conduct policies, including soliciting persons inside the ballpark, taking unauthorized surveys inside the ballpark, engaging in unauthorized commercial activities inside the ballpark, disruptive behavior, [and] non-compliance with requests from authorized ballpark staff, security, and on-site police," says Washington Nationals spokeswoman Lara Potter. "Such activities are prohibited within the ballpark, consistent with policies established by most professional sports facilities. Citizens wishing to engage in expressive conduct and/or unauthorized commercial activities may do so only outside of Nationals Park ticketed areas.”

IAM is currently attempting to organize the guest service workers. The union claims the workers are upset about making only $11 an hour with no benefits, as well as unhappy that workers who speak up to management are denied work assignments. Those workers approached IAM, and an election to decide whether to join the union is scheduled for September 6 and 7.

Sporting the best record in baseball, the Washington Nationals have seen record attendance and revenue this season, but that hasn't stopped the team's management from moving quickly to suppress the union drive. They have hired the law firm of Hogan Lovells to combat the drive, and have made ballpark workers attend captive anti-union meetings. Management has also forbid workers from talking to fans about the organizing drive at the ballpark.

On Tuesday night, I asked one worker about the upcoming election and he quickly threw up his hands and backed away from me dramatically, saying he wasn’t allowed to talk about it at the ballpark. Another worker at the ballpark told me,“I can’t discuss this, but I like working here tremendously." IAM's Flanders says he's had similar experiences when trying to organize workers at the ballpark.

“They don't want to talk inside of the shop because they are being watched. There are cameras at the ballpark on you for everything you do,” says Flanders. “You can’t make a move on there without being on video.”

Beyond management’s interference, the union has an uphill battle in winning the election. Many of the guest service workers who collect tickets and usher people to their seats are retirees on pensions or Social Security. It is merely a part-time job for them, and they enjoy coming to the ballpark to watch some of the games; the $11 an hour is simply icing on the cake.

Later on Tuesday evening, I approached a worker and started discussing the union drive. After I told him that I was a member of Communication Workers of America's Newspaper Guild affiliate, he mentioned he was a CWA member in Virginia. Now retired, he had previously worked at Lucent and said that, despite his retirement, he still maintained his CWA membership.

“We got things good,” said the worker. “We were striking every three years, it seemed like. Man, we had some real power”.

When I asked him about the upcoming election at the ballpark, he told me he was planning to vote against the union.

“It’s a part-time job. I just come here to the ballpark to watch the game and harass the fans,” said the worker laughing. “I don’t want to pay union dues. Most of the people here are retired.”

With the Washington Nationals' union-busting and the lack of desire among part-time employees to unionize, it appears as if IAM is already down 0-2 in the count. They'll find out Friday whether it's strike three.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/13790/21_union_organizers_kicked_out_of_nationals_stadium_on_labor_day_weekend/

[welch]

So the Organization can't do anything about gangs Fillie drunks, but it can hire a law firm just to keep Nats Park employees from joining a union?

[tomterp]

So the Organization can't do anything about gangs Fillie drunks, but it can hire a law firm just to keep Nats Park employees from joining a union?

Any organization with potential for labor issues should employ counsel that is versed in such things, the whole area is a minefield of "do's" and "don'ts".

[comish4lif]

How can you be mad at the ownership in the midst of this season?

For selling a strip of 13 playoff tickets when there's no chance we can get 13 home games?

[Lintyfresh85]

Edit: Not worth it.

[comish4lif]

Unionized hot dog vendors? You thought service was bad now!

[spidernat]

If all it takes is someone to complain about something being offensive then it must suck to be at Nationals Park when PANatsFan is in attendance. On those days Nationals Park must be like wnff.net

[Slateman]

LASC (Lerners Are Still Cheap)

[Coladar]

So they are working at an unskilled job which essentially anyone can do, a part time supplemental, making almost twice minimum wage with almost 9% unemployment and they aren't happy? Okay...

[PowerBoater69]

So they are working at an unskilled job which essentially anyone can do, a part time supplemental, making almost twice minimum wage with almost 9% unemployment and they aren't happy? Okay...

They are taking home about as much per game as most of the fans make in an hour. $11 an hour does not go far with rents in this area.

Glad to see you back on the board.

[WahooWah]

So they are working at an unskilled job which essentially anyone can do, a part time supplemental, making almost twice minimum wage with almost 9% unemployment and they aren't happy? Okay...

Better check your math,  11 bucks an hour isn't twice 7.25 an hour.

[HalfSmokes]

Better check your math,  11 bucks an hour isn't twice 7.25 an hour.

Also DC minimum wage is $8.25- not great for standing over a grill or deep fat fryer in the middle august