The Nationals continue their winning ways, beating the Phillies 9-7 in a great game. Yours truly was in attendance, albeit in 226U. That's 8-1 for our Nats in the past 9 sweeping AL West contender the Dodgers and taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 8th, Ronnie Belliard got a pinch hit RBI to give the Nats the lead. Then Cristian Guzman gets to the plate with bases loaded and clears the bases with a double, giving insurance runs. We needed those as Hanrahan gave up two runs in the top of 9th before closing it out. Ryan Howard hit 2 home runs for the Phillies in their losing effort and now trail the Met by 3 games for the NL East crown.

As part of the game, in the next section over, a Philadelphia Eagles fan wearing the Westbrook jersey led chants of "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" every once in a while. I missed it, but during the top of the 8th, apparently a Nationals or presumably Redskins fan yelled back "Z-E-R-O, ZERO!...Superbowls!". That shut up Mr. Westbrook.

Guzman, coming off last weeks cycle game, comes in the clutch. Let's hope these performances are indicative of the offense next season.

Up next, a road trip that includes Atlanta, the Mets, and the Marlins. Only a 2 game set against the Mets, but hopefully the Nats can continue the winning ways.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi there. If you want to follow live with comments not made by the TV or Radio teams and oddball views from the fan seating, follow my Twitter postings here. It won't be play by play, but I'll summarize important plays or amusing anecdotes live. Also feel free to subscribe to my Twitter feed for instant analysis of future Redskins games, some Maryland Men's Basketball, and other sports or non-sports events. Summarized analysis and pictures on the next day.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On last night’s edition of Baseball Tonight, Buster Olney and Eduardo Perez both hit the nail on the head as to why the Tampa Bay Rays struggle to attract fans to attend their home games despite the team being in first place. Buster Olney summed it up by saying that playing four good months of baseball does not make up for ten bad years.

Continue reading "Tampa Bay Rays attendance" »

Posted by Bob at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Nationals put together a streak fans should be happy about. Along the way of the sweep, Cristian Guzman hits for the cycle, getting the elusive triple in his last at bat.

Not only do the Nats put together a pretty good winning streak, but they put the Dodgers in peril of winning the NL West. Of course the Arizona Diamondbacks are making it interesting by not winning that often either.

Guzman wasn't the only part of the offense, as Elijah Dukes hit two home runs in the game. Hopefully this is a sign of the offense we'll be seeing next season.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Baseball has decided to institute instant replay on home runs. What makes this so interesting is the change takes place during the season. I don't recall the NBA or NFL making changes to the rules in the middle of the season. Whether good or bad or in need of clarification the NFL and NBA implement rule changes at the end of the season. Live by the rules put in place at the start of the season that is fair for everyone good or bad from beginning to end playing by the same rules.

Yet maybe MLB being quick and nimble can prevent a bad call from being made. As much as it's great to be quick to act to get it right, playing by the same fair rules throughout the duration of the season seems to take precedence in the NFL and NBA and works well. Everyone knows the rules and works within them. What makes the change so interesting is that it’s the right thing to do but the timing is so odd that it conjures the feeling of indifference this late into the season. It's almost like an espisode of Seinfeld as a rule change this late seems like a change about nothing.

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This past Saturday was the draft for one of our fantasy football leagues. Q, The Sports Freak, Stu, and myself made the trek up to New York City to meet up with Bob and another friend of ours. What better to do on draft weekend than to go to Yankee Stadium? OK, the Redskins were in town against Favre and the Jets (I nearly said Bennie & the Jets!). But it was only pre-season. We had live, real baseball going on in the Bronx. Against the Kansas City Royals. OK, maybe I'm not making a great case. Oh yeah, it's the final season of Yankee Stadium. There, that was a good reason.

With our luck, we had Sidney Ponson starting for the Yankees. Ahh the Prince of Aruba, ex-Oriole when even Q was still paying attention to baseball. Fond memories of watching him blow game after game. He apparently realized there were a few ex-Orioles fans in the stands, as he decided to revert to "Oriole Ponson". Yet the Royals only managed to pull 2 runs out of him. Of course, the Yankees weren't better for the first few innings, leaving players stranded for most innings including at least one with bases loaded. Finally in the seventh, the Yankees broke through for 2 runs, eventually winning it in the 13th.

Continue reading "Yankee Stadium" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Nothing can captivate an audience like someone knocking the ball out of the yard at a game. JWjr summed up most baseball fans opinions when he said, "when I watch a game at home I want to see a pitcher’s duel, but when I'm at the game I want to see the ball leave the stadium." Well nothing seemed to capture the country in the now deemed steroid era of baseball following the 1994 players strike like McGwire and Sosa going yard.

Justin Morneau may have won this year's home run derby, but Josh Hamilton won the fans hearts and imagination. Hamilton's record setting 28 home runs in the first round can only be described as "electric." Fans weren't just watching history or sitting on the edge of their seats, they were standing up with a giddy glow and a look of utter amazement as did the fans in the fictional movie "The Natural."

Continue reading "Josh Hamilton Takes Control of the Home Run Derby" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ken Griffey Jr gets traded to the Chicago White Sox to end Major League Baseball's annual trade deadline.

Griffey's post-Seattle career has closely followed another athlete, but not in MLB. The NBA's Grant Hill has similar issues, except worse. Hill has been injured his entire career, despite all his talent. Griffey in recent years has a similar problem.

This however does put Griffey with a good team that has a shot at the World Series. I think many people are rooting for Ken here.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Who knew that in all these years of Manny saying he wanted out of Boston that he actually meant it this time? Boston sent him to the LA Dodgers and got Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three way deal.

So this was an interesting move. How will Bay mesh with the Red Sox lineup? Is Big Papi David Ortiz protecting him, or is he protecting Ortiz¿

Posted by Big Money Tony at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Will Steve Bartman ever be left alone? Through a friend, he has rejected a paid appearance at a sports memorabilia convention.

With the leaders of Major League Baseball standing as they are now, I'm rooting for the Cubs. That way we can all finally leave Bartman alone.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Busy day with the Washington Nationals.

Ryan Zimmerman returns after a stint on the DL. While nobody is expecting a Nats run at the playoffs, this should help the team get on track and put together a decent run in preparation for next season.

Next, Jon Rauch gets traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio. Bonifacio has been designated the Nats 2B of the future and will spend time at AAA Columbus until then. Obviously this puts pressure on Felipe Lopez to keep his job.

Finally, Cristian Guzman signs a new contract with the Nats. This event alone does not really mean much itself, except that the Nats are assured that shortstop will not be on their shopping list for next season. However, in combination with Zimmerman, and the Lopez/Bonifacio 2B, most of the infield is set. All we need is Nick Johnson to stay healthy for longer than a week or Dmitri Young to step up his defense, and the Nats have a pretty solid overall infield.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As Big Money Tony wrote earlier this week, we took our first of a two part journey to NYC to close down Shea and Yankee Stadium. This past weekend's trip was both fun and memorable. We started our trip via the metro to Union Station before taking Amtrak to Penn Station in New York.

Big Money Tony asked me if Amtrak was still the Wild Wild West of security. Having taken the train more recently than Tony I replied yes. Walk yourself and your bags onto the train throw them up top and walk to the dining cart for some food and drink and just hope for the best. It's the honor system. BMT brought up a great point about Amtrak. Where else can someone just hop on a train and while it's moving then go around checking tickets.

Continue reading "Our Journey To Shea Stadium" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I enjoy watching the annual Major League Baseball Home Run Derby the night before the All-Star Game, but there are two things that usually come up regarding the players who compete in it that I am tired of hearing about. First is that competing in the derby ruins a player’s swing. Professional golfers need to be able to hit a driver and a 9 iron and that’s much more of a dramatic difference in a golfer’s swing than one night of a baseball player aiming for the fences. The second thing I am tired of hearing about is that the winner of the derby is jinxed and will not have good power numbers for the remainder of the season. Players get hot, players get cold. It has absolutely nothing to do with winning the home run derby.

Posted by Bob at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Sports Freak and I are on the road in New York City to catch the New York Mets in the last season of Shea Stadium. And boy did we pick a great game. Mets won, 3-0 by beating the Colorado Rockies. This should have been a great game, given one of the contenders for the NL East Division hosting the 2007 NL Champions. Instead we get a bottom barrel team visiting a still contender, but only after firing their manager.

Continue reading "Road Trip: New York Mets" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The hometown Nationals appear to only play two ways. Win late or lose. They won last night, 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Catcher Jesus Flores, after going K, K, groundout, K, finished the night 1-5 with a single that scored Elijah Dukes.

Continue reading "Winning Late in the Game" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Normally you don't hear "...that's all I need - 4 runs" uttered by a pitcher in a positive manner. We know we've heard that a few times from Nationals starting pitchers, but usually with some of those 7 words the late, great American Philospher George Carlin said. But Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners did say those words, after hitting a grand slam against Johan Santana.

In the battle of teams with managers fired last week, the Mariners beat the New York Mets and their ace Santana, with Hernandez's base clearer contributing 4 runs in the 2nd. Too bad he later got injured, putting a damper on what would have been a night to remember. It still is, as it is the first home run hit by a pitcher in Mariners history.

This reminds me of some better days in Baltimore, when Mike Mussia was their ace pitcher. The Orioles actually put him on the depth chart as an emergency outfielder on his non-starting days. I remember a two week stretch in the late 90's when the Orioles were down a couple of outfielders due to injury, Mussina was the 4th outfielder ahead of Harold Baines. I don't know if it was more that Moose was such a great hitter and the arm to send a hit back into the outfield quickly or that Baines' knees were held together with scotch tape, so they couldn't trust him to chase down a turtle.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

In a game that ended sometime last night, thankfully before midnight, the National defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3.

Elijah Dukes had a 5-6 night including the tying and the game winning hits. Not to be dismissed was his excellent fielding as well.

Continue reading "14 Inningzzzz" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The apocalypse must be around the corner. The New York Yankees signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract. Desperation has set in after the loss of Chien-Ming Wang. Granted at least they were intelligent enough to put him in the minors first.

Continue reading "The Yankees Signed Who???" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

In case you hadn't noticed, the Cincinnati Reds called up top prospect Jay Bruce from the minor leagues last Tuesday. In the 7 days he's been in the big leagues, Bruce has only gone 15 for 25 with three homers, seven RBIs, and six walks. That gives him a batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage of .577/.667/1.038. That's a slugging percentage of 1.038, not an OPS. That gives him an OPS of 1.705. All that adds up to one of the best debut weeks that I have ever seen in Major League Baseball.

Continue reading "Jay Bruce" »

Posted by Bob at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So I'm torn. I want the umpires to have the tools to effectively call the games. But I don't want 3 hour games to turn into 4 hour games. While it didn't factor in the win loss column, in the Mets-Yankees game yesterday, a Carlos Delgado home run was waved off even though it was real.

Continue reading "Instant Replay in MLB" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Big Money Tony's streak of wins has come to an end. It should have come as no surprise if everyone knew how the evening started. I met BMT at his client's office as I exited metro. We happened to have a parking permit for our seats to last Friday night's game. As BMT's vehicle was being pulled from the garage, he had to run back upstairs to grab something. The parking lot attendant then had to move the vehicle over a second time. As I stepped inside I tipped the attendant. BMT then came down and jumped inside ready to go. I told him I had tipped the parking lot attendand to which he uttered damn. He had tipped the attendant, too.

We joked about going back to say there was a misunderstanding and ask for a tip back. Then it dawned on me. Wasn't this a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode? Maybe one of the lurkers on the site would be able to chime in? In any event the smug remarks forshadowed the pounding the Marlins gave the Nats on Friday and then twice over on Saturday.

Continue reading "A Nationals Weekend" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

There have been rumors online that Seattle has sent scouts to Reds games. Could Griffey be going back to where it all started?

Why not bring Griffey to DC? The Nats haven't had a star like Griffey since Soriano left in free agency. Having a player like Griffey in center field would move Lastings to LF and create more depth in the OF. It would also provide Zimmerman and Johnson more protection in the line-up. Holding onto Lastings and Zimmerman would be key, so who would the Nats need to give up besides a couple of prospects?

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Nats found themselves taking the Braves, Cubs, and Pirates series at home this past week. Not only did the streaky Nationals find some hitting but you could see how much fun the players were having. Winning has also made it easier for Manny to find time for players like Boone to receive more playing time and contribute making it a happy clubhouse.

The winning isn't the only change at home recently. The Nationals also changed the look of the HD Scoreboard. Now it shows both lineups and the live stats of the batter and pitcher. It also displays balls, strikes, pitch count, and mph. It looks fabulous and provides all the stats one could want.

Now on to more important things that being food of course. As BMT and I share a partial plan, we've been able to take in some of the cuisine at the new ball park. After sampling some of the dogs, I prefer the Hebrew National Dog and for a dollar more than the Nats dog it offers a lot more flavor. The Kosher Dog follows a close second and the potato knish was a tasty treat with less salt than a pretzel. The chili mac at Hard Times tastes great too.

We also tried the cafe in center field as we were seated and had waitered service. The view to home plate was fantastic and the chicken caesar salad was pretty good. The chicken was nice and juicy. We may never need to go back, but if we do I'll remember to ask for more dressing. Gifford’s Ice Cream even on a mild is always a nice treat.

The only thing lacking was finding the cuisine of the visiting city. I had read that Nationals Park would provide a taste of a Chicago dog when the Cubs came to town and I walked around the concourse level to no avail. Anyone that's had a Chicago dog done right knows just how delicious it is.

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This is taking a rivalry too far. Running over an opponent on the field of play might be warranted, but fans running over opposing fans in a parking lot is too far. But I don't have to tell you that, or do I?

Sure, I can't stand Philly fans of any sport, nor the Dallas Cowboy fans (especially those who have never been in Dallas, let alone Texas). I find it hard though that no matter how drunk I am, I would run another human being over.

Posted by Big Money Tony at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

In my recent Major League Baseball preview of the National League Central division, my only comment regarding the Pittsburgh Pirates was the following:

"Do they still play baseball in Pittsburgh?"

Continue reading "Do they still play baseball in Pittsburgh?" »

Posted by Bob at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

With baseball season being back, it's time to see the ballpark. And for us National fans, do we have a great one.

Photo by BMT

Continue reading "Welcome to Nationals Park" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

That's right the Nationals are now 2-0 and own a half game lead over the Mets in the NL East. The future looks bright, but let's not forget to enjoy the present. The Nationals have a great new ball park, new players, and lots of optimism following a season ago where many were predicting Washington to set a new MLB record for losses prior to last season.

Continue reading "Nationals Lead NL East" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wrapping up my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the AL East teams listed in order of predicted finish. While I admit it is not easy for me to be objective about the AL East, I’ll give it my best shot.

Boston Red Sox. It pains me to say so, but the Red Sox have done everything right over the past four plus years to build a championship contending team. It pains me so much to say that previous sentence that I can’t say any more about this team.

Continue reading "AL East Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

From the pre-game festivities to the nationally televised game on ESPN, the Nationals from top to bottom delivered the goods. Channel 7 and ESPN's pregame showcased the stadium, it's view, and all it's emenities. The only thing left to accomplish in their new ball park was to bring home a win and that they did in a dramatic walk off home run by Ryan Zimmerman in the bottom of the 9th for a 3-2 victory.

Continue reading "Nationals Break In New Park With a "W"" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continuing my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the AL Central teams listed in order of predicted finish.

Detroit Tigers. Let’s get this out of the way first. The Detroit Tigers are not going to score 1,000 run this season. Every year during the pre-season, baseball writers, analysts, and fans anoint a team as being the one that will score 1,000 runs during the upcoming season. The Yankee teams of recent years have been perennial favorites to score 1,000 runs. But guess what? Even in these days of record breaking individual offensive production, only one team in the past 57 years has scored 1,000 runs: the 1999 Cleveland Indians. And while the 2008 Tigers are good enough to win their division, they won’t be scoring 1,000 runs this year.

Continue reading "AL Central Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With all the rumors spreading about Canseco's new book, who's mentioned, and that A-Rod was interested in Canseco's wife there's only a few things to be said. Somewhere along the way DiNero's 'circle of trust' has been broken. Has anyone seen Canseco's wife? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but who is this beauty that has Canseco making such accusations. There's defending the woman you love and then there's the old someone has a high opinion of his wife besides even getting into the A-Rod factor. Canseco shocked the world with this first book as it brought steroids into the light of day and naming names as people laughed and ridiculed Canseco. Will the sequel be quite as earth shattering?

Posted by The Sports Freak at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Continuing my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the AL West teams listed in order of predicted finish.

Seattle Mariners. Despite being the Arizona Diamondbacks of the American League in 2007 (having given up more runs than they scored), the Mariners look like a real contender in the division. Yes, their lineup is aging, but the pitching is solid, with the addition of Eric Bedard being just what they need to compliment Felix Hernandez and a good bullpen.

Continue reading "AL West Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Did you hear it? No, everyone pretty much knows about March Madness (yeah, Georgetown is out!). The Major League Baseball season started this morning (for those of us in North America) or tonight, if you are in Japan or other parts of Asia. In not going to begin to figure it out for Istanbul. At least they didn't start the season tomorrow. The defending World Series Champion Boston Redsox defeated the Oakland A's 6-5 in 10 innings. Yes, it was also the first extra innings game for the season.

Continue reading "Play Ball!" »

Posted by Big Money Tony at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continuing my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the NL West teams listed in order of predicted finish.

Arizona Diamondbacks. As usual, the NL West looks to be a very tight race, with any of four teams being able to win the division. You would expect that a team which significantly outperformed their Pythagorean record last year to have a fall back the following year, but the Diamondbacks went out and improved. Dan Haren gives this team two Cy Young contenders, along with Brandon Webb. Chris Young and Stephen Drew are a year older and now should be able to provide some much needed spark in a lineup that was lacking in runs last year.

Continue reading "NL West Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 06:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We are living in a golden age of baseball writing, as evidenced by all of the enjoyable, thought-provoking and engaging content being written about all aspects of the game in many different media (books, newspapers, and the internet). The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 is yet another example of this high quality writing in what is already a crowded market for baseball books.

Continue reading "Book review: The Hardball Time Baseball Annual 2008" »

Posted by Bob at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continuing my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the NL Central teams listed in order of predicted finish.

Chicago Cubs. Kosuke Fukudome will round out this team quite nicely. The pitching staff is nothing special but is deep enough and good enough to lead the Cubs to the division title.

Continue reading "NL Central Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

A blip came across the headlines and I thought for sure that Bob (the Yankeeeeeeeeeeeeees win!) would have posted an article about Billy Crystal signing a minor league one day contract with the Yankees. Billy Crystal - A Yankee?. Crystal isn't the first celebrity to do this but probably the oldest as he's about to turn 60. It will be interesting to see what he has left, but I'm sure the players are loose and loving it.

"What is with this?" and what is with the Red Sox making Hank Steinbrenner a member of Red Sox Nation? Well at least he received an autographed cap from big poppy.

Posted by The Sports Freak at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Part one of my Major League Baseball season preview by division begins with the NL East. Teams are listed in order of predicted finish.

New York Mets. The Mets have a lot of question marks for a team predicted to win their division. Can you really expect to get much production out of Pedro Martinez and El Duque in the starting rotation? Can Oliver Perez and John Maine have the consistency they’ve lacked in the past? Besides Billy Wagner, who is going to solidify the bullpen? Does their high priced, aging lineup have enough left in the tank? David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana are bona fide stars, but the Mets are going to need production from other guys as well. The one thing the Mets have going for them is that the NL East is a relatively weak division.

Continue reading "NL East Preview" »

Posted by Bob at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Stan Kasden has done it again. He already improved RFK with the food court. He brought in some of the best minds in baseball and improved the farm system from one of the worst to a top ten farm system making it one of two teams that had the biggest leaps in grading MLB farm systems. With Stan's committment to winning and improvements made in the outfield, how can Stan mark another big win for the Nats?

Continue reading "Nationals Park - Home Cookin'" »

Posted by The Sports Freak at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)