Don Sutton always seems to cringe when pitchers get on base. I’ve been learning this season that he’s probably right. One at a time, our starters seem to leave games with injuries sustained from everything but pitching. Worse yet? Bergmann’s injury came after a silly run from second where he was tagged out at home.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Rowand scored from a Ruiz double to center. Phily led 1-0.

The next inning Bergmann was thrown out at home and apparantly suffered a hamstring injury. Bergmann then gave up a homerun to Rollins and a walk to Utley before being pulled for Traber.

In the 4th, Zimmerman doubled and advanced to third, Church walked and Kearns was hit by a pitch. Brian Schneider cleared the bases with a double to center. Nats led 3-2.

Traber pitched till Rowand’s double in the 6th. Pat Burrell’s sacrifice fly off of Ray King tied the game 3-3.

Saul Rivera pitched the 7th with no problems, but one walk. No surprises.

King relieved Rivera in the 8th and got two quick outs from Utley and Howard.

Ayala came in to face Rowand, and surprisingly, gave up a huge homerun. Phily won 4-3 with Ayala taking the loss.

Bring it on! Check in with our favorite Phillies blog this week to give them a hard time!

One trade rumor can be put to rest. Ronnie Belliard signed a 2 year contract extention with the Nationals today for $3.5 million.

I like the city and I like the team. I like to be around those guys,” Belliard said. “They have a plan for next year. They’re going to have a new stadium, and we’ll have some success.”

We are so happy this rumor turned out to be true!

MASN will not be airing the game this Saturday night, so get yourself out to RFK to cheer on the guys. Fox was supposed to air the game, but opted not to and the Nationals refused to change the 3:55 start time. (You can also still listen to Charlie and Dave)

Baseball, food, drinks, music, and giveaways made yesterday a day to remember. The Nationals hosted a Ladies Night before Thursday’s series opener against the Rockies. Lindsey from Rise Up Cleveland and I decided to go on a whim. For $25 we were treated to a home run happy hour and a Terrace Box seat. We weren’t sure what to expect when we entered the tent, but when a server immediately offered me a glass of wine I knew the event was worth it, and the game was going to be great.

The Nationals did a great job with Ladies Night. Numerous companies set up tables for giveaways and raffles, waiters brought around trays of food and wine, and the bar was stocked with a nice selection of drinks. Live music was provided by the Silent Critics, they played some awesome covers. Even the Racing Presidents showed up to dance with ladies. Lindsey and I were joined by Kristen a bit later; she didn’t think she would be able to make it originally, so having her there was a pleasant surprise. We were also treated to a few player appearances. Saul Rivera, Jason Simontacchi, and Jesus Flores, volunteered to take one for the team, take pictures, and sign autographs for the lady Nats fans. The girls and I got our pictures taken with Rivera and Simontacchi. (Pictures to follow soon!) We just missed Flores, he left early to prep for the game. The gentlemen were friendly and didn’t seem to mind spending time with all the ladies. It was a really great event. I hope the turn out was good enough for the club to host them with some regularity.

We were perfectly content when we headed into the stadium for the game; we had already had such a great time. Who would have guessed it would get even better. The game got off to a bit of a rough start. The Rockies lead the Nationals for five plus innings with a score of 4-1. Chico did pretty well considering, he pitched six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Unfortunately, he was given a no-decision again. We held out hope for the whole game, our boys are the come back kids. An usher asked us if the Nats were going to win the game and we happily answered of course! We predicted a rally in the bottom of the 8th and a win for the Nats. The girls and I were a little nervous about our predictions when Dmitri got ejected for arguing with the umpire about his called strikeout. We knew we would surely miss his bat during the game. However, we were pleasantly surprised when all of our guys started producing. Robert Fick had a great double and a fantastic catch.

We enjoyed the game in Terrace seats by the Nats bullpen. It was fun to watch the kids going after foul balls. One Zimmerman fan and budding photographer was taking some great shots our pitchers warming up. We also met some great Nats fans sitting behind us. The group of guys were celebrating their friend’s birthday (I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than a game at RFK). They knew a lot about the game and our team and it was fun to talk baseball with them. When our rally started in the 8th inning they joined us in wearing the rally cap! Thanks guys, for sharing the game with us.

The 8th inning proved to be the comeback the Nats needed. Coming off a not so good outing the other night, Luis Ayala was fantastic tonight and pitched two scoreless innings. Then the Rockies closer allowed Austin Kearns and Ryan Church on base, Jesus Flores came in to pinch-hit with two outs. I was relieved to see Flores at the plate, he is a great young player and my confidence in him has grown steadily. Our number 3 hit a beautiful single to right field, but was able to advance to 3rd base on a two base error and scored both Kearns and Church to tie the game! The girls and I went crazy as did everyone in our section. It was a great game moment. The Chief entered to preserve the tie in the 9th. He made quick work of the Rockies, and kept the Nats in the game and sending us into extra innings. Jon Rauch pitched cleanly in the 10th giving our boys another chance to come back. With Austin Kearns safely on second base Manny Acta selected D’Angelo Jimenez to pinch-hit for Rauch. Jimenez was due for a hit and worked the count well. Jimenez knocked a great single up the middle to score Austin Kearns. The Nats won the game 5-4. Jimenez was mobbed on the field by his happy teammates. Its gotta feel good to come from behind like that and to drive in the winning run…amazing. We had a great time at last night with Ladies Night and an exciting extra innings game was just about perfect! 40 wins for the Nats now, not to shabby…

Check it out! Courtesy of Mr. Irrelevant

Also, he notes that Alyssa Millano met Dmitri at the All-Star Game.

It’s no secret that baseball is a sport full of superstitions, but I have always thought superstitions were funny quirks of the game. I never really believed that Dmitri’s flip flops were that lucky, or that pitchers rituals on the mound really worked, surely talent plays a big part in a team’s success. However, after tonight’s game I am a firm believer in the power of luck.

We went to tonight’s game actually hoping for a rain delay as they seem to be lucky for our Nationals, the girls and I were hoping for another win. As we walked up to get tickets I asked the sales lady to put us in the luckiest section $5 could buy. She said how about section 444 in row 4, all of those 4’s have to be lucky. I was sold, and believed it was going to be a great night for the Nats.

The Nationals had a one run lead in the 4th inning, a sign of a win yet to come. However, things got a little close in the 6th, when Lopez had a throwing error and the Astro’s ended up scored two runs. Bacsik, who had a great outing, left in the 6th and Rivera came in to get the much needed final out of the inning. He did his job with one pitch, and the Nationals returned to bat in the bottom of the 6th. Ronnie Belliard, who is consistently proving he is a great baseball player, hit a single. Ryan Zimmerman followed up with a rare, but excellent bunt to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Then the National’s All Star Dmitri Young nailed a 3 run shot over the right field wall for the Nat’s first home run since all star break. Just like that, the Nationals were up lucky number 4 to 2!

Jon Rauch gave us a little scare when he gave up a solo home run in the 8th. Our favorite closer Chad Cordero came in for the 9th, and earned his 16th save in high fashion. He retired the Astro’s with an easy 1-2-3. The Nationals won the game 4-3, with no rain, but with the number 4 proving to be very lucky for us tonight.

We’re back for the second half tonight after the short (too short) All-Star break and a short series in Florida. Zimmerman’s ready to go. We’re ready to go. Here’s looking forward to a better second half….one where Austin, Felipe, Church and Zimmerman get more consistent and where potential trade deals meet our approval (i.e…Chief stays in Washington).

It seems natural at this time to reflect on the first half of the season. Where we’ve been – what we’ve seen…in our first season as Nats bloggers and fans.

Our first baseball road trip this year was to the spring training game held in the Orioles AAA Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA. We headed out full of excitement after a long winter without baseball. We left early Friday morning and made it to the beach around 10am. We had plenty of time to explore the area and get settled in for the 2pm game. It was a beautiful day for a sold out baseball game. We sat in the very last row of seats but had a great view of the game and also of the boats in the harbor. The fans were mostly there for the Orioles but we noticed Ryan Zimmerman had quite a few fans in the audience, makes sense since he is from the area.

Although we didn’t win the game, we fell in love with the Nationals all over again that day. The positive influence of Manny Acta was evident right from the beginning. We had hope even when the critics were saying the Nationals would have the worst season ever in baseball. It was our trip to Norfolk, with critics saying our team would be horrible, that gave us the push to start a blog dedicated to the guys that play with heart every single game. They have come such a long way from that last spring training game, and so have we. It’s incredible to think about all these guys have accomplished and we are thankful we have been there to witness some of their great baseball moments. Our mid-season stats are as follows:
We’ve attended over 40 games including 1 in Chicago, 2 in Pittsburgh, 2 in Baltimore and 1 pre-season game in Norfolk, VA.We’ve met some of the other great Nats bloggers including Miss Chatter, Screech’s Best Friend, Nats Power and Bottom Feeder Baseball.

In the first half of the season, we’ve written 130 posts about the Washington Nationals.

We’ve met countless Nationals fans – in other cities or at RFK – that have taught us a lot about the game. We’re still friends with Doug, a Nats fan who we met in Chicago. We’ve met a wonderful couple in Pittsburgh, a group of brothers in Chicago that we ran into again in Baltimore, a mother and her son at RFK getting autographs, some guys on the Metro who thought Kory Casto should “get in there, get hit by pitch or something” and another Nats fan at a bar in Cleveland Park who told that he once told us Tim Russert that it was a “national disgrace that the national pastime wasn’t in the nation’s capitol.” I remember countless children who have entertained us during games – from the group of boys who taught us their “extra, extra” cheers to the little girl who actually ventured her away from her parents to cheer with us, to a little boy who approached me in the Metro – ecstatic that I was wearing a Zimmerman t-shirt. He glowed after getting Jesus Colome’s autograph (his parents asked us on the metro how to get autographs). The Yankees may have more fans, but the Nationals have the best fans. Thank you all for sharing your summer with us.

We also met Bob Carpenter and had a great conversation about baseball. Additionally, we met Dave Jageler; an interview is on the horizon.

Memorable games? You better believe it. Sitting in early April with blankets, that was fun. Fourth of July was also an amazing game. But we will forever be proud to say that we stayed on the eve of Mother’s Day into the early morning hours after two rain delays to see Austin Kearns hit an in-the-park home run and Zimmerman hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game at 2am.

Amazing road-trips? Watching the Nats in Pittsburgh with Kristen’s Dad was a huge moment. Our trips to Chicago and Pittsburgh were both amazing, wonderful experiences. Even Baltimore was kind of a fun mini-road trip. We’re looking forward to New York and Philadelphia.What else? We got yelled at by Manny for “not being ready” to get our picture. Our autographed balls are nearly full. We finally got to watch batting practice in Pittsburgh. We’ve taken pictures with Micah Bowie, Manny Acta, the Coach, Stan Kasten, Ryan Wagner, James Carville and the presidents. Haven’t caught a foul ball yet, but Ayala did throw us one from the bullpen.

Yeah – it’s been a fun season so far….with plenty more wonderful memories to come.

Oh when I look back now

The summer seemed to last forever

And if I had the choice

Ya - I’d always wanna be there

Those were the best days of my life…

Bryan Adams

Our Tigers fan JJ was nice enough to ask me to attend an Ernie Harwell lecture today at The George Washington University’s Media and Public Affairs program.

The Hall of Fame Sportscaster talked about his career and how fans approach him as an “old friend” because they’ve often grown so familiar with his voice and personality. “It’s a responsibility to a community but it’s also a great reward,” said Harwell. He told great stories about Ty Cobb and Connie Mack.

He was asked, “What is it about baseball that is so special to people?”

Harwell explained that baseball has history and tradition. “It’s a subject we can all talk about with getting into a hissy. We can’t really talk about abortion or immigration or presidential candidates without getting into arguments. But if I say Stan Musial was better than Ted Williams, you can agree or disagree and we can move on.” He went on to explain that in baseball fans can see mistakes whereas in other sports, fans don’t really know exactly who failed to block the play or make the right move. “There are fundamentals and there are nuances. Fans with a little bit of knowledge or a lot can all appreciate the game. That’s the beauty,” he said.

He also believes broadcasters should take the back seat to the action. Storytelling is important but it should not interupt calling a play. Then, he offered this fun story:

I always hated doing interviews in the booth. Here you are, calling a game, people are watching to hear the game, and you have to interview some beauty queen. One time, Hubert Humphrey was in the booth for about a half an inning. I said, okay Mr. Vice President, we know you are busy, thanks for stopping by. The VP said, no I’m not that busy, I’d love to stay another inning.”

Harwell is the only broadcaster to ever be traded for a player. Brooklyn Dodgers’ general manager, Branch Rickey, traded catcher Cliff Dapper to the Atlanta Crackers in exchange for Ernie Harwell to replace the ill Red Barber.

His first game in the Major Leagues was calling a Brooklyn Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs game where Jackie Robinson stole home and the crowd erupted. His first game was supposed to come a day earlier but didn’t due to a rain delay. He agreed that “the boys of summer” was a fitting description of that team.

Harwell was then asked about baseball in Washington.

It is great to have baseball here in the nation’s capitol. It’s important…that tradition of having the president throw the first pitch - that is opening day for every team. That used to be when baseball really started for the summer. And Walter Johnson’s career is something very special for Washington fans. The World Series in 1924. And remember that image of Mrs. Coolidge keeping score in the stands.I loved Griffith Stadium. I remember that fig tree out there. And Old Man Griff used to play pinnochle in the front office; it was a primitive looking front office.

He talked also about his time in Baltimore when they first came back in 1954. He said they called the Orioles the “Kleenex team” that year.

Then he went on to work for the Tigers for 42 years.

Some of his signature calls include:
“he stood like a house by the side of the road and watched it go by”
“going…it’s a long one…it’s long gone.”
“two for the price of one”
“caught by a man from Saginaw”

On Barry Bonds, Harwell thinks the whole thing is a black mark on a wonderful sport. He thinks Bonds record should be valid and that Bud Selig should be there to see it. He is very impressed with Roger Clemens and was reminded that in 1973 on this day (July 15), Harwell called a Nolan Ryan no hitter. Harwell remembered that Ryan struck out 17 during that game.

Harwell, a veteran, stopped to visit veterans from the war in Iraq this morning and was inspired by their courage. “Regardless of how you feel about this war, you have to be emotional when you see these young men.” He went on to tell an emotional story about his interaction with one young soldier earlier today.

Harwell then signed his new audio scrapbook and took pictures.