I adopted a dog a couple of weeks ago and named her Emma. Emma has a Nationals cap, and she actually doesn’t seem to mind wearing it. It’s not surprising with the level of my fandom that I bought her the hat. It’s not like Emma walked into the store, saw the hat, and barked, “I need that.” No, it was me, her mom, who wanted to reflect her own pride in the Nationals through her dog. But I am beginning to think that Emma, too, is a fan. She likes her hat. She was more than willing to pose for pictures in it. And she really loves sitting on the couch watching games.

Now, in the pet store where I found the hat, there were just a few left - a couple of size Small and a couple of Large or X-Large. So what? Well, what this says to me is that there are a lot of Nats fans out there that feel the need to make their dogs wear the cap and show the pride. And that’s great. It’s one thing to be a fan and spend some bucks on gear, but to spend the money to adorn your pet in that gear? That’s being a fan. But, I’ve never seen a dog wearing a Nats cap. Not a single one. Not in all these years. Clearly, they are sold – and almost sold out at this particular store – but who’s wearing them?

When it comes to my Emma, well, she won’t leave the house in her cap. She is happy to put it on and sit on the couch and listen to screams and cheers from her family members at the crack of a bat or the announcement of a homerun, but just try to get her to walk around or go outside in the hat. No way. So I am thinking…Is she a secret fan? A closet fan? Someone who wants to root for the team, but is embarrassed to admit it?

So many people, er, I mean dogs, will wear their hat when the team wins. They’ll go outside and stick it on their head and walk with pride. But how about when a team loses? Isn’t this when we need to wear that hat the most? I think what I need to do is encourage my dog and say, “Emma, wear that hat outside with pride.” And maybe I need to say that to those other dogs as well. “Put on those hats! Be a true fan!”

I said to someone the other day that anyone can cheer for a winning team because it’s easy to do, but it takes character to stick with the team that doesn’t do so well. I think once Emma figures that out, she’ll be willing to walk outside with her cap on!

The Nats lost 5-2, but that outcome was hardly certain.  The replay on MASN was pretty obvious.  I’m still angry about it…

Which brings me to this conclusion: Instant replay is a waste of time.

What was the point again?  To be more accurate?  Eight minutes later, still wrong.

Tonight…

Dunn’s still looking for hit #1000 as the Nats take on Livan and an injured Mets lineup.

We are Craig Stammen fans in my family. He went to University of Dayton, the same school as my mom. We couldn’t miss the game last night to cheer on Craig and maybe a win. And we weren’t disappointed. He pitched a great game into the 7th inning and the bullpen didn’t blow it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I don’t dislike the Pirates at all, in fact I love Nyjer Morgan’s old school stirrup socks.  They remind me of Robert Fick. And Nate McLouth is on my fantasy team. But I didn’t want the series to go the way it did. I was hoping the Nats could as least split the series and my favorite Nationals holiday, Austin Kearns’ Birthday, gave me some hope for this series. Unfortunately, May 20th was not a win, so it was left to the pitcher from UD to salvage the series and prevent the sweep.

I really enjoyed the win. I can say that the Nationals are winners today. Winners. It feels good. I also got to leave the comforts of right field and sit with some friends by the Pirates bullpen; don’t worry we were all rooting for the Nats.

Also, Robert Fick’s new team has its opening day on the 25th versus the Chico Outlaws. I am pretty excited to see him play again.

Just when you need a break and take a night off, the Nats do something cool.  They put a rookie on the mound who pitches a solid 6.1 innings and surrenders just 4 runs.  The bullpen actually holds the Pirates scoreless.  The Nats come from behind to get a lead.  Joel Hanrahan records a save to stop the skid.  Sigh.  Happiness.

Now…for the busy weekend. I did a recap of this weekend’s events and giveaways at MASN’s Nationals Buzz.

ESPN’s Draft Blog has more on Strasburg’s injury, which appears minor.  It also has some notes on a good performance by Mike Minor of Vanderbilt.

Peter Gammons says the Nationals would like to deal Johnson and/or Kearns to get relievers.

Nats320 says that Chad Cordero’s wife recently gave birth to their first child, a baby girl.

That’s about all for now. Get your red on!

I know it does and that we all express it differently.  If you’ve hung around this long, you’ve passed any imaginable test of fandom.  You’re in this for the long haul and someday it will have been worth it.

Earlier this season Dave at Nats News Network wrote a nice post about surviving another tough year.  Steven at FJB had a similiar one.  Read those.  If wins and losses make or break your day, it’s going to be a painful couple of months.  I refuse to go through that again.  I was cranky, depressed, cynical, mean — last summer was a challenge.  But I learned a lot.

Keep your expectations low.  Look for small victories.  Enjoy the offense.  Meet new baseball friends.  Enjoy a night at the ballpark.  Teach someone about baseball.  Come watch the young kids learn how to pitch.  Learn to laugh at yourself (and your team).  Complain (hey, we all need to complain sometimes, right).

Don’t expect to win, think of that as a bonus.  Don’t expect any magic solutions.  There’s not a lot of relief pitching out there to be had and Strasburg will stay in the minors, apparently.

Decide what the Nationals are worth to you — in terms of your leisure time and hard earned money, and stick within that parameter.  Don’t overdo it… not yet.  There will be a time and a place for 24/7 commitment, but now is probably not that time and if you’re investing that kind of energy, you’ll probably get burned.  I did.  You can still be a fan and scale back a little.

If you are giving 100%, go you.  I can respect that.  I love that.  Just watch your heart.  The Nats are prone to breaking it.

This past Saturday was the make up game for that rained out April Nats/Phillies game. As a result, instead of blogger night with MASN, we had blogger day. MASN hosted the event and invited various Nationals bloggers into their suite at Nats Park for the game. Todd Webster and Kristen were gracious hosts and took care of everything for the group.

We all got to take a trip up to seventh heaven a.k.a the broadcast booth before the game, to check out the digs and meet Rob Dibble and Bob Carpenter. It wasn’t until I saw the view of the field from inside the booth that I realized how high it actually was. The sight lines were amazing though, I could see clear past the Capitol Dome from up there. Rob and Bob answered a bunch of questions for the blogger crowd and then we headed down to the suite for the start of the game. The suite was stocked with all the comforts of home: beer, food, soda, air conditioning, and comfy chairs; it was a great place to watch the game. I had a great time officially meeting everyone and putting faces to blogs.

Throughout the game we had several visitors — Johnny Holiday and Ray Knight stopped by for a few innings to hang out and swap stories about the team. Chartese Burnett, Vice President of Communications spent almost the entire game with us; it was a nice surprise. Debbi Taylor stopped by to say hello, as did Pete McElroy from masnsports.com, Ben Goessling from the Washington Times and Lisa Pagano of the Nats.

After a couple of innings we split into two groups and headed underneath the stadium to the production truck. It was sensory overload as soon as I walked in. I still can’t believe so much goes on behind the scenes to make the broadcast work. It was a really cool thing to see, and everyone included the production crew seemed to have a great time.

The outcome of the game wasn’t a pleasant one. The Nationals lost to the Phillies 8-5, but spending the day in the suite, and meeting a bunch of really fun baseball people was a great way to spend the day.

Many thanks to Todd Webster and Kristen Hudak for hosting the event and getting us bloggers together. I for one, had a great time!

From the Nationals:

The Washington Nationals today selected right-handed pitcher Jesus Colome and recalled catcher Josh Bard from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League, placed catcher Jesus Flores on the 15-Day Disabled List (retroactive May 10) with a right shoulder contusion and designated right-handed pitcher Logan Kensing for assignment. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Colome pitched in nine games with Syracuse, notching three saves and holding opponents to a .244 batting average. He recorded nine strikeouts against two walks in 10.1 innings at Triple-A. In 10 games during Spring Training, Colome went 2-0 with four saves and a 0.90 ERA (1 ER/ 10.0 IP). The 31-year-old was one of just three relievers to go “wire-to-wire” last year in Washington’s bullpen, joining right-handers Joel Hanrahan and Saul Rivera. Last season, he had a 2.25 ERA and held opponents to a .176 batting average in 31 appearances beginning June 30.

Bard was a member of the Nationals’ Opening Day roster and appeared in seven games before he was optioned to Syracuse on April 20. The 31-year-old signed with Washington as a minor-league free agent, March 21. Over the last four seasons, beginning in 2006, Bard ranks favorably among baseball’s regular catchers with a .356 on-base percentage (8th) and .280 batting average (tied for 12th).

Flores, 24, has missed the last four games after he was injured while playing defense on Saturday (May 9) at Arizona. He has batted .311 with three doubles, two triples, four home runs and 15 RBI in 26 games with the Nationals this season.

Kensing, 26, went 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA in 6 relief appearances with the Nationals, after he was acquired from Florida in a trade on April 29.

Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce myself because you might start seeing me here from time to time. A special thanks to the We’ve Got Heart ladies for inviting me to share my opinions and love of baseball with them and all of you.

I’ve been a baseball fan for most of my life. In my family, if you didn’t say, “Let’s Go Mets!” by the time you were two, I think you were put up for adoption. I have many memories of spending summer vacation days at the Jersey Shore listening to the Mets on the radio or hoping to get them (and not the Phillies) on the TV. Back then, baseball meant seeing my family fill with excitement, maybe taking a train to NYC and Shea Stadium, eating a bit of hotdog and cotton candy (and maybe sneaking a sip of beer), and inevitably falling asleep on Mom’s or Dad’s lap. As I got older, baseball meant putting off going out with my friends until I got to see my favorite players at bat, memorizing lineups and uniform numbers and batting averages, playful banter with my Yankee-fan friends, and the 1986 World Series. Heck, I even dressed as Lenny Dykstra for Halloween one year. Those were good times!

When I went away to college, I lost my baseball team. I went to school in DC, and as far as I was concerned, there was no baseball there. Orioles? No thanks. And good luck trying to find a National League game on TV! Plus, as a college aged girl, there were other things to focus on other than baseball. So my passion for baseball was put aside, but not for long because after college, I moved to Chicago. Now, I tried to keep my loyalty to the Mets while living in Chicago, but when you live on the North Side and can walk to Wrigley Field from your home, it’s hard to not become a Cubbies fan. So I spent many days drinking beer and cheering on a team that never seemed to win. And I loved it.

In the Spring of 2005 I made my return to the DC area, and who came with me, but the Washington Nationals. I instantly felt that this was fate. We were coming to DC at the same time! So this must be the team I was meant to root for. I was thrilled to have a team that I could accept as my own and support from the beginning (I’ve put aside past DC teams, Montreal Expos, etc…this, in my opinion, is a new team with new history to write). And that is what I have done since then – 100%.

So, what kind of fan am I? Well, I’ll be honest. I’m not going to pretend that I know all the ins and outs of baseball or that I know the best strategy for winning a game. I can’t throw out stats from seasons past or maybe even for other teams from this very season. I don’t know it all. That’s not me. But I love watching baseball, and I love the Nationals. I love going to the games – whether those games are part of my season ticket plan or the extra ones I treat myself to. I love including myself with the other 8,999 folks who watch on TV when I can’t make it there in person. I’ve been to Viera three years in a row. I collect autographs and balls and caps and bats and, yes, bobbleheads. I’ve been to charity auctions for the Nationals. I have a ball on the wall. I don’t boo at players, even when they may deserve it.

I try to keep positive and look for the silver lining on our dark clouds. I believe that the energy fans bring into the ballpark can affect – negatively or positively – the attitudes of the players and the outcome of the game. I’m very superstitious about everything (and agree that I am ridiculous in this regard). Overall, I am pretty simple. I like my seats in 408 where I can see everything from the top of the world, and I don’t care what fancy food is served at Nats Park – just give me a dog (OK, make that a pretzel dog) and a beer, and I am happy. Although, I do wish I could find some kettle corn like they had back in season 1 at RFK…

I’m new to this blogging thing, and that makes me nervous. I don’t know what I am going to say here. I certainly don’t know if you’ll enjoy it, but I hope you do. I’m just going to be honest and write about the things that make me enjoy this game, and who knows, maybe those are the same things that make you enjoy it, too.

The Nats aren’t winning too many games right now, and my positivity despite that has been criticized on chat boards, etc., but I’ll tell you what… I do remain positive, because I am watching some pretty exciting baseball games. And I am happy about healthy players, hitting streaks, signed contracts, and homeruns that seem to be more than just few and far between. Sure I want my team to win, but I spent far too many years in Chicago to think that I can enjoy a great day at the park only if my team wins!

Thanks for your time…and Go Nats!!

All good things come to an end. I just hate that it came to an end because of a wild pitch and an intentional walk.

It reminded me of something I read awhile back about Grace Coolidge, former First Lady. Grace was a huge baseball fan. She would often make President Coolidge attend Senators games and stay till the final out. She would re-arrange his important meetings around the Senators’ schedule. Grace kept score, lept with joy during amazing plays, led cheers in her section and sulked after losses.

So, I think we know Grace would have been running “at frequent intervals to the telegraph room in the White House to learn the latest score,” cheering along and having a ball watching Zimmerman live out this streak (New York Times, November 23, 1924).

She would have probably been stopping by to make sure her husband didn’t miss Zimmerman at-bats. She also would have been cursing out Zito and Bochy for intentionally walking Zimmerman.

“Recently she held baseball writers enrapt in an hour-long discussion of her objections to the intentional walk…”

This Morning with Shirley Povich, Washington Post, May 14, 1950

“Mrs. Coolidge was a baseball fan — with strong opinions. She once proposed to abolish the “intentional walk.”

Grace Coolidge Had Modest Start To Reign as First Lady of Charm, Phil Casey, The Washington Post, July 9, 1957

Smart lady.

I’m tired of West Coast games.  Thankfully, Ryan Zimmerman keeps getting it done in the early innings, giving us at least the option of getting some sleep.  Today, Zimmerman takes on Barry Zito, who is celebrating his 31st birthday, for consecutive hit #31.

Some odds and ends:

Harold Reynolds shares some thoughts about how signability affects the draft on his MLBlog.

Keith Law has his Top 100 up for the 2009 draft, with a lot of video.

This isn’t the strongest draft class in recent years. It’s not the weakest. It’s not the most top-heavy, and with Stephen Strasburg dominating college hitters, it’s not the least top-heavy, either. But it might just be the strangest.

Tony Gwynn talks about Stephen Strasburg.

Buster Olney considers whether Zim’s streak has been aided by Dunn’s presence in the lineup.

Ray Knight writes about how losses affect a manager day in and day out; Acta takes questions from fans.

The Smithsonian’s Q&A with Rizzo, Kasten and Acta is coming up on Sunday.

MASN is looking for everyday fans to star in the Defining Moments commericals.  Casting call will be on May 23rd at Nationals Park.

The Bullpen, an outdoor beer garden on Half Street, is set to open this weekend.  They have some concerts planned too.

Update-

Gotta add Steinberg. Good stuff on Zim’s streak.

Update 2 -

I totally forgot to add Chico’s story about his grandfather, which I thought was beautiful.  Thoughts and prayers with his family.