Lisa’s campaign has already kicked off, and in the next few weeks she will be organizing and hosting events aimed at reaching her goal.  She will have a happy hour, a Kentucky Derby party, a jewelry party, and more, all leading up to her main event – the “Night Among the Stars” live auction on June 7.

Knowing Lisa, I am sure that she will have some fabulous prizes to auction off, and knowing Nats fans, I am sure that we will be lined up and ready to give generously.

Speaking from experience, being the winning bidder and getting a special prize with a Nationals player can be fun and rewarding.  When Chartese Burnett (a cancer survivor and, at that time, a VP with the Nationals organization) competed for LLS Woman of the Year in 2008, we helped her win with our donations.  I was one of several winning bidders at her live auction, but I think my prize was the best.  I successfully bid on a lunch date with Ryan Zimmerman, and as a huge fan it will always be a fabulous memory for me.  Making it even more meaningful to me was the knowledge that I gave to an organization to help find a cure for Leukemia which took the life of my cousin’s 27-year-old daughter just months after my lunch date with Zim.

So come on Nationals fans…check out Lisa’s campaign and open your hearts and wallets.  If you are going out tonight anyway, why not go out to The Exchange for Happy Hour and help get Lisa’s campaign off to a great start.

All the info you need for helping Lisa meet her goal can be found online.  Check out her Stand Up and Take Notice website or her Facebook page for all the details or to donate.

Stand up and take notice!

Sometimes the voice of NatsTown seems so quiet that you could hear a moth flutter his wings in the 400s lights.   One sure way to make the visitors’ cheers a little less effective is to out-cheer them.  So what happened to the cheering from NatsTown on Monday?  Hold on before you jump all over me and say that there was nothing to cheer about.  You didn’t know that there was going to be nothing to cheer about before a ball was pitched, before the batter stepped up to the plate.  So why not cheer when the team took the field each inning?  Why not cheer when each batter’s name was called? You didn’t know what was going to happen, and if you say you assumed what would happen, well then get your Negative Nelly attitude an adjustment and come back around when you’re cured. 

I heard cheers when our team was announced.  I heard cheers when Zim drove in our run.  I heard end of inning cheers when a few went without a Phillies run.  But aside from that, I didn’t hear the voice of NatsTown, and I hardly ever do.  How are you going to overcome a mass of opposing team fans if you don’t speak out?

What I have noticed in many games throughout the past few seasons is that DC baseball fans seem to be the quietest ones I’ve ever heard.  When we’re winning, sure, we’re loud.  But even when the game is not going so badly or there is no score, it’s like pulling teeth to get a “Let’s Go Nationals” going (or a “Let’s Go Nats” if you must – but please not when the Mets are in town, OK?).  Everyone seems to join a dreaded wave, but no one seems to have a voice?    

I realize that if you are even reading this post, chances are you do cheer throughout the game.  I hear you on that one, and I thank you.  I admit that you may not be my target for this post – and that my target may never read this post.  But since you are reading this, I’m going to guess that even you can do better.  So tonight, I charge you (and me)  to do - and recruit others to join us in doing - the following:

• Stand up when the fireworks burst and the team takes the field
• Cheer for the entire lineup whether or not you think a player may deserve it
• Clap for him each time a player steps up to the plate throughout the game, no matter how he is playing today, even if his last name is not Zimmerman
• Respond to the Let’s Go Nats! chants
• Stomp your feet & make some noise
• Encourage the players to do well even when they are doing poorly
• Bring some energy to the park & let the Nationals know that you are there

You know that saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them”?  When it comes to drowning out the cheers of visiting fans, you can’t beat them unless you join them!

I begin my next round of marathon training on May 1 (insert shout out to Arlington Road Runners Club here!), so for the next few weeks I have my own chance to ready myself for the Spring/Summer running season.  I can stock up on Gatorade and Gu, replace a water bottle or two, re-examine the life expectancy of my shoes, clear my memory of my disappointing winter races, and prepare to get up early several times per week to run – a lot.  I wouldn’t just hop into my season, I’d prepare for it. 

So let’s get back to that first fact about me – Baseball Fan.  For 3 seasons before this one, I had spent at least a few days in Viera watching the Nats, getting excited, and soaking up the joy.  But for a certain little reason that I share with millions of other Americans right now, I was not able to go down to FL this year.  It was disappointing, and of course I was sad about it, but I really didn’t give it much thought.  I mean, big deal, so what if I don’t get to go to Spring Training?  But then this weekend came and something occurred to me.  I realized that my Spring Training trips weren’t just about going to FL to watch the Nats; they were also about conditioning myself – the baseball fan, the blogger, the 25+ game attendee – for the season.  I realized this almost immediately on Saturday at the season ticket holder event and then into Monday for Opening Day.

First off, I had no summer clothes ready.  I had stacked my Nats fleece, sweatshirt, coat, scarf, and gloves next to my baseball bag.  I mean, I’ve been to Opening Day before.  I’ve frozen my butt off on those days.  But this year was summerlike, and I wasn’t prepared for short sleeves and shorts.  I had to pull out a Curly W tech shirt out of my running stash.  Now you may say that this year’s weather in FL would not have prepared me for short sleeves anyway, but you don’t know me well – I would have packed for summer and ended up buying more Nats fleeces, sweatshirts, coats, etc. down there, so yeah, a trip to FL would have meant at least taking the summer baseball clothes out of storage. 

Then, I detected the odor of sunscreen wafting off of the others sitting in the sun.  What was that odor?  I barely recognized it let alone remembered to put it on.  Had I planned my annual trip to FL, I would have reintroduced myself to SPF30 and the sun’s rays.  (yes, I now have a farmer’s tan)

Next was the triple threat combo of sun, fresh air, and beer.  I don’t understand it, and I never have, but the combo of fresh air and sun – and sitting it in specifically – makes me more tired than anything else.  And if you throw in a beer and huge Five Guys burger, it’s even worse.  But I was not prepared for this.  I was at Nats Park for 8 hours on Saturday and 6 on Monday.  That’s a lot of fresh air and sun.  I woke up today completely exhausted wishing Emma knew how to put on her leash and walk herself.  Maybe had I spent a few lazy days in the sun and fresh air of Viera or the other MLB camps I would have been better conditioned to handle it this weekend.

Lastly, it was a boring game.  I’m sorry boys, I love you, but Saturday and Monday were very dull.  If I had closed my eyes, I would have fallen asleep.  I know that they are just losing now so that when they begin their season-long winning streak on Wednesday we will be able to appreciate it more, but wow, it was painful.  Perhaps if I had gone to Viera, I could have prepared for that as well.

So what it boils down to is that as a baseball fan, I’m officially out of shape.  I am not conditioned for sitting in the sun, breathing in the fresh air, watching my team, while sipping on a beer and eating some unhealthy food.  I didn’t realize how much I needed my own Spring Training to get ready for 2010, and if I don’t condition myself soon, my days are going to include a lot of naps. 

I guess there are worse things.

For those wishing to water taxi their way over from National Harbor, a separate taxi can be taken over to Alexandria to catch the baseball water taxi, but this would be an additional $8 one way or $16 roundtrip.

According to the report, the company hopes to expand the water taxi service in time for baseball next season.

For More info, visit WTOP.com

Looks like the Nationals will be in HD for all of us DC area folks. Below is the announcement from MASN.

Saturday’s Channel Lineup for MASN’s Nationals, Orioles and Ravens Coverage

(Washington D.C.) — MASN will be carrying the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens simultaneously on Saturday evening, August 29th.

In the Washington, D.C. DMA, the Nationals game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals will appear on WDCW-50, as well as on WDCW-50’s HD channel and MASN HD. Nats Xtra begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Ravens preseason game against the Carolina Panthers will appear on MASN, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Orioles will host the Cleveland Indians on MASN 2 with O’s Xtra beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In the Baltimore DMA , the Orioles game will appear on WJZ. The Nationals game will air on MASN and MASN HD, while the Ravens game will be on MASN 2.

This pilot program will enable fans to bring their favorite dog to the park with them! You heard me right: Your dog can watch the game with you from the Left Field Mezzanine area. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.nationals.com/pups and cost $20 for a human ticket and $5 for a dog ticket with proceeds from this event benefiting the Washington Humane Society. The entire $5 of the dog ticket, plus $2 from every human ticket purchased will go to WHS – that’s pretty dog gone good! That’s really like spending $18 on a seat in the LF Mezzanine and then donating $7 to WHS (and by the way, those seats cost $30 for regular games). Seats are limited, so please act fast!

This sounds pretty good, right? So how does it work? What’s the catch? First of all, tickets are only available for purchase online – no walk ups! Season Ticket Holders who already have tickets to this game must exchange their season tickets and then purchase a “Pups in the Park” ticket online from the site above in order to participate in the event.

On game day, you must enter through the Left Field Gate. After entering the gate, you must drop off a signed waiver indicating that your dog is up to date on all his/her shots and vaccinations. The waivers will be emailed to you after you purchase your tickets so you can fill them out ahead of time.

You might be asking yourself, “But what it if is a hot day and my dog is thirsty” (or my dog has to, you know, go)? For the comfort of all pooches, a water and relief area will be located on the landing of Section 201.

No dogs will be allowed at the concession areas! So now you are thinking, “But what if I want something from the concession areas?” Of course you can leave your dog with your guest, but what if you are alone? These Nationals event coordinators think of everything; you may leave your dog with Pet Sitters who will be located on the Section 201 landing area as well.

I can personally say that I love this idea, and I am completely disappointed that my dog Emma and I cannot attend this event. I will be out of town, and unless her grandma or her uncle offers to take her, she will have to miss out. But I can also say that I attended a Nationals game at Turner Field in Atlanta a few summers ago and it happened to be Pups in the Park day for The Braves. The event seemed to be very successful down there, and I have been hoping ever since that the Nationals would come through with a similar event.

The Nationals have provided me with some helpful hints for making Pups in the Park a success:

You are responsible for your dog’s behavior at the event

Keep your dog under control at all times

Watch for and immediately correct any warning signs of potential aggression (Carolyn’s added note here: These symptoms may also occur if the Marlins start to score runs)

o Tail straight up and stiff
o Hair raised on their backs
o Lips raised to snarl
o Growling

Dogs pick up on your energy – stay calm, assertive, and be the leader of your Pack!

When Humans Greet Dogs

o Greet the owner first and ask the owner if it is OK to greet their dog
o Avoid eye contact with the dog initially – they can interpret this as a challenge
o Do not offer food to a dog other than your own without the owner’s permission

When Dogs Greet Dogs

o Dogs sniff each other- this is a universal and appropriate way for them to greet
o Allow your dog to sniff and be sniffed by others – if they growl or snap, they are being rude – and you will need to keep them restrained

So I hope all you Nats fan/dog lovers reading this will go out there and have a great time with your best friend, while also raising money for the Washington Humane Society. After all, rescue dogs are awesome! Just ask my little Emma.

For any other information I may have missed or to purchase your tickets, please visit the Nationals online (www.nationals.com/pups).

Pups in the Park Release and Waiver

And the link on Facebook.

The Nationals usually try to provide giveaways for the first 1000 people to enter Ladies Night, and last night they did not fail to deliver, providing us with a really great Nationals picture frame. Thanks to Bree Parker and Katherine Mitchell of the Nationals for putting together a great event once again.

When the party was over, some of the participants gathered to watch the game from their Left Field seats. Seated next to me was a trio of women. One of them informed me that she wasn’t a big fan and didn’t follow baseball too much, but she couldn’t turn down a Ladies Night! The trio then told me that they had never been to a baseball game before. I assumed they meant that they had just never been to Nats Park before. Nope…Diana, Sydney, and Elaine each had never been to a professional baseball game anywhere before last night. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I was as a kid to be taken to games at Shea and now as an adult being able to go see The Nats whenever I want. I sometimes assume that everyone starts going to baseball from the time they are 2! As first timers, those three sure looked like they were having fun, and they definitely knew what was going on during the game. They asked me a couple of questions throughout, but really didn’t need to ask too much. They were pretty funny about two of the things they asked …

1. If one of them catches an important ball (someone’s milestone HR, let’s say) and the player wants it back, can they negotiate for free tickets to a future game?
2. If a hitter’s bat breaks on a hit, does he get some sort of ‘pass’ that allows him to get to first?

I loved it! I think they would need to work it out with The Nationals on that first one, but on that second question, given how often we see daggers of wood flying around, could you imagine how many bases would be earned if such a pass existed?! It was a pleasure sitting next to those three, and I hope they had a good time and come back to NatsTown for some more – even when it isn’t Ladies Night. It’s a shame the team couldn’t win for them.

But it was a ‘Win’ for those of us who attended the Ladies Night event. A good time was had by all (as seen here), and we look forward to next season’s events.

Out of love for the team, I’ll say that I am that happy the Nationals were able to get him, assuming this amateur pitcher is as good as he is touted to be. However, I must qualify that by saying it sickens me to my core that they had to agree to those terms in order to get him and right now, I cannot consider myself a big fan. Even without Strasburg, I have a hard time understanding the ‘worth’ of proven players, but then to see this much money thrown at (and demanded by) a kid who has never played professionally or proven himself at that level, it is very hard for me. I am hearing that this amount seems ‘fair’, but I personally cannot make any sense of that, and while it is a great day for Nationals baseball, I hope it does not turn out to be a not-so-great day for baseball in general. But I’ll get over it. In the end, it doesn’t affect me, so what should I care? I’ve got my own life to worry about.

From what I can tell (at least from what I read and hear from my friends and fellow bloggers), fans are happy for his arrival. They have great hope that this guy can single handedly bring good things to this team. And while I may not be thrilled with the money part of this deal, I can still hold out some hope for that as well and truly want all the hype to be fulfilled.

And since we are busy hoping, here are a few of my other hopes…I hope that he is every bit as good as his bonus implies he is. I hope that he works his way up to the majors soon, but that he is not rushed and brought up before he is ready. I hope that he wins every game he starts and scares the pants off of every batter he faces. I hope early fame does not go to his head. I hope that he takes care of that arm of his. I hope that the stress of being the savior of the team does not wear him out, and that fans of this team have patience with him. I hope that his greed is not an indication of his arrogance. I hope that he appreciates what he’s been given and that he is accommodating and friendly to his new-found fans. I hope that he realizes that $15 million is not a shortcut to respect, and that some people think that he still must earn that on the field.

So with that I say Welcome to the Team Stephen Strasburg!! Good luck to you and your (hopefully) long career in DC (whenever you actually make it up here). Try not to spend all that money in one place, OK?

From the Nationals:

Pitcher Partners with The Children’s Inn at NIH to Provide a Baseball Experience For Their Patients

The Washington Nationals and Pitcher John Lannan today announced the launch of Lannan’s Cannons, a ticket program designed to bring joy into the lives of sick children and their families. Lannan will host residents of The Children’s Inn at NIH, located in Bethesda, MD, for a day of baseball and fun at the ballpark, away from their treatments and the hospital. Lannan will also lend his name and image to The Children’s Inn Sports Ambassadors program, which aims to raise funds and awareness for their $93-a-night-campaign, which refers to the cost of housing families at The Inn.

Beginning on Sunday, August 9, Lannan will host 25 guests from The Children’s Inn at Nationals Park for all remaining Sunday home games (August 23 vs. Milwaukee, September 6 vs. Florida and September 27 vs. Atlanta). In addition to the ticket to the game, each guest will receive a food voucher for a hot dog, chips and a drink, and a Lannan’s Cannons t-shirt. Lannan will meet with the children and their families when they arrive at the ballpark, schedule permitting.

“My hope is that bringing these children to the ballpark will provide them with an escape from the rigors of treatment, and that they can enjoy a baseball game and a day with their families,” said Nationals Pitcher John Lannan. “I’m proud to partner with The Children’s Inn at NIH to raise awareness for their mission, while creating new Nationals fans throughout the region.”

Also, this weekend is the annual Blood Drive at Nationals Park with the American Red Cross.

From the Nationals:

Ballclub Aims To Collect 250 Pints of Blood on Saturday, August 8

The Washington Nationals will host the fifth annual Nationals Blood Drive in partnership with the American Red Cross on Saturday, August 8 from 8:00am – 2:00pm. The Nationals have partnered with the Red Cross each season since returning to Washington for a blood drive in August; the 2008 drive collected 176 pints of blood.

The Nationals will host Blood Drive in the Nationals Park Conference Center, rooms three and four. Donors will receive a unique Nationals collectible t-shirt, two tickets to an upcoming Nationals home game, and the opportunity to win autographed memorabilia and a visit to batting practice along with four tickets in the PNC Diamond Club, along with the knowledge they’ve helped save a life. Nationals player Jordan Zimmermann (schedule permitting), will sign autographs and meet with donors during a portion of the drive. Appointments may be made by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visiting www.my-redcross.org. Parking is available for all donors in Nationals Park Garage C, located on the corners of 1st and N Street, SE. The Conference Center may be accessed through the Third Base Gate, located on South Capitol Street, SE.

“The Washington Nationals are thankful to our fans and to the community for contributing to the success of our blood drives over the past four years and we are hopeful that they will continue to support us as we aim to collect 250 pints of blood,” said Chartese Burnett, VP of Communications & Community Relations. “In our fifth year, we look forward to rolling up our sleeves with the community on August 8 to help save lives.”

The day portion of the event will run from 9:30am until 12:00pm. It will include a “Behind the Scenes” tour of Nationals Park and the ever popular on-field skills session with Nationals coaches. The first two women’s clinics were not exactly the same, so I can only guess at what this year’s on-field skills will include. But I think it is safe to assume that you will have some sort of a discussion in the outfield about the decision making that occurs during games (or possibly a go at throwing and fielding the ball), a quick lesson on how to run the bases, some sort of baseball talk in the dugout, a turn in the batting cages, and of course my favorite, pitching in the bull pen. Now, during the first clinic, we actually took turns throwing the ball in the outfield and fielding ground balls, however, we didn’t even touch the ball in the bull pen, instead getting a demonstration only. At the second clinic we only had a discussion in the outfield with no physical participation on our part, but in the bullpen, we actually got to pitch (which is so much better than talking). So I can’t say exactly what will happen this year. Regardless, I am willing to bet that our base running lesson will not allow us to run around the actual bases, as we never have been able to do this in the past.

The evening portion of the event will take place on the Rooftop Party Deck from 4:30pm until 6:30pm. This allows anyone participating in both events to go home and clean up! During this time, participants can talk to Debbi Taylor and Bob Carpenter of MASN, Chartese Burnett who is the VP of Communications for the Nationals, and “more” although I don’t know what “more” is (it’s a tease)! Dinner will also be served overlooking the ball park. Then of course, at 7:05pm, participants will go inside the park to watch the Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs!

For those of you ladies who have always wanted to talk to Bob and Debbi, but feared picking up and throwing a ball, then this is your year. Women can opt to either participate in the entire day including the skills session ($85) or just the evening portion ($45). So if you are only interested in the Q&A and dinner and the game, or you attended prior years’ clinics and don’t care to repeat, there is still an option for you.

Oh, and important information I found out for you all: There will be new t-shirts given out this year, not the same pink ones as the first two years!!

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons of Baseball 101, and I plan on attending this year’s – in fact, I am even cutting short my Jersey Shore vacation just to attend! I love being on the field, standing in the dugout, hitting, and hopefully…pitching! For a true fan of the game, it doesn’t get much better than this. In years past, the coaches have been terrific and really seemed to enjoy the event themselves. They were always surprised at our level of knowledge and fandom, although I don’t know why that should have surprised them. And of course, this year, we have a whole new set of coaches to impress!! If you haven’t gone before, I highly recommend it.

For more information or to register, visit the Baseball 101 site. https://secure.mlb.com/was/community/baseball_101.jsp