In the spring of 2005, I was in the process of relocating back to the DC area. I was living in Chicago, working on a project outside Indianapolis, and flying to DC every other weekend to get reacquainted with my new home. Things were hectic to say the least. But one of things that made this arrangement enjoyable was knowing that every other weekend when I was in DC I was most likely to head to RFK and cheer on this new baseball team of ours! And they were a baseball team that was winning games. How exciting!! So I flew to DC every other weekend, rented a car, and went to games with my family. Considering I was going to games almost every other weekend (when both the team and I were in town at least), you’d think I would have seen a winner every now and then, right? Well, think again. That first spring, the Nationals did not win a single game that I attended. Not one. This is not an exaggeration; they were losing every game I went to. I would leave after the weekend ended and my brother would report to me all the winning games he went to the following week. And then I’d come back two weekends later and see…a losing game.

When the days of splitting weekends was over and I was permanently living in the DC area in July 2005, I figured that I’d start seeing winning games. I mean, I traveled Monday through Friday for work, but I was now home EVERY weekend, so my chances to see a win increased, no? Now, by this point I think the Nationals had been in first place for the entire month of June or something like that (I don’t claim to have my facts entirely accurate here, so hold your comments). I figured, “This is it! Bring on the winning games!!” But, um, no such luck for me. Every game I went to, they lost. Somewhere near this time, I recall reading a Gene Weingarten article about how every game he attended was a loss and someone responded that every game that person went to was a win, and what would happen if they went together? Funny, but it made me feel a little better that I was not the only one missing out on these wins!

Eventually, on August 9th of 2005, my birthday no less, I saw the Nats win. Unfortunately, I was working on a project in Houston at the time and the Nationals were playing the Astros – at their home, Minute Maid Park. So while I was thrilled to see the win (oh, and how much do I love seeing my team win when they are away and I am there wearing my Nats hat?), it still was not a home win. I flew back home for the weekend happy, but still unfulfilled. The season ended without my seeing a home win.

After seeing another Nats win while working in Atlanta in 2006, I finally decided that I was destined to only see wins on the road. In fact, it would not be until sometime in June or July of 2006 – Yes, 2006 – that I would see a win at RFK. And it isn’t like I wasn’t going to games…I was! I cannot tell you the exact date, but I do know that it was won on a Nick Johnson walk-off homerun. I remember turning to my brother and saying, “Do you know what this means?” And he said, “Yes, we won!!” and then, “Oh wait…you saw us win at home!!!!”

1 ½ seasons to wait for a home win. But the funny thing is, I really didn’t care. I still enjoyed going to games, I still had fun discussing the losses, I still wore my hat and was excited for the team to be in DC. And then the next season, I became a season ticket holder. So here we are, three years after viewing my first home win, and I find myself slowly becoming less excited, and this concerns me. Me, Ms. Positive, I’m starting to get worn down. But what am I down about? Is it the losses?

In 2005 and 2006, amid all those losses, I didn’t know about chat boards. I didn’t know about blogs. I didn’t realize that there was this world of “fans” that discussed on a daily, no wait, on an hourly basis the ins and outs of each bit of Nationals baseball. I just didn’t realize that people had the the time to do this. I had no clue. But now I read the blogs, I read the chatboards, I read the online reports and the responses from folks. And now I am down. I am depressed. I am having a harder time keeping my chin up. I am having less fun at games. I am less optimistic. Is there a correlation? I don’t know.

I have a belief that negativity breeds negative results. I also believe negativity is contagious. Am I blaming the fans for the losses? Absolutely not! But I am blaming them for my as-of-late baseball fatigue. I am blaming some of them for my spiral downward. I am blaming them for starting to not care. So here is what I am going to do: I am going to go to games and pick a piece of something good and write about here, and if folks want to submit comments to me and be negative here, I’ll deal with that. But I am not going to read the comments posted on other blogs, chat rooms, or online articles. I’m not going to listen to “Fire Manny,” which will be replaced with calls for “Fire Person X” when that result doesn’t work, followed by “Fire Person Y” when that doesn’t work, etc. I’m going to go into my positive cocoon and think, “It is only baseball. It’s fun. It’s a good way to spend the summer afternoon or evening. It’s a good way to bond with friends, family, and strangers who truly love the game.”

I sit in a section of the ballpark that is pretty much designated for groups. There are hardly any season ticket holders up there with me. At first, this bugged me because I felt like the lone group of fans among the masses of those who don’t care. But now I am thinking in a different light. I am going to take this as an opportunity to talk to people in those groups and find out if they are having fun. Is it their first trip to Nationals Park, to any baseball game? Do they closely follow the game of baseball, or are they just happy for being there tonight? Are they enjoying themselves despite the loss? Basically, are they ‘me’ as I was back in 2005-2006? I hope that I find out that they are.

As most of you probably know, voting for the All-Star game has been in a progress for some time now, and Ryan Zimmerman has a good chance of winning the fan vote, but he needs your help! Many of you have already shown your support by handing in multiple ballots at the game and also voting on line. But there is so much more you can do! Although voting online is limited to 25 votes, voting by ballot is unlimited. Did you ever consider taking home a stack of ballots and bringing them back to the game the next time? I was able to punch about 150 ballots in 20 minutes the other night while watching some TV. 20 minutes! And not to brag, but my family has contributed to about 1500-2000 votes mostly done at home while watching TV! Don’t we all have an extra 20 minutes per day to give for Ryan?

OK, maybe Ryan’s winning the fan vote is not enough incentive for you? Well, how about this…At tonight’s game, in the Main Concourse near the Home Plate Gate Team Store, the Nationals will have a table set up promoting their All-Star Ballot Contest. They did this last night as well and offered T-Shirts to anyone who handed in 200 ballots. They also were giving away official line-up cards and game used balls to those who handed in 500 ballots! And I don’t know if they will do it again tonight, but last night, they even put you in a drawing to win field access to watch Batting Practice at a future game if you submitted more than 500 ballots and your name was picked! If seeing Zim win the All-Star vote is not enough incentive, perhaps winning these great prizes is.

So tonight, and every night before the July 2 deadline, get out there and vote for Zim. Do what you can to get our third baseman the national attention he deserves. It’s like free marketing for our team if Zim wins! Let the rest of the baseball community see that there are many bright spots on this team, and although our record may not necessarily reflect that, Zim’s talent does.

And if you are on Facebook these days, join the Ryan Zimmerman for 2009 All-Star Team group and spread the word to your friends and family to get the vote out!

Join the Facebook Group!

So as we used to say in Chicago, Vote Early and Vote Often!

So last night was Ladies Night at Nationals Park. The Nationals have had a Ladies Night for the past few years, and there are usually a couple per year, this being the first. For those of you who have not heard of this (where have you been?!), the Nationals offer a very good deal to Ladies (and men too, of course, since no discrimination is allowed at Nats Park) to pay $30 for Happy Hour and a ticket to the game sitting with other fellow Ladies Nighters or $20 for just the game if you can’t make it early and join the festivities.

Despite the rain that seems to have been going on for months now, Ladies Night took place on the roof of Garage B underneath the red party tent. And Party Tent is a good way to describe it as everyone there seemed to be having a great time. Along with a DJ providing entertainment and fun giveaways, there were vendors selling jewelry and other accessories, free chair massages and manicures, tables providing info on nail salons (they also had cupcakes…mmm) and gyms, and of course, food (nachos, vegetables, fruits, cheeses). In addition to this, there was a table offering beer and other flavored alcohol beverage samples (For the purpose of thorough blogging, I tried as many of these as I could, and highly recommend the Michelob Ultra Tuscan Orange Grapefruit. This is the sacrifice I make for you.).

The ladies of the Nationals Dream Foundation were also there with a table of items to sell. Ties, tote bags, new Curly W reusable bags, and of course my favorite, the Mystery Grab ball offering an autographed baseball from someone on the team for $25. I must have 20 of these grab balls at this point and sure enough, I grabbed another last night (Anderson Hernandez for anyone who is wondering). Each item sold raised money for the Nationals Dream Foundation.

But the Dream Foundation wasn’t the only ones raising money. At the other end of the tent there stood the imposing Mechanical Bull raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A reasonable $10 donation to the LLS gave one the chance to ride this bull. I waited for a good hour or more to see if anyone was going to ride him, and at first, I didn’t catch anyone even tempted by it. But after checking back a little later, there were many brave women who took to the bull and gave it a whirl (yes, myself included – see above for mention of beer samples). I didn’t see a single woman get off that thing without a smile on her face, albeit a bruise here and there. In my opinion, it was the highlight of the event. Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned, so the We’ve Got Heart site will have no pics of me on said bull!!

The game included in the Ladies Night deal was actually Thursday night’s, however, the rain postponement of the previous night’s game allowed us to look over the side of Garage B and watch the makeup game that was going on at the same time. Once we left the Ladies Night tent, we were free to actually watch the rest of “Wednesday’s” game in our seats and watch baseball history as Randy Johnson won his 300th game. Although I’ll admit, I was cheering for the Curly W in the books and not for the chance to see history. As much as winning 300 games is truly amazing and I am happy for Randy Johnson, I wasn’t one of those in the crowd cheering about Dunn’s ball four, oops, I mean strike three! I would have been just as happy to let some other park full of baseball fans watch the win on his next turn in the rotation. I’m a little tired of the Nats being on the opposite side of these historic games (anyone remember Bonds?).

Anyway…After the makeup game and a quick turnaround, the Ladies Night game began. Although Sections 102 and 103 were used for the seating, I have to admit that I took cover from the rain in a suite provided by a friend (special thanks to Kelly for that one). From what I could tell looking across the field, there were not many ladies sitting in the actual Ladies Night sections, and I can’t say I blame them as the rain just kept falling and falling. Eventually, the game was called early - another loss for the Nationals.

All and all, despite the weather, it was a successful Ladies Night for the Nationals. A good time was had by all, judging from the smiles and looks on the faces. And Ladies weren’t the only ones having fun. There seemed to be more men at this event than the last one I attended, not that there’s anything wrong with that! Unfortunately, due to the makeup game going on, none of those men in attendance included our Nationals players as planned (at least not to my knowledge as I didn’t see any or hear of any being able to attend). Perhaps the next time around will work better in that regard.

The next Ladies Night is at Nationals Park on Thursday, August 20. Visit www.nationals.com/ladiesnight for more details.

Here’s some pictures from the event.

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!

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!!