The Nationals sure have had a busy couple of weeks. Seems as though some of the trades the club made at the beginning of the month have come back to haunt them a bit.

We were not happy when the Nationals acquired outfielder Elijah Dukes. His previous actions and run ins with the law had us worried that the change Jim Bowden promised Dukes would make was unlikely. Now, just two weeks after the trade was announced, Dukes finds himself in hot water again. The situation is actually quite similar. A former flame has accused Dukes of domestic violence and has requested a restraining order. According to Amanda Reese, who says she dated Dukes from August to October, Dukes sent her a number of threatening text messages. Sounds pretty familiar huh? Remember the message he sent his soon to be ex-wife, “you dead dawg.” Apparently the Nationals have set up a support system to keep Dukes in-line. He will live with Barry Larkin until Spring Training. Perhaps an easier fix would be to take away his cell phone? Of course the Nats say they didn’t know about this situation, that it happened before the trade, and that since he has been with the club, Dukes has been cooperative. Regardless I’m sensing a theme, its pretty obvious that the club is going to have their work cut out for them on this one.

In addition, with the release of the Mitchell Report, the Nats found the name of their new catcher Paul Lo Duca* on the list. President Stan Kasten made a few comments about the report yesterday. He would not specifically name Lo Duca* or Nook Logan, but it was pretty clear that the Nationals didn’t know about Lo Duca’s* steroid use when they acquired him. Kasten made it clear that talking about steroid use is a personal decision left up to the player. We commend those players like former Nat Gary Bennett and the O’s Brian Roberts for being honest about their usage. Wonder when or if Lo Duca* will say anything, my guess is no…

The Nationals have also announced their official 2008 schedule today. Still no word on Spring Training. President Bush has been invited to throw the first pitch at the new stadium. Sadly, there will be no baseball in the nation’s capitol on the 4th of July. The 2008 schedule includes an away game in Cincinnati on July 4. What’s a Fourth of July celebration in DC without a baseball game? We can’t imagine the Nats passing on a sell-out game opportunity in the new stadium.

Looks like we’ll be spending our 2008 summer nights in Section 226L Row F…between Right Field and 1st base, close to the foul pole.

Where are you? Log on to My Nationals tickets to find out!

The Washington Post has reported that Pope Benedict XVI will say mass at the new Nationals stadium on April 17, 2008. He will also celebrate mass at Yankee Stadium the following day.

More information is available here.

Story courtesy of Ballpark and Beyond.

Build it Bigger’s Danny goes into the Nats dugout at RFK (and plays with Mike Bacsik’s helmet and bat) before heading to the new park to learn about construction of our new stadium.

The trip to the new park is the weekly webisode featured in the right-hand corner of their website. Danny helps install seats and cupholders in the featured clip.

The full episode re-airs on Tuesday, October 30 at 10 am.

Thanks for the tip, Ryan.

I realize this is long overdue. I wanted to save my last weekend at RFK to combine with the end of the season Phillies trip, but I never anticipated I’d wait this long to finally sit down and reflect on such a wonderful summer.

For now, I’m hesitant to be too emotional; it’s hard to convey how much this summer meant to me in words. I looked back at our first post – dated April 4. I remember drafting it while casually listening to one of my last lectures as a grad student. I spent March following the spring training games and counting down the days till the exhibition game in Norfolk. Baseball season had finally arrived. I tried in that post to explain what baseball meant to me. Looking back, I had no clue what it would end up meaning to me after just one season of being a serious fan.

250 posts and 80+ games later, I do know what it means and I know why so many of us live and breathe it. As far as rules and stats go, I learned a lot this summer. We didn’t always get it right. At times, we all disagreed. That’s life and that’s baseball. But we did learn and we appreciated the challenges, debates and disagreements.

This summer, we learned about the game, the team, this great organization and this blogging community. We’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting so many of you this summer. Please know how much we appreciate what is happening here in Washington. Many of you have warmly welcomed us into this big family. Sitting through the final series in Philly and watching the sold-out crowd go crazy with every pitch, it was electrifying. I know we’ll have that soon in Washington and I can’t wait to be there with you for it.

More importantly, I can assure you, we’ve all learned a lot about ourselves. Sure, I’ve watched these other ladies grow in their knowledge and love of the game. But there’s something bigger than that at work.

For me, this summer and this game brought about a number of challenges. It’s funny that baseball, a way to escape life and relax, can became part of your life in lots of ways. Through a lot of twists and turns, I had two other girls with heart to get me back to that park, night after night to make dozens of new memories. All in all, I must say that I have only gained a deeper respect for the Washington Nationals – and all of their hard work, talent and heart.

Most of my closest friends couldn’t join us at the park each night, but they certainly put up with me and, in the process, learned a lot about baseball themselves. Thank you for joining us when you could and for understanding that I’m a better friend (and daughter) in the off-season.

On that note, I can’t believe how many wonderful, amazing people I have met this season. I have never felt so much like I had a family away from home until this summer. Doug, Jeanne, Larry, Carlos, Michael, Chuck, Marty, Laura, Joe, Bob, Debbi, Antonio, Cathy, Joe, Jimmy, Coach…and countless others purposely or mistakenly left off this list, you know who you are. You’ve helped to make this the summer of my life. Thank you.

On that Sunday, I left Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium with a bittersweet feeling. Having been to PNC Park so many times, I am so very excited about the new Nationals park. I know how tough it was for people to say goodbye to Three Rivers Stadium, but PNC is so beautiful. I know I can handle this transition because, unlike some of you, I have no memories of baseball here in Washington as a child. I can appreciate your rich baseball history, but my first trip to RFK was in 2005 to see the Nats.

That’s not to say I won’t miss that place with all my heart. I was there for so many of the most important plays of this summer and last. Sure, I saw Soriano steal his 40th base last year, but that was nothing compared to Zimmerman’s late night Mother’s Day walk-off grand slam, Austin’s in the park homerun. There are so many memories that will always be part of RFK’s charm. So will its people. I was so comfortable there, so at home. I can only hope the new park will be as wonderful, as memorable, and as special as this summer of 2007 at RFK Stadium.

Be glad there’s one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name…

I said goodbye to RFK with a bit of a heavy heart. Granted my story is a bit different from those who grew up loving the Senators and had to say goodbye to RFK twice, but that last game was still a monumental moment for me. I fell in love with baseball under the lights of RFK. I learned the game, made great friends, and finally have a team to call my own. My transition to becoming a Nats fan did not happen over night. I attended only a handful of games in 2005. My 25 games in 2006 seemed excessive at the time. I had no idea what the summer of 2007 would bring, but 82 games later, it’s still hard to believe the summer I had was real.

This summer RFK became my home away from home, and strangely most of the time I felt more comfortable there. I know the stadium is old, and not suited for baseball, but you have to admit it has a charm that you can’t deny. For me its like that old pair of ragged weekend jeans that you just can’t seem to throw away. They, like the stadium are comfortable, probably not that flattering, but serve their purpose well. I think it’s always hard to say goodbye to a place where you have made so many great memories. When we left the stadium on Sunday it was like we were graduating from high school, saying goodbye to something that in the blink of an eye becomes your past is difficult. It’s not just the old stadium I will miss, but mostly the friends I have made. After spending so much time at RFK this summer, I now have a summer family and I am really going to miss them all during the off season.

Sunday’s game was just about perfect. Could we have hoped for a more beautiful day? The ladies and I splurged for the last game and sat in the first row of 225, all game in the sun, and we had a great view. I think it was during the top of the 7th inning that I took a moment to look around. The stadium was packed and I really noticed a sea of red. I got goose bumps, its something I won’t forget. My emotions ran high from then on. While, standing with the ladies and singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” one last time at RFK, I shed my first tear. When the Chief came in for the 9th to close the game and the stadium, my heart lept, I don’t think I will ever forget that final out. The Nats closed RFK the same way they opened it in 2005, a win with a score of 5-3. Manny’s words during the post game ceremony were heartfelt and made me proud to be a Nats fan. The video of 2007 moments flashed my summer before my eyes. I was there for most of them. From opening day, to that horribly cold April, to our first win, to that memorable Mother’s Day, the 4th of July, our winning month of August, and countless games in between. For the past two summers RFK has been like my vacation home. I am truly sad to see it go. When home plate was removed I had a bittersweet feeling, sad to say goodbye to something that had been such a big part of my life, but excited for something new.
The next weekend, K and I traveled to Philly for the last series. For the first time this season, we attended three sold out games. I felt like an outsider for much of the weekend, but I couldn’t escape the feelings of excitement and anticipation in the hearts of the Phillies fans. Their energy was electric. With Hamels stellar performance on Friday night – 13 strike outs – thousands of white towels waved in the air, and every time a Nat struck out, the stadium erupted. When the Nationals won on Saturday, thanks to Chico, the atmosphere was just as exciting. The Phillies were on the verge of October baseball, and everyone in Philly loved them that weekend. Sunday’s game was a blur of white and red. K and I had really great seats behind the Nats dugout, and were happy to see a solid number of Nats fans made the trip. As the game wore on, the excitement for the Phillies grew. When the scoreboard in the outfield flashed the final score of the Mets vs. Marlins game, the whole place went nuts. I have never heard anything like it in my life. I had such goose bumps, the emotion these fans felt for their team was overwhelming. The place got even louder when Wily Mo struck out to end the game. Fans were standing, crying, cheering; the players mobbed each other on the field. This was it, October baseball, playoffs, what they had worked so hard all season for. In that moment K and I felt a bit out of place, so we quickly and quietly left the stadium and let Philadelphia celebrate their successes.
Despite loosing the game we walked to the taxi with smiles on our faces. To be a part of that, to taste the excitement, gave us a glimpse of what we will have in Washington soon. Although saying goodbye to RFK was difficult, traveling to Philly and seeing the magic we will have someday, only made me excited for the future. If the new stadium brings me half as many wonderful memories as RFK, then it will be well worth the move. Thanks to everyone who made my time at RFK so special!