Thursday, June 11, 2009

Long Night Part 1

There are certain rewards that come with waiting through a two hour rain delay that comes with only three outs to go in the game. Of course, I only say this because the Reds won. Had they blown that one, I might not have felt the joy I do now about managing to stick it out.

Reward number one was Billy Hatcher threw me a baseball. I think he gave every Reds fan left a ball, maybe as a way to thank us for staying.

Reward number two was the opportunity to sit - or should I say stand because the seats were soaked - directly behind the Reds dugout. Sitting behind the dugout, one hears all sorts of things, like Brandon Phillips giving Bruce a hard time for not scoring on the messy double play in extras. For the most part, the team was pretty quiet. Adam Rosales and BP did the most cheering. There were nicknames like Nixy and Gomesy coming from the dugout.

Folks in Cincinnati need to stop complaining about the cost of going to a baseball game. For $40, you can park your own car in this gravel lot on the soil of our nation's capital. Ticket prices are outrageous if you don't have the secret discount (natsfb in the coupon code box on the Nats ticket website.)

Speaking about folks in Cincinnati, maybe the reason they don't go to Reds games is because all the Reds fans in DC. I'd guess that about half the crowd were Reds fans last night. We pulled a Chub$ fan game on the Natinals, minus the obnoxiousness. Nats fans who were there could have learned a thing or two about how to be a baseball fan from us - you know, the stand with two strikes kind of stuff they are clueless about. On more than one occasion I've been told to sit down from some Natinals fan. You can't really use the excuse that baseball is new in DC anymore, can you? And besides, didn't they go to Orioles games in the past?

We sat with the Red Rooters. Most of the section were Reds fans, a happy occurrence.

Anyway, a few other photos from the night's game. I'll post more later (and get to them from Tuesday's game.)





















9 comments:

Brendanukkah said...

Apparently we were on TV, too.

ctrosecrans said...

my favorite part is the 'lucky seat upgrade' -- does that go to everyone who showed up?

Cathie said...

The funny thing about the "lucky seat upgrade" is that many of the ushers actually not only allow fans to move up, but I've seen on more than one occasion ushers helping people to find seats to move up.

I imagine that since we were in the section with the Red Rooters that we were on television. I hope you weren't picking your nose, B. Ha ha.

A DC baseball fan said...

Nats fans who were there could have learned a thing or two about how to be a baseball fan from us - you know, the stand with two strikes kind of stuff they are clueless about. On more than one occasion I've been told to sit down from some Natinals fan.

That's right, we're all baseball retards in DC. Please sit your Midwestern rube ass down so I can actually see the goddamn game. Do you also cheer for warning track fly balls?

Cathie said...

See? Exactly why people in DC don't know how to watch a baseball game.

Reds fans have been doing this for 140 years.

Get off your lazy Virginia suburban ass and cheer for your team.

Funny thing is I've probably been to more Nationals games than you since Opening Day 2005.

Anonymous said...

Give them time, and they'll ignore this team enough that also their 3rd MLB team will leave D.C. for rube fans who know how to appreciate major league baseball. Oops, sorry. I should be kind to the Nationals fans, as their team doesn't exactly resemble a major league team, but rather a Reds Old-Timers team...

-Gary M.

Another Nats season ticket holder said...

Well, thank you for the education. Are we supposed to have the orange slices ready for the players at the end of the game too? Because standing up on every two-strike count in a meaningless game (and they've all been meaningless for the Nats since about April 20) is high-school.

Caryn said...

Unless I am standing up because I have my cell phone at my ear and I am waving at the friend on the other side of the park who can't possibly see me, if I am standing up at a ballgame, get over it. Consider standing up yourself. Or if you prefer a more sedentary activity, try the opera.

Please feel free to call me a midwestern rube, Mr or Ms DC Native. Then I'll invite you to come up and see what a real city looks like.

Gapper said...

I loved that on the radio after the rain delay, one could hear random individual fans on the 'ambient noise' mic almost as loudly and clearly as Marty and Jeff.