Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Braves, Phillies & Mets, 9/5-9/14/16

Posted on 09/05/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Atlanta Braves, baseball, bobblehead, MLB, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, stein, Teddy Roosevelt, Trea Turner, Washington Nationals.

Nationals fans (Photo Credit: Keith Allison)

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand.

Get your tickets here!

Braves – September 5-7
Phillies – September 8-11
Mets – September 12-14

1) Budweiser Music Party. For Labor Day, on September 5th, the Nationals will host a pregame music party starting at 1:30pm. There will be a mechanical bull and the stylings of Joe Bachman & The Tailgaters. Ticket includes a game ticket, concert and a Bud.

2) Trea Turner. Named NL August Rookie of the Month! His 45 hits in August are a Nationals rookie record for a calendar month. He hit .357, scored 27 runs and had an incredible 11 stolen bases!

3) Division Rivals. Basically, if the Mets want to challenge the Nationals for the NL East Division, this will be the time to do it. (The Braves and Phillies are out of it.)

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Pirates, Dodgers & Padres, 7/15-7/24/16

Posted on 07/15/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Scherzer, MLB, MLB All-Star, Nationals Park, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Stephen Strasburg, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson Ramos.

Wilson Ramos is an MLB All-Star

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand.

Get your tickets here!

Pirates – July 15-17
Dodgers – July 19-21
Padres – July 22-24

1) Second half of the season. The All-Star break is over and the game is in the books (the AL won 4-2) and now it’s time to get back into full baseball mode.

2) 1st Place. Your Nationals are 54-36, with a 6 game lead in the NL East. Let’s keep winning!

3) Bryce Harper (Outfield). MLB All-Star Starter #1. 19 HR, 52 RBI, .256 BA.

4) Dusty Baker bobblehead. Get yours on Tuesday, July 19!

5) Wilson Ramos (Catcher). MLB All-Star #2. 13 HR, 48 RBI, .330 BA.

6) Pre-game entertainment. Come to the Budweiser Terrace at 4:30pm each day, for bands or DJs or trivia. And $5 beer.

7) Daniel Murphy (Second Base). MLB All-Star #3. 17 HR, 66 RBI, .348 BA.

8) Stephen Strasburg (Pitcher). MLB All-Star #4. 12-0, 132 K, 2.62 ERA.

9) Max Scherzer (Pitcher) . MLB All-Star #5. (Replaced Strasburg, who didn’t pitch.) 10-6, 164 K, 3.03 ERA.

10) Bryce Harper kids jersey. Fans 12 and under get a jersey on Sunday, July 24th!

11) Teddy! Your popular Rough Rider leads the Presidents Race standings by one win over George (11-10). Let Teddy win!

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Mets, Reds & Brewers, 6/27-7/6/16

Posted on 06/27/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Chia Pet, Cincinnati Reds, Herbert Hoover, Jayson Werth, Max Scherzer, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, Nationals Park, NatsPass, New York Mets.

Jayson Werth

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand.

Get your tickets here!

Mets – June 27-29
Reds – June 30-July 3
Brewers – July 4-6

1) Mets! Our division rivals come to town (June 27-29), we need these games to stay in first. Only three games up after losing six in a row!

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Mets & Cardinals, 5/23-5/29/16

Posted on 05/23/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Max Scherzer, MLB, Nationals Park, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals.

(Teddy with life-size Max Scherzer bobblehead)

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand from May 23-29.

Get your tickets here.

1) The battle for first place! Your Nats are in 1st by a mere 1.5 games over the 2nd place Mets. It may still be early but division games matter (May 23-25). Now.

2) The Cardinals have started slowly in the NL Central, a division currently being decimated by the Cubs, so the Nats should roll (May 26-29).

3) Gain a free Max Scherzer No-Hitter bobblehead on Monday, May 23rd! Part 1 of 2. (Remember when Max straight owned the Tigers on May 11th with a MLB-record tying 20 strikeouts? Yes, yes you do. Now, own him in small form!)

4) Watch the presidents! Teddy has six wins in President Races this season. Good for 1st place over Hoover by one victory. #LetTeddyWin Keep track here.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Tigers & Marlins, 5/9-15/16

Posted on 05/09/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Bryce Harper, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, MLB, Nationals Park, Washington Nationals.

Stephen Strasburg pitches twice this week. See him both games.

11 things to look forward to this week with the Nationals playing at home.

$1 Hotdogs on Tuesday, May 10th.
A free finely crafted Bryce Harper bobblehead on Wednesday, May 11th.
A 2nd place team glad not to be playing the Cubs anymore. Yikes, a 4-game sweep.
A doubleheader on Saturday, May 14th!
Free Budweiser T-shirts on Saturday. (for Game #1)
Pups in the Park on Saturday. (for Game #2)
Stephen Strasburg on the mound twice! (Monday and probably Saturday)
$5 Beer (in the Budweiser Terrace) up until 35 minutes before first pitch.
Calvin Coolidge joining the Racing Presidents. Six Commanders in Chief in one place!
MLB All-Star Voting! http://mlb.mlb.com/was/fan_forum/all-star-ballot-offer/ (Hint: Vote only for Nationals players.)
A possible Ichiro sighting (with the Marlins). He only needs 53 hits to reach 3,000!

Sports Park: The One About Nationals’ Bobbleheads

Posted on 04/01/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Bryce Harper, Major League Baseball, Max Scherzer, Miami Marlins, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington Nationals.

Greet your 2016 Bryce Harper (May 11) and Max Scherzer (May 23) Bobbleheads

Baseball player and mascot bobbleheads have really taken off and continue to gain popularity every year. It seems like all the Major League Baseball teams have bobblehead nights.

In St. Louis last year, I watched in fascination as hawkers bartered for and acquired bags full of bobbleheads, to later sell online. It’s become big business for collector’s. (BTW – I kept mine.) I also tried to get a King Felix bobblehead in Seattle, but was shut-down by the insane number of people who came more than two hours early. (BTW – A friend got two (?!?)…and sent one to me in DC. Nice.)

In Marlins Park (Miami), they even have a dedicated Bobblehead Museum with bobbles from all the Major League Baseball teams. I’m sure it has only gotten bigger since I was there four years ago. The Marlins’ website says they currently have over 700!

Why bobbleheads, you ask? What makes them so sought after? Maybe they are the new baseball card. Maybe the world is just crazy. I’ll try to answer this pressing question during the season.

In 2015, your Washington Nationals had five “Great Moments in Nationals History” bobblehead nights.

And in 2016, the Nationals are gearing up for five more bobblehead promotional nights. The first 25,000 fans to these games win the night!

Wednesday, May 11 = Bryce Harper MVP Bobblehead (Pro tip: Your grandkids will want this when Bryce retires in 2033.)
Monday, May 23 = Max Scherzer No-Hitter Bobblehead (Piece #1 of 2) (Pro-tip: Two pieces, this requires synergy and commitment.)
Tuesday, July 19 = Dusty Baker Bobblehead (Pro-tip: This is Dusty’s first year as Manager, let’s welcome him with a bouncing head.)
Friday, August 26 = Max Scherzer No-Hitter Bobblehead (Piece #2 of 2) (Pro-tip: If you didn’t get the first one, better check eBay.)
Friday, September 9 = Nationals Fan Choice Bobblehead (Pro-tip: Fans got to pick which player they want to see immortalized. Stay tuned for the big reveal.)

Of course, the Nationals will have other promotional items for your acquisitional pleasure. Maybe a Bryce Harper Chia Pet? or a Garden Gnome? Yes.

I’d like to go on record in saying, I want to see more Teddy bobbleheads! No April Fooling.

Your Nationals in the Bobblehead Museum in Marlins Park

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Marlins, Orioles & Phillies, 9/17-9/28/15

Posted on 09/17/2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Baltimore Orioles, baseball, Beltway Series, bobblehead, Miami Marlins, Nationals Park, Philadelphia Phillies, Pope, Washington Nationals.

Stephen Strasburg is 9-7 with a 3.98 ERA and 125 strikeouts

Oh boy. After a jaw-dropping 5-game winning streak to give us fans a glimmer of hope, the Nationals then proceeded to lose five games in a row, including getting swept by the first place Mets. Effectively eliminating our chances at a playoff spot. Sad face.

Now we sit 7.5 games back and the Nationals’ players can look forward to playing golf and canasta in the off-season.

The Beltway series against the also not good Orioles happens just in time for the Pope’s visit.

This homestand features not one, but two, bobbleheads! Calvin Coolidge (9/21) and Jordan Zimmerman (9/25).

As a bonus, the Nationals have an extra game added to the homestand, a make-up game with the Reds on 9/28.

For game tickets and more information, call 202.675.NATS(6287) or visit nationals.com/tickets.

Pope Francis’ visit to DC: Delays and closures surrounding the papal visit are expected to be significant. Allow plenty of extra time when traveling to and from Nationals Park. To help shorten commute times, Metro will operate at near-rush hour capacity throughout the day on the Wednesday and Thursday of the papal visit, and DDOT has released a series of alternate routes that fans can use to avoid road closures that will be in effect during that time.

Thursday, September 17 vs. Miami Marlins

The Nationals will honor the contributions of the Hispanic community to baseball and society by hosting Hispanic-themed entertainment throughout the evening. The radio station El Zol 107.9 FM will have DJ Solido at the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk before the game.
The Nationals will honor Denard Span for his ongoing commitment to single-parent families as the team’s nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Brewers, Padres & Marlins, 8/21-8/30/15

Posted on 08/21/2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, gnome, Washington Nationals.

Wow. What a difference a few weeks make. The Nationals are on an epic, uncontrolled tailspin in August with little end in sight. They did win two out of three against the Rockies. And now they have a nine-game homestand to look forward to.

From first place and a joyous time for us fans to second place and a dip below .500.

The Nationals are four games behind the Mets, who seem to be on a mission to make Jon Stewart the happiest man on Earth (as a Mets fan). Jon, I want you back at the Daily Show immediately, but I hope your Mets crash and burn.

The Nationals have gone 6-13 in August, including a four-game sweep by the Giants. Bah.

I repeat. Bah. It’s time to put up or shut up.

Yet, I still believe. Plus, if you plan on attending any games next week, look out for a Rendon Gnome, a Werth Bobblehead and even an ’80’s night.

For game tickets and more information, call 202.675.NATS(6287) or visit nationals.com/tickets.

Friday, August 21 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

The first 15,000 fans (21 years and up) to enter Nationals Park through ALL GATES will receive a Nationals cap presented by Miller.
As fans exit the ballpark, Good Humor will provide complimentary samples of an array of Good Humor ice cream novelties outside Center Field Gate on N Street. Available while supplies last.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Blue Jays & Cubs, 6/1-6/3/15 and 6/4-6/7/15

Posted on 06/01/2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, bobblehead, Chicago Cubs, Max Scherzer, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals.

Max Scherzer (2013 NL Cy Young winner)

After a slow April, the Nationals turned it on in May and find themselves in first place in the National League East (28-22).

The Nats come into this week’s homestand off of a horrible three-game series at Cincinnati. Losing all three. And Stephen Strasburg left Friday’s game early with a stiff neck, only to be later put on the 15-day disabled list.

They look to bounce back against the Blue Jays (June 1-3) and the Cubs (June 4-7). No days off this week, just baseball everyday.

The Blue Jays series features two former Cy Young winners. R.A. Dickey of the Blue Jays (2-5) on Monday and the Nationals’ Max Scherzer (6-3) on Tuesday.

For game tickets and more information, call 202.675.NATS(6287) or visit nationals.com/tickets.

Monday, June 1 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

U.S. Army Day Delivered by UPS will honor members of the United States Army and the 240th celebration of the Army’s birthday. The pregame ceremony will feature: the Army Drill Team, U.S. Army band, the Army Chorus and the first pitch by CSM Timothy Guden, Military District Washington.
It’s also $1 hot dogs presented by Hatfield until the sixth inning.

Tuesday, June 2 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

A 10-Year Commemorative Coin will be given to the first 10,000 fans to enter the ballpark through ALL GATES. In honor of the 10-Year Anniversary, the Nationals’ celebration will include monthly 10-Year Tuesdays, six designated games that will feature a collectible keepsake.