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 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 Rays, Pirates & Braves, 6/17-6/25/15

Posted on 06/17/2015 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged 2015 First-Year Player Draft, Atlanta Braves, baseball, Max Scherzer, MLB, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals.

Drew Storen is third in the NL with 19 Saves

The Nationals have been in a rough patch the last couple weeks. They didn’t do much at home the first week of June, going 2-5, and then finished 4-4 on their latest road trip. They have fallen out of first place behind the lowly Mets.

At 34-31, they are still in the thick of the race. This upcoming homestand is the perfect time to overtake the Mets. Again.

On Wednesday, the Nationals send Jordan Zimmerman (5-4, 3.74 ERA) to the mound against the Rays’ Matt Andriese (1-1, 3.76 ERA).

Thursday we’ll see Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46 ERA) finish off the two-game series against the Rays’ ace, Chris Archer (7-4, 2.00 ERA).

You’ll have to wait until Friday, when the Nats play the Pirates, to see Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93 ERA) continue his Cy Young campaign.

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

Last week, Major League Baseball’s 2015 First-Year Player Draft was held. The Nationals selected the following players in the first 10 rounds, including Mariano Rivera’s son.

RD	Pick	Player	Position	School
2	58	Andrew Stevenson	OF	Louisiana State University
2	69	Blake Perkins	OF	Verrado (AZ) High School
3	103	Rhett Wiseman	OF	Vanderbilt (TN) University
4	134	Mariano Rivera Jr.	RHP	Iona (NY) College
5	164	Taylor Hearn	LHP	Oklahoma Baptist University
6	194	Matt Crownover	LHP	Clemson (SC) University
7	224	Grant Borne	LHP	Nicholls (LA) State University
8	254	Koda Glover	RHP	Oklahoma State University
9	284	David Kerian	1B	University of Illinois
10	314	Taylor Guilbeau	LHP	University of Alabama

Wednesday, June 17 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Team Store with special events on Wednesday before the game.

Thursday, June 18 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The 9th Annual Ladies Night, featuring live music, player appearances, food samples and more. Even with quadrupling the number of available tickets from last year, 2015 Ladies Night is sold out. Fans can enjoy Ladies Night entertainment and music throughout the ballpark with a regular ticket. For more information, visit nationals.com/ladiesnight.

Friday, June 19 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The first 15,000 fans to enter Nationals Park through ALL GATES will receive a Nationals pilsner cup (ages 21 and over).

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.