Sports Park: The Nationals’ Playoffs vs. the Dodgers, 10/7 & 10/8/16

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Nationals Park, playoffs, Washington Nationals.

Trea Turner can hit! (Photo Credit: Keith Allison)

Your Washington Nationals are in the Big Dance! The Major League Baseball playoffs got underway on Tuesday, October 4th with the Toronto Blue Jays beating the Baltimore Orioles (sorry, no bird puns today).

Now it’s time for the Nationals to show us what they’re made of, as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, October 7th for Game 1 of the NL Division Series.

After six months of consistently good baseball, and a NL East Division crown, your Nationals are poised to actually do more good things in the post-season. They excelled despite a down year for Bryce Harper (.243 BA and 24 HRs after hitting .330/40 HRs in his MVP 2015 season) and late season injuries to Stephen Strasburg.

The stories of contributors are many, but Daniel Murphy (2B) put up a MVP-like season (.347 BA and 104 RBIs). Trea Turner (OF) came in and dominated at the plate the second half of the season (he helped me win my fantasy league…). While Max Scherzer could be the favorite to win another Cy Young Award with his 20-7 record, 2.96 ERA and 284 SOs.

Go Nats!

Division Series Schedule
10/7/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (5:30pm)
10/8/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (5:30pm)
10/10/16 – Nationals @ Dodgers (Time TBD)
10/11/16 – Nationals @ Dodgers (Time TBD) – if necessary
10/13/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (Time TBD) – if necessary

Check for home tickets here, or look for resale options.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Last Homestand vs. the Diamondbacks & Marlins, 9/26-10/2/16

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball, garden gnome, Miami Marlins, MLB, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington Nationals.

Your Nationals (Photo Credit: Keith Allison)

11 things to look forward to during the last Nationals’ homestand of 2016.

Get your tickets here!

Diamondbacks – September 26-29
Marlins – September 30-October 2

1) NL East Division Champs! Your Nationals clinched the division crown last Saturday. Pop the champagne and jump around in joy!

2) Playoffs. After this homestand, the Nationals are headed to the 2016 MLB postseason. They will most likely play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series starting October 7th. Standing room only tickets are available here.

3) Garden Gnome. Get your stylish Ben Revere gnome on Tuesday, September 27th!

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

Posted on September 5, 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 Orioles & Rockies, 8/24-8/28/16

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged Baltimore Orioles, baseball, Colorado Rockies, MLB, Washington Nationals.

Homerun by Daniel Murphy (Photo by Arturo Pardavila III)

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

Get your tickets here!

Orioles – August 24-25

Rockies – August 26-28

Happy Birthday, America

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged America, apple pie, baseball, Independence Day, July 4th, Washington Nationals.

Your Nationals play on July 4th, 2016

Today the United States of America turns 240.

Getting up there, but like baseball and apple pie, still good after all these years.

Happy 4th!

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

Posted on May 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 May 9, 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 Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Twins & Phillies, 4/22-28/16

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, Bryce Harper, Minnesota Twins, Nationals Park, Philadelphia Phillies, Pups in the Park, Washington Nationals.

Bryce Harper, the best in the game! (Eight home runs after 15 games) (Bryce pictured against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2015, in Baltimore, Md. — Photo by Keith Allison)

Your Nationals are flying high to start the 2016 campaign. At 11-4, they are in first place in the NL East Division by 3-1/2 games over the Mets.

Stephen Strasburg already has three wins and 21 strikeouts, while Joe Ross has started with a blazing 0.54 ERA after three starts.

This weekend the Nats take on the Twins. On Saturday there is the first Pups in Park (bring your dog!) sponsored by Budweiser (their new beer partner).

Sports Park: Opening Day @ Nationals Park, 4/7/16

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town and tagged baseball, Major League Baseball, Nationals Park, Opening Day, Star Wars Day, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington Nationals.

Let’s Play Ball! But not with these.

Today is your Washington Nationals home opener!

Baseball is back in the Capitol!

The Nationals play the Miami Marlins tonight at 4pm. If you didn’t get tickets, don’t worry they play again on Saturday and Sunday. Then they welcome the Atlanta Braves for a 4-game series, starting Monday, April 11.

Find tickets here.

For today’s game, here are four things to look forward to:

The first 25,000 fans to enter the ballpark through ALL GATES will receive a pair of Nationals sunglasses presented by GEICO.
The 25 Millionth Fan will walk through the gates at Nationals Park. This lucky fan will receive a pair of Opening Day tickets for the next 25 years, as well as a special Nationals jersey and jacket, Nats Bucks credit, acknowledgment in-game on Nats HD and a visit to the Ownership Box.
Flyover by the 71st Fighter Training Squadron “Ironmen” from Langley Air Force Base.
White Ford Bronco will perform at the Budweiser Terrace.

For the upcoming season, here are four more things to look forward to:

Star Wars Day – On Saturday, August 13th, the first 20,000 fans will receive a special T-shirt. And there will be Teddybacca! (Teddy as a Wookie)
New food from the Pitch Your Product Culinary Contest – The two winners were Haute Dog and Fries and Pinch Dumplings.
80’s Night – On Friday, June 10, the first 20,000 fans get a fanny pack! And music!
Pin Exchange – In one of the Team Stores, there will be a board with Pins, which you can add one and take one. Or you can just buy the one you really love. I mention this, because there was a really cool one from the Baltimore Orioles.

MLB: Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals
Nationals Park
Thursday, April 7, 2016
4:00pm
All ages

Sports Park: The One About Nationals’ Bobbleheads

Posted on April 1, 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