“That’s why you go to games!”, I excitedly shouted to anyone within earshot as I strutted out of Nationals Park after a thrilling mid May, walk off victory this past Tuesday.
I’ve traveled home from Nationals Park 59 times in my life, but this last visit was different. In fact lots about Tuesday night felt different from the typical venture to Half Street.
The New York Yankees were in town.
“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart; you just gotta poke around.”
-Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter
A funny thing happened on the way to another Redskins dominated spring here in DC. Other teams were winning, often in dramatic, headline grabbing fashion. It’s true; on big stages in front of big crowds with big stakes on the line, DC was winning (and rising of course; #DCRising).
Was DC becoming a “sports town”? Had it already been one that had just been laying dormant prior to this B-12 shot of winning?
During the Dan Snyder regime, the Washington Redskins have not given their fans much to cheer about when it comes to the NFL draft. Spending free agent money like a poet on pay day and trading away picks for pennies on the dollar has resulted in two division titles, and two playoff wins over 16 seasons since Danny Boy bought the team.
Since the 2009 season, the Redskins have 32 wins total, for an average of a little over 5 wins a season.
CHARLESTON, SC —
Within 60 minutes of landing in Charleston, ordering a John Daly at 10am on a Wednesday seemed like a reasonable thing to do.
After dropping our bags at the hotel and trudging a mile or so through the thick southern air, Mrs. FSB and myself arrived at our first destination. With my head still full of airplane weirdness, I crossed the threshold of the Rutledge Avenue sidewalk, into The Hominy Grill, a bedrock breakfast joint in Charleston specializing in low country classics. It was our first stop on a four day tour as we ate and drank our way through The Holy City.
The Washington Nationals enter 2015 with massive expectations. The 2014 NL East champs added Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to an already dominant starting rotation. Their potent lineup features a blend of youth and experience, and their bench seems to be much improved compared to last years roster.
Within their division, the Braves and Phillies have imploded and are in full rebuilding mode. The Mets and Marlins have pieces in place, but both still seem to be at least a year away from seriously contending with the Nats.
Another Selection Sunday has come and gone. Lots of grown men got together, put on suits, stared into cameras and broke down the handy work that some other guys in suits produced from the conference room of an Indianapolis Hilton Garden Inn.
But at last, after all the “eye tests” were conducted and “bodies of work” had been examined, we got our bracket. As is tradition, CBS carries the Selection Show and I watch with baited breath. As a Virginia fan I’ve had a few sweats during the selection show (including the 2000 tournament, where UVa being left out still has to be the biggest screw job in tourney history) but for the most part it’s either been obviously in (unfortunately, not too often until Tony Bennett showed up) or obviously out (Dave Leitao, ladies and gentlemen).
VIERA, FL —
Spring Training is in full swing, with MLB teams taking the field against one another for the first time today. In Clearwater, the Phillies evidently have some serious rust to shake off. In Viera meanwhile, the defending NL East Champion Nats are gearing up for a season with incredible expectations.
Rick Beale, an FSB regular and father of my dear friend Justin is down in Viera to take in the Nationals Spring Training this week. As I look out my window into the dark and icy hellscape of Metro DC, I have to admit I’m extremely jealous.
Goodfellas is not only my favorite movie, it’s the best movie ever made. That’s a fact. It’s the only movie where if it’s on, I have to stop everything and watch it until the end. I remember for years that Lifetime (Lifetime!) would air Goodfellas, a curious move that I embraced with open arms. I don’t know, when I think “Television For Women”, I don’t think of Henry Hill berating his wife for flushing $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet. With a running time of 2 hours and 26 minutes, the movie flies by at a frantic pace. It feels much shorter than it is, a testament to Scorcese’s direction and editing.
The frigid temperatures and sunless skies of February in DC are accompanied by a barren sports landscape; that is, if you ask a producer of any local sports show on radio or television. Their reasoning is simple; this point on the calendar is one of the furthest dates away from a Redskins game. What else could they possibly talk about?
Fortunately for them, the NFL has successfully rolled out a calendar that keeps the league in the sports news cycle year round, save for a few weeks in the summer when Roger Goddell is vacationing on the Isle of Capri with Peter King, Mike Florio and any other NFL shills with a press pass and a lap top.
