Nats Get Shelled in Opener at Citizens Bank Park South

Photo courtesy of
‘Phillies @ Nationals (May 16, 2009) – 31’
courtesy of ‘Garyisajoke’

In my life I’ve left a baseball game early less than ten times. Today was one. The Nationals’ home opener today was an absolute disgrace on a number of fronts, but primarily on the field. The Nats put out a good first inning, with strong defense and small-ball offense putting them ahead 1-0 after 2 innings, but it was short lived. In the fourth, the Phils found John Lannan’s weaknesses and exploited them thoroughly. Ryan Howard struck with a two-run shot, followed by a string of walks and hits that just took the air out of the Nationals. Placido Polanco would strike in the top of the 7th with a grand slam to finish the deed, which ended 11-1

Thanks to the aggressive courting of traveling Phillies fans, the park was majority Phils phans, making Nationals Park into Citizens Bank Park South, in a most embarrassing show for the Nationals. I do hope that the Lerners recognize that this contributed to today’s loss and to the enjoyment of the fans. Most of the Nationals fans left Section 109 early in the game when it became clear that all we’d get to deal with was rowdy Phils fans who wanted to taunt, misbehave, and otherwise abuse our fair city’s dignity.

While the Nationals have much work to do, today’s treatment at the hands of the Phils should remind us that we need to take more pride in our teams, especially those that are the weakest. Get out and go to a game, if for no other reason than to deprive some feckless Philly thug a spot.

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.

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24 thoughts on “Nats Get Shelled in Opener at Citizens Bank Park South

  1. “feckless Philly thug” I guess coming up with an original angle on a phillies game is out of the question…

  2. Look man, I have a lot of local Phillies fan friends, and none of them that I know who live in the area are thugs. But the neanderthals who ship in from the Mothership up north in PA? Please.

    I refer my learned Philly-phan friend to this video from the your home opener at the beginning of last season, you know, when they were awarding the hard-earned World Series rings to the players.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BR9J94C1u8

    Keep being classy, Philly.

  3. Why did people think this season would be any different?

    Our SP is beyond bad
    Our RP is highly suspect

    No pitching = No chance

  4. we need to take more pride in our teams, especially those that are the weakest. Get out and go to a game

    Agreed! (But don’t denigrate other fans.) The “flex plans” are a great deal – 2 tickets each to 5 games for about $150! A good way to go to a game per month or so. Am headed to Thursday’s game.

  5. I’ll report that none of the Phillies fans around me in Section 114-U were nasty, overly rowdy, or otherwise thuggish toward our Nats fan brethern and sistern, aside from some good-natured booing. It was a pleasant experience for everyone in my section, even the kids.

  6. Watching the game on TV, I wasn’t shocked when I heard the Phillies fans chanting “SUCKS!” when the Nats bench position players were introduced. I’m just impressed that they were that loud. And honestly, I’m surprised the Phillies fans didn’t boo the anthem. You would think a city that just had a team go to the last two World Series would have a little more dignity than that… but then again, it is Philadelphia.

    Keep thinking Rocky is real, throwing snowballs at Santa Claus, and stay classy, Philly.

  7. Ever been to any games outside of Nat’s stadium? The yelling of sucks at other players is pretty standard. There were no major problems at the game ysterday. Just because the Phillies fans are loud does not make them classless. The ragging on the Philly fans is old, unoriginal and ignorant.

  8. Odd, I’ve been to opening day in a couple other cities and never saw that classless behavior, but if you want to continue to justify the way your fans behaved yesterday, you keep trying son.

  9. Ok Michael. I grew up in New England, a Sox fan, so yea I think I’m aware of a baseball game’s atmosphere. Thanks. – However, by your logic, you can heckle our sub-par baseball team’s bench players and coaches in introductions, and that’s alright, but the moment we start ragging on your “fans”, you’re offended? Makes perfect sense to me.

    You may be a respectful, die-hard, loud and obsessive baseball fan, but there’s a handful of others that ruin your reputation.

  10. I am offended by Tom using the term “feckless Philly thug.” I recognize that the lowest common denominator will create the stereotype of a fan base – the same way out-of-towners wrongly discount Nats fans as people who don’t look up from their blackberries to watch the pitch. But to have a web “journalist” write two consecutive columns that use broad generalizations of a fan base, generalizations which are overused, bland and show little thought, makes me wonder…

  11. I would say, in this case and all cases like this, a fan is entitled to their opinion. Baseball fans are touchy. As a Chicago Cubs fan who has grown up with nothing but pain in their heart but love for their team, it’s always hard to stomach a situation in which it feels like everyone around you is tearing apart the one thing (your baseball team of choice) love the most. Had I been at Opening Day at Turner Field yesterday with my Cubs jersey hanging proudly from my shoulders after the 8 runs Zambrano gave up in just 1 and 1/3 innings, I would’ve felt a lot like Tom did yesterday at Nationals Park. Granted, a vague generalization of “overused” phrases when talking about a “breed” of baseball fans can be construed as being offensive, it happens all over the country at each MLB ballpark.

    It is offensive and hurtful at the time, but it’s part of the game (sadly). Here’s to hoping that we as fans of this great game one day to those poor judgment calls of taunting each other aside and just love the game. I realize that sounds naive. It is. But, when you have a game that so many people love so much, it’s not too far fetched to hope for the best.

  12. Michael,

    I don’t apologize for my characterization of yesterday’s imported fans as Broad Street Bullies. That’s what they were. Those fans who were polite, assuming there were any, didn’t have the balls to tell the brash and thuggish amongst them that their behavior wasn’t appropriate.

    Where I come from, that’s called condoning the behavior. You want better treatment in the web press? Act like a gentleman.

  13. Hmm, interesting…. I guess it is easier to wait for the safe and warm confines of your blog to act like a gentlemen.

    And, I’m really sorry a fan asked you how many K’s Halladay had. I hope your emotional scares heal quickly.

  14. I always like trolling a blog’s owner to try to get a rise out of him. It removes any concern about whether or not I’m welcome on a website or not.