‘P-47D Victory Markings’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Showing no small amount of media savvy, Dan Snyder announced through the Redskins media apparatus that he was dropping his suit against the Washington City Paper at 8:20pm on Saturday, buried in the middle of the weekend news cycle amid a terror threat, the specter of 9/11, and 15 hours short of the 2011 Redskins debut that went spectacularly well. Bravo, Dan, way to miss the media cycle.

But yes, the City Paper is now free from the threat of a lawsuit over the November 2010 article in the City Paper called The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder which details numerous grievances against the Redskins’ owner by fans and other groups. Perhaps we’re seeing Snyder turn over a new leaf, where he engages often with local charities, sells the team and walks the earth searching for redemption.

One can hope.

‘MLK Memorial 2011’
courtesy of ‘starbuck77’

Whether you love it, or hate it, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall has certainly gotten people talking. Its dedication, postponed by Hurricane Irene, is now set for October 16th. The original festivities were slated for approximately 250,000 people, and I would imagine that the October date will still draw that many. We haven’t heard yet if Metro is planning to expand service again around the dedication as they had planned to for the late August date.

‘John Lannan at Spring Training’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

John Lannan has made 125 career starts. Saturday night was only the third time he ever failed to record nine outs while on the mound for Washington. The Houston Astros ended up taking batting practice off the Nats’ left-handed starter in the third inning of Saturday night’s game. They got seven hits and six runs (four earned) off Lannan, which halted the game’s momentum.

Lannan lasted 2 1/3 innings and gave up eight hits, six runs (four earned), one walk, and one strikout over 55 pitches (36 strikes). He also committed a throwing error to first after the Astros had already scored four runs in the third. Needless to say, Saturday night was far from being Lannan’s best outing for the Nationals.
Continue reading →

‘centerfield’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this Sunday, the Washington Nationals are encouraging fans to arrive earlier than they’re used to. This is due to an increase in security precaustions surrounding Sunday’s day of rememberance.

According to the Nationals, fans should prepare to arrive early and expect slow entry into the ballpark on Saturday and Sunday. Fan are encouraged to keep in mind that limited entry points will be available for getting into the park as well. The center field gates are scheduled to open at 4:30 on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Fans driving to park should prepare for vehicle checks in parking areas.

Additionally, no outside beverages or liquids of any kind will be permitted into the ballpark. Food items of any kind are strongly discouraged.

So be smart, Washington. Use your heads. I know you want to bring in that sealed bottled water this weekend, but if you try, you’re only going to hold up the line.

’17’
courtesy of ‘anokarina’

The Washington Nationals might as well change their nickname to the Washington Walkoffs with all the last minute, down-to-the-wire wins they’ve accumulated this season (12 in total). Davey Johnson and his boys in red, white and blue beat the last place Houston Astros 4-3 in 11 innings Friday night at Nationals Park in front of the thin crowd who stuck it out until the end.

Starting pitcher and recent call-up Tommy Milone pitched an effective game. The young gun has yet to issue a walk in his two career starts in the big leagues and isn’t afraid to throw inside on right-handed batters as a south paw.

Washington scored early creating a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Rick Ankiel scored on a homerun hit by Ryan Zimmerman, his eleventh of the season, after drawing a one out walk. Houston trickled back to tie the game at two a piece after scoring a couple runs until they eventually took the lead in the sixth. Continue reading →

‘Capitol Hill Bollard’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Late yesterday, as the President went to speak to Congress, news began to disseminate concerning a “specific, credible but unconfirmed” threat against the DC and NYC areas that could happen around the anniversary of 9/11. That language means, as far as I can tell, “We think we know what they’re going to try, we believe that it’s plausible, but we’ve only got one source on this.”

The plot is thought to be a vehicle based explosive device, and DHS, the FBI and others are on the lookout for a pair of box trucks. There aren’t a whole lot of details at this point, which means that response from the city and elsewhere are sorta vague: awareness is already heightened, and will be increased further still, look for extra police around the city this weekend as we pause to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The Mayor and Chief of Police gave a news conference last night where they confirmed they’re working with federal authorities, and have activated their 9/11 plan in response to the threat.

There’s not much else to do at this point, but if you wanted to brush up on your “what to do in the face of disaster,” DC HSEMA has a good set of guides for preparedness, crisis skills, and the shelter and evacuation plans for each ward of the city. Don’t panic, be prepared.

There’s been a whole lot of rain this week. Parts of Fairfax county have gotten 10-15 inches of a rain as part of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. The storm’s pattern, unusual for the area, has dumped rain on the District and surrounding area with surprising ferocity and longevity.

This video, taken this afternoon in Fairfax, shows a man on an innertube, heading right down the flooded street. While we wouldn’t recommend trying this (the storm has claimed two lives already), it’s certainly a lot of fun to watch the guy tubing down the highway.

If you and the kids are stuck at home maybe some of these toys will work well for you. Eligible for Amazon Prime so you can have it by tomorrow (if UPS has a boat in your neighborhood) – the Fisher-Price Little People Noah’s Ark is just barely over $20. Or if you have wooden tables that are floating above the water that’s invaded all our homes you can do the jigsaw puzzle pictured below!

Probably my favorite thing about short films is that they cater well to those of us with shortened attention spans. Tonight begins the DC Shorts Film Festival, which runs until September 18th, and the Festival staff have an awesome film picker, so that you can make sure to catch the show you want to see, or find films that look interesting.

Tickets run $12 + fees for each showcase ahead of the event, and $25 + fees for each party, or you can get any of a number of packages, or a complete All Access pass for $125 + fees. If you buy on-site, each showcase is $15.