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Baseball is back at RFK First off…..I don’t consider myself a traitor to the Orioles. They and I were born the same year and I have rooted for them my entire life…… without fail. In fact, when I gave blood last week, I do believe it was tinted slightly on the orange side! I even made sure I went to an Orioles game first this year (see my review of Hayden Penn’s debut) to prove my allegiance to the Birds. So this trip was really justifiable in my mind … a excursion to see a new attraction, nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t even bother to patronize the concessions stands because I did not want to contribute to the loss of revenue to the Orioles. So I went to RFK Stadium in DC last night to see the Nats play the Mariners. The tickets were free and I have an interest in the Mariners, so I had no other excuse ... I got on Metro's Blue line in Franconia and rode to RFK. It has been at least 35 years since I have been in RFK. The last time I was there I went with my parents to watch the Orioles (who else!) beat up the lowly Senators who were on their last legs in DC. Even Ted Williams couldn’t save the Nats from the Oriole juggernaut that day! RFK opened in October 1961 as a home for the Washington Redskins and the Senators (the original Senators left town for Minnesota after the 1960 season). It was originally named DC Stadium, but in 1969, renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium to honor the late senator. The first team to play there was the Redskins. The following spring, the Senators moved in, remaining tenants until their last game, September 30, 1971, when the fans stormed the field and caused them to forfeit a game they were winning to the Yankees. Next season, they continued the trend of baseball in DC by moving out of town to become the Texas Rangers. After 1971, the Redskins remained as the primary tenants until they too left for the greener pastures of a new stadium in the Maryland suburbs. The latest team to play there before the Expos moved to town was DC United, a professional soccer team. The old stadium looks good! Except for some broken seats, I did not notice any glaring problems! A nice job was done refurbishing it and getting it ready for baseball. They did such a good job, I am wondering if the DC City Council will decide that there is no need to build the new stadium MLB wants for the team. The anticipated completion date for the new stadium has already been pushed out one year and in the world of DC politics, who knows what the future will hold! Maybe the people who wanted the team in Las Vegas should stay in touch with each other! Coming to watch the Nats play, one is instantly reminded of the Baltimore connection. Frank Robinson is the manager and coaches include Jack Voight, Don Buford and Tom McGraw. Credit for the Nats' good play is generally given to Robinson, who manages with a passion. One knock against him is he is supposedly unforgiving of players with less talent than he had in his day. His act does wear out after a few years and teams do slide on him. However, currently, Frank has the Nats in first place and playing very well. Last night's game showcased two ex-Oriole managers, Mike Hargrove and Frank Robinson. Fortunately for Robinson, his team prevailed behind the pitching of John Patterson and kept their winning streak at nine games. Patterson was originally drafted in 1996 by the Montreal Expos, who failed to offer a contract to him in a timely manner, thus making him a free agent and he quickly signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He remained a D-Back until 2004, when the Expos parted with Randy Choate to reacquire him. The last time I saw Patterson pitch was three years ago in Tucson when he faced the Salt Lake City Stingers. He threw a brilliant game that night as I recall. One of my favorite junk ball pitchers, Jamie Moyer, was on the mound for the Mariners. Moyer worked in his customary manner, changing speeds and spotting his pitches. Over six innings, he held the Nats in check, surrendering four hits, striking out four and walking three. He also hit two batters. The Nats scored their only run against Moyer in the bottom of the fifth, when Christian Guzman led off with a double, moved to third on Patterson's sacrifice bunt and scored when Marlon Byrd hit a fly ball down the right field line which landed inches from Ichiro's glove. Moyer almost got out of that jam by striking out Brad Wilkerson for the second out, before Byrd's RBI hit. The Nats scored the winning run in the seventh, when JJ Putz came in to relieve Moyer and promptly gave up a hit, two straight walks and a RBI single to Jose Guillen. Seattle's lone run came in the top of the fifth, when Ichiro punched a two out single over Nick Johnson's shoulder to drive in Mike Morse from second base. Noteworthy, the Nationals drew their millionth fan last night! I had the pleasure of riding the subway with him after the game. One of the other fans asked him to autograph his ticket stub and Mr. Million was so overcome with his instant celebrity, he missed his stop! --- John
Kazlo |
