Lenny Welch,
to the extent that he’s remembered at all, was primarily known as a ballad
singer; he had his one big hit with this unexpectedly soulful version of a
big-band standard from the 1940s. I don’t know where he got the idea to revive
it, but we can certainly be glad that he did.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018
April 15, 2018 – Rockies 6, Nats 5 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 25,462
Duration: 3:14
Weather: 52 degrees, Rain
Wind: 12 MPH In From Right
Umpires: HP: Jerry Meals. 1B: Ben May. 2B: Ron Kulpa. 3B: Gabe Morales.
Back to miserable weather, and a weird and miserable finish to the Nats’
3-7 home stand.
Game notes – Nats drew 10 walks, but stranded 8 and went 0-8 with
runners in scoring position … 2 of their runs came on solo homers (Harper in
the 1st, Wieters in the 6th) … with the bases loaded via
walks and 2 out in the bottom of the 5th, Rockies catcher Chris
Iannetta missed a pitch to Ryan Zimmerman and then threw the ball past the
Rockies’ pitcher, allowing 2 runs to score … in the 8th, after
Wieters inexplicably (and unsuccessfully) attempted to steal second, Taylor
doubled with 2 outs, easily stole 3rd, and scored on a wild pitch …
Strasburg retired the first 11 batters before serving up a homer to Charlie
Blackmon … after Washington’s 2-run fifth, Colorado took the lead on Blackmon’s
2-run, 2-out double, followed by a Gonzalez single … they got solo HRs in the 8th
(LeMahieu off Kelley) and 9th (former Nat Ian Desmond off Doolittle)
for the final margin
Other – after great weather Friday and Saturday, Sunday felt even
colder and windier than predicted and announced … spent most of my day in the
elevator lounge out of the cold, wind, and off-and-on rain, watching the game
on the video screen … did go down to our seats for the bottom of the 5th,
6th, and 7th … good traffic both ways, as we successfully
navigated a new path from the GW Parkway to the 14th Street Bridge
Saturday, April 14, 2018
April 13, 2018 – Rockies 2, Nats 1 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 32,702
Duration: 3:04
Weather: 81 degrees, Clear
Wind: 15 MPH Out to Left
Umpires: HP: Ron Kulpa. 1B: Gabe Morales. 2B: Jerry Meals. 3B: Ben May.
Section 315, Row C, Seats 11-13 – on the first base side, not quite
directly behind home plate but close
Weather finally changes for the better. Nationals offense does not, as
they fall 6 games behind the resurgent Mets.
Game notes – Nats stranded two runners in the first and third innings, failing
to score each time … the Rockies opened the scoring on a Carlos Gonzalez HR in
the top of the fourth … Nats loaded the bases with one out in the fifth,
scoring the tying run on a Harper sac fly … Colorado scored the final run of
the game immediately thereafter, when LeMahieu reached on a Turner error and
eventually crossed the plate on a Gonzalez sac fly … Rendon left after the
sixth after fouling a ball off his left big toe … Nats went down 1-2-3 in each
of the last 3 innings, with 6 Ks
Other – perfect baseball weather, as we were comfortable in short
sleeves throughout the game … Metro was uneventful (but crowded) both coming
and going, and we got there in plenty of time to get our Sean Doolittle
bobbleheads
Straight No Chaser – Weinberg Center for the Arts (Frederick MD), 4/12/2018
Row K, seats 2 and 4 (right side, on the aisle)
The SNC guys put on another top-notch performance in front of a
sold-out crowd Thursday evening. No Christmas songs this time, and not a lot of
overlap from the last time we saw them (the Beyonce and Blues Brothers medleys,
“Creep”, and the usual mic-less “Make You Feel My Love” as the final encore). A
couple of the new mashups were quite good, notably “Sweet Dreams” / “Hand Clap”
to open the show, and “Come As You Are” leading into “While My Guitar Gently
Weeps” near the beginning of the post-intermission set. Everyone in the crew
had a chance to shine, although as usual Jerome Collins managed to steal the
show most often.
Highlights:
Hi-De-Ho
Twistin’ The Night Away
Creep
Billie Jean / Poison (first encore)
Monday, April 9, 2018
April 8, 2018 – Mets 6, Nats 5 (12 innings) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 21,579
Duration: 4:03
Weather: 47 degrees, Clear
Wind: 10 MPH Left to Right
Umpires: HP: Mark Ripperger. 1B: Joe West. 2B: Doug Eddings. 3B: Marty
Foster.
Section 311, Row C, Seats 17-19 – our regular seats for the season are
a definite improvement: on the aisle, and one section closer to home plate
Game notes – Nats jumped off to an early lead on Rendon’s first-inning
single and Harper’s 6th HR of the season, but once again couldn’t
hold it … with two out in the 3rd, Roark walked the bases loaded and
surrendered a grand slam to Adrian Gonzalez … Nats cut the lead in half in the
4th when Severino doubled in Kendrick with 2 outs, but Tanner gave
the run back the next inning on a dinger by Asdrubal Cabrera, again with 2 down
… Nats battled back to finally tie on a 5th-inning RBI single by
Trea and a 7th-inning RBI single by Michael A., although they missed
numerous other scoring chances throughout the game (14 LOB) … after 6 innings
of scoreless relief work by Kelley, Grace, Madson, Doolittle, and Solis,
Brandon Kintzler completed his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad series by
allowing the winning run to score for the second straight day, after giving up
Bruce’s grand slam in the opener … it’s early, but Washington’s losing streak
now stands at 5, longer than any they had last season, and they’re 3½ games in
back of the first-place Mets
Other – ESPN Sunday Night game with an 8:08 starting time … relatively heavy
traffic getting onto and across the bridge going down, but light traffic on the
way back … did get to the area in time for a leisurely, warm pre-game dinner at
Nando’s … actual crowd was considerably smaller than the number of tickets
sold, on a chilly night made worse by the persistent breeze (we lasted until
the end of regulation)
Friday, April 6, 2018
April 5, 2018 – Mets 8, Nats 2 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 42,477
Duration: 2:57
Weather: 42 degrees, Mildly Cloudy
Wind: 12 MPH Left to Right
Umpires: HP: Doug Eddings. 1B: Marty Foster. 2B: Mark Ripperger. 3B:
Joe West.
Section 131, Row Y, Seats 11-13 – just beyond first base, in the sun
(barely)
Game notes – baseball-wise, the highlight of the day came in the
morning, when the team announced a two-year extension for GM Mike Rizzo … the
Nats continued to have early-game offensive success, as Eaton led off with a
double and scored when New York RF Jay Bruce bobbled Rendon’s single … Mets answered
in the top of the 2nd on a two-out balk by Strasburg with runners on
first and third … Nats regained the lead with a 2-out rally in the 3rd,
when Eaton walked and scored on Rendon’s double … again the Mets came right
back to tie, this time on a long leadoff homer by Yoenis Cespedes … the New
Yorkers took the lead for good an inning later with 2 outs and a man on base,
when Michael Conforto hit a long fly to left that was initially called a
ground-rule double but was ruled to have left the yard after review … the Nats
had their best chance of the day in the bottom of the 6th, but
failed to score after loading the bases on a single and two walks with none out
and the heart of the order up … Turner was ejected after being called out on
strikes to end the inning … the visitors removed any doubt half an inning later
off Brandon Kintzler on a grand slam by Bruce … Eaton left the game after
tweaking his ankle while sliding to score the Nats second run
Other – chilly and breezy day, although being in the sun helped some,
and it was reasonably comfortable by the time the game ended … decided (wisely)
to take Metro, with a comfortable trip down but a crowded trip back (packed in
like sardines on the Green Line segment, and had to stand most of the way back
to Shady Grove) … Nats raised prices on hot dogs and pizza, and the old stands
where we could get soft pretzels and pretzel bites have been replaced by carts
where a pretzel “braid” with dip is a hefty $8.00
Richard Thompson w/ Joan Shelley – The Birchmere, 4/4/2018
Table 216 – 8-person table parallel to the stage, house left section,
about 1/3 of the way back. I was the first one at the table, so I claimed the
seat closest to the aisle facing the stage. Not super close, but a nice view.
Recipe for a great, sold-out, 110-minute Richard Thompson show:
Old
favorites – Beeswing, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Wall Of Death, Dimming Of
The Day, etc.
Stuff
I’d never seen him perform before – Gethsemane (which opened the show), Crazy
Man Michael, Push And Shove, They Tore The Hippodrome Down, Right From Wrong
(from his upcoming album)
Audience
participation – Hots For The Smarts, Tear-Stained Letter (first encore)
Great
guitar workouts – most notably on Valerie and Shoot Out The Lights
At
least one REALLY old song – Matty Groves
Traffic was good in both directions. I arrived shortly after 4:00, and
the line already extended most of the way back along the building.
Joan Shelley and Martin Salsburg (both on guitar) did a quiet but
effective 30-minute opening set; I liked both her voice and her material. Something
like Carrie Newcomer in her more contemplative moments, or even the Milk Carton
Kids (if one of the latter was a woman, who did almost all of the vocals).
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
March 27, 2018 – Phillies 5, Pirates 5 – Clearwater FL
Attendance: 7,958
Game Time: 2:55
Weather: 79 degrees, sunny
Wind: 16 mph, R to L
Umpires: Home Plate – Vic Carapazza, First Base – Mark Wegner, Second
Base – James Hoye, Third Base – Javerro January
Seventh-inning stretch song: Bird Dance – The Emeralds
Section 112, Row 13, Seat 9 – just to the left of home plate, and only
two seats away from the aisle. Did need the sunscreen and cap for the first
three innings or so, at which point we got shade.
The Phanatic’s final appearance of Spring Training 2018 came at the end
of the 7th inning, performing atop the home dugout to the strains of
Donna Summer’s “Last Dance”. Quite appropriate.
The action during the game itself was sporadic. The Bucs scored 4 in
the top of the first inning off Jake Arrieta, with the big blow being a 3-run
homer to left by Josh Bell. Philadelphia’s offense couldn’t do much against
Jameson Taillon in his 3 innings of work, or Pittsburgh closer Felipe Rivero in
the fourth, but battered Chad Kuhl in the fifth to tie things up, as Altherr
led off with a home run and Zack Coppola got a two-out, two-run single to
finish things off.
With both lineups consisting mainly of players borrowed from the minor
league camps, things remained quiet until the bottom of the 8th,
when Coppola led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a single by Simon
Muzziotti. The win was not to be, however, as Adrian Valerio hit a
no-doubt-about-it shot to left off Edgar Garcia in the top of the 9th
to produce the final tie.
Monday, March 26, 2018
March 26, 2018 – Phillies 6, Pirates 3 – Bradenton FL
Attendance: 6,529
Game Time: 3:11
Weather: 79 degrees, partly cloudy
Wind: 10 mph, In from CF
Umpires: Home Plate – Alex Zeigler, First Base – Sean Barber, Second
Base – Javerro January, Third Base – James Hoye
Seventh-inning stretch song: Black Betty – Ram Jam
Section IBX3, Row 22, Seat 12 – same section (infield box) as on
Thursday, but the very top row this time. This was the breeziest and hottest
day so far, so being in the shade again was a definite plus.
The traffic down to Bradenton was pretty smooth, and I think I finally
figured out how to exit reasonably quickly: park in a $5 lot on the right side
of 9th St W (and before 13th Ave W) coming in, head west
on 13th a couple blocks to 14th St W, turn right there
and head north to 6th Ave W (route 64), turn right there, and then
left once you get back to 9th St W.
I tried the “First Mate Sandwich” from Duck Deli, which was a
prepackaged 6” hoagie roll well-stuffed with roast beef, lettuce, tomato, and
cheddar. The $10 price would have been a little steep just for the sandwich,
but fortunately it came with a bag of chips that served as my mid-game snack.
The game resembled both the Thursday matchup in Bradenton (Phils jumped
out to a big lead in the early innings) and Sunday’s home game with the O’s,
where things started going off the rails later. Fortunately they hung on to win
this one.
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the first when J. P. Crawford drew a
walk to lead off the game, stole second, and scored on a Nick Williams single.
They added two more in the second, both of which scored on a two-out infield
single by Crawford, and finished their scoring for the day with 3 in the third,
on a leadoff homer by newly-minted millionaire Scott Kingery, a bunt single by
Pedro Florimon, and another HR by Andrew Knapp. Kingery got 3 more ABs, beating
out an infield single in the 4th, doubling in the 7th,
and drawing a walk in the 9th.
Vince Velasquez got through his 4 innings of work, giving up 3 hits and
one walk, and Victor Arano kept the shutout going in the 5th.
Edubray Ramos came in with one out in the 6th and left after facing
3 batters in the 7th. He allowed 3 runs to cross the plate on his
watch, the first of which came on a two-out steal of home when he tossed the
ball several feet over the catcher’s head. Lefty Jeff Singer (from Holy Cross
HS in Delran NJ) came in to put out the fire, retiring all 6 batters he faced
in the 7th and 8th.
March 25, 2018 – Orioles 6, Phillies 5 – Clearwater FL
Attendance: 8,538 (sellout)
Game Time: 2:38
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy
Wind: 10 mph, Out to LF
Umpires: Home Plate – Brian Peterson, First Base – Phil Cuzzi, Second
Base – James Hoye, Third Base – Clay Park
Seventh-inning stretch song: YMCA – The Village People
Section 108, Row 15, Seat 3 -- About 10 feet down the 1st
base line. Not actually close to the aisle, as there’s not one between 108 and
109. Unlike Bradenton and Lakeland, Spectrum (formerly Brighthouse) Field is
basically one-level, with all of the non-suite seats below the concourse. Still
wound up in the shade, however, which was handy on a warmish afternoon.
Despite recent improvements to some of the older Gulf Coast stadiums,
Spectrum Field in Clearwater remains the place to beat. That would be the case
even if it were not for the Phillie Phanatic, who was in top-notch form Sunday.
2016’s “grouper bites” have been replaced by “grouper nuggets”, but the latter
(four good-sized chunks) are still great, if not quite as suitable for others
to sample. You can also get a variety of local craft brews for a mere $6.00.
The game itself moved quickly through the first 7 innings, as there was
relatively little offense on either side. (There was actually more action away
from the field, as the team announced the signing of Scott Kingery to a
long-term, $24M contract.) Baltimore Rule 5 draft pick Nestor Cortes Jr. kept
the Phils pretty well in check for his 3 innings. Rhys Hoskins hit one out to
start the second, and they threatened in the third when Roman Quinn led off
with a single and got as far as 3B with one out (stole second, got to third on
a ball that got a few feet away from the catcher), but they weren’t able to get
him in. They were completely helpless during the next 3 innings against Miguel
Castro, who fanned 6 while allowing just one man to reach base. The offense
finally got untracked after the stretch, when Altherr and Franco started the
inning with a single and homer, respectively.
Phillies starter Nick Pivetta was impressive in his 3 innings of work,
giving up just 2 hits and walking none while striking out 5. Ben Lively pitched
the next 4, giving up 2 runs in the top of the fifth.
With the Phils leading 3-2 after 7, things got weird, with almost all
of the regulars on both sides out of the game, and a lot of their replacements
wearing uniforms with no names and numbers in the 90s. Kapler made 3 mid-inning
pitching changes in the eighth, apparently in an effort to see both Hoby Milner
and Zac Curtis in action as they battle for a spot in the bullpen. Milner came
in with no outs and runners on first and third and promptly yielded singles to
Baltimore minor-leaguers Jaycob Brugman and Jake Ring. After Pedro Beato got
the first out, Curtis came in and got off to a great start by fanning Pedro
Alvarez. He followed that success by walking Jomar Reyes to force in one run,
and then uncorking a wild pitch to let in another. He did retire Chance Sisco
to finally retire the side, as the visitors took a 5-3 lead. Each team scored a
single run in the remaining 3 half-innings to account for the final score, with
RBI going to Simon Muzziotti, Brugman, and Malquin Canelo. Most of the fans
remained until the end, exiting the park to the strains of “Sweet Caroline”.
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