May 3, 2018 – Nats 3, Pirates 1 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/nationals-beat-pirates-winning-streak-at-5/c-275080316

 

Attendance: 30,434

Duration: 2:42

Weather: 87 degrees, Clear

Wind: 12 MPH Right to Left

Umpires: HP: Chad Fairchild. 1B: Bruce Dreckman. 2B: Mike Estabrook. 3B: Eric Cooper.

 

Section 220, Row D, Seats 11-12 – club level was a good choice this afternoon, as we were out of the sun on an unseasonably hot day, and were able to spend a couple innings in the air-conditioned lounge behind the seating area

 

Game notes – after scoring 12 and 9 runs the previous 2 games, Nats eked out the win despite getting only 4 hits …  continuing the season-long avoidance of having Hellickson face opposing batters more than twice, Dave lifted him with 2 out and 1 on in the 6^th, with the game scoreless, after only 61 pitches … Washington scored its only runs of the game in the bottom of the frame (Difo single, homers by Turner and Zimmerman), giving Solis the win after he relieved Hellickson and retired Gregory Polanco on one pitch … after Madson got into a bases-loaded one-out jam in the 8^th (an error on a double-play ball didn’t help), Doolittle was summoned to get the final 5 outs

Trump is where the end begins

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-where-the-end-begins/2018/04/30/ef6ea24a-4cb0-11e8-84a0-458a1aa9ac0a_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bdac326ed97f

 

A perceptive column by Richard Cohen, helping to explain Trump’s appeal:

 

“For all his wealth, Trump is a bundle of insecurities and resentments. In that way, he validates similar feelings in others. If they loathe the establishment, so does he. If they loathe foreign aid, so does he. If they misunderstand trade agreements, so does he. If they fret over an America that is less white and more tolerant of homosexuality and immigrants, then so does he. If they recoil from a news media that talks the PC language they abhor, so does he. They are him. He is them.”

April 29, 2018 – Nats 3, Diamondbacks 1 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/gio-gonzalez-nationals-beat-d-backs-in-finale/c-274428154

 

Attendance: 30,285

Duration: 2:49

Weather: 54 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 18 MPH Left to Right

Umpires: HP: Bill Welke. 1B: Mike Everitt. 2B: Tony Randazzo. 3B: Nic Lentz.

 

We finally see the Nats win one!

 

Game notes – Arizona starter Robbie Ray had to exit in the second inning with what turned out to be a right oblique injury … Wieters homered off T.J. McFarland, who replaced Ray during his at-bat … with two outs in the inning the Nats loaded the bases on two walks surrounding Gio’s single, and plated another run when McFarland booted Zim’s chopper … Taylor homered in the 3^rd to give the Nats what turned out to be their final run of the game … Gio allowed some baserunners but kept the visitors off the scoreboard thru 6 innings … with his pitch count in the mid-90s but the bullpen heavily taxed, Davey allowed him to hit for himself and pitch the 7^th, during which he allowed one run on a sac fly … Kintzler and Doolittle shut out Arizona over the final 2 frames to nail down the much-needed victory

 

Other – weather still windy and somewhat chilly, but much better than our two previous Sunday games … despite multiple promotions (Youth Baseball/Softball Day, kids fidget spinner giveaway, Pups in the Park), the number of occupied seats appeared to be significantly below the paid attendance … traffic down was wonderful, and not too bad coming back either … our first Signature Sunday of the season featured Trevor Gott and Andrew Stevenson

Janis Ian – The Birchmere, 4/28/2018

Table 216 – 8-person table parallel to the stage, house left section, about 1/3 of the way back.

 

When we saw the James Hunter Six at Pearl Street Warehouse earlier this year, I remember thinking that venue might not be ideal for relatively quiet, acoustic acts. Janis Ian would not be an ideal performer to work there, although at the Birchmere you could have heard a pin drop during her quieter material (which was much of the 95-minute show, starting with a leisurely version of her classic “Jesse”). The show worked well, however, as she mixed in a fair amount of audience banter and some more uptempo material, including “The Tiny Mouse”, “Married In London”, and “My Autobiography.” She did the latter with some clever modifications to the original lyrics; it would never have occurred to me that “Donald Trump” and “Forrest Gump” rhyme nicely. My favorite was a tribute she did to Ella Fitzgerald near the end of her first set, complete with a great guitar solo in the middle. She did get to “At Seventeen” (although not “Society’s Child”), and borrowed from Livingston Taylor the idea of doing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” as an encore. (Great song, but maybe not the best choice for an audience singalong.)

#185 Shakedown Street – Grateful Dead (1978)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lCMUkqpI7o

 

Although I’ve never been a Deadhead, I’ve always liked a number of the band’s songs (“Truckin’”, “Uncle John’s Band”, “Hell In A Bucket”, among others). For me, “Shakedown Street” is to the Dead what “Nighttime In The Switching Yard” is to Warren Zevon: probably not their greatest work from an artistic standpoint, but with hooks and a beat that refuse to leave your brain. (Not that you would want them to.)

#184 Rock With You – Michael Jackson (1979)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-Mrc2l1d0

 

The one where Michael absolutely nails one of the best songs by the late, great Rod Temperton. The Off The Wall album produced three other great singles; while it lacks the record sales and cultural significance of Thriller, it represents a Jackson who has reached a high level of musical maturity, before starting to show signs of the naked ambition that led to his “King of Pop” self-anointment and ultimately contributed to his downfall.

#183 Ask The Lonely – The Four Tops (1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-P95D-7HIk

 

In its mid-60s heyday, Motown Records was almost as famous for its songwriters (Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield / Barrett Strong, Holland-Dozier-Holland) as for its groups and solo performers. This record, one of the best ballads of its time, was written by William “Mickey” Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. Although not nearly as well-known as these big names, the two of them did collaborate on a number of other Motown tracks, such as “Wild One”, “My Baby Loves Me”, “You’ve Been In Love Too Long”, and “Dancing In The Street” – all by Martha and the Vandellas – in addition to quite a bit of production work. Stevenson also showed his versatility by co-writing “Devil with a Blue Dress On” with Shorty Long; Long’s original version on Motown disappeared without a trace, but it became a big hit for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and still remains a staple of Bruce Springsteen’s live “Detroit Medley”.

#182 I'll Walk Away – James Hunter (2006)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQd8M5t4Ao

 

I’ve sung the praises of James Hunter and his band many times, so I won’t repeat myself here. This ballad, with a wonderfully understated accompaniment, tells the tale of a man who pledges to make a graceful exit when (not if) his lady finally has had enough of him. It’s the best track on his People Gonna Talk album, which is saying a lot. (He actually released an earlier version of the song on Believe What I Say about a decade earlier, but the later arrangement is considerably better.)

#181 Since I Fell for You – Lenny Welch (1963)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7xrQY_FLM4

 

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.

April 15, 2018 – Rockies 6, Nats 5 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/nationals-miss-chances-in-loss-to-rockies/c-272336004

 

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 1^st, Wieters in the 6^th) … with the bases loaded via walks and 2 out in the bottom of the 5^th, 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 8^th, after Wieters inexplicably (and unsuccessfully) attempted to steal second, Taylor doubled with 2 outs, easily stole 3^rd, 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 8^th (LeMahieu off Kelley) and 9^th (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 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th … good traffic both ways, as we successfully navigated a new path from the GW Parkway to the 14^th Street Bridge