April 12, 2019 – Pirates 6, Nats 3 (10 innings) – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/pirates-vs-nationals/2019/04/12/565900#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565900

 

Weather: 67 degrees, Overcast.

Wind: 8 mph, R To L.

Umpires: HP--Barry, 1B--Lentz, 2B--Danley, 3B--Carlson.

Time: 3:28

Attendance: 27,084

 

Section 419, Row M, Seats 1-2 – top level, next to top row, just beyond 1^st base

 

Patrick Corbin pitched like a champ for the Nats, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk in his 7 innings while fanning 11. He also helped himself with 2 singles at the plate, including a game-tying RBI hit with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2^nd. The ridiculously hot Anthony Rendon homered the next inning to give the home team a 2-1 lead.

 

And then it happened. Again.

 

Tony Sipp replaces Patrick Corbin to start the 8^th.

Erik Gonzalez singles.

Francisco Cervelli flies out.

Adam Frazier singles. (This sends Gonzalez to third, and Frazier reaches second when Eaton misses the cutoff man.)

Kyle Barraclough replaces Tony Sipp.

Starling Marte singles, scoring Gonzalez and Frazier. 3-2 Pirates.

 

Rendon homered (again!) in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, and neither team scored in the 9^th.

 

Matt Grace replaces Sean Doolittle to start the 10^th.

Melky Cabrera doubles.

Adam Frazier is safe at first when Grace makes a bad throw on his sac bunt.

Justin Miller replaces Matt Grace.

Starling Marte grounds out.

Pinch-hitter Colin Moran homers to right-center. 6-3 Pirates.

 

Jayson Stark tweeted the following Saturday afternoon:

Runs allowed by the #Nationals from the 7^th inning on: 35.

Runs allowed by the #Rays in all the innings combined: 33.

 

Enough said.

 

Although the tarp was on when we arrived (early, so we could get our Juan Soto bobbleheads), the game started on time and didn’t require any delays, although there were a few periods of relatively light rain. (We stayed comfortably dry in our overhang-protected seats.)

“Old Town Road” and “Uptown Funk”

https://slate.com/culture/2019/04/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-billboard-country-charts-hot-100.html

 

If you really want to know what’s going on with the controversy over Billboard magazine’s treatment of “Old Town Road”, this is THE deep-dive article to check out. (Warning – it takes a lot longer to read the article than to listen to the song.)

Average White Band – Rams Head on Stage, 4/11/2019

Table 100, Row A, Seat 3 – front row of tables, at the left side of the stage. Somewhat surprisingly, only 3 of the 6 seats were occupied, although it was a large crowd overall.

 

 

Cranky? Irritable? Just generally out of sorts? Just take 90 minutes of AWB. Repeat as often as necessary.

 

Seriously, this show just reinforces my impression from two years ago that this is one of the best live bands around today. Great solos by the entire crew, stunning soul vocals by Brent Carter, great crowd rapport. The audience seemed more diverse than I remember from last time, and had a high energy level throughout. “A Love Of Your Own” continues to be a show-shopper, although there really wasn’t a weak spot in the entire evening. The couple I sat with mentioned that they come to see them every year; I may have to join them in that.

 

Highlights: setlist 

March 31, 2019 – Nats 6, Mets 5 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-nationals/2019/03/31/565897#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565897

 

Weather: 55 degrees, Cloudy.

Wind: 16 mph, In From LF.

Umpires: HP--Torres, 1B--Conroy, 2B--Miller, 3B--Eddings.

Time: 3:15

Attendance: 23,430

 

Section 313, Row E, Seats 18-19 – our new “home away from home” for the season. Directly behind home plate, on the aisle, one row from the top of the section.

 

Although Washington’s bullpen was ineffective for a third straight game, the Nats managed to pull this one out, avoiding a season-opening sweep at the hands of their division rivals. Patrick Corbin kept things under control in his first start for the team, allowing plenty of baserunners and failing to record a single 1-2-3 inning, but giving up only 2 runs in his 6 innings of work. Washington got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the third on a 3-run Trea Turner homer, following a Robles double and an Eaton single. They added a run in the 5^th on a 2-out Rendon RBI single, and one more 2-out run the next inning on Robles’ second double of the game.

 

As was the case Saturday, the Washington bullpen started off well, with Justin Miller retiring the Mets in order in the seventh. Recently-signed LOOGY Tony Sipp allowed singles to both left-handed hitters he faced in the 8^th, while getting out the right-handed J.D. Davis in between. He was replaced by Trevor Rosenthal, who failed to retire any of the four batters he faced the previous day and continued his streak by giving up a single to Amed Rosario on his first (and last) pitch of the afternoon. Normally-reliable closer Sean Doolittle entered and fanned Jeff McNeil for the second out, but former Nat Wilson Ramos and Juan Lagares then notched consecutive hits to tie the game. The score remained tied for the next two half-innings, but Trea hit his second homer of the afternoon with one out in the 9^th for the walk-off win, earning himself a Gatorade shower on a chilly afternoon for his trouble.

 

Leaving Rockville at 10:00 and getting to the Nationals neighborhood around 10:45 turned out to be not quite early enough to claim parking in our usual area, so we circled back to the Lot-Formerly-Known-As-HH, which wound up costing $15 rather than $10 as in the past. It may have actually been windier than Monday’s exhibition game, but it was sunny and perhaps a bit warmer.

Favorite Musical Artists: Del Amitri

I did a rather lengthy write-up of this wonderful, if relatively little-known, Scottish band previously, so I won’t repeat it here. (They’re also pretty great live.) Going back and listening to some of their material again, I was struck by the endings of several of their songs. “Be My Downfall” keeps the suspense going throughout the song – will he stay or will he go? “Always The Last To Know” contains a surprise twist at the end, while “Nothing Ever Happens” features, almost as a throwaway, an ominous pair of lines that not only re-color the rest of the song but remain relevant 30 years later. They also have an endearing habit of tossing in British expressions (car park, chat show, matchlight) that are seldom heard on this side of the pond.

 

Favorite songs:

Driving With The Brakes On 

Always The Last To Know

Be My Downfall

Roll To Me

In The Frame
 

Some Other Sucker's Parade

Nothing Ever Happens

Before The Evening Steals The Afternoon

Kiss This Thing Goodbye

Not Where It's At
 

Spit In The Rain

Sleep Instead Of Teardrops

Move Away Jimmy Blue

When You Were Young

Just Before You Leave
 

The First Rule Of Love

Out Falls The Past

Hatful Of Rain

In The Meantime

Long Journey Home

Democrats’ policy plans would probably mean tax hikes for the middle class

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/03/28/democrats-policy-proposals-likely-require-tax-hikes-middle-class/?utm_term=.63460e24695d

 

Check out the Jeffrey Sachs comments. Only a matter of time before “Democrats think higher taxes make you happier” shows up in Republican campaign ads …

Not a Russian agent, just a Russian stooge

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-may-not-be-a-russian-agent-hes-just-a-russian-stooge/2019/03/28/a9c2a2f4-5183-11e9-88a1-ed346f0ec94f_story.html?utm_term=.83b88af7e149

 

Columnist Michael Gerson on Trump: “Perhaps behind the compulsive, simplistic, narcissistic exterior, there is a compulsive, simplistic, narcissistic interior.”

Ranking Roger

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/ranking-roger-english-beat-general-public-dies-dead-1203173371/

 

Born Roger Charlery, he was a vocalist and toaster for two of the leading “two-tone” bands of the late 1970s and early 80s (The English Beat and General Public), which came up with two of my all-time favorite songs (“I Confess” and “Tenderness”, respectively).

March 28, 2019 – Mets 2, Nats 0 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-nationals/2019/03/28/565895#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=565895

 

Weather: 56 degrees, Partly Cloudy.

Wind: 3 mph, R to L.

Umpires: HP--Miller, 1B--Eddings, 2B--Torres, 3B--Conroy.

Time: 2:44

Attendance: 42,263

 

Section 112, Row TT, Seats 14-15 – lower level, somewhat beyond 3B, near the top of the section.

 

Although Scherzer was dominating for most of his 7.2-inning performance, allowing only 2 hits and fanning 12, the Nationals failed to take advantage of their opportunities against Jacob deGrom, and managed only one baserunner in the final 3 innings against the New York bullpen. 2018 Cy Young winner deGrom and runner-up Scherzer did make some history by becoming only the second pair of opposing pitchers to each notch double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day.

 

In a game where every run was likely to be precious, Max fanned the first two Mets he faced, but missed his spot on a changeup to Robinson Cano, who knocked it into the seats in left-center. Over the next 6 innings, however, he allowed only 3 more baserunners, none of whom got as far as second base. With the Nats still trailing by a run, Martinez raised some eyebrows by allowing him to hit for himself with two out and none on in the bottom of the seventh, his pitch count into the 90s. In the top of the 8^th, he sandwiched a walk to Dominic Smith between two more Ks, which proved costly when Justin Miller and Matt Grace allowed consecutive singles to Pete Alonso and Cano, respectively, to score what proved to be the final run of the afternoon.

 

The Nats had some bad luck in the bottom of the first, when Zimmerman lined a shot right at the third baseman with 2 on and 2 out. Two innings later, they had their best scoring chance of the afternoon when Victor Robles led off with a double and went to third on a single by Eaton. Turner, who had singled and stolen second two innings earlier, fanned on a high fastball. Rendon hit a relatively slow grounder to third, but Robles was indecisive on the basepaths, getting caught between third and home to retire the side after the Mets got the force at second.

 

Washington’s final chance came in the bottom of the 6^th. Turner got his second single of the game and reached third via two steals with one out, but Soto fanned and Zim flied out to right.

 

Our Metro trips were uneventful, albeit packed, in both directions. Armed with coupons, we descended upon the nearby Subway, which proved prescient given the lengthy and slow-moving concession lines inside the park.

Scott Walker

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/experimental-singer-songwriter-scott-walker-dies-at-76-812694/

 

I can’t say I know anything about Scott Walker’s days as an “experimental” musician, who was apparently a major influence on Radiohead and presumably others. I do remember him as the lead singer of the Walker Brothers, who were neither related nor born with the surname Walker. As Wikipedia notes, “they provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion by achieving much more success in the United Kingdom than in their home country, a period when the popularity of British bands such as The Beatles dominated the U.S. charts.” Nevertheless, the managed to release three singles (“Make It Easy On Yourself”, “My Ship Is Coming In”, and “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)”) that rivaled the best blue-eyed soul that the Righteous Brothers (or anyone else) could come up with.