Sunday, 24 June 2007 09:02 pm
I politely refrain from shouting, "GO NATS!"
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deckardcanineI attended my first Nationals game last night. My previous baseball-going experience consists of numerous Orioles games between elementary and high school, plus a couple of Bowie Baysox games since. My dad is the main baseball fan in the family. I’m a relatively neutral spectator, but I was basically rooting for the Nats – not so much out of local loyalty as out of contempt for the Cleveland Indians’ name and mascot. (Yes, I would root against the Redskins if I cared about football.)
The Nats lost, but the most important thing to me is that it got exciting. At the start of the ninth inning, they were winning 3-1. Then the Indians got a three-run homer (good thing I wasn’t too tired for another half-inning). When the Nats’ Brandon Watson came to bat, many cheered for his .444 average… and he promptly knocked the ball a short distance, mostly vertically, into a glove. Up next was Nook (pronounced “Nuke”) Logan, whose .202 was unpromising, but he got fans roaring his first name after a double. Soon the bases were loaded. Then a double play, care of Nook overrunning third base when it was too late. What a shame that his prestige came and went so quickly.
What made my stadium experience different from the past, aside from the slightly better mascots, was the mixed crowd allegiance. From where we were sitting, it sounded like equal numbers of Nat and Indian fans. This is not altogether surprising, given (1) the proportion of Washington area residents from elsewhere and (2) the newness of the team.
For a nearly neutral fan like me, it’s fairly pleasant to hear cheers no matter which team gains an advantage. And the cheers always overrode the groans.
The Nats lost, but the most important thing to me is that it got exciting. At the start of the ninth inning, they were winning 3-1. Then the Indians got a three-run homer (good thing I wasn’t too tired for another half-inning). When the Nats’ Brandon Watson came to bat, many cheered for his .444 average… and he promptly knocked the ball a short distance, mostly vertically, into a glove. Up next was Nook (pronounced “Nuke”) Logan, whose .202 was unpromising, but he got fans roaring his first name after a double. Soon the bases were loaded. Then a double play, care of Nook overrunning third base when it was too late. What a shame that his prestige came and went so quickly.
What made my stadium experience different from the past, aside from the slightly better mascots, was the mixed crowd allegiance. From where we were sitting, it sounded like equal numbers of Nat and Indian fans. This is not altogether surprising, given (1) the proportion of Washington area residents from elsewhere and (2) the newness of the team.
For a nearly neutral fan like me, it’s fairly pleasant to hear cheers no matter which team gains an advantage. And the cheers always overrode the groans.