All Hail Harper!

Ever since reading the June 8, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated (I know the date because it has become one of my prized possessions after I sent it to him for an autograph while he was still in high school and he obliged), I have been on the HarperMania bandwagon. How could you not be? Sure he can be a little flashy, like when he blew a kiss to the opposing pitcher after sending one to Saturn. Think about when you were 19 years old and now place yourself in his position, wouldn't you be just a little flashy? I know I would be. He will grow up when he reaches the big leagues, and he will reach the big leagues. Before this becomes a living let the kids have some fun and do stupid things, so long as stupid doesn't harm individuals or end up with jail time.

There has never been this kind of hype surrounding a position player in the history of the game. Social media and the competition in the sports media market is mostly responsible for this. After all, ESPN, SI, The Sporting News, and everything between, not to mention the one billion bloggers are all looking for the next big thing to increase readership and followers. Twitter and Facebook have accounts and pages dedicated to Harper and the mania he has created with his ability to send baseballs to Duluth with a flick of his wrists. So far, in his first professional season, he has not disappointed.

Harper started out the year at Hagerstown and quickly impressed scouts. He managed to hit .318 with 17 doubles, 14 homers, 46 RBI, 19 steals, and a .423 on-base percentage in 72. Scouts said he started to look bored and the Nationals braintrust agreed, promoting him to AA Harrisburg, a significant jump from Low-A ball. In his first three games at Harrisburg, Harper has hit .500 (5 for 10) with 2 RBI, 1 steal, and 1 walk. He has not struck out yet so clearly he doesn't think he is overmatched. Granted, that strikeout will come but it is evident AA is going to have to adjust to him rather than him adjusting to AA at this point.

So, what's next for the next Baseball King? I doubt Washington will rush him just for the sake of putting fans in the seats. That would most likely hinder Harper's development. However, if he shows he can handle AA pitching with the ease he handled A pitching a trip to AAA might be in order. The Nationals could keep him in AA this year and possibly promote him to AAA next year if he shows progress in Spring Training. Or, the Nats could promote him to AAA this year and put him on the Big League roster next season with a strong Spring. Unlike Stephen Strasburg (who should be back by the end of the year or will start fresh next season giving the Nats their needed ace), the Nats don't really have to protect anything on Harper's body except his mind. They don't want to hurt his confidence by promoting him just for the sake of selling tickets and risking stunting his development. They also don't want to keep him at minor league stops unnecessarily because he might get bored and let his mind wander like it appeared to do at Low A. Whatever the Nationals decide to do they know they have a gem and someone who will bring excitement and anticipation like Strasburg did last year. Soon, baseball will be very relevant in Washington, D.C. when Strasburg Jordan Zimmerman, and John Lannan are joined in the rotation by Brad Peacock who is lighting up AA right now. The lineup will be extremely formidable with Ryan Zimmerman, who is still only 26, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Tyler Moore, Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, and a host of others. The Nationals are going to be making it a 3-way race in the NL East like it is in the AL East right now. Bryce Harper is going to be a huge factor behind that.

Washington, D.C. Trip/Nationals Game

For those of us in the New York metro area, going to a baseball game can be extremely expensive and, if you have a family, almost a wallet busting adventure. However, only a short train ride away lies the Washington Nationals in our nation's capital. You can get amazing seats for a fraction of what it would cost to sit in those same seats in Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. My wife and I and her parents travelled down to D.C. and got seats behind the home dugout for $74 a pop. Those same seats can run from $375-1,000 for Yankee Stadium. That is just insane for a baseball game. So, for $74 we settled into our seats and watched the Nationals take on the Padres. This was my second time I have attended a Nationals game, having watched the Nationals beat the Orioles last year on May 22nd where we sat one section over to the left, closer to home plate.

Aside from the inexpensive tickets, Nationals Park is a clean, fan-friendly environment. They have several mascots, "Screech" is the main mascot but there are four others that greet fans as they enter the park. Those four are Teddy, Tom, Abe, and George. Of course they are named after the four most famous Presidents in history, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. With cartoonishly big heads, they interact with fans, pose for pictures, and all. My wife showed up wearing a Yankee jersey and hat and for the second year in a row Teddy gave her a hard time. He was much more cordial to me because I was wearing a Nationals t-shirt. Sometimes, you gotta make a sacrifice and, after the Yankees of course, I root for the Nationals, mostly because they have zero chance of winning but there is a bright future there with Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.

Once inside the stadium, the fans have plenty to do. There was a live band in right field belting out some decent renditions of some classic rock songs. There is a play area for kids. There was also a booth set up to encourage fans to vote for the All-Star game. If a fan filled out 10 ballots they would be entered into a drawing to win autographed Nats memorabilia. If you filled out 100 you automatically won a Pudge Rodriguez bobblehead. Just across the street from the stadium there is an area for fans to gather before and after the game to have a few brews. I didn't get in there but after the game it was bumpin' with music blaring and people hanging around not wanting to go home. There are plenty of places to grab some food, mostly your standard ballpark food. Most ballpark food, however, is not conducive to those who are gluten intolerant, or suffer from siliac (spelling?) disease. For them, going to a ballpark can be torture. However, Nationals Park has a gluten free stand that includes gluten free beer and hot dogs among several other choices.

When we went it happened to be freezer mug giveaway night sponsored by Miller Lite. The mugs are pretty nice, and I will be using them this summer to down a frosty beverage or two. There was also a stand run by Chevrolet that gave those who filled out a card a chance to win a Camaro. I filled one out and walked away with a free t-shirt. It has a small Chevy symbol on the left sleeve but for a giveaway it was actually pretty nice.

As for the baseball, it was actually pretty good. We witnessed a gem tossed by John Lannan who carried a no-hitter into the 5th and left with two outs in the 8th after allowing two consecutive singles. Manager Jim Riggleman brought in his closer, Drew Storen who got the final out. Offensively for the Nats, Danny Espinosa's solo home run was all the offense for the game until the 9th inning. In the 9th, Jason Bartlett hit his first homer of the year off the first pitch of the 9th inning off of Drew Storen. Storen settled down and retired the next three men but the game was tied and seemed destined to go into extra-innings. However, Michael Morse, the Nats first baseman hit the first pitch he was off of Padres reliever Mike Adams into the right field bullpen and the Nats were walk-off winners. During his post-game interview, Morse was treated to the customary pie in the face and was also given a Gatorade bath.

Overall, Nationals Ballpark is one of my favorite destinations. How can you beat walking around our nation's capital, going into all of the landmarks and visiting all of the memorials which are all free and going to a Nationals game to cap off your day? We stayed in D.C. from Thursday until Sunday evening. Train fare wasn't bad, we got $49 each way on a deal through Amtrak which they do every so often. So, for $172 we got transportation and a great seat. Oh, and add in a couple of bucks for the Metro Ride which is D.C.'s subway system. Beers cost me $8-8.50 a pop which is still cheaper than Yankee Stadium and hot dogs were, I think, $5 but were huge. Still an all around cheaper experience than one game in those same seats at Yankee Stadium. Plus, you never know who you might run into at a Nats game. You could be sitting next to a retired general, as we were, or a Congressman or Senator. You just never know. Oh, and another great thing about the Nats is they give you a small program/scorecard as you enter which they don't do at Yankee Stadium. I saw a bunch of people around me keeping score, something I rarely see anymore. So, even if you are just going down for the day, check out some of the landmarks and then head to a Nats game. You'll have a blast, but don't forget your camera!