Zimmerman Walks Off With Win in Nationals Park Debut

[SmootSmack]

What a great way to start the 2008 season in a brand new park. 2 outs bottom of the ninth Zimmerman sends one over the CF wall for the 3-2 win!!

[Campbell17]

You're kidding... a Smootsmack baseball thread not mentioning the Brewers? I'm just kidding, the Nationals looked good and the stadium is beautiful, nice to see a win to start them off there. On a different note, are they knocking RFK down? Nobody is playing there now that the Nats are at Natonals Park and DC United moved to Popular Point.

[riggins44]

I might have to get up and watch a game this year. It has been years since attended a baseball game.

As a kid we went a lot to watch local single A team, the Peninsula Grays.
Will always remember watching a phenom named Johnny Bench.

[BDBohnzie]

Originally Posted by Campbell17

On a different note, are they knocking RFK down? Nobody is playing there now that the Nats are at Natonals Park and DC United moved to Popular Point.

DC United hasn't quite moved to Poplar Point just yet...they are talking 2010 at the earliest now, and since talks between MLS and the city have stalled, it might be longer...unless the District is looking to build another facility at a record pace...but, after United move to Poplar Point, RFK will be torn down, so the city can then spend even more taxpayer money building Snyder his new stadium (strictly rumor of course).

Speaking of Zim and his blast, I had the game on while perusing for holes in my eyelids...with my eyes closed and my wife reading, as soon as I heard the crack of the bat, I told her (with my eyes closed) "Home Run, Game Over".

It was nice to see the new ballpark on TV...but I doubt I'll be making my way down there until they either provide more parking around the stadium. Metro is a crapshoot, and with shuttles running from RFK, that's a further drive than the stadium from where I live. Besides, I can trek to Baltimore and be in a seat at Camden Yards within a hour to see a crappy ball team play, or I can drive 2 minutes to watch future MLBers play right here in Frederick.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

I was there and I have to say it was probably the coolest sports moment that I've ever expirenced in person.
My dad and I moved down to the lower level just before the 8th inning and grabbed some seats right in front of the most annoying braves fan anyone could encounter. When they tied up the score in the 9th, by stealing home no less, this guy nearly lost it. He was acting as if they won the freaking World Series or something. He also kept saying how we'd have to live with the fact that Chipper Jones hit the first dinger in the park's history; which is annoying, but a home run in a losing effort doesn't really mean all that much. When Zimm crushed that ball right to the same spot that Chipper hit his we all lost it. I was yelling so much I think I tasted blood!

All in all it was a great day (except for the frostbite). My buddy has a website dedicated to "greazy" food and I told him I'd write up a blog entry about the new digs, so I'll post a link when I get that done. You can all laugh at me stuffing my face with a Ben's Chili Bowl Original Half Smoke Chili Dog.

[GMScud]

That was so cool. Face of the franchise hits a walk off in the very first game. I'm more of an O's fan than a Nats fan, but I was still jumping around my basement like an idiot.

[hooskins]

Nats won again in good fashion.

[Campbell17]

How far is the stadium from RFK? Why the hell do the skins have to play in landover, getting there requires you driving, too far to cab and no subways.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Campbell17

How far is the stadium from RFK? Why the hell do the skins have to play in landover, getting there requires you driving, too far to cab and no subways.

It's about 3 miles from RFK. We took the shuttle and it was really easy, but I bet that won't last long.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Here are a couple of pictures from last night

Here's me going into the stadium about 5 hours before the first pitch (that might not have been the best idea)

Me stuffing my face with a Chili dog from Ben's Chili Bowl




The scoreboard looked like a HUGE HDTV

Zimmerman rounding 3rd after the walk-off

They had something similar to this at RFK

[Campbell17]

Beautiful ball park. Where'd you sit at the game. I hate the Nats because they beat my Phils today.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Here was the view from our seats (321, just past the dirt on the right field line)

We had a pretty nice view of everything but our seats were really exposed to the wind and it was F'ing cold.

[Campbell17]

Nice seats, Nats looked good against the Phils; but we always suck in April.

[SmootSmack]

We're 3-0 now. Combined one-hitter for the 1-0 win