Happy Fourth of July!! How are you celebrating today? Me, I’m going to the baseball game. Baseball, hot dogs, beer, and good company – that’s a perfect Independence Day.
Ordinarily a Nationals Game wouldn’t be Tourist Tuesday worthy because it’s a pretty normal thing to do. But last week, Ryan, Ryan and I got to watch batting practice behind the dugout and I just had to share photos. I brought my nice camera, with the telephoto lens, and I went crazy taking photos. It was seriously too exciting.
My favorite player is Jayson Werth, but since he’s injured I knew I wasn’t going to get to see him. Still, I wore, my new Werth jersey to the game anyway.
However, my favorite hitter is Daniel Murphy (above) and so I was thrilled to see him. Almost everyone who knows me, knows that I talk about Daniel Murphy’s batting stance all the time. I’m so impressed with his stillness. He holds the deepest squat and then barely moves when he’s at bat. It’s incredible; and with an over .300 batting average it’s effective too.
As a result, of this deep squat, I call him power thighs. You have to have strong legs for all that! The name is slightly catching on as I’ve gotten our trivia team to be called Daniel “Power Thighs” Murphy. And while, I’m gushing about him, when we got to our seats the girls in front of us were wearing these really cute Daniel Murphy tank tops
Very different in batting stance, but still a beloved player, is Ryan Zimmerman. His batting stance has lots of moving parts, including the leg kick, which I was able to capture in the photo above.
I loved this experience watching batting practice. It was so cool seeing my favorite players up close – working hard, and messing around a little bit too. We saw the pitchers in the outfield chatting, and occasionally getting a fly ball. And we saw Adam Lind swaying to the music as he waited for his turn.
Part of the enjoyment for me, was that it looked like the players were having a good time. Look at Anthony Rendon, above, he’s always smiling and I caught it! And while we’re talking about Rendon, when you’re done reading this post, how about go vote for him so he can make his first appearance at the All Star Game? Great, thanks.
Also, another big smiler and overall happy looking guy is Dusty Baker. He looks like he just loves life. As you can see from the photos, Ryan, Ryan, and I were in the stands. But there were some people on the field. Those people got to meet the players and some even got a Dusty Baker hug. I want a Dusty Baker hug!
We also saw Mike Rizzo, general manager, and a few of the television commentators. That was pretty exciting. However, I’d been hoping to see F.P. Santangelo. He is my favorite. I think he’s funny, super passionate about baseball, and I really enjoy his commentary. Maybe next time.
And speaking of next time, the three of us started talking about next year. For next year, how do we become baller enough to get invited onto the field?! That would be truly awesome. If someone knows how, please tell me.
We were getting hot and hungry so we left to get some food. My favorite thing to eat is a pretzel dog from Curly W Pretzel in section 106. I also like a normal hot dog loaded with ketchup, mustard, and relish. But this time we went to Shake Shack because the line was short. Then we went for a beer at the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk. Did you know they have happy hour there until 45 minutes before the game starts?! I didn’t know! But now I do, and now you do too. Select beers are just $5!! That’s a crazy steal for baseball.
In our seats, I enjoyed my beer and I prepped my score book while I snacked on some peanuts. We also got to see a few players who hadn’t been out during batting practice.
We saw pitcher Stephen Strasburg warming up. I took photos using a really fast shutter speed so I was able to get practically a flip book of photos. Let me say – pitching looks really uncomfortable. His body was contorted in such crazy ways! But I guess, it works.
We also saw Bryce Harper. If you’re a Nationals fan, you just have to love Bryce don’t you? He’s so talented, such a showman, and he just loves baseball. Look at this photo above! He’s smiling, like what a joy it is to be playing catch. I think that’s awesome.
And while I’m at it, just one more of Bryce. I love this photo because he’s small in this big expansive green field. He’s shifting to run, and he’s going to cover a lot of ground, and he’s going to catch the ball for an out – and it was awesome. Baseball is awesome.
Part of the reason baseball is awesome is the food. So yes, I’d already had some junk – but I needed dessert. I finished the game off with cotton candy. A classic, slightly messy, treat that makes me feel like a kid. It’s also just amazing. How can sugar be so fluffy? And because I’m me, I somehow stained my jersey with a pink smudge. I was so upset! My new jersey! If you’re messy like me, don’t fret, the cotton candy came out and my jersey is looking fresh.
And then the last photo I’ll share is of the sunset. How beautiful is that?! The game was awesome, from batting practice, to food, to a Nats win. I had a great time! I’m looking forward to another great time for 4th of July. And whatever you’re up to, baseball, barbecue, fireworks, or something else, I hope you have a great Independence Day.
