Showing posts with label Davey Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Davey Johnson. Show all posts

Thursday, May 3, 2012

WaPo's Tom Boswell rejoices in Bryce Harper's success -and normalcy- amidst media hoopla. His enthusiastic old-time attitude, and all that sheer talent, may keep the 19-year old in the majors after all



LucianM55 video: Nineteen-year old Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Bryce Harper plays softball at the Washington Monument on The National Mall on his first day in Washington as part of the 25-man roster. April 30, 2012. http://youtu.be/Tuc7_4HkYsU


ESPN video: E:60 correspondent Rachel Nichols profiles Nevada high school baseball player Bryce Harper, August 12, 2009.  http://youtu.be/zLV8FpFXOMo

WaPo's Tom Boswell rejoices in Bryce Harper's success -and normalcy- amidst media hoopla. His enthusiastic old-time attitude, and all that sheer talent, may keep the 19-year old in the majors after all. 
Better suited to Southeast D.C. than Syracuse!


From 1993-94, I was on the first DNG -Democrats of a New Generation- softball team in the coed Congressional softball league that played its games on The National Mall in the evenings.
DNG was the Under-35 vanguard of the National Democratic Club, back when they had a very nice three-story building of their own on Ivy Street, S.E., just east of the Democratic National Committee's HQ, http://www.democrats.org/ at 430 S. Capitol St. S.E.


Despite all the games we played, though, I only recall us actually playing one game near the Washington Monument, where this video at the top was shot. 
Because of the sloping topography of The Mall as you got closer to the Washington Monument, that often meant that depending upon which field we were on -and I use the term field loosely, because it's all grass- as a center fielder, when I backpedaled I could be going uphill or downhill!
That could produce lots of unexpected drama!



View Larger Map



My favorite field was the area closest to the merry-go-round over near The Smithsonian Castle, though like all games there in between the fabulous museums that I loved, we always had to be aware of all the distracted tourists walking near us/me in the outfield, on the gravel pathways, while the team batting always had to have someone positioned near their gravel pathway to be alert for foul balls going towards unsuspecting people on their side of the 'diamond' to YELL!
Lots and lots of near-misses!!!


(I also helped design the logo we used on our white t-shirts, which I'd love to show you here but won't because I'm afraid it will quickly be stolen and appropriated for others to use if I do, not unlike many photos from the blog that have been used illegally in campaign ads and in Internet advertising the past few years, a matter I will be addressing soon. The design was based on a wonderful button I'd been given by a member of the Beverly Hills Young Democrats in 1978 at the National YD Convention in a hotel on Miami Beach, where I was one of the main Dade County Young Dems working as a staffer to try to keep all the balls in the air and all of our guest happy and safe. The t-shirt design involved a profile of a donkey, included red, white and blue, of course, and even had a field of stars, and was positioned above the left breast. I was, of course,  delighted that everyone who ever saw it immediately loved it and wanted one.)


To quote myself from a previous South Beach Hoosier blog post about the DNG:
Back when Donald Riegel of Michigan was the committee chairman, the Banking Committee's coed softball team nickname was "The Bank Robbers," and Sen. Riegel would actually come to their games on The Mall, not just his own office's softball games. People really DO notice and appreciate little things like that, you know? I know I certainly did whenever I would see them playing and see him checking it out for a bit..
In my opinion, that particular Comm. staff might've been the one with THE best possible combination of the friendliest , smartest and most-attractive women on The Hill, which is only part of why I seemed to have to swing by there a lot when I was on the senate side of the Hill.

I've watched two of the games that Bryce Harper has played in thus far, including his debut last Friday at Dodger Stadium and he is as advertised -a five-tool player with an old-time attitude, right down to wearing his pants up, exposing his sanitary hose, like I prefer to see, instead of hanging past your shoes a la Manny Ramirez, a sloppy look I hate.


Personally, because of my love for the game, I really hope Harper stays up for the whole year, because he is the best antidote I've seen yet to the Hanley Ramirezes of the world, and from a selfish perspective, I'd like to see him play a few times in person both here in Miami when he comes down to play the Marlins, and when I head-up to the Washington area this summer for a visit for a bit with family and friends before heading overseas for a while to get away from the daily heat, humidity and rain.


The Washington Post
Bryce Harper might not be ready for Major League Baseball, but don’t bet on it
By Thomas Boswell
May 1, 2012
You might think a teenager in blue jeans and a ball cap might go unnoticed but, as Harper admitted: “They see the rat tail and the tattoos. I think they can notice that.”
So the Nationals’ already famous rookie, who made his home debut on Tuesday night, going 0 for 3 in a 5-1 loss, was asked to take a few swings in the casual pickup game.
Read the rest of the article at:

Reader comments at:
-----
Archive of Thomas Boswell's columns:

Washington Post video: Mascot hopefuls enter 'presidential race' February 19, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

WaPo's Tom Boswell sounds the Bryce Harper alarm: Davey Johnson will soon write out a lineup card "and, on it, two names appear together for the first time: Strasburg and Harper, too. Ready or not, here he comes." Tonight!



MASNsportscom video: Davey Johnson speaks with the media about Bryce Harper's call up. April 27, 2012. http://youtu.be/DMwTM650Jrk


WaPo's Tom Boswell sounds the Bryce Harper alarm: Davey Johnson will soon write out a lineup card "and, on it, two names appear together for the first time: Strasburg and Harper, too. Ready or not, here he comes." Tonight!
Looks like I'll have to record "Nats Talk" on MASN at 10 a.m. before going out to run some errands before the heavy downpours hit this area later in the afternoon.


The Washington Post
Bryce Harper call-up is leap off the ledge: thrilling and dangerous
By Thomas Boswell
Posted Friday, April 27, 9:34 PM
They’re going to make a movie about this someday — maybe a happy one, maybe not. It’ll be incredibly corny, and you’ll love it. Or you’ll cry, maybe, if the happy ending gets screwed up. But you’ll watch because this is absolutely not the modern way.
What we’ve got now is authentic sports theater. Oh, it’s much, much cooler that Bryce Harper is coming to the big leagues Saturday just the way it has been happening in real baseball for 125 years: with everybody scared to death, worried they’re about to screw up big time, but doing it anyway.
Read the rest of the column at:

Bryce Harper's first Triple-A Home Run

What a beautiful swing!
Get ready to see lots of that.

Meanwhile, over at the MASN website, Dan Kolo at Nationals Pastime reveals what's at stake financially for the ballclub by bringing the 19-year old phenom up from Tripe-A Syracuse to the majors for a game against the Dodgers in LA, to replace third baseman Ryan Zimmerman who's now on the DL... millions and millions of dollars.
And just to remind you again, Strasburg will be pitching Saturday night, too.

See also: Bryce Harper's MLB Promotion All About The Phillies Series
By Kevin Jones

Saturday night's game will be aired on MASN2, DirecTV Channel 641 at 9 p.m.
MLB Network at Channel 213 will also be airing the game, too.
-----