Sometimes the Cheap Seats are the Best Seats

I can definitely understand why sitting up close during games would be rather enjoyable. I have, after all, splurged a couple times to get seats a couple rows back from the field at Nationals game. And when I go to minor league games I almost always get the closest seats possible.

To be honest, however, I only sit up close at minor league games because they're usually cheap (about the same cost as going to a movie). When it comes to MLB games, however, I simply can't afford to pay for super close seats. The next best seats, in my opinion, are in the infield upper deck.

There are various reasons why I think these are the next best option. For those who are interested in the best viewing opportunity, there's the plain and simple fact that they're the INFIELD upper deck seats helps to show how you're closer (at least horizontally) to most of the action than the seats helps to explain how you're closer seats than somewhere down the baseline or in the outfield on the first level. By sitting up high, you also get a good perspective on how plays develop and a sense of how the defense changes its positioning depending on the batter and game situation.

In ballparks that don't sellout, there's also usually a fair number of empty seats in these sections. As a result, you have more room to stretch out. When you consider that a game usually lasts three hours or so, having this extra space can be nice -- especially if you're carrying a few extra pounds like me.

When you combine the fact that the view is better in many aspects than those in the outfield and down the baselines with the fact that these seats are also cheaper (at least at Nationals Park), I definitely think these are the seats that offer the most bang for the buck.

Gerry Connolly: House GOP Thinks Compromise is a Dirty Word

Gerry Connolly has taken to the floor of the House of Representatives several times in the last few days to go after the GOP for their willingness to see us go into default instead of compromising. This afternoon he continued that theme as he said he's not optimistic Congress will reach an agreement on a debt ceiling bill before the Tuesday deadline and warned that the American people and the world economy should prepare for a U.S. default.

As the deadline approaches, it become clearer and clearer that the extremists have gained control of the House GOP Caucus and that's why compromise doesn't seem too likely. That's why Gerry correctly put the blame for the looming economic disaster squarely at the feet of the House Republicans. “The rigid orthodoxy of the House Majority and their Tea Party masters has created an untenable situation,” he said. “They are more interested in scoring political points than ensuring the stability of the U.S. economy and preserving the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.”

He went on to say that “As the debate on avoiding a destructive default has progressed over the past months, we’ve heard from many House Republicans that compromise is a dirty word. But the voices we should be listening to are those of the American people. What they’ve said has been loud and clear."

Even as I was at the Nationals game last night, several people in our section were talking about how frustrated they were that Republicans were unwilling to compromise. Some folks even went as far as saying that they believed going into default would cost Boehner his speakership and perhaps will end any hopes the GOP had of winning the White House in 2012. Why? Because, as Gerry pointed out this afternoon, it's time for compromise and poll after poll shows how the American people want a balanced approach -- a concept which the House Republicans appear to be unwilling to take.

Gerry Connolly: "Hell no you can't"

Gerry Connolly took to the floor of the House of Representatives and went after the GOP for putting the extremists in their party ahead of the best interests of the American people. He even used Boehner's words against him by saying "hell no you can't" to those Republicans who want to turn "our founding fathers into deadbeat dads."

Virginia Democratic Party Launches Iphone App

Anyone who follows the Virginia blogosphere knows that there’s been some differences between a number of the leading progressive bloggers and the party’s leadership. While there are a number of philosophical issues that have arisen, some folks believe the party is ignoring the netroots and isn’t doing enough to really capture the power of social media. It seems as though at least some folks in the Party are hearing that message because Brian Moran sent out an email today announcing that the Virginia Democratic Party has launched an iphone app and the message focused on how it was viewed as a way to engage the grassroots.

The mission of our organization is to constantly strive to provide the best services and resources possible to our grassroots activists, campaigns, and elected officials. Democrats win when they are educated, trained, and equipped with the right tools. That's what the Virginia Summit was all about, and that's why I'm proud to be unveiling a new tool that will enable us to keep you better informed, and for you to join the conversation by sharing our message with your personal network.

Now this could be a great way to engage folks, but I think it really comes down to how the party decides to use it. If it’s just repeating the same information we get from the emails and press releases they already send out, then the app will be a waste and would help to illustrate why there’s a divide between the netroots and the party leadership. If they use it as a way for the party to truly engage grassroots activists and listen to their concerns, however, it could be a very interesting concern.

Unfortunately, there’s not a version of the app for folks like me who use a blackberry, but if you have an iphone or ipad, you can download it by following this link or search DPVA in the Itunes store.

Jen Little for Mathews County School Board

I first met Jen Little back in 2007 at an event in the early stages of the last presidential campaign. One of the things that immediately jumped out at me was that she was extremely passionate about giving back to the community -- especially when it came to public education. That is why I wasn’t surprised to see that the Farm Team (an organization that promotes women in politics her in Virginia) cited her “enthusiastic dedication to serving [her] community” as one of the reasons she’s earned “the trust of [her] constituents and the respect of [her] fellow Democrats” and received the Farm Team’s endorsement in her bid for another term on the Mathews County School Board.

Her passion for community service isn’t the only reason to support Jen’s campaign. For instance, she is quick to point out that public education shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It should be about what’s best for our children. As someone who has spent significant amount of time organizing around education issues, I can tell you that it’s great to see a school board member who actually realizes that partisan politics shouldn’t be placed above our children’s future. Don’t get me wrong, I want to support strong Democrats (which Jen definitely is), but education is truly an issue where we need to focus on what can be done to ensure students are receiving the skills they need to secure a bright future.

Jen understands this and even points out that Virginia’s constitution even stresses the importance of education because a free High Quality public education is the ONLY social provision in the constitution. And our children are the reason public education exists.

Because education is so important, Jen also believes we need to make sure that we properly support those who devote their lives to providing students with a high quality education. I have never met somebody whose gone into education to become rich, but that doesn’t mean we should take those who go into the field for granted. Nonetheless, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and others who help our children learn have been forced to do more with less as the costs of insurance have continued to rise while there have been no compensation increases (including the elimination of step increases that have traditionally been there for employees who continue serving over the years).

Forcing them to do more with less is not a way to keep excellent teachers in the classrooms. And in a time we’re still struggling to recover from the greatest economic crisis since the great depression, it’s also worth noting how this impacts already struggling families because the public school systems are the largest employer in many counties throughout Virginia -- including Mathews County.

While the local school board obviously only has authority in the county they represent, its important to know that there’s action taking place at the federal and state levels that impact the local school systems. I frequently cover hearings of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for instance, and one of the biggest topics that comes up is NCLB and Race to the Top. These programs have a direct impact on what a school system is required to do. Programs like these might have been passed with great intentions, but Congress has far too often failed to also hold up to properly funding these mandates. I’ve seen how localities struggle under these burdens, which is why I agree with Jen when she says the state and federal government needs to stop passing unfunded mandates and that the federal government needs to redefine their role in K-12 education.

What this all tells me is that the Farm Team was correct in recognizing that Jen’s passion for community service is one of the reasons she makes an excellent school board member. Her history of putting a quality education for students before party politics, willingness to stand up against unfunded mandates, and desire see school employees properly supported are just a few reasons I’m also honored to announce my support for her re-election campaign. Mathews County has been well served with Jen Little on the school board and she deserves another term.

Connolly Blasts GOP for Ignoring Economy While Repealing Non Existent Bans

Anyone who knows Gerry Connolly knows he's not afraid to confront people who he thinks aren't doing the right thing. It's definitely earned him some enemies, but it also means he can be counted on to call out his colleagues in Congress when they're working against the best interest of the American people. And that is what he did earlier today when he took to the House floor today to go after the GOP for wasting time on trivial matters instead of things like the debt negotiations, high unemployment, and an economy that's barely recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

In response to these existential threats at home and once in a lifetime opportunities for democracy abroad, the Republican leadership has brought to the floor a bill to repeal a non-existent ban on incandescent light bulbs, which was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bush.

Connoisseurs of Internet hearsay are aware that Tea Party conspiracy theorists think President Obama is trying to outlaw the incandescent light bulb. Cooler heads, such as representatives of every major light bulb manufacturer in America, from Philips to Johnson Controls, actually support the light bulb efficiency standards because they provide a competitive advantage for American manufacturers relative to Chinese competitors which produce shoddy, less efficient bulbs. Who knew that the Tea Party contained so many Manchurian sympathizers who have hidden their proto-internationalist agenda beneath the folds of a Don’t Tread on Me flag?

That's right, the GOP has been in power for over 7 months but still hasn't gotten around to introducing a substantial jobs plan and is constantly trying to claim Obama and the Democrats won't take action. Instead of coming up with solutions, however, apparenty they think it's important to appease they're base by repealing non-existent bans. The only reason to so blatantly ignore the needs of the American people with this type of bologna is to win some political points -- and with a presidential election heating up and control of the Senate at stake in 2012, it isn't suprising they're pulling stunts like this. Fortunately, Connolly's calling them on it.

Now this one speech might not seem like a big deal and it doesn't automatically mean we'll get some action on the issue Gerry raises, but I think it's important for his Democratic colleagues to pay attention too. As the negotiations surrounding the budget and debt limit have progressed, we've constantly seen Democrats give into GOP demands only to later see the GOP say they haven't compromised enough. While both sides have to compromise to get a deal done, the way things have been going is, in my opinion, simply unacceptable. After all, the key phrase there is that BOTH sides have to compromise. One way to help that happen is to call out the GOP when they're working against the interests of the American people.

There have been some other progressive Democrats in the House who have taken to the floor in the past to call out the GOP and that's sometimes motivated Dems to take some tougher stances in negotiations. So let's hope Gerry's "biting commentary" (as one Congressional staffer put it) on the GOP can remind Democrats involved with the negotiations that the GOP puts scoring political points ahead of creating actual solutions. The full text of his speech can be seen in the comment section of this post.

Chap! Endorses Jaime Areizaga-Soto over Barbara Favola

When you’re looking at political endorsements in Virginia politics, I generally believe that they don’t matter much unless someone breaks with the mold or there’s a very clear trend in who’s supporting a candidate. That’s why I think it’s noteworthy that Chap Petersen endorsed Jaime Areizaga-Soto for state senate.

Almost immediately after Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple announced that she wouldn’t be seeking reelection, it became clear that many members of the “establishment” were going to be supporting Barbara Favola in the race. Not only was Majority Leader Dick Saslaw supporting her in the primary, for instance, but the rumors were that he was doing whatever he could to make sure that nobody else got into the race. (This was supposedly one of the reasons that Delegate Patrick Hope didn’t enter the primary.) The fact that Chap Petersen is endorsing Jaime over Barbara therefore means he believes Areizaga-Soto is a strong enough candidate that he’s willing to break with the party leadership to endorse his candidacy.

In a statement released earlier today, we got a glimpse into why Chap! Decided to make the endorsement. "Having worked with Jaime in Richmond and Northern Virginia, I know that he is a hard worker and a passionate advocate for the community," said Petersen. "He represents a new generation of Virginians seeking leadership positions in the Commonwealth. That is something the Democratic Party needs."

As Lowell over at Blue Virginia pointed out, Chap’s endorsement is also interesting because it illustrates a trend in how the endorsements are lining up in the primary. Many of the folks who endorsed Jim Webb back in the 2006 US Senate primary are now lining up behind Areizaga-Soto while folks who supported Miller are lining up behind Favola. Of course, we all now know that turned out -- Jim Webb ended up getting elected to the Senate and Harris Miller appears to be persona non grata even at organizations that advocate for the corporate interests he always seemed to represent.

Morse and Zimmerman to Take Day Off

Now’s the time of the season when a lot of teams begin to worry about how healthy their players and the Nationals are definitely no exception. With Adam LaRoche on the DL, Ryan Zimmerman spending most of the first half of the season on the DL, and Michael Morse and Adam Werth having some injury scares recently, manager Davey Johnson is a little worried about the team’s condition. That is why both Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse aren’t in the Nats’ starting lineup today.

In both cases, Johnson stressed that they are just playing it a little on the safe side though seemed to be a little more concerned about Zimmerman. That shouldn’t be too surprising as Zimm is sitting out today due to “tenderness” in his abdomen, which is the same area that he had surgery on back in May. It therefore makes sense that you’d want to give him a day off so he doesn’t reaggravate the injury. The good news is that Zimmerman apparently told Johnson that he could still go if necessary and it was the manager who decided to give him the day off.

With both Morse and Werth, they were suffering from getting hit by pitches on the arm over the weekend. Morse got hit hard on the forearm and they originally believed there was a hairline fracture, but a MRI didn’t show anything. He’s still taking the day off though as a precaution. Adam Werth left yesterday’s game early after he was hit in the wrist with a 93 mph fastball. While there was speculation that he could miss a day or two -- especially when you consider a similar pitch recently put him out for about a year -- he refused to even have it X-rayed and is back in the lineup today.

What this all means is that there is some shakeup in today’s lineup as Alex Cora will be playing 3rd and batting 2nd while Matt Stairs will be at 1st and batting 6th. The 43 year-old Stairs has definitely seen an uptick in playing time since Johnson took over as manager and yesterday he finally surpassed pitcher Jason Marquis in the number of hits that he has this season. Hopefully the increased playing time will lead to better timing at the plate and the increased production that has allowed him to stay in uniform for so many years.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July

Tyler Clippard to Represent Nationals in the All Star Game

With the Washington Nationals losing to the Pirates 10 to 2 today, Nats fans would probably prefer spending their time today discussing the all star lineups that were announced this afternoon. That’s because Tyler Clippard was named to the squad and Michael Morse is one of the players up for the Final Man spot on the NL team.

The All Stars were announced about before this afternoon’s game started, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that Clippard and Morse were the big buzz at Nats Park even before it became clear the Nats weren’t going to be winning today’s game. While Clippard‘s talents have definitely been received well this season in DC and there were rumors he might make the team, it’s still somewhat surprising that he was named to the squad. That’s not a diss on his work, but it’s simply a fact that the only pitchers that usually make the All Star team are starters and closers. Clippard himself even told reporters that the news “was pretty shocking.“ At the end of the day, however, his 1.96 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 46 innings of work during the first half of the season more than justify his first trip to the All Star game.

Michael Morse, on the other hand, was someone who a lot of folks thought had a good chance of representing the Nationals in Phoenix. As stands now, he’s one of the finalist for the 34th spot on the NL squad. Voting goes through 4pm on Thursday and Clippard made it clear that he’d love to see his teammate make the trip with him by saying that Morse has “been our best player all year long.” He even added that “since May, he’s probably been the best hitter in the big leagues.”

UPDATE: Coincidentally, the edition of Inside Pitch handed out to fans this weekend at Nationals Park featured Michael Morse on its cover and a lengthy article on his time with the team. While highlighting his appreciation for one hit wonders from the 1980’s and “his ‘Beast Mode’ post-game t-shirt,” the article focus on how Morse is able to play various positions and had some struggles during the early part of his career. As the article pointed out, however, he has seen a lot more playing time since coming to the Nationals in 2009 which has resulted in him batting about .300 and hitting over 30 home runs.

His hot streak this year has also helped the Nats show improvement over the last few years as he hit for a .403 average with five doubles, six homeruns, and had 15 RBI’s during the month of May. It’s numbers like the ones highlighted in the Inside Pitch article are clearly why he’s a finalist for the Final Man vote for the NL All Star team.

2011 MLB All Star Lineups Are Annouced

The lineups for the MLB All Star game were announced earlier today. The Yankees came out as the big winners with 4 of their players being voted onto the starting lineup and reliever Mariano Rivera also making the squaid, but the Brewers were close behind as they have 3 guys starting for the National League. With that in mind, here are the lineups for the All Star Game.
American League
1B Adrian Gonzales (Red Sox)
2B Robinson Cano (Yankees)
SS Derek Jeter (Yankees)
3B Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)
C Alex Avila (Tigers)
OF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
OF Curtis Granderson (Yankees)
OF Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Pitchers: starting: Josh Beckett (Red Sox), Gio Gonzalez (Athletics), Felix Hernandez (Mariners), David Price (Rays), James Shields (Rays), Justin Verlander (Tigers), Jered Weaver (Angels) and C.J. Wilson (Rangers); relievers Aaron Crow (Royals), Brandon League (Mariners), Chris Perez (Indians), Mariano Rivera (Yankees) and Jose Valverde (Tigers);

Bench: catcher Matt Wieters (Orioles); infielders Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians), Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) and Howard Kendrick (Angels); outfielders Michael Cuddyer (Twins), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Matt Joyce (Rays) and Carlos Quentin (White Sox); and DH Michael Young (Rangers).

National League
1B Prince Fielder (Brewers)
2B Rickie Weeks (Brewers)
SS Jose Reyes (Mets)
3B Placido Polanco (Phillies)
C Brian McCann (Braves)
OF Ryan Braun (Brewers)
OF Lance Berkman (Cardinals)
OF Matt Kemp (Dodgers)

Pitchers: starters Matt Cain (Giants), Roy Halladay (Phillies), Cole Hamels (Phillies), Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Tim Lincecum (Giants) and Ryan Vogelsong (Giants); relievers Heath Bell (Padres), Tyler Clippard (Nationals), Joel Hanrahan (Pirates), Jonny Venters (Braves) and Brian Wilson (Giants);

Bench: catcher Yadier Molina (Cardinals); infielders Starlin Castro (Cubs), Chipper Jones (Braves), Phillips, Gaby Sanchez (Marlins), Tulowitzki and Votto; outfielders Carlos Beltran (Mets), Jay Bruce (Reds), Matt Holliday (Cardinals), Hunter Pence (Astros) and Justin Upton (D-backs).

There's also another opportunity for fans to weigh in on the lineups with the Final Vote competition. The finalists being voted on are Alex Gordon(Royals), Adam Jones (Orioles), Paul Konerko (White Sox), Victor Martinez (Tigers), and Ben Zobrist of the (Rays) in the AL. For the National League, the options are Andre Ethier (Dodgers), Todd Helton (Rockies), Ian Kennedy (D-backs), Michael Morse (Nationals), and Shane Victorino (Phillies).

Battle Over Same Sex Marriage Turns to Maine Once Again

One of the big things about the passage of same-sex marriage in New York is that it showed how grassroots efforts to inform the public and elected officials about marriage equality can lead to folks receiving their basic civil rights. As someone who has organized in New York and still is very close with New Yorkers in the LGBT community, I sat in countless meetings with activists from all over the state (though primarially the Rochester area) as we tried to figure out ways to make sure the legislature understood why it was so important to stand against discrimination. I understand how hard folks worked to get their rights and that is why I'm so happy that the day has finally come where they emerged victorius. At the same time, I realize that perhaps one of the greatest things that can come out of this is the momentum and energy it gives for folks in other states to continue fighting for their rights.

Despite progress being made, after all, we still see people trying to legalize discrimination against members of the LGBT community. Even though the governor signed a bill into law recognizing same sex marriage in Maine back in 2009, for instance, we saw Maggie Gallagher and her cronies were able to successfully repeal the legislation. After seeing the success in New York, however, it looks like activists in Maine are going to try to restore basic equaity in the state once again.

With momentum growing from last week’s victory in New York, supporters of marriage equality think that the time has come for another try in Maine.

Today, EqualityMaine will launch a campaign to gather signatures to place marriage equality on the ballot in November 2012.

Just like the efforts in New York, this isn't going to be easy and could come right down to the wire. And the challenge starts right from the beginning as marriage equality supporters have until January to collect the 57,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot in November of 2012.

Jim Riggleman Going Towards Career in TV?

Jim Riggleman's resignation last week as the manager of the Washington Nationals definitely caught a lot of us off guard. There had been speculation floating around that he might be fired earlier in the season when the team wasn't doing so well, but the fact that he left in the middle of a winning streak. This was especially the case when it turned out to be Riggleman's decision to resign due to the way his contract negotiations (or lack thereof) had been going.

In the wake of the surprising news, pundits have already begun suggesting Riggleman won't manage again in the big leagues. As a result, he might be going the way of working in TV -- something that many former players and skippers are doing nowadays with so many cable sports networks out there. Considering how he's already landed a deal for this weekend's series between the Cubs and White Sox, I'm not the only person who's speculating about Riggleman going to TV.

Riggleman will serve as a pregame and postgame television analyst on Comcast SportsNet Chicago for the Cubs/White Sox series at Wrigley Field this weekend. Wrigley Field is a familiar setting for Riggleman, as he managed the Cubs from 1995-1999, and even led them to a playoff berth in 1998 (well, Sammy Sosa's 66 homers, 158 RBI, and 1.024 OPS were probably the main reasons for that).

With that in mind, it's possible that this will be an audition for him to get a long-term television job at Comcast SportsNet Chicago as a Cubs analyst. Heck, it will be an audition for him to get a long-term television job with any network. Surely the people at ESPN and MLB Network will be paying attention to his analysis and presence in front of a camera.

Now considering how Riggleman resigned from his position with the Nationals because he only had a guaranteed contract through the end of the season, it'll be interesting to see if he quits his TV gig before the game on Sunday since they only gave him a contract through the end of the series. Only time will tell, I suppose.