Sweeping in D.C.

WASHINGTON – If there was ever a time for the Phillies to want to head to The District, right now would be the perfect time. After dropping four straight in Houston as well as five out of their last six while scoring just three runs in two victories over the Giants last week, the lowly Nationals are the perfect foil for the Phillies to take out some frustrations. Certainly manager Charlie Manuel took some of his pent up frustration after the Astros swept out the Phillies on Monday afternoon. After spending more than half of his life in pro ball, Manuel knows when a team needs to be aired out.

Essentially, Charlie told the troops it’s time to put up or shut up.

“You can go around and talk to them. You can talk to them in batting practice. But what is today? September 9th? Damn, if we ain’t got it by now, we ain’t never gonna get it. We were in good position coming in, and we’re still in good position. We’ve got to play. We’ve got to win some games. It’s been kind of leading up to this. It’s got to bottom out sometime. We’ve got some wins. We beat the Giants two games, and we got real good pitching, tremendous starting pitching, when we scored three runs and got two wins. Over in Pittsburgh, we didn’t hit at all. Actually, we played real bad there. Homers are great when one or two guys are on base. When you hit three solos and the other team scores three, four, five runs, and you lose, it’s not so great.

“I don’t know. I hear some of them talk. I hear some of them say, ‘We play better when we have to or when there’s more pressure.’ I find that hard to believe when I see us play like we did today. I find that hard to believe. I played 20 years. I like my chances ofbeing relaxes when we have a nice lead. That don’t register for me.

“Bleep the last couple years. That don’t mean bleep. We’re playing today. Last year is dead and gone. Having to win? No, I don’t get that. I think when you have a lead, you’re sitting better than you are when you absolutely have to win a game that day. I think having a lead’s got to be better than that. I’ll take the lead. That’s what I’m trying to say. Last year, what happened in the past, that’s gone. We played tremendous baseball last year the last five, six weeks. Best baseball we’ve ever played. I’m not going to give our lead up and say, ‘We’ll start here.’ No, I’m not going to do that because I don’t know if we can come through or not. I like our chances better where we’re at, but at the same time, we have to win some games. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

The thing about Charlie’s tirade is they generally work. Moreover, he hit on a message that he has been dropping all season long, which is the 2008 season is over. The World Series is history. It’s September and the Phillies are in a weak division and if they don’t snap to it quickly, this season can be over as quickly as the ’07 playoff run.

That’s the tough part. If the season were to end today, the Phillies would be matched up against the Dodgers in the NLDS. That’s a hornets’ nest right there considering the Dodgers have had the best record in the league all season long. Plus, there’s a score to settle and you know what they say about paybacks.

Think the Dodgers are still smarting from last season? Think the Dodgers don’t want another piece of the Phillies with home field advantage?

So yeah, Nationals Park is a pretty good place for the Phillies to be right about now. That’s especially the case considering the Phils are 10-2 against the Nats, who are inching closer to a second straight 100-loss season. At 47-90 the Nats not only have the worst record in baseball with losses in seven of their last eight mixed in, but also they have been a veritable laughingstock of pro sports.

If only it could be chalked up to one of those years for the Nats. But simply having some bad luck doesn’t begin to describe it.

First, the season began with general manager Jim Bowden resigned amidst a federal investigation that the longtime GM allegedly had been skimming of signing bonuses earmarked for Latin American prospects.

The Nats also fired manager Manny Acta because he couldn’t figure out how not to lose games with John Lannan and his 17-25 record as the staff ace. Just last week they fired the director of player development, Bobby Williams, because he had ties with Bowden. On top of that, the club’s second-year ballpark is underwhelming with the view of the DC skyline blocked out by construction and parking garages, which has resulted in the fifth-worst attendance in the Majors.

Only Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Oakland and Florida have drawn fewer fans than the Nats.

Luckily, the Phillies still have six more games against Washington this season. Those are six games Manuel likely won’t be happy with unless they end with wins. After all, the Nationals are last in every notable pitching statistic.

That could make it more fun for the fans from Philly who make the trek down I-95 to sterile Nationals Park. Better yet, for those fans who get shut out when hoping to get some tickets at CBP, the drive might be worth it.

After all, the Phillies have Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee lined up for the first two games and Joe Blanton set for Thursday’s series finale. Plenty of good seats still available.

Yes, the Phillies better sweep this one.

Ryan Howard's long bomb

WASHINGTON - According to the dusty old archives stashed back in the vaults at Nationals Park, Ryan Howard's home run in the fifth inning of yesterday's 12-2 victory over the Nats was not only the first ball to reach the upper deck at the stadium, but also it was the longest fair ball ever struck in The District's Southeast quadrant. Apparently the homer went 441 feet. That's like Tiger Woods taking a three-quarters swing with a 9-iron.

Anyway, here's Howard's bomb:

[redlasso id="578480d6-85dc-4dab-a1b6-4d8399f3ee97"]

It should be noted that there is no happier room in the country than a big-league clubhouse following a win on the road just before they leave to go to another city. The Philadelphia ballclub was downright giddy after pasting the Washington Nine for 12 runs last night. Jimmy Rollins even interjected into Shane Victorino's post-game deconstruction of his 3-for-5 performance (double, HR, 3 runs, 2 RBIs) with some members of the local press.

"Anything Ryan can do, I can do," Jimmy said, mimicking Victorino. "I hit a double, he hits a double..."

But...

"I hit a home run," Rollins laughed, still imitating his teammate "but he hits a BOMB!"

More from The District

WASHINGTON - Washington, D.C. is an industry town. And in most industry towns, the matters of business are all encompassing. Generally, the folks who work in The District are on the clock 24/7 even when Congress is not in session and the Congressmen and their staffs are back in their home districts. Of course, this year is different. The Industry here in Washington is diving into its quadrennial pageant complete with costumes and hype and everything else that goes with the thing called a presidential election. As a result they force the rest of us to follow along, too, which is good. Who doesn't want to understand and participate in the nation's sovereignty?

Because Congress is busy at the work of making laws and whatnot just a short little drive up Capitol Street from the brand, spanking new Nationals Park, and because the candidates for president are positioning themselves just so, big crowds have been few and far between for Nats' games this season. Last night the announced attendance was a little more than 25,000, which is below the season average of 28,983. That average is 17^th in Major League Baseball (better than Baltimore) and is higher than only three teams in the National League (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Florida).

If you build it and bilk the taxpaying citizens of The District, they will come?

Nope, not likely.

Anyway, one of the more noticeable traits of the new taxpayer-funded ballpark in Washington is the open space. In the left-field portico, the corridors and even on the streets circling the park, the plazas are wide and open. That's nice. It also mirrors Pierre Charles L'Enfant's and Andrew Ellicott's vision of The District with its wide avenues, open spaces and parklands, and low buildings that don't suffocate the city and its landmarks.

The view of the city from left field with the monuments along The Mall with the Capitol as an anchor is as good as it gets and is a stark reminder of exactly where you are.

Yet a good indicator at how encompassing the industry is in D.C. was pretty evident within seconds of walking into the new Nationals Park. For instance, in the spacious visitors' clubhouse one of the half dozen or so high-definition televisions hanging from the ceiling was tuned to Chris Matthews' "Hard Ball."

Nope, that's not a show about baseball.

More telling, sadly (or not depending upon one's perspective, I guess), was that the largest advertisement visible on the outfield fence was one from Exxon/Mobil. There are a couple of D.C. axioms that explain a lot. One explains the only ways in which a political career can be destroyed, such as "being caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl."

The other established truth is that in order to find the basis of something, one must "follow the money."

For now there is no corporate naming rights slapped on Nationals Park, which is refreshing and, frankly, awesome. But is it just a matter of time until the Nats games are played at Exxon/Mobil Field?

That would suck.

Anyway, my knee-jerk reaction o the park was that it was "flavorless." I was wrong. It's quintessentially D.C. based on some of the reasons listed above. Plus, it's really easy to get to and drive away from - 295 is right there. It's kind of like the South Philadelphia sports complex in that regard, only there is no Schuylkill Expressway to fight with and there is more to do in Washington before and after the games and when the team is in the off-season for that matter.

However, Nats Park cribbed some of the ideas from Citizens Bank Park with the local fooderies selling the concessions. Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys Burgers and Hard Times Café have stands, which is like Tony Luke's and Chickie's & Pete's at CBP.

In a nutshell, Nationals Park is a good place to watch a game. It's also just another place to work. Better yet, it's easier to get to than Philly.

Otherwise, the Phillies haven't hit as many home runs in D.C. Actually, the Phillies haven't done a whole lot of hitting, period, lately. Yesterday's loss to extend the season-worst losing skid to three games was exacerbated by the team's inability to hit with runners in scoring position when they went 0-for-12.

Silver lining time: the team might not be all that bad if it loses three games for the first time on May 19.

Anyway, for more on Nationals Park, check out the primer in The Washington Post. They have a lot of good stuff there.