Squawker Lisa and I were in Washington over the weekend. We visited the Smithsonian's American History museum, where Lisa was none too pleased to see Red Sox memorabilia prominently displayed.Nothing from the Mets made it into the popular culture exhibition. But if the Smithsonian would like to freshen up their display, here are some ideas for Met-themed replacements:
Current: Third base from 2004 World Series
New: Third base missed by Ryan Church
Current: Boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali around 1975, when Ali was heavyweight champion for second time
New: Glove worn by Luis Castillo when he dropped A-Rod's popup
Current: Jerry Seinfeld's puffy shirt
New: Tony Bernazard's shirt
Since I was away this weekend, I did not get to see any of the games. Did the Mets really score 18 runs in two games? I find that hard to believe.
Easier to believe that yet another Met (Gary Sheffield) was about to return, but was put on the DL after the Mets played a man down for a week.
Also easier to believe that Johan Santana again allowed the opposing pitcher to do damage at the plate. A home run by Mike Hampton? Glad I missed that!
But at least Jon Niese was strong in his return to the rotation. And Jeff Francoeur drove in 12 runs on the ten-game road trip, accounting for almost a third of the runs the Mets scored on the trip.
One of the most famous displays in the Smithsonian is of Dorothy's ruby red slippers, which she clicked three times and said, "There's no place like home." Now we get to find out if the same is true for the Mets, with 21 of the next 28 games at Citi Field.
Wow, what a coincidence: I was also in Washington this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI took in yesterday's game at Nationals Park, my first visit. I'd previously been to RFK (and after all those Redskins games on TV, it looked very strange to see the place set up for baseball), but this was my first time in the new ballpark.
The highlight, aside from the game being a 3-2 10-inning thriller, was Teddy's Barbecue, named after Roosevelt. The Rough Rider is aptly named: Eating it will make you speak softly, and the bone it falls off is a big stick. It was $12 and worth every penny.
There was a rather unfortunate moment, though: Before the game, the racing Presidents -- the ones on Mount Rushmore, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt -- were dancing outside the center field gate to Sixties, Seventies and Eighties tunes. But that wasn't the worst of it. They were all wearing sneakers, but that wasn't the worst of it. Washington was wearing batting gloves, but that wasn't the worst of it.
The worst of it was when the sound man played "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Now, I'm thinking, we're missing a President. Either Andrew Jackson, or John F. Kennedy because of Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk." But then Jefferson, who allegedly had an affair and five (or six) kids with one of his slaves, walked into my line of sight just as we came to the line, "But the kid is not my son! Ooh!"
Anyway, my seat was in the upper deck, right over home plate, cheap but with a great view, just the way I like it, and in full view of the out-of-town scoreboard. It was nice being able to track the Yankees as they won and the Red Sox as they lost -- especially since the Sox were playing the Orioles and the two guys to my right were Orioles fans, so they enjoyed that, too.
Wow, that is a wild coincidence!
ReplyDeleteWho won the president's race? Or, more to the point, how did Teddy lose this time?
- Lisa
George, Tom and Abe ran out, and -- Holy Cow, it's the Scooter! Teddy rode a scooter and left the other three in the dust. Naturally, being "Honest Abe," Lincoln ratted Teddy out, and Screech, the Nats' eagle mascot, declared Abe the winner.
ReplyDeleteAs for the actual game, the Nats won, 3-2 over San Diego. A Padre home run in the 9th tied it up, wasting an amazing effort by John Lannon, who at one point had 42 strikes to 7 balls, and even got two hits. Help, he needed somebody... But the Nats won it in the 10th.
There was an embarrassing moment. You remember what Nick Johnson looks like, right? Well, his coming-up-to-bat song is "Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake. Uh... huh.