BBTF.org/m/nationals : WaPo Ed Board: Root, root, root for getting Nats fans home

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Washington Post: Boswell: Reiser Offers Harper A Cautionary Tale

(www.washingtonpost.com)

posted 4 days ago by Jolly Old St. Nick Done Jumped The Ship to injuries, nationals | 11 comment(s)

At age 22 in 1941, Reiser finished second for National League MVP. In just 137 games, he had 70 extra-base hits and led the league in runs (117), batting (.343), doubles (39), triples (17), total bases, getting hit by pitches and, if they’d kept track of on-base plus slugging back then, that, too (.964).

He was as good in reality as Harper dreams of being.

Then Reiser started running into walls. He never led the league in anything again, except stolen bases a couple of times….

“In two ...

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1. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:12 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Have people never heard of the bus?

2. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:23 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Seriously, McCoy? Someone living in Van Ness, let alone Ballston or Lanham, should wait near the ballpark at midnight for a city bus to chug along?

3. Chris Needham posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:37 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

How embarrassing is it that you have a major city where the last trip home is at 11:20?

4. will posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:40 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Regular season games start at 7:05, but post-season games often start at 8:20/8:30. Somebody needs to fix this.....

5. Mayor Blomberg posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:49 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

How embarrassing is it that you have a major city where the last trip home is at 11:20?

Houstonians say Hi. last from Reliant to downtown = 11:20 weeknights, from MMP at midnight.

6. Chris Needham posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:49 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

But that's Houston. Everyone there has 4 SUVs.

7. Chris Needham posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:50 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

[4] Little birdies have said they'll do it for the post-season.

Besides, we know the Nats are getting the 1 or 4 pm slot!

8. Joey B. has ignited his October #Natitude posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:51 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Everything about the Metro is an embarrassment. I'm amazed that there's still one person using it, much less 445.

I'd rather walk the six miles back home than give one more dime to the current WMATA. I'd save a few bucks, I'd get a lot more exercise, and I would probably get home faster too.

9. DKDC posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:58 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Is closing the subway around midnight on weekdays really that out of the ordinary for a major city?

Quick google search (so this may be wrong) says this is also true in:

Shanghai Metro
Seoul Metro
London Underground
Beijing Subway
Mexico City Metro
Barcelona Metro

and many more I'm sure

10. jack the seal clubber (on the sidelines of life) posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Metro is a terrible experience. I'd rather drive and pay the $20 for parking..last night I got out of the stadium area in ten minutes, so it wasn't bad at all. I walked by the Navy Yard station on my way out and they were stacked up like cordwood pushing to get on the train. No thanks.

11. OsunaSakata posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:04 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I thought that the reason that ties were allowed in Japan was that so the fans could get home before the trains stopped running for the night.

12. Chris Needham posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:08 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Midnight to me != 11:20. I know because of distant stations that you need to draw a line at some point, but 11:20 strikes me as awfully early.

Although the UnsuckDCMetro blog points out there's a "hidden" train at about 11:40 that picks up the last few stragglers. They just don't want to advertise that because they want to close the damn system.

13. Fernigal McGunnigle has become a merry hat posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:08 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Te anti-Metro sentiment is interesting. I've always thought that the Metro was one of the best subway systems in the country. It's not especially crowded, it's a big system given the size of the city, and the stations all have those little signs telling you when the next trains are coming in. I'm surprised at the frustration with it. I've only been there visiting, but I rode a lot of trains to a lot of places and found it to be a lot more pleasant than most systems.

The 11:20 thing is ridiculous, though. The T in Boston sends out the last trains around 12:15, and that's always been something of a joke. An hour earlier is pretty stupid.

14. Joey B. has ignited his October #Natitude posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I've always thought that the Metro was one of the best subway systems in the country.

It used to be, and not all that long ago either. But it has been allowed to go completely down the toilet, and just about everyone who has lived in this metro area for more than a few years or so knows it.

15. Cowboy Popup posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:19 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

What was especially ridiculous about this was that the game was delayed for 45 minutes while it barely rained. If you are going to leave people hanging late at night, at least take some steps to get the games going on time.

I love the Nats and really enjoy rooting for them. But the team management routinely treats its fans like garbage.

I've always thought that the Metro was one of the best subway systems in the country.

They keep raising the prices (I think they have gone up three times since I moved here) and the service is getting worse, especially on the Orange/Blue lines. It only takes a couple times of being 45 minutes late to work while getting no information regarding the delay and then being charged 5 bucks for the ride before you start hating the WMATA and the metro.

16. TerpNats posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:20 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Washington of 2012 is significantly different than the D.C. of some three decades ago when the midnight weekday closing time was instituted, and Metro should change accordingly. No, Washington will never be a 24-hour city like New York, but it has long shed its sleepy "government town" reputation. Metro should now close at 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, lessening the chances of a fiasco along the lines of what happened Monday.

17. Steve N posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:23 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I use the DC Metro whenver I visit the city and have always found to be quick, clean, and a good ride. I once lived in the DC area and used it occasionally at rush hour. Very busy, very crowded. Not sure how this would be different in any other metro area.

18. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Metro cannot maintain the system in place today, yet wouldn't ya know, it's in the process of adding 23 more miles of track en route to Tysons Corner and Dulles.

19. jmurph posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:30 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think the fact that there have been massive system-wide delays, including frequent closures, nearly every single weekend (including holiday weekends) for 3 years now since the red line accident tells you about all you need to know. It's a region-wide embarrassment.

20. jmurph posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:32 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Very busy, very crowded. Not sure how this would be different in any other metro area.

It's been explained to me (note that I can't corroborate this, so I hope I'm not spreading BS) that there are very few places in the tunnels where trains are able to pass each other (meaning: in the event of a problem with one train, a train going in the same direction would be able to pass it in the tunnel). So in a sense, according to this telling, the system is built to succeed only when things are going perfectly, which of course rarely happens.

21. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:50 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

It's been explained to me (note that I can't corroborate this, so I hope I'm not spreading BS) that there are very few places in the tunnels where trains are able to pass each other (meaning: in the event of a problem with one train, a train going in the same direction would be able to pass it in the tunnel). So in a sense, according to this telling, the system is built to succeed only when things are going perfectly, which of course rarely happens.

Compare with NY. Suppose there is a stalled train at the Spring Street local station on the C line. The controllers have two options: Send the C express or have it switch to the F line at Jay Street, then resume its normal run at West 4th. Neither option is available in DC, as there are neither express tracks nor overlapping routes with switch tracks.

Consequently, Metro riders have to put up with "one-tracking," even in the heart of DC.

22. jmurph posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

And JE with the smart version. Thanks, that's interesting.

23. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:02 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I always take the metro to Nats games and it never takes me more than a few minutes to get a train home. I've never been stuck for very long, or had to wait more than 10 minutes for a train, and that's in probably 50 games over the years.

24. Chris Needham posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:11 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Well, the team has found a solution.

Let's ask the DC Taxpayers to take care of it. What an effing bunch of cheapass lowrent morons.

25. smileyy posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:21 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Metro cannot maintain the system in place today, yet wouldn't ya know, it's in the process of adding 23 more miles of track en route to Tysons Corner and Dulles.

I always thought it was kind of a joke that there's no metro service to Dulles.

26. Joey B. has ignited his October #Natitude posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:31 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

It's not all that unusual for the train systems to not go to the airport, thanks to the political power of the local taxicab driver lobbies.

27. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:33 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Sorry for the attempted thread hijack, but since the Commonwealth of Virginia is at least tangential to this conversation, has anyone seen the report that the owners of the Sacramento Kings have agreed to move the franchise to Virginia Beach ?

28. The Yankee Clapper posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:43 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

METRO doesn't go to Virginia Beach, unfortunately.

29. TerpNats posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Sorry for the attempted thread hijack, but since the Commonwealth of Virginia is at least tangential to this conversation, has anyone seen the report that the owners of the Sacramento Kings have agreed to move the franchise to Virginia Beach?

Better them than the Expos, and that silly move by Cuban Pete to thwart the move to Washington through those Bill-and-Ted types in Norfolk.

30. Lassus posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:45 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

It's not all that unusual for the train systems to not go to the airport, thanks to the political power of the local taxicab driver lobbies.

I really can't tell if this is a joke or not.

31. jack the seal clubber (on the sidelines of life) posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:46 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I always thought it was kind of a joke that there's no metro service to Dulles

Yup. As long as you don't want to go further than Vienna, you're all set.

32. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:48 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I always thought it was kind of a joke that there's no metro service to Dulles.

It is out in the middle of nowhere.

DCA, however, is more metro accessible than basically any other major city airport I can think of short of Hong Kong.

33. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 01:51 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

METRO doesn't go to Virginia Beach, unfortunately.

I am scared to check the Amtrak timetable.

34. Busted Flush posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:06 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

This seems close enough in subject...I'm heading to DC next month and will be catching my first Nats games. Any Primates have advice on making the most of the game day experience?

Edit: other than catching the Merto by 11:20 I suppose

35. Cowboy Popup posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:12 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Any Primates have advice on making the most of the game day experience?

Get there early and walk over to Eastern Market and go to DC-3 for hot dogs.

36. Rennie's Tenet posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:15 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Just to corroborate those who write of Metro's decline. I took public transit to work for 30 years, but now drive from Virginia though I work in the heart of the city. There used to be ways to make the ride more comfortable -- timing out trains to get a less-packed one or riding back a few stops then getting a train going the right way -- but those have all been pretty much cut off as the system has gotten more crowded.

It would have been nice if the Post had simply pointed out that seeing a whole ballgame has never been guaranteed by anyone, and left it at that.

37. JE (Jason Epstein)

posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:16 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

This seems close enough in subject...I'm heading to DC next month and will be catching my first Nats games. Any Primates have advice on making the most of the game day experience?

Try having a pre-game drink along Barracks Row (Eighth Street, SE). I think the Ugly Mug still offers a free shuttle to the ballpark. If you're going to a day game, stop off at Manglialardo & Sons Italian Deli on Penn and 13th, SE for a sandwich. (IIRC, the joint is only open for lunch.)

38. jack the seal clubber (on the sidelines of life) posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:20 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think the Ugly Mug still offers a free shuttle to the ballpark

It does

39. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:22 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

It's not all that unusual for the train systems to not go to the airport, thanks to the political power of the local taxicab driver lobbies.

I really can't tell if this is a joke or not.

in NYC, it's certainly not a joke...

40. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:34 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Any Primates have advice on making the most of the game day experience?

Where are you coming from? I usually just hang out at the half-street fairgrounds till I'm ready to go in, but I live on the yellow/green so it isn't a big trek for me.

41. OsunaSakata posted on August 23, 2012 at 02:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

METRO doesn't go to Virginia Beach, unfortunately.

I am scared to check the Amtrak timetable.

Amtrak only goes to Newport News. You have to take a bus to get Virginia Beach.

42. The Yankee Clapper posted on August 23, 2012 at 03:27 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Get there early and walk over to Eastern Market and go to DC-3 for hot dogs.

That's a fairly ambitious walk, but METRO goes to Eastern Market, and as others have noted, there is a free shuttle from at least one bar in that neighborhood.

43. Busted Flush posted on August 23, 2012 at 04:08 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Where are you coming from?

I'm staying in Lafayette Square.

And thanks for all the suggestions. They sound good.

44. Gonfalon Bubble posted on August 23, 2012 at 04:22 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I was in Washington DC last year, and took a bunch of subway rides. Except for one moment of confusion when I was "trapped" inside a station holding a ticket whose value was precisely 5 cents less than what I needed to be allowed to exit through the turnstile, everything ran smoothly. However, I've seen a ton of online Tom Toles cartoons that suggest otherwise, so I probably just got lucky.

45. The Yankee Clapper posted on August 23, 2012 at 04:22 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I'm staying in Lafayette Square.

The Mall and Monuments are pretty close, as are the Smithsonian museums, if you haven't done that previously. Capitol Hill gets you closer to Nationals Park, if you want to do something in that neighborhood, but the METRO to the ball park is the Green Line, so doing something along that route (Gallery Place, National Archives) before heading to the Park also works well.

46. Busted Flush posted on August 23, 2012 at 04:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Except for one moment of confusion when I was "trapped" inside a station holding a ticket whose value was precisely 5 cents less than what I needed to be allowed to exit through the turnstile

I believe the Kingston Trio wrote a song about you. Though "Gonfalon Bubble" doesn't have the same ring as poor old "Charlie."

The Mall and Monuments are pretty close, as are the Smithsonian museums, if you haven't done that previously

I've actually not been to DC before and am looking forward to the visit. I refrained from opening up a can of worms and asking for any general suggestions on must visit museums, resturants, etc. (though I'm all ears), as I'll only be in town for a long weekend.

47. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on August 23, 2012 at 05:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Seriously, McCoy? Someone living in Van Ness, let alone Ballston or Lanham, should wait near the ballpark at midnight for a city bus to chug along?

Yes.

48. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on August 23, 2012 at 05:45 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

You can take the Green Line up to U Street station and get yourself a chili half smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl which is across the street from the station. Or you could simply just go to their food stand in the park. As an outing I'm not really impressed with Eastern Market. I go their to get my half smokes and meats for my cookouts but there just isn't a lot of stuff their for some day outing instead of market shopping.

It really depends on how much you want to walk. For instance you can take the blue/orange line to GWU and walk the rest of the way to Georgetown. DC is so small you can walk, bus, or metro to any place in the city and it will just take you minutes. Even the cab rides will cost you less than 10 bucks to go to most places. So really the entire city is available as well NoVA.

49. smileyy posted on August 23, 2012 at 05:46 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

DCA, however, is more metro accessible than basically any other major city airport I can think of short of Hong Kong.

Assuming your flight gets in before midnight.

50. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on August 23, 2012 at 05:56 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Beer:
Churchkey
Pizzeria Paradiso
Smoke & Barrel

Wine:
Urbana
Proof
Veritaas

Tapas:
Jaleo
Masa 14

BBQ:
Hill Country
Henry's Soul Cafe
Rocklands
Standard

Burgers:
Black & Orange
BGR
Shake Shack
Five Guys
Ray's Hell Burger (Arlington)

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Washington Post: Boswell: Reiser Offers Harper A Cautionary Tale

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Nationals Think Factory