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July 2024
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July 2, 2024 [LINK / comment]

2024 season is half over!

Yes, sports fans, time really catches up on us sometimes. After a thoroughly exhausting (but rewarding) spring semester of teaching, I am gradually getting caught up with sundry tasks that I had to set aside -- such as this web site! But in the mean time, as you will see below, I also took another one of my big travel adventures, lasting most of the month of June. My apologies for the hiatus of over four months since my last blog post on February 29.

For most teams, Opening Day this year was on Thursday, March 28. For the L.A. Dodgers and San Diego Padres, however, it was on March 20, when Major League Baseball came to the Republic of Korea (South) for the very first time. The two teams split one game apiece, with just under 16,000 in attendance for both games at Gocheok Sky Dome. The games were sellouts, and were very successful from a promotional point of view. In due course, I'll have to do a diagram of that venue.

Nationals rebuild makes progress

The good news is that my favorite team, the Washington Nationals, are doing reasonably well for the most part. They won exactly one game in each of their first three series this year: at Cincinnati, and then at home vs. the Pirates and the Phillies. Since then they have had several ups and downs. Getting swept at home by the L.A. Dodgers (April 23-25) and then losing five games in a row from May 14-19 were discouraging, but on a brighter note they did sweep the Miami Marlins in a four-game road series (April 26-29)!

Lane Thomas spent several weeks on the Injured List, but his return in the series against the Braves in Atlanta (May 27-29)gave the Nationals a big boost of energy. They have won two of three games in the series so far, and will try to win the series this evening. Among the pitchers, Trevor Williams, Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin, and McKenzie Gore have all done splendidly for the most part, and the latter two just became the first pair of Nationals pitchers to get at least ten strikeouts in consecutive games since September 2019! With a win-loss record consistently approaching .500, holding the third wild card spot in the standings (for whatever that's worth this time of year) the Nats are showing great promise. Until late June at least, a postseason berth seemed like a real possibility!

Things started going wrong for the Nationals in the first game of their series in San Diego, on June 24. It was tied 3-3 after nine innings, and in the top of the tenth the Nats scored 3 runs, thanks to an RBI double by Keibert Ruiz and then a two-run homer by Nick Senzel, one of the new Nationals this year. But in the bottom of the inning, relief pitcher Hunter Harvey gave up two walks and three hits, as the Padres won the game, 7-6. Ouch! The Padres went on to sweep the Nats in three games. Then the Nats flew 2,500+ miles straight east to St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Tampa Bay Rays beat them two games out of three.

On Monday (yesterday) the Nats began a home stand by hosting the New York Mets. McKenzie Gore had another fine outing, pitching 5 2/3 innings, and was in line for the win when he was replaced by Derek Law, who gave up a two-run double as the Mets took the lead. An RBI single by Joey Meneses tied it back up in the eighth inning, but in the top of the tenth Hunter Harvey completely imploded on the mound, giving up six (6) runs! In spite of the hopeless odds, the Nats came storming back in the bottom of the tenth, but fell short. Final score: 9-7. Tonight a similar scenario unfolded: The Nats were ahead 2-1 until the Mets scored a run in the top of the eighth inning against Hunter Harvey. (Why was he pitching???) Then in the top of the tenth the Mets scored five runs off relief pitcher Robert Garcia, thus winning the game, 7-2. The Nats' starting pitching has been much better than expected, and closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan is mostly superb, but the Nats' batting is very inconsistent, and -- in spite of their high number of stolen bases -- their base-running is often terrible.

2024 stadium renovations

I will have to update the Progressive Field diagrams to take into account the massive renovations that took place over the 2023-2024 winter season. Thousands of seats from the upper deck along the third base side have been removed and replaced by various party areas, much like what they did in the right field upper deck a few years ago. (Coors Field has undergone similar "shrinkage.")

Also, the two-year renovations at the Toronto Blue Jays’ home at Rogers Centre have been completed. Last year they redid the seating areas in the outfield, and this year they completely rebuilt the lower level. That will be a top-priority diagramming task for me.

In addition, the Washington Nationals have replaced their old (2008) scoreboard at Nationals Park with a new one, and at least one other team did likewise during the off-season. Those changes did not involve any structural elements, however, so my diagrams will not be affected.

2024 College World Series

I was pleased that the University of Virginia Cavalier baseball team made it to the College World Series this year, but unfortunately they did not make it past the first round. I was watching on TV on June 16, when they were eliminated by the Florida State Seminoles. I was only one state away (in South Dakota) that weekend, and thought about perhaps driving down to see the game on the spur of the moment, but the ticket situation was uncertain and it seemed like too big of a risk. Congratulations to Tennessee Volunteers, who edged the Texas A&M Aggies 6-5 in the deciding game on June 24.

One thing I learned while watching that game is that what used to be called "TD Ameritrade Park" (which I visited ten years ago) is now called "Charles Schwab Field." I'll have to update that page soon. It was nine years ago that UVa pulled off an amazing triumph in the 2015 College World Series.

Baseball (?) Road Trip, 2024!

As some of you may recall, last year I took the train(s) out to the Pacific Coast and back, attending MLB games in three stadiums that I had never seen before, taking a tour of another one, inspecting the exterior of a fifth MLB stadium that is currently in use, seeing two former MLB stadiums, and visiting the site where a temporary MLB stadium once stood, and passing two current stadiums while riding on the train. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I made another big trip out west about month ago, but this year, baseball was not really my top priority. Getting together with family members and old friends was at the top of my list. The following montage summarizes the baseball stadiums -- present and past -- that I saw. I was expecting to see the bleachers for the MLB ballpark next door to the ball field where the movie was filmed, but to my utter shock, all I could see was the light towers, dugouts, and a few utility buildings. That entire grandstand is temporary, and has to be moved in and installed every time they plan an MLB game there!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Coors Field, in Denver, Colorado; GoMart Ballpark, in Charleston, West Virginia; the former Bush Stadium (converted into apartments about ten years ago), in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Field of Dreams, near Dyersville, Iowa.

Much like last year, however, I did see a number of prominent and not-so-prominent football stadiums, such as Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos. I was hoping to see the marker for home plate where Mile High Stadium once stood, but that parking lot was closed off.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ohio Stadium (Ohio State Univ.) in Columbus; Nebraska's Big Rodeo Stadium in Burwell; University of Colorado Stadium in Boulder; Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, SD; War Memorial Stadium (Univ. of Wyoming) in Laramie; and Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO (home of the Broncos).

Random thoughts

Aside from the games in London mentioned above, there was also an historic first-ever MLB game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama last week. Coincidentally, this game was played just a few days after Hall of Famer Willie Mays (who once played at Rickwood Field) passed away. Later this summer there will be a baseball game for the second time in rural Iowa, at the Field of Dreams. I'm generally in favor of such special-occasion MLB games, but I think they are getting a little carried away with it. One or two a year ought to be plenty, I think. In any case, it means I've got more diagram work to do!

There has been much important baseball news this spring, but until I have more time, let me just wish retiring umpire Angel Hernandez: adios, amigo!

I'll have something to say about Willie Mays and other legendary baseball greats who have passed away in the last few months.

July 7, 2024 [LINK / comment]

Nats celebrate on Fourth of July!

After two absolutely horrendous extra-inning losses to the New York Mets to open this week's four-game series in Washington, the Nationals bounced back in handy fashion. On Wednesday Luis Garcia hit two home runs, helping the Nats to beat the Mets, 7-5. And on July 4, with the game starting shortly after 11:00 in the morning (to make room for all the other festivities later that day in Washington), Jake Irvin pitched eight full innings while only allowing one hit, a phenomenal performance. In the bottom of th eighth Jesse Winker came in to pinch-hit, and knocked a solo homer over the wall in right-center field. That was all the Nats needed to win, and thus split the four-game series with the Mets.

I was in Washington on the last Fourth of July, but missed the game on account of other activities. (The Nationals lost that day's game to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-4, so I didn't miss much.)

On Friday night, the St. Louis Cardinals came to town. The Nats had a 5-0 lead after three innings, but the visitors began to close the gap. Kyle Finnegan came in to close the game in the top of the ninth inning, but Wilson Contreras tied the game 5-5 on a solo home run. The Nats kept blowing scoring opportunities, and it was just embarrassing. The Cards ended up winning 7-6 after 11 innings. In Saturday's game the Nationals again piled up runs in the early innings, but Mackenzie Gore was replaced in the fourth inning after walking three batters in a row. The real highlight of that game was rookie James Wood's first career MLB home run; he had five RBIs in that game, which the Nats won easily, 14-6.

Game 3 of the four-game series with the Cards starts at 1:35 this afternoon, with the Nats' amazing rookie starting pitcher D.J. Herz on the mound, and I'll be there!

Welcome to Washington, James Wood!

The arrival of the young slugger James Wood has been anticipated ever since he was part of the big trade with the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell nearly two years ago. (Nothing against Juan Soto, who's an All-Star again, this time with the New York Yankees, but in retrospect that trade has proven to be highly advantageous for the Nationals.) Wood (note the singular) is quite tall (6' 7", I think) and happens to be a "home town boy," growing up in suburban Maryland. In his first at bat with the Nationals (on Monday, against the Mets) he hit a single, and on Wednesday's game he hit the go-ahead RBI. No doubt he will be a huge boost for the Nats, even if they don't end up as postseason contenders this year. I read on Facebook that the pitcher who gave up Wood's first MLB home run yesterday (Lance Lynn) was the very same pitcher who gave up the game-winning home run to Jayson Werth in Game 4 of the 2012 NLCS. What a coincidence!

Other roster changes

The Nationals' starting pitching (and their closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan) have been simply splendid this season, with the obvious exception of Patrick Corbin. (He pitches well enough about half the time.) But the Nats' repeated failure to get hits when they need them has had serious consequences: Victor Robles was designated for assignment several weeks ago. He was one of the few remaining Nationals from the 2019 World Series championship team, so that was sad. Too many base-running errors and mental mistakes. This week Nick Senzel has been designated for assignment, however, and the Nats might have to pay over $900,000 remaining on his contract without getting anything in return. That's a bummer. Also, first baseman Joey Gallo has been on the injured list for a few weeks, and it's uncertain if and when he will return to the starting lineup. He has really not panned out at all for the Nationals.

I was stunned to learn that one of my favorite New Nationals, first baseman / designated hitter Joey Meneses, has been sent back down to the minors in hopes that he can work himself out of prolonged batting slump. He has been doing just fine defensively, and he still gets clutch hits with some regularity, but his batting average (about .230) has lagged behind last year's mark.

As I gradually get caught up with web page maintenance, the Washington Nationals page is now updated with the team's position players and pitching rotation, new contracts for the 2024 season, win-loss records for the first three months of the baseball season, and the "memorable moments" (thus far) of 2024.

RFK Stadium demolition looms

Elsewhere in Our Nation's Capital, the days of RFK Stadium are fast drawing to a close. The National Park Service announced in early May that the final procedural steps authorizing the demolition of the Nationals' former home have been completed. I assume that means the physical demolition could take place any time this summer. It will be a gradual process, not a sudden implosion, but because of the unique way that the upper deck is suspended (by cables), there will be a very sudden collapse at some point.

July 8, 2024 [LINK / comment]

High heat hinders Herz, Nats fall

My first baseball game this year was quite an ordeal to endure, and it wasn't any easier for the players on the field. Temperatures soared into the mid-90s once again, no doubt raising beverage sales at the concession stands in Nationals Park. (I tried a tasty and refreshing "Dr. Juicy IPA," made by the Silver Branch Brewing Co. of Silver Spring, Maryland.) I was joined by my wife Jacqueline, for the first time in several years! She thought I should have chosen seats in the shade, and indeed I should have known better that there is more sun on the first base side in the afternoon. In the latter innings, we "retreated" to the upper gallery level, where the small roof at Nationals Park shielded us from the sun.

It was a beautiful day in the ballpark ... if you like sun, at least!

D.J. Herz, who was called up from the minors and joined the Nats' rotation on June 4 after Trevor Williams went on the injured list, got outs from the first five batters he faced. Then he walked Brendan Donovan and induced Nolan Gorman to hit a high pop up to short left field. It looked like an easy out, but James Wood took his time getting there, and the ball dropped right in front of him for a "double." It may have been that he couldn't see the ball because of the sun, and in fact he wasn't wearing sunglasses. As you can see from this composite photo, almost all his team mates were. In any case, the result was a run scored, and then the next batter, Dylan Carlson, singled to bring in a second run.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: James Wood* (LF), Jesse Winker* (DH), C.J. Abrams (SS), Trey Lipscomb* (3B), Lane Thomas (RF), Juan Yepez* (1B), Luis Garcia (2B), D.J. Herz* (P), Jacob Young* (CF), and Riley Adams (C).

* Asterisks denote new Nationals players this year.

The Nats quickly shook out that setback as two of their first three batters doubled in the bottom of the second inning: Jesse Winker and Juan Yepez, just called up from the minors to replace Joey Meneses. Two more Nats hit singles in that inning, thus tying the game, 2-2. In the fourth inning Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff double and later scored on a single by Nolan Gorman. D.J. Herz was getting through some tough situations, but his pitch count rose 102 and the heat was really getting to him. (Weather often cuts both ways in sports competition; it imbues both teams with a "brittle" quality such that the slightest misfortune causes the unlucky team to crack under the strain.) After a weird play in which Alec Burleson was awarded first base on catcher's interference, following a strikeout and a walk, Davey Martinez decided that enough was enough.

Manager Davey Martinez takes the ball from starting pitcher D.J. Herz, who exits the mound after getting one out in the [fifth] inning.

Unfortunately, the relief pitcher, Dylan Floro, was not effective at all. The first batter he faced, Wilson Contreras, hit an RBI single, as did the third batter, Nolan Arenado. After he gave up a third single, he was replaced by Robert Garcia, who finished the fifth inning and then the sixth inning without further damage. In the sixth inning the Nats loaded the bases with nobody out, but only managed to score one run. In the top of the seventh, the next Nats pitcher, Derek Law gave up a leadoff single and then a home run (to Wilson Contreras), as the Cardinals took a five-run lead. In the bottom of that inning, the Nats loaded the bases with two outs, but failed to score. Their only base runner in the last two innings was C.J. Abrams, who was hit by a pitch. Final score: Cardinals 8, Nationals 3. Attendance was only 19,782, negatively affected by the heat but boosted by a special promotion giveaway: free baseball hats to kids 12 and under. All the extra youthful enthusiasm was nice to see.

It should be noted that D.J. Herz struck out 13 batters in his third-ever MLB appearance on June 15, and 10 more on July 2. He thereby joined Stephen Strasburg, becoming the only other rookie pitchers in history (since 1901) to strike out at least ten batters in two of their first six MLB starts without giving up a walk. That is just incredible! Unfortunately his efforts yesterday were thwarted by defensive miscues and lack of clutch hitting.

In the final game of the series this afternoon, the Cardinals scored first (in the third inning) on a throwing error by C.J. Abrams, and later added solo home runs by Paul Goldschmidt and Alex Burleson, etc., etc. Final score: 6-0.

Tomorrow the Nats begin a three-game series in New York against the Mets, who will remain in [sole possession of] third place in the NL East unless the Nats somehow sweep them, followed by a three game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers. Then comes the All-Star break!

All-Star picks are announced

The 2024 All-Star rosters were officially unveiled over the weekend. In the American League, four teams got two starting players each: the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Houston Astros. Aaron Judge and former Washington National Juan Soto will represent the Bronx Bombers. As for the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies dominated with three All-Star starting players: Bryce Harper (1B), Trea Turner (SS), and Alec Bohm (3B). The first two are former Nationals, of course. The Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres also two All-Star starters each. The Midsummer Classic will take place eight days hence in Globe Life Field, in beautiful Arlington, Texas.

C.J. Abrams is an All-Star!

Washington Nationals shortstop C.J. Abrams was chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time, somewhat to my surprise. He excels in certain statistical categories, but he is still lacking in experience, as evidenced by his repeated base-running blunders.

Nevertheless, two obvious choices for the All-Star team were overlooked: starting pitcher Jake Irvin (whose WHIP* is 4th best in the NL) and closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan (whose 23 saves are tied for 3rd best in all of baseball). What a ripoff! Mark Zuckerman explains the anomaly at masnsports.com. Selections are based in part on popularity (votes by fans), partly on the players themselves, and partly on MLB insiders. NO Nationals players were selected by either of the first two methods, and since there were only eight remaining slots to fill by MLB, and all 30 teams had to be allotted at least one All-Star player, there just wasn't much "wiggle room." IMHO, they should have picked Irvin over Abrams. Oh well.

As a public service, I have compiled the records for the Nationals's regular starters this year, as well as their closer, ranked according to ERA. It includes Trevor Williams, who has been on the injured list for over a month, as well as the guy who replaced him, D.J. Herz, mainly because of his recent spectacular strikeout performances. Notably absent is Josiah Gray, who has been out since the early part of the season.

* WHIP = Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched.

Indianapolis stadium stuff

In my post last Tuesday, I should have explained the significance of Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Otherwise, who cares?) It was called Perry Stadium from 1931 through 1942, and then Victory Field from 1943 through most of 1967, and finally Owen J. Bush Stadium from then until 1995, after which it was replaced by a new Victory Field, which I visited in August 2017. The old Victory Field served as the home of various Negro League teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs and the Indianapolis Clowns. (See the Negro Leagues page, which is in need of updating.) Another big reason for this venue's interest to baseball fans is that it was where most of the game scenes in the movie Eight Men Out (1988), starring Tom Cusack, was filmed. People in Indianapolis are to be commended for helping to preserve a small but significant piece of baseball history. (See the Baseball movies page.)

"Stadium Lofts and Flats," a couple miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis, converted into apartments in 2013.

Also of possible interest to stadium buffs is the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a.k.a. "The Brickyard," with a seating capacity of about 250,000.

And finally, I've been working on a new diagram of Birmingham's Rickwood Field, which should be ready in the next couple days.

July 11, 2024 [LINK / comment]

Birding back in Virginia, July 2023

(NOTE: This is my first blog post on birding since January 3, when I finished a series of such pieces on my birding activities out west a year ago in June.)

July 11: Jacqueline and I drove up to Harrisonburg, mostly for shopping, but also spent some time at the JMU Arboretum. There we saw Wood Thrushes, Northern Flickers, etc.

July 12: Jacqueline and I drove up to Reddish Knob and later hiked for about a mile along the road toward Bother Knob, to the north. We saw several Red Crossbills at close range, as well as Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-throated Green Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, and best of all, a Merlin perched at the top of a spruce tree!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Merlin, Red Crossbills (M & F), Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, and Cedar Waxwing. (July 12, Reddish Knob & vicinity)

July 15: Jacqueline and I hiked for about a mile up the hunter access road that begins at the Boy Scout camp in Swoope, ignoring the high heat and humidity. There were several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and quite a few Eastern Wood Pewees and various woodpeckers, but the latter sort proved too elusive to photograph. LIkewise for the singing Wood Thrush. I got birds of all three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), but the Scarlet Tanager's head was obscured by a leaf. The big highlight was toward the end of our hike, when I saw my very first Yellow-billed Cuckoo of the year -- two of them, in fact! (I had seen a Black-billed one a month or so ago.) At the lake itself we saw a Great Egret, and later on north of Buffalo Gap I had a glimpse of a gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker flying over a field; that was one of the "target birds" for our hike, since I have seen them around there before.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Indigo Bunting, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, Scarlet Tanager. (July 15, Boy Scout camp & vicinity, Swoope)

July 12, 2024 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia [& North Carolina], August 2023

August 5: After a visit to Staunton's new recycling center in the morning, I headed over to the hilltop at Montgomery Hall Park, where I immediately heard the persistent songs of an Eastern Wood Pewee and an Indigo Bunting. I walked along the trail into the woods, and was delighted to see a Worm-eating Warbler, as well as a couple Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Along "Yulee's Trail" down the hill, I saw several Brown Thrashers, presumably a family, and heard a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Perhaps of more significance, we finally have hummingbirds at our back porch feeder! They usually arrive right around August 1, and last year it was at the end of July.

August 10: I stopped at Leonard's Pond on the way back from Harrisonburg today, and saw a few Solitary Sandpipers, Killdeers, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper or two. At the Hardee's pond in Verona a Great Blue Heron was perched on the "islet." Finally, along the Mill Place trail I saw a family of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and an Indigo Bunting.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Indigo Bunting, Solitary Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron, and Killdeer. (August 10, Leonard's Pond & Mill Place trail)

August 14: Jacqueline and I went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the first time. On our first full day there (Monday) we spotted an Osprey on a nest on a platform in an ocean inlet near the Sugar Creek restaurant in Nags Head, and soon three others showed up. Perhaps a recently-fledged family? Then we drove south and explored the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, where we bought souvenirs and a T-shirt. There we immediately saw a Greater Yellowlegs, and then some Little Blue Herons -- both young (top right) and adult (top center). Other notable birds included Laughing Gulls, Semipalmated Plovers, Double-crested Cormorants, and various terns. (Identifying seabirds and shorebirds is not my specialty.)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Osprey, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, and in center, Forster's Tern (prob.). (August 14, Pea Island NWR & Nags Head, NC)

August 15: On Tuesday morning we saw several Killdeers and an Eastern Kingbird or two at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk (technically, Kill Devil Hills), NC. Later we returned to the Pea Island National Wildlife Reserve, and I had excellent closeup views of a Willet and a Sanderling along the beach, as well as a couple Brown Pelicans. On the trail that borders the north end of the main pond I encountered (at a distance) a veritable cornucopia of birds, including White Ibises, Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, and a wide variety of sandpipers and terns.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sanderling, White Ibises, Tern, Killdeer, Brown Pelican, Willet, and Tern. (August 15, Pea Island NWR & Kitty Hawk, NC)

August 16: The final stop during our visit to the Outer Banks was at the Fort Raleigh National Historical Site, where the first (and ultimately doomed) English colony in North America was located, two decades before Jamestown. The first colonial baby: Virginia Dare! I happened to hear the squeaky call of a Brown-headed Nuthatch up in the pine trees, and managed to get some photos of it.

Brown-headed Nuthatch. (August 16, Fort Raleigh National Historical Site, NC)

August 27: Jacqueline alerted me to a Brown Thrasher out back, a clear sign that fall migration for passerines is underway! (For most of the summer they never come here.) So, I headed out to Braley Pond for a vigorous hike and was greeted by -- almost complete silence! VERY un-birdy. For over an hour, virtually all that I saw along the trail were some Red-breasted Nuthatches. As I reached the most distant point of the loop trail I saw a Barred Owl about 50 yards away, but it eluded my camera. As I neared the camping area toward the end of my hike, things started to pick up: I saw an Ovenbird, an American Redstart, some Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. Before leaving, I checked out the pond one last time and noticed a white object far away. It was an Osprey! One of two Ospreys, in fact. In the pasture by the corner of Braley Pond Rd. and Rt. 250 was a flock of 8-10 American Goldfinches.

August 30: Bell's Lane was fairly quiet in the morning, and a distant Eastern Phoebe was all I saw for the first half hour or so. As I was leaving, however, a Brown Thrasher started causing commotion in the bushes, while a Least Flycatcher was zipping all around, taunting me until I finally got a decent photo. Back home, the young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird has established his feeding territory, while Blue Jays make frequent loud visits.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Least Flycatcher, Brown Thrasher, Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Eastern Phoebe. (August 30, Bell's Lane & north Staunton)

NOTE: The text in these "catch-up" birding blog posts is mostly taken from Facebook posts I made at the time last year. Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2023) page.

July 24, 2024 [LINK / comment]

American League wins 2024 All-Star Game

This year's All-Star Game was played at Globe Life Field, home of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. Arlington's almost-new climate-conditioned palace was an appropriate setting for the Midsummer Classic. (Outside it was "hot, hot, hot!")

The National League took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when superstar Shohei Ohtani (now with the L.A. Dodgers but not pitching yet) crushed a home run that landed almost 15 rows up in the stands. Right fielder Juan Soto (former Washington National and current New York Yankee) just stood there and watched. But in the bottom of the inning, Soto got revenge by hitting a two-run double and then scoring on an RBI single to tie the game. Two innings later Jarren Duran (the Boston Red Sox outfielder who came in to replace Aaron Judge) hit a two-run homer to give the [American] League a 5-3 lead, and that ended up being the final score. Duran's name will not soon be forgotten!

The results of that game have been added to the Baseball chronology, annual page, which has been updated and corrected. (Most of the other baseball chronology pages have been updated as well.) For some reason I previously had erroneous cumulative wins and losses for the All-Star Games. The correct totals are 48 wins for the AL and 44 wins for the NL, along with two tied games.

Washington National shortstop C.J. Abrams replaced former National Trea Turner at shortstop, but he struck out in his only at bat. The Nationals' closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan, who was added to the All-Star roster at the last minute, did not get to pitch.

Next year's All-Star Game will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta. It was originally slated to host the 2021 All-Star Game but MLB decided to move the event to Coors Field for political reasons. (The Georgia legislature had passed a law governing election procedures that some people considered to be an infringement upon civil rights.) The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

2024 Home Run Derby

For baseball fans like me whose interests are highly focused on just one or two teams, the All-Star break is opportunity to become familiar with players from the opposing league and other divisions. For example, I had heard the name Teoscar Hernandez before, but I didn't know much about him. Well, the L.A. Dodgers outfielder just triumphed in this year's Home Run Derby, so he must be pretty good! The runner up was Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Hernandez beat the Phillies' Alex Bohm in Round 2, while Witt beat Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians. It seemed odd the top sluggers such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, or Juan Soto did not participate this year. In any case, congratulations to Teoscar Hernandez!

Midseason standings

The Baltimore Orioles have overtaken the New York Yankees in the American League East Division, in spite of the slugging reinforcement provided by Juan Soto this year. Could the Orioles actually win the division for the second year in a row?? The Yankees are expected to be big spenders in the trade market, as usual. In the AL Central Division, the Cleveland Guardians have a superb 60-40 record, leading the Twins and Royals by five games. The AL West is tied between the Astros and the Seattle, but neither team is very far above .500, so neither is likely to make it very far into October.

In the National League East, the Philadelphia Phillies maintain a commanding nine-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, in spite of a mini-slump of sorts. The Milwaukee Brewers are five games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, with the Pittsburgh Pirates close behind. That is an evenly-matched division this year. In the NL West the L.A. Dodgers lead the San Diego Padres by 8.5 games, with the Arizona Diamondbacks just a half game behind the latter.

As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, there are the usual rumors about "selling" teams such as the Nationals. It is possible the will let go of Kyle Finnegan, Jesse Winker, or Lane Thomas for the right price, but personally I hope they stand pat. The Nationals are 17 games behind the Phillies, about the same as they were at the beginning of the month.

Rested and refreshed, Nationals sweep the Reds

After their disappointing home stand from July 1 through 8, the Nationals traveled to New York on July 9, and were unceremoniously swept by the Mets. In the third of three games they lost 7-0, as starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore got hammered.

The very next day they limped into Milwaukee without any real travel rest, but somehow managed to piece together a 5-2 victory, mainly due to some clutch RBIs. (For the most part, the Nationals have done poorly with runners in scoring position this year.) In the fifth inning, Jesse Winker knocked a solo home run (his 11th) over the deep left-center fence to build the Nats lead. On Saturday, starting pitcher Mitchell Parker could not even finish the first inning, as the Brewers took a 5-0 lead. The situation seemed hopeless, but the Nats narrowed the gap with a 3-run rally in the fourth inning, followed by a solo homer by Luis Garcia in the seventh inning, and finally a 2-run homer by C.J. Abrams in the top of the ninth. Wonder of wonders! The Nats pulled off an amazing comeback win, 6-5. On Sunday, Jake Irvin had another shaky outing and left after four innings with the home team ahead 7-2. The final score was 8-3.

The Nats were obviously worn out and in flagging spirits after 17 straight days of games without a rest, so the All-Star break came just in time. The much-needed rest seemed to pay off very well, as they beat the Cincinnati Reds in three games at home in D.C. over the weekend. Much-maligned starting pitcher Patrick Corbin only gave up one run over six innings, while Keibert Ruiz displayed continued improvement by hitting a two-run homer. The Nats were ahead 8-1 going into the top of the ninth, but the bullpen crumpled as the Reds narrowed the gap to 8-5. Kyle Finnegan came in to close the game without any further damage. On Saturday Mackenzie Gore was replaced as starting pitcher after just two innings, with the Nats behind 4-2, but the home team gradually scraped together a few clutch RBIs in the latter innings and won it, 5-4. It was a remarkable improvement for the Nats' bullpen. On Sunday, Jake Irvin overcame his recent pitching struggles and went seven full innings only giving up two runs. The game remained tied until the eighth inning, however. That's when budding superstar James Wood hit a 3-run home run to left field, giving the Nats a 5-2 lead that they would not relinquish. Kyle Finnegan got his third save in three days -- his 28th save of the year, third in the majors!

Last night, however, the Nats' bats fell flat again, as the visiting San Diego Padres prevailed 4-0. D.J. Herz got through four innings without a scratch but then gave up back-to-back homers in the fifth inning: to Luis Arraez (recently traded away by the Miami Marlins) and Jurickson Profar. This time the Nats kept wasting their precious run-scoring opportunities. Tonight Mitchell Parker takes the mound for the Nationals, hoping for a much better outing than he had on July 13.

[UPDATE: Tonight's game against the Padres got off to a fine start as the Nationals took a 3-0 lead capped by Juan Yepez's* 2-run homer in the first inning. But in the top of the second inning, Mitchell Parker gave up a 2-run single with two outs, and immediately fell apart. After three innings the Nationals were behind 6-3, and then relief pitcher Jordan Weems gave up 5 runs in the fourth inning to put the game effectively out of reach. Utility infielder Ildemar Vargas came in to pitch in the top of the ninth, throwing balls in the 30-40 MPH range, but managed to avoid getting scored on. Final score: Padres 12, Nats 3. ]

* Yepez has hit safely in all 15 games in which he has played with the Nationals since joining the club earlier this month, setting a team record. He replaced the struggling Joey Meneses at first base, and thus far there is no doubt it was a wise personnel shift. I hope Joey recovers that magic he displayed as a 30-year old rookie for the Nats in August 2022, and makes it back up to the major leagues.]

July 25, 2024 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, September 2023

September 9 (Saturday): I led an Augusta Bird Club field trip along the Shenandoah Mountain Trail, south of Confederate Breastworks, along the Highland County line. The weather was just perfect, a delightful contrast to the last few days! It didn't take long before we came upon our first cluster of migrating birds, but we could only identify one species for sure: a Black-throated Green Warbler. After a while we heard and then saw a group of Scarlet Tanagers, all of them being either female or juveniles. Then we heard and saw a Pine Warbler in the tree tops. As we approached the steep mountain slope we heard and saw both kinds of Nuthatches, and had good looks at a Red-breasted one. At the trail crossing where we turned back was an American Redstart, and on the way back we finally managed to see one of the Blue-headed Vireos that had been singing and chatting. But the biggest highlight of the day was seeing a Ruffed Grouse as it flushed only about 20 feet away. Wow! We probably saw a total of three in two different locations.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Scarlet Tanager (F), Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Blue-headed Vireo. (Shenandoah Mountain Trail, September 9)

September 11: The morning after a nice rain, after 45 minutes or so of slow going I eventually hit pay dirt along Bell's Lane. Jim and Wendy Hill were there when I saw a Magnolia Warbler, White-eyed Vireo (3 or more total), and an American Redstart. (Hard to get good photos!) Otherwise, just the usual Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, and a possible House Wren. As I was leaving I heard and then saw a Broad-winged Hawk way up high.

September 13: Along Bell's Lane in the morning, I had very good views of a a Red-eyed Vireo and a White-eyed Vireo, but no warblers. I returned in the afternoon, and this time I saw two Eastern Wood Pewees and a Red-tailed Hawk, as well as a Brown Thrasher or two -- but no warblers again!

September 16: Lynne Parks led an ABC field trip to Augusta Springs Wetlands, and we were very fortunate to come upon a huge cluster of various warblers. Other highlights included four species of vireos, Wood Ducks, Cedar Waxwings, a Wood Thrush, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. (I didn't see the latter species.)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler. (Augusta Springs, Sept. 16)

September 20: I went birding along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the parallel Route 610, and finally got my wish to see my first Nashville Warbler of the year, by the signal tower. Otherwise, it was slow going for most of the mid-day until I hit the jackpot about a half mile north of the Humpback Rocks picnic area, on my way back. Warblers everywhere!!! I later paid a visit to the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch for the first time this fall, and had a nice view of a diving Merlin, and a couple kettles of (presumable) Broad-winged Hawks.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Northern Parula, Nashville Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Ovenbird, and in the center, American Redstart and another Bay-breasted Warbler. (Blue Ridge, Sept. 20)

September 27: In spite of the continued gloomy skies, I paid a visit to the Mill Place trail on my way back from getting my oil changed this morning, and boy am I glad I did! I got my best-ever photo of a Tennessee Warbler in the woods along the far corner of the trail, along with a Cape May Warbler, an American Redstart, and over a dozen Cedar Waxwings. Elsewhere along the trail I saw some Eastern Phoebes, Northern Flickers, and Field Sparrows. Later I saw Mark Kosiewski on Bell's Lane, and while looking for a Rose-breasted Grosbeak that he had spotted, I came across a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and possibly two of them. Not bad at all!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Tennessee Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Field Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Phoebe, and (in the center) Yellow-billed Cuckoo. (Mill Place trail & Bell's Lane, Sept. 27)

September 30: I joined a field trip to Bells Lane led by Lynne Parks and Allen Larner, seven days after the original trip had to be postponed due to adverse weather. We came across several warbler species, including Cape May, Magnolia, Pine, Bay-breasted, and Northern Parula. The other highlight was when an immature Bald Eagle also flew overhead.

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2023) page. (I am in the midst of a major reorganization of my bird photos, so that they will be sorted year by year.)

July 31, 2024 [LINK / comment]

Nats' lousy month comes to an end

In the final game of the series against the Padres in Washington last Thursday, the Nationals put in a valiant effort to avoid being swept, but it was all in vain. Patrick Corbin had one of his best outings of the season, giving up only 3 runs over seven full innings, but as has been the case so many times this year, he just didn't get any run support. In fact, he didn't get any "hit support" either! Yes, sports fans, for only the third time in Nationals Park history there was a no-hitter thrown on South Capitol Street, but this time it was by the visiting team. The Padres' All-Star pitcher Dylan Cease dominated the hapless Nats batters. The closest the home team came to getting a hit was when the phenomenal Juan Yepez punched a "Texas League" blooper that was bobbled by the second baseman, but the center fielder was able to grab the ball to complete the out. Unfortunately, that put an end to Yepez's 15-game hitting streak. He had gotten a hit in every single game he played with the Nationals until then, setting a team record for new players.

The Nationals lost in a no-hitter for the very first time nearly a year ago: August 9, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Phillies 7, Nationals 0.)

After getting rudely swept at home by the San Diego Padres, the Washington Nationals quickly gathered their wits and turned a trick on the Cardinals in St. Louis. Mackenzie Gore gave up 5 runs in the second inning, but the Nats clawed their way back and tied it 6-6 in the top of the seventh. The game went into the tenth inning, when Jacob Young hit a bases-loaded triple and then scored to give the Nats a four-run lead. Since the bullpen was already depleted, Kyle Finnegan came in in the bottom of the tenth even though it wasn't a save situation. Paul Goldschmidt hit a 2-run homer, but that was it, as the Nats hung on to win a glorious comeback victory, 10-8.

On Saturday, the Nats continued to rack up runs, with a homer by Keibert Ruiz and four hits in five at-bats for James Wood. Final score: Nats 14, Cards 3. On Sunday, the Nats briefly took the lead in the sixth inning, but the Cardinals soon tied it as the game went into the bottom of the ninth. That's when Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff walk-off home run, spoiling the Nats' hopes for a series sweep. Overall, nevertheless, the Nationals' performance in that series was very encouraging.

The series against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix got off to a great start, as the Nats scored 5 runs in the first inning. After eight innings they were ahead 8-2, and Mitchell Parker was anticipating a win. The D-backs narrowed the gap to four runs going into the ninth inning, when for some reason manager Davey Martinez put Kyle Finnegan on the mound again even though it wasn't a save situation. Unlike the situation on Friday, there were other pitchers available in the bullpen. For whatever reason, Finnegan just wasn't up to the task of getting outs, and he gave up two-run homers to both Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll. The latter was a walk-off dinger, as the crowd went wild. Final score: D-backs 9, Nats 8. Extremely annoying!

That game seemed to energize the Diamondbacks, who came out swinging in the game on Tuesday night. Nats' starter Patrick Corbin gave up 2 runs in the first, 7 in the second, and 2 more in the third, as the home team built a virtually unassailable lead, 11-0. The D-backs tacked on 6 more runs in the latter innings, and the final score of 17-0 was the worst defeat (in terms of run deficit) in Washington Nationals history! Today's game was an improvement, but Mackenzie Gore gave up the lead in the sixth inning, and his replacement Jacob Barnes allowed 3 more runs to score, putting the Nats in a 5-1 hole. They came back with a run in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth, but Riley Adams grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game. D-backs 5, Nats 4.

And so, the Nationals racked up a record of 10 - 16 for the month of July, their worst monthly performance this year. (See the newly-updated Washington Nationals page.) Despite their overall record sinking to a mediocre 49-60, the Nats remain just 16 1/2 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, who also had a rather poor month. Meanwhile, the New York Mets are threatening to surge ahead of the Atlanta Braves.

As expected, the Nationals were "sellers" as the trade deadline approached. Earlier in the month (July 14) they traded away relief pitcher Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals, who are a contending team this year. On Sunday, left fielder Jesse Winker was traded to the New York Mets for relief pitcher Tyler Stuart. Jesse was a solid contributor to the Nats this year, and his departure will sting a little. Goodness knows the Nats' bullpen needs help! Finally, right fielder Lane Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for three supposedly high-quality prospects. Lane was a popular guy who was considered the core of the Nationals' rebuilding effort, but for some reason his hitting slackened off a bit this year. The Nats acquired him from the Cardinals three years ago in a trade for relief pitcher Jon Lester, a deal that ended up being a steal for the Nationals. We'll see how this deal pans out...

Stadium orientations

On Facebook early today I was involved in a discussion about the possibility that Exhibition Stadium (home of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1977 until mid-1989) might have been adapted for baseball in a much different way that was carried out in real life. Someone suggested that the third base line should be roughly parallel to the pre-existing grandstand that was built for football games. (That is exactly what I suggested with a hypothetical diagram on that page.) This discussion, in turn, led to a broader discussion about stadium orientations, which are summarized on the Stadium statistics page, which will soon be updated. So, I added up the number of stadiums in each of nine different orientations, both the current ones as well as the stadiums of the past. Here is my compilation:

"Stadium orientation" as used herein refers to the compass direction of straightaway center field relative to home plate.