Post (?) Pandemic 1: Basketball

Friday, December 2, I went with Stan and two others to watch Maryland play Illinois. It was my first athletic event in almost three years because of the Pandemic. Although the game didn't begin until nine P.M., I stayed alert because it was exciting. The capacity crowd was wild and very happy that the Terps won. The new coach Kevin Willard has won his first eight games.

 

Baseball is back for me

Watched the Nationals beat the Marlins Tuesday night with neighbor Jim. Had a nice time.

Maryland now 17-4

After they beat Iowa on Thursday night. I really like the pageantry of Terp basketball games. The students were back from semester break and turned out enthusiastically. The unfurling of the state flag is a colorful part of the rituals:

Maryland beats Purdue

Got a big lead in the first half, and then the Boilermakers came back in the second. Not enough though, and we got the win.

Terps beat Indiana

Great game to attend because the team played well in front of a full house of enthusiastic fans.

Here, freshman Donta Scott, number 24, battles defenders:

Our big man, Jalen Smith, is called "Sticks" by his teammates because his legs are skinny. This is Jalen shooting a free throw:

Maryland Basketball

I went to an early game against Oakland College of Michigan which we won.

 
We've won every game since, and as of today we're 7-0

World Series Parade

Saturday I went down to the Mall in D.C. for the parade celebrating the first Washington baseball team to win a World Series in almost a century.

I've lived in this area my whole life, for all practical purposes and have been a baseball fan since I was about six years old. That adds up to a lot of disappointments. The team in the 1950's was terrible, and when it started to improve moved to Minnesota. The major leagues give us an expansion team immediately, but they weren't very good either. After that team moved to Texas, we were without a team for over thirty years. I didn't pay much attention to baseball for a while and eventually began rooting for the Baltimore Orioles. Although I still follow the O's, my heart when back to Washington when the Montreal team moved here. The new team, the Nationals, have had some very good seasons but never quite good enough to make the Series until this year when they came into the play-offs as the underdogs but managed to prevail each step along the way.

Some years ago, I think it was during the time Washington was without a team, I somehow obtained a baseball jacket with the name "Senators", the name of the old team. When I wore the jacket to the parade it attracted some attention. In fact, a young women who said she was a reporter for the Washington Times newspaper interviewed me and took my picture. I guess she thought an old guy who's apparently seen a lot of baseball might be worth a feature story, but I looked a couple of times on their website and didn't see any article on me.

Buses like the one above carried the players. I'm glad I went but didn't stay for the whole thing

Labor Day baseball

The Nats lost to the Mets, but Pam and I had a good time anyway. Great seats provided by our neighbor, Jim Cooke.

 

Nats Game on Wednesday

I go to one or two games a year, and it seems like each time the Nationals lose. The first picture shows Sean Doolittle taking the mound in the tenth inning against the Braves. Although Sean has been our most dependable relief pitcher, he gave up the game-winning homer.

Earlier in the game I took this picture of Anthony Rendon at bat:

Comparing the two photos above, I notice the bluer sky later in the game. The bluer sky also brought more sunlight and higher temperatures. Still, I had a good time, and I'm glad I went.

Women's basketball

Pictured above is the opening tip-off with Maryland playing Minnesota.

The visitors got off to an early lead and were ahead by as many as 16 points. They held on to the lead until the last second. The Terps went on a 9-0 run in the final minute of play.

Above is Kaila Charles shooting a free throw earlier in the second half. Kaila made the winning basket with one second remaining after making a steal.

Maryland basketball last night

They beat Radford.

Anthony Cowen shooting free throws:

Catch-up #5: Football

The University of Maryland won against Bowling Green.

Catch-up #3: Baseball

I went to a Nationals game with neighbor Jim in September. I don't remember who we played, but I believe the Nats lost.

Baseball in the Park

During the season we often hear the sounds of baseball being played in the park across the street. The sound of the bat hitting the ball and the cheers that follow are nice background noises. Sunday both the softball and hardball fields were in use.

An older men's league played on the hardball field. Since many of the players appeared to be about as old as I am, I spent a bit of time watching and trying to determine how much practice I'd have to put in to play. I thought the pitching was slow enough for me to hit, but maybe I'm kidding myself. Certainly, I'd have to work on my throwing since I could damage my arm if I tried to throw as a ballplayer without gradually working up to it. It's all theoretical since I really don't plan to try.

Two Hispanic teams competed on the softball field. They were both younger and better than the older guys. The game was also much noisier since the teams brought along their own fans to root for them.

Baseball game with Bill's Uncle Joe

Attended an Oriole's game Wednesday with friends Stan, Gus, Bill, Bill's Uncle Joe, and Bill's cousin Jackie. The last three named are Boston Red Sox fans, so they were pleased with their 5-1 win.

Uncle Joe is 93 and physically slow but mentally sharp. I've attended sporting events with him before and enjoy our conversations.

Baseball Saturday Night

Watched probable future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer pitch for the Nationals against the Dodgers. Although Max pitched eight very strong innings, the Nats bullpen couldn't hold the lead and lost the game.

Good night out though, with neighbor Jim.

Women's Basketball

The University of Maryland has had one of the nation's best programs for the past few years. Last night I attended my second game of the season, and it was a lot of fun.

The Terps easily beat their chief Big Ten rival, Ohio State, before an enthusiastic crowd.

Nationals' game, Wednesday night

Pam and I attended with next door neighbors Jim and Sue. Although Pam isn't much of a sports fan, she had a good time. I always have a good time.

Major League Baseball

Went to the Nationals game this afternoon with neighbor Jim. Nats lost 3-2 but had a good time.

Big 10 Basketball Tournament

Yesterday Stan and I took the subway down to the Verizon Center for the opening day of the tournament, and the two games were Nebraska against Penn State and Rutgers against Ohio State. These were the weakest teams in the conference, so attendance was sparse. Even so, it's a great atmosphere that we had the privilege of taking in from the lofty press box. Free food too.

At half time we went down to the court to thank Stan's friend who works for the conference and was responsible for our free tickets. The Big 10 Network commentators were broadcasting their analysis of the play so far.

It was fun walking around the arena because fans from all the conference teams were attending, and most were showing the colors of their favorite schools.