tulips!

My optimism in the fall has been rewarded with blooming bulbs. Sadly I'm not home to enjoy them, at least my doormat is.

Phillies: 10, Blue Jays: 3

Despite an unceasing mist, having already bought my ticket, and under a mild obligation from work, I again visited Citizens Bank Park for a Friday night Phillies game.

Arriving late, the first pitch I saw was hit out of the park by Jason Werth for a three-run home run in the second inning. In the third he approached the plate with the bases loaded. Again he drove the ball into the seats.

Soaked and shivering, I committed to watching Werth's third at bat. He again came through, though this time with the bases empty. My coworkers having disappeared to an in-stadium bar, I abandoned the game, hoping Werth wouldn't continue his home-run binge and set records. Returned to my hotel I learned that he did not continue his success and that that my departure was well timed, there was little scoring and no change to the outcome.

Nationals: 9, Pirates: 8

Down to DC for the weekend, the highlight a trip to the new Nationals Park. The stadium is new, clean and modern, but fails to stand out. There are no moments of astonishment, and my inability to identify its best featuer speaks volumes. PNC Park in Pittsburgh is the best ballpark I've visited, in large part because of the wide gap in left-center field that reveals the river below and skyscrapers beyond.
Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia incorporates the concourses into the game, with fans able to stroll above the bullpens, gather above the brick wall in centerfield. That Nationals Park takes all the basic design elements of these parks — wide concourses and better people-moving systems — but fails to add anything remarkable disappoints.
The highlight of every Nationals game is the Presidents Race. Because the Pirates were in town, the Pierogi Racers joined the race, their tastiness too much temptation for Teddy Roosevelt who chased them aimlessly while George and Abe battled to the end with Washington taking the win: