The Stinger Steve Ray

STINGER SENT TO THE MINORS

2011-05-21T11:57:00.004-04:00

Steve Ray & Potomac Nationals GM Josh Olerud

I am very pleased to announce that on Friday May 20th I was chosen to be the new PA Announcer for the MILB Carolina League (High-A) Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, VA.

With my association with the MLB Washington Nationals as their TV & Radio Promo voice, as well as Producer for the Nationals Radio Network for the first 5 1/2 seasons...and primary back-up PA Announcer at Nationals Park...I am extremely happy to still be associated with a team within the Nationals organization.

We do not have the luxury that the fans of the Orioles organization do. Baltimore has a majority of it's affiliate Minor League teams within an area around it's MLB club that's easy for fans to drive to. There are many fans who caravan to Hagerstown, Harrisburg and even weekend road trips up to Syracuse (as well as the faithful who head down to Viera, FL for spring training with the Nats)...but I'm hoping to assist the P-Nats in raising awareness that there is a very competitive effort going on right down 95 from DC in the Virginia suburbs.

First year GM Josh Olerud was extremely gracious during our meeting on Friday. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Paul Barrett, who is the P-Nats Video & Design Production Manager, handling the scoreboard & in-game entertainment presentation on their relatively new HD screen. Other improvements are being made to Pfitzner Stadium, including upgrades to offices for the team coaching staff, parking and other amenities. It has been reported in the news that team owner Art Silber is also looking for a sponsor who will step up with naming rights fees, in order to move forward on a committment for a new ballpark generally in the same area of Prince William County, but closer to 95. Lots of exciting things happening with this ballclub.

It's also very exciting to bring a few ideas from Nationals Park to their presentation & methodologies. I have always attempted to "super serve" the sponsors, while being true to the game and respectful of the fans. To that end, I'll be spending some time Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (5/23 - 5/25) sitting in with the current PA announcer to take notes and see how the P-Nats present the game...then I'll debut Friday 5/27 as Potomac kicks off a 3 day Memorial Day series against Lynchburg.

...and then...there's the possibility...maybe...kinda...fingers crossed...that Nationals 1st Round Draft Pick in 2010 Outfielder Bryce Harper may bring his hot bat to Potomac within the next month or so, on the way up the chain from Hagerstown (Low-A) to Harrisburg (AA) and eventually to the big league club in 2012...again, if everything goes well. With his 10th HR last night and raising his average to .364, there is always the danger that Harper may leap right over Potomac, but with Nats GM Mike Rizzo making it clear they were going to take their time with Harper & not bring him up to the big show this season, I'm hopeful that #34's talents will be showcased in Woodbridge.

Sometimes it's a good thing to be "sent down to the minors"...I look forward to a long running affiliation with the Potomac Nationals and I invite you to come down to the ballpark often. (Shameless Plug Here) Buy your tickets at POTOMACNATIONALS.COM ...and remember, it's ALWAYS a great day for baseball!

IT MIGHT BE...IT COULD BE...

2011-05-17T21:30:00.004-04:00

Could one of your favorite PA Announcers be inking a deal with a local MILB Carolina League baseball affiliate by the end of the workweek? Meeting Friday AM at nearby stadium. Sometimes being sent down to the Minors has it's advantages. Stay tuned. Will keep everyone posted on Twitter (@AMandFM) and Facebook

FRANK ROBINSON DOING BETTER AFTER HEART SCARE

2011-01-13T20:38:00.002-05:00

The first Manager of the Washington Nationals, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, was hospitalized Thursday because of a rapid heartbeat and dizziness, and later returned to a hotel to meet with baseball executives.

The 75-year-old Robinson said doctors at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital told him he was "a little dry, not dehydrated, but a little dry."

Otherwise, he said, they could find no reason that his heart rate jumped to 190. The typical rate for a healthy man is 60 to 80.

Robinson planned to go back to his Los Angeles home Thursday night and see his doctors there.

"I got checked out very thoroughly today and they gave me a clean bill of health," he said, "but I'll do it as a backup myself for my own satisfaction. I know my doctor will be calling me tonight telling me to get in there tomorrow. And I know my family will be after me to go."

Commissioner Bud Selig said tests on Robinson were negative for any serious problems.

Robinson is senior vice president for baseball operations for the commissioner. He began feeling ill during a meeting with owners and general managers.

"It started about 10 minutes after I sat down there for the meeting," Robinson said. "I kept hoping that it would stop and go down and be normal. After about a half an hour it wasn't going down and I decided `I should get out of here."'

Robinson said he had never had never felt his heart race like that before. After being released from the hospital, he sat in for 45 minutes on a meeting of the special committee formed by Selig to explore possible changes in the game.

Although he felt fine, Robinson said he won't take his condition lightly.

"When the big motor starts ticking around," he said, "you leave it up to the doctors."

Said Selig: "It really shook me up badly."

"Frank and I have worked very closely together the last couple of years and I have enormous respect for him as a person and friend," he said.

(Story adapted from wire service feeds including AP)

Frank Robinson was very gracious to me during the first two seasons with the Nats & I was crest fallen when he was released by the team. His "farewell" at the end of the year is one of my all-time favorite archival soundbites.

Down in Viera, FL for 2006 Spring Training I had the task of recording each player doing promo lines to be used during the radio broadcasts and in spots throughout the season. Frank was walking in the tunnel under Space Coast Stadium and heard the voices coming from the little trainers room I commandered to grab the sound bites. He picked up on the nervousness of the younger players, including a very shy Ryan Zimmerman, and started extoling the the small number of 'takes' with which their teammates had accomplished the task. Zimmy was up to about 12 takes when Frank's ribbing finally loosened him up. Frank had a great big smile on his face when Ryan finished and gave me a sly wink as he waited in the hall for the "next victim" LOL

Get well quickly Skipper...

60th ANNIVERSARY FOR SCULLY

2010-04-18T14:28:00.000-04:00

April 18, 1950 a young redheaded man stepped to the microphone in Brooklyn to call his first game for the Dodgers...60 years later he's still at it...Happy Anniversary to the legendary Vin Scully!

TRIVIA ALERT: Scully's first job out of Fordham University was as a summer replacement announcer on 1500 AM when it was called WTOP (the current Washington Nationals Radio Network flagship frequency).

Over his 60 years with the Dodgers, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles he has had the honor of calling the championship seasons of 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981 and 1988, and of course, Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965. Along the way for NBC-TV and CBS Radio he has called 25 World Series, Hank Aaron's 715th HR and so many memorable individual accomplishments from Robinson to Drysdale, Gibson to Valenzuela, the Alston era thru the Lasorda years and onto Torre's stint at the helm.

The irony of Scully being so identified with the Dodgers is that Vin grew up as a NY Giants fan in the Bronx.

4/17/1953 - Whoa Nelly that's a long one!

2010-04-17T13:53:00.002-04:00

Mickey Mantle's 565ft HR 4/17/1953 - only an illustration as Mantle batted righthanded that day

Today in Washington Baseball History ...April 17, 1953 NYY Mickey Mantle hits a tape measure 565 foot home run off of WSH LHP Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium. It wasn't the longest HR The Mick would hit, but it was the first ball to ever go over Griffith Stadium's left field wall....and the one that most credit with coining the phrase "tape measure home run" after Yankees PR Manager Red Patterson demanded that it be measured.

After clearing the bleachers, the ball careened off of a beer sign on the football scoreboard and then went onto Fifth St...eventually landing in the yard of a home at 434 Oakdale Street. Patterson ran out of the park and up the street where he found a 10 year old kid named Don Dunaway standing in his yard with the ball in his hands. Patterson measured from the spot of the impact that Dunaway had shown him in the front yard across the street to the outside wall of Griffith Stadium.

It actually ranks #7 on Mickey's all-time longest homers, with the longest reported to be 734 ft off of pitcher Bill Fischer of the Kansas City Athletics in May 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Three years later Mantle would hit another long HR off the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium for 620 ft., while batting lefthanded against Pedro Ramos.

As a sidebar, future NYY Manager Billy Martin was on 3B when Mickey hit the HR. As a joke Martin tagged up like it was a routine fly ball, and in the excitement Mantle almost ran into Martin, which would have been an automatic out and the HR would have been scored as a Double.

#42

2010-04-16T13:26:00.065-04:00

With the Montreal Royals

On April 16th 1929 the NY Yankees became the first team in Major League Baseball to wear numbers on their uniforms...they now have 16 numbers retired...tonight at Nationals Park we celebrate the career & life of the only man to have his number retired across all major league uniforms...#42 Jackie Robinson.

...more to come from the ballpark - MIL@WSH first pitch at 7:05 PM

Grey skies tonight as a storm system has already dropped a few drops on upper Montgomery County...windy conditions at the ballpark but mild temperatures. Coming up ...audio interviews with Senior VP & GM Mike Rizzo and Nationals IF/OF Willie Harris, who talks about the honor of being a part of the presentation on-field to representatives of Jackie Robinson's family. The audio links are below...be sure to left click the links to open in a new window. The Mike Rizzo interview was done for AM 630 WMAL here in Washington D.C.

Update: At around 5:15PM 3B Ryam Zimmerman was taking batting practice, but is not in tonight's starting lineup. During my interview with GM Mike Rizzo he said he's very pleased with Zimm's progress, although Ryan is still day-to-day, he can obviously still contribute. Ryan proved that with his clutch 2-run homer in Philadelphia as a Pinch Hitter last night. According to Rizzo, Zimmerman's left hamstring is healing quickly... but as usual, the team is not rushing any return from a hammy.

Sidebar: Had the pleasure of riding up to the press level in the elevator with Brewer's broadcaster Bob Uecker...Mr. Baseball! Complimented him on his speech during his Hall of Fame induction...a number of the working press looked at me like I was was crazy, until I clarified it was the WWE Hall of Fame inductions in Arizona before this year's Wrestlemania...Uecker cracked up and said, "I had a blast down there. Better than those stiffs up in Cooperstown!"

April 16, 2010 - Jackie Robinson Tribute video on NatsHD Screen

http://twaud.io/Rzm - (Link will open Twitter Audio page) Exclusive interview with IF/OF Willie Harris as he talks about the impact Jackie Robinson made on his career, the honor of being a part of the presentation on field in the pregame & plans for future involvement in the community with Nyjer Morgan...enjoy!

TRIVIA ALERT: Willie Harris and Jackie Robinson share the same hometown of Cairo, GA. Harris's uncle Shortstop Ernest Riles, who played with MIL, SFG, OAK, HOU & BOS in a 9 year career, is the only other major league player to have been born in Cairo. Harris, along with former National Dmitri Young is only the 2nd "individual" player to wear #42 in a game as a National since the number was retired. Although the entire team has worn the number, Young wore it as part of the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in 2007.

Nats Willie Harris in prerecorded tribute to Jackie Robinson

Harris presenting Washington #42 jerseys to representatives of the Jackie Robinson Foundation

http://twaud.io/RzF - (Link with open Twitter Audio page) Exclusive interview with Nationals Senior VP/GM Mike Rizzo as he talks about the impact of recent moves, putting players on notice about earning their jobs every day, Zimmerman's progress after the hamstring injury, Stephen Strasburg's potential, and Rizzo's unique approach to building the Nats minor league system vs. Jim Bowden's lack of visits to any minor league team...Rizzo's personal approach and how it pays off.

79 balmy degrees and the first pitch goes off on time at 7:05 PM...17,234 OFFICIAL PAID ATTENDANCE

B1 - With two outs Cristian Guzman singles to RF...with Adam Dunn at the plate MIL Yovani Gallardo throws a wild pitch advancing Guzzy to 2B...then Gallardo strikes Dunn out to end the 1st.

WSH changes - Adam Kennedy moves from 3B to 1B and Alberto Gonzales comes into the game batting 4th and taking over 3B after Adam Dunn is ejected

T2 - MIL Casey McGehee solo HR to RF on an 84 mph changeup from WSH P John Lannan - MIL1 WSH 0

B3 - WSH CF Nyjer Morgan RBI Triple brings C Wil Nieves in on a bang-bang play at the plate - MIL1 WSH 1...WSH Willie Harris walked then with Guzman at the plate 1-3-6 play catches Harris stealing

B4 - With Kennedy & Willingham on base Guzman grounds out to 2B for the third out...still MIL1 WSH1...and a very very light rain has started...some umbrellas are out...a sparse Friday night crowd to begin with...maybe 20 umbrellas total.

T5 - MIL Corey Hart RBI single to bring Ricky Weeks in from 2B...BTW Weeks now has a 10 game hitting streak...he is just the 5th player in franchise history to hit safely in each of his first 10 games, Dickie Thon (13 gms in 1993), Steve Hovley (10 gms in 1970), Dale Sveum (10 gms in 1987) and former National Ronnie Belliard (10 gms in 2000) are the others to reach that plateau. - MIL2 WSH 1

B5 - With two outs WSH Nyjer Morgan steals 2B with Guzman at the plate, Gallardo still on the mound for MIL...Guzzy strikes out swinging to end the 5th

T6 - Rain coming in a little harder now blowing across from the 3B side into the ballpark...after a single by MIL McGehee...Lannan walks 1, gets Gomez to pop out, 1 out on batter interference and Gallardo strikes out. MIL2 WSH1

B6 - Solo HOOOOOME RUN for Josh Willingham (his 3rd of the season) - MIL2 WSH2...Kennedy on 1B...Nieves strikes out swinging (Grounds crew nowhere to be found here at Nationals Park as Umps wanted to pull the tarp here in DC...better news for Stephen Strasburg in Harrisburg, PA...rain has let up, he may get his start in)

T7 - Lannan has a solid outing in the 7th...MIL Weeks gnd out to 1B...Hart gnd out to 3B...Braun single to LF and Fielder strikes out swinging. Pitching changes for both teams...102 pitches 67 for strikes for Lannan...Gallardo pulled by MIL...LHP Manny Parra in...Gallardo threw 107 pitches 59 for strikes.

B7 - WSH Nyjer Morgan hit by pitch...Willie Harris sharp grounder to CF...Guzman at the plate...MIL RHP Claudio Vargas in replacing Parra...Guzzy hits into 6-4-3 DBL Play to end inning

T8 - ...and there's the play that may...could...might cost us the game Ladies & Gentlemen...with MIL McGehee on 1B Gomez hits a Sac Bunt...fielding error by WSH 3B Gonzales overthrowing 1B...McGehee to 3B, Gomez to 2B...now a Sac Fly by MIL Gregg Zuan scores McGehee MIL3 WSH2...then a 7-4 dbl play as Escobar flys out to LF Willingham who throws to 2B Guzman to end the inning. The run is unearned.

B8 - WSH 3B Gonzales redeems himself after the throwing error in the top of the inning with a solid single to 3B side...Willie Tavares in as a Pinch Runner...Josh Willingham is hit by pitch by MIL RHP LaTroy Hawkins...Ian Desmond squares to bunt as Hawkins steps off with a look to 2B...Sac Bunt 2-4 by Desmond as Tavares & Willingham move up to 2B & 3B...Adam Kennedy with a solid stroke to RF past the diving MIL 1B Weeks...2 run RBI for Kennedy MIL 3 WSH 4...Kennedy gets bold - steals 2B...Nieves at the plate...Nieves smacks a grounder to LF...Kennedy scores from 2B MIL3 WSH5...and Mr. Clutch is here! Ryan Zimmerman steps to the plate as a pinch hitter...1 out...DBL PLAY 6-4-3 to end the inning as Zimmy grounds to SS Escobar...MIL3 WSH5

T9 - Changes for WSH ...Willie Tavares stays in RF, Willie Harris moves from RF to 3B and LHP Sean Burnett is now on the mound for the Nationals...Burnett does his job getting MIL Counsell to gnd out...RHP Matt Capps now in for WSH...MIL Weeks at the plate...high pop up to Nats dugout C Wil Nieves runs it down for out #2...MIL Corey Hart is the Brew Crew's last hope...Hart strikes out swinging!!!!

BANG ZOOOOM THERE GO THE FIREWORKS! PUT ANOTHER CURLY W IN THE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!

FINAL SCORE MIL 3 WSH 5

http://twaud.io/Sq4 - Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman's Post Game Press Conference (Audio has been compressed for upload) Link will open Twitter Audio

http://twaud.io/SqR - Nationals Pitcher John Lannan's Post Game Press Mosh in locker room (Audio has been compressed for upload) Link will open Twitter Audio

STINGER XTRAS~ Tonight...the view from 7th Heaven. As you've heard them describe on-the-air, the Broadcast Press level is on the 7th Floor for Charlie & Dave and The Jack of All Things Jack Hicks...rare air indeed from the Home Radio booth. As we joked during the first season in this booth..."You don't need an FCC license to broadcast from here, you need an FAA permit!"

The Jack of All Things Jack Hicks at the highest point in 7th Heaven

Dave Jageler Nationals PBP Voice

Charlie Slowes Nationals PBP Voice

"NUTS ABOUT THE NATS"

2010-04-11T03:24:00.012-04:00

That song...ooooh, that song...I can't get it out of my head! What is it about "Nuts About the Nats" that is so infectious...and how did the song ever come about?

The short version? Former DC Stadium/RFK Stadium Announcer & current PR Guru Charlie Brotman wrote the snappy tune "Nuts About the Nats" based on what he said at the ceremony announcing the renaming of the Expos after their relocation to DC...here is the original :60 second version.

(Link will open Twitter Audio)... http://twaud.io/RZf

Charlie Brotman

The back story...

In November of 2004 there was a press conference at Union Station to announce the re-naming of the relocated Montreal Expos, along with the unveiling of the new Nationals logo. Before then DC Mayor Anthony Williams could make the announcement of the return of baseball to Washington after 34 years, a protester rushed the stage. There had been protests over the stadium deal, the tearing down of a decrepit, yet historic neighborhood in SW DC to make room for the ballpark, and many other issues in a city that also happens to be the NIMBY Capital (NIMBY=Not In My Back Yard) as well as the Nation's Capital. The former Washington Senators PA announcer Charlie Brotman, who was at the podium on that November day, then wrestled the protester from the DC Statehood Green Party out of the way as security escorted the man from the hall. Charlie was already in his mid-70's but handled the punk like a wet rag.

Later in the ceremonies, Brotman, (who had attended games at the old Griffith Stadium), remembered a ditty from the 1950's when Washington's baseball team had been known both as the Senators and the Nationals. When he returned to the microphone later in the festivities Brotman sang, “I’m nuts about the Nats. I’m nuts about the Nats. I’m crazy ’bout the Senators, and nuts about the Nats." with his usual youthful exuberance.

TRIVIA ALERT: "Nationals" was the official name of the original American League franchise more popularly known as the Senators. The team played in Washington from 1901-60 before relocating to become the Minnesota Twins, with both names used interchangeably for several decades. Owner Calvin Griffith officially changed the name to Senators in 1957. There was also a team called the Nationals that played in Washington in the 1870s and 1880s. Senators was also used for a National League team in Washington in the late 1800s, as well as an expansion American League team that played from 1961-71 before becoming the Texas Rangers.

Before the 2008 season Charlie wrote out the lyrics to an updated version of "Nuts About the Nats" and I got a call from the team wondering if I could work the song into the pregame show of the radio broadcasts. After several calls back & forth to the song's producer....who happened to be an old acquaintance from Los Angeles...we got the mastered versions in hand just in time to premiere the song the next day.

It may not be up there with "Meet the Mets" or "Orioles Magic", in fact it was lambasted by some radio hosts who originally believed it was a parody song, but for now it's the closest thing we have to an unofficial "Official" team tune. A great PR man Charlie is also well known for his quite public Q&A with President George W. Bush during Bush's inauguration parade, asking the POTUS if he would be attending Opening Day 2005 at RFK Stadium. Brotman has been behind the P.A. microphone, stationed on top of or inside the media viewing area directly across the street from the presidential reviewing stand, for every inaugural parade over the last 50+ years.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who produced "Nuts About the Nats"? My friend Edd Kalehoff...the man responsible for "The Price is Right" & "Match Game" music along with so many other memorable TV show & news/sports themes!

All of this was brought to mind after seeing Charlie Brotman on Opening Day 2010, up in the Broadcast Press level at Nationals Park, after he had visited with MASN's Bob Carpenter. Now 6 years later, Brotman looks great...and strong enough to pounce on anyone who would interfere with the celebration of baseball in the Nation's Capital...and somehow, that's just the way it ought to be for a team that happens to be owned by 85 year old Ted Lerner who once worked at Griffith Stadium as a kid.

For many, myself included, baseball is the one thing that unites generations across time.

GLARING OMMISSION

2010-04-10T12:48:00.007-04:00

In Eliot Stein's WASHINGTONIAN article titled "Hey, I know that voice..." he gives a brief overview of the Radio & TV voices associated with Nationals broadcasts. MASN's Bob Carpenter & Rob Dibble, MASN's Nats Xtra postgame hosts Johnny Holliday & Ray Knight, and the Nationals Radio Network's Charlie Slowes and...and...um, ahem...you know, the other half of "Charlie & Dave"...ol' what's-his-name...

The first clue Stein doesn't know what the heck he's talking about is when he calls Slowes "the Nationals’ radio play-by-play commentator." Well, which is it? Is Charlie the play-by-play voice or the color commentator? And what about his partner...the OTHER play-by-play voice? You know him, you love him, you can't live without him...(waiting, waiting, tapping foot)...c'mon Eliot!

Dave Jageler & Charlie Slowes

The guy who came out of Syracuse University and called Syracuse Chiefs baseball. The guy who learned his trade in the PawSox organization, which also gave rise to major league voices Gary Cohen, Dave Flemming and Don Orsillo. The guy who does the other 4 innings, the highlight segment on the postgame show, the Minor League Report every Wednesday in the Nats On Deck pregame show...ring a bell Mr. Stein? The guy who has never had milk on his cereal. The man who once got his hair cut at Wal-Mart. The man who has never had breakfast for lunch, especially at I-HOP (otherwise it would be called I-HOLe for "International House of Lunch")

Yes...we're talking about Dave Jageler.

Oooooooooooh THAT other Nationals radio play-by-play voice! If you really knew baseball you wouldn't get your information from WikiPedia. Here's a link to Mr. Stein's original article:

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/15394.html

LISA PAGANO - StandUpTakeNotice.com

2010-04-10T00:00:00.004-04:00

Lisa Pagano of the Washington Nationals held her first event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society tonight at the Xchange Sports Bar 1719 G Street NW here in Washington. A great turn out as she races for the Woman of the Year Award with 9 more events scheduled for 2010.

Due to the noise of the crowd from shooting the video outside I'm offering up the following transcript of the video:

SR: Hi I’m here with my friend Lisa Pagano at Xchange which is at 1719 G Street NW on a pretty good looking Friday night, but we’re actually here for something more than just a pub crawl…just to have a few drinks on a Friday…we’re here for something a lot more serious and that is a fundraiser for the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society…I think I said that backwards…

LP: The other way around …The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

SR: Exactly…well, tell me first of all, your personal involvement with those two issues

LP: Blood cancer has been a part of my life since 1986. I lost a cousin to leukemia 22 years ago and although I didn’t know him well, his battle affected my family and my life. More recently my grandmother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma…that was about 18 months ago…she was 78 years old…she’s now in remission and she celebrated her 80^th birthday just two months ago.

SR: Oh that’s terrific! Now a lot of people don’t realize that even though there have been great strides made for both leukemia and lymphoma, this still affects a lot more people than you may realize.

LP: It does…every 4 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Every 10 minutes somebody loses that battle. It is currently estimated that 912,938 Americans are living with blood cancer.

SR: My goodness…now…you have a website…StandUpTakeNotice.com, now in addition to the ability to donate on that website tell me what else you can find there.

LP: You can find out about a lot of the events we have planned…10 total events…8 here in the District…2 back at home in New York…and we’re just trying to have some fun while we do this. I mean, we have a Kentucky Derby Party at the Crystal City Sports Pub (529 23^rd Street South, Arlington, VA from 3p to 7p on Saturday May 1, 2010), we’ve got a huge auction planned, a live Night Among the Stars live auction which will be at “19^th” just a few blocks from here (Night Among the Stars Live Auction at “19^th” 1919 Pennsylvania Ave. NW on Monday June 7, 2010), that’ll have “experience packages”…things you can’t buy. So you might be able to have lunch with (Nationals pitchers) John Lannan or Craig Stammen…or you may be able to have your picture taken with another Nationals player, things from D.C. United…

SR: That sounds great! …so you think we might be able to get (Nationals team President) Stan Kasten to come over and clean the apartment for a couple of thousand?

LP: You know what…Stan might do that…I’ll ask him…that’s a pretty good…I don’t know, I think he’d say “yes”!

SR: You never know…(laughs)…speaking of the Nats, on the event list there’s also a Nats/Mets game coming up…and what do you do to be able to contribute and be involved with that game?

LP: It’s very easy, go to http://nationals.com/MWOY you can purchase tickets for the Scoreboard Walk…they are $22 dollars each and $8 dollars of that goes back to my campaign.

SR: Oh that’s pretty good…

LP: …and then you can enjoy the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk, $5 dollar Happy Hour beers and enjoy yourself until the first pitch.

SR: That’s phenomenal…now tell us the website again…I really want people to get that ingrained…and also, is there an e-mail address on the website where they can send you an e-mail for more information?

LP: You can reach me through the website which is http://www.StandUpTakeNotice.com and I can always be reached at Lisa.Pagano@nationals.com

SR: Lisa thank you so much and congratulations

LP: Thank you!

Thanks to "Miss Chatter" Cathy Burton Taylor for shooting the video...and thank all of you in advance for stepping up to attend one of Lisa's events or donating directly through the website listed above.

PROUD MEMBER BBA

2010-04-09T18:42:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Daniel Shoptaw, the founder of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I was welcomed into the BBA this afternoon. This is a collective of some of the most dedicated writers and beat reporters around the country who have a love for the sport and business of baseball. Some are associated with traditional media outlets, but most are freelancers who offer up everything from game summaries, strong opinions, photo blogs, historical perspective and interviews on both the major & minor leagues.

Here are just a few of my daily BBA member reads:

http://www.nationalsdailynews.com/home/ - Mark Hornbaker is one of my favorites when it comes to the history of baseball in Washington. Mike Henderson is also a daily read on the same website.

http://www.thenatsblog.com/ - The Nats Blog is a full featured site that also offers insight into the Syracuse Chiefs, the Nationals AAA team.

http://wevegotheart.com/ - Named for the song in the play Damn Yankees "Ya Gotta Have Heart", Danielle, Jenn & Carolyn are great examples of fans who offer a personal perspective on the team.

I am very proud of my new association with the BBA and thank founder Daniel Shoptaw for his warm welcome. We'll be displaying the BBA logo and offering up a Blogroll of recommended links sometime early next week.

FIRST WIN FOR 2010 IN NATSTOWN

2010-04-08T21:00:00.003-04:00

http://twaud.io/R2z - Here's the call of the final out as the Nationals defeat the Phillies 6-5. Charlie Slowes with the call on the Washington Nationals Radio Network.

Once again, Mr. Clutch Ryan Zimmerman comes through with an RBI DBL in a long at bat in the bottom of the 7th to bring in Alberto Gonzales. Philadelphia had tied the game at 5-5 on a Jimmy Rollins SAC FLY in the top of the 6th to drive in Raul Ibanez, after singles from Placido Polanco & Ryan Howard started the Phillies on the comeback trail in the top of the 5th inning.

For the Nationals ...Cristian Guzman singled in the home half of the 1st inning, plating Nyjer Morgan to get Washington on the board...Adam Dunn grounded out to bring Guzzy home and advance Zimmerman to 3B, setting up Josh Willingham who hit a SAC FLY bringing Zimm home to make it 3-Zip at the end of the 1st. In the bottom of the 4th Willie Harris hit his first home run of the year, a two run shot to right CF which scored Adam Dunn. On the mound, Craig Stammen went 5 innings throwing 75 pitches - 45 for strikes. Setup man Brian Bruney and closer Matt Capps struggled to shutdown Philadelphia, but they got the job done. Capps, who had one of his worst seasons with the Pirates last year, actually recorded fastballs in the 95mph range

The boys are on the road for a three game series against the NYM before heading to Citizens Bank Park to face the Phillies again M-W-Th next week.

OPENING DAY AUDIO & PICTURES

2010-04-07T23:14:00.016-04:00

Each one of the links below will open up a Twitter Audio player

Here's my exclusive interview with new Nationals Shortstop Ian Desmond: http://twaud.io/69l

Part One of my interview with Nationals Principal Owner Mark Lerner: http://twaud.io/6KR
Part Two of my interview with Nationals Principal Owner Mark Lerner: http://twaud.io/6KS

Although born in Baltimore, I consider myself a native Washingtonian. An original Senators red felt pennant from a promotional day I attended as a kid in 1968 hangs on the wall in my home office & studio. Since 1971, when Bob Short moved the Senators to the Lone Star State to become the Texas Rangers, it's been my dream to see baseball return to Washington. I am very proud of my involvement as the Producer of the Washington Nationals Radio Network for the first 5 seasons, as well as the promotional voice you hear on the Nats TV & Radio spots...from the Nationals Park NatsHD screen or from the PA booth on rare gamedays...and even when you call the team and are prompted by my dulcet tones or entertained while on hold...(even *I'm* sick of hearing me sometimes LOL)...the association with my hometown team has made me very, very proud.

I have a number of friends who have been a part of building the franchise from the time they were in trailers in the snow outside of RFK Stadium to the present day when they are housed in one of the most modern beautiful ballparks in the country. At the executive level I can count two or three close friends that I feel lucky to be associated with...and Principal Owner Mark Lerner has always treated me with graciousness and respect. I had a chance to speak about the business of baseball with Mr. Lerner for over 10 minutes...on Opening Day that was a rare period of time for him to spare.

We covered a wide range of topics, including some that other interviewees may not have felt comfortable answering. To Mr. Lerner's credit he answered openly, honestly and with straight forward responses. Enjoy both parts of the conversation linked above.

Interview with Nationals Play-by-Play voice Charlie Slowes: http://twaud.io/6Kn

Charlie and I have been friends for over 6 years, having been introduced literally days before the very first Nationals radio broadcast in 2005. It's very hard to interview a friend...especially when there are private jokes between you and things that should remain best said off the air.

A graduate of Fordham University, Charlie has worked at KMOX in St. Louis, learning from one of the great play-by-play voices of all time, Jack Buck, as well as KMOX's Bob Costas. During an interview with the legendary Dodger voice and fellow Fordham graduate Vin Scully in Los Angeles a few years ago, it was revealed that Scully had also been heard on 1500 AM (the Nationals current flagship station), when it was still WTOP Radio. It was Vin's first radio job right out of college as a summer replacement announcer over 6 decades ago!

Slowes has had the opportunity to call baseball for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets, as well as other sporting events for ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Radio Sports & Mutual/Westwood One among others. But Charlie also spent many, many painful years as the voice of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during some of their worst seasons. It has been noted that Slowes has an affinity for filling the time during downward spirals by both the Devil Rays and the Nationals, with great stories, insight and a natural infectious sense of humor, playing off of his partners in the booth.

In addition to his now trademark "Bang Zoom! There go the fireworks!" whenever a Nationals player hits a home run & "Put another Curly W in the books!" for a Washington win, he has also called some of the most memorable events in Nats history. The first time Slowes used "Bang Zoom" was mid-May 2005 on a Nick Johnson HR. As it turned out, the inspiration came from a conversation about what DVDs the guys were going to take on a road trip. Charlie is a huge fan of Jackie Gleason and "The Honeymooners" and had bought the DVD collection. Fans will remember that Jackie's character "Ralph Cramden" mocks his wife Alice with the quote, "One of these days, one of these days Alice...Bang Zoom! To the moon!"...and that, my friends is the true story behind Charlie's now famous home run call.

But the call I always looked to as a benchmark of Charlie's place as a great baseball voice was his call, as the visiting radio voice, of Barry Bonds historic 756th home run in San Francisco. Click on the link and hear much, much more as Charlie and I just shoot the schtuff standing in the National's dugout a few hours before the first pitch on Opening Day.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig - during a 5th inning press mosh - Pt. 1: http://twaud.io/6L5

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig - during a 5th inning press mosh - Pt. 2: http://twaud.io/6L6

Part 2 begins with my question about the All Star Game coming to DC, which I found interesting, since most new ballparks are awarded the mid-summer classic sometime in the first two or three years. Selig responds with the idea that DC is certainly deserving, but there are multiple new ballparks being built that are all clamoring for that event. MASN and Mark Zuckerman (among others) actually picked up on that Q&A and featured postings of their own.

IT'S UP....IT'S GOOOOOOOD!

2010-04-07T22:04:00.007-04:00

Joining the blogosphere once again, after having written for 6 other blogs and two private blogs of my own, I thought it was time to find a place to park photos, audio and other media related to radio, baseball and other interests.

We'll be creating a custom template and sending out alerts via Twitter at "AMandFM" and my "work" Facebook page at http://facebook.com/thestingersteveray

More long form content coming soon to the new blog...reach out via e-mail Click Here