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Tag: Washington Nationals

  • Joe Namath Called Jeter ‘an Angel’

    Joe Namath Called Jeter ‘an Angel’

    Joe Namath and Derek Jeter, two iconic figures in New York sports history, met on Monday at the Yankees’ Grapefruit League game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

    Namath, wearing a Yankees uniform with his old No. 12 on the jersey, sat in the dugout with the Yankees captain during batting practice of the team’s spring training game against the Washington Nationals.

    The 70-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback referred to the meeting as “another highlight in my sporting life!” on his Facebook page.

    Post by Joe Namath.

    Namath praised Jeter for his conduct on and off the field during his career in baseball.

    “Knowing the scrutiny that he’s had over the years, I can’t imagine how the guy could be an angel like this,” Namath said.

    “He’s to be respected in every phase of his life, it seems,” he said.

    “Many of us fell short with some of that, but you learn to bounce back. It’s human to err, and I know about that. We do our best to come back. Derek hasn’t made many errors that I’ve witnessed,” Namath added.

    Post by Joe Namath.

    The two had met once before, Jeter said, and spoke briefly while filming a commercial 1997 in for Nobody Beats the Wiz, a former electronics chain. The Yankees player was glad to spend more time conversing with Namath.

    “I didn’t watch him play football, because I’m too young, but I’ve admired his confidence, the confidence he played with,” Jeter said.

    Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he was excited to have Namath in uniform and at the game, and asked Namath to serve as a team co-manager for the day. Namath brought the lineup card to home plate.

    “It’s special. This was excitement from the get-go, when I talked to some folks about being here,” Namath said.

    “I’m a baseball fan, I’m a Yankees fan, I’m a people fan. So yeah, this is very special,” Namath continued.

    Image via Facebook

  • MLV TV Worker Dies of Heart Attack in Atlanta

    The Washington Nationals, who are finishing a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves today, are reporting that MLB TV cameraman Reuben Porras has died.

    The 61-year-old Porras suffered a heart attack at Turner Field in Atlanta on Wednesday while setting up his equipment. Nationals Head Trainer Lee Kuntz and Nationals Assistant Coach John Hsu were reportedly able to revive the cameraman in the off-field media room where the incident occurred. They performed CPR and used an automated defibrillator until medical personnel arrived.

    According to a Comcast Sportsnet report on the event, Kuntz was informed later that Porras had died at an Atlanta hospital. Kuntz stated that this was the first time he had to use CPR during his job, though the entire Nationals staff receives CPR training each year.

  • Bryce Harper Has An Absolute Cannon For An Arm

    In just about every professional sport, fans are on the lookout for the next one. Be it the next Michael Jordan, the next Lionel Messi, the next Peyton Manning, the next what-have-you. In baseball, the hunt for the next “Natural” is always underway, and the latest potential nominee for that mantle is Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.

    Much like LeBron James, the legend of Bryce Harper (The Hopper!!!) began when he was in high school. Actually, it began in earnest when Harper left high school–with his GED–early in order to be eligible for the 2010 Amateur Draft. Before that, however, Harper enrolled at College of Southern Nevada, a junior college that allowed him to show off his immense baseball skills. The hype meter for Harper increased when he hit 31 homeruns in only 66 games.

    Sports Illustrated also contributed mightily to the Legend of Bryce Harper with the following cover:

    (image)

    After two successful years in the minor leagues for seasoning purposes–as of today, Harper is only 19 years old–Harper was called up to the Nationals on April 27, 2012. Harper’s Major League career began the next game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which saw him get his first hit. While that particular milestone will forever be remembered for the moon that appeared behind Harper, the throw he made from the outfield to the home plate did as much, if not more, to enhance his legend as a next great baseball player.

    Harper’s throw came last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it was such a devastating display of athleticism, it apparently fooled the umpire into calling the runner safe. Apparently, even the umpire didn’t believe Harper was capable of such a throw, so he assumed the runner beat the tag, even though freeze-frames show otherwise. SBNation was kind enough to capture the throw in gif format, the image format that just won’t die:

    (image)

    However, thanks to Deadspin’s post, I now know that Major League Baseball has finally allowed the embedding of their highlights:


    I’m not even going to ask what took them so long, because they may rethink such a drastic decision. With that in mind, are you feeling the Bryce Harper hype or is the sample size not big enough?