After a four-game split with the Mets, the Nationals remain a comfortable 12 games up in the NL East, as they have for much of the year. Perhaps for you (as for me) it has felt like a game of hurry up and wait; the inevitable march towards October looks much the same from one day to the next, marked only by the players leaving or coming back from injury. It has been September call-ups since June, so what to do now with actual September call-ups just days away?
Maybe we could all play outside…for a good cause!
Hi, my name is Frank (@Nationals101). You may remember me from posts like Exactly How Good a @MASNCommenter Team Would Be? and Locker Room Towel Fights: The Blinding of Larry Driscoll. I’m here because I want to invite you all to the Half Street Irregulars presentation of Nationals Youth Baseball Academy Field Day. (#HSINYBAFD2)
What is it?
This year, on Sunday September 24, 2017 at 1pm, we will be hosting a picnic and field day the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy (NYBA) facility in Ward 7. A $25 donation to the NYBA will garner you access to food and drink, softball, fun outdoor games, raffles and prizes and much more. Last year’s inaugural event raised a fair amount of money for the NYBA, and attendees had a great time picnicking, hitting in the home run derby and throwing in the long toss contest, winning excellent Nats swag in our raffles, and meeting other Nationals fans who care about their community.
In addition, this year we are hopeful some special guests will be in attendance, and will also be playing a Nats Blogger and Fan softball game featuring, many of the Nats podcasters and writers you’ve probably seen on the Internet.
What is The NYBA?
If you didn’t know, the NYBA is a state-of-the-art, nine acre education and recreation campus in Ward 7, at Fort Dupont Park. Their mission is “To use the sports of baseball and softball as vehicles to foster positive character development, academic achievement and improved health among youth from underserved communities in Washington, D.C.”
It’s truly a wonder to behold if you’ve never been there before, and it has a very sizable impact on the children that attend the academy. It’s not just teaching children baseball, but using baseball to help improve lives and learn in all aspects of life. Homework support, computer labs, leadership – even classes on health cooking. This facility provides desperately needed support to its scholar athletes, and you should check out their web page if you’re interested in knowing more.
What a lot of people don’t know is that only a very small part of their operating budget comes from the Washington Nationals baseball team. They rely on large and small donations directly to the academy to provide these services. That’s why they help sponsor our event, because they need our support-and we want you to come and help and have fun!
Who are you again?
The Half Street Irregulars is a Nats fan group dedicated to being good fans, having a great time, and doing good where we can in the community. Last year we organized the trip to Citi Field, and many of us came with Talk Nats this year to do the same.
I have questions! I want to come! What next?
You can donate directly to the NYBA, and for a minimum donation of $25 per person you can attend. Make the donation online and make the donation in honor of “HSI NYBA FIELD DAY 2017.” Then forward the receipt to our email address (halfstreetirregulars at gmail dot com) along with the name of your attendees and we will add you to the list. Even if you can’t come, consider donating. Please.
You can also donate the day of the event if you like, but we’d ask that you’d RSVP to the email address so we have a sense of how many people are coming (and we’ll also be counting on you and your donation, so don’t flake)!
Please direct any questions you may have to our Twitter accounts: @Nationals101 or @Half_St_Irr and we’ll do our best to get you sorted out.
Thanks so much, and we all hope to see you there!
