The View From Here

Nats Fest and opening day

 

Opening Day is a national holiday as far as I'm concerned. I'm on way way to NATS Park in the rain to watch the retooled Nationals take on the Braves and Jayson Heyward.

I led a discussion with Nats execs and top players yesterday and I'm feeling better about their prospects. Jayson Werth is a great add, defensively the team promises to be stronger which should help shore up the starting rotation which has a lot of question marks. I also like that the Nats have made some big investments in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Here's an MLB write up about my support of the Nats.

Finally, I'm from Los Angeles and am a lifelong Dodgers fan. I'm annoyed that all the pundits have failed to mention them as contenders in the NL West. I resent the oversight given the potential strength of the rotation. Don Mattingly as the new skipper will be tested however.

Dodgers v Giants tonight!

 

Nats home openers

Below is an article from MLB.com about my streak of attending Washington Nationals home openers:

Meet the Nats: Gregory a regular at openers

NBC reporter to attend sixth Opening Day in past seven years

When it comes to world affairs, NBC reporter David Gregory is the man to watch. He can be seen as the moderator on "Meet the Press" every Sunday morning.

But one could also add the title of "baseball fan" to Gregory's name. He is a Nationals season-ticket holder and will attend the team's home opener Thursday afternoon against the Braves. It will be his sixth Opening Day involving the Nationals in the last seven years. Gregory missed one Opening Day because he attended his sister's wedding.

Read the rest of the article at MLB.com

 

POTUS as Brew master

Here's an interesting article I saw in The Hill:

Obama as beer-brewer in chief

Barack Obama will go down in history as, among other things, the first president to brew his own beer in the White House.

The blog Obama Foodorama reported this week that the president's Super Bowl party featured a selection called "White House Honey Ale,” brewed right at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The blog said the president and first lady Michelle Obama bought the equipment with their own funds (an aide did not specify when) in advance of serving it at the February gathering. 

You can read the rest of this article at The Hill.

 

Unleash the Fury!

Even serious news guys need to let off some steam sometimes.

The Washington Capitals asked me to be part of their "Unleash the Fury" video that gets played during the third period of home games. So last night I recorded some different options at the arena for them to choose from. I’m already accustomed to screaming this at the top of my lungs during Caps games, so recording it with them was second nature for me. But, I don't think I'm going to be quitting my day job anytime soon. Check out some of the outtakes below!

 

Stan Musial awarded Medal of Freedom

Chris Donovan, a producer for Meet The Press sent me this and I wanted to share:

Stan Musial was one of the recipients of Medal of Freedom today – and I had read this profile of him back in November which was great – and this great tidbit – he had same number of hits at home as he did on the road!

A lovely man, with lovely symmetry. Musial stroked two hits in his first game in the majors Sept. 17, 1941. He ended his career with two hits in his final game Sept. 29, 1963, in St. Louis. And with those last two hits, Musial finished with 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road. As the writer George Will once wrote, "baseball's rich in wonderful statistics, but it's hard to find one more beautiful than Stan Musial's hitting record. He didn't care where he was, he just hit." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/21/2010)

 

Nothing would make me happier...

Check out the article below from USA Today.

Steve Garvey wants to buy pro sport franchise

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY

Steve Garvey, the former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, is in the hunt to buy a pro sports franchise. The 62-year old Garvey says he's leading a West Coast-based investment group that's interested in buying his old club. If the Dodgers don't come up for sale as a result of the divorce between current owner Frank McCourt and wife Jamie McCourt, the group will seek to buy another pro sports franchise.

No matter what club the group does buy, the nattily dressed Garvey, sporting a silk scarf over an expensive suit and tie, said he'll try to apply the "Dodger Way."

Garvey's group is not currently involved in any of the various plans to bring an NFL club back to Los Angeles. But he's following events closely. "We're in the bleachers right now watching everything," Garvey said.

During his 19-year career with the Dodgers and Padres, the 10-time All-Star batted .294, hit 272 homers, drove in 1,308 runs and won the 1974 National League MVP. Nicknamed "Mr. Clean" during his playing career, Garvey emerged as a potential suitor for the Dodgers in December, according to the Los Angeles Times. Since retiring in 1987, the twice-married Garvey has worked for the Dodgers as a consultant as well as serving as businessman and motivational speaker in Southern California.

 

The tax debate continues

• Thomas Friedman, who was a guest on this past Sunday's round table, thinks the President's deal  with Republicans on tax cuts is, "just another shot of morphine to a country that needs to do things that are big and hard and still only wants to do things that are easy and small."
• In contrast, two economics professors - one from NYU and the other from UCLA - believe that the Bush Tax Cuts didn't go far enough. They draw examples from 1940's, post-war Britain to argue that there needs to be lower taxes to increase investment and growth.
• Though the framework for a deal with Republicans has been made, it is unclear whether the Democrats will have the votes from their own party to pass the bill.
• It is being reported that the fate of the START nuclear arms treaty with Russia may hinge on whether or not the deal on tax cuts can be passed. 
• Julian Assange wrote an op-ed in an Australian newspaper yesterday arguing, "Don't shoot the messenger," in the WikiLeaks debacle. 
• The Caps are still number 1 in the Southeast Division with 39 points. They are 18-8-3 and it looks like their star LW Alex Ovechkin will be clean-shaven for awhile. 

Voter certainty, midterms, and this Sunday

• David Broder believes that, because the GOP may only get a slim majority in the House,  it is merely a provisional mandate from the people. He says that this means, "voters are withholding any real verdict on their party preference." It's all in his Washington Post column this AM.
• President Obama sat down  with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show last night - the first time a sitting President has been on the program. 
• Looking ahead to Sunday, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said he'll consider a run for the White House after the midterms. Tune in to Meet the Press this  Sunday when I'll sit down with Governor Barbour and Chair of the DNC Tim Kaine.
• Caps' Goalie, Michal Neuvirth got his first NHL shutout as Washington breezed past the Hurricanes 3 - 0. Great win for the Caps.

VIDEOS: Taking your questions

This week, I asked my Twitter followers to submit their questions about me and the show. Check out some of my answers below.

@Bill_Lund wanted to know how we go about choosing the best questions for the guests each week.

  

@threeofdiamonds was curious about whether or not my kids understand what I do.

 

Finally, a question near and dear to my heart, @boombashpow wanted to know my take on this year's World Series.

   

Looking at the polls

• According to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Republicans are expected to make big gains on November 2nd.
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is narrowly trailing Tea Party favorite, Sharron Angle in the Nevada senate race.
• Slate columnist, Timothy Noah, thinks Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear is a bad idea and could actually hurt Democrats. He says the rally will enrage Tea Partiers and, "have the effect of a red cape waved before a bull."
• Republicans seem to have chosen the EPA as the "symbol of the White House's regulatory overreach." If they retake the House in November, the EPA could be a major focus of GOP reform efforts.
• Caps' Left Wing, Alexander Ovechkin discusses his dream line mates, favorite band, and what type of milk he drinks in this interview with ESPN's John Buccigross.