Sports
NEW CONTRIBUTOR: Michael Stakem at the Nationals
Not our best night offensively. And defensively? Well there’s not much to be done when the other team hits safely thirteen times.
Nationals vs Marlins. (Photos by Michael Stakem)
It’s been a few weeks since I caught a game at Nationals Park with friends from the G-Nats (a gay Nationals fan group) which is a few weeks too long. There is little I enjoy more than spending time with friends watching our town’s well-dressed baseball players hard at work on a hot summer evening.
So I’ve been going to the new ballpark ever since it opened and it wasn’t until the Night Out game this year that I realized just how good the view of the field is from the standing-room only section in straightaway center. For this Tuesday’s game against the Florida Marlins (a.k.a The Fish Sticks) I decided I’d camp out there for the first inning. The first inning wasn’t too bad as the Nats only gave up one run in the top of the first.
It was time to join up with my friends in the G-Nats as random fans in the bullpen probably wouldn’t have been too keen to hear a stranger’s opinion on the game and how its players look. On the way to the group seats I picked up garlic-parmesan fries with bacon aioli dipping sauce for dinner; the food is priced about double what could be charged in a restaurant but that’s ballpark food for you. Anyways, the Nats were being no-hit by the Marlins until the 5th when Laynce Nix smashed a solo HR over the fence in right field. The next inning Michael Morse would double in Ryan Zimmerman giving us our second and final run of the game. Not our best night offensively. And defensively? Well there’s not much to be done when the other team hits safely thirteen times.
Song of note: relief pitcher Ryan Mattheus enters games to Katy Perry’s “Firework”. There was a brief write up on the Nat’s official blog the other week and here’s the short version: he sang along with it at a bar, used it as his walk-on music in the minors, was called up, and has kept entering to it because he’s superstitious. He did okay Tuesday night: two outs and only gave up one hit so maybe it’s helping him out.
Interested in going to a game? This coming Monday August 1st tickets can be had for only $1 and you can get certain food items for $1 (full-priced drinks).
Some sights from the game:
The Nats pitcher tries to pick off one of the Marlins. (Photo by Michael Stakem)
To celebrate the ending of the football lockout the four presidents decided to put a football spin on their race. Teddy was caught and stripped of the ball and Tom would eventually win the race. (Photo by Michael Stakem)
Jayson Werth lines a ball directly to the Marlin's shortstop. (Photo by Michael Stakem)
Top of the 9th and the Marlins go on another run. These three runners would eventually score. (Photo by Michael Stakem)
Michael Stakem has been a Washington Nationals fan since their 2005 inaugural season.
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
As Washington shifts right, Democratic Socialists gain ground
Susan Stewart could make history as Rehoboth’s first openly gay mayor
Silky Nutmeg Ganache talks sex and dating, gender, politics, weight loss journey
Madonna roundup: Reviews, sales, and love for ‘Danceteria’
Three overlooked court rulings limited White House anti-trans policies
‘Transcendent’ a tough but important read
‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF
Under-the-radar Delaware beach towns smart buyers are targeting
In Trump’s divided America, Michael Weinstein’s AHF responds
