THE SHARKADINA 10

For the 10th time in 11 games, the Washington Nationals won!  For the third time in the same span, Sharkadina was at the game, cheering on the Shark and spreading the Shark love around the stadium.  Each game, the group that we have been with has been growing.  On Shark Night, Tyler and I represented Bernadina in the stands, then Lindsay and Lydia joined in on the fin (fun) when the Nats beat the O's.  Last night, there were ten of us, filling a Row N in Section 136, surrounded by a sea of Mariners fans (or at least Ichiro fans).  It is great to have such awesome friends (who are willing to wear ridiculous homemade shirts, and broil under the hoods)!

Pictured: Brian, Meg, Zac, Nikki, Chad, Robert, Terry, Blake, Tyler, Elizabeth

The game turned out to be a pitching duel, with Erik Bedard going head to head with John Lannan with the Nationals ending out on top 2-1.  While both of the runs that the Nationals scored were unearned, strong defense(besides the two errors), powerful pitching, and the Shark's menacing presence won this game.   For the first time since May, they are sporting a .500 record.  Danny "the Kangaroo" Espinosa and JERRRRRRY Hairston Jr. each hit an RBI singles and Clip and Storen each pitched scoreless innings.

Two hit streaks ended last night.  Ryan Zimmerman's ten game streak and the Shark's 7 game streak sadly both came to an end.  The Shark started in center, batted ninth, and ended 0-3, which made the victory all the more impressive.  The other Nationals players decided to give Bernadina some rest, by contributing all the offense and some of the defense (Jerry Hairston Jr, made a nice catch in left in the first inning, before promptly throwing the ball away...).

The Shark's resting game (like the book The Westing Game?) didn't deter the spirit in the stands.  Outside the two people directly in front of us (who did not seem to care for my incessant screaming), our section quickly got on board with the Shark nickname, chanting Shark with us, and restraining from cursing at us to to "shut up."  This great picture by Cheryl Nichols is a bit deceptive, because EVERYONE loved cheering for the Shark... not just us...

At least the guy in orange is smiling...

Being closer to the ground, unlike last Saturday, we were fortunate enough to catch Bernadina's attention before the game.  He acknowledged our cheers with a wave, then later stopped by to say hi (cause he is so awesome).  We wished him good luck, as Cheryl Nichols snapped this picture:

Shark and Sharkadina before the game

There are plenty more pictures and stories from last night which will be posted later today.  We figured it would be better to keep the recap (relatively) short...  If you talked to us last night, or you were part of the Sharkadina Posse, post a comment and share your honest and likely brutal opinions of last night.  We usually love positive feedback! 

The Shark goes up against Mariners rookie sensation Michael Pineda today.  Unfortunately for Pineda, he's right handed, which means the Shark is gonna feast...

More to come.