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Off-The-Field Recap: Father’s Day Edition!

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The Nationals’ relatively promising road trip has spiraled into a stretch barely short of a disaster. Losing in the situations the Nats have found themselves in can be less than fun, and so, in order to combat such gloom, all of the player’s amusing off-field exploits are recapped here:

1. Father’s Day is good if for nothing else but the opportunity to be inundated with GIFs, videos, pictures and Vines of otherwise usually-stoic players interacting with their little children. It also cements the theory that happy little kids around anything baseball related is considerably heartwarming.


Sammy Solis was among the many who used Instagram to celebrate his dad. Unfortunately, the picture would had to have been about 8,000 ft. closer if it were to have provided a glimpse at a mini Sammy.

Happy Father’s Day to my hero. Love you dad! #fathersday

A photo posted by Sammy Solis (@sammy22solis) on


Though tiny baseball babies are adorable, chubby-cheeked adolescent Bryce Harper might be even better. While Bryce is young in this picture, not yet having the life experience of blowing kisses to pitchers as he rounds the bases, it’s be hard to argue that he still couldn’t outhit a majority of the population.

Happy Fathers Day! #Pops

A photo posted by Bryce Harper (@bharper3407) on


Father’s Day was a family affair for Joe Ross, as the fourth game of the Nationals series against the San Diego Padres (for which his brother Tyson plays) fell on Sunday.

Happy Father’s Day even though you have the wrong shirt on

A photo posted by Joe Ross (@_jross21) on


Barring confirmation with Bartolo Colon, but it doesn’t seem like a stretch to say wearing Tyson’s team shirsey in front of Joe is a sinful offense.

2. Granted, Vin Scully is much more loveable when he’s not narrating your favorite team’s brutal stretch of games, he more than made up for it over the course of the week. First by calling Stephen Strasburg “Stephen Spielberg” in a broadcast leading up to the Nats-Dodgers series, which is now Stras’ new name, just short of legal action. The noted eternal ray of sunshine, as he always does, provided for stories of Wilson Ramos’ childhood exploits (charging kids in his neighborhood for horse rides and catching birds to sell to pet stores) and braved a sore throat to see a Stras-Kershaw matchup that never came to be. Strasburg basically broke Scully’s heart, which should be, if it isn’t already, a federal offense. It was the photo-ops that Scully and assorted members of the Nationals organization (on Dusty Baker’s bobblehead night, no less), though, that stole the show.

3. There is injustice in the world, sure. But arguably none more egregious than Chris Heisey, pinch hit home run extraordinaire, having never invited me to try his now-famous French press. Heisey (and his partner in pinch hit home runs Stephen Drew) have made the press a staple in the Nats dugout, Washington Post beat writer Chelsea Janes reports.


4. Jose Lobaton is a man of many talents: He is a dedicated homer helmet remover guy, he almost plays third base during real games, and he is also a very talented poster of adorable pictures of his adorable family. When the Nats weren’t busy splitting the series with the Padres in San Diego, Loby took advantage of the fine cuisine of the West Coast as well as San Diego’s renowned zoo. He posted pictures with both an elephant and “the panda,” (not Pablo Sandoval).

Best hamburger soooooo goooood

A photo posted by Jose (@joselobaton59) on

San Diego Zoo con la familia

A photo posted by Jose (@joselobaton59) on

The Panda

A photo posted by Jose (@joselobaton59) on


5. While the Ross family didn’t necessarily show off their Nationals support on Sunday, they really are fair to both brothers. From what social media shows, Joe’s mom shows both of her sons equal, down the middle, 50-50 support with her custom made jersey she received as a Christmas gift.

Grateful for another Christmas with the gang

A photo posted by Joe Ross (@_jross21) on


6. During this out of control election cycle, it’s okay to admit that Thomas Boswell has, at one point or another, been your most likely write-in choice for president. That, kind of, no longer has to be a pipe dream as long as you’re handy with heavy duty sanding tools.

7. Wilson Ramos, while not being an actual buffalo, comes considerably close to one in size and stature. This video the Nats twitter account tweeted out to promote INOVA Behind the Body featured cool shots of Wilson training at various monuments around D.C., but honestly this is included as a plug to get Willy more votes for the All Star Game. The process of voting might not be the most enticing prospect, but if Ramos were here he’d tell you, “Willy, you have to do this.”


8. Baseball players generally are a superstitious bunch and creatures of habit. This likely has led to routine weaving itself into the fabric of baseball, whether the routine is invisible to fans — like Stephen Strasburg’s “game day shorts” — or barefaced like Bryce Harper’s batter’s box ritual. MLB posted this video of said ritual in a short but sweet summary.


9. Bryan, Bryce Harper’s older brother, posted an absolute gem of a throwback on Wednesday. It goes without saying that this photo belongs in the National Portrait Gallery, containing the likes of Aaron Barrett, his wife Kendyl, Kayla Varner, Bryce, and Bryan decked out in wizard gear last year at Orlando Studios in Florida after the Nationals’ season ended.

Little #WBW for the boys!! Such a great time in Harry Potter World @unistudios!! #SpringTraining #Baseball #Nationals

A photo posted by Bryan Harper (@bryanharper45) on

Last and least, the tweets of the week:

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About Author

Mina Dunn

I watched the Orioles until I was ten when I realized that (most) fans at RFK didn’t shout letters during the National Anthem. I’m a Public Relations and Economics major at VCU, the associate managing editor at TNB, and a sports columnist for a student newspaper. Be my friend on Twitter dot com: @maddc8.

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