Yesterday was a great day at Nationals Park.  It was moving day, meaning Spring Training is right around the corner.  I helped load the trucks that headed out to Viera later in the evening.  I’m really excited for the season to start now.  ONLY SEVEN DAYS UNTIL PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT!

 

 

Good morning, Natstown!  With the holidays here, I wanted to share with you a few of my experiences over the past couple of weeks.  The holiday time is truly a time to give back to the community and that is something that I have been fortunate enough to do.  Not only have I been able to make a lasting impression on a lot of the kids I’ve met in the past few weeks, but they have also left a lasting impression on me.  Nowhere is that more true that at Dulles Airport where I was able to participate in the “Fantasy Flight” that United puts on every year.

For those unfamiliar with the “Fantasy Flight” it’s an event where United Airlines brings children suffering form serious illnesses on a plan ride to the “North Pole.”  When there, Santa, elves, and of course mascots appear to make their experience even more special!   I was able to meet some young children who were so excited to see me and the racing presidents in attendance.  Although we were all a little bit “cold” my experiences of making these children smile is what already made my holiday season so special.  Here are some pictures of the event from Saturday.

Did anybody see me on FOX 5 early on Friday morning?  I was there along with Tony Perkins helping out with FOX 5’s Stuff a Truck event.  We were in NE DC collecting non perishable food items for disadvantaged families to receive over the holidays.  It was an early morning, but it’s always great to help a great cause and get so
me tv time!

 

Just wanted to give a huge WELCOME to Jayson Werth who we welcomed to DC yesterday.  I was able to meet him briefly and truly believe he will help take the team to the next level.  Happy Holidays to all of you, I hope you all have take the time to enjoy what’s truly important in life!

 

 

 

 

With Turkey Day approaching, I just want to make it loud and clear that yes, I do endorse eating Turkey for Thanksgiving.  It is NOT ok to eat eagles. 

Since that is out

of the way, let me get on with what I’ve been up to recently.  On Saturday, I headed up to Silver Spring along with the NatMobile to participate in Montgomery County’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This parade is one of the biggest Thanksgiving Parades in the East Coast and once again, I was very impressed by the turnout.  Before the parade started, I got to hang out with a bunch of the float operators and of course, my favorite, the marching bands.  Whenever, I spot a marching band, the first thing I want to do is take over the drum line by stealing one of their quads.  When I borrow their drumsticks and begin playing, everyone is always so doubtful as to how I will sound.  This was no different on Saturday when

I started banging away on some of one marching band’s drums.  At first there was some doubt, but then the members were shocked to discover that I actually have some rhythm!  If you don’t remember, check out my drumming on Opening Day 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjjOWw2Mjeg.  During the parade, I was able to visit slap five with so many Nationals fans, it got be excited for the 2011 season again.  To the left is a picture of me hanging out with some really cool kids at the start of the parade.

Immediately after the parade, I headed back to Nationals Park for a birthday party that took place in the Presidents Club.  Let me tell you, this birthday boy was one lucky kid!  When I showed up, all the partiers were excited to see me and of course, chaos ensued!  Kids were

grabbing my legs, taking off my hat, and trying to steal my shoes!  After the kids settled down a bit, we ate cake, played with a pinata and I signed autographs for everyone.  Needless to say, it was a great Saturday!

 

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving everybody, and please remember it’s a time to reflect on what we’re thankful for.  One thing that I am thankful for, is having so many loyal readers of this blog like you!!

 

See you in Natstown!

 

 

 

I’ve always felt passionate about giving back to the community we live in.  Today, Nationals staff members and I put that belief into action again by refurbishing the Little Light Urban Ministries an organization that provides after-school car, academic assistance, mentoring and a number of community programs in Southeast D.C.  Some of the projects we tackled were reinforcing building support beams, capping an unused chimney, painting several rooms, and repairing a water pipe leak.  I myself, had NO IDEA how to fix any of these problems, but luckily experts on the Nationals staff were able to help me.  I’ve attached a few pictures of the work that we did yesterday and this morning.  Luckily for me, I only got a little bit of paint on my feathers, and thankfully, my brand new jersey survived paint-free!  Giving back to the community always feels great and I hope everyone will join in my efforts to making this area we call home a better place to live in for everybody!  Tomorrow check me out at the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade with the NatMobile and check out George, Tom, Abe, and Teddy as they’ll be at the “Walk for The Homeless” at the National Mall from 8-10am!

See you all around town!

Last week unveiled our new uniforms for the 2011 and beyond season.  I personally LOVE the new look and think everything looks so much more brighter, cleaner, and more professional.  I also really like the fact that the Curly W is even more prevalent.  See the pictures below of what I and the racing presidents look like in our new threads.  Tell me what you think; do you like them?!

 

See you around town,

 

 

 
Hey everyone, and thanks for checking back in with me!  I realized something today… it’s August already and the season is just flying by!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past couple of weeks.  They include the time I went skydiving, hanging with my buddies in Anaheim for All Star Game, and random appearances throughout the summer.  Check them out, and let me know how you like them!

Also make sure you check me out this upcoming weekend.  Saturday August 21, I’ll be at a little league championship game at Purcellville Fireman’s Field, and Sunday I’ll be hanging with Talon at DC United game and then heading over to celebrate Pinch’s birthday at the Southern Maryland Blue Claws game. 

 

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at: ScreechTheEagle

and become a fan on facebook at : SCREECH – Washington Nationals Mascot

 

Talk with you all soon!

 

Hey Natstown, Screech here reminding everyone to vote Nationals for this year’s All Star Game in Anaheim.  Voting ends soon so be sure to punch your ballots for all your Nationals players!  I’m looking forward to flying out to California in two weeks.  I have a few events I will be attending out there such as the All Star Brunch at the Hilton, a Friendship Tour around Anaheim and the annual PreGame celebration right outside the stadium before the All Star Game starts.  I’m looking forward to it, but especially if and when we vote a few of our Nationals there!!  Here’s a few pictures from some recent games.  Check it out, and go Nationals!

It’s been a crazy few weeks for me as I celebrated my birthday, brought my mom to the stadium for Mother’s Day, and visited Syracuse with the Racing Presidents for a Chief’s game and Strasburg’s second AAA start. 

 

My birthday brought lots of fun as I had almost all of my friends come out to party with me.  Slapshot, Poe, Talon, Glory, Testudo, Lucky, George, The Patriot, The Cardinal were a few of my friends to come for the good time.  We celebrated with a cake ceremony (which an unlucky Dodger fan somehow took to the face) a piñata, and lots of dancing!

 

Mother’s Day was very special for me.  It signified the first time my mother came with me to a Nationals game.  I delivered some flowers to Momma Screech which she was so thankful for.  Later she helped me judge the presidents race and in the fifth inning we were even put on Mom Cam!!!  The day was so much fun, especially since the Nationals ended up winning the game.  Momma Screech can come back to whichever game she’d like to, but PLEASE, no more belly dancing!!!

 

 

This past Wednesday, George, Tom, Abe and Teddy took a nice little road trip to Syracuse to see our AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs play.  The energy in the crowd was amazing and they were excited to see the presidents race.  Tom won the race, the Chiefs won the game, and Syracuse was a bird load of fun!  Thanks again for having us and for showing us so much love Syracuse!

 

 

Tonight starts a five game home stand, and I’m sure that a little home cookin’ is exactly what we need to get back to our winning ways.  See you at the park Natstown!!

 

Screech

Hey Natstown, Screech here.  I hope you’re all just as excited as I am that baseball is back in the Nation’s capital!  It’s seemed like forever since Justin Maxwell beat the Mets on a walk off grand slam that ended 2009’s home games.  This year I’m really excited about our chances to succeed with our new and improved Opening Day roster featuring Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Ian Desmond, Josh Willingham, Pudge Rodriguez and more!  Let’s hope for a fantastic season this year complete with lots of wins, smiles, high fives, and backflips!  See you all soon at some games and outside events coming up!

 

Here’s a picture from Opening Day of me playing the drums!

 

To me, our annual winter caravan and Natsfest is the official kickoff to the upcoming season.  That’s why I can’t be more excited for this season to start.  This past week I headed out on our team bus with some of our coaches and players to meet some very special people and loyal Nats fans. 

We kicked off our 2010 caravan on Wednesday morning at the SW Health Center just a couple of blocks away from Nationals Park.  I was joined by Jim Riggleman, Drew Storen, Danny Espinosa, Ryan Speier and Rob Dibble as we checked out the newly renovated building which was restored by our front office staff a couple of weeks before.  We all delivered some children’s books, handed out some Nats gear, and spread plenty of smiles and laughs throughout.

 

 Next up we all went to lunch at Hard Times Cafe in Clarendon where an autograph signing followed.  I did a little guest bartending and made some kind of cranberry and pinapple juice concoction that only the bravest of the brave would ever try.  Next up, the bus brought us to Tysons mall where we all made our own Build-A-Bear.  Each player made their own plush doll, however Drew Storen’s Batman-clad owl, was my personal favorite!

The next day, the bus, with the same group of guys, headed to Ben’s Chili Bowl for lunch and a quick photo op.  There wasn’t much elbow room while inside because the place was hoppin’ at lunch time, but we were able to pass out autographs and meet plenty of excited Nats fans.  From there, we were off to Fort Belvoir where we joined military personnel in packing care packages for our soldiers over-seas.  Over the span of almost two hours, we were able to bundle up over 2,000 care packages to send to our soldiers.  It felt great to make a difference to our great men and women overseas.  At our final stop of the day, we headed to good ole’ Pfizner Stadium, the home of our single A affiliate, the Potomac Nationals.  There, all the players, including myself, signed autographs for all those who attended.

 

 

After sleeping like a baby that night, we were at it again on Friday.  The Hotstove Lunch was a huge success and I mingled with the attendees seeking autographs.  Later, we were all off to the Washington Capitals game.  I spent most of my time goofing around with my cousin Slapshot, and I even got to guest referee the first intermission’s mites on ice game.  Even though I was skating for the whole game, I surprised myself and didn’t fall on my butt.. not once!

 

Saturday was our biggest day of the caravan where we were joined by the likes of Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Nyjer Morgan, John Lannan, Tyler Clippard, Brian Bruney, Craig Stammen, Matt Capps, Jason Marquis, and of course the Hammer, Josh Willingham.  We started our day at the Children’s Hospital in NW DC.  I always love visiting this place because it really brightens up the day of children who really need encouragement in their lives.  To put smiles on the faces of each of these children is a special feeling indeed.  From here, it was off to PG County Sports Complex where a press conference announcing our $5,000 donation as well as an autograph signing ensued.  The last stop of the caravan was at the White Flint Mall, where hundreds of fans braved the snow and cold to come meet their favorite Nats players….. and mascot! 

 

 
The caravan was a huge success and it led to one of my favorite days of the year, Natsfest.  This Sunday was Natsfest and as usual, I had a great time meeting our season ticket holders.  There were clubhouse tours, photograph stations, prize drawings, bounce houses, face painting and of course autograph signings!  It was fitting for such a special day like Natsfest to end our winter caravan. 

Now being that the caravan and Natsfest is over, the next thing we have to look forward to is Spring Training and of course Opening Day!!!!  See you all soon Natstown!!!

 SCREECH