Well, what a whirlwind January it was, and a great start to 2007!  Your big eagle here got a chance to meet and greet the Nationals faithful and some of the best fans in MLB when I got to travel with centerfielder Nook Logan, pitcher Mike O?Connor and 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman and new manager Manny Acta on the Winter Caravan.  It was great to see so many fans young and old out at all the different events.  I got to entertain the kids of Kimball Elementary School as we announced our school adoption program, sign some autographs at the Washington Square Team store, visit some great kids at Children?s Medical Center and hand out some great Nats gear, and watch the players cook up some delicious food at the ESPN Zone.  Mike, Ryan and Nook were great to hang out with, but they wouldn?t let me eat any of the food?.Manny said I had to go on a diet and get ready for the season!  It was great getting to see all you wonderful fans, and it?s great to know Spring Training and the 2007 season is almost here!

I also got to play with some of the best cars at the Washington Auto Show for a few days.  I saw a lot of Nationals gear out at the event, and even got a chance to take some pictures with fans.  It was a lot of fun to play around in some fun, expensive cars, but sadly they wouldn?t let me take the Hummer back to my nest?

Finally, I got to play in some SNOW!  I got a chance to help the grounds crew clean the field and play in the snow that came to DC earlier this week.  With all the cold weather, I just keep waiting for Spring Training which is right around the corner!  I?ll be flying around DC over these next couple weeks, so feel free to send an e-mail to me at my nest @ screech@nationals.com!  Until next time, GO NATS!

So, it?s been a little over a month since I last posted, and I feel bad?.but I?m one busy eagle!!! Between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season, this big bird has been flying all over the DC area, and has been eating a lot
Since my last post, I?ve been to a rehearsal dinner, the American Diabetes Walk and a few birthday parties in between. I also headed out with my President friends, Abe and George, to open the new Nationals Team Store at White Flint Mall, and have been seen holiday shopping downtown at the Nationals Team Store at Washington Square as well (although, it?s hard to find XXXXXL shirts for my extra-fluffy mascot friends).

But my favorite thing about this time of year is spreading holiday cheer! I flew my way over to the National Rehabilitation Hospital last week with Ryan Zimmerman and Brian Schneider to visit with the kids there and hand out some holiday gifts. There?s nothing better for this eagle than seeing smiles on kids? faces. We handed out hats, Mr. Washington Teddy Bears and other gear to fans young and old, and took a lot of pictures, which I?ll share soon! Ryan even said I was the fan favorite that day! I?ll also flew to Children?s Hospital tomorrow to hang out with Santa and hand out some more gifts this holiday season.

But Hanukkah?s here and Christmas and New Year?s are coming up soon, and I?m looking forward to some fun times here in DC?I got to head down to the White House to help light the National Christmas Tree this year again!! Pretty cool I get to head over to the President?s House! I?m just going to spend this holiday relaxing, opening gifts (The Nat Pack got me my own copy of MLB2K6 on Xbox and 10 lbs of gummy worms) and reading my e-mail and holiday cards! I?ll be back with more stories and fun in January, but until then, feel free to write me @ screech@nationals.com and Happy Holidays!!

Hey Nats fans out there in the computer world, this is your best buddy Screech and I finally got a hold of my very own blog!  The folks at the Nationals and MLB are kind enough to give me this space, and the Nat Pack let me use their office (since the nest is without a computer, but has a big TV!), so I thought it was about time I get something going!

It was an awesome year at RFK for me and the team this year…..here’s just a sample of some of the amazing things that happened this past season!!

~I got my new red alternate jersey (size XXXXXL is what the tag says)
~I celebrated my first birthday (1 eagle year equals 5 human years)
~I had my own End of Summer Party with my very own bobblebelly!  Check out my pals Mr. Met, Ace and The Orioles Bird at my party
~And I got to go to Camden Yards for the interleague games vs the Orioles.  I had plenty of Nats fans there to cheer me on!
~I went to the All Star Game for the second time, and it was in Pittsburgh!  I got to hang out on the Mascot Cruise with Slider from the Indians, Baxter from the Diamondbacks and Southpaw from the White Sox (gotta ask him to show you his ring) and play on the dugouts and work the Pre-Game Party and watch the game!
~Alfonso Soriano just ran ran ran and made it into the 40-40 Club…the owners gave him a nice big shiny trophy too!
~Ryan Zimmerman was AWESOME, and hit that big home run against the Yankees!
~The Lerner Family opened up the stadium with Paint the Town Red and welcomed fans, who loved it!  So many red t shirts, towels and curly W hats, it was awesome!!
~I stayed up to watch the Phillies and my boys play late late late at night, and despite the yells from Phillies fans, had a great time with the fans well past my bed time, even after midnight!!
~I flew down to Tampa Bay in sunny Florida to hang out with Rangers Captain from Texas, Dinger from the Rockies and Ace from Toronto at my big blue buddy Raymond’s Mascot Mania…check it out (and check out his blog when you can!)

And that’s only a bit of it!  But, since it’s the off season and I’ve got no games to cheer at, people always wonder what a giant 6 foot eagle like me does with his spare time. Well, since I have this fun blog, I hope to share with you all what I’m up to during the winter months and as we gear up for Spring Training and the 2007 season!  So far, I’ve been at over 20 events since the season ended, and just got back from a trip to Mexico City for Majestic (they make jerseys), New Era (they make hats) and Major League Baseball (who make…..baseball!) with Dinger!!  I’ll tell you more about that later this week!

But when I’m not in my nest, I’m flying around the DC area making appearances, having fun and enjoying finding out more about this nation’s capitol.  I’ll post pictures, fill you in on what’s going on at the stadium, and perhaps even answer your questions!  Just drop me a line at screech@nationals.com (I got an e-mail address too!) and I’ll answer your questions and maybe put some of them up here!  But now, I’ve got to get back to my bag of gummy worms and get some sleep….I got invited to a Nationals fan’s wedding this Friday, so I have to get my beauty rest!  Until next time!