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| Photo by USA Today |
Karns said he didn't know what to think, but went ahead and got started on charting the Orioles.
"I was kind of thrown off by that," he said. "I was like, 'OK, I'll chart the big-league game and we'll see how this is going to help me against Akron.'"
Soon after he started jotting down notes, Harrisburg manager Matt LeCroy walked into the room and gave him the real reason for his unexpected homework assignment: Karns was getting called up to Washington, to face the very same Orioles the very next day.
"I was very excited when they told me that," he said. "I couldn't stop thinking about getting up here and just putting on the uniform and going out there."
Karns arrived in Washington on Tuesday with his parents, David and Tambra, not far behind. They came in from Dallas to watch their son's debut along with his girlfriend, Jennifer.
But as Karns was getting ready and making his pregame preparations, heavy rain forced a lengthy delay. Karns' big-league debut would have to wait another hour and 21 minutes.
"Everyone's going to be nervous before their first start," he said. "I was really anxious. I just hate sitting around and waiting for my turn. The rain delay just kind of built that up more. Once I got out there and started going, everything felt great."
After the game, while looking back, Karns had a good sense of humor about it.
"I've waited 25 years," he said, "so an hour or so won't be too bad."
Not only were the circumstances of Karns' actual start far from ideal, neither was the task he was handed. The Nationals were in such dire straits with their pitching depth, they needed to call up a pitcher from Class AA. Not to disparage Karns, but this wasn't the original plan.
Karns got the nod only after veterans Chris Young and Ross Ohlendorf proved unreliable through the season's first two months at Class AAA Syracuse. And Zach Duke may have been the choice if it weren't for a poor showing in San Francisco just a week prior.
But there was Karns, pitching in his major-league debut against the second-best offense in the majors. And despite coming just short of his first major-league win, Karns did all the Nats could have asked of him. He allowed three earned runs, five hits, and two walks in 4 1/3 innings of solid work. Not exactly dominant, but plenty more than the Nationals could have expected from the young pitcher.
"I thought the kid pitched great," manager Davey Johnson said. "He should be proud of what he did."
"He did exactly what he needed to do," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "I thought he pitched great. Located his fastball, was real aggressive with it."
Give Karns a last-second call-up and a rain delay, and you've thrown him a couple of curveballs. Toss him out there in front of 35,664 fans, and you have quite the interesting situation.
Karns said the biggest crowd he'd ever pitched in front of before Tuesday was in Harrisburg just two weeks ago. That was close to 7,000, about one-fifth of what he saw on Tuesday night.
"That's quite a big difference," Karns said. "By far. It was definitely great, when I came off the field the crowd gave me a big standing ovation. I really enjoyed that."
Nationals fans knew what Karns had given them and rewarded him with lengthy applause as he walked into the dugout, nearly everyone on their feet. The Nats themselves were also appreciative of Karns' outing, awarding him another start on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.
Ross Detwiler is still feeling tightness in his oblique, and Johnson said the team will now just "play it safe." Karns' performance afforded them that option.
The young rookie has come back from major shoulder surgery in 2011 and is just glad to give something back to the organization that kept their faith in him.
"It's been a long road," he said. "I'm just glad that after surgery the Nats stuck with me. They really have supported me from the time I was drafted until now. I was glad I was able to reward them with all their hard work and dedication to me."
76 comments:
Nice story and this is only the 5th game the Nats have won when the starter gave up 3 or more Earned Runs.
Nats starters are 2-5 in decisions on games where they gave up 3 Earned Runs.
Pitches a decent game against a raging offense and has a classy attitude. Good stuff, glad to know ya, Nate!
“It’s been a long road,” he said. “I’m just glad that after surgery the Nats stuck with me. They really have supported me from the time I was drafted until now. I was glad I was able to reward them with all their hard work and dedication to me.”
Chase - A+ writing! This quote is great and a real compliment to the organization as a whole and should be motivation to anyone in the Minors like Giolito who had a serious injury.
There arent many organizations that puts individuals before the organization like the Nats do and its a tribute to ownership to Rizzos group.
Throws strikes, hits 95 mph, has good secondary pitches. What's not to like? He's a keeper. Glad he's getting a second start.
Mule (still soggy) sat through rain delay and saw last's night's game (well, 8 innings anyway;
had to bolt to catch Metro before it closed. Grr . . .)
Do not be put off by Karns' posted ERA of 6.23 (3 earned runs over 4 1/3 innings). Against a very tough line-up, he made only 3 truly bad pitches; only 2 of those hurt him, resulting in solo homers.
In general, a solid and promising debut; Mule does worry about throwing him into the lions' den (well, Braves' den) on Sunday but Karns seems game for anything.
"Nathan Karns was in Harrisburg, Pa. on Monday night preparing to pitch against Double-A Reading when coaches told him his start would be pushed back a day."
Chase, there is a inaccuracy here. They couldnt have told Karns Monday night that his start would be pushed a day since Monday was a 2:00PM day game.
Did you mean they told him Sunday night? If thats the case then the Nats got caught in a little fib on Monday morning when they said they hadnt decided on the Tuesday starter.
"Chase, there is a inaccuracy here. They couldnt have told Karns Monday night that his start would be pushed a day since Monday was a 2:00PM day game.
Did you mean they told him Sunday night? If thats the case then the Nats got caught in a little fib on Monday morning when they said they hadnt decided on the Tuesday starter."
He wasn't slated to pitch in Harrisburg yesterday as opposed to on Monday?
"Whack-a-Mule said...
Do not be put off by Karns' posted ERA of 6.23 (3 earned runs over 4 1/3 innings). Against a very tough line-up, he made only 3 truly bad pitches; only 2 of those hurt him, resulting in solo homers."
I was at the game also and I disagree. He threw 2 pitches that were hit out for HRs that the batters deserve credit on.
His problem in getting his pitch count up was that he was trying to paint with the fastball and the ump wasnt giving it to him and he didnt mix in enough breaking pitches and changeups off of his fastball.
In the 3rd inning he finally broke out the hook and we were surprised how few sliders and curveballs he threw.
The Braves are a fastball team. He better work in his side session with McCatty on it and in his prep session with Suzuki.
Laddie Blah Blah said...
Manny Machado is a very, very impressive player. He's one of those players you like to watch, even if he plays for the other dugout. The Os were not afraid to bring him up and give the 20-year-old a ML job. Why are the Nats keeping 22-year-old Anthony Rendon down on the farm? Does anyone in the Os organization even care whose job Machado took?
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
If I recall correctly, Machado took over Betemit's job after Betemit was carried off the field on a stretcher this spring with a bad knee injury.
I might also add, Machado, by the time he came up to the O's at age 19, had 219 minor league games under his belt.
Rendon, otoh, up through today, has played in 75 minor league games. (Even Bryce Harper had more: 130).
So, I'm not sure that Machado and Rendon are exactly comparable.
Eric, Karns was scheduled to pitch on Monday in Harrisburg.
Gotcha re: Karns, thanks.
"I was at the game also and I disagree. He threw 2 pitches that were hit out for HRs that the batters deserve credit on."
Agreed, especially the second one. At the time, I couldn't believe he even got the bat on the ball, but on the replay, it appeared he may have been sitting on it. Still, he put it where Zuk asked for it and got beat.
Can't wait to see Zimmnn against this lineup. Man can these guys hit the baseball. I hate to look ahead but Camden Yards is not the type of park I see Haren having a lot of luck in, but you never know.
I did not hear Davey talking about Espinosa this morning but I still think our best lineup would be Lombo batting 2nd and playing lf, Moore as the dh and Espinosa batting 9th.
I did hear one bit of news on talk radio this morning that was not positive. I really really liked the Suzuki trade last year and felt we gave up very little for a key piece to our playoff run. He also has proved valuable with Ramos being injured, but, I just heard that he has the worst record for % of caught stealing in the majors. I know when he came over from the A's his % was good to outstanding. Is this drop caused by our pitchers not holding runners, his being worn down or other reasons? No matter what, I like how he calls a game and never did figure we would have gone with "specialized" catcher for certain pitchers even if Ramos was healthy.
Go Nats!!
A comment on the last thread -- I really don't care what Harper's fielding percentage was. Fielding percentage for outfielders? Really?
Nor does it matter what Rendon's is in the minors this year. All indications are that he's a very good fielder with a strong arm. If he can help us at the plate (and that remains to be seen, though I thought his first cup of coffee was encouraging though not overwhelming), he should come up. The idea that Espi will be back at 2B tonight really is a buzzkill after yesterday's great game.
Davey, seriously, reconsider this decision. You're really going to bench Lombo after what he's been doing the last several days? If Espi isn't going on the DL, at least ride the hot hand until it cools.
I agree about Espi v Lombo tonight. I hope Espi is at least actually healed, which seems doubtful, otherwise it goes beyond what imo is a poor game management decision.
sjm, my view is that our pitchers are terrible at holding runners on. Terrible. It's an Achilles heel that will be a big problem against good teams in the playoffs if we get there. Not Zuki's fault.
By the way, here's a question Julie A. style: "How fun was it to do the Nats, Nats, Nats cheer 9 times last night?"
Really fun. And Wings! And 50% of Papa John's today. Can we do that again soon?
Another observation I got last night was that Karns wasnt getting the swing and miss you would expect from him. He only had 7 swing and miss pitches out of his 85. Was he nervous and gripping his pitches to tight and not getting the movement he normally gets. I wonder.
Agreed about pitchers not holding runners. Suzuki strikes me as being VERY quick out of the crouch and as having a reasonably strong arm. But, it's very rare that the ball gets to its target with anywhere near enough time to apply a tag, even if Suzuki places it *perfectly*.
If Karns pitchs well on Sunday, when will put Karns in the rotation and Haren in pen talk start (assuming Det is truely heathly).
Got to winder if Det will be back bythe all-star break, reminds me of Morse last year as it always seemed he was "just a week away" and then *poof*, he was gone for two months.
Dueces: Because we are in an AL park the next two games, we can keep Lombo and actually improve defensively in two positions. I love what Lombo has done at 2nd base but the reality is, Danny is a plus for us at 2nd and Lombo, while not even a good outfielder gives us better range in LF than Moore. You still keep Moore's bat at dh and you still have Lombo hitting 2nd which is really the key for me. Unitl Werth or Harper get back, we honestly have NO other options as a good #2 hitter (except Span and then who would hit leadoff.)
Go Nats!!
Nate - I kinda wonder if the Os just know how to get the bat on the ball one way or another. Anyone know their swing-and-miss rate compared with the rest of the league? I agree it was a little surprising, though, since he apparently induces a LOT of strike outs in the minors.
It'll be interesting to see how many swing-and-misses he induces against whiff-tastic Atlanta, though...
sjm, your AL park lineup is intriguing indeed...
Here is another question. Lets say Danny goes 1-3, no strikouts (I know, I know but let me dream). And lets say the 2nd game he continues to show he is recovering. What does Davey do when we travel to the Braves? If Werth or Harper are back, at least you have the #2 spot taken care of but do you keep Lombo in LF and bench Moore?
Also how great did Drew Storen look. I thought Zach Duke was a lucky pitcher. He got a nice GIDP when he relieved Karns. In the next inning he was extremely lucky that somehow the 2 balls hit to the warning track stayed in the yard.
Eric: thanks - did you see my NL lineup if Davey continues to play Espi. I bat him 9th!! behind the pitcher. Its been done before and to me,he has not proven to be valuable at any other spot.
Sec222,
Rendon has had 3 (count them) nearly catastrophic ankle injuries, 2 of which caused him to miss nearly a full season each. Everyone here is anxious to get him up here to replace Espi just because we are all pretty much done with Espi. This is absolutely the wrong reason to make this move.
I am glad Rizzo can see the forest from the trees and is not jumping on this band wagon. Rendon is way to valuable a commodity to throw to the wolves.
Section 222 said...
"Davey, seriously, reconsider this decision. You're really going to bench Lombo after what he's been doing the last several days? If Espi isn't going on the DL, at least ride the hot hand until it cools."
Lombardozzi's OBP over the last 7 days is .300 with two doubles, zero HRs, 0 walks and 4 strikeouts. I don't know if I'd call that a "hot hand." I'd say he's improved from Arctic to maybe 45 degrees with a light breeze.
128:
do you think those balls hit against Duke would be HomeRuns in Camden Yards? I do and that is why I am worried about Haren.
"Also how great did Drew Storen look. I thought Zach Duke was a lucky pitcher."
Agreed on both counts. Duke's full inning was the most stressfull 1-2-3 inning I think I've ever witnessed.
With our current walking wounded, I think that's a pretty good lineup sjm. I'm not wild about Lombo in the outfield, but he's definitely no worse than Ty-Mo. I wonder if Davey will want to give Tracy some ABs though. Are we facing RH or LH pitchers the next two days?
128, I have no idea if your analysis on why it was happening is correct, but I think you're right that Karns' fastball was straight as an arrow. Well located for the most part, but not a lot of movement.
"Eric: thanks - did you see my NL lineup if Davey continues to play Espi. I bat him 9th!! behind the pitcher. Its been done before and to me,he has not proven to be valuable at any other spot."
I missed that. If the pitcher that day has better numbers than Espi, why not? Unless Espi starts hitting, in which case I think recent history needs to be taken into account...
NatsJack - not even close. I don't listen to much of the sports radio up here but I remember Mr. Dukes just slamming Harper before he even made an appearance. He was just reading the tabloids about Bryce's "attitude" and even called him a name that I guess can be used on radio but dealt with a women's hygenie product. 106.7 has a booth and at the next game I went to there were LaVar and Chad. I went right up to LaVar (with Dukes standing right next to him) and said "have you ever met Bryce Harper or watched him play?" the answer was no - I then looked at Mr. Dukes and asked the same question. The answer was no. I then wondered how he could make reference to someone without any real facts. LaVar loved it, shook my hand and said keep it up, so I did. Mr Dukes mumbled something about having to be controversial to get ratings. I let him know he had lost one listener forever and said good-bye to LaVar after thanking him for his play here.
I have never met our pitcher but again, its not even close
sjm, the one to LF easily is in the seats. The one to CF still wouldve been caught.
Last night I questioned both Moore and Bernadina. Tonight I am questioning Zim and Zimm. You never know...
lol, nice story about the 106.7 booth, sjm.
On team contact % according to Fangraphs, the Orioles are only 10th best.
Its Ks where the Orioles are 2nd best after SFGiants. Nats are way down the list.
Bowdenball,
Again, I agree with you 100%. I still think that Lombo batting 2nd is unfortunate and is really a function of not having any good choices at this time.
If we finally give up on Espi and Lombo is the heir apparent he can be an acceptable option as long as he bats at the bottom of the order.
sjm, Natsjacks reference was I deleted and rewrote a post where I said Chad Duke instead of Zach Duke. I quickly deleted it and made the correction.
Chad Duke is a feminine hygene product. You are right about him. He blocks everyone on Twitter that disagrees with him then brags on it.
Too bad Karns couldn't qualify for the win but Davey made the right call. You don't want to leave the kid in there too long and get hung with the loss. On a side note, what an absurd scoring rule about the winning pitcher. A starter can't get the win unless he goes 5 full but a reliever comes in for 3 outs and gets the W.
Karns reminded me a lot of JZ when he first came up. I thought he left too many pitches in the middle of the plate, especially on 0-2 and 1-2 counts. Great MLB debut, but it's something he'll need to work on as he gains experience. Against the Braves he could have 10 K's and give up 6 runs.
Wow
The fact that an Oriole was included in the player of the game choices last night definitely struck me as odd. The fact that he won is odder still. But, whatever, it's a ridiculous measure of absolutely nothing meaningful.
But, the fact that they botched Kobernus' name is sad. I'm sure he couldn't care less, but seriously, that's just shoddy or, for the conspiracy minded, classless.
Nate Karns says he had been waiting 25 years for his chance at starting in the Bigs.
Obviously, 25 yr. old Nate was born to pitch! LOL
Intersting to watch, the O's hitters to a man it seemed, to do well with chocking up on the bat with 2 strikes.
Maybe explains why the O's are better in the batting standings than the Nats.
bowdenball -- Fair point. I can't argue with the numbers. But compared to Espi's OBP this year of .196 (.175 in this last 16 games), .300 is world class. More importantly, Lombo won the game for us in Friday, had a key double on Sunday, and has played solid defense including some very nice plays yesterday. That's what I was thinking of when I said "hot hand."
He's not a great No. 2 hitter, certainly not a long term solution (ahem, Rendon), but until Harper or Werth return, I'd rather see him there than Espi, Desi, or Bernadina.
Probably our best option for the No. 2 spot right now is Zuki. Davey'll never do that though.
Another observation I got last night was that Karns wasnt getting the swing and miss you would expect from him. He only had 7 swing and miss pitches out of his 85. Was he nervous and gripping his pitches to tight and not getting the movement he normally gets. I wonder.
I have to rely on you guys about how he pitched. Unfortunately for me, I only saw the last 1-1/3 innings that he pitched.
His curveball to get the strike-out on the leadoff batter in the 5th (the last out he would make) was *incredibly* nasty. I don't know how many of them he threw, but throwing that after his 95-mph heater ought to be great, no? Am I missing something?
(Also: I was struck by how suddenly he "hit the wall". After that amazing K, and one or two more pitches -- he threw six straight pitches that were way high. Sure, everyone hits the wall -- I was just a bit surprised at how suddenly and how hard it came).
Doc, they got rid of K King Mark Reynolds and replaced him with a guy who Ks alot in Chris Davis.
Davis turns his career around and has become a high BA, OBP and HR guy with lower Ks. Its unbelievable.
The Texas fans are ticked because they got 2 months of Koji Uehara and the Orioles picked up Davis and Hunter.
I didnt see all the game but what a win.
Hey fellow nats insiders, I have a question for you all.
Does the Red porch restaurant have air conditioning and can anyone access the restaurant?
I ask because my dad has a medical condition where he does not do well in the heat. He loves baseball. So any place that has AC in the stadium for him would be a plus
I mostly agree with you, Sec. 222. Although if Espinosa improves even a little bit on his OBP on the season to date, his power and defense make him the better option at 2B.
If Harper isn't healthy maybe we can give him a shot over the next two days with the DH in Baltimore, but if he looks as bad as he did pre-injury I don't know if I really want Espi in the lineup in Atlanta this weekend.
Agreed. Atta way, sjm!
Saget, don't know about the porch but I would guess that the team might again feature a cooling center on very hot days. In the past, there's been an air-conditioned suite assigned as such a center. I took advantage late in one summer game, and there were monitors where one could watch the game.
Eric said...
lol, nice story about the 106.7 booth, sjm.
May 29, 2013 11:08 AM
pwily,
That's an interesting comparison to JZimm. I didn't see Karns pitch last night but I did see him in the spring. He definitely has the arm but whether he turns out to be JZimm or Brad Peacock is still an open question.
BTW,
Solis is back from his TJ and he threw 4 hittless innings in his 2nd start at Potomac and Matt Purke is starting today at Hagestown. Nice to see the young walking wounded start to return. Giolito is next but probably not until late summer.
"Also: I was struck by how suddenly he "hit the wall"."
Me, too. But, Davey said he expects about 80% endurance on a pitcher's first appearance in the majors. I think he said the same thing about each starters' first appearance in a given season.
I guess he knows what he's talking about ;).
Bob Saget, I'm pretty sure the bar/restaurant has AC and that it's general admission.
Saget, you can also consider buying club level seats if that's within your budget. The Stars and Stripes club behind those seats is air conditioned and has comfortable seating, but you need a ticket to those seats to access the club.
BobS -- Another option is the Stars and Stripes Club, if you can swing it, which is a much better place to watch a game. Keep your eye on StubHub for deals on those seats, especially for week night games, if cost is an issue.
His velocity was great but his fastball was straight as a string (no movement). Not nasty like JZim and they had his fastball timed by second time through. One more inning would have been a disaster. Karns has possibilities but needs to use his off speed pitches to make his fastball more effective. 95 is great unless its straight.
bowdenball, If Danny could hit like he did last year, .247/.315/.402, as mediocre as that was, then clearly his D and power make him a better option than Lombo. That's ALOT more than a "little bit" of an improvement from where he is now. Between his injuries, his approach at the plate, and his attitude, I just don't see that happening. Do you?
And at this point, I don't want the team to endure however many games it will take Davey to realize it's not going to happen either.
And now I'm headed to NIDO to buy you a drink.
For the Stars and Stripes Club, which sections does it cover?
We are trying to go to the Friday June 7th game. Should I wait until the day before to try and get cheaper tickets or buy what is available now on stubhub?
I'd start monitoring stubhub now, Bob. If you see prices start to go up, pounce.
The S&S club is sections 206-221.
As for StubHub strategy, you can currently get two seats in the club for about $113. That's less than what the Nats are currently charging for two seats if you buy them online ($151.50). (There's that market based demand pricing again.). You'll avoid fees if you go to the park and buy the tickets. So the deals on StubHub are already pretty good. Keep a close eye out and you may be able to do better.
"nats guy said...
His velocity was great but his fastball was straight as a string (no movement). Not nasty like JZim and they had his fastball timed by second time through. One more inning would have been a disaster. Karns has possibilities but needs to use his off speed pitches to make his fastball more effective. 95 is great unless its straight.
May 29, 2013 12:01 PM"
Its just what Haren admitted to that if he over throws his fastball he loses movement.
I think that Karns was over energized and over threw as I said above. Davey said he throws a slurve. I saw on MLB At Bat they called most of them a slider and some a curve. On Pitch F/X they called all of them curveballs.
Bob Saget -- A little clarification re Club seats is in order. The Stars and Stripes Club is indeed air conditioned and has a carvery/sandwich bar with the best sandwiches in the (non-Diamond Club) areas of the stadium.
On the other hand, the club seats themselves are outside and NOT air conditioned though they're padded (more comfortable than the molded plastic seats) and mostly shaded so you're out of the direct sun. However, there are pretty limited views of the field from the air conditioned concourse, with most of the views partially blocked by railings outside, and no seats to watch the game from the concourse.
So if your dad will be OK sitting outside in the shade and occasionally going back into the AC for refreshers, the Club Seats will definitely work for you. If he needs to watch the game from an air conditioned seat, not so much. (We did use Red Carpet credits to go to the July 4 game against the Giants last year, and it was not especially humid so it was quite comfortable in the shaded seats -- especially in contrast to our usual seats in the sun-baked RF corner.)
As long as we're on the subject, what do you think about the Diamond Club seats behind home as a once-a-season treat? Worth a premium just to have done it?
Sec. 3 -- wish I knew, I've just passed through there on the stadium tours and the late-summer Picnic in the Park events.
Though I did read someone advising to look for mid-week games on Stubhub or such at ~$100/seat as a good deal to look for. Probably worth doing especially if JZimm or Stras are starting.
Thanks everyone for the advice. I am going to keep an eye out on stubhub for club seats for as cheap as possible.
Sec 3. Before nats park was open, my dad and I did the equivalent to diamond club at RFK. It was worth it. Great view and free food.
Sec 3, I had a line on Diamond Club seats (and, whatever it was called at RFK) once a season every year before the Nats got hot, starting maybe in '06. I think '11 was the last time I got to do it. It was pretty freaking awesome, I'm not gonna lie!
Only downside to those experience the last 2 or 3 years was that the room mate of the guy who could get the tickets was a Phillies fan. So, we always went to Phillies games, and of course, in those years, that tended to be very unpleasant for us Nats fans ;).
Thanks Eric, Eddie, BSNF. Currently Blonde Cubs Fan Wife and I thank you.
Oh, I should mention that they were free for all those years, but I would say it's worth the money once every year or a few. That said, having done it so much, I don't see myself doing it again anytime soon.
Actually, eric, if you got to go to the two late August 2011 come-from-behind, rain delay walk-off wins against the Phillies, that was probably worth all the angst in the previous years! Almost up there with Game 4 last October for most memorable wins.
That said, having done it so much, I don't see myself doing it again anytime soon.
That's OK, I was going to ask my wife؟
Eddie, that sounds vaguely familiar, actually.
lol Sec. 3!
It's a Chicago thing...
You're a funny guy Sofa. By the way, on the Diamond Club, unless things have changed, the food is not free. They have a decent buffet that was $25 the last time I was there and all the usual ball park fare, but it's for purchase.
The President's Club has free food inside which is quite gourmet and free ballpark fare delivered to the seats. Whether it's "worth" the prices you pay depends on your personal taste and bank account.
Another option might be the new Club 3, which includes food in one of the suites and a seat above the S&S club seats.
And for BobS, Steady is right about viewing the game from inside the S&S Club. There are a few spots with a half decent view, but not many. There are, of course, numerous flat screen TVs all over the place. I wasn't under the impression that actually seeing the game live was a priority. If it is, then inside Red Porch is definitely not an option for you.
OK, so, I guess the President's Club was free a number of times, too, although I think the last time it wasn't.
Food not included would change my calculus quite a bit if I were going to pay. It's nice to have tables to sit at, and the location is good, but not sure it's worth the extra money above what it would cost for regular seats in a comparable location.
222 -- As I wrote, I haven't actually sampled it myself, but my understanding from what I had read was that this season, the Diamond Club seats gave you access to the tent/lounge across the concourse from the Diamond Club itself, and that the price of the tickets included food and I think drink you could get from the buffet there and carry down to your seats. So neither the same location nor the same deal as the actual Diamond Club, but potentially a good deal if you could get it for relatively cheap via StubHub.
Steady, I stand corrected. Things have changed. So the Diamond Club itself is now only available to STHs. You can buy a single game Diamond seat and have access to the tent/lounge, and it includes food. If you can actually get those seats cheap, I agree it's a good deal. Doubt those get really cheap though, same as the Prez Club.
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