District Championships at Nats Park

Congressional Bank Baseball Classic to decide DC's best

The Nats might be on the road this weekend, but there will still be baseball at Nats Park.  The second annual Congressional Bank Baseball Classic is being held there, as JD Land points out.

The Classic is an all-day baseball extravaganza, culminating in the City Championship.

The games kick off at 9:30 a.m. with the DCIAA championship game.  St. Albans plays Gonzaga at 12:30 p.m.  The two winners meet at 6:30 p.m. for the Modell's Cup.

Last year, St. Albans defeated Woodrow Wilson to win the Cup.

At 3:30 p.m., between the semi-finals and the championship game, the Classic will hold an All-Star Game featuring 48 top players from the entire city.

It's a great chance for these kids to play in a big-league stadium, something anyone who's ever put on a uniform would love.  And given the state of the Nationals' bullpen, perhaps one of them could get a quick call-up.  Just throw strikes, kids!

Tickets for the event are $5 and available at Nats Park.  It also features a fan zone with music, skills clinics, games and entertainment.

Proceeds from the event go back to youth baseball programs in the city.  Last year, funding from the Classic sent 18 coaches to a skills-development clinic, which can only help the quality of ball in the District.

The Nationals have been slowly working on building a Youth Baseball Academy in DC, but little progress -- in part because of land acquisition difficulties -- has been made.

In the meantime, events like the Congressional Bank Baseball Classic can only help to raise interest and awareness of the sport, while highlighting the excellent play of our local players.

Chris Needham used to write Capitol Punishment.

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