Bush Booed While a Baby Is Born at Nationals Park
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UPDATE: The first official Nationals Park baby has a name. And, believe it or not, it's not Ryan Zimmerman.
Audrey Newmark Yedwab was born at 11:37 am Monday after her mother, Blake Newmark, was moved to labor by the thrill of Opening Night at the Washington Nationals new ballpark -- and in only the first inning! Luckily, she and her husband left the stadium immediately.
About 15 hours later, baby Yedwab weighed in at 7 lbs, 4 ounces, a respectable Major League size, according to her father, Democratic consultant Dennis Yedwab.
The Nats' newest fan has a full head of black hair.
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Sunday's historic Opening Night at Nationals Park was a real Who's Who fest. (And a boo fest.) Regular Joes and Janes mixed with members of Congress, fat-cat lobbyists, trial lawyers, political operatives, former Cabinet secretaries and, of course, journalists, while President Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch -- to a cacophony of booing and cheering -- and the Washington Nationals went on to win their first game of the season, thanks to a stunning 9th inning homer by Ryan Zimmerman.
For one fan, the excitement and hoopla was just too much. She went into labor during the first inning and, as of Monday morning, was at the hospital delivering a baby, according to one of her close friends. Nats fans will surely concur: we believe the baby's parents are legally obligated to name him or her Ryan Zimmerman. (The baby's parents are Blake Newmark, a teacher, and Dennis Yedwab, a Democratic political consultant who used to be the research director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.)
Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, looking very happy and warm in the biting cold, had an amazing view of the game with his grandsons in front-row seats between 3rd base and home plate. We couldn't see Powell's reaction to all the booing around us when POTUS threw out the first pitch; some fans were wearing "Impeach Him" buttons, which vendors were selling outside the stadium. The former secretary left after the 7th inning, along with droves of other shivering fans, so we're guessing he missed Zimmerman's winning home run.
Come to think of it, the inaugural game would have been a great spot for the cast of Oliver Stone's upcoming movie W to study their characters.
Nearby, Bush's former energy secretary, Spencer Abraham, watched the game with his son. Abraham, a former GOP senator from Michigan who was defeated in 2000 by Democrat Debbie Stabenow, now runs the Abraham Group, an international strategic consulting firm based in Washington.
Also spotted at the game, separately, were Sens. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), a former Major League pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer who no doubt enjoyed the sight of the Nationals field's million-dollar Kentucky bluegrass, and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), whose wife, Lucy Calautti, is a top lobbyist for Major League Baseball.
The Democratic presidential primary race was even suspended for Opening Night. At least Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign, took a break from the campaign trail to enjoy the game with his wife from a skybox.
Baseball, as it should be, took precedence over politics for a night. A group of teenagers carrying Obama for President signs nearly got trampled near the concession stands by those more interested in pretzels and hotdogs.
Though, this being Washington, politics still played its starring role. Partisan Democrats were split on booing the president. While some went hog wild booing, others found it tacky, disrespectful. Even David Wade, deputy chief of staff to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), didn't boo the president.
"Because I'm a good sport," Wade says.
Other political luminaries spotted at Opening Night included: uber defense attorney Bob Bennett, who recently wrote the memoir "In the Ring;" CNN's gabber-in-chief, Wolf Blitzer; veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer; NBC "Meet the Press" host and big-time basefall fan Tim Russert; and, of course, Washington mayor Adrian Fenty.
By
Mary Ann Akers
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March 31, 2008; 8:00 PM ET
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