Baseball made its return last night in grand style. Our own Washington Nationals opened the season facing the Atlanta Braves in the brand new Nationals Park. Television coverage was provided by ESPN and President Bush threw out the first pitch with a high fast ball to Nationals’ manager Manny Acta.
I tuned into the game mid-3rd inning to see the Nats had a 2-1 lead. “Not bad” I thought, thinking it sure would be great for the Nats to win their first game in their new stadium. The game continued as a pitcher’s battle until the 9th inning when the Braves tied the scored at 2-2. “Oh bummer” I thought the Nats aren’t going to get out this one easy.
It was nearing 11PM and I was dozing in and out of sleep as the game continued when suddenly I was awaken by the sound of a stadium full of cheers. I had just missed Nats’ 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit a line drive home run for the walk-off game winner.
Ryan Zimmerman has been the defacto face of the Nationals since coming to the team as a 21 year old rookie and performing better than expected earning his place on the team. Now at 23 he is not only the face of the team, but quickly becoming the face of Washington. His walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th in a brand new home stadium is the story that legends are made of.
I have never been a huge baseball fan. Having grown up in western Michigan and Northern Virginia I never built an allegiance to any one team. With two boys now playing t-ball and both of whom really enjoy watching baseball I’ve found myself becoming a true fan of the Nationals. With the good story of the little team that could, and the hero of the team being the type of player Major League Baseball needs right about now, the Nationals could truly be the team of the future!
Thank goodness baseball is back in D.C. and a Washington area sports team has the ownership that is driven to win. They may not make it far this year, but behind the bat of Ryan Zimmerman the Nats are well on their way. If they could just have a winning season this year the fans can wait until next year to start the dream of a World Series game being played on the banks of the Anacostia River.
Filed under: Virginia Politics
Great game. Bush was excellent in the ESPN booth through the middle of the 4th inning, too. In fact, he called the first homer in the park.
Ryan Zimmerman is one of the best baseball players out there. Only problem is the Nationals haven’t been doing too well lately, and hopefully they can turn that around.