Home opener!!!

Today, my beloved Washington Nationals kick off their season . . . at home!!! I can't believe we're already in the third year of the franchise, and it sure has been a wild ride since they first announced in 2004 that the Expos would be coming to Washington.

Will and I made it to the inaugural 2005 game in Philly, meeting up with his ombudsman Cliff (himself a Phillies fan) for the game, and it amazes me just how much things have changed since that first game: we now have an owner, we now have a TV deal (however corrupt it may be), we have a new manager, the team has cycled through many players, and we're promised a new ballpark by this time next year! That means that on a late September day, on the home closer, we will be stepping out of RFK Stadium for the last time. I may be the only one, but I'll be saddened, because even though I look forward to the new ballpark, I'll always fondly associate RFK with the Nats in their infancy.

But enough sentimentality; today starts season three! There's been some talk that Hank Thomas, the grandson of Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson, will be throwing out the first pitch today, which I can live with. It's shame that it won't be Adrian Fenty, though, given how much he opposed the stadium deal while serving on the DC Council—yet it would be the sweetest comeuppance if he had to throw out the first ball at the new ballpark next year! And if he does, I'd then and there forgive his previous opposition to the ballpark.

It won't be the same without Frank Robinson coaching, either. I may be the only one saying this, but I actually do miss Frank Robinson. I'm sure Manny Acta will prove worthy with time, but there was something special about Frank and his first season in Washington, and I miss that.

But today we set sail on baseball season, and what else can I say in closing except . . . "Play ball!"