Even with postponement, Opening Day worth the wait for Nationals
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By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Opening.
Day.
The words in concert unleash a flood of emotions.
They’re comforting and reassuring. They’re thrilling and exhilarating. They’re full of new hope for old dreams and new life for dead teams.
This is one aspect of baseball – spring training is another – that remains virtually unspoiled and unsoiled. No matter how much damage MLB has inflicted over the years with civic extortion, inflated statistics, silly labor disputes, tiny ballparks, laughable drug policies, runaway salaries, shrinking strike zones, irresponsible owners and late-night World Series, all seems right again when Game 1 of 162 arrives.
The Nationals start their season Thursday in Cincinnati. Along with the Reds, they will have plenty of company across the country. For the first time since 1968, Opening Day features a full slate. All 30 teams are in action, playing on the earliest start date for domestic games in history.
Washington’s outlook is as rosy as it’s been the last six years, four of which featured National League East titles. Dave Martinez has a loaded roster to direct as a rookie manager and he isn’t shying from the pressure. “From day one I told them,” Martinez said, via The Washington Post. “I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to play the last game of the World Series and win. That’s what our expectations are.’”
That’s not as blunt as former manager Davey Johnson’s “World Series or bust” in 2013, or right fielder Bryce Harper’s “Where’s my ring?” in 2015. But having won a World Series as Joe Maddon’s bench coach with the Chicago Cubs, Martinez understands what it takes and why he’s here, not Dusty Baker.
There’s no use in pretending the Nationals aren’t built to win a championship … if they can survive the first round.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. After Thursday, after left fielder Adam Eaton leads off and ace Max Scherzer takes the mound, there will be 185 days left in the regular season. A lot can happen in six months and digesting it will take time.
Will the back of the rotation pan out? Will first baseman Ryan Zimmerman produce like last year? Will the middle of the bullpen be OK? Will shortstop Trea Turner rise to another level? Will general manager Mike Rizzo get a contract extension?
We’ll find out. Just not on Thursday.
Opening Day isn’t about taking questions or providing answers.
It’s about celebrating baseball and fueling memories.
Everyone should attend at least one Opening Day before leaving earth. It’s a therapeutic experience, regardless of one’s interest in baseball. This is especially true when the weather cooperates with sunny skies and mild temperatures.
(In that regard, ANY day game suffices for a bucket-list experience.)
There’s just something about sitting in a ballpark on a sunny afternoon that makes life feel great. It doesn’t come across as you watch games on TV. It doesn’t feel as good when you sit in ballparks at night.
And it doesn’t happen often enough throughout baseball’s regular season, where day games are an endangered species.
Washington’s first home game is April 5. The Nats are scheduled to play six contests before then – they visit Atlanta after Cincinnati – but that won’t matter to most fans in the D.C. metro area.
For them, next Thursday’s afternoon game against the Mets is Opening Day.
Local employers should brace for an uptick in absences. Teachers will see an increase in empty seats. Doctors might experience a demand for notes.
Any excuse to attend an opener is a good one.
And fans don’t need many excuses during the season. Washington plays just 11 day games at home on weekdays. (You can attend any of 31 day games at Nationals Park on weekends, but the sensation is different.)
However, nothing matches the emotion that openers generate.
Unless you were fortunate enough to visit spring training or attend an exhibition game, openers are the first, up-close look at your team since the previous season. No matter how that campaign ended (a recurring nightmare in these parts), the first regular season game represents a clean slate.
For the Nats, hopes include a full recovery from knee surgery for Eaton. Continued progress for center fielder Michael Taylor. More stability from pitcher Gio Gonzalez. No more jinxes from Sports Illustrated.
But all of that can be chewed over this summer.
For now, there’s no rush to judgement. There’s no stress and no mess. Just the soothing, serene feeling induced by two blissful words.
Opening.
Day.
— Brooklyn-born and Howard-educated, Deron Snyder writes his award-winning column for The Washington Times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Follow him on Twitter @DeronSnyder.
