Perspective: For the rebuilding, reloading, rebounding Nationals, Opening Day offered uncertain relief.
There are so many of those hovering around the 2022 Washington Nationals, from the unproven pitching rotation to the young guys now filling clubhouse spaces once occupied by champions named Zimmerman, Turner and Scherzer. The latter’s one brown eye and one blue eye no longer watch over right field; it would be kind of weird for the New York Mets’ biggest free agent acquisition to still have that presence here.
Instead, remaining franchise stalwarts Juan Soto, Stephen Strasburg, Josh Bell and Josiah Gray — uh, who? — tower like giants in their billboards hanging from the parking lot beyond center field. They are the faces pitched to the public.
On the dais, where Manager Dave Martinez wished reporters “Happy Opening Day!” Even though there is gray in his stubble and a toll on“It’s a special day,” Martinez said in the afternoon. “For me, it’s about thinking back when I was … my first Opening Day. Thinking about Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, those guys where they get to experience their first Opening Day. So it’s very exciting. It’s the first day for all of us to be together as a team and play that first game together.
When they returned to their seats, they cheered as the grounds crew rushed the tarp off the infield. They celebrated, even though first pitch had been pushed back again, to 8:20 p.m. Eventually, the ceremony began. The U.S. Army Chorus Quartet sang “America the Beautiful,” and before Scherzer touched the red carpet leading from the dugout to the field, he received a standing ovation.
Despite the pageantry and pleasantries, this is what a rebuilding season looks like at Nationals Park. Or is it a reboot? Re-org? Re-blow-it-all-up-to-start-over-from-2019?“More of a rebound, maybe. Whad’ya think? Workshop it. Revamp, maybe?” Doolittle said Wednesday, offering all the synonyms he could muster while avoiding that dirty R word.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dominique Gonçalves: Coexisting with the elephants of MozambiqueMeet Dominique Gonçalves, a young elephant ecologist and insidenatgeo Explorer who is helping Gorongosa National Park transform itself into a “human rights park,” serving both wildlife and the people who live nearby
Read more »
What’s fair about art fairs? - Chicago Reader'with such a high barrier to entry, where does that leave, say, apartment galleries? Shed shows? Artists heavily critiquing capital? In a market designed to make them feel barely there, they can show up and be seen at the Barely Fair.' | JuggaloReporter
Read more »
6 Exciting New Things to Look for at Nationals Park 2022 SeasonNew concessions, sportsbook betting, mobile ordering services, and more.
Read more »
Big Bend National Park to Temporarily Close for Prescribed BurnBig Bend National Park will close on April 6 and 7 as staff plan to initiate a 43-acre prescribed burn along the Rio Grande.
Read more »
More than 1 million mobile pay parking apps downloaded, PPA saysThe meterUP app can be downloaded free from Apple's App Store and Google Play.
Read more »
Developer may buy former Lincoln-Way property from Tinley ParkA developer is paying $1.7 million for 72 acres south of Interstate 80 and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park that the village recently bought from Lincoln-Way High School District 210.
Read more »