Why I Love…the Washington Nationals

I grew up a Dodger fan, thanks to the dedication of my grandparents Opal and Gib. I went to sleep lulled by the lilting voice of Vince Scully on my grandparents’ radio. I was counseled to marry a man just like Steve Garvey…well, until he left his wife, had numerous affairs and, OMG, defected to the Padres.

My favorite part of being a Dodger fan was going to Dodger home games. I enjoyed watching the Angels spring training and would attend an Angels or Padres game in a pinch, but the Dodgers were my fave. My grandparents regularly drove my sister and me five hours each way for games. Dodger dogs were declared health food and by kindergarten I could shell peanuts faster than my grandpa could eat ‘em. And throughout my grandma’s battle with ovarian cancer, the Dodgers kept her mind off the nausea and pain. After she died, watching Dodgers games on the TV kept my grandpa going. And through my snotty adolescence and teenage narcissism, at least I could still be counted on to watch the games with him between doing my homework and my hair.

Freshman year of college I lived on the same dorm floor as Ron Cey’s son Dan, a gorgeous guy and a solid baseball player himself. While all the other gals tried to get into his Jockey shorts, I sadly, pestered him with questions about his dad in the ’80s. (Dork.)

I moved from the Golden State to Washington, DC in 1998. And in 2000, I turned in my California drivers’ license, registered to pay taxes without representation and I committed to living in the DC area for the long haul. Such ceremony signified that it was time to find a new baseball team. Preferably one that didn’t require satellite TV or a $300 plane ticket to catch a game.

But dude, the Orioles?  I barely left the District or nearby counties. Baltimore seemed hours away. And orange and black? So not my color. Unless it’s Halloween. So I stayed loyal to the blue.

Then in 2005, DC got its very own MLB team again, after being baseball team-less since the Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1960. By 2005 I was married with a little two-year-old boy. With the Dodgers a full continent away, a new loyalty was in order. I had to pass along the baseball legacy.  So almost as ceremoniously as I turned in my license and voter registration, I turned my MLB loyalty over to The Washington Nationals.

Why I love the Nats:

• They’re getting better. In 2008 and 2009 they won 59 games. So far in 2010 they’ve won 69.
• They can beat the Yankees! (Sorry Sister Doreen! – my son’s kindergarten teacher last year who’s a diehard Yankee fan.)
• Ryan Zimmerman. This All-Star is one of the most consistent hitters in the major leagues and possibly the best third baseman playing. Yup, I’m a married chick who drives a minivan, so this is how I like my dudes – dependable. You can have your diva players and rock stars on the other teams. But a player who can be counted on to consistently bring it, Zimmerman is the guy who I get to sign the poster over my kid’s boyhood bed.

Ryan Zimmerman's home run sealed the 3-2 win over the Braves at the Nats' first game in their new stadium in 2008.

• Adam Dunn. He catches a lot of flack for his field play, but not from me. Built more like a football player (and he did play in college), this slugger is a home run machine. And you know what seven year olds and four year olds like to cheer at baseball games? Home runs.
• Josh Willingham. Not only a frequent homer and superb left-fielder, check out Willingham’s awesome charity work here and vote for him to win the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.
• Where else do you get to see the President of the United States throw the first pitch of the season?
• We’ve got not one but FIVE team mascots, Screech the Bald Eagle and The Racing Presidents. I love those ginormous goofy faces of George, Tommy, Abe and Teddy.  And so do the kids. Those guys can really dance too.
• I have to say, my husband looks pretty hot in red.
• You can Metro there and beat the parking nightmare that plagues Redskins games.
• You can take a water taxi to and from Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown to the park. I have to say, it’s pretty darn awesome taking a beer reprieve on the decks of the boat, watching all the monuments float by (and then heading to a historic pub for continued game day revelry).
• The ballpark’s been blessed by the Pope, when in 2008 Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass there during his Washington visit. (I’m hoping this gives the guys a “contact blessing” and improves their home plays.)
• $5-10 upper gallery tickets have views of the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
• Taking out-of-town visitors to a game day stadium tour.  Because you KNOW they don’t want to see the Smithsonian American History Museum again. (And you sure don’t.)
• The Ben’s Chili Bowl stand. Straight from DC lore to your belly.
• Every local brew on tap. And I mean every last one. You can also find wines from local vineyards and order whatever cocktail your liver desires.
• Other great local delicacies for the eating: Giffords Ice Cream, Five Guys, Hard Times
• Rookie’s – the kids meal haven, right next to the big kid-friendly bathroom and breast-feeding lounge.

So though I get all nostalgic when we – meaning my team, the Nats – play the Dodgers, I’m glad I switched loyalties. Getting to “root, root, root for the home team” with my DC babies is one of the highlights of being a parent.

Jessica McFadden writes about fun activities and resources for parents in the Washington, DC area at her blog A Parent in Silver Spring. She can’t wait for April.

[Photo: LA Times Blog]