The Baseball Column: D.C. Silliness
Patching Together A Fantasy
POSTED: 3:56 pm EDT May 27,
2005
UPDATED: 4:15 pm EDT May 27,
2005
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Rant 1: Nationals Nonsense
In August of 2002, I attended an Expos-Braves game at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I don’t remember the particulars of the contest, other than the Braves won and they serve beer past the seventh inning in Canada. But I'm sure I was there and could probably even dig up a ticket stub to prove it. That’s why I was surprised to see a patch on the Washington Nationals jerseys that read “Established 1905.”The Nationals franchise, formerly the Montreal Expos, was really established as an expansion team in 1969. The first franchise in Washington was known as the Senators and they began play in 1901 as an original member of the American League. The Senators moved to Minnesota prior to the 1961 season and became the Twins.So how does MLB justify the "Established 1905" nonsense? The explanation is flimsier than a one-run lead with LaTroy Hawkins on the mound. According to Baseball-Reference.com, "The Senators were officially the Washington Nationals from 1905-1955, but the fans never recognized them as such."So despite being founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos and that the original team in our Nation’s Capitol began play in 1901 and was universally recognized as the "Senators," MLB actually has the nerve to claim that the current team in Washington, D.C., was "Established (in) 1905." Give me a break.Rant 2: More Troubles For Hamilton
The sad story of former top prospect Josh Hamilton took another turn for the worse on May 21 when he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of damage to property after smashing the windshield of a friend’s pickup truck. Hamilton, drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, hasn’t played in a pro game since 2002 and has been on suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy since February 2004. The 24-year-old had hoped to be reinstated some time this summer, but now you really have to wonder if he will, or should, play again.Rant 3: New York-Boston Again?
I'm almost afraid to look at the TV schedule. But I'm betting the nation will be forced to watch each and every game of the Red Sox-Yankees series this weekend. Here's hoping the American League playoffs include Texas, Baltimore, Chicago and Minnesota. But if that happens, I'm sure the Fox announcers (that's you, Joe Buck) will drone on about how "It's just not the same without the Yankees or Red Sox." No, it won't be that same. It'll be about 100 percent more enjoyable.
In August of 2002, I attended an Expos-Braves game at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I don’t remember the particulars of the contest, other than the Braves won and they serve beer past the seventh inning in Canada. But I'm sure I was there and could probably even dig up a ticket stub to prove it. That’s why I was surprised to see a patch on the Washington Nationals jerseys that read “Established 1905.”The Nationals franchise, formerly the Montreal Expos, was really established as an expansion team in 1969. The first franchise in Washington was known as the Senators and they began play in 1901 as an original member of the American League. The Senators moved to Minnesota prior to the 1961 season and became the Twins.So how does MLB justify the "Established 1905" nonsense? The explanation is flimsier than a one-run lead with LaTroy Hawkins on the mound. According to Baseball-Reference.com, "The Senators were officially the Washington Nationals from 1905-1955, but the fans never recognized them as such."So despite being founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos and that the original team in our Nation’s Capitol began play in 1901 and was universally recognized as the "Senators," MLB actually has the nerve to claim that the current team in Washington, D.C., was "Established (in) 1905." Give me a break.Rant 2: More Troubles For Hamilton
The sad story of former top prospect Josh Hamilton took another turn for the worse on May 21 when he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of damage to property after smashing the windshield of a friend’s pickup truck. Hamilton, drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, hasn’t played in a pro game since 2002 and has been on suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy since February 2004. The 24-year-old had hoped to be reinstated some time this summer, but now you really have to wonder if he will, or should, play again.Rant 3: New York-Boston Again?
I'm almost afraid to look at the TV schedule. But I'm betting the nation will be forced to watch each and every game of the Red Sox-Yankees series this weekend. Here's hoping the American League playoffs include Texas, Baltimore, Chicago and Minnesota. But if that happens, I'm sure the Fox announcers (that's you, Joe Buck) will drone on about how "It's just not the same without the Yankees or Red Sox." No, it won't be that same. It'll be about 100 percent more enjoyable.
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