Home Opener against The Philadelphia Phillies (April 5th).
Mother's Day (May 9th--The Marlins) and Father's Day (June 20th--The White Sox) at Nationals Park.
Independence Day (The Mets) to be celebrated again on South Capitol Street.
Labor Day (September 6th) against The Mets as well.
Memorial Day set at Houston (May 31st).
Even the very fact Major League Baseball has scheduled Our Washington Nationals to play in Pittsburgh again on a weekend in September--makes today's announcement of the 2010 Schedule even better. Nothing like traveling to PNC Park to catch a few games.
And The Chicago White Sox & The Kansas City Royals are coming to The Nation's Capital too--for the first time since baseball returned in 2005.
Do you think The President Of The United States had anything to do with his favorite team visiting Nationals Park?
Hopefully, President Obama will honor Our Team (Nationals) and His Team (ChiSox) by throwing out The Presidential First Pitch on April 5th and return on Friday, June 18th to do the same when The White Sox come to D.C.
Good Schedule, even a nice 15 day break from home games coinciding with The 2010 All-Star Break from July 12th until July 27th. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals come back to back to Nationals Park in late August beginning the 23rd. The Cubbies for three. The Cards for four. The Los Angeles Dodgers will reappear early next year for three games beginning April 23rd, unlike late September the past few years in Washington.
And oh yeah--The Boston Red Sox are returning for a one-day engagement. An April 3rd Exhibition Game with Our Washington Nationals on South Capitol Street. One day before the regular season begins.
And finally, we have mentioned this many times and here we go again. We live in The Nation's Capital. Washington should always have it's First Game in D.C. each season, so The President Of The United States can be invited to carrying on a revived tradition. And remember, this Presidential Opener doesn't have to be the very first of all the Major League Games played each year, just Washington's First Game--that is what is important.
Here is the link to the complete 2010 Schedule for Our Washington Nationals.
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I don't see why Washington should automatically open the season at home because this is the nation's capital. Should the Yankees start each season at home since they're the most storied team in baseball? Should the Reds start each season at home because they're the oldest team? Home openers are something *fans* care about, and they should not be determined by factors that are extraneous to the game.
ReplyDeleteChris: Please check the history books next time. The Cincinnati Reds OPEN AT HOME EVERY SINGLE SEASON because they are the oldest team in baseball. It's Tradition. And if they didn't, fans in Cincinnati would go ballistic.
ReplyDeleteSince The President Of The United States began to throw out the first pitch in 1910--The Washington Senators, both American League versions, played their first game at home specifically to keep The Presidential Opener a possibility--even if that meant Washington's Team played just that one game before heading out on the road.
You are entitled to your opinion but it shows a lack of understanding of the historical significance in the game this opener provides. It's more than just "something fans care about." Baseball is all about tradition and if it's not continued then a part of the fabric of the game is lost. Roots strengthened from time honored ways. Just because Major League Baseball stayed away for over three decades doesn't mean something so important in Washington's Historical Past in the game should be dropped. Whether you wish to believe that or not--A Presidential Opener with The President Of The United States in attendance is unique for Our City and this nation. It's not called The Nation's Capital for nothing.
America's National Pastime is back and The Presidential First Pitch is what should always take place in D.C. each year--if The President's schedule permits.
Really excited about the weekend schedule for 2010. Dodgers have never been in DC during a weekend so this will def be my 1st game of the season in April. O's in May for a weekend is always fun, White Sox should be alot of fun, & the Giants are back for a weekend series (1st time since '07 @ RFK), hopefully we get to see Tim Lincecoum or Matt Cain.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Nats finally get the hint that they can draw more on weekend games if they make Saturday day games!!!!! In April & the first two weeks in May (also 4th of July) they had Saturday day games and if you look at the attendance there is a slight higher attendance then night games on Saturday.
For a day trip guy like myself, having Saturday as a day game is way better then having to drive home after a game around 10:30pm down I-95 back to Richmond.
I appreciate the long response. If the Reds open every season at home I withdraw my point entirely. Thanks for that info.
ReplyDeleteWashington should open every year at home and be forced to have the Vice-President throw out the first ball until it can produce a winning season.
ReplyDeleteSBF,
ReplyDeleteHope you don’t mind if I make a correction. On the subject of tradition, I’m with you.
But I don’t think the Reds are the oldest team in baseball. The franchise goes back to 1882.
The city is home of the first professional team in 1869, the Reds, but not the same franchise. I think the city did not have a major league team in 1881.
There is that tradition of them starting out the season but the oldest teams in baseball are Cubs and Braves, with continuous franchise back to 1876.
This text is from Baseball Almanac, a good source.
Major League Baseball's first officially recognized franchise the Cincinnati Reds were historically awarded the privilege of "opening the Openers" and hosted the outings from 1876-1989. Only twice during this time (1877 and 1966) were they forced to debut on the road due to rain. Finally in 1990, the tradition was broken and the Reds were scheduled to appear as the visitors against the Houston Astros.
One nitpick I have about the schedule is that the Nats do not play the Minnesota Twins. The last time we played the AL Central in 2007, the Nats played the Twins in Minnesota. I want to see the original Nationals play their successors in D.C., and I don't want to drive to Baltimore to do so.
ReplyDeleteSBF,
ReplyDeleteDo you think it if the President did come to throw out a first pitch when the Nats played the White Sox and he wore that awful White Sox hat or even a White Sox jacket that he would many boos? But is booing the President, even good natured booing okay? I'll sure be curious to see how it plays out. He can't ignore the team on South Capitol forever.
Take Me Out To The Ball Game!
Sam
And oddly the Nats also played the Twins again in 2008, when their interleague games should all have been against the AL West and the O's. Somehow they got the Twins that year (in Minnesota) instead of the A's.
ReplyDelete