During an address to the National Press Club on Thursday, Nationals President Stan Kasten kept returning to the parallels he sees between how he helped to build the successful Atlanta Braves teams of the ’90s, and how he’s trying to build the Nats presently.
And the similarities aren’t all just on the field, either. “One thing I’ve learned is they’ve invented no new insults,” Kasten said, referring to the media and disgruntled fans. “I’ve heard it all before. … I’m currently in my village idiot phase in Washington.”
Kasten was also preparing for a bittersweet moment at Thursday night’s game against the Red Sox. That’s when John Smoltz — the future Hall of Famer whom Kasten brought up through the Braves organization — took the mound for the first time in a Red Sox uniform. “I knew you would do this to me,” he said he told Smoltz this week.
