The Green Monster swallowed Nationals Park.
The Boston Red Sox returned to Washington on Tuesday for the first time since Sept. 19, 1971 — two weeks before the Senators’ departure created a 34-year void. Red Sox Nation owned the ballpark with David Ortiz jerseys filling the stands. Nats fans came alive when Adam Dunn doubled in the first run, but the crowd roared when Boston’s Jason Bay homered.
It was a big-game atmosphere, the kind Nats president Stan Kasten swears is coming despite another cellar-dwelling season. The three games against Boston is the signature series of a miserable year. Longtime Washingtonians felt nostalgic for the days of playing in the American League. When Boston, New York and Baltimore were well-worn foes instead of who-cares Houston, San Diego and Florida.
The Red Sox are everything the Nats organization strives to become. Not just two World Series victories in five years, but a culture that defines New England. The Patriots can win all the Super Bowls they want, but it’s still a baseball town.
The record crowd of 41,517 was overwhelmingly Red Sox fans, much more than the Pittsburgh Steelers fans that staged a takeover of FedEx Field last fall. Ben’s Chili Bowl should have sold clam chowder. The Nats distributed 10,000 white shirts, hoping to pepper the visitor’s red monolopy. Something tells me a lot of those shirts are heading back to Beantown to wash cars.
“A full house brings excitement to everybody in the stands,” said Nats acting general manager Mike Rizzo. “Players feed off the adrenalin.”
It’s good to suffer baseball fever — if only for three days. The Nats barely have hopes of escaping baseball’s worst mark. But the visiting Red Sox make the sport temporarily relevant until Tiger Woods arrives next week and the Redskins open training camp on July 30. Frankly, this is the end of baseball season for everyone aside die-hards.
Baseball is more than a marathon; it’s a grind for a bad team. Maybe the Red Sox series following last week’s pair of victories at the New York Yankees can break the malaise. Make players remember why playing the game is special. A Joe DiMaggio quote, about always playing your best, is painted on the tunnel wall near the Washington dugout. The Nats must think it’s graffiti.
Maybe the Red Sox will show the Nats what success feels like.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
