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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Baseball in the Nation's Capital (Part I)



Everyone knows how Washingtonians feel about their football franchise, but what about baseball?  It often seems that DC and baseball go together like socks and sandals... there's no real reason that it can't work, but let's face it, it looks and feels a awkward.  Let me show you what I mean:  if you're a baseball fan living in Boston, you almost certainly root for the Red Sox; if you're a baseball fan and a long-time resident of St. Louis, you probably cheer on the Cardinals; and if you're a baseball fan in the DC area, you are most likely an enthusiastic supporter of the Washington Nationals... or the New York Mets... or the Atlanta Braves... or the Philadelphia Phillies... or the Baltimore Orioles... or (and so on).  To understand how the District got itself into this predicament, a brief history lesson is required.  That lesson is coming in Part II of this post.  In Part I, we'll focus on the positive presence of baseball in DC culture - despite its awkwardness.