Succinct Sportscaster Summerall, a Classic

April 22, 2013

When the Chicago Bears defeated the St. Louis Rams, 24-0, in the National Football League championship game to reach the Super Bowl, in 1986, the win looked so decisive that it hardly needed a play-by-play commentary.

But sportscaster Pat Summerall, working with rambunctious John Madden, managed to put both grace and finality into the day, which was wind-off-the-lake, winter cold, after the Bears scored their last touchdown, putting scale and drama into describing a PAT (Point After Touchdown):

“The kick—like everything else today for the Chicago Bears—was perfect,” I remember him intoning.

That was actually a lot of words for Summerall, the former NFL placekicker who became a legendary NFL—and golf and tennis—announcer with Madden and other partners, known for elegant brevity who made every word count as in announcing a Redskin highlight: “Riggins barrels into the end zone, touchdown Redskins”—or not: “Riggins. Left side. Nothing doing.”

To hear of Summerall’s death, at the age 82 on April 16, is to realize just how much sports announcing has changed. There are no Pat Summeralls around, or even Pat Summerall wannabes. It’s talk, talk, talk, sports talk and cliches. Will somebody just call a homer a homer (instead of rockets and taters), instead of being one?

He and Madden were in some ways a perfect match of opposites when they called NFL games first on CBS Sports then on Fox Sports—a move that made Fox instantly respectable in football circles. Here was Madden, a jumping bean of a man, full of stats, drawings, a motor mouth of considerable heft, a one-time coach for the Oakland Raiders who made an industry out of himself. And here was Summerall, who, next to Madden, could have been Calvin Coolidge in terms of word count.

But Summerall could set the stage, describe the scene, and it was a voice that had a coal miner’s poetry to it, and a ringing authority. Watching a very fast running back score a touchdown: “Speed kills. Touchdown.” He had a voice that was great on television and radio, and a physical presence that resonated like a movie star’s, rugged, sage when his hair turned white, an athlete’s build with a gentleman’s manner.

As a kicker, Summerall famously beat a Cleveland Browns team with a last-second 49-yard field goal. I remember this because I lived in Ohio way back when. He battled—and triumphed over—alcoholism by checking into the Betty Ford clinic which tacked several days on his stay because of his anger over friends who engineered an intervention. He told one reporter that he didn’t want to go because he was having too much fun.

For years, the rather civilized CBS mega hit “Murder She Wrote,” starring the esteemed actress Angela Lansbury, racked up big ratings on Sunday. The suspicion remains that it was because of this: “Tonight, on CBS, after “60 Minutes,” “Murder She Wrote,” as practically commanded by the voice of Pat Summerall.

John Madden called him “the voice of football.” These are too many words for a Summerall tribute. He would have liked the comment from a fan, for the brevity, if not the sentiment: “He. Is. Legend.”

Weekend Round Up April 18, 2013


10th Annual Georgetown French Market

April 19th, 2013 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

The charming Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown will transform into a Parisian open-air market during the 10th Annual Georgetown French Market on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Over 35 shops, cafés, and galleries along Wisconsin Avenue, from P Street to Reservoir Road, are offering up to 75% off clothing, art, home furnishings, French fare, and more. Whimsical mimes, strolling musicians, arts & crafts with Alliance Francais and live art demo by Art Soiree will offer fun and entertainment for the whole family.

Address

TD Bank Parking Lot; 1611 Wisconsin Avenue NW

The Old Print Gallery: Ross/Romano Opening & Exhibit

April 19th, 2013 at 05:00 PM | Tel: 202.965.1818 | Event Website

The Old Print Gallery is pleased to announce its new summer show Ross/Romano. The show will open on April 19th and stay on view until July 13th. The exhibit features the work of John Ross and Clare Romano, internationally known printmakers, teachers, and husband and wife creative duo. Their prints sample architecture, waterways, and canyon vistas – a visual record of their travels to Italy and the Southwest. Working in the medium of collagraphy and woodcuts, prints by Ross and Romano marry texture and color in a skillfully layered way. A free nighttime reception will be held on Friday, April 19th, from 5 to 8 p.m,. at The Old Print Gallery (1220 31st Street, NW) to the celebrate the show’s opening.

Address

The Old Print Gallery; 1220 31st Street, NW

Dumbarton House: Jazz Soiree

April 19th, 2013 at 07:00 PM | $20 (cash only) | Tel: 202-337-2288 | Event Website

join The International Club of D.C. as they host an evening of jazz, dancing, refreshments and conversation on the grounds of one of Georgetown’s historic homes and one of the finest examples of Federal period architecture in the U.S.

Address

The Dumbarton House; 2715 Q Street, NW

DC Fund Film Benefit

April 20th, 2013 at 06:30 PM | Donation – any amount | info@diversecityfund.org | Tel: Brigette Rouson Wilson, 202.460.2025 | Event Website

DC’s grassroots funder, Diverse City Fund, hosts a benefit showing of Traces of the Trade – a story of wealth built on slave trading – and dialogue with filmmaker Katrina Browne, a DC resident, about racism today.

Trailer and film info: http://www.tracesofthetrade.org/view-clips/

Address

Location: Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid Street, NW, DC 20009.

Accessibility: For elevator, enter from the parking lot at the rear (drive into alleyway from Fairmont off Georgia Ave., or Euclid Street off Sherman Ave.)

Sleepout: WPA Housewarming and Slumber Party

April 20th, 2013 at 09:00 PM | $25-35 | bmurphy@wpadc.org | Event Website

Wear your pajamas and party with WPA at our first poolside sleepover party to celebrate our move to the Capitol Skyline Hotel!
Bring a tent or a sleeping bag and sleep with us under the stars (or in the ballroom if weather doesn’t cooperate).

Address

Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I (eye) St. SW,

Glen’s Garden Market Opening Day Celebration

April 21st, 2013 at 12:00 PM | Free | info@glensgardenmarket.com | Tel: 602.418.0316. | Event Website

Come celebrate the opening of Glen’s Garden Market, the region’s first all-local, full-service grocery store. Doors open at noon with a toast.

At the opening, customers can taste free samples of the market’s in-house menu and can shop the locally sourced produce, meats, dairy products and specialty foods. To celebrate Earth Day and Glen’s Garden Market’s commitment to be environmentally sustainable, shoppers will receive one reusable bag per purchase. Please visit GlensGardenMarket.com

Address

2001 S Street NW

“Summer in February,” NSLM dinner and a movie fund-raiser

April 21st, 2013 at 04:00 PM | Holly@webstergroupinc.com 202.741.1294 | Holly@webstergroupinc.com | Tel: 202.741.1294 | Event Website

“Summer in February,” NSLM dinner and a movie fund-raiser and preview of the exhibition Munnings: Out in the Open, April 21, 2013.
In conjunction with the opening, the NSLM will host a private preview of the film “Summer in February” starring Dominic Cooper, Dan Stevens and Emily Browning. Based upon Jonathan Smith’s 1996 novel with the same title, the film explores the relationships Munnings developed while in Lamorna.

Address

National Sporting Library & Museum; 102 The Plains Road; Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335

Choral Evensong

April 21st, 2013 at 05:00 PM | Free | Tel: 202-333-6677

Music of Richard Ayleward, Williams H. Harris, and Edward C. Bairstow. Sung by the professional Choir of Christ Church, the series is free and open to the public as a gift to the community.

Address

Christ Church, Georgetown; 31st & O Street NW

Citizens Association of Georgetown Meeting

April 22nd, 2013 at 07:00 PM

Georgetown University will host CAG to view its new state-of-the-art science building, Regents Hall. With reception before tour.

Address

Georgetown University – Copley Formal Lounge in Copley Building, off Healy Circle

151th Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation, April 16


April 16 is Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. D.C. government offices, public schools and libraries will be closed. Except for rush hour rules, parking restrictions will be suspended. Since 2005, it has been an official holiday in Washington, D.C.

Signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 ended slavery in Washington, D.C. It freed 3,100 individuals and reimbursed those who had legally owned them. The law went into effect nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.

April 16 is a day for celebration and reflection with a parade, concert, workshops and fireworks. For more details, visit Emancipation.dc.gov/events

Selected Events for April 16

Emancipation Day Prayer Breakfast

== 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the Willard Hotel — Prayer Breakfast in commemoration of the 151st anniversary of the signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862.
Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Workshops

== 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, John A. Wilson District Building. For details, contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Book Discussion

== 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Carnegie Library, 801 K St., NW, Mount Vernon Square. Join the Historical Society for the debut of a new book, “A Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C.: The Capital of the Union,” by Lucinda Prout Janke. The first such guide issued in over a decade, it provides a new look at significant historical sites and a concise history of the city’s Civil War years. Janke will discuss the emancipation’s effects on the city’s demographics and how the law got its own local holiday. Members of the Historical Society are also invited to afternoon refreshments and continued discussion following the book talk. Please RSVP to info@historydc.org. If you are not already a member, you may join online or call 202-249-3952 for more information.

Emancipation Day Parade

== 11 a.m., Emancipation Day Parade, Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, from 4th Street to 14th Street. Join UFCW Local 400, FAITH Strategies, AFL-CIO, Ward 4 THRIVES, FORWARD, DC Jobs with JUSTICE, RESPECT DC.org., other labor organizations, and Community Leaders for the DC Emancipation Day parade. The parade will start at 11 am, beginning at 4th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and end at Freedom Plaza/14th Street, NW. Email: SupportLRA2013@outlook.com

‘Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North’

== 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 1644 31st Street, NW, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden. In this Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary, filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. With nine relatives, Browne retraced the “Triangle Trade” that enriched her forebears, uncovering the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery and gaining new perspective on the racial divide. In the 150 years since emancipation and 50 since the March on Washington, most white people have foresworn overt racism. But what unfinished business remains, what inequities persist and what kinds of racial baggage do many of us carry? The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and aired on PBS nationwide. Film Screening will be followed by discussion with director/producer Katrina Browne.
Contact: Talia Mosconi — 202-965-0400.

Emancipation Day Workshops

== 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, John A. Wilson District Building. For details, contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Concert

== 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Freedom Plaza. Emancipation Day concert featuring grammy award winning artist Kirk Franklin. Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Fireworks

== 8:30 p.m., 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Freedom Plaza. Emancipation Day fireworks display. Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Ringing of the Congress Bells (Friday)

== 6:45 p.m., Friday, April 19, 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the Old Post Office Building. The Washington Ringing Society, led by Ringing Master Quilla Roth, will perform a ringing of the Congress Bells in the Old Post Office Tower in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the dedication of these bells and to commemorate the 151st anniversary of DC Emancipation Day. The Society will be performing a “quarter peal,” a form of scientific or change ringing where the ringers are guided from permutation to permutation by following a specific algorithm. The performance should take about an hour and is a phenomenal treat. Those wanting to listen to the performance will find the bells are generally easiest to hear on 12th Street across from the Old Post Office building, where the sound of the bells seems to bounce nicely off the Ariel Rios building.
Contact: Quilla Roth — qroth@verizon.net — 202-244-1658

Emancipation Day Celebrates African-American History and More

April 18, 2013

Despite concerns about public security after the Boston Marathon bombings, D.C.’s Emancipation Day parade and celebrations went off without a hitch April 16.

The parade moved along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, from 4th Street to 14th Street. There were also workshops and a battle of the bands at Freedom Plaza — at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue across from the District Building — as well as prayer breakfast. There was even a “Great Debate” at the Lincoln Theater on April 14 that looked at issues affecting African Americans today. The day’s events were coordinated by Councilman-at-large Vincent Orange, who is the chair of the oversight committee for Emancipation Day.

“It’s the only time in history that the federal government paid $1 million in 1862 to free the slaves,” Orange told ABC News. “Clearly, that was part of Lincoln’s strategy to win civil war.”

The idea to alter the celebrations for the 151st anniversary of D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act, which officially abolished slavery in the nation’s capital in 1862, nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation, was never considered.

On Monday evening, after the news of the Boston bombings, Mayor Vincent Gray issued a statement: “While at this time there is no information regarding any specific credible threat against targets in our region, we have plans in place to address these types of incidents. We are currently implementing those plans. While at this point I cannot go into significant detail about specific response actions and deployments, I can say that the District government is well-prepared to protect the safety of all those who live, visit and do business in the nation’s capital.”

Emancipation Day celebrations were capped with a fireworks display at Freedom Plaza. At 6:45 p.m., Friday, April 19, at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the Washington Ringing Society will perform a ringing of the Congress Bells in the Old Post Office Tower in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the dedication of these bells and to commemorate the 151st anniversary of D.C. Emancipation Day.
[gallery ids="101248,147028,147003,147021,147010,147017" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Round Up April 11, 2013

April 15, 2013

Georgetown Visitation Presents ‘Into The Woods’

April 12 at 7:30 p.m. | $10-15 | annie.burns@gmmb.com | Tel: 202-362-3461 | Event Website

Georgetown Visitation’s Award-Winning Theatrical program presents Stephen Sondheim’s whimsical, song-and-dance-studded journey “Into the Woods” on April 12, 13 and 14 at the Nolan Performing Arts Center.
Please join us on this Tony Award-winning trek, beginning on the Nolan Center Stage and running April 12 through 14. (Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 12 and 13, and 2:00 p.m. April 14.) Tickets are $15 adults, $10 students/seniors.

Address

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School; Nolan Center; 1524 35th St., NW

French Fete at M29 Lifestyle

April 13 at 11 a.m. | FREE | M29@fourseasons.com | Tel: 202-295-2829

A party hosted by M29 Lifestyle and Alliance Francaise with patisseries and crepes courtesy of Paul Bakery and Cafe Bonaparte. Parents will discover treasures galore in the store while children enjoy a storytelling hour, puppet show and activities in and outdoors.

All guest can enter to wine one or two Kiki & Coco in Pairs books or a $25 gift card. Drawing takes place at 3 p.m.

Complimentary valet parking at Four Seasons Hotel with store purchase of $50 or more.

Address

M29 Lifestyle; 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington Fine Properties’ 3rd Annual Home & Design Weekend

April 13 at noon | Free | lauren.hakim@wfp.com | Tel: 202-243-1644 | Event Website

Join Washington Fine Properties in celebrating fine design and home furnishings in the vibrant 14th & U Street corridors. Visit participating merchants and receive free in-store lectures, hands-on demonstrations conducted by industry experts and great home decorating secrets.

Saturday, April 13, noon to 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 14, noon to 6 p.m.

Address

14th & U Street Corridors, Washington, D.C. 20009

Fashion for Paws

April 13 at 6 p.m. | General Admission: $150; Table Seats, $250 | TdeNicolas@washhumane.org | Tel: 202-683-1827 | Event Website

The Washington Humane Society’s Fashion for Paws Runway Show in Washington, D.C., launched in 2007, raising more than $2.2 million dollars for homeless animals so far and receiving a mass amount of national and regional media coverage.

The Fashion for Paws Runway Show will be held on Saturday, April 13, at the National Building Museum. Tickets are $150 per person (general), with individual table seat tickets for $250. (limited)

Address

National Building Museum; 401 F St., NW

ROUTES: A Day of Jewish Learning

April 14t at 10 a.m. | $18 – $25 | lleblanc@pjll.org | Tel: 240-283-6200 | Event Website

From comedy to community, text study to tikkun olam, soul mates to soul searching. Sixty great conversations with inspiring speakers; sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning.

Address

American University, Ward Circle Building; 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point

April 14 at 11 a.m. | Event Website

Held each year at the historic Oatlands Plantation, the Loudoun Hunt Point to Point Races feature some of the most challenging timber and hurdle courses available in Virginia. Riders from across the state and the globe travel to test their mettle in a thrilling contest that always has the crowds gasping to take in that final, thrilling run to the finish line. Gates open at 11 a.m. Post time is 1 p.m. For more information, visit www. loudounhunt.com.

Address

Oatlands Plantation

Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists at St. John’s

April 14 at noon | Event Website

Georgetown Concert Series will present the Washington National Opera: Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists. The Young Artists will perform semi-staged ensembles and arias from popular operas, including music from the upcoming production of “Show Boat.” The performers were personally chosen by Plácido Domingo to train for two years at the Washington National Opera, and they are “poised for major careers.” Visit www.stjohnsgeorgetown.org

Address

St. John’s Episcopal Church on O Street

Tudor Place: Film Viewing & Director Q&A ‘Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North’

April 16 at 1 p.m. | Members, $10; non-members, $12. | Tel: 202-965-0400 | Event Website](http://tracesmovie.eventbrite.com/#)

In honor of D.C. Emancipation Day, join Tudor Place on Tuesday, April 16, at 1 p.m. for a film screening of Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North” and discussion with the director/producer Katrina Browne. In the film, Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. With nine relatives, Browne traced the “Triangle Trade” that enriched her forebears, uncovering the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery and gaining new perspective on the racial divide.

Address

1644 31st St., NW

Capella So Luxe It Requires Several Debuts

April 11, 2013

A few floral ribbon-cuttings later, the Georgetown Capella is settling into its intimate spot on 31st Street, next to the C&O Canal. The 49-room boutique hotel aims for the top, as it touts its service, restaurant, amenities and architecture. It already has made a splash with several invitation-only parties and has been open since March 22.

A March 29 debut brought out Mayor Vincent Gray, other notables and business investors. An April 3 reception also invited the media and neighborhood leaders to see the rooms and sample some bites.

The Capella touts its Grill Room and Rye Bar with chef Jakob Esko. The canal-front patio with tables is a standout. Each guest gets a personal assistant; rooms look like perfectly appointed condos.

Founded by former Ritz Carlton COO Horst Schulze, the company has other Capella hotels and resorts in Singapore, Dusseldorf, Ixtapa and Cabo San Lucas. The company has plans for hotel openings in Sochi, Russia, Riviera Maya, Mexico, and Bangkok.
[gallery ids="101227,145298,145292,145286,145280,145274,145311,145268,145314,145262,145320,145255,145326,145304" nav="thumbs"]

Grace Church’s First Little Free Library


The power of a good book and the kindness of others come together with Grace Church’s first ever Little Free Library.

The first Little Free Library in Washington D.C., located outside of Grace Church and Georgetown Ministry Center, was created in an effort to promote literacy, give people easy access to new reading material, and build a stronger sense of community.

Opened on April 3, the effort was coordinated by Georgetown Ministry Center, Grace Church, and the AARP of District Columbia State Office.

The book exchange allows guests of Georgetown Ministry Center, people attending church services or the school, as well as guests and community members that visit the church grounds, to drop off books they want to donate and pick up new books that others have donated.

You can drop by the Little Free Library outdoor kiosk at Grace Church at 1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW. For more information on Georgetown Ministry Center at http://georgetownministrycenter.org or Grace Church of Georgetown at www.gracedc.org. If you have a good idea of another location for a Little Free Library, contact the AARP Foundation at (202) 434-3203 or email pdeloach@aarp.org.

Manhole Cover Pops; Cupcake Shop Evacuated

April 10, 2013

A manhole cover exploded on 33rd Street near the C&O Canal and flamed briefly mid-morning March 25. As a Pepco crew attended to short-circuited wires, the smell moved up the street. At 33rd and M Streets, a customer at Georgetown Cupcake smelled smoke. D.C. Fire & EMS responded to the report with a show of force, calling out trucks from Georgetown, the West End and U Street. More than 10 fire department trucks, SUVs and a hook-and-ladder lined M Street. Police closed one lane to traffic.

“Maybe they burned the cupcakes,” said one passer-by at the intersection. A fire department official said neither smoke nor any gas leak had come from the bakery or buildings at the corner but was from the blown-out manhole down 33rd Street. Adding to the momentary excitement was NBC4 News’s Pat Collins, who was on the scene, looking for a story to tell. Meanwhile, a small line waited near the entrance of Georgetown Cupcake, where, by the way, Passover macaroons are available through April 2. Soon enough, it was all over, and the shop reopened.
[gallery ids="101210,144972,144943,144967,144951,144962,144957" nav="thumbs"]

Mayor’s 2014 Budget Shows Confidence, Includes Money for Streetcars, Libraries


After Mayor Vincent Gray introduced his Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan March 28, he was seen around Washington at such places as Georgetown’s new Capella Hotel for a blossom ribbon cutting and Nationals Park for baseball’s opening day. Gray’s view? “D.C. is the place to be,” he said at the Capella.

“This proposal is the District of Columbia’s 18th consecutive balanced budget,” according to the mayor. “As you know, the District’s economy is growing rapidly, with more than 28,000 private sector jobs created over the past two years and an unemployment rate that has fallen nearly three percentage points. To support our growing population and to continue building a more prosperous, equitable, safe and sustainable city for all, my proposed budget makes important investments in three key strategies: (1) growing and diversifying the District’s economy; (2) educating children and preparing the workforce for the new economy; and (3) improving the quality of life for all residents. . . . The $10.1 billion budget leverages the District’s strong financial position to make major investments in expanding affordable housing, strengthening education and workforce development, and safeguarding public safety without raising new taxes or fees.”

While the budget centers on education, housing and public safety, it looks to revamp the main public library, the Martin Luther King, Jr., branch, and expand library hours. Also, within the budget’s fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2019 Capital Improvements Plan, streetcar lines get $400 million. The first one slated to be from Georgetown to Minnesota Avenue for this year. Others include an Anacostia line and a line along Georgia Avenue. Amid other line items: $10.7 million for bike lanes and trails. The new budget also funds 10 new Capital Bikeshare stations beyond the more than 50 DDOT has already funded.

Gray also announced a series of town-hall-style meetings — for each ward — to introduce District residents to, and receive feedback from them on, his proposed fiscal 2014 budget. These meetings include:

Youth Town Hall Meeting: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 20, Sumner School and Archives, 1201 17th St., NW.

Ward 2 Town Hall Meeting: Saturday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., April 20, Sumner School and Archives, 1201 17th St., NW.

The Nationals Open and Show Baseball’s Power


What befits a baseball opening day the most? Well, if you’re a Washington Nationals fan, a perfect opening day would consist of the two young faces of the franchise doing what they do best.

It would be Stephen Strasburg pitching seven innings of shutout, three-hit ball.

It would be Bryce Harper, after picking up his NL rookie of the year award, showing why he got it by hitting not one but two home runs, providing the winning margin of a 2-0 victory opening day victory over the Miami Marlins who floundered at the plate like beached—well, you know—fish.

“He hit that one straight and up,” a Nats employee on the second level told us. “I heard it went straight over center field.”

That it did. Straight, like a Tell arrow through an apple, so sudden you barely had time to wonder if that really happened.

That was in the first inning, on a one-ball count and it happened so fast that it took a second for the roar of the crowd to build to an even bigger roar. My thought was more like “Holy s—” but the guy waving his jacket like a toreador was speechlessly grinning. A smile formed on the face of a white-haired fan up here, spreading out to his beard stubble. He was wearing a Harper jacket.

But even before the Harper fireworks, the methodical Strasburg bearing and pitching, the day was a gift to everyone—fans, officials, players, and, okay, maybe not the Marlin players in their grayish uniforms taking batting practice. But they didn’t know that then.

The Marlins, like everyone else and ourselves, basked in God’s green acres of baseball turf, in outfield and infield, in blues skies and throw and catch warm-ups, and in walking side by side fathers and sons and grandfathers and granddaughters. “I’m being grandpop today,” the grandpop from Fairfax said. “Only thing is, I can’t keep up with her.”

You could see the difference in the air and on the Metro—if somebody wasn’t coming from the zoo on a Monday late morning, they were for sure going to the Nationals game, surging a lot out of Virginia in a sea of red and white, Zimmermans, Strasbergs, Harpers and Desmonds and worthy Werths, boyfriends and girlfriends, and a 14-month-old boy with his dad behind home plate. “First time,” his dad said. At least he wasn’t trading stocks on eBay or selling them to us.

Opening day is the opening of sacred ground and as yet untarnished hopes and the laying to rest of the year before. It was, after all, the grandest of years and the suddenly worst kind of year that had the Nationals, once the losingest team in baseball, rising to the heights of baseball’s best record, only to lose a game they had in hand, a strike away from advancing to the National League playoffs.

The scoreboard celebrated for us—Jason Werth’s walk-off home run was seen again, Strasburg’s easy motions and Harper’s dirty uniform derring-do.

Now, the Washington Nationals are being picked as World Series by Sports Illustrated, a curse in some quarters with historical examples of being so, or just an embellishment of the notion that we have a pretty damn good team here.

We all, we happy few gathered at home plate to see Adam LaRoche, who looks like a ballplayer personified, a grown up still playing a man-child game and Harper, a man child playing like a gutsy grownup. They—and ageless manager Davey Johnson and general manager Mike Rizzo, were all honored with various awards at home plate.

In April in spring, a baseball stadium is a kind of holy place before the grass gets torn up, the dust scattered, —the temples are home plate, first base, second base and third base, the fields of play are green and pristine, and now, before someone hollers the sacred beginnings of ball playing—which is to say “Play ball”—the uniforms, especially the Nats’ white with red names and numbers, seem blindingly washed, like the togas of senators on a stroll—Washington senators. In his uniform, Davey Johnson looked like he was going to the prom.

The bald eagle Screech—who still looks like a chicken by another name—wandered, well, like some other kind of bird, among the gathered folks, television reporters, the odd writer, the photographers, the U.S. Army Chorus, the veteran throwing out the first ball, the ball girls and ball boys. Mayor Vincent Gray, a ballplayer of some renown, showed up to deliver the lineup and when we asked him if he was still playing he said, “You bet.” He sounded so confident that we almost asked him if he was running again for mayor, but we refrained. Because Gray was today like the rest of us a fan glad to be here and politics in Washington stayed outside the gates with no tickets to the game.

Children ran out into the field at one point taking up the position. “America the Beautiful” was heard and country songs and songs I never heard before. They could have been the theme from “Field of Dreams”, or “The Natural”, and why not.

The announcer called out everyone’s name on both team and so many job-holders among the Nats—even the assistant massage therapist got to trout out on to the field—that I started to wait for my name to be called but in vain.

I went to Easter Mass on Sunday—and opening day today. For different reasons, each occasion had the effect of turning me for a second into a small boy again—awed with memory in the first case, happy in the sun in the second.

Happy day. The Washington Nationals are in first place and undefeated. What befits a baseball opening day more than that?
[gallery ids="101224,145195,145208,145188,145213,145182,145218,145175,145224,145202" nav="thumbs"]