Before we examine the NL East managers and benches, I want to take the time to savor the pending opening of Nationals Park, the Washington Nationals new ballpark, scheduled to host its first regular season game this Sunday, March 30, 2008. The stadium looks breathtaking, poised to become a beautiful Washington landmark. I want to sit back, sigh and say “ahhh” thinking of the joyful summer nights there with my friends and family.
You have no doubt heard all the negative comments about the stadium’s cost, the still-developing neighborhood, the lack of parking — ignore all of it. Take the time to visit, take a tour of the park (see the Nationals’ website www.nationals.com for information) and escape our world’s breakneck pace and take in a game with a friend, your relatives or your family. Baseball affords a time to relax and chat and reconnect with each other. What better setting than the Nation’s Capital, with the Capitol Dome in view nearby and the Washington Monument standing in majestically in the distance and the ships, symbols of our nation’s diligence, at harbor in the Navy Yard.
Let the relaxation and fun of a baseball game, the best game ever devised, wash over you. I’d suggest making a summer’s day of it. Go into Washington and park near the Gallery Place Metro stop or the nearby Verizon Center. There’s plenty of parking garages there and you can hop on the green line at Gallery Place. It’s just a few stops to the ballpark – Navy Yard Station. Take in the museums, the monuments, have dinner at one of DC’s many fine restaurants – all the world’s foods are available – then enjoy the game. Ignore the naysayers and let yourself have a great time in what will soon be one of the city’s most beautiful places.
Now, on to the ratings. Managers — I love Manny Acta, but he’s not at the top yet, though I think he will be one day, hopefully soon. I rate Bobby Cox the best since he has such a winning pedigree. Charlie Manuel second, because his temperament and old-time baseball ways are a perfect fit for his team. A Larry Bowa-Joe Girardi type would have ground the Phils into a sub-500 record last year after their horrible start. Acta squeezed more out of a limited roster than anyone thought possible last season. I loved Willie Randolph as a player and felt he would be a great manager, but he fiddled while the Mets crashed and burned last year. Freddie Gonzalez has little to work with in Florida, but he had much more talent than Acta and still finished two games behind the Nationals.
So, here’s the ratings — 1- Cox/Atl, 2 – Manuel/Phils, 3 – Acta/DC, 4 – Randolph/Mets, 5 – Gonzalez/Fla.
Running scores — Mets – 28; Braves – 28; Phils – 31; Nationals – 35; Marlins – 42.
Now, I gotta run. We’ll finish up with the benches before Opening Night.