Tuesday at Citi Field, the Nationals were dressed for the occasion. Not your typical April conditions, with a the gametime temperature of 43. Decked out in some very special reds to go with their road grays, the Nats players modeled some face masks, skintight caps, knitted hats and hoodies that might find their way into the team's souvenir line as "perfect Christmas gifts."
Hardly anyone would expect to see this gear in the course of a game on April 17th.
Hoodie-clad Bryce Harper tries to stay warm on the bench, while Matt Wieters caps his cap.
Finally, 1st baseman Ryan Zimmerman is either ready for speedskating or perhaps a role in the next Spiderman movie.
Sure, these images are fascinating, and in an odd way, fun. But baseball needs to get real. Winter in the midwest and northeast doesn't automatically end on opening day, whether that's April 10th or March 30th. And while this year's conditions are far from normal, you can't depend on mild dry nights this early in the season. And you can't fool the fans, especially the most loyal ones: this meeting of two contending teams, the Mets and Nationals, drew maybe 15,000 people. In June or September, the ballpark would have been packed.
If the owners are insisting on a 162-game schedule and finishing the World Series by the 1st of November, they're going to have to start the season later by 10 to 14 days. The easiest way to accomplish that is by playing some single-admission doubleheaders. Two for the price of one -- especially in the optimal weather of June, July and early August -- could bring some packed houses, along with fans a lot happier than those on hand at Citi Field and wondering if they were watching the Mets and Nats -- or Islanders and Capitals.
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