Play Ball!

THIS YEAR, BASEBALL'S new season promises a range of rivalries, emotions, and record-setting performances. But enough about steroids and human growth hormone. Can't we just play ball?
Speaking of which, the Washington Nationals are playing ball in their brand-new stadium. That's a significant accomplishment given the long and winding road from Montreal to Opening Day 2008. Sold-out new ballparks always provide an aura of excitement, even if the home team is a few players shy of world-champion caliber. For a while there will be many fans who attend just to answer affirmatively when asked if they've been to Nationals Park yet.
The new-park novelty didn't wear off in Baltimore until the once-noble Orioles began stinking up the joint consistently, as though governed by some perverse law of physics. Now they have trouble filling it up on Opening Day. What a travesty.
Perhaps on the most basic level, at least both these cities can say they field a team, which is more than Richmond will be able to say a year from now. That's a sad turn of events for the state capital, with a 43-year family amenity drawing to a close. Fans have always reported pleasant outings to The Diamond, most lately the home of the AAA Braves, but what do they know?
In Washington, where baseball's fickle past has left fans wary of abandonment, the team and its sparkling new venue represent a costly, almost faith-based investment. That investment is predictably paying off in overall optimism. The question is whether it will pay off in long-term fan loyalty.
In Baltimore, a relationship of more than five decades is facing its most severe test. Owner Peter Angelos' bizarre team-building strategy, coupled with his crusade to keep baseball out of Washington, has saddled him with easily foreseen miseries. With Baltimore fans now facing a long--and long overdue--rebuilding proc-ess, Orioles players on Opening Day lined up to plead with fans to have patience. This created a surreal atmosphere of foreboding. The Orioles are like the economy: You wonder when they'll finally hit bottom and cycle back up.
A team that wins, new or old, is easy to root for. The hard part is standing by a club during the tough times. In Washington, only time will tell whether the Nationals will ever bask in the level of fan worship accorded to the Redskins.
The good thing about teams with young players is that it's all about the future. Young guys aren't jaded or settled into rich, long-term contracts. For them, a new season begins with every game. They appreciate the wins and learn from the losses. Fans of some teams will need to look at the coming season the same way.
In Washington they will cheer. In Richmond they will cry. And Baltimore? If fans there feel the need to boo, and they surely will, they should boo the owner. Try to get his name right on the signs.