Sometimes Teddy trips, sometimes he gets disqualified and other times he just gets flat-out beat. But make no mistake about it — Teddy never wins.
524 Presidents’ Races have been run at Washington Nationals home games since the tradition began in 2006. The fourth-inning showcase features mascot replicas of George Washington, Mr. Jefferson, Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt competing in a footrace from the outfield down the right field foul line.
With the oversized mascots’ comedic antics, the races have become an entertaining highlight at Nationals Park and a staple of Sports Center’s Not Top 10. And Teddy has become affectionately known as the lovable loser.
After the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, Teddy dressed like Bane and tried to eliminate George and Tom from the race, but he was ultimately foiled by a Batman-clad Abe.
During the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Teddy donned a shark costume and even enlisted the help of another ‘shark’ to no avail.
From the day the mascots made their debut at Nationals Park up until last year, Teddy’s plight mirrored that of the Nationals. After moving from Montreal in 2005, the team formerly known as the Expos posted a .500 season in its inaugural campaign representing the nation’s capital. Even that 81-win season put the Nationals last in their division.
In the next six years, the Nationals cemented themselves as perennial cellar dwellers, finishing last in the NL East four times during that span and never higher than third.
In both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Nats were the Bad News Bears of Major League Baseball, posting consecutive 100-loss seasons and finishing with the MLB’s worst record both years.
Then, in June 2011, the Nats showed their first signs of life since coming to Washington by going on an 11-of-12 tear that boosted their record to 38-37. With the Nats finally winning, however, manager Jim Riggleman abandoned ship following a contract dispute.
The Nats’ front office declined to offer Riggleman the extension he desired, and in keeping with the tragicomedy that is typical of all D.C. sports, Riggleman did the mature thing — he resigned. There goes the season.
Enter Davey Johnson. Three games after Riggleman quit, general manager Mike Rizzo appointed Johnson to take Riggleman’s post, and the baseball savant guided his team to a more respectable third place finish in the division at 80-81.
Kept on for the 2012 season, Johnson has led the Nationals to the best record in the majors behind one of the premier pitching staffs in baseball and a batting order littered with energy and youth. This is where the Nationals and Teddy have taken divergent paths. Teddy is still waiting for win No. 1.
The feel good baseball story of the summer, the Nats seem all but guaranteed a playoff spot — knock on wood — and perhaps even a division title if they can hold off the Atlanta Braves. Riggleman is currently coaching the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. I’d be willing to bet he’s kicking himself right about now.
Speaking of Wahoos, one constant bright spot throughout the Nationals’ successes and struggles since 2005 has been former Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Though phenoms Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are perhaps bigger fan favorites these days, nobody has done more for the franchise than Zimmerman, the undisputed team leader.
Despite starting the season with a three-month-long slump and batting only .234 through June, Zimmerman has surged lately. He is batting .339 since the start of July and has propelled the team to its best season in franchise history.
Not everything has been smooth for the Nationals, as they have had to overcome one injury after another to key components of their lineup. Ironically it was Zimmerman’s bum shoulder — along with outfielder Michael Morse’s strained lat — that spurred Rizzo to call up Harper. Even when he’s hurt, the Z-Man finds a way to make the team better.
It is a shame the recent media coverage of the Nats has concentrated on the Stephen Strasburg shutdown decision. Even with Stras’s last start looming next Wednesday, the Nats have plenty of talent for a deep playoff run. The Nationals possess a resurgent offense and four other bona fide starting pitchers, as well as AAA stow-away John Lannan, who has delivered two quality spot starts this season and has proven he can handle taking Strasburg’s turn in the rotation until the playoffs.
Sure, it seems counterintuitive to shut down your ace when you’re in a pennant race, but nobody really knows the full story except Rizzo, Johnson, Strasburg and his doctors. Johnson has won World Series as both a player and a coach, and Rizzo’s personnel decisions — trading for Gio Gonzalez and signing Edwin Jackson this offseason, among others — are a huge reason why this franchise is even in playoff discussions right now. So I would advise fellow pundits to leave this decision to the experts.
The Nats think they’ll be in playoff contention for years to come, and with their youth I don’t doubt it. So why take a chance on destroying the career of a potential Hall of Famer by pitching him another 60-plus innings for immediate success? Congrats to the organization for standing by its decision and protecting its players’ wellbeing.
Although baseball fans and analysts may never agree on Strasburg’s shutdown, I think we can all agree on this: it’s time to let Teddy win.
The Nats’ season will come down to a close, series-clinching game at Nationals Park in the playoffs. Teddy will finally defeat his fellow Mount Rushmore inhabitants in front of a sellout crowd, sending the stadium into a frenzy. The rest will be history.
This year belongs to the Nats. And Teddy.
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