Wait, The Nationals Have Fans?

Tom Boswell whines like a little girl regarding the invasion of Phillies fans in Nationals Park yesterday...

Still, it's a shock when rude interlopers boo a home team during its own opening day introductions. Perhaps, after a century of almost uniform Phils misery, including a celebration of their own 10,000th loss, it's too much to ask Philadelphia guests to have the class of visiting Yankees or Red Sox boosters who, accustomed to winning teams, invade but don't insult.


Of course, on Wednesday and Thursday, Nats fans could just make "Thanks for Donovan" signs and snicker discretely.


The president, accidentally and unfortunately, played into the day's most unsettling motif -- a desire not to be too closely associated with the Nats in public. Before the game, the chief executive was given a lovely red Nats jacket for his trip to the hill to make the 48th such ceremonial pitch by 13 presidents since William Howard Taft in 1910.


"I've never been to a game with you when you didn't have a [White] Sox jacket," Selig recalled. "He said, 'I got something coming.' And then sure enough, he pulled out the White Sox hat."


And on his head it went.


"Yeah, bad touch there," said Manager Jim Riggleman, a Washington-area native, with a tight grimace.

Having attended countless games where Red Sox and Yankee fans show up uninvited to other teams' home ballparks, I know for a fact that many of them boo other team during introductions. The ones who don't are either too drunk or not smart enough to have figured out when to boo. And considering the President's sinking poll numbers, perhaps the Nats should consider themselves fortunate that he doesn't align himself fully with them.