(New Nats hurler Max Scherzer sparkled early in his first start for the Nats. he got tagged with the loss, though. Photo Fox 5)

It was an absolutely superb Opening Day in Northern Virginia. It has a certain languor to it that the first days of warmth convey. The skies were clear, and though a bit chilly in the morning, the temperature was suitable for aloha shirt and jeans by afternoon.

I had a mission in the District, early, so I was in the usual jam of other self-important people with really important places to go crossing town. I saw the first smudge of color on the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin as I whizzed across the 14th St. Bridge. Cherry blossoms and baseball. I think it is spring. Finally.

Congress is out, so I was surprised at how jammed it was. And all those damned dump trucks. There must still be a construction boom in progress, though it certainly isn’t in my former line of work. I have friends who are still in prime working age with great resumes who have been out of work for the better part of a year.

I suspect the boom is in health care or for compliance officers. It certainly isn’t in National Security. After completing the mission traffic had settled down and the trip back across town was uneventful. Thankful to get out of my grown-up clothes, I got a call about what we used to do, and commiserated with a former partner who was desperate to place someone on contract.

“If I could do that,” I said, “Don’t you think I would put myself on it?” My colleague reluctantly agreed and the call ended with a sense of quiet desperation.

We had agreed to gather for drinks at the Amen Corner late in the afternoon and a look at the first pitch for the Nationals against the Mets on the new flat-screen television at the kitchen end of the bar. Swam-necked Liz-with-and-S made an appearance, and I asked her how she was enjoying being a grown-up after graduating from the Food and Beverage industry.

“I am doing a lot of traveling,” she said, taking a graceful sip of wine. “It kind of sucks.”

“That is the dirty secret about adulthood,” I said. They had run out of diet tonic and I was back to drinking rum and Diet Coke. I made a mental note to take a couple bottles of Schweppes with me for the next time.

If I wasn’t avoiding crowds these days I might have considered going to the ball park, but I don’t see any upside to hanging around with a bunch of my fellow citizens, given the times. Bryce Harper hits a solo home run to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead early on, the third Opening Day homer of his career.
New Nat’s right-hander Max really pitched well enough to win in his first regular-season game but he ended up taking the loss as misques and men left on base sank the Nats.

Scherzer had 7 2/3 innings and I had three rum-and-Diets. He had retired 17 straight hitters and had a no-hitter going with two outs in the sixth inning. The bar was empty, except for us, and it felt like a sultry summer day in mid-season. I have missed baseball and sort of assumed it wouldn’t be back as the winter lingered.

Jon-without was mixing it up- he had a Bloody Mary and a couple other oddball cocktails as a four-pitch walk to Curtis Granderson and an embarrassing error on a David Wright pop-up finished off the home team as Scherer allowed Lucas Duda to hit a two-run producing single. An inning later, and a final rum, Scherzer allowed an RBI triple to Travis d’Arnaud.

The Nats lost 3-1, all the Mets runs unearned since shortstop Ian Desmond was tagged with two errors.

“Looks like another thrill-packed season,” said Jon-without. Old Jim shrugged.

“The Commissioner awarded the All Star game to the District,” I said brightly. “Let’s all get together for it.”

Liz-S gave a sweet smile and said she might stop by.

Copyright 2015 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303