March 20, 2005 [LINK]
Green, green grass of home
There were a number of developments on the Washington baseball front last week, of which perhaps the most vivid imagewise was the sod being laid at RFK Stadium. It's really coming to pass! Saturday's Washington Post had several photos of the sod-laying process, in a time-lapse fashion. You can see a big hole where the retractable hydraulic pitcher's mound is. I just hope it warms up enough for the sod to take take root in the dirt prior to opening day. A week-by-week renovation photo-update is found on the Nationals' Web site. I decided to hold off on making a 2005 version diagram revision of RFK Stadium, pending a first-hand on-the-scene inspection. Getting tickets for Opening Day may take a lot of luck...
In response to the intense criticism on Capitol Hill, Commissioner Selig announced on Sunday that a loophole in the penalties for steroid use has been closed, so that the suspensions are now automatic. It's still "five strikes" before you're called out, however... See mlb.com.