Regardless on how bad the previous season ended, there is always a glimmer of hope on Opening Day that those doom and gloom days are behind you.
For more than 80 years there was a common phrase in Boston, "This Year is the Year", and for the most part all fans believe that for their favorite teams.
One thing that keeps this hope alive is the roar of the home crowd, or the booing of a bad call. These things unite strangers who share three to four hours together at the ball park.
This season no one expects the Washington Nationals to do much. After consecutive 100-loss seasons only 99 losses would seem like a victory.
However, Opening Day, especially in your own park, still breaths that hope of a winning season no matter how likely it is.
Well that is unless your ticket office calls up Philadelphia Phillie fans in December and asks them how many group tickets they'd like to buy.
That's right, back in December the money hungry Nationals ownership was cold calling Phillie travel groups about buying tickets long before they went on sale to the general public.
Brian Michael a Phillies fan and a man who operates the website PhilliesNation.com was quoted by the Washington Post that a ticket sales agent from the Nationals contacted him about Opening Day tickets.
I get the fact that a dreadful team like the Nats will need to get revenue from opposing fans, a lot of bottom of the barrel teams do that, but on Opening Day?
To put this in a frame of mind these Phillie groups were contacted as early as November 4 for group tickets and individual tickets went on sale March 2.
And since home town fans don't normally have to buy and organize group tickets it can be rightly assumed that most of those tickets went out of market.
To hear the boos of Nationals players during the opening announcements and Phillies fan chanting "You Suck" towards Nationals players was a disgrace.
Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth was quoted by the Post saying, "It felt like all of right field was only Phillies fans. This kind of started to be our home away from home a little bit."
By comparison Candem Yards which is playfully called Fenway South when the Boston Red Sox come to town have stated that if they were to host their opening against the Red Sox there would be no way they would allow for group sales to go to out of town fans.
I just have to shake my head at the owner Stan Kasten, he almost makes Dan Snyder look like Jack Kent Cooke or Ted Leonzes.
Until next time loyal reader, go see a Nats game, they need the support.
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