by Frank Cumberland

Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so

hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles.
Samuel Smiles
nationals.com/yearbook

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ow we hoped for the

return of baseball to
our nations capital!
How we kept faith,
supported every effort to land a team
in Washington, and attended every
exhibition game at RFK. We, the baseball
fans of Washington, from Little Leaguers
to the old Washington Senators faithful,
from every corner of the Washington
metropolitan area, kept hope alive,
and were rewarded with a miracle: our
national pastime returned to us.
I was at the City Museums Great Hall
on September 29, 2004, when thenMayor Anthony Williams announced
baseballs return to Washington. It was a
dizzying moment, too much to hope for,

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seemingly too much to comprehend.

And I was at Union Station on November
22, 2004, when the announcement was
made that the name of the new team in
Washington would be the Nationals.
Flash forward a decade and find the
Nats are one of the winningest teams in
the game. Miraculous.

10,000 Decisions

When a Major League team moves

to a new city, big decisions have to be
made in a big hurry. Who will run the
team? Where will they play? What do
we call them? How do we put a winning
product on the field? I have observed
that, of the 10,000 choices the city,
the Nationals front office, the players,

2015 WASHINGTON NATIONALS YEARBOOK

and the fans themselves have made, 99

percent have been good ones.
The decision to retain Frank Robinson
as our first manager was truly inspired.
His grace and character became the
cornerstone on which the entire history
of the organization would be built. The
design, sight lines, field dimensions,
and artistic touches within Nationals
Park have always struck me as perfect.
Making Bens Chili Bowl a signature
restaurant was a brilliant stroke. The
Racing Presidents have become a
national institution. Weve selected
the friendliest ushers in baseball. The
decision to create the Nationals Youth
Baseball Academy will benefit area
youngsters for generations.

Somehow and I know it seems like

luck, but it really is the result of making
good decisions we have the best radio
team in baseball, with Charlie Slowes
and Dave Jageler. The Nationals have
drafted well and built one of the best
farm systems in the game, and, as we
all have seen, they draft great players
of solid character. I think all of these
decisions, and thousands of smaller
ones, have made Nationals baseball the
single favorite cultural activity for the
people of Washington.

A Washington Renaissance

I absolutely marvel when I see the

booming growth around Nationals
Park. It seems half the construction
cranes in America are stationed in the

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Nats neighborhood. A friend told

me the area around the park is one of
the fastest-growing census tracts in
our entire region. New restaurants,
condominiums, shops, and brew-pubs
seem to spring up on every corner, and
the rejuvenated Anacostia riverfront is
a place of beauty. Americas forgotten
river is forgotten no more, as millions
of guests at Nats Park have had the
opportunity to see its subtle beauty.
The overall vibe around Near Southeast
is one of energy, enthusiasm, and new
life, and the Nats are a huge part of the
renaissance. I love to bring out-of-town
visitors to a game, so they can see the
sparkplug-like effect Nationals Park has
had on the surrounding area.
Washingtonians also turn out at the

2015 WASHINGTON NATIONALS YEARBOOK

ballpark for the Nationals. The Nats

not only won the National League East
title in 2014, they also led the division
in attendance, with 2.6 million for the
season, averaging 31,844 fans a game. To
provide some historical context, the 1971
Baltimore Orioles, with a team that won
101 games, won the AL East crown and
went to the World Series, averaged 13,286
fans per game. Washington, it is clear, is
an absolutely wonderful baseball town
with a deliriously dedicated fan base. And
the fever is growing; we had more fullhouses in 2014 than any previous season.

Bringing Washingtons Families

and Friends Together

In this wonderful decade, theres

been something amazing about the way

Nationals baseball has brought people

together. Talk to people at Nats Park
and you will meet friends who grew up
together, and then maybe grew apart,
but now have Nationals Season Plans
together. Ive seen this in my own family,
as the Nationals have brought me closer
to my brothers and sisters who live in
Maryland, Virginia, and the District.
When my brother from California
comes home for a visit, we build his trip
around the Nats schedule. Nationals
Park draws us together.
Baseball also reminds us of the great
men and women of Washington who
gave us the game when we were young.
Recently I found a clipping from The
Washington Post, dated May 20, 1933,
which told the story of Western
Maryland College beating George
Washington University in a baseball
game, 9-6.
The article begins, A home run with
the bases full by Frank Cumberland,
former Central High School star, gave
Western Maryland a lead which it never
relinquished That would be Frank

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Cumberland, Sr. my father. He gave

all his eight kids a true love of baseball.
We were Senators die-hards in the
past, and we will be Nationals fanatics
until we move to the great ballyard in
the sky. When I talk to Nats fans at
the park, this is the kind of emotional
investment they express. It is powerful.
When Washingtonians say they love
baseball, they mean it, as the last decade
has shown.

Nationals Baseball:
Past, Present, and Future

It is a special thing to see your dreams

come true, and to see your fondest
hopes turn into reality. To me, the first
decade of the Nationals has been like an
unfolding miracle for the morale of our
hometown, the winning ways of our team,
and the everyday spirit of Nats Nation.
We have seen the effortless glory of
Livan Hernandez. The relentless professionalism of Denard Span. The self-less
graciousness of Ryan Zimmerman. The
limitless promise of Bryce Harper and
Stephen Strasburg. The immeasurable

2015 WASHINGTON NATIONALS YEARBOOK

on-field happiness of Anthony Rendon.

The dominance of Jordan Zimmermann.
We have gathered a lifetime of Nationals
memories in just 10 years.
But there is one snapshot in my mind
that captures the past decade and shows
us the future. It does not involve players,
managers, or agents. Its the simple picture
of watching our kids run the bases after a
Sunday afternoon game at Nats Park. A
purer expression of joy you will not find.
By my estimate, hundreds of thousands
of our kids have run the bases at Nats
Park. When they cross home plate, they
imagine scoring the Nationals winning
run. Their hearts are connecting to the
magic of baseball, and as lifelong fans
know, when baseball grabs you, it never
lets go. These kids are the future of
baseball in Washington.
Hope has triumphed. Baseball thrives
in Washington. I celebrate a decade of
miracles.
Frank Cumberland is a retired Air Force
officer, former shortstop in the College Park
Boys Club, and self-proclaimed Mayor of
Nats Town.