(AP) Baseball resumes, near site of Navy Yard shooting
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeted players in the Washington Nationals clubhouse before the game, handing out blue-and-gold Navy caps. Manager Davey Johnson and his players held those caps from Adm. James Winnefeld over their hearts during a pregame moment of silence, disturbed only by the sound of a hovering helicopter.
Baseball was played in the nation’s capital Tuesday, just a short walk from where a gunman killed 12 people at the Navy Yard military instillation. It was another attempt from the world of sports to restore normalcy when things really aren’t normal.
Fans arrived via the Navy Yard subway station, although they were sparse in number because Monday’s game was rescheduled on short notice. The USS Barry, anchored in the Anacostia River and the Navy Yard’s top tourist attraction, was easily visible from the players’ parking lot. The U.S. and team flags were at half-staff on the center field concourse.
Then, at 1:07 p.m. on a cool, late summer day, the first pitch was thrown. The Nationals were back in their regular “curly W” caps, and soon fans were cheering an inning-ending double play by the home team’s defense. It was back to work, playing the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Much of the chaos that engulfed the ballpark 24 hours earlier was gone. The stadium’s parking lot had been used as a staging area for relatives on Monday, when even Johnson was asked for extra ID to get past an armed guard.
By contrast, fans saw no overt signs of extra security at the ballpark on Tuesday.
Yet, Monday’s events were inescapable. Nationals starting pitcher Dan Haren said, “we were all thinking about it all game.”
Ian Desmond claimed his team drew from the nation’s strength.
Introducing the moments of silence _ they were held before both games _ the Nationals public address announcer said Washingtonians and Americans “remain united” before asking fans to remember “all those affected by yesterday’s senseless act of violence.”
Also, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper tweeted a photo of his Navy cap and told fans to “Be sure to wear your blue and gold to the game today!”
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AP freelance writer Harvey Valentine contributed to this report.
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Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP
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