Campaigning for Roosevelt '09

Sometimes events in history line up and cause the perfect storm. In this case, the result is actually the ray of sunshine in an otherwise ugly storm.

In 2005, the Montreal Expos moved south and became the Washington Nationals. As you'll see in any ballpark across America, the Nationals had a CGI "race" on the jumbotron in which different seating levels "competed against" each other. This in-between-innings crowd occupier was as innocuous as any awkward guy rocking out to Bon Jovi.

In 2006, Ted Lerner bought the Nationals and immediately implemented some enhancements to add to the fan experience. The Presidents Race was ramped up into verison of Milwaukee's Sausage Race. The running gag from the very beginning was Teddy Roosevelt's inability to win a single race, which continues to be the case to this day. On a personal note, as a resident of Northern Virginia, outside of the new amazingly vibrant gigantic jumbotron, watching Teddy's hijinks are reason enough to head to Nationals Park.

The imergence of the Presidents Race led to the inception of the blog, Presidents Race: Let Teddy Win!, devoted to tracking season and historical standings, facts about the race, and posting of videos. Courtesy of Let Teddy Win comes this offseason gem:



Strangely, this race took place in Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, NY on Presidents Day. The Islanders played the Washington Capitols, right? No. Pittsburg Penguins. Huh.

For a franchise with dwindling attendance figures, a perennially awful big league team, an arguably worse farm system, and a general manager embattled in financial controversy, fans don't have a lot to look forward to in 2009. Maybe, just maybe, the perfect storm has formed. Maybe this is Teddy's year to beat George by a nose.

If you want to go see Adam Dunn draw a ridiculous amount of walks, go right ahead. I'll be there for the giant foam heads.