Live Thread/Day Baseball! Braves/Nats 1:05 EDT
Today we’re going to be getting back to the business of baseball – still seems all too quickly after the events that unfolded yesterday morning, just a half-mile away from Nationals Park in Washington. We continue to mourn and pray for the victims with their families, but even as thousands in that area get back to their daily tasks, we will endeavor to follow suit as the Braves and Nationals get their own game faces on to do battle – twice today.
Fox Sports South’s Tom Hart just sent an all-too-relevant tweet:
Reminders waiting in Visiting Clubhouse at Nationals Park today. pic.twitter.com/m9eQ6H3QGB
— Tom Hart (@tom_hart) September 17, 2013
The lineup for Atlanta for Game 1 today is:
- Elliot Johnson – 2B (yes, that’s EJ leading off)
- Justin U – RF
- Freeman – 1B
- Evan Gattis – LF
- Brian McCann – C (expect Laird to catch the nightcap)
- Chris Johnson – 3B
- Simba – SS
- Melvin U – CF (expect Schafer for the next game)
- Mike Minor – P
Then again… we may have to wait-and-see about what Fredi opts to do with the 2nd game’s lineup:
#Braves B.J. Upton in lineup because he's 10-for-34 with 5 HRs vs. Haren, and Schafer's struggling since DL
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 17, 2013
I saw a tweet this morning suggesting that Major League Baseball has once again denied any sort of ‘tribute caps’ to be used today. After 9/11 the Mets and Yankees wore the hats of the local authorities to honor them and their sacrifices; apparently that practice is over (a similar request by the Nationals to honor the deaths of Seal Team 6 was denied previously). I hope the Nationals made such a request for today (I have yet to see something official about this), and I likewise hope the request is granted. If not, then shame on the Commissioner’s Office for doing so. Baseball would be lauded for their support to do so – but a failure to give that honor looks bad.
That said – baseball returns today. 1:05pm EDT.