A 'Tortuous' Journey to California

LOS ANGELES, May 2  Forgive the Nationals if they appeared unshaven and generally ragged prior to Monday night's game at Dodger Stadium. Pick a word to sum up their travels west after a Sunday night loss to the New York Mets in Washington.

"Tortuous," Manager Frank Robinson said. "Grueling."

The Nationals' game, which started at 8:10 p.m. Sunday, lasted 3 hours 23 minutes. Because of FAA regulations, the team's charters have to leave from Dulles rather than Reagan National Airport, so the total travel time from RFK Stadium is extended. By the time Robinson, who lives in Los Angeles in the offseason, put his head on his pillow, it was 6:15 a.m. Pacific time  or 9:15 a.m. by his mental clock. Good to be in his own bed?

"Any bed would've been okay this morning," Robinson said.

Catcher Brian Schneider, the team's representative to the players' union, said there was no easy answer to the problem. The Sunday game was at night so it could be shown nationally on ESPN, something the Montreal Expos didn't have in the last few years.

"You don't want to complain about it, because it's the kind of exposure we want," Schneider said. "But it's a tough situation."

Reliever Gary Majewski said he was at the ballpark on only three hours of sleep because people kept calling his hotel room. "I was staring at the ceiling."

"You play with this team long enough," pitcher Zach Day said, "you learn to get used to it."