Sunny Day, Sweepin' the Clouds Away

VIERA, Fla.

The sun rose, blazing above a bank of clouds over the Atlantic, at 7 a.m. as though the earliest rays of morning wanted to report exactly on time for the first full-squad day of spring training. The Nationals were bathed in this abundant sunshine on a balmy 74-degree day in their little ballpark, freshly painted a shade of red that can probably be seen from space.

"Everything is snappy and organized," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said.

"It's hard to explain, just a feeling, but this is a happy environment," pitcher John Patterson said. "The manager's full of energy. There are smiles on everybody's faces."

Thus began a Nats season with a mood that has been utterly transformed from the gloom that enveloped this park almost every day last spring training. Then, even when the sun dared to shine, there always were metaphorical storm clouds. Now, even when discussion turns to the starting rotation and a chill arrives, there is still warm, bright light on this franchise's horizon.

One year ago when all the Nats showed up for camp, it's almost hard to remember how bleak their prospects looked. They had no new ballpark, no team owner and not even a TV deal. The franchise also had no farm system or scouting department worth the name. Baseball's brass refused to authorize sufficient payroll for competitive bids on contracts, even to the Nats' own free agents. So the roster was stripped. The team's president, GM and manager had no idea if they'd keep their jobs.

Everything was a mess. Everybody knew it. Frank Robinson, revitalized in '05, seemed dejected, even demoralized by the uncertainties. His team, which had been a contender until September in '05, had no realistic hopes for the present. And, if stadium funding collapsed, perhaps it had no future either.

"After last year," said Patterson, his smile a mirror of his teammates' grins, "there is no comparison."

The Nats' new park on the Anacostia River will be half-finished by Opening Day and baseball's future in Washington is as solid as its concrete. The team has rich owners with deep local roots and a famously successful team president. New scouts have been signed by the gross, more coaches added everywhere and the farm system, force-fed with kids acquired in trades for mediocre veterans, is now on steroids . . . well, so to speak. Perhaps most visible, and symbolic, of all these changes is the manager, Manny Acta, who is as energized and engaged with his players as Robinson was remote by the end. Activated, indeed.

"Last spring the mood of the team was worse than when we were still playing home games in Montreal and Puerto Rico," said Patterson, staff ace by default. "We finally got a home in '05, but then [the D.C. Council] couldn't decide on money for the new stadium so we didn't know if we were really staying in D.C. or not. Baseball kept delaying, not giving us an owner, not giving us money to re-sign our own players. The games weren't even on TV. . . . We weren't on a level playing field. Everything was always 'ifs, ands and buts.' It just went on and on and on. It wore you out. I'm sure our fans got sick of it. We did.

"Now, the feeling is entirely different. Manny brought up the differences from last year. You're playing in the capital of the United States in a top 10 market with a new park coming. If this can't motivate you, there's not much that will."