The Nats' Home Opener: Winning Day, Losing Team

There were two winners at Nationals Park yesterday: the world champion Philadelphia Phillies and giant foam-head Abe Lincoln, who breezed to victory in the fourth-inning presidents' race. Hey, at least one president made an impressive showing.

President Obama was invited to throw out the first pitch at the home opener, but declined because he's traveling out of the country later this week. (Yeah, but he had time for the Easter Egg Roll. Just sayin'.) Instead, members of the military tossed the ceremonial first ball. The only member of the administration who showed up? Jill Biden was somewhere in the stadium, but we never saw her.

But, never mind. It's fine, really. It was Opening Day, gosh darn it, a sacred day for baseball fans. The sun came out, the air warmed up, and for a few minutes all was right with the world. The stadium was full of happy people who may not attend another game this year -- and a few die-hards like George Will, who was unperturbed by the Nats' 0-6 record so far.

"We've got 157 more games to go, and you really can't lose them all," he said before the first inning. "It just can't be done."

Will was one of only a few VIPs in the stands this year: NBC's David Gregory emceed the pregame show, Patti Austin sang the national anthem, and Mayor Fenty said, "Play ball!" In the primo seats behind home plate: Millionaires Steve Case, Joe Robert, Jim Kimsey, Mark Ein and Russ Ramsey. James Carville sat behind the visitors dugout, this year without his pal Tim Russert. "It's different," Carville told us. "A little sad." Keeping the Opening Day tradition alive: Russert's son Luke.

The Nats lost 9-8. Still, not a bad way to spend an April afternoon. "It's a nice day," Al Hunt told us. "It's a nice ballpark. Maybe we'll have a good team . . . one day."

Little Bo Peek

Sorry, but contrary to many fervent wishes and rumors, the new first dog did not appear at yesterday's White House Easter Egg Roll. Instead, the president's staff released another photo of Bo; this one showing the Portie pup at last month's top-secret get-to-know-ya visit with the chief exec. Bo is expected to make his public debut today.

Love, Etc

-- Splitting: Mel Gibson and his wife of 28 years Robyn Gibson, who filed for divorce in Los Angeles yesterday. Irreconcilable differences, she told the court. So much for one of Hollywood's longest-running unions; the couple, who wed pre-superstardom, have seven children, ranging in age from 28 to 10. Unclear how long they've been separated. "Entertainment Tonight" reports they've lived apart for three years; People says they went to Palm Sunday mass together last week.

This Just In

-- Former Rep. Bob Ney, who lost his job and went to jail for 17 months in connection with the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal, has reemerged with a new gig. Yesterday, he debuted a radio show in the Ohio River Valley area he once represented. Ney is working for Talk Radio News Service, which hired him as a researcher shortly after his release from prison last year.

-- A California woman who posted a suicide threat on Demi Moore's Twitter page is now giving an interview to "Inside Edition." Sandie Guy told the show she "was trying to deal with it in the most healthy way I could think of." She's flattered that "a big movie star" responded; other Moore fans alerted police, who went to Guy's home. "I will keep all those tweets for the rest of my life."

Quoted

"Don't bring underwear. You don't want to be that guy with the overweight bag filled with dirty drawers. I buy a seven-pack every week while I'm traveling and throw them away after one wear."

-- Will.I.Am, sharing his packing tips with Conde Nast Traveler. The Black Eyed Peas frontman and Obama campaigner said he takes about 30 trips a year; he may be single-handedly propping up the underwear industry