Nationals Are in Tune With Mood of Country

The Washington Nationals, who begin a three-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight, marked a return of major league baseball to the nation’s capital after a 34-year absence. And apparently the makeup of the Nationals’ roster has sparked a political debate.

“Some wise guy had to go and point out that, when it comes to throwing, 19 of the team’s 25 players -- a 76% majority -- are right wingers,” wrote Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times.

Trivia time: Who was the manager of the Washington Senators in their final three seasons, 1969-71, before the team became the Texas Rangers?

Tough decision: A judge in Oshkosh, Wis., ordered a 59-year-old woman to either donate her four seats in a Green Bay Packer three-game season package or face 90 days in jail. After much anguish, the woman, convicted of taking $3,000 from labor union accounts, decided to donate the tickets to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Seems like a fair deal -- 12 tickets for one “Get Out of Jail Free” pass.

A way with words: Fox NASCAR analyst Jeff Hammond, during pre-race Nextel Cup coverage Sunday from Talladega, Ala., was talking about the importance of the rear bumper of a race car when colleague Chris Myers said, “You have to cover your rear end.”

More NASCAR talk: Fox race commentator Darrell Waltrip, shortly after the start of the race, said, “This is a critical point in the race. You have to make up your mind what you’re going to do. Are you going to roar with the eagles and run up front, or are you going to be a buzzard and ride around in the back and pick up the pieces?”

Reality golf: Sitcom stars Ray Romano and Kevin James were filmed attempting to make the cut at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February for a special that will air on HBO on June 18. Said James: “As an amateur golfer, it’s a great experience. Even when you hook a ball into the other fairway, you get to apologize to guys like Freddy Couples.”

Rare matchup: A weekend series between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals matched managers with more than 2,000 wins. St. Louis’ Tony La Russa has 2,130 and Atlanta’s Bobby Cox has 2,017, including Sunday’s 2-1 victory. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last matchup between 2,000-win managers involved Joe McCarthy of the Boston Red Sox and Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950.

Looking back: On this day in 1995, the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo became the first Japan native to play in the majors in three decades. Nomo pitched five scoreless innings, but the Dodgers blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the San Francisco Giants, 4-3.

Trivia answer: Ted Williams.

And finally: Charles Barkley, asked by Tim Russert on CNBC why he never followed through and ran for public office in his home state of Alabama, said, “I saw what the governor makes. That’s like four hands of blackjack.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.