clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Where are they now? Adam Eidinger

One of the worst-kept secrets among bloggers of Team First Base is that when we run out of things to say, we just scan Google and Google News for anything the least bit interesting to note. It was in this spirit that I was on page eleven or so of a Google search of "Washington Nationals" recently and bumped back into this article from November 2004:

The 73-year-old former Washington Senators public address announcer was not about to let a protester ruin another big baseball day in the nation's capital. Charlie Brotman wrestled the intruder out of the way, clearing the stage for the Montreal Expos to be rechristened the Washington Nationals.

Oh, those were the days. The days when the team's status was less than entirely secure. The days when there was bickering over stadium issues. The days when Jim Bowden was the general manager. Really, those were the days.

Anyway, why all the fuss---and who was raising it? Back to the article:

[T]he opposition was visible just before the news conference began when a member of the D.C. Statehood Green Party jumped on stage with a sign reading "Stop the $614 million stadium giveaway."

The protester, Adam Eidinger, managed to say, "This is a bad deal, people" before Brotman engaged him in a tussle that nearly knocked over the lectern. Others joined the fray, and Eidinger was eventually led away by security to cheers from the crowd. He was detained for about 15 minutes and released.

So there you go: one of the first memorable images in the history of the Washington Nationals (as we know them today, at least), and it's all thanks to our favorite four-eyed revolutionary. I figure it's time to check in on him:

ADAM EIDINGER, THEN & NOW!

THEN: U.S. "Shadow" Representative candidate; activist; civil disobedience proponent ("When elected, I promise to use my position to organize a District-wide holiday on October 1st (the beginning of the fiscal year) that will close all District government offices, including schools, and create incentives for private companies to follow suit . . . encourag[ing] . . . the greatest number of people to go to Congress and demand their rights.")

NOW: Communications Director, Vote Hemp.

We wish Adam the best of luck in the future, and pray he never happens upon Charlie Brotman again.