A new mascot at RFK?

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There were mascots all over the field before yesterday's game at RFK Stadium -- including, of course, the Nationals' mascot, Screech.

Also making an appearance, because the Class A Potomac Nationals were on the road, was their mascot, Uncle Slam.

Then there was a third one -- someone in a pig suit, a mascot named Ribi, representing the "Red, Hot and Blue" barbecue restaurant at the stadium.

As the July 21 grand re-opening of RFK draws closer, I suspect you'll see more and more mascots popping up, until each fan has his own personal goofball in a costume.

I thought there was a fourth mascot in the ballpark representing Comcast when I saw some guy sitting in the stands with a Nationals jersey with the name "Angelos" across the back. In front of it appeared to be, on first glance, a four-letter obscenity -- except a letter was missing.

It was a Nationals fans exercising his first amendment right to express his disdain for the Orioles owner who made it so difficult to bring baseball to Washington and then strong-armed a deal with Major League Baseball officials to control the Nationals' television rights.

"I just want to express my feelings about Peter Angelos and the years he spent trying to keep D.C. from getting a team," said Doug Collica, a 38-year-old lawyer from Arlington. "He once said there are no real baseball fans in D.C. I wanted to show that there are some real fans, and I think everyone here kind of feels the same way about him.

"The TV deal [Angelos' Mid Atlantic Sports Network] really bugs me, too. I'm a little annoyed at Comcast for not carrying the Nats game, but I am even more annoyed at the deal baseball made with Angelos. I think that's scandalous."

Collica said he has worn the jersey to RFK before and never got any complaints about it, from either fans or stadium management.

"I was wearing it for Orioles games when they played here, and even some Orioles fans said they felt the same way," he said.