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Zimmerman is new face of Nationals Date published: 2/13/2007
BY TODD JACOBSON The new face of the Washington Nationals arrived at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library several weeks ago wearing a jersey and jeans and carrying a book instead of a bat. He flashed a sheepish smile as he flipped open "Playing Right Field." Preparing to read to a large group of children and adults, many wearing jerseys that mimicked the No. 11 across his back, he looked just as comfortable as he does at third base for the Nationals. "If you want to be the guy that's just hiding in the background all the time, I don't think you are in the right business," Zimmerman said. Zimmerman isn't as goofy as Gilbert Arenas and he's not yet an icon like Cal Ripken Jr., but as Zimmerman enters his second full season in the majors, expectations have raised both on and off the field. Thanks to an outstanding rookie season, the 22-year-old close-to-homegrown has become one of the keys to the Nationals' marketing strategy, a franchise cornerstone and a face that represents a team. "He's got all the qualities you look for," said Tom Ward, the Nationals' senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "There isn't a better candidate that I can think of. You'd like to have someone that's Derek Jeter, but quite frankly Ryan can grow into a Derek Jeter. He's a guy we'll build and market around like we will build around the new ballpark." They already have. Zimmerman's face, along with his right-handed swing, adorns season-ticket brochures and other team mailings. On the radio, the Nationals have marketed Zimmerman along with the team's "Pledge Your Allegiance" campaign, an effort to get fans to buy tickets for 2007 in order to reserve seats for 2008, when the team's new stadium is scheduled to open. When it became clear that Zimmerman had emerged as a fan favorite during his rookie season last year, a Ryan Zimmerman dog-tag giveaway was scheduled for September at RFK Stadium. The team's promotional schedule hasn't been released for this season, but Ward said Zimmerman is likely to be a prominent feature.
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