Spring training is almost here, and I just ordered an item that significantly raised my excitement level for the upcoming season.

My Washington Nationals have a set of four presidential mascots (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt) who each wear a jersey emblazoned with their first name and a number corresponding to their spot in office.

But those are four pretty obvious picks if you’re going to honor an American president.  If you know me at all, it’s probably no surprise that for a few seasons I’ve thought about expanding that list.  Fortunately, Major League Baseball allows you to order custom jerseys and shirts with the name and number of your choice.

So now this is on its way to me:

That’s Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th president.

For a long time, I thought I would get James K. Polk, who has the distinction of being the subject of a They Might Be Giants song.  He also has a cool nickname – “Napoleon of the stump” – related to his oratory skills.

One problem with Mr. Polk is that his president number is the same as Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman.  And while my hope is that fellow nerds will see and appreciate honoring an obscure president in this way, having “James K” on the back of the shirt seems a little obvious for that quest.  Plus he died of cholera, and that’s not any kind of message I want to send about myself.

Rutherford, on the other hand, has it all.  His beard is amazing.  When he was first elected to Congress, he didn’t even campaign.  Mark Twain supported his White House run.  He named one of his kids Manning.

Some people will think I’m a guy named Eric Rutherford who felt the need to get his own name on a Nats shirt.  Only the truly cool kids will understand.