Patrick Malone was fourteen, living in Sarasota, Florida the day he read the AP report that the Washington Senators had left Washington, DC. Although it was September 30, 1971, he says he remembers the day as if it happened yesterday.

Patrick is proud of being a second generation Washingtonian, born at Georgetown Hospital, growing up in DC. Sports were always dominant in his life, especially as his father, Charles Malone, is a PGA golf pro. However, it was his Uncle, Ed Malone, who introduced him to baseball, taking Pat and his cousins regularly to Senators games. It was the beginning of a life-long love, and also the beginning of a long struggle to pursue a dream.

Unfortunately, while Pat was in elementary school his mother passed away and his father moved them to Florida to pursue his golfing career. Pat says for his high school graduation gift his father offered him a choice between the keys to a Chevy Impala or a one-way ticket to Washington, DC. He took the ticket, contemplating a mission to return home and “get them back”… meaning a baseball team in DC.

Looking back, Pat says he was probably described as a “young punk”, but in 1977, he convinced former Alexandria City mayor, Frank Mann, Joe Wheeler and others to form Home Run Incorporated, with a mission to raise money and support for the effort to find a team. Being very honest about his past ventures, Pat describes this effort as similar to having a snowball in the desert, didn’t last long. One lasting result was Frank Mann’s dream of having a baseball team at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria.

The next year Pat joined the Air Force, briefly stationed in California before returning to the area and working at the Pentagon. Over the next few years he continued his efforts to promote a return of baseball by buying an ad in The Washington Post, headlined “Bring Baseball Back to DC” along with his phone number to join the Washington Senators Fan Club. He claims he received over five hundred members. Dave Johnson with WTOP radio station says of efforts to bring baseball to DC: “The only thing of real significance for the longest time was Pat Malone, one-time Senators fan and tireless supporter of baseball at all levels, renting a plane with his own money and having it fly over the All-Star game each summer.”

However, Pat now had other interests to occupy his time, having married in 1985 and having a son, Brian. He also moved the Fairfax County.

I asked Pat what was his fondest baseball memory. Without hesitating, he said the first day Brian played T-Ball. It’s not surprising that father and son have formed a bond around baseball. In fact Brian will be working at Four Mile Run Park this summer as the Alexandria Aces play their first season in town.

I recently met Pat at Four Mile Run Park to discuss this new venture, bringing collegiate baseball to Alexandria. The team is one of eight in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. He’s well equipped as he has spent the past few years working with teams in the Shenandoah Valley Baseball League, and will be bringing some of his former coaches with him.

The team is composed of college baseball players who will live in Alexandria during the short season of June and July and play a schedule with the other seven teams in the league. The intent is to give these players the experience of a minor league atmosphere, using a wooden bat rather than the aluminum one used by colleges.

Pat spoke of his hopes that the community will galvanize behind the team. The Alexandria City Council already has as it has funded repairs and upgrades to the park. Parking is easy and there will be food vendors as well as special events to attract everyone.

He admitted that after working on this effort for twenty-three months he’s going to be emotional about Opening Night on June 6th. But that’s okay. He’s already realized one dream. He stood on the podium at the press conference on September 29, 2004 as Mayor Williams announced the return of major league baseball to Washington DC.

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