Ryan Zimmerman, The Examiner
2007-05-18 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

There’s nothing like running around the bases after hitting a game-winning homer. You really don’t feel anything — it feels like you’re floating around the bases. It’s weird; you’re probably running real fast, but it feels like you’re running slow.

And when you come around third and see everyone on your team waiting there, that’s the coolest part. You’ve won it for all those people and you’ve been playing hard and playing all night. It’s awesome to do it for your team. That’s fun.

You don’t hear the crowd; you don’t hear the fireworks. You’re just in a zone running around. It’s almost surreal, like the part in the movies where the quarterback drops back and all the music goes out and everything is quiet. It’s an amazing feeling.

As you run around the bases, you don’t think about much. You do think about how you just got a hit. The other night, when it was 2 o’clock, I’m thinking about how great it is that the game is finally over.

But like I said the best part is rounding third and seeing my teammates. When I throw my helmet off before reaching home, it’s so everyone won’t hit me in the head. If you keep it on, then everyone wears you out. But now Austin Kearns and the others start going for the body. You jump in the pile and then they give you body shots. It’s almost like a boxing match. They’re hitting you in the ribs and you have to fight your way out.

The other night, my shirt was all untucked and crooked, but you really don’t feel much because the adrenaline is going.

And it takes a while to come down from that high. The other night, the game ended around 1:45 and I probably didn’t get to bed until 3:45. The adrenaline is pumping so much and to come down from that quickly is tough. It’s hard to eat dinner after that because you don’t feel like sitting down and relaxing. You feel like going out and doing something and having fun because of what you just experienced.

So I try to relax and watch TV and just wait it out. But I don’t really mind it. It’s worth it, that’s for sure.

But once you settle in, you’re all right. And like anything else in baseball, that was yesterday. As cool as it was, and as fun as it was, you have to let it go because no one cares what you did yesterday.

As told to The Examiner’s John Keim.

Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is one of baseball’s rising stars and, at 22, the face of the franchise. Now he’ll share his thoughts with The Examiner’s readers each week throughout the baseball season.