How Do You Know, which opens tomorrow in theaters, is a romantic comedy about some lovey-dovey stuff. This isn't a movie site, but what makes this film intriguing to D.C. sports fans is the fact that Owen Wilson's character, Matty, is a relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals. Via TBD, one of Reese Witherspoon's friends in the film mentions that Matty "makes $14 million a year and throws a 94 mph fastball." This caught TBD a bit off guard, considering that a fake Nationals player makes more money than any of the actual Nationals did last season.
According to TBD, Adam Dunn was the Nats' top earner last season at $12 million. In fact, the only reliever that has made more than that is New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who recently signed a three-year, $45 million contract, which would pay $15 million per year. Rivera is arguably the greatest closer of all time, so this Matty guy must be pretty good.
TBD community host Daniel Victor didn't understand how any reliever could make that much money.
"Maybe, maybe it'd happen if you've won a bunch of World Series and you're at the end of your career, like Mariano Rivera. But since this is the Nationals, that probably isn't the case here."
Either way, once the movie comes out and people see what Matty's last name and number are, there are sure to be some jersey fouls at Nationals Park this spring.