I was 15 minutes into the interview when I realized a slight problem: My subject was asleep. Like, snoring asleep. A not-waking-up-till-the-TV-goes-off kind of sleep. Dead to the world.
But, being a professional and all, I kept asking questions. I asked how he got his name. I asked for the latest skill he’s learned. I asked about the attention, the cameras, the nonstop pulls on his schedule. And it was a good thing I didn’t need him to answer any of this. Natty, the Nationals’ team dog, has people for that.
“He had a long photo shoot today,” Jackie Cheshire, one of Natty’s two handlers, told me. “This is his nap.”