There have been too many low points to recall during the 2015 Washington Nationals season. Saturday evening should have been the last one.
As the Nats and Phillies were in the midst of laboring through an extra inning dud on a cloudy, rainy, windswept afternoon at Nats Park, Jeurys Familia was in Cincinnati recording the final, NL East clinching out for the Mets. A season that had spun out of control for months, was for all intents and purposes, mercifully over.
I was at the Mets/Nationals game at Nats Park yesterday, and stayed until the final out. This doesn’t make me a better fan than someone who left prior to that point.
The Fan Police were out in full force on the internet yesterday in regards to some of the 34,210 fans who left yesterdays game early. Bryce Harper invigorated their cause by calling out Nats fans himself during a postgame session with the press.
Bryce Harper was asked about the atmosphere especially after the Ramos grand slam. Here's the answer (via @wusa9) pic.twitter.com/0eu5pOAtki
Ryan Zimmerman (the pride of Virginia Beach, my hometown) returned to the Nationals lineup tonight in Miami, so I figured what better time to giveaway my spare Ryan Zimmerman Bobblehead I picked up at the Cubs game in June. This sucker is still in the box (the one out of the box above is my other one) and ready to be claimed by one of my tens of readers.
Rivalries in sports are usually cut and dry. They consist of two franchises, from their fan bases all the way to the front offices, that flat out don’t like each other. When the two teams get together, it’s always a different feel from a game versus any other opponent, even if both teams are having down years.
The recipe for a good rivalry should include most of the following:
“That’s why you go to games!”, I excitedly shouted to anyone within earshot as I strutted out of Nationals Park after a thrilling mid May, walk off victory this past Tuesday.
I’ve traveled home from Nationals Park 59 times in my life, but this last visit was different. In fact lots about Tuesday night felt different from the typical venture to Half Street.
The New York Yankees were in town.
“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart; you just gotta poke around.”
-Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter
A funny thing happened on the way to another Redskins dominated spring here in DC. Other teams were winning, often in dramatic, headline grabbing fashion. It’s true; on big stages in front of big crowds with big stakes on the line, DC was winning (and rising of course; #DCRising).
Was DC becoming a “sports town”? Had it already been one that had just been laying dormant prior to this B-12 shot of winning?
The Washington Nationals enter 2015 with massive expectations. The 2014 NL East champs added Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to an already dominant starting rotation. Their potent lineup features a blend of youth and experience, and their bench seems to be much improved compared to last years roster.
Within their division, the Braves and Phillies have imploded and are in full rebuilding mode. The Mets and Marlins have pieces in place, but both still seem to be at least a year away from seriously contending with the Nats.
VIERA, FL —
Spring Training is in full swing, with MLB teams taking the field against one another for the first time today. In Clearwater, the Phillies evidently have some serious rust to shake off. In Viera meanwhile, the defending NL East Champion Nats are gearing up for a season with incredible expectations.
Rick Beale, an FSB regular and father of my dear friend Justin is down in Viera to take in the Nationals Spring Training this week. As I look out my window into the dark and icy hellscape of Metro DC, I have to admit I’m extremely jealous.
96 wins and a 2nd NL East title in three seasons became a major after thought for Nats fans early Wednesday morning on the east coast, as a routine Wilson Ramos grounder resulted in the final out of the 2014 season. It was a grinding series that saw all four games won by the underdog (including the Nats stealing a momentum shifting win against San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner), the longest game in MLB playoff history clocking in at 6 hours and 23 minutes and a grand total of 18 runs scored over the equivalent of five games.
SOUTHEAST DC —
Stand up.
Sit down.
Clap your hands madly.
Sit down with crossed arms.
Lose your mind with happiness.
Lose your mind with frustration.
The MLB playoffs are back in DC, and the Nationals delivered the home crowd every emotion they could have expected in October baseball, except the chesty satisfaction of a hard fought win. Instead, it was a long trudge for Nats fans down the concourses and out onto Half Street as the Giants grinded out a 3-2 win today.
