The Boys of Summer

Disclaimer: I wrote a similar post 2 years ago. I’d like to think in the time since I’ve matured and have learned more about the game and myself in that time. Plus, it’s a new season, with new players and new earnest feelings of joy and happiness that have emerged due to the end of this season. Here goes:

A comment on the Boswell’s WaPo article this morning:

“Three ways to go in to October: 1) limping, 2) screaming, or 3) whatever the hell it is the Nationals are doing.”

I teared up a little reading that. Actually, I’ve been tearing up a lot lately. During my morning ritual 40 minute Metro ride this morning, I read and reread all the articles about the incredible game yesterday: the Nats first ever no-hitter, complete with jaw-dropping game-ending catch by Steven Souza Jr and MASN Dan conducting a post-game interview with his face completely enveloped in pie. I caught myself smiling like a giddy little kid and then I just kept on smiling. I grinned like an idiot all the way from Metro Center to Bethesda, through dropping half the paper on the ground and getting squished by some dude’s butt. How often are we going to have a team like this? 

Maybe never.

Not to get ahead of myself, I know there’s a long road ahead.* We may not make it past the next series. HOWEVER! I think you’re allowed to be happy when your team is doing well. I think you’re allowed to get a little euphorically giggly thinking about what has happened to these guys this season.** Ya know what, I think you’re generally allowed to be happy whenever you want to be. And darnit I’m going to be really freaking happy if the Nats continue this blaze of glory.

In fact, even if the season goes down in flames like it does in 2012, I’ll still be pretty happy. This was the summer of dreams. I made it to 22 regular season games. And a Yankees-Blue Jays game! I went with all kinds of people, from a Mets fan (who didn’t really know that my family brought me up knowing just a little bit about the game. “That’s called a triple play” he told me at one point, to which I just smiled and nodded), to my family (the most hardcore Nats fans you might ever meet), to my Brazilian friend Anuar (who flew in all the way from Brazil! Just kidding, he lives in NYC). I got to see Jeter play in his final season. I won tickets to a game because of a contest in which I sold the Nats marketing people on “Spancakes”. Caroline, my dad and I were the MASN fan photo of the game yesterday! Apparently FP said we had lovely smiles. Dawww. The season was, all in all, sort of magical.  I/the Nats will always have this summer.

HOWEVER, they gotta at least TRY to bring it home. Nats, do it for my parents. They are far and away the most passionate, loyal, and knowledgable fans around. They probably know you better than you know yourselves. Do it for this city. DC is in the middle of the boom to end all booms – this is the place to be! Stuff is happening here, people are moving here in droves. Give them more of a reason to be happy to be here. Do it for Matt Williams! He’s the man! Do it for little kids who have grown up with the team, something my siblings and I didn’t get to do. Do what the Redskins never will be able to.*** Give this city something to be proud of, do it however you can, and give us something we can hold on to. Finally, guys, do it for you. You deserve this! I know baseball can be a huge crapshoot and every game can go in any of a million directions, but don’t give up now! THIS IS IT. As Doug Fister says, "YEAH BABY!!"

No matter what happens in the next week or two, its been a fun ride. I love this team. More importantly, I love this game. I'm off to go smile some more.

Katelyn and I on the Nats red carpet in our Sunday best.

*In 2012 I posted something excited about how great the Nats were on Twitter and I got a nasty text from a Red Sox fan saying something like “Enjoy it now but get ready to suffer, this high won’t last”. I’ll never understand people who try to bring down other people in moments of sheer bliss – jealousy? That’s all I can think of.  To make matters worse, I’m not even friends with this kid. He was a “big brother” of my sorority and I only had his number to coordinate socials. I promptly blocked this poor miserable child after he sent a few more heartwarming and lovely texts, and I kept celebrating.

**What HASN’T happened to these guys this season? They started off sucking majorly – first 52 games went 25-27 and all hope looked lost. Injuries plagued us: Bryce was out for a while, Zim only played something like 46 games (out of 162…sheesh), the Buffalo was in an out constantly. Miraculously they pulled it together and have been on a roll since the All Star Break. This team has 5 hitters and 5 pitchers in the top 5/10 in virtually every hitting and pitching category. ----- and manager of the year. Hitting: Span, Rendon, Werth, LaRoache, and Desmond. 

Pitching: Stras, Zim, Fister, Roarke, Clippard. You can’t make this stuff up.

***I am not a fan of the NFL so I’m not really a Redskins fan. I am a fan of DC…so if by the grace of God the Redskins turn their season around and do something meaningful, by all means I’ll cheer for them, BUT I think the idolizing of RG3 is disgusting. The amount of space the Washington Post gives to the Redskins is absolutely horrifying.