The Elephant in the Room (and it’s not John Boehner)

Man, I really hope we will not have to see this guy in a Nationals uniform this season. That’s all I’m saying.

He’s probably slated to pitch the April 10 game against Jason Bay, David Wright, and the rest of the Buffalo Bisons Mets.

Super.

Outside the Echo Chamber, or Why I’m Not Exactly a Nats Fan

Jon’s piece on his blooming Nationals fandom stimulated the ol’ cerebral cortex, leading me to survey our newly-minted clearinghouse. Additionally, some discussion in one of my classes on the nature of electronic news media and the consumer’s ability to control what he or she consumes, at least more so now than in the second half of the twentieth century, leads the consumer to only focus on viewpoints with which he or she agrees.

Too often, blogs are stricken with blind allegiance for one club or unabashed hatred for another. Do not misunderstand me – I think there is a place for them. The Internet is large – almost as large as my friend Kris’s ass – and so everyone can get in where they fit in, which is great. There is space in this patchwork for those of us that appreciate a club, in our case the Washington Nationals, but do not go to sleep at night with a Nats nightlight. The club has flaws, but there is an active effort to improve its soft spots. Some would accuse the Nationals of being the laughingstock of Major League Baseball, but who can say that with a straight face, knowing there are Royals, Astros, Indians, and Mets (oh my!) out there?

I’m not a dyed-in-the-wool Nationals fan. I held the franchise in contempt for years after it decided to forsake Norfolk for Washington, even though I knew Norfolk and the rest of Hampton Roads could never support another professional franchise. I even mocked Jon’s embryonic fandom in the days of Terrmel Sledge and Chad Cordero. With each passing year, at an admittedly glacial pace, I came around. The Nationals started to make trades and signings that made sense. They began to draft with purpose. Exciting talent was coming through the pipeline, which Jon covered a few weeks ago. There was no Alfonso Soriano. I attended some games and the most exciting part wasn’t the Presidents Race – it was the on-field product.

A .500 season, or higher is no longer out of the realm of possibility. It is a guarantee? No. After all, Livan Hernandez is magically back to pitch batting practice to the National League every fifth day. The Phillies still exist. The Braves, for all their hitlessness (if that’s a word), have that leprechaun Eric Hinske on their bench. There are more complete teams out there in the National League. And that’s fine. Standing outside of the echo chamber, we here at the Nats Report understand this cruel reality of baseball. We’re here to have fun and talk about Nationals baseball, warts and all, because we, or at least I (I cannot speak for Jon and Kyle) have warts too.

Why I’m a Nats Fan (And Not So Much A Yankee Fan Anymore)

Disclaimer: The title of this post should give you an idea where I’m going with this.  I will try to avoid the saccharine sentimentality inherent in such a topic, but be patient.  I thought it mildly interesting. Thanks for indulging.  Or, conversely, I understand you not reading this whole thing.

I, like a large number of people my age (25), grew up a Yankees fan.  The allure of being able to see the team you like on TV a lot was key, but to say that success wasn’t a prime reason for my fandom would be a lie.  Unlike your run of the mill Washington dwelling Cowboys fan, I at least had some minor credibility.  My parents had grown up Yankee fans and my entire family lives outside of Manhattan.  Does this make me a Legitimate Out Of Town Fan?  Maybe not, but for the sake of argument, we’ll say it did.

I grew up learning about the Yankee players of the past, idolizing their great players of that mid and late 1990s, and deifying players that were for all intents and purposes, pretty average.  Paul O’Neill comes to mind.

Anyway, fast forward to my bedroom (ohhh yeahh) this October.  As I watched A Rod run across the diamond towards Rivera and Teix, I felt…empty.  Every championship prior to this, and every crucial Red Sox game felt to me like a major life event, a “I’ll always remember where I was when…” moment.  This last one felt like a fulfilled prophecy, but not a cool, futuristic one.  A “If it snows, WMATA will suck” forgone conclusion-type prophecy.

This is a long way of setting up a conversation I had last night.  I’m in a class with EJ Fagan, of The Yankee U, and we were talking on the way out of class.  I mentioned that I write about the Nationals, or at least did so with a lot more frequency in the past.  His response was “There just isn’t a lot to write about for the Nationals.”

He meant nothing malicious and surely didn’t even think that I’d be writing anything about that conversation.  But, on the way home, I started thinking about the differing perspectives of a dyed in the wool Yankees fan ACTUALLY from NY, and a kid who liked the Yankees for a few reasons (none of them really compelling) who didn’t have a local team to follow.

But now I do.  And they have been really bad.  They are basically the bizarro Yankees.  But after spending 15 years reading and watching everything Yankees related, I think I just don’t care anymore.  There are some sentimental ties with players that are still on the team, and with my Dad, who is still a dedicated Yankee fan.  But I was thinking today about the Yankees chances, and I realized that it was a foregone conclusion in my mind that they were going to win the AL East.  And I realized what almost every other baseball fan has discovered way sooner than me; If you expect victory, then what’s the damn point?

I’ve fallen for the Nationals.  I care about their A level prospects that can hit the ball a mile, but have the hitting eye of Ted Williams (Now. not when he was alive and hitting .400.  But now, when said eyes are sitting on a can of tuna.  Listen, I know that was a confusing metaphor, but I really wanted to bring up the Tuna can thing).  I think the rotation debates with the young Nationals are infinitely more exciting than “Which All Star can we pick up to be our 4th starter?”.  It’s like all of the arguments I’ve had with other team’s fans over the years that I’ve braved and attempted to disprove, have all seeped into my skull and caused me to think.

Being a Nationals fan is the antithesis of being a Yankees fan.  As a Nationals fan, you can’t assume that your team’s owners will spend every dollar possible to make your team win games.  You won’t have the tacit respect of some baseball fans who think that maybe it would be cool to win sometimes, and won’t have the adulation of every media outlet.  You won’t see your games on national television, but will get to endure countless “Natinals” comments, “You Dead Dawg” jokes, and general condescension from almost every other team’s fanbase.

But in the end, it’s worth it.  My fandom is pure, and any eventual victories will actually mean something.  Whenever the day comes, and I can bet the Yankees will win 2 or 3 more championships before the Nationals make it to the Series, I do know one thing.

When I see the Nationals win something, I won’t sit there feeling nothing.