Washington Nationals Still Searching for Relevancy
The Washington Nationals won the National League East going away. They won home field advantage for the NLDS. They almost (and should have) had the NL Batting Champion. But for all that, it just seems like something ‘s missing. Something’s “off” about them……..
I’m sitting here watching the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals play game two. The Dodgers are twelve outs from taking the series back to LA with a 2-0 advantage.If that happens, the Washington Nationals will have lost the only thing they really won this year – that being home field advantage for this series.
The Nationals spent 150 days in first place in the National League East. Only the Cubs were better. They were never challenged and they never mounted a significant run that caught the attention of anyone.
They’re just sort of “here”. And regardless of what happens with the Dodgers and anyone else who comes their way this October, it seems fair to ask, will this team ever really be relevant?
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Relevant in the sense that the Cubs are. And the Red Sox. And the way that the Yankees will always be relevant. These teams have a personality or some way of identifying them. The hapless Cubs with their ever forgiving fan base. The Yankees will a boatload of Championships. And the Red Sox with their swagger and Fenway.
Meanwhile, the Nationals play in a ballpark with a beautiful view of the U.S. Capitol Building and they have these funny, or really not so funny, races amongst a few U.S. Presidents. They have Dusty Baker as their manager who they picked up from the scrap heap in Cincinnati, and who’s fast approaching 70 leading a bunch of kids.
And, they have Bryce Harper who should be approaching super stardom, but isn’t. Nagged with this injury or something else, Harper personifies a team that, with the exception of Daniel Murphy and Max Scherzer, has become just another bunch of overachievers who are only good enough to lose when challenged.
And it’s not something that’s evident when they take the field. What’s missing rests with those all important intangibles that make the difference in professional sports. Maybe it’s something in the clubhouse. Maybe it’s the fact that they play in Washington where tickets are passed around like candy in the halls of Congress, and deals are made in Section 101 with lobbyists and other scumbags who have no interest in the team or, for that matter, in baseball.
Next: Dodgers gain advantage with rainout
But whatever it is, it needs to be fixed. Because next year, things aren’t going to be quite so easy. The Mets and Marlins have something to prove and the Braves could surprise a few people playing in their new ballpark. A sense of urgency should be upon this team. I could be missing something, but I just don’t see it.