Alright, so maybe a bit of an overstatement, but the Nationals are 8.5 games out of the NL Wild Card with 47 games to play. I can see it now... October baseball at RFK. The story of the year. Or maybe not so much given that 25 of those remaining 47 games are against the Mets, Phillies, and Braves. Still... to think we're even remotely in shouting match of the wild card is pretty awesome.
Oh, and just because I was thinking about it this morning, not because I am trying to bash the Orioles (seriously!!), the Nationals have the distinct possibility of finishing the 2007 season with more wins than the Orioles, which would mean that in all three years the Nationals have been in existence, they had a better record than the team 40 miles to the north with a payroll multiple times higher than their own. In 2005, the Nats finished with 81 wins to the O's 74. In 2006, the Nats eeked it out, finishing with 71 wins to the O's 70. And as of today, the Nats have 53 wins to the O's 52. So anything is possible for the remainder of the year, and I know O's fans will say the Nats compete in the NL which as a whole is easier than the AL; and that the Nats compete in the NL East which is easier than the AL East. But really, that's gotta burn a hole somewhere in the diehard O's fan's heart that despite trying so hard and spending so much money, the results continue to be the same. Despite my utter despise for Angelos, I do find it sad what has befallen the Orioles and actually do wish them well because the Oriole fans do deserve so much better than what they've received the past 11 years.
Speaking of, I want to give one shout out to Bud Selig, because for as much crap as he takes, I do think that interleague baseball and the Wild Card are two of the greatest things to happen to the game in a long time.
I also want to give a shout out to our buddies over at Awful Announcing. Being the Nats fan that I am, how about a post on the not-so-awful announcing of Don Sutton as color commentator on Nats broadcasts? He really does a great job of giving insight into the game, both on-the-field and off-the-field without going over the top and being totally immersed in his own career like Jim Palmer.
August 10, 2007
Pennant Fever Sweeps Washington!!!
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The Orioles are trying hard? YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! That being said, we did just trade John Parrish to Seattle for a minor league outfielder and a player to be named later, and we let Chris Gomes go to Cleveland on waivers.
And, regarding the headline, Pennant Fever might be the only team left in baseball that HASN'T swept Washington.
And the two teams are even right now! 53-62 is statistically equal to 52-61. Plus, the Nats are 8.5 games out, behind 8 teams. The Orioles are 11.5 games out, behind 7 teams, and the AL Wild Card is 3.0 games better than the NL Wild Card.
What was the point of this post? To show that the wild card makes almost every team feel like they have at least a 0.5% chance of getting to the playoffs?
(1) Jason - don't be so pessimistic about the Gomez trade. That $20,000 will go a long way towards building a winner.
(2) It's sad for both cities and teams that all we can do is compete only with one another as to records. And both teams have LOSING records.
(3) Jeremy - you speak as if you were never one of those "Oriole fans" hoping for a winner and being disappointed. Don't pretend.
We'll see how much the Nats' owners care next year, after saving SO much money this year. Maybe they'll only be 7.5 gb of the wild card next year!
And I could do without interleague baseball. I like the traditional way, where no one sees the opposing league until October ... if your team is lucky enough to get there.
"...for as much crap as he takes, I do think that interleague baseball and the Wild Card are two of the greatest things to happen to the game in a long time."
Personally I don't like interleague play. Except that one time Baltimore visited San Francisco. That was nice. Otherwise I could do without it.
I don't like the wild card, either. Win your division or watch the playoffs at home.
But of course neither the wild card or interleague play are going anywhere. Too much revenue involved.
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