As I drove home last night after another Nationals loss I found myself sort of melancholy. I wasn't really upset about the game. It was like the feeling I have after going to an average movie.
Then I realized, this is what I've come to expect. My standards have actually been lowered.
It reminded me of college life...the point at which we all began to think that Shepherd's Pie tasted pretty good and looked forward to seeing it on the cafeteria menu.
Well...I now expect the Nationals to lose.
I expect them to play badly, make base running mistakes, look at third strikes with the bases loaded, blow leads, hit into double plays, and drop fly balls. I expect every close call to go against us and then watch Manny do nothing about it.
I expect a small crowd at the stadium, but still the service to be sub-par. I expect getting food to be more challenging than it should be and the sausage stand to be closed. I expect the escalator to be out and scowls if I use the elevator. I expect the Big Red F-ing Tent to go unused (or play home to some absurd activity) as it obscures my view of the Capitol Dome. And I expect the viewing area in center field to be blocked off for a Miller Lite party that nobody is going to.
I expect the weather to be crappy, for the game to be delayed, and for the clock on the scoreboard to be wrong. And I expect that the metro will either be too crowded or too slow.
I've sat here for more than a year on this blog lamenting the team, the organization, the management, the stadium, the service - but now - I guess I'm just resigned to the reality that everything sucks.
And it just doesn't bother me that much anymore...
Take for instance, this past Saturday night, I was watching the game with a friend of mine who was in from out of town. We had a good chat about his coming nuptials. Saw the Nationals buzz through the Mets. And after a quick two hours, I found myself standing in support of John Lannan as he was throwing his final out in the 9th inning.
This was a good feeling.
This is why I come to the ballpark day in and day out - for the rare taste of victory...But then the usher came up to me and asked me to sit down.
Apparently I was blocking the view of the person two rows behind me.
WHAT?!?! I thought to myself....It's the FINAL OUT of the game. The Nationals might WIN!!
The same Nationals who I've seen nearly 30 times this season in person and watched on TV another 20. The same Nationals who are on pace to be the worst team in the history of the major leagues.
I reminded the usher (politely, I might add) that I was a FULL season ticket holder and that we don't get to cheer for the last out very often.
He said, "Sorry."
Then, I turned to the people sitting two rows back - who probably go to about one game a year - and they just shrugged their shoulders. Clearly, they had complained to the usher, which led to his admonishing me. And I sat down, in disbelief...
Before, that would've infuriated me...
But not this year.
Because Everything Sucks in NatsTown.
Oh well, see you at the game tonight.
5 comments:
The people behind you were Mets fans, right?
When I looked I didn't notice any team apparel in support of any team. However, most Mets fans had left the game already - since it was 7-1.
I don't see how that's relevant.
I know that the team is trying to welcome fans of opposing teams (See Kasten), but it was the FINAL OUT of the game. It's what people do at baseball games.
I actually had some trepidation about talking about that encounter, because I like our usher. He's a nice guy. Helpful. And I think he felt bad asking my to sit down.
But it just goes to the broader point of NatsTown.
Yeah... and I'm SO EXCITED to get some Red Sux tickets.
I was just rying to figure out why anyone wouldn't understand standing up and cheering for the last out when the home team is winning. First thought was that they were opposing fans unhappy with the outcome who wanted to stick it to you. If that's not the case, then they must have been either tourists or the type of yahoos who go to a game and spend the whole time talking on their cell phones. DC is loaded with those types of self-important jerks. The maitre d' at the restaurant where they'd have otherwise been sending back their entree because it had black truffle shavings instead of white truffle shavings sends his thanks to you for making his load a little lighter that night.
Washington Nationals should be always competitive enough to keep pace with the others. I really like them; they’ve always been my favourite teams in MLB. Just read about them here:
http://www.nationalsclub.com
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