Dibble Canned

Not McNulty, but I'll take a stab at it.

It's fairly well known on here I'm a big Nationals fan. Am I a happy Nationals fan? No. Some moves have baffled me, the team is nearing the end of its sixth year and is no better (actually worse) than it was when it started. The team may be cursed (see Strasburg, Stephen and John, Tommy surgery).

Am I a proud Nationals fan? Hell, yes.

Why? Well, they came to my hometown and brought back one of the joys of my youth when I used to go to tons of games with my brother (my father died when I was pretty young). It was always tons of fun, win or lose. Since the Nats moved to D.C., I've seen at least 150 live major league games - in 10 different cities. In the 33 years Washington didn't have a team, I don't think I saw 30 games.

I go to the park a lot and sometimes they surprise me and win. I've never experienced anything like being at Strasburg's debut (yeah, how'd that work out for you??). Usually, they lose. I sit there and bitch and moan and whine and kvetch and, still, I've had a great afternoon or evening.

I'm not a bandwagon boy. I'm from there. If people want to be bandwagon fans, fine, I've just never understood that. What's YOUR connection to the team? Mine is I grew up a D.C. area kid and still consider it home even though I've lived 70 percent of my life 120 miles south.

Not sure that makes sense to anyone else who isn't a fan of their hometown team that currently stinks.

I also take solace in the fact that they're not the Mets. I've seen the Mets four times this season. That team I watched on TV yesterday was not the Mets team I saw earlier. Stunningly, though I don't think it WILL happen, the Nats can actually catch the Mets this season. Winter-long wood, my friends. We take our victories where we can find them.