The Nationals Have Made Things Difficult

Way back in November, 2010, I did a post which I called a confession of sorts. Of course you can click the link if you'd like to read the post, but the gist of the post was that in spite of them being in the same division as the Phillies, I did not hate the Nationals and actually enjoyed watching them play. It was fun to root for a team that you know would never, ever, have a snowball's chance in hell at making the postseason, and therefore compete with your favorite team.  I get all the Nats games on tv, so access to them was is easy.  I got to know some of the players on the team, and I even decided to collect Ryan and Jordan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg.  

In August of 2010, Strasburg had just injured his elbow, and it was apparent that he was not going to be playing in the 2011 season.  This prompted me to make a prediction:


"Washington DC is not a baseball town, but Strasburg mania woke up some slumbering fans to the game again.  2012 should be a fun year, assuming Strasburg comes back strong.  This team is only a few years and a healthy Strasburg away from being competitive in the division, in my opinion.  This is not good for the Phillies, but it is good for baseball, and that I am ok with."


I'm no Nostradamus, but I was correct about 2012 being a good year for the Nationals.  The Nats are a solid team with great pitching.  Despite all of their injuries they have stayed in first or second place in the NL East the entire season so far.  The Phillies have been at or near the basement of the NL East for most of the season.  This is a phenomenon I am not familiar with.


And Strasburg?  Well, he has come back stronger than ever.  He currently sits 10th in all of MLB in ERA, and fifth in number of strikeouts.  Gio Gonzalez is first in strikeouts in all of MLB.  Roy Halladay is 13th.  Granted, it is May, but still.  

The Nationals have now beaten the Philles six straight times at Citizen's Bank Park.  Six. Straight. Times.  That's virtually unheard of, and something that hasn't happened in a very, very long time.  We're talking back to the days when the Nats weren't the Nats, and they were the Expos.  


The Harper situation also does not make things easier, because now there is a semi-rivalry brewing between the Nats and Phillies.  The Nats announcers won't let it go, and they keep talking about it and taking shots at Hamels for his stupidity.  What Hamels did was stupid, but I don't think it was enough to spark an all out battle between two teams where one has had consistent success, and another has achieved nothing except having a better record in the early part of the season.  

I sent out a tweet last night (@FunnerHere) stating that the 2012 Nationals are somewhat like the 2008 (World Series) Phillies.  Young, fast, confident.  Hungry for wins.  I don't think the Nats are quite at World Series caliber yet, but I think they are headed in the right direction.


All of this means I cannot and should not enjoy watching the Nats play, but I am definitely having an internal struggle here.  They're good now!  Conventional wisdom says I should dislike the team more than I do.  If not, that makes me a "bad" Phillies fan, right?  What if I still live and die with the Phillies?  


What if I'm over thinking all of this (sarcasm)?  Ahh, the torture we fans sometimes put ourselves through from season to season.  It's all Werth worth it though.