One of the things that frustrates me about Major League Baseball (or any professional sport, for that matter) is the media hype. Before this year's baseball season had even started, "experts" had already made their predictions, picked their favorites, and crowned the next World Series champion. The problem with that is that there are 162 games that have to be played between Opening Day and the playoffs, and a LOT can happen during that time. If your team is predicted to be the next best since gel nail polish or precooked bacon and doesn't end up making the playoffs, it's a big disappointment.
That's what the Washington Nationals are currently facing - a disappointing end to an up-and-down season plagued by injuries, inconsistency, and bad managerial decisions. The players are dejected, tempers have flared in the dugout, and fans have been left with a bad taste in their mouths. How do I feel about my beloved Nats not making the playoffs this season? I'm actually OK with it (no, really, I am TOTALLY OK with it!), and here's why:
First of all, the Nationals had a terrible time out west in August, losing to the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies. That awful road trip put the Nats further behind the NL East-leading Mets, who just could not lose a game in August or September. It was pretty clear halfway through August that the Mets would be the team to beat. So if you tell yourself at that point that your team sucks, it won't be such a big let-down when they don't make the playoffs.
Another thing that affects a team's success (or lack thereof) is injuries to key players. The Nationals had their share of injuries throughout the season - the players in their top-notch lineup that was the talk of baseball during Spring Training only played one or two games together during the whole season, with long stints on the Disabled List by Denard Span and Ryan Zimmerman and shorter stays by Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendón. There was so much inconsistency in the lineup because of injuries that you didn't know who was going to play from one day to the next.
Then there's pitching. Yes, Max Scherzer pitched an almost-perfect no-hitter, and yes, Stephen Strasburg is healthy and pitching incredibly well (too little too late, since he didn't get good until late August). But the bullpen was pretty dismal throughout the entire season. Drew Storen was the closer in the beginning, but despite doing a decent job, was replaced in his role by hot-head Jonathan Papelbon, who came over from the Phillies with the condition that he become the closer. So Storen moved to the setup position, where he absolutely sucked. He blew some pretty important games in which the Nationals had been leading when he took the mound, and in early September he was so frustrated that he ended up punching a locker and tearing a ligament in his thumb (and subsequently being out for the rest of the season). Doug Fister lost his starting role and was moved to the bullpen, Gio Gonzalez was not as reliable as in years past, and poor Tanner Roark was jerked around, being moved from starter to the bullpen to the minors and back to starter. Jordan Zimmermann remained consistently awesome, but we all know he's not returning to the Nationals next year (and neither is Ian Desmond, the other big-name free agent in the team).
So yeah - I'm OK with my Nationals not being in the playoffs because honestly, they don't deserve to be there. If they had made it, it would have been too stressful, knowing they were inconsistent and probably wouldn't be making it past the first round. That doesn't mean I won't be watching the playoffs - there's a LOT of baseball still to be played (and watched), and for Pete's sake, the Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs! I have decided to root for the Pirates and Blue Jays, but since I'm not a die-hard fan of either team, if they end up losing, it won't bother me too much. So I'm going to enjoy my October of post-season baseball, and I'm going to eagerly await the announcement of this year's National League MVP, which should be given to Bryce Harper, the bright spot in the Nationals this year. I've been a Bryce-basher in the past, but he matured a LOT as a player this season and deserves the award (since he's leading the National League in home runs and batting average). Go Bryce, go Pirates and Blue Jays, and for the love of God, go away Cardinals - I'm tired of seeing you in October!
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