Finally, a bases-loaded clutch hit, or just a clutch hit. Nook Logan's eighth-inning, 2-RBI squeaker through the infield (after fighting back from an 0-2 count) assured that we in Washington will not be subjected to obnoxious chants of "sweep" from inferiority-complex-laiden fans up I-95 for the next month, until the Nats and O's meet again. While it is doubtlessly disapointing to lose two out of three to this rabble, it is no reason for Nats fans to dispair and, perhaps more importantly, no reason for O's fans to be lost in a sea of giddy euphoria. It's pretty clear how this season will play out anyway: two teams out of the playoffs, with one non-playoff team costing nearly $60 million more than the other.
An article in the Washington Post fleshed out the details nicely, but the basics are simple: the Nats are suffering now to build for the future after being badly neglected for years by psuedo-owner MLB, and the Orioles are shooting in the dark each off-season, unwisely spending millions (and therefore the future), while being neglected (or perhaps just incompetently managed) by an actual owner.
Even Rick Maese of the Baltimore Sun, who earlier in the season reveled in Washington's sports-related misery, has found truth that one team has a bright future and one is eternally destined for third-and-fourth-place division finishes. Incidentally, is the Baltimore Sun taking a page from DCO with its blindly hopeful headline that the O's had moved into a second-place tie in the NL East, with their sub-.500 record landing them 9.5 games behind the Red Sox?
Despite some missed opportunities this weekend, DCO still salutes the Nationals for their ever-present effort, and is very grateful for the riveting late-inning victory today. We are also grateful to the Orioles for finally answering the burning question: How much does it cost to buy an under-achieving, over-priced bullpen that specializes in blowing late-inning leads? The answer? $41.5 million. Thanks, Peter.
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