D will take home another great award for his amazing 2007 season. The Sporting News has named Young their Comeback Player of the Year as well.

Congrats to the Rockies on sweeping the Diamondbacks and advancing to their first World Series.

The Indians continue to look good. Lindsey is happy.

Keep voting for This Year in Baseball’s awards…so far you can only vote for Starter, Manager, Performance and Closer. Sadly, Manny was overlooked and none of our guys are in the running for the other categories. Still unannounced are nominees for Rookie, Play, Defense, Hitter, Post-Season Moment, and Blooper.

I realize this is long overdue. I wanted to save my last weekend at RFK to combine with the end of the season Phillies trip, but I never anticipated I’d wait this long to finally sit down and reflect on such a wonderful summer.

For now, I’m hesitant to be too emotional; it’s hard to convey how much this summer meant to me in words. I looked back at our first post – dated April 4. I remember drafting it while casually listening to one of my last lectures as a grad student. I spent March following the spring training games and counting down the days till the exhibition game in Norfolk. Baseball season had finally arrived. I tried in that post to explain what baseball meant to me. Looking back, I had no clue what it would end up meaning to me after just one season of being a serious fan.

250 posts and 80+ games later, I do know what it means and I know why so many of us live and breathe it. As far as rules and stats go, I learned a lot this summer. We didn’t always get it right. At times, we all disagreed. That’s life and that’s baseball. But we did learn and we appreciated the challenges, debates and disagreements.

This summer, we learned about the game, the team, this great organization and this blogging community. We’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting so many of you this summer. Please know how much we appreciate what is happening here in Washington. Many of you have warmly welcomed us into this big family. Sitting through the final series in Philly and watching the sold-out crowd go crazy with every pitch, it was electrifying. I know we’ll have that soon in Washington and I can’t wait to be there with you for it.

More importantly, I can assure you, we’ve all learned a lot about ourselves. Sure, I’ve watched these other ladies grow in their knowledge and love of the game. But there’s something bigger than that at work.

For me, this summer and this game brought about a number of challenges. It’s funny that baseball, a way to escape life and relax, can became part of your life in lots of ways. Through a lot of twists and turns, I had two other girls with heart to get me back to that park, night after night to make dozens of new memories. All in all, I must say that I have only gained a deeper respect for the Washington Nationals – and all of their hard work, talent and heart.

Most of my closest friends couldn’t join us at the park each night, but they certainly put up with me and, in the process, learned a lot about baseball themselves. Thank you for joining us when you could and for understanding that I’m a better friend (and daughter) in the off-season.

On that note, I can’t believe how many wonderful, amazing people I have met this season. I have never felt so much like I had a family away from home until this summer. Doug, Jeanne, Larry, Carlos, Michael, Chuck, Marty, Laura, Joe, Bob, Debbi, Antonio, Cathy, Joe, Jimmy, Coach…and countless others purposely or mistakenly left off this list, you know who you are. You’ve helped to make this the summer of my life. Thank you.

On that Sunday, I left Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium with a bittersweet feeling. Having been to PNC Park so many times, I am so very excited about the new Nationals park. I know how tough it was for people to say goodbye to Three Rivers Stadium, but PNC is so beautiful. I know I can handle this transition because, unlike some of you, I have no memories of baseball here in Washington as a child. I can appreciate your rich baseball history, but my first trip to RFK was in 2005 to see the Nats.

That’s not to say I won’t miss that place with all my heart. I was there for so many of the most important plays of this summer and last. Sure, I saw Soriano steal his 40th base last year, but that was nothing compared to Zimmerman’s late night Mother’s Day walk-off grand slam, Austin’s in the park homerun. There are so many memories that will always be part of RFK’s charm. So will its people. I was so comfortable there, so at home. I can only hope the new park will be as wonderful, as memorable, and as special as this summer of 2007 at RFK Stadium.

Be glad there’s one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name…

The Nationals 2007 minor league player of the year, Justin Maxwell is playing Fall baseball for the Peoria Javelinas. This fall, one player from each team has agreed to keep a weekly journal documenting their experiences. Lucky for us, Justin is writing the journal for his team.

In Maxwell’s first article he recounts his cozy plane ride - he had the middle seat - he’s a big guy! He also loves the Arizona dry heat, and is very excited to get to play baseball everyday. The Javelinas are off to a great start going 4 and 1 for the first week of play.

Fans can email JMax with questions at jmaxwellafl@gmail.com and he will try to answer them in upcoming journals. We wish Justin and the rest of the Peoria Javelinas good luck in their Fall season.

“When it comes to heart, we are up there.” — Ryan Church

Celebrating a great year for our own Dmitri Young! Happy Birthday!

With the season over for the Nationals, reviews of 2007 are everywhere. The New York Times did a piece on the Nats yesterday. It’s an exciting time in Washington, the team that was supposed to lose 130 games in 2007 played .500 from mid May to September. With a young team, its time to look to 2008. I wonder how different media predictions will be prior to 2008 Spring Training. With Manny’s optimistic attitude, and a young team that’s only on the rise, anything can happen. We love what Manny said yesterday, “Despite our shortcomings, these kids showed a lot of heart.”

These boys played every game with a determination to be better than predicted. Manny’s positive attitude was reflected on the playing field. The Free Lance-Star, says “The Nats beat the odds, and the predictions and finished the season with their heads held high.” We think Ryan Church said it best though, ” When it comes to heart, we are up there. It goes to show that it starts with the manager. It shows what kind of team we are. We battle.”

I said goodbye to RFK with a bit of a heavy heart. Granted my story is a bit different from those who grew up loving the Senators and had to say goodbye to RFK twice, but that last game was still a monumental moment for me. I fell in love with baseball under the lights of RFK. I learned the game, made great friends, and finally have a team to call my own. My transition to becoming a Nats fan did not happen over night. I attended only a handful of games in 2005. My 25 games in 2006 seemed excessive at the time. I had no idea what the summer of 2007 would bring, but 82 games later, it’s still hard to believe the summer I had was real.

This summer RFK became my home away from home, and strangely most of the time I felt more comfortable there. I know the stadium is old, and not suited for baseball, but you have to admit it has a charm that you can’t deny. For me its like that old pair of ragged weekend jeans that you just can’t seem to throw away. They, like the stadium are comfortable, probably not that flattering, but serve their purpose well. I think it’s always hard to say goodbye to a place where you have made so many great memories. When we left the stadium on Sunday it was like we were graduating from high school, saying goodbye to something that in the blink of an eye becomes your past is difficult. It’s not just the old stadium I will miss, but mostly the friends I have made. After spending so much time at RFK this summer, I now have a summer family and I am really going to miss them all during the off season.

Sunday’s game was just about perfect. Could we have hoped for a more beautiful day? The ladies and I splurged for the last game and sat in the first row of 225, all game in the sun, and we had a great view. I think it was during the top of the 7th inning that I took a moment to look around. The stadium was packed and I really noticed a sea of red. I got goose bumps, its something I won’t forget. My emotions ran high from then on. While, standing with the ladies and singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” one last time at RFK, I shed my first tear. When the Chief came in for the 9th to close the game and the stadium, my heart lept, I don’t think I will ever forget that final out. The Nats closed RFK the same way they opened it in 2005, a win with a score of 5-3. Manny’s words during the post game ceremony were heartfelt and made me proud to be a Nats fan. The video of 2007 moments flashed my summer before my eyes. I was there for most of them. From opening day, to that horribly cold April, to our first win, to that memorable Mother’s Day, the 4th of July, our winning month of August, and countless games in between. For the past two summers RFK has been like my vacation home. I am truly sad to see it go. When home plate was removed I had a bittersweet feeling, sad to say goodbye to something that had been such a big part of my life, but excited for something new.
The next weekend, K and I traveled to Philly for the last series. For the first time this season, we attended three sold out games. I felt like an outsider for much of the weekend, but I couldn’t escape the feelings of excitement and anticipation in the hearts of the Phillies fans. Their energy was electric. With Hamels stellar performance on Friday night – 13 strike outs – thousands of white towels waved in the air, and every time a Nat struck out, the stadium erupted. When the Nationals won on Saturday, thanks to Chico, the atmosphere was just as exciting. The Phillies were on the verge of October baseball, and everyone in Philly loved them that weekend. Sunday’s game was a blur of white and red. K and I had really great seats behind the Nats dugout, and were happy to see a solid number of Nats fans made the trip. As the game wore on, the excitement for the Phillies grew. When the scoreboard in the outfield flashed the final score of the Mets vs. Marlins game, the whole place went nuts. I have never heard anything like it in my life. I had such goose bumps, the emotion these fans felt for their team was overwhelming. The place got even louder when Wily Mo struck out to end the game. Fans were standing, crying, cheering; the players mobbed each other on the field. This was it, October baseball, playoffs, what they had worked so hard all season for. In that moment K and I felt a bit out of place, so we quickly and quietly left the stadium and let Philadelphia celebrate their successes.
Despite loosing the game we walked to the taxi with smiles on our faces. To be a part of that, to taste the excitement, gave us a glimpse of what we will have in Washington soon. Although saying goodbye to RFK was difficult, traveling to Philly and seeing the magic we will have someday, only made me excited for the future. If the new stadium brings me half as many wonderful memories as RFK, then it will be well worth the move. Thanks to everyone who made my time at RFK so special!

An article on today’s WashingtonPost.com reports that the door isn’t entirely closed for Bob Carpenter and the Washington Nationals. Carpenter, who has remained professional throughout the final weeks of the season despite being told he was released, was informed on Friday that there is a chance he will return as the play by play television announcer for the Nationals!

We wanted to congratulate Dmitri on his well deserved award. Young had a fantastic comeback season batting .320 with 13 homers and 74 RBI’s. His determination and enthusiasm helped his team a great deal both on and off the field. Those of us at We’ve Got Heart admire D for his successes this year, and can’t wait to see him back next year!