Dave at Bottom Feeder Baseball has a hilarious take on next Friday’s showdown between GM Jim Bowden, (future) GM Mike Rizzo and angry Nats fans and bloggers.

Enjoy!

 Baseball just goes on and on and on and on, grinding you to nothingness. - Stephen Hunter

Dave forwarded along this essay by Stephen Hunter today and then offered his own commentary as well.  It’s beautifully written and every word had me nodding along.  It’s been a tough season for Nats fans.  For days, I’ve been wondering around (not blogging), thinking “it’s just a game.  Why does it hurt so bad?”

Hunter’s essay reminded me, as sometimes we need reminded, that baseball can and will break your heart.  It’s almost designed to.  And though there may not be a lot of us watching and listening here in DC, baseball has broken a lot of hearts throughout history.

Some came so close, only to often see their victory slip away.  Others have spent years waiting for something or someone to get their franchise back on track.  Some teams transform quickly, making all the right moves.  Others sit back and watch their GM spoil a promising inaugural season in a new park.

I don’t know how much more time, energy and money I can give the Washington Nationals if he stays on board.  I found a lot of comfort in SBF’s recent interviews with Stan Kasten because I really want to trust him.  I want to believe he’s miserable after each loss instead of counting that evening’s profits.  He’s kind of my Colin Powell aboard a sinking ship.  When things are so outrageously out of hand, you want to be able to look somewhere and say - see competence.  Stan has always been very kind the few times we’ve met him.  He seems bright and his accomplishments in Atlanta give me great faith in his abilities.  I only wish he seemed more involved in baseball decision making.  Alright, and to be fair, Powell misled me last time I trusted him.

I want to trust that Stan can fix this disaster if given the opportunity and the resources.  Because of that I believe that I can still find the time, energy, money and place in my heart to support this mess of a franchise, but I can’t do it with you know who at the helm.

Last year, baseball was fun.  That team was fun to watch and it’s good when baseball provides happy moments, not depressing ones.  They were scrappy, in a crappy old stadium.  They played hard; they had fun.   It was improbable for them to win as many games as they did, but whether it was Manny’s attitude, the character of the clubhouse, or something else, they provided a summer’s worth of enjoyable baseball.  For every good story in 2007 (Dmitri’s Comeback Award, for example), there’s been something equally disappointing in 2008.  From the FBI investigation, to negotiations with Aaron Crow, to tv and radio ratings, to offending and potentially losing Chad Cordero this team has been a fountain of painfully bad news.

Hunter’s essay asks us to channel our collective anger toward something.  I’m sure we can all quickly think of an appropriate target, but instead Hunter suggests the President’s Race, for some very good reasons.  It’s not nearly enough, but maybe it’s a start.  (Don’t hate me, but I’ve never been a fan of it - I’m just not a gimmicks girl).

As I type this, breaking news pops into my inbox.  Austin Kearns is going on the Disabled List, for the second time this season, this time with a stress fracture in his foot.  He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, which means he probably won’t play again in 2008.  So ends a miserable .217 season for Kearns.  He sustained the injury on August 3 and apparently has been playing hurt for three weeks.

More of the same.

With those thoughts and the Kearns news, I break my baseball break, sort of.  I haven’t been watching or listening since last Sunday.  I’m trying desperately to sell many of my remaining tickets (you can barely give these away) and thinking hard about whether I’ll be back next year or not, at least as a season ticket holder.  Meanwhile, checking the boxscore for the NY Nats has been fulfilling the baseball fix.  If only fans could be traded to contending teams too.

Baseball is just a toothache. It’s a headache that won’t dance to the music of Tylenol. It hurts and hurts and hurts. — Stephen Hunter

Wil Nieves was one of those guys at spring training that walked quietly through the crowds as kids and middle-aged men pushed past him to seek autographs from the star players.  Always with a smile, he’d tease Flores about being a star as he waited for his friend to sign autographs and talk to kids. 

Now, due to injuries to Lo Duca and Estrada, and a plan to keep Flores in the minors, Nieves has been called up to spend some time in the majors and he couldn’t be making more out of this special opportunity.  A good catch and throw guy, a fast runner and a catcher with lots of energy, Wil  deserved his moment in the spotlight last night.

His first ever major league home run came in the bottom of the 9th in a tied 3-3 game against the Chicago Cubs.  With Kearns on first, Nieves drove Bob Howry’s fastball deep to right field for a walk off win over the Cubs in front of 35,000+. 

Perez had another quality start — 6 innings, 2 runs on 5 hits.  Ayala pitched a scoreless 7th before struggling in the 8th and loading the bases with 1 out.  O’Connor was called in and prompty walked Matt Murton to tie the game.  Saul Rivera entered the game and gave us a remarkable 2 outs.  It could have been ugly.  Instead, it was tied.

There’s no guarantee for Wil to stay come next week when Lo Duca is activated from the DL, though he’s certainly left an impression on all of us during his time here.