October Baseball

This month has been a roller coaster for Washington fans. I'll start with the good: after seven miserable seasons, the Nats finished with the best record in baseball and the NL East title. For the first time since 1933, there would be postseason baseball in DC. I was thrilled to be a part of it.

I was lucky enough to snag tickets to Game 4 of the National League Division Series. And as luck would have it, it turned out to be the most exciting game of the series, if not of the entire season or maybe even the lifespan of the Nats.

Washington Senators legend Frank Howard threw out the first pitch.

There was a constant excitement in the air.

The late afternoon sun created some interesting shadows (and photo ops).

The Nats were down 2-1 in the series and needed a win to stay alive. So in the bottom of the 9th, Jayson Werth hits a walk-off home run to win the game. I guess it's not the posteason without a little drama, huh?

The celebration...

And the post-game interviews.

The euphoria lasted for the next 24 hours....well into Game 5, which the Nats were winning handily. Until that awful, dreadful, horrible 9th inning. And then, the gut punch. Now I know what old baseball guys mean when they talk about a team breaking your heart. But, as in all things in life, I guess you have to experience heartache to appreciate the good times. And to quote one of my favorite literary figures, Scarlett O'Hara, "tomorrow is another day."

Only 121 days until spring training starts....