Oh, barf!

Dick Heller says this in today's Washington Times (http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20050720-120140-9145r.htm):

"So our newly beloved Washington Nationals have been skidding lately like D.C. drivers in an ice storm? So what, when you come right down to it? Let's face it: This team probably is not going to win the World Series and maybe not even the National League East, no matter what general manager Jim Bowden and manager Frank Robinson say. They know better than anyone else how much the Nats have overachieved for all those wonderful fans who awoke July 4 to find the first Washington team in 34 years with a 51/2-game lead in the division.
. . .
"But really, in the long run, it doesn't matter what happens on the field this season, unless Washington finds itself in a World Series for the first time since FDR was a White House rookie. The important thing, as stated in this space before Opening Day, is building a solid base for the future."

This kind of stuff drives us nuts. Sure, the Nationals have overachieved, and, yes, they shouldn't have this record given their runs scored/runs allowed differential. But, guess what, this is the world in which we live, and in this world the Nats are in first place. They therefore have an opportunity to do something in the playoffs this year if they play their cards right.

Rather than give Jim Bowden and company a pass as the trading deadline nears, better it is we say to hold his feet to the fire and tell him to produce a winner. As we said before (http://nationalsinterest.blogspot.com/2005/07/whats-at-stake.html), the Nats have the opportunity to turn themselves into a premier franchise in only one season. Why waste the opportunity?