Agonizing Over Your Team's Players

Nats320
Having followed baseball my entire life, born and raised in Northern Virginia, I have gone the great majority of my life without a true home team to call my own. I grew up with the Washington Senators, but they went to Texas when I was 12 years old. Played baseball, professionally, followed the Orioles, cheered for them, liked alot of their players, especially Cal, but never called them my own. Now, since the Nationals arrived, I can't get enough about the team. I follow every detail, every single day. And, in doing so, I find myself, for the first time, actually caring about certain players. Which made yesterday's trade of Gary Majewski so agonizing for me. Gary was called up in early 2005 from New Orleans, and from the start was exciting to watch. Loved how he ran in from the Bullpen with that long hair flowing. Threw the ball hard and always pumped his fist when he got out of trouble, and always thanked the RFK faithful with a fist pump to his heart and did so in DRAMATIC FASHION as he walked off the mound in the final game of 2005 against the Phillies at RFK. I always appreciated his efforts. I met him once over the past winter, and he said to me that "2005 was the most magical year for me. It was so much fun, and the fans at RFK are out of this world! Washington is a great place to play and I hope I get to play here for a long, long time." And, he went on to thank me for coming out to see him and the Nationals play. He struggled mightily in 2006, at times he just was not good. Lost his confidence, but I was still shocked the Nationals traded him. Majewski to Ayala to Cordero was pretty special last season. I will never forget it.
Majewski is the first player the Nats have traded that I am really sorry we lost, because I liked his style. He was an original Nat, was fun to watch. Hope "Tex" does well in his Major League Career.
If, or when, the Nationals trade Soriano, my wife, Sohna, will have the same agonizing feeling. You can bet on it.