Before anyone goes jumping off The Duke Ellington Bridge overlooking Rock Creek Park concerning the poor start by Our Washington Nationals, here's some food for thought. Since the Very First World Series in 1903, only 21 current Major League Franchises have won the Championship of Baseball. 101 World Series have been played to date.
If you remove The New York Yankees 26 Championships, The St. Louis Cardinals winning 10, and the combined Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics 9 Titles, only 56 other times in THE HISTORY OF THE GAME has another Major League Franchise Won The World Series.
Of course, there are a handful more Franchises that had success winning more than a few of Baseball's Championships. The Boston Red Sox & The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers 6 times, The Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants (yes, I am writing New York Giants) have won 5 titles apiece. That's 27 more Titles, leaving just 29 World Series Champions shared among the remaining 23 Cities that field a Major League Club today.
Then, when you subtract 4 Titles by The Detroit Tigers, 3 each by The Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins & Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves Franchises--only 13 World Series Titles are shared among all other Major League Teams--19 Franchises in all.
NINE FRANCHISES HAVE NEVER WON THE WORLD SERIES!! Never!!
Those Nine Teams include MY LONG LOST WASHINGTON SENATORS, NOW TEXAS RANGERS.
Folks--ITS HARD TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES, it takes commitment, and a little luck (Ask The Florida Marlins). There might not be crying in baseball, but a whole lot of Baseball Fans across America, have sorrowed over their teams misfortunes and ineptitude's for decades, even for 100 years, more so than we have in just a little over 2 years since Major League Baseball returned to Washington, DC.
The San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs HAVE NEVER WON THE WORLD SERIES IN MY LIFETIME!! All 47 years of it. That's remarkable. Now those are some fans that can rightfully show some serious angst.
No One Major League Team is going to WIN THE WORLD SERIES every year. And, NO ONE MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM is going to be The Door Mat forever (although The Kansas City Royals have tried for that illustrious title--and I have never considered Tampa Bay a Major League Franchise, yet).
But, Our Day for Our Washington Nationals will come. Its certainly not happening in 2007. Rest assured, fans in Kansas City, Texas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland and DEFINITELY--San Francisco have felt far more pain than we have, or might experience this 2007 Championship Season. Many in those cities have lost all hope, fearing a World Series Title my NEVER COME.
I have not lost hope for Our Washington Nationals. And, I hope you haven't either.
This is Year Three of Baseball's return to The Nation's Capital. It may be a rough year, but at least Major League Baseball is here-TO STAY. And, not in Charlotte, Norfolk, Portland or Las Vegas or some other less deserving town.
This team is Our Washington Nationals. Guaranteed, The Nats will give us far more sorrow and pain than blissful joy of success over the upcoming history of this franchise. That's the nature of Baseball, IN EVERY CITY IN AMERICA, not just in DC. Venting over your team is one of the treasured aspects of being a fan. In fact, I would say that passion vented is what makes BEING A FAN so special.
Eventually, Our Washington Nationals will win The World Series (Hopefully before I am no longer walking this earth).
Through it all, both good and bad, I will still enjoy their presence in my hometown.
I think we would all settle for sound fundamentals and some accounting of the Money we gave them and they are not spending on Major Leaguers.....How much does a scout get payed? For 30 Million dollars they better be Really Really good scouts.....
ReplyDeleteventing is certainly part of the game, but venting that your team missed its chance (or blew it) is significantly different than lamenting that we don't even have a chance.
ReplyDeleteI still love baseball, but just plain bad baseball will eventually drive me insane.
Here’s a nice article I found online relevant to the discussion on your blog:
ReplyDeleteAre you dreaming about a career in baseball? Dreaming is the first step, just so you know, together with ambition and determination. But if your dreams and goals are serious and if you are convinced that you belong among the top USA Baseball players, then here are some tips that can help you achieve what you desire! Or maybe you are the parent of a child who presents a great interest in USA Baseball, both in watching it and practicing it. So make sure you don't waste your child's potential!
The first thing you need if you want to become a baseball player is the right equipment, what else? Sure, this means spending money, but all hobbies and talents come with a price. After all, this is not such a financially-demanding hobby.
So, what do you need? First of all, you need to go to a large specialized store, such as Athletics Galore, Akadema (where you can find a wide range of items for juniors) or Just Bats. We all know that the baseball glove is the most important and valuable equipment item in this sport, but is it the only necessary one? No. Your shopping list should include: baseball bats, baseball gloves, softball bats, batting gloves, baseball cleats, chest protectors and batting helmets.
If you are an amateur, you can spare the batting gloves, for example, but if you want to be a professional, all these pieces will be actual must-haves. When selecting the needed equipment, make sure that you choose the best of the best, in case you are really aspiring to be a professional baseball player.
The equipment has to feel right, to fit you and this is why you need to be advised by a specialist when you shop and try the equipment on before you purchase it. The cheap equipments are not the best choices, so make sure you choose reputable brands that can offer you the performance and protection you need when playing the game.
If you are asking yourself whether there are certain academic requirements in order to become a USA Baseball player, the answer is simple: no. However, this does not mean that we all have equal chances of becoming baseball players. First of all, you need the right muscle tone, the fit and strong body type, lots of talent and you need to join a sportive club, a local team - some great sportsmen started from the smallest baseball teams and managed to become true professionals.
But there is one more thing that you need in order to become a professional baseball player and that is... luck. Besides the goals, ambition, equipment, hard work and training, you need that luck ingredient in order to obtain that successful USA Baseball player recipe.
You can also find more resources on the following MLB teams on our website: Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners.
Mike