DMV-area sports enthusiasts were on the edges of their seats for several hours in the dusk of Wednesday. From a Washington Nationals matinee in San Francisco to perhaps the most important game seven in Washington Capitals history across the country, Washingtonians were filled with the buzz of hope, and for a change, it had nothing to do with Barack Obama.
Sure the Nats beat the Giants 6-3, but being just the 11th win in 33 tries, who cares? People wanted to see Ryan Zimmerman extend his 30-game hitting streak, at least to tie Vlad Guerrero's franchise record 31-gamer. It was not to be. Did Zimm taint his karma by appearing on ESPN, or did the DC Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg tempt fate by calling attention to it?
Did you know that current Nat pitcher, Ron Villone, aka Kenny Powers, ended Guerrero's hit streak back on August 27, 1999, when he was with the Reds? Or that fired Nats GM, the twittering Jim Bowden, was the GM for Cincinnati back then?
Villone even intentionally walked Guerrero, just as Giants pitcher Barry Zito did yesterday (former Nat/Expo Jose Vidro was on second via a double with one out when Guerrero was walked; Zito threw a wild pitch, advancing two Nats' runners to 2nd and 3rd when Zimmerman was walked). Karma is a muther ... if only Villone had Twitter back then as Zito does today.
And the Caps ... where to begin? The shock of a four-goal deficit set in almost before the sun went down. And before the tragedy was over, many were wondering "what's next?" Would Jason Campbell, who was at the game "rocking the red," get a DUI on his way home?
The absence of Donald Brashear, scratched from the last two games after his suspension ended, raised eyebrows, especially after a recent touching column on the fighter's life. The winger surely could have slowed down the boundless Sidney Crosby in game seven. Or maybe the Caps faithful should reconsider how they cope with losing.
So while common sense fans are trying to keep a stiff upper lip, proud of their young hockey team for such a great season but still wondering if Washington will ever exorcise her sports demons, they should really be bracing for another let down. Bad things do come in threes. Wizards fans can probably count on losing the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday.
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But alas, not all is lost in the barren wasteland that is America's worst pro sports city fueled by inept ownership. DC is a town of second chances. A visit from the karma gods could be just around the corner, just don't get your hopes up.
Kyle Weidie is a D.C. resident who writes Truth About It and contributes to Bullets Forever, both Washington Wizards blogs.
