Yesterday was a rough day in the life of a Washington sports fan. May 13th, the Day of DC Sports Disappointment. Zimmerman’s hit streak has ended – which means the next time you’ll hear about the Nats on national news coverage will be June 9th. Then again a break until Strasburg signs. And of course, there was that other Washington team that also didn’t fare too well. Some remarkable things came to an end yesterday, and after the initial lament, they are worth celebrating.
Ryan Zimmerman
Over the course of his 30 game hitting streak, Zim collected 50 hits. 19 of them were for extra bases – 11 doubles and 8 HRs. He hit .382/.427/.649, didn’t steal a base, struck out 23 times, scored 26 Runs and had 26 RBIs. His team went 10-19, and had a tie game that still hasn’t been decided. He brought national attention to the Nationals, and with that attention, I’ve seen more and more acknowledgment of several things.
The hit streak lasted 30 games, and of course it ended the day he was profiled on ESPN. Jinx. 
It also ended on a day where Adam Dunn wasn’t hitting in the lineup behind him. I wonder, when Zim was intentionally walked, if that would have happened with the Big Donkey on deck? Not that I blame Acta, Dunn can’t play 162 games a year, and neither should Ryan.
First, is that Zimmerman is a great player, that he may still be the superstar that people thought he could be, and that oh yeah, he’s done all of this before he’s turned 25. Second, is that the Nats can score. Sure, they can’t field and they can’t pitch in relief. But I’ve seen more and more people notice that this franchise isn’t a total joke, that they have started to build something, and that maybe if they draft Strasburg, sign another pitcher, and add some defense (like up the middle in the infield?) they could start being good.
Fans should be proud of what he accomplished. At the game tonight he deserves an ovation, appreciation should be shown for what he did. Then it is time to move on, and hope that this team that started out 1-10, has since gone 10-11, and has shown the possibility to do a bit more, can win another game tonight.
The Capitals
I think this is the first time I’ve written about another sport here, but since we’re talking about yesterday, and things coming to an end, it’s worth mentioning. They played terrible last night, and that is not easily forgotton. Hopefully the players won’t forget either. But don’t despair, each year they’ve gotten further – no playoffs, first round, second round – and they only will get better in the future. They have significant money tied up in players that don’t play, and should be able to fix that next year, bring on guys who can help, and look even better. I just hope they figure out a way to come into the playoffs a little less banged up, and learn from their losses to go even further. Congrats to the Caps on a great season!
