Season Prep: Five Things To Keep Fans Sane in 2013

We stand on the edge, Nats fans.  The precipice of baseball expectations unheard of in Washington D.C. for many a decade.  For the first time, certainly in recent history, critics and fans alike expect the Nationals to compete for (and some say win) a World Series title.

Let that sink in if it hasn’t already.

As expectations rise, everything, everything gets magnified.

At times over the course of a 162 games I expect the Nationals to look unbeatable.  At other times, the Nationals will seem incapable of tying their own shoes without committing an error or giving up a run.  Despite the fact that these are the same peaks and valleys any baseball team (even the best) go through in the course of a season, keeping perspective on the season in any given moment is a hard thing to do.  Here, then, are five things I suggest everyone keep in mind as the season goes on.

Warning:  I very much offer my personal opinion on things like conduct and how I things should be. Take it for what it’s worth and if you don’t agree with it, try not to get upset.  I’m just writing and you’re just reading. 

Small Sample Size:  When a player slumps, before you boo him (and really, don’t ever boo him) or call him a bum-try and keep just how long a baseball season is in perspective.  As an example.

• Over 10 games, a batter in the lineup goes 3 for 30.  Mega-slump, right?  Well a typical starting position player will come to bat in the neighborhood of 600 times in a year.  Those 30 at bats represent just 5% of all the bats this batter will take in the year.  Sure, it’s a cruddy slump-but it doesn’t represent the overwhelming majority of hacks the guy will take.
• Ugh.  The starting pitcher has been knocked out of two games in a row, 4 innings and 5 innings each.  good thing a typical starting pitcher will throw about 180-200 innings worth of work-or get about 5-600 batters out.  Those 9 innings might represent less than 5% of the work the pitcher will pitch.
• Same with fielding.  There are 1458 innings in a 162 game season, or 4374 outs to get.  If a fielder is on the field for just 80% of those, that’s 3500 outs.  What’s a couple of errors in a row compared to that?

The season is very very long.  Try and keep that in mind when things go a little south.

Other Teams Are Also Very Good:  Watching a little basketball coverage last night the sage of Alabama, Charles Barkley, said of blown coverage on a last-minute shot that it doesn’t always have to be someone’s fault.  Sometimes a guy just makes a good shot.

That goes for baseball too, and it comes with the realization that not every positive thing another team does is the result of a bad thing the Nationals do.  Giancarlo Stanton is going to hit home runs against the Nationals.  The Braves will win games against the Nationals.  It won’t be because the Nationals blew it, or this pitcher sucks, or anything.  At least a few times it will be because, over the course of 162 games, the best teams are going to lose at least 50 some of them-and oh yeah, the Braves are also a good team.  Ginacarlo is an excellent masher of baseballs.

So save yourself a headache worrying about the Nationals at every bad turn this year, and figuring out who to blame.  Sometimes you can do everything right and just not win.

Observe Wheaton’s Law-Don’t Suck As a Fan:  Alright, tough love time.  First, this is for all my friends who are coming to baseball late.   First of all, welcome!  Second of all, don’t suck as a baseball fan.   How do you do that?  I’d start with our second ever podcast about baseball etiquette (we’ve since decided you can bring your glove though).  If you’d rather just see the cliff notes version:

• When the batter is in the box, you’re in your seat.  Don’t block the view!
• No Waves
• If you’re a Nats fan you don’t do the “Os” during the National Anthem.
• Also, you know, suck it up and stand still for a minute during the Anthem
• Ya Don’t boo your own guy!
• Seriously, don’t stand up during an at bat and ask all your friends if you can get them something when you run for beer.  Do that sitting down and/or WAIT A MINUTE!
• Jeers and stuff towards players and other fans is fine, just you know-let’s not try and start a fight.
• No seriously-I get it that all of DC is looking to root for a winner (even though the United and the Kastles win a lot and no one seems to care), but please don’t let years of frustration with the football/hockey/basketball team spill into the baseball team.  We don’t need the mojo, and we don’t need Nationals Park to be in the news because a couple of yahoos think its okay to beat a man nearly to death because of the team he roots for.  That’s just not baseball (IMHO).
• And really, no waves.  It’s lame and the players kind of hate it.

Trust me, the less you agitate others, the less you’ll feel agitated-the more fun you’ll have!

Practice the I/We Sports Team Distinction:  Personally, one of the things that has made me appreciate sports more is to retrain myself not  to use the term “We” when I mean the Nationals.  Listen to yourself talk about the Nats next time.  Do you do that?  Look, it’s not the end of the world if you say it or anything-I still slip-up from time to time.  I’m just trying to get you sanely through the season!

Sports Radio is full of people who say “We need to do this” or “Why do we always do that?”  The fan has come to take a personal stake in the sports team (which makes us care about the team more, spend more on tickets, stuff, etc.) which on one level is great.  On the other hand, few things make people feel more angry than personal failure. I genuinely believe that some of what really gets people upset about sports is the fantasy that they are part of the team.  That, subconsciously, they have tricked themselves into believing they are partially responsible for how things play out-when, in reality, they have no control over the situation.

We didn’t need to resign the Adam LaRoche, the Nats did.  Danny Espinosa isn’t costing us with his strikeouts, he’s costing the Nationals.  You did not pay Jayson Werth all that money, Ted Lerner did.  Also, it’ll probably keep you a bit modest when things go well-afterall we aren’t playing in the World Series, the Nationals are.

So let it go a bit.  If you don’t believe me, try practicing it for a week or two.  Correct yourself every time you say “we” in place of the team, and see if at the end of a week you don’t feel a little more sane about how the team is doing.

Players Take A Day Off, So Should You:  You might not believe I’m about to write this, but there is no shame in not watching/listening/going to every game the Nationals play.  It’s unlikely any one player will make it to 162 games- even healthy they take a day off- so why should you?  When things get a little insane, and you find yourself crazy about pitches in the first inning of games in July-it might be time to go watch a movie or something.  Seriously, cook dinner at home, go for a run, read a book.  Something.

We take breaks from the things we love all the time.  You need a break from some of the people you love the most in your life-ask Susan, she needs plenty of breaks from me.  You’re going to spend the next 6ish months watching baseball, and you’ve just spent the last 5ish months following what has happened to get ready for baseball.  Go look at some paintings at the Smithsonian or see a Panda Bear for Strasburgssake!

Everything in moderation, they say.  Of course, when it comes to the Nats it’s helpful to remember the full quote is “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”  So if we all aim for just under “dangerously and upsettingly obsessed” we should be fine.

I guess if there is a theme here it’s perspective.  Seeing baseball for what it is, how long it really is, that there are other people also enjoying the game and how it fits in your life.  It feels like Life and Death, but there really is no life and death.  You’re here for fun, right?  So play ball already!