Mike O'Connell

My hometown Washington Nationals in 2018 have been pretty hit and miss (I mean that in every sense of the word).

The season looked so promising at the outset, followed by a much more sluggish reality with glimmers of hope here and there.

They let go a few of their star players, then somehow pick up a couple great wins.

They get shut out three games in a row, then explode for 15 runs (14 in two innings!) the next day.

This is why you don’t try to predict baseball.

And definitely don’t bet on it.

Let the record show that following the Nationals’ fire sale yesterday afternoon I am still here, “employed” as their loyal fan but frequent criticizer.

Yup, that’s me.

And I’m still here.

And same salary as before.

With their loss last night the New York Yankees fell 10 1/2 games back of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox. Nothing to be ashamed of, really. The Yankees still have the second-best record in baseball. That’s right. The Red Sox are 10 1/2 games up on the world right now at 86-36.

Know what they’d be if they played in the NL West? Twenty and a half games up. On second place.

The best record in the NL actually belongs to the Chicago Cubs at 70-50. That’s 15 games back of the Red Sox. Say the Sox played .500 the rest of the way. For the Cubs to top them for best record in MLB they’d have to go 37-5 during that span.

For reference, the 1951 Giants went 37-7.

Dear Sports Gods,

Thank you for providing me and a certain Mr. Woods a few moments of rekindled youth yesterday afternoon at the PGA Championship. Tiger’s second-place finish following his lowest score ever on a major championship Sunday gives me hope that yes, one day I might actually see this man win another major.

Wow.

Less cool was the moment five hours later when my hometown Washington Nationals turned in a “second-place” finish of their own at Wrigley Field.

Seriously? Down three and down to your last strike? Bases loaded? And the batter hits a grand slam? That doesn’t really happen, right? That’s just the scenario you make up in the backyard as a kid, not something that actually occurs in real life.

Thanks, sports gods. Thanks.

My favorite beverage growing up, without a doubt, was Great Bluedini Kool-Aid. When I was a kid I used to have an official Kool-Aid Man pitcher, and I filled it with that antifreeze-like product so often in time it was permanently stained blue.

Didn’t bother me at all.

I’ve found it difficult to pinpoint the exact date the Kool-Aid company discontinued that marvelous flavor. Seems as though it was available in different markets at different times. I’m not sure the last time I bought one of those mix packets but I’m pretty sure the year started with 19.

But buy them I did. Many, many of them when I knew they would no longer be available. (Remember that episode of Seinfeld with Elaine and the sponges? It was like that.)

I saved them, of course, and brought them out only on special occasions. About 10 years ago I had three left, and decided I’d keep those for truly momentous events.

The first was consumed on June 7, 2012. That was the day I turned 30.

The second was consumed on March 7, 2014. That was the day we brought my newborn son home from the hospital. (He did not have any.)

The third was consumed last night: August 7, 2018. And this time, my son did have some. Yesterday was my final day of summer camp… ever. I’m starting a new job tomorrow, noteworthy enough to break out the blue stuff.

I suppose a gig is a gig; Kool-Aid, however, has no equal to Great Bluedini.

Cheers!