Washington, D.C., is in turmoil.
No, it's not because of the elections. It's not because of anything happening on Capitol Hill. It's the Redskins. And the Nationals. And the Wizards.
You get the idea. Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder essentially broke down in front of reporters in Landover, Md. this week, in a rare show of emotion. Why? Because the Redskins are, as usual, abysmal.
This year, though, for whatever reason, fans seem to have reached a breaking point. The Redskins banned attendees from holding signs at games because of the increased number calling for the removal (to put it nicely) of Snyder and head coach Jim Zorn, who has been stripped of his play-calling duties. Yes, the Redskins have a head coach who can't seem to call decent plays.
In a town that is pathetically lacking in athletic successes, it's the 'Skins who are taking all the heat. Never mind that the Nationals are one of the worst teams to ever grace the fields of the MLB, or the fact that the Wizards get about as much press as the J.E.B. Stuart Raiders football team in the Washington Post. Yes, the Capitals have brightened the spirits of the weary D.C. sports fan, but the dark cloud that looms over Washington is still the Redskins organization.
"I feel bad for the fans. I feel sorry for the fans … we just feel terrible," Snyder said, who didn't hesitate to admit that the failures have gotten to him. "We're disappointed, we're embarrassed. It hurts. It really hurts. We are really trying very, very hard." Ouch.
Although the Redskins are decidedly getting all the blame, take a look at the Nationals. They have had back-to-back 100-loss seasons. This June, it was reported that approximately one-third of the way through the season, the Nationals had the worst record of any team in MLB history. Ever.
As the smug Red Sox fan misplaced in D.C., I had a lot of fun with that one. The Nationals' former general manager, Jim Bowden, resigned in March and is now on a radio show in California. The members of their inaugural bullpen have gone far and wide, and most are toiling away in minor league bullpens across the country. Their former pitching coach, Randy St. Claire, was fired in June. They fired manager Manny Acta during the All-Star Break this July, which only resulted in more confusion, disorganization, and general depression around Nationals Park.
This offseason, the Nationals must become a new team, and nobody knows what the right formula will be. It's going to be another building year … couple of years … decade for the Nationals.
One thing that the teams of D.C. have going for them is a ridiculously loyal fan base. The last Super Bowl won by the Redskins was in 1991, and yet FedEx Field is packed to the gills every game with 90,000 screaming fans, making it one of the loudest and most exciting places to watch a home team lose.
The Nationals are a slightly different story, but good intentions persist. Although Nationals Park has at times the attendance of a Saturday morning tee-ball game rather than that of a professional baseball game, the fans are loyal. They gamely accept the criticism that the fans of all the former "worst" teams in the MLB are happy to dump on the Nationals ("Thank God for the Nationals! Without them, we would be the worst team in the MLB!").
The fans have no excuses, no "remember whens" to rely upon, no good times to speak of, to give them a break. They'll get there. All they need is a little excitement.
Who knows what will happen to the Redskins this year. Most likely, another dismal season, another offseason full of dismissals, a new head coach, yet again. And the Nationals? I don't expect much out of them next year. But each year, bit by bit, they'll establish themselves. And the fans of Washington will be behind them, singing "fight for 'ol D.C." the whole way.
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