I remember those nights in RFK, when there was no reason to do anything other than wander around the ballpark as the Nats were getting crushed by pretty much everyone. And there was 2009, when the Nats were the worst team I have ever seen on a baseball field. I was ashamed I cared at all about them, between Adam Dunn’s outfield nightmares and the multitude of mail-it-in performances and the long list of who-the-hell-are-they pitchers who management pretended were major leaguers.

And here we are at 2012. Heading into August, I think that the Nats are probably the second-best team in the NL East, even though they currently lead the division. The East’s best team, over there in Atlanta, probably can’t stand up against the Reds — who are a genuine championship threat — meaning the Nats are still a few steps away from the ultimate goal.

But the Nats are still on that short list of great teams. They could easily prove me wrong and win the East, and Washington might have postseason baseball for the first time since the depths of the Great Depression.

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