I am a Nationals fan. I’ve always loved baseball, and although I haven’t followed the game closely for years, this season, I’m inspired. I was inspired over the winter by the idea of actually having a home team. (The Orioles are not, and never have been, our home team.) I’ve remained inspired as the Nats’ season has absolutely taken off. No one could have predicted this when the season started in April.

Consider the following statistics:

• The Nationals went 20-6 in June, including a remarkable 10-1 homestand. They currently stand 19 games over the .500 mark with a 6-win streak.
• The Nationals have no big-name players, but nevertheless have several players with impressive league stats. For instance, Brad Wilkerson leads the NL with 28 doubles. Chad Cordero tops the league with 29 saves. Livan Hernandez stands out with an impressive 12-2 record.
• The June 13, 2005 issue of Time Magazine reported the following statistic: Attendance at the first 24 home games of baseballs’s Washington Nationals: 762, 197. Total attendance last season at all 80 home games of the team, when it was the Montreal Expos: 748, 500.
• Most impressive of all: the Nationals are leading the NL East (widely considered one of the toughest divisions in baseball) by 5.5 games over Atlanta!

I love the quote by Thomas Boswell, sportswriter for the Washington Post, in his Friday column: “What the Nats are now doing borders on baseball insanity.”

For my part, I’ve really enjoyed reading about the interviews with the Nationals players. They’ve generally appeared to be humble, not impressed with themselves. They sound like they are at least as surprised at their winning record as we are.

My only disappointment: I have yet to find a Nationals hat the fits the way I like.

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