Why I like baseball

The Nationals have not had a good season in 2009, to put it mildly. But baseball finds ways to reward its fans, even fans of bad teams. A perfect example was the last home game of the 2009 season. The Nationals were playing the NY Mets for precisely nothing: both teams had long been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Nationals had already clinched last place in all of MLB for 2009. The Nationals entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by two, facing Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, at one time the most fearsome closer in baseball. The Nats managed to score a run and load the bases with two outs, bringing rookie Justin Maxwell to the plate. It is essentially the most dramatic possible moment in baseball--bottom of the ninth, two outs, rookie batter versus veteran pitcher, even a full count! Maxwell falling behind, fouling off pitches, Rodriguez struggling to find the spot that will get the final out... Listen to the radio guys call it. Seven-and-a-half minutes of baseball magic, building to a crescendo that will have you on the edge of your seat even if you're the most casual of fans. (The excellent call is by Nats broadcaster Charlie Slowes, aided by Dave Jageler.)