It has been almost 24 hours, and I STILL can't believe this is real! Whatever happens from here on out and in the playoffs, this has truly been an incredible year, with a lot of moments I'll remember for a long time.

I don't really want teddy to win until we have a championship but if he does win I want it to e tonight when I'm here! Let's go nats!

Enjoy the game! Go Teddy go!!

It's good to see the Goon Squad get some P.T. Tyler Moore in particular is someone I'd love to see get more game time in the future.

Manny Gonzalez behind the plate. He was the man of the wonky appeals last night.

Manny must want to call a four hour game tonite, because his strike is about the size of the head of a pin.

Would be ultra-amusing if the Pirates kept beating the Braves.

Not surprisingly, Atlanta is mostly going with their goon squad as well.

I honestly would prefer the Nats lose. Let the Red win the vain title of the best record. Me? I'd prefer to face the SF Giants.

I agree. Also, the higher seeded team starting on the road is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in sports.

I have heard that bat violin guy do the national anthem like four times

I'd rather see giants than Atlanta. It it that kind of thinking usually turns outto be folly in baseball. Plus. Cain in game one is no picnic

Teddy! So close!

It's so hard to outwit three Rushmores all at once!

Shark!

You mess with the Shark, you're going to get bitten!

Dickey losing 2-0 to the Marlins in the 6th. Not sure that it will matter even if he loses though.

I knew Manny Gonzalez wouldn't get through this game without controversy.

I'd prefer to face the SF Giants.

There might be some down side to the West Coast travel. I'd prefer to face the Wildcard Winner, hopefully after an 18-inning play-in game. Bottom line, to advance in the playoffs you have to beat some pretty good teams.

Tonight's Trivia Question:

Apart from Ryan Zimmerman, one other player appeared in both Manny Acta's first and last regular-season game as Nationals' manager. Who was he?

Answer at the end of the game.

LaRoche! A century, we'd say in cricket.

Adam LaRoche!! #100!!!

I'm going to be very upset if he's not back next season. Pay that man his money Mr. Lerner!

Curtain call for laroche! Well deserved. What a job he's done. Which I didn't expect at all

They've got an option on LaRoche, so I'd guess he's staying.

I would like to see LaRoche back next season, but I'm not sure it makes sense at the money LaRoche will (deservedly) be seeking. He's going to want a multi-year contract (3 years at least), and we already have Morse to slot in at 1B with any number of choices to take over in the OF (Moore, Lombardozzi, Bernadina, etc.)

Now I don't think the calculus is as simple as that, given that LaRoche has added SO SO MUCH on defense with his rocksteady glovework that Morse simply wouldn't be able to offer, but ultimately I'm not sure there's a match for LaRoche and the Nats.

No hard feelings of course: Adam's more than earned the pay on his contract IMO (regardless of what the WAR numbers might technically say -- and I haven't looked) despite the terrible 2011 season given all that he's done for us this year. And I'm glad he got to help the Nats to an NL East crown if he does depart.

They've got an option on LaRoche, so I'd guess he's staying.

It's a mutual option, and LaRoche would be foolish to exercise it on his end given that he can get a strong multi-year contract on the open market. He's going to be in major demand as a power-hitting 1B with a plus glove.

It's a $10m option, but it's mutual, so I guess LaRoche could decide to test the market.

Kurt Suzuki creates a problem. One of Ramos or Flores probably had to go.

Also, what happens with EJax?

I'm pretty sure that Flores is gone. E-Jax, it might well depend on how he looks in the playoffs.

Now I have been to at least forty nats games and that is the first time I have seen anyone older than 15 attempt the run in from. Enter and steal second thing. And that was a fifty year old man. What thefuck

Flores sucks so away with him.

Kurt Suzuki creates a problem. One of Ramos or Flores probably had to go.

Also, what happens with EJax?

Flores will go. Suzuki will be the starter until Davey and Rizzo are satisfied that he's back to full health -- given his defensive woes (particularly the passed balls...remember all those early in the season?) I actually think I prefer Suzuki in many ways -- and then Ramos will probably take over the majority of catching work. Given that this will all be working itself out during the season I actually expect the two of them to either roughly split the catching duties 50/50 when all is said and done or for Ramos only to have slightly more games caught than Kurt.

Jackson got rid of Boras as his agent mid-season, which many took as a sign that he wanted to sign a team-friendly multi-year deal (and E-Jax pointedly spoke at the time about how he was getting tired of being the Wandering Pitcher despite his success with multiple teams). However, it's an open question whether the Nats will go with him as their 4/5 guy or stick with Lannan (who I think would be traded otherwise, now that he has reestablished his value in the Majors), or maybe promote one of their minor leaguers who Davey has his eye on, the way he marked out Detwiler during Spring Training this season.

The exciting thing about the Nats for 2013 is just how FEW holes they have to fill. The rotation is already 4/5ths set (Stras, Z'mann, Gio, Det), 1B can be promoted from within the org without much trouble, and the bullpen is all under contract. And they discovered a legit leadoff man in the 'new look' Jayson Werth as well as a guy who looks like he could be competing with Mike Trout for the Greatest Centerfielder in Baseball sweepstakes for years to come in Harper. (Remember: Harper was supposed to be a corner OF until Davey said "I can see this guy playing center, and I want to challenge him." Good move, Davey.)

Correction: Suzuki will be the start until Davey and Rizzo are satisfied that RAMOS is back to full health.

BTW, these dual one-run games in BOS@NYY and BAL@TBR are insanely tense.

Also, one more thing about Kurt Suzuki: as bad as he was during the first half + change of his season with Oakland (which many attributed to a hand injury that sapped his strength with the bat), he has experienced something of a resurgence since he came over to Washington: he was hitting .218/.250/.286(!) with only 1HR in OAK but since he came to WAS (which was actually later than the halfway point of the season, actually on August 4) he's put up a much more respectable .269/.323/.407 slash line with 5 HR. He's been hitting credibly enough for a catcher, especially one with solid defense and great game-calling skills. (And who everyone in the clubhouse, particularly Gio, loves.)

I'm so torn about the Orioles. A big part of me is happy to see them doing well and would like to see them win the division. On the other hand, I despise the execrable Angelos so much that I also hate the idea of anything good happening to him.

The other thing about E-Jax and LaRoche is that they are probably one of the better signings on the market this off-season if a team is after a 1b or pitcher.

Babe Ruf indeed. Can't get this chap out.

Joey I just think of the o's as the team from major league. Helps. Jeeeesus ruf has some power

And Clippard remains by far the biggest concern heading into the postseason. We need the old Tyler to have any chance of making a deep run.

O's win 1-0, and I believe that is save #51 for Jim Johnson. Man, that is a lot of saves.

I'm so torn about the Orioles. A big part of me is happy to see them doing well and would like to see them win the division. On the other hand, I despise the execrable Angelos so much that I also hate the idea of anything good happening to him.

I'm not torn in the slightest. I think about this as good things happening to Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters, and Manny Machado, and Jim Johnson, and Mark Reynolds, and Nate McLouth, and Buck Showalter, and Dan Duquette, and the long-suffering fans of Baltimore. Angelos is an afterthought for me at this point. With the Nats as NL East champions the final embers of my anger have wholly dissipated.

I know what you mean. They have a lot of great guys there too, and I am really happy for them. Tomorrow is shaping up to be pretty cool.

Shark speed!!

Ah the chants of bastardo whose your daddy have begun

What an awesome game by the goon squad!

The trivia answer is Cristian Guzman, who was starting SS in Acta's first game, and came on as a pinch-hitter in his last.