
If the Nationals' 2011 season was meant to serve as the final vehicle to build anticipation for the future they've been talking about — and saying is coming — since 2005, their last act of the year was the ultimate cliffhanger.

Michael Morse, the fourth man in Nationals history to hit 30 or more home runs in a season, was sitting inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Sun Life Stadium Tuesday afternoon when Livan Hernandez walked over and handed him a gift-wrapped bottle of Cristal.

They said for days that it didn't mean anything.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. | Michael Morse, the fourth player in Washington Nationals history to hit 30 home runs in a season, was sitting inside the visitors' clubhouse at Sun Life Stadium on Tuesday afternoon when Livan Hernandez walked over and handed him a gift-wrapped bottle of Cristal.

If the story of John Lannan’s season were to be written over the course of one game, Tuesday night’s 3-2 walk-off loss to the Marlins might have been just the one to do it.
As moving day nears for the Florida Marlins, Jeff Conine stands in front of the dugout, the crack of batting-practice swings echoing in the cavernous stadium. He looks up toward a sea of empty seats and remembers when they were full.

There's Ivan Rodriguez, in the outfield early in the afternoons, running sprints. He's in the batting cage, in the weight room, back in the batting cage. He's working. He's just not playing.
Starting off 0-2 isn't necessarily an indication of a doomed season in the NFL.
If underclassmen really do learn how to act by mimicking the veteran players, then the Ohio State Buckeyes are in pretty good hands with Mike Brewster in the huddle.