Rudi and I saw our tenth Nationals game tonight.

I have to admit: I’ve been feeling a little guilty. You see, as a baseball fan, my allegiances are divided and I remain more a Mets fan than I am a Nats fan. So when the Mets came to town at the beginning of July, I cheered them on over the home team. And the Mets went on to win the series.

And that was the end of the Nationals’ winning streak. They have not won a series since then. I ruined it for them.

So I was eager to get to tonight’s game and reassure them that I still liked them quite a bit and that I would be pleased if they started winning again. Because while I still hold hopes that the Mets will get their act together and move up in the rankings, I would be almost as happy if the Nationals clinched the NL East, particularly if it came at the cost of the Braves. (Sorry, was that my outside voice?)

And clearly they needed to hear that. Because they won 3-1 tonight off home runs from left fielder Preston Wilson (son of former Met Mookie Wilson) and first baseman Nick Johnson.

And just in case it didn’t fully process, I’d like them to understand that I expect them to win again tomorrow.

The night was warm — the flags atop the stadium wall hardly fluttered until the eighth inning — and the fans and players seemed a little lethargic during the first few innings.

I had mixed results on the food front — the anti-drunk-driving folks gave me two free soda tickets, but the veggie dog/pizza stand had run out of the appropriate cups (as they seem to at every game). I don’t understand why each stand isn’t just given more cups than they expect to use — they wouldn’t think of short-changing them on the mega-sized cups.

Matt and Marsha were our seatmates for the night. They opted to spend their ninth anniversary with us and the Nats. We appreciated their company, and I think the Nats were putting on a good show for them in lieu of a card.

So, congratulations, Nationals, on notching your latest win, and congratulations, too, to Matt and Marsha on nine years of marriage.

My friend and former officemate, Dianna, is taking part in her first triathlon Sunday. She is crazy, but also very inspiring. Not so much in the now-I-want-to-do-a-triathlon kind of way, but more in the wow-I-wish-I-had-her-drive-and-determination-and-follow-through kind of way.

Di ran a marathon last year and will run another one this fall. She is a running diva.

Please stop by her blog and wish her luck. I know she’d appreciate the well-wishes.

Good luck, Di! I know you’ll do great!

Y’know, the National League almost managed to pull it off, attempting a comeback late in the game. It was just like a Nationals or a Mets game. (Okay, perhaps a little more like a Mets game than a Nationals game since we lost…)

But the cool thing is that they showed the stats for the Wild Card and every team in the NL East is still in the running. Granted, the Mets will have to start beating their in-division rivals if they expect to have a shot at it, but it’s a nice feeling to know that it’s still a definite possibility. And we always have been a post-All-Star-Break team.

I haven’t yet received the official word from the captain of the softball team-that-isn’t, but it looks like the double-header we were supposed to play tomorrow has been cancelled due to yesterday‘s rain.

Just doesn’t seem like this team can catch a break…

Somehow we’re already at Thursday afternoon. I’m glad — I need a weekend to come soon. I’m just feeling a step out of time, I suppose because of the travel and the holiday weekend and all that. But I’m looking forward to the weekend to getting back on track.

The beautiful things from the last week:

1. The Mets took 3 of 4 games they played here in town against the Nats this week. I was lucky enough to get to see two of the wins (and the loss) and appreciate the fact that I can now see my two favorite teams play on a regular basis. Today’s win puts the Mets back over .500; hopefully they’ll keep up the momentum heading into the All-Star Break and come out strong for the second half of the season.

2. In preparation for my folks’ visit this past weekend, we did some cleaning. And the exciting thing about that is that you can currently see all three of the mismatched rugs we have in the living room — a fact the cats find utterly delightful.

3. I’m working on a huge knitting project and finally reached a point where I felt like I was making progress. I enjoy knitting, but it takes a while for a project to reach the point where you can actually see the object you aspire to complete. I’m not sure I’m there yet, but I can now actually see myself reaching that point.

The last few days have been tough on my fantasy baseball season. As I’ve mentioned before, I chose my players predominantly based on whether they’d ever played for the Mets.

What this meant was that while I sometimes picked players who’d been let go for bad reasons (Fonzie), more often than not, my players are older and past-peak.

But the thing about old ball players is that you love them just the same.

Mike Stanton has played his last game for the Yankees. He knew it after he gave up a game-winning home run earlier this week and went gently into the night.

John Franco, on the other hand, never wanted to leave the Mets, but he did want to keep playing (even if on a more limited basis). But the Mets weren’t interested in keeping a work horse around, even though he’d grown up a Mets fan, had played most of his career with the team, and was team captain.

So he went to the Astros, where they used him as a lefty specialist and allowed his season ERA to reach an appalling 7.20. Anyone who ever watched Franco play knows that he always needed a batter or two to get into the groove, and when you’re only being brought into the game for one or two batters, you just don’t have that luxury.

But what this season’s numbers don’t show is how marvelous a pitcher he really has been:

• 1,119 games
• 424 saves
• 1,245.2 innings pitched
• 81 home runs given up
• 975 strikeouts
• 2.89 ERA

Comparatively, Roger Clemens has pitched in only 656 games, has given up 341 homeruns, and has an ERA of 3.14.

Drafted in 1981 by the Dodgers, Franco spent his first six pro years with the Reds before coming to the Mets in a trade for Randy Myers, where he remained through the end of last season.

He is second on the all-time saves list, and his career ERA is one of the best in history for a reliever. He holds Mets franchise records for most games pitched and for most games saved.

A four-time all-star, Franco is the second-oldest player in the majors (two years younger than Julio Franco of the Braves and two years older than Roger Clemens).

Franco’s style was never a flashy one, but it was exciting. When he came into the game, you sat on the edge of your seat waiting to see if he’d pull it off or if he’d blow it. He did both, but he did both with great style. He used to drive Mum nuts with that, but I preferred him to our other closers. After all, he simply epitomized the Mets club I loved.

Unfortunately, his numbers since his Tommy John surgery have not been good, even before this season. Because of that, I would be surprised if another team picks Franco up. I suspect this is the end of the line for him (either via a trip to the minors or through walking away).

I’d love to see him bring his knowledge and love of the game back to New York as a pitching coach for the Mets.

Good luck, John. We were lucky to have watched you play, and we hope to see you coach in the future. I eagerly await your induction into the Hall of Fame.