Oddly enough I was living in Charlotte, NC at the time 2012 and was randomly flipping channels when I heard the commentator (whom I assume was either Bob or FP ) hyping up the 19 year old phenom Bryce Harper. It was five minutes in to me watching and he got plunked by Cole Hamels and then stole home. At that moment I was hooked. I watched every game. Bryce brought me to the Nats but I stayed after he left because I fell in love with the whole team and the fandom along the way. At the time I started watching I was working in a restaurant in Charlotte and one of the cooks was a huge Nats fan born and raised in DC. He lived and breathed the Nats so our friendship grew from there. He was an older guy so I think he just liked having someone to chat with. He told me about this forum he was a member of and told me to come check it out. Here I am. I moved the next year to where I live today but still kept up with him and the Nats of course. After the 2014 heartbreak I got a message from his sister that he had passed away. He was walking home from work and collapsed. She made me smile by telling me he died in his Nats jacket. All he ever talked about was wanting to see them play in a world series. Tuesday night was particularly emotional for me because I thought about Big Mike and how happy this would have made him. I do not know what his name was on this forum or if any of you had crossed paths with him. I hope some of you did. He was a great Nats fan and a great guy.
Bittersweet. It reminds me of why Harper is all about the money. He stole home in 2012 because he hustled. In 2018 he wanted to preserve his body, so he decided to NOT hustle. Good riddance.
