William F. Yurasko

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The Nats players and coaches really bailed out Andy Feffer on “Natitude”

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wfyurasko

Remember way back in the spring when we found out the Washington Nationals wanted us to Ignite our Natitude?

“It’s a young team, with an edge and attitude,” Nats COO Andy Feffer told me this week. “But now it’s different than the past: they’re talented, and they’ve got the skills to back it up. That kind of edge and attitude is Natitude.”

I was skeptical of it:

I see what the Nats are trying to do and I’m sure the team will have more attitude with Davey Johnson talking playoffs and better young players, particularly brash rookie-to-be Bryce Harper. Still, the campaign is too easily mocakable at this point since they have yet to have a winning record since baseball returned in 2005 — it seems like hubris. Throw in some well-deserved skepticism for Feffer too. Also, Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa don’t actually have a sustained track record of excellence, though I think Espinosa’s upside is pretty high. Morse on the other hand, causes a little more skepticism.

Then the Nats started 14-4, winning without much offense, great pitching and late inning heroics. Natitude might have been said with a smirk initially, but as the wins piled up, you said with a wink. When you are winning, almost everything is fun. So, good job players and coaches, you took a marketing slogan that could have been embarrassing and turned it into something a lot of Nats fans enjoyed. In my view, Feffer can’t thank you enough. Now if he could only get consistent on the spelling:

Meet the new Nats, same as the old Nats? That’s the kind of Natitude we feared, but for the most part it was a good thing. After all, there probably wouldn’t be Hipster Jayson Werth without Natitude:

Natitude

Sunday afternoon can’t come soon enough…