Has any of the sting worn off yet? Have the past two days done anything to help alleviate the pit in the bottom of your stomach, or will that still be there for a little while? I'll admit, it was a little strange watching Game 1 of the National League Championship Series from my couch yesterday instead of being in a cramped press box covering the action. You wouldn't have heard any complaints from Nationals beat writers if we ended up having to make a trip to San Francisco to cover the NLCS. Instead, it's the Giants and Cardinals who kicked off their battle for the NL pennant last night with the Nationals watching on from home. I have a feeling that will be an incredibly entertaining series, by the way. The Giants might have an edge in the starting pitching department, but St. Louis' offense is pretty damn tough right now, and the Cardinals' bullpen has been exceptional, as the Nats know full well. I'll go with the Cardinals in six.

In an effort to help push the negative memories from Friday out of your minds, I thought I'd keep this entry positive and reflect back on the bright spots from the Nationals' 2012 season. We'll have plenty of time to discuss the Nats' offseason needs and how the roster will be shaped going into 2013. Believe me, we'll do plenty of that in the coming days, weeks and months. But for now, let's look back on this season and go over some of the happier moments. Anyone have a favorite that comes to mind? There are five that immediately pop into my head as moments that will stick with me for a while: Jayson Werth's walk-off homer in Game 4 of the NLDS, Michael Morse's fake-swing grand slam in St. Louis, Roger Bernadina's game-saving leaping catch at the wall in Houston, Bryce Harper stealing home against the Phillies and seeing the Nats celebrate in the dugout when they found out they'd clinched the NL East title. If I had to pick a moment which stands out above all the rest, I'd go with the dugout celebration after the Nats clinched the division. Seeing the sheer joy on the players' faces was something special, and making it even better was that Morse was the first one to hit in the bottom of that inning. As he stepped into the batter's box, the crowd belted out the chorus to "Take On Me," and Morse was shown on the JumboTron sporting a huge smile. Any of those moments still resonate with you? Got a favorite that I didn't mention? Let's hear it.