Will D.C. sports finally get over the hump in 2017?

And so 2017 has officially arrived at last. And not a moment too soon for many people who won't have fond memories of 2016.

Leaving politics, celebrity deaths and other topics aside, 2016 was a particularly frustrating year for Washington sports fans, who once again had countless opportunities to get their hopes up only to have those hopes dashed in cruel fashion.

The Nationals, of course, enjoyed another fantastic regular season, winning 95 games and a division title. Then they were knocked out of the National League Division Series in an all-too-familiar fashion.

The Capitals enjoyed another excellent regular season, winning a division title and nearly setting a single-season franchise record with 120 points. Then they were knocked out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in an all-too-familiar fashion.

The Wizards had reason to be optimistic after a surprise playoff run in 2014-15, but they came back to earth and still find themselves trying to figure out what exactly they are.

And then the Redskins yesterday saw their 2016 come to an end in agonizing fashion, needing only to beat a Giants team with nothing on the line in order to clinch a playoff berth. They proceeded to lose in ugly fashion and now face an offseason of major questions, none more significant than the one about their quarterback.

This was such perfect example of the state of Washington sports for the better part of two decades. None of the local teams was awful in 2016, but each failed to live up to its full potential.

And so the drought continues. None of D.C.'s four major teams has won a championship since 1992. Only one has so much as reached its sports' final four in that timeframe (the 1997-98 Caps). All have come oh-so-close to getting over the hump. All have fallen short with crushing defeats.

All of which has left this city's sports fans in a state of prolonged misery. Folks here desperately want somebody to win something big. Anybody. But they refuse to get their hopes up too much, lest they once again suffer the humiliation of having the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Someone has to pull this off sometime soon, right? It can't last forever. The Capitals have too much talent to keep getting knocked out in the second round. The Wizards have a strong foundation from which to build. The Redskins are a much better organization today than they were two years ago. (That they still have a long way to go merely proves just how bad they were before the Scot McCloughan Era.)

The Nationals? Well, it feels like they've been in this precise position for five years now, with a loaded roster, few obvious weaknesses and every reason in the world to believe they should contend for a pennant. They haven't been able to do it yet, but they remain as well-positioned to do it as they have throughout this run.

The Nats have the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner in Max Scherzer, not to mention a couple of other All-Star-caliber starters in their rotation. They have the 2015 National League MVP, the 2016 MVP runner-up and the 2016 Rookie of the Year runner-up anchoring their lineup, in addition to a strong supporting cast.

They still lack a proven closer, but most of a very strong bullpen returns from last season. Key members of a strong bench also are coming back. And they continue to have one of the most accomplished general manager/manager duos in baseball calling the shots.

There is every reason in the world to be hopeful about the 2017 Nationals.

Trouble is, this town knows all too well how dangerous it is to get its hopes up when it comes to local sports franchises. And so until one of these teams actually proves it can live up to - or even exceed - its full potential, we'll be left wondering whether 2017 is the year the storyline finally changes in Washington or whether we're due for yet another airing of "Groundhog Day."