With the Major League Baseball playoffs finally set, Washington could be forced to make a tough choice in 2012, but not the one everyone has been talking about for the past 18 months.
The Washington Nationals, the National League East champions, could be playing elimination games during the vice-presidential debate on Thursday and during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22, leaving the newly die-hard Beltway crowds to chose between their old muse and new.
Neither game has a set time - or is even guaranteed to be played (the Nationals could sweep their series, or be swept). It is also possible the potential conflict with the vice-presidential debate will be a day game, allowing for a best-of-both-worlds situation that would certainly please those in Washington who have dedicated a good part of their summer to the Nationals' season.
Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, is a season ticket-holder, and Senators Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid have found that a love for the Nationals is one of the few things they can agree on. Mr. Reid memorably quoted the Nationals' star rookie, Bryce Harper, in a news conference, responding to a reporter, “That's a clown question, bro.â€
The political media contingent is also swept up in the “Natitude†craze. When the Nats clinched the division on Monday night, ABC's Jonathan Karl and CNN's Wolf Blitzer were spotted on the field after the game. Mr. Blitzer has been known to have producers report game scores and updates into his earpiece during breaks in “The Situation Room.â€
Even The Times's own Carl Hulse has acknowledged “cheating†on his Chicago Cubs with the Nats.
Should the playoff game pose a direct conflict with either debate, a few options are available for those who won't be in a filing center. Major League Baseball's At Bat mobile app provides live updates and live radio broadcasts, and it is available on almost all platforms. And bars around Washington plan to show both the game and the debate, although a fight for the house audio may depend on who's winning.
