WASHINGTON — It’s difficult to come up the right words after the Washington Nationals’ 4–3 loss to the L.A. Dodgers on Thursday. The script has been written before, and not just for the Nationals.

Recently, high hopes for postseason success for all teams in this town have been dashed by either bad luck or bad injuries. There is frustration or, to use a more technical term, a collective bummer.

The coffee is not as fresh. The sun, which, amazingly, did come up this morning, is not as bright. Surely the sports gods must be against us.

But as bad as D.C. fans think they have it, there are other cities with equal or worse tales of sports woes.

The Chicago Cubs are still in the baseball playoffs and they are dealing with the alleged curse of a billy goat. The truth is that the playoffs are only going to end well for one team.

The good news is we care. The pain is about passion, and it is something that is shared. In a town fueled by opposing views, D.C. fans are brought together by our sports teams such as the Nationals — even in defeat.