Bumpy Roads and Beautiful Places: A (mostly) Baseball Podcast
Oct 5, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min · 10 segments
The Ladies Who Like Baseball and Erika discuss the 2026 season, including the best and worst moments. The Ladies also breakdown the actual analytics of the Notting Hill gif used in an effort to help…
So 2026 season has ended, and it's...
It was a ride.
You know what, Erica? I actually, I think that is a great way to put it.
Knowing that you and I were gonna record this podcast, we knew episode two was gonna be this recap.
I've been trying to think about how I wanted to talk about this season and how I wanted to verbalize the thoughts and feelings I've had over the past couple of months, and I think you just summed it up perfectly.
I think there's arguments that could be said that it's been a good ride, it's been a bad ride.
It's been a roller coaster of a ride with ups and downs.
Yeah, definite, definite roller coaster.
I think in order to talk about this season, I think we have to start with the end of the 2025 season, and the ownership of the Washington Nationals decided to essentially clean house.
They got rid of some other top execs for the organization, and over the off-season they replaced everyone.
And I think there was a level of optimism at the beginning of the season that I don't think Nats fans had really felt in a while, other than the one-off, you know, really good game that we had or sweeping a series or just absolutely crushing one game against a huge rival or something like that.
But other than those one-offs, I think this was the first time in a long time we went into opening day thinking, "All right.
We may actually have something here." We've got new execs, new managers.
We've got a young crop of players on the field.
Let's see what this combination is gonna get us.
And I know I was initially hopeful.
I mean-
mean-I mean, how did you feel at the beginning of the season?
I, I personally always start a season definitely more hopeful.
But you know, it's the start of the season.
It's hard to not get caught up in that new season, new day, like let's go.
It's so easy to get caught up in that, and it's fun.
I was definitely a little more cautious.
So 2026 season has ended, and it's...
It was a ride.
You know what, Erica? I actually, I think that is a great way to put it.
Knowing that you and I were gonna record this podcast, we knew episode two was gonna be this recap.
I've been trying to think about how I wanted to talk about this season and how I wanted to verbalize the thoughts and feelings I've had over the past couple of months, and I think you just summed it up perfectly.
I think there's arguments that could be said that it's been a good ride, it's been a bad ride.
It's been a roller coaster of a ride with ups and downs.
Yeah, definite, definite roller coaster.
I think in order to talk about this season, I think we have to start with the end of the 2025 season, and the ownership of the Washington Nationals decided to essentially clean house.
They got rid of some other top execs for the organization, and over the off-season they replaced everyone.
And I think there was a level of optimism at the beginning of the season that I don't think Nats fans had really felt in a while, other than the one-off, you know, really good game that we had or sweeping a series or just absolutely crushing one game against a huge rival or something like that.
But other than those one-offs, I think this was the first time in a long time we went into opening day thinking, "All right.
We may actually have something here." We've got new execs, new managers.
We've got a young crop of players on the field.
Let's see what this combination is gonna get us.
And I know I was initially hopeful.
I mean-
mean-I mean, how did you feel at the beginning of the season?
I, I personally always start a season definitely more hopeful.
But you know, it's the start of the season.
It's hard to not get caught up in that new season, new day, like let's go.
It's so easy to get caught up in that, and it's fun.
I was definitely a little more cautious.
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