The Washington Nationals were born in 2005, and for just the second time, they have made it to the post-season. They will host our San Francisco Giants for Game 1 of the NLDS today at noon. But we've been here before, the Giants and Washington, albeit eons ago when the team had another name. We've met in the World Series three times — they've won once, we took two, in 1924, 1933, and 2010, in that order. Baseball math is funny like that.

San Francisco has always been enamored with itself. In the 1890's, someone asked the visiting French culture minister what they thought of the "Paris of the West." He replied, "Ah, the touching arrogance of cities born only yesterday." Touché, French culture minister guy, touché. 120 years later, our arrogance may be less touching than it is aggravating, but at least our Giants have the smile-lines to dismissively pat these new teams on the head and send them on their way. The Nationals? We don't know you.

The Senators, though, we remember.

The Washington Senators, founded in Chocolate City in 1901, they were one of the eight original American League teams. Back then, the Giants, of course, were in Manhattan. In 1924, the New York Giants and Washington Senators met for the first time in the World Series. The Senators won in seven games. Nine years later, the Giants evened the score, beating the Senators in five.

Then in 1961, the Senators' term in D.C. ended, and they went to Minnesota's Twin Cities. Twin Cities…Twins…get it? Nevermind. And as they are wont to do, a new slate of Senators arrived in Washington that same year. Meanwhile, the Giants had just settled into their new digs at Candlestick Park.

Ten years later, the Senators again left D.C., this time for Texas. They became the Rangers. Teehee. We like the Rangers around here. We smile really big smiles when we think about them. We remember the fun times we had in 2010 when our boys went deep into the heart of Texas and took them down in five games in the World Series. Damn, that was nice.

The Giants have seen 'em come and seen 'em go in D.C. for over a century. The Expos, er, Nats are just the newest kid in town. Ah, the touching arrogance of teams born just yesterday. It's October, son, way past your bedtime.

*****

Game 1 of the National League Division Series starts today at 12:07 p.m. PT. Jake Peavy will take the mound for the Giants; Stephen Strausburg will get the start for the Nats. The Nationals are really, really good, guys. They finished the regular season with the best record in the National League and are huge favorites to win not only this series, but the World Series. Good. The Giants have been the underdog before and we only have two lousy World Series trophies to show for it. We got this.

Let's go Giants!!!

Previously: Where To Watch The Giants In Their First Playoff Game Today