I am having a difficult time containing my excitement today. It’s not just Opening Day in my hometown, but the Nationals are beginning a new era with the official opening of Nationals Park.

To say that I wish I could be in D.C. tonight is an understatement. I’m borderline depressed over the fact that I can’t be among the first fans to take in a game at the new stadium. I won’t get my chance to the new park in person until Memorial Day weekend (when I’m attending three games in three days). Until then, I’ll be forced to watch games on TV and online.

The picture above is from the only time I’ve been able to see the Nats in person in D.C. My family and I celebrated my thirtieth birthday and my father’s sixtieth birthday with a trip to RFK in May 2005. The Nats won a rain-delayed game 4-3 thanks to a solid outing from Livan Hernandez and a four-run, fourth-inning rally that send Carlos Zambrano to the showers early (Vinny Castilla led the charge with a two-run single).

Although I’ve only seen one Nats home game, I’ve seen the team play at least twice every season against the Mets at Shea Stadium (coach Jerry Morales flipped me a ball following batting practice at a game last year because I was the only fan around rocking Nats gear). I’ll be back at Shea this season being a Nats fan in diaspora.

My expectations for the Nats this year are simple: Continue to improve and develop Major League talent.

I am on board with the plan put in place by Jim Bowden and the Lerner family. I would rather see them build a successful organization from within than spend money on older players who have come up through other systems. I believe the Nationals can create “The Nats Way” in much the same order that the Orioles famously fostered player development and organizational loyalty in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.

I care nothing about the Nationals win-loss record this year. I want to see Ryan Zimmerman continue to establish himself as the cornerstone of the franchise; young pitchers such as Matt Chico and Joel Hanrahan advance their development; outfielders Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Willy Mo Pena prove their detractors wrong (and for Dukes to improve himself as a person) and for Nick Johnson to stay healthy while posting an obscene OBP figure.

In my professional life, I spend my hours each day analyzing data and trying to find trends and making projections. I take a quantitative and qualitative approach to my work and I do much the same when looking at the Nats. I’m a long-term focused investor and sports fan, so the organic growth of the organization is more important to me than the short-term results.

I’m going long the Nationals (there’s value to be had) and I placing a long-term short bet on the Mets and Phillies (the teams will peak this season or next). The Braves, for better or worse, are my income-generating bet (solid, predictable performance).

In conclusion: Let’s Go Nats!