Another Nationals heartbreak nothing new for Washington sports fans

Another pro sports season, another heartbreak for the Washington, D.C., sports fan.

The Nationals, one of the best teams in baseball for the past six years, lost again in the first round of the playoffs. The Cubs' wild 9-8 victory in a deciding Game 5 on Thursday night and 3-2 NLDS series win sticks a knife in the heart of a fan base that lives and (mostly) dies with teams who can't seem to come through when it counts.

The Nationals have won the National League East four times in the past six seasons — each time in pretty impressive fashion — but haven't won a playoff series.

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The Capitals have had the best record in the NHL the past two seasons. They have Alex Ovechkin, who has won the Maurice Richard Trophy given to the top goal scorer in the league, four straight times. But they've been eliminated in the playoffs in the second round three seasons in a row, the past two to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. They haven't been to the conference finals since 1998.

The Wizards, with the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, have been to the playoffs three of the past four seasons and lost in the second round each time. They haven't been to the conference finals since 1979.

The Redskins, who were one of the best teams in the NFL during the 1980s, haven't even won a playoff game since 2005. They haven't been to a conference final since 1991, the last of their Super Bowl winning teams.

Follow Kevin Spain on Twitter @kevin_spain