Gone for Good: The Washington Nationals have, contrary to all usual behavior in past seasons, won 11 of their last 12 games, including one this afternoon, and looked like a decent ball club while doing it. So naturally, manager Jim Riggleman decided this was the perfect time to resign. Riggleman apparently was bothered that the team hadn’t yet agreed to pick up the option on his contract for next year. It had never really occurred to us to quit our job because our continued employment wasn’t guaranteed, but hey—that’s baseball. -3

All Wrong: There won’t be any more confusion in the future about whether D.C. Taxicab Commission meetings can be videotaped, confusion of the sort that led to two reporters being arrested at one such meeting yesterday. That’s the good news. The bad news? That’s because videotaping is banned. Nothing like transparency in government! -3

Have a Lucky Day: Stop reading this item, and check your lottery tickets to see if you’ve won $250,000. Someone who bought a ticket at the 7-Eleven at 11th and U streets NW last week is walking around with a quarter-million bucks in their pocket, but they haven’t come forward yet to claim their prize. Confidential to winning lottery ticket owner: Feel free to bring the ticket by Washington City Paper‘s offices for, uh, safekeeping. +1

Sharks Patrol These Waters: If a shark week falls in the middle of the summer TV doldrums and Discovery Communications doesn’t affix a massive marine animal to its Silver Spring headquarters, does it make a sound? Okay, as a Zen koan, that doesn’t work. But it’s the right question to ask after hearing the news that Chompie will not be installed this year. The shark will be back next summer for shark week’s 25th anniversary. In other news: People have now been watching shark videos on TV for 25 years. -1

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 50 Today’s score: -6 Today’s Needle rating: 44