Nationals TV viewership is getting worse and worse: Dan Steinberg blogs today on a Sports Business Journal story reporting that a Nats game that aired during Michael Phelps’ medal run attracted only 1,600 households, “and a source said that the last half hour of the game was below measurable ratings standards.”

That, combined with a horrid squad and only a blip of an attendance boost from a new stadium, can mean only one thing: Manny Acta is due for a Lee Elia-grade blowup. Most baseball fans of a certain age are familiar with the Cubs manager’s 1983 rant, which followed a loss before a sparse Wrigley Field crowd. A refresher:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv23pqH9iG0]

The Cubs made a serious playoff run the following year, and I’m a firm believer in correlation equaling causality in that case. So if Acta has any hope for the Nats in ’09, he needs to stop being polite—-even in the face of a potential 100-loss season—-and bark a little.