It came down to the wire, and impatience was the easiest acquisition to come by as the 4pm EST MLB trade deadline loomed.

Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden had all but packed Alphonso Soriano’s bags and had yet to give him a plane ticket complete with a destination. Numerous teams throughout the past month threw deals the Nats’ way involving young pitching, which Bowden placed atop the list of Nats’ needs to become a better team. Bowden even boasted to reporters earlier in the week, making reference that all but 2 of the other MLB teams had contacted him for some trade or another. All he needed to do was simply say “Yes” to one of the voices on the other line and it would all be over.

But as the deadline came and went, no news meant Bowden couldn’t, as they say, pull the trigger.

Apparently teams didn’t have the “bullets” to make it happen.

Or so ESPN.com’s Jason Stark reported on the ESPN.com live chatroom “The Show.” The Oakland Athletics were the latest squad to step into the Sori Sweepstakes, but were told they “didn’t have the bullets” to land the Nats’ star player.

Another possible option involved a three team trade between the Marlins, Tigers and Nationals, but, much like all of the other offers on the day, it fell through.

And then the news became official, less than an hour after the trade deadline: Sori stays.

“We felt the best deal we could make is no deal,” Nats GM Jim Bowden stated in a conference call with reporters from San Francisco. “He wants to stay in D.C. and did not want to be traded.”

For a moment, Bowden’s old tune in the days/weeks/months prior of big and bad smug GM disappeared and he almost seemed like he wanted to keep the star player around.

And then came the more typical GM, “We do love Alfonso and what he’s done for our team and what he means to our team and what he means to our fans. We’re always going to look at the best of our alternatives. For today, there wasn’t anything that was good enough to trade him.”

Again, Bowday says, “For today, there wasn’t…”

There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring.

Maybe Jim Bowden simply asked for too much in return for the 30 year old All-Star outfielder. Or, maybe Bowden finally realized that Sori is worth much more than what other teams believe. But then again, that may just be “for today.”

For the Nats’ sake, I’m hoping the latter.

What the Nationals need, like any team looking to compete for a championship, and, more than just a bunch of young arms for their farm system, is a leader. Sori can be that leader.

So why not make him just that?

He’s spent 8 years in the majors, and performed under the most pressure-filled towns in New York. He’s hit for power and speed, and even this year in assuming a new position in left field he leads all MLB outfielders with 15 assists. He bats leadoff and yet still boasts big numbers of 32 home runs, 66 RBIs and 79 runs.

And even better than all that he does on the field, Sori is well liked and respected in the locker room and off the field.

Last night before the Nationals’ game in San Francisco against the Giants, he approached his locker, decorated with team-colored streamers, a special chair replacing the normal clubhouse standard, a large fruit basket and bottle of champagne.

Two signs read of the clubhouse appreciation: one in Spanish, “Vive Soriano!” (read: “Soriano Lives!”) and the other in English, “We love you!”

Newly aquired teammate from the Cincinnati Reds, Austin Kearns said, “He means as much to this team in the clubhouse as he does on the field.”

The clubhouse hath spoken.

Soriano, who received news of his remaining in Washington from Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo around 20 minutes prior to the deadline. When asked how he felt about staying with the Nationals, he replied, “I’m happy.”

“It will be more easy to focus on playing every time because it passed. I was very excited they wanted to keep me here… I love my teammates, too. I think they were happy to see me walk in here.”

Now, Sori hath spoken.

In last night’s game, Sori went 3-for-6, with 2 singles, a double, 1 stolen base, 2 runs and 2 RBI.

Even rumor talk can’t shake him. So why trade away a great now talent for a potential future talent?

For as much as the fans and players love and respect Sori as a player and person, new Nationals front office leader, team president Stan Kasten, should take advantage and begin building his team with the leader he already has in his clubhouse.

Soriano, set to be a free agent at the end of the season, says that he wants to stay in Washington, but wants to have a no-trade clause in his next contract.

Kasten historically has not been willing to give out no-trade clauses in contracts.

With Sori, he needs to make an exception.

Giving Sori a 4-5 year deal worth around $15-16 million a season would be sufficient for his talents and leadership ability. The team has the money. It just comes down to showing the dedication in adding the no-trade provisional. And they’ve got the rest of the season to make the contract happen.

With a new stadium opening just around the corner in 2008 and fans already awaiting for a consistently competitive team, let’s hope the new owners and management don’t let their first chance at doing something promising for the Nationals slip away.

Sori doesn’t deserve it and, more importantly, neither do Nats fans.

Today is his judgment day. The day his fate is decided by way of frantic cell phones, conference calls and e-mails. He begins the day a Washington National and, if the loud rumors ring true, by the 4 pm EST trade deadline he’ll end the day a Houston Astro, Minnesota Twin, LA Angel or Florida Marlin. And he hasn’t the least bit of say in the matter.

But no matter what, nothing can rattle Alphonso Soriano’s aura of cool.

Maybe it’s because he’s already making $10 million this year. Maybe it’s because he’s going to be a free agent after the season ends, and only then will he have a say in where he does and does not want to go. Or maybe he was just raised to appreciate all the good things that has happened to him already so far in his 31 years of living.

Or maybe he’s just “never scurred” of anything thrown his way.

He showed off his cool when he signed as a free agent with the Yankees in 1998, adding extra pressure to the Yankee 2nd base experience known as “the Chuck Knoblach experiment.” Once finding a regular spot in the lineup in 2001, Sori hit 18 home runs, racked up 73 RBI and stole 43 bases. The following year he hit even better, racking up 128 runs, 39 home runs, 102 RBI and 42 stolen bases.

After only one more year with the Yankees, his great play and cool earned him a place in history by way of the 2004 team swap from New York to Texas for a certain well-known $25 million a year superstar.

What did Sori do after his trade to the Rangers? He made the All-Star squad, and then took home the MVP honors.

In this past offseason, Sori was sent to Washington in a swap for Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge and a minor league pitcher. Before he even fielded one grounder in spring training, controversy immediately surrounded him when he refused to leave his second base position for the outfield. It took all of a few weeks for him to humbly head out to left field and carry on putting up the stats that launched him into superstardom while in New York.

And all throughout, when Frank Robinson called him out for not wanting to be a “team player” by switching positions, when the media blasted him as a “malcontent” for the same reason, and when he tried to get $12 million from an arbitrator but settled for $10 million, Sori maintained that trademark cool.

Maybe the loud, demanding fans in New York can rattle A-Rod, but Sori? Not a chance.

Hailing stats of 32 home runs, 64 RBI, 26 stolen bases, .284 batting average and a .583 slugging percentage, Sori is arguably the best all-around hitter in the American League. And the AL includes A-Rod.

When he figures out his next destination, by way of heavy rumors and finally, in the end, a brief talk in the office of Nats GM Jim Bowden, Sori will do what he’s always done — play it cool.

The team who acquires Sori will be receive a wonderful gift that we in Washington were blessed to have for our short period of time. In Sori they get a player who can play any position on the field, swing the bat in any position of the game, and a player who can help position an average team in playoff contention.

On Tuesday last week, following an 8-6 win over the San Francisco Giants, Sori made an appearance at a bar in downtown D.C. where I just happened to be.

As my friend shook his hand, I recognized him and smiled, paying my respects as well. I added in the quick, friendly request as a Nats fan, “I hope you get to stay in Washington, man.”

He was all smiles, absorbing the atmosphere of probably both the team win and what could’ve been one of his last days as a Washington National. He played it cool, as if there were no speculation on every sports network across the country that he was rumored to be going to every team with good baseball sense.

His reply was a very brief and simple, “Thanks.”

But his thanks, paired with a smile was genuine. His smile spoke louder than the music blaring, the ESPN rumors across the mini TV screens and the my own thoughts of how uneasy any of us other regular folk would be not knowing where our next career step may lie.

That is what makes Sori Sori.

His cool transcends pressure, rumors and speculation, no matter how positive or negative. It transcends the baseball nomad lifestyle. It transcends the average ball player’s superstardom. It transcends Jim Bowden’s arrogant smiles.

And it transcends that of us regular folk.

Even way before we even know about his riches or fame. Even as a celebrity among regular folk at McFadden’s last Tuesday when Sori looked, walked and talked just like everyone else.

But even if it is found out that, in fact, Sori is a regular person who puts on his pants one leg at a time like regular folks do, I still won’t be convinced.

He’s just too damn cool.