I made it to the game last night. What a game, it was good to win one but even better to win it with a walkoff single from one of our young stars. Jesus Flowers is probably my favorite player on the team. He's gutsy, gritty, young, and hitting right around .300. He's the epitome of this team's future if we are lucky. If we can keep Blastings and Dukes in line, get Zimmerman back healthy, and make a good faith move for the fans and sign Guzapalooza (he's a festival of hits) for at least 2 years we have a nucleus. Everywhere else, let's see who can play and hopefully win a title, say 2010 or 2011 or so.
On Tuesday the Nattos played the most unbearable game since they arrived in town. We went down 6-0 2/3 of an inning in. Hill is a hell of a pitcher but needs to hang it up for the year. He elected to not have surgery, but he just doesn't have the same stuff as last year. In addition to the horrific pitching, we had Lo Duca, catcher, in left field, Willie Harris, left fielder, at second base, Belliard, second baseman, at third base, and basically a DH, "Voodoo Fingers" Young at first. Lo Duca got woozy and left the game. So did most of the fans. So let's pull some guys up. Marrero's already done for the year with a broken leg, lets not waste more young talent. Lets see what they can do in the bigs. The whole philosophy of the Nats should be if you aren't playing here in 2010, you shouldn't be playing here now. We have the Flowers, ZimZam, putupyourDukes, and Blastings, not to mention how awesome Lannan has been along with Redding and Rauch. Everyone else should have to fight for their job, just like Jesus Flowers and Lo Duca did. The winner of that spot worked out pretty well last night.
As a sidenote, I have been negative On Lo Duca. He is actually a good guy. He was excellent in the booth for MASN when he was on the DL and I think he has a career in broadcasting. But last night he was the first guy out of the dugout to laud Flores, and was the last, hugging him by second base as the rest of the team headed back to the lockerroom. Steroid accusations aside, Lo Duca is a good guy and a team player.
As a further aside, the Orioles come to town this weekend. The team owned by Peter Angelos. The guy that kept the national pastime out of the nation's capitol throughout the 90s and half of this millenium's first decade. These are the guys that wanted us to struggle two hours through traffic on 95 to go watch a DH strikeout. I hate them. We haven't gotten into a tight pennant race with the Mets, Phillies, Braves, or even Marlins. I dislike them but do not hate them yet. I hate the Orioles for depriving me of nights like last night. Beautiful weather in a brand new park with the smell of Ben's chili, cotton candy, and Budweiser wafting through the air while hanging out with the pops, your brother, and one of your best friends as one of our 23 year old stars hits a walk-off single to score another 23 year old star to be. God forbid someone in the seats next to me this weekend screams oooo during the NATIONAL anthem.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Horses' Asses and Hoorays
Hank Steinbrenner is a horses' ass. This doesn't come as news to anyone from Boston, but I didn't really realize it until interleague play started up. I really only follow the National League because I think it is the best pure form of baseball you can see. When you have the pitchers hit, it places more strategy into the game and that is all the average fan can really follow. When the average joe sitting next to me in the bleachers and I are watching a game neither of us have any idea how to hit a curveball much less a slider or the knuckleballs the Nattos smacked around the other night. What we do know is that with Willie Harris pinch hitting for the pitcher and getting on base with the leadoff at the plate you probably want to steal him. Steinbrenner's 19 game winner from last year Wang went down running the bases, and he blames the entire NL for not having DHs and "jioning the 21st century." Apparently having pitchers both pitch and hit is "a rule from the 1800s." Which is another reason why it is great. Baseball is tradition. It is still called America's pastime even though the Bills-Browns Monday night game will probably get better ratings then the World Series. The game hasn't changed for over a century, except for a few stupid rules that people have implemented along the way, most notably the DH in the American League. Jerkoffs like Steinbrenner put these rules in place. I am pretty sure every major leaguer was the best athlete in their high schools where most of them were drafted. They are pro athletes making millions of dollars. If you can throw a curveball past Jeter, you should probably figure out how to hit one once every five times or so. Steinbrenner was in his own league and never bothered me until now. Perhaps he is trying to surpass Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones as the biggest morons in sports who never actually step on a field.
Enough negativity. Congrats to the Great 8 for cleaning up at the NHL awards ceremony. In all honesty Malkin was just as deserving, he is just not as flashy. For Malkin to carry the Pens through the regular season while Sid "the princess" Crosby was napping on the bench to get the two seed that propelled them to the finals was great. However, that final run of games after the Blackhawks drubbed us was unbelievable. While it was only to win the Southeast division, that may have been the greatest comeback in the history of sports other than the Sox comeback over the Yanks in '04. Ovie led the charge, but Boudreau orchestrated it. He was the most deserving of anyone that stepped to the platform that night. To go 37-17 after taking over what was the worst team in the league was unbelievable, and that last month of hockey was the best sports this town has seen since 1991. It takes a lot to get Washingtonians to sell out hockey games, but Boudreau found a way to do it. I can't wait for the puck to drop again in October with Boudreau at the helm and Ovie steering.
Finally congrats to the Nats for sweeping someone on the road. Granted it was the Mariners, who got so mad about it they fired their GM, but a sweep is a sweep. Maybe interleague play is the spark we need to get us on track to the goal of .500. Perhaps having pitchers that aren't afraid of taking a little BP is what will keep it going.
Enough negativity. Congrats to the Great 8 for cleaning up at the NHL awards ceremony. In all honesty Malkin was just as deserving, he is just not as flashy. For Malkin to carry the Pens through the regular season while Sid "the princess" Crosby was napping on the bench to get the two seed that propelled them to the finals was great. However, that final run of games after the Blackhawks drubbed us was unbelievable. While it was only to win the Southeast division, that may have been the greatest comeback in the history of sports other than the Sox comeback over the Yanks in '04. Ovie led the charge, but Boudreau orchestrated it. He was the most deserving of anyone that stepped to the platform that night. To go 37-17 after taking over what was the worst team in the league was unbelievable, and that last month of hockey was the best sports this town has seen since 1991. It takes a lot to get Washingtonians to sell out hockey games, but Boudreau found a way to do it. I can't wait for the puck to drop again in October with Boudreau at the helm and Ovie steering.
Finally congrats to the Nats for sweeping someone on the road. Granted it was the Mariners, who got so mad about it they fired their GM, but a sweep is a sweep. Maybe interleague play is the spark we need to get us on track to the goal of .500. Perhaps having pitchers that aren't afraid of taking a little BP is what will keep it going.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Griff the Great
Despite the bats that awoke tonight for the Nattos, they still don't look so hot. Maybe five homers will slap them out of this season-long slump, but something even more amazing has happened than a five dinger game from the Nats. Ken Griffey Jr. is probably the greatest that has ever played and hitting homer 600 was an accomplishment that was well overdue.
This was the guy that did it right. Just take the average sports fan and how much you appreciate a player who will take less money to play with the team that his heart is with. That is exactly what Jr. did when signing a long term contract with the Reds. Other teams offered more money, but Jr. stuck with the city he grew up in. How many players these days turn down money because they like where they want to play more than their contract size these days? Not many if any, much less not the guy who was the face of the game when he signed his contract. He grew up in that city because that is where his father played. And he came back to it the first chance he was given, forgoing millions of dollars.
The bond that will forever follow Jr. is the one with his father. No matter how much steroids and HGH ballplayers pump through their veins there will never be another time when the Mariners or any other team send a father then son up to bat consecutively, and back to back dingers ensue. Thats a one game record that no one will ever break. Bobby Bonds was one of the best, good enough to make Cooperstown. You could only wish that Barry turned out as well as Jr., it would have been great to see the two greatest sons of pro ball players have been inducted at the same time. Barry Bonds should be banned from visiting Cooperstown, Griff shouldn't have to wait anywhere close to five years.
All the records over the last decade and a half are in question, and that is the only reason to bring up Bonds in the same breath as Jr.. Jr. is a guy who missed 430 or so games in the first six or seven years he was a Red, before that, he was averaging fifty homers a year for five straight years. He did not get some random injuries that made him want to sit out for extended periods of time. He has always played hard, chasing after balls and bouncing off walls, sliding to stop balls, diving into bases with no regard to his legs, and of course never backing off a fastball towards the face. While a lot of guys used steroids to bulk up and go from 20 to 50 Hrs in a year (Brady Anderson we are all looking at you) Griff kept the same frame and kept knocking them yard year after year when he was healthy.
If Griff could have only stayed healthy. He could have but he did not take steroids. Through the Mitchell report many guys have said they used these banned substances to get through injuries. Jr. has literally ripped muscles off his bones to play the game of baseball. He knew what kind of records he could acheive if he could take banned substances. He knew exactly what he was doing. Take HGH and you are bigger and can get more homers. Take HGH and injuries seem to heal much better. He had and has done well enough to take the high road. Maybe Barry Bonds has daddy issues.
Personal records are never as impotant as team records as they pertain to that particular year. Griff hitting 600 is more important than the game itself right now. Knock Bonds and Sosa off the 600 plus list and you are left with Aaron, Ruth, and Mays. Griffey did what he did while everyone was cheating. When it was just Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire it seemed like it was just everyday players. Clemens and Pettite proved otherwise. Griff had to hit, field against, and just plain outrun a majority of guys who were cheating. If it somehow comes out Jr. was cheating too I guess I need to stick both feet in my mouth. I'll bet the farm against it. While the top players Griff was playing against were cheating, Griff stayed honest and beat them anyways. Willie Mays was probably the best all around player ever. Ruth could hit but also has the advantage of being a Yank. Aaron broke the unbreakable record at the time and trumped Ruth. Because of the injuries, Griff will never be considered better than Mays because baseball is such a stat obssessed sport. But no blown out knees he is at 700 hundred homers. No injuries whatsoever, which is Cal Ripken impossible, Griff is already over 800. Results are results and stats are stats, so Mays is the best that ever played. I have never had the privledge of watching him play, only Ken Griffey Jr. He is the best to ever step on a pro diamond in the modern era. Once again I'll bet the farm on it.
The farm team looks like the best hope for the Nattos right now. ZimZam is the guy who will be around for a while even though he is banged up right now. He will never get close to any of Griff's records but he is just as lovable. If he conducts himself the same way as Jr. it will make the sweeps by teams like the Giants be a little more tolerable.
This was the guy that did it right. Just take the average sports fan and how much you appreciate a player who will take less money to play with the team that his heart is with. That is exactly what Jr. did when signing a long term contract with the Reds. Other teams offered more money, but Jr. stuck with the city he grew up in. How many players these days turn down money because they like where they want to play more than their contract size these days? Not many if any, much less not the guy who was the face of the game when he signed his contract. He grew up in that city because that is where his father played. And he came back to it the first chance he was given, forgoing millions of dollars.
The bond that will forever follow Jr. is the one with his father. No matter how much steroids and HGH ballplayers pump through their veins there will never be another time when the Mariners or any other team send a father then son up to bat consecutively, and back to back dingers ensue. Thats a one game record that no one will ever break. Bobby Bonds was one of the best, good enough to make Cooperstown. You could only wish that Barry turned out as well as Jr., it would have been great to see the two greatest sons of pro ball players have been inducted at the same time. Barry Bonds should be banned from visiting Cooperstown, Griff shouldn't have to wait anywhere close to five years.
All the records over the last decade and a half are in question, and that is the only reason to bring up Bonds in the same breath as Jr.. Jr. is a guy who missed 430 or so games in the first six or seven years he was a Red, before that, he was averaging fifty homers a year for five straight years. He did not get some random injuries that made him want to sit out for extended periods of time. He has always played hard, chasing after balls and bouncing off walls, sliding to stop balls, diving into bases with no regard to his legs, and of course never backing off a fastball towards the face. While a lot of guys used steroids to bulk up and go from 20 to 50 Hrs in a year (Brady Anderson we are all looking at you) Griff kept the same frame and kept knocking them yard year after year when he was healthy.
If Griff could have only stayed healthy. He could have but he did not take steroids. Through the Mitchell report many guys have said they used these banned substances to get through injuries. Jr. has literally ripped muscles off his bones to play the game of baseball. He knew what kind of records he could acheive if he could take banned substances. He knew exactly what he was doing. Take HGH and you are bigger and can get more homers. Take HGH and injuries seem to heal much better. He had and has done well enough to take the high road. Maybe Barry Bonds has daddy issues.
Personal records are never as impotant as team records as they pertain to that particular year. Griff hitting 600 is more important than the game itself right now. Knock Bonds and Sosa off the 600 plus list and you are left with Aaron, Ruth, and Mays. Griffey did what he did while everyone was cheating. When it was just Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire it seemed like it was just everyday players. Clemens and Pettite proved otherwise. Griff had to hit, field against, and just plain outrun a majority of guys who were cheating. If it somehow comes out Jr. was cheating too I guess I need to stick both feet in my mouth. I'll bet the farm against it. While the top players Griff was playing against were cheating, Griff stayed honest and beat them anyways. Willie Mays was probably the best all around player ever. Ruth could hit but also has the advantage of being a Yank. Aaron broke the unbreakable record at the time and trumped Ruth. Because of the injuries, Griff will never be considered better than Mays because baseball is such a stat obssessed sport. But no blown out knees he is at 700 hundred homers. No injuries whatsoever, which is Cal Ripken impossible, Griff is already over 800. Results are results and stats are stats, so Mays is the best that ever played. I have never had the privledge of watching him play, only Ken Griffey Jr. He is the best to ever step on a pro diamond in the modern era. Once again I'll bet the farm on it.
The farm team looks like the best hope for the Nattos right now. ZimZam is the guy who will be around for a while even though he is banged up right now. He will never get close to any of Griff's records but he is just as lovable. If he conducts himself the same way as Jr. it will make the sweeps by teams like the Giants be a little more tolerable.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Shaking it Up
The Nattos game was great tonight. Dukes was the hero and its great to see the young guys producing and being clutch. But he was hitting .155 before this evening. I stopped watching the day portion of the doubleheader around the seventh when we had stranded nine. Let's see if Dukes can string a few more clutch hits together, combined with just a lot more hits in general. The fact is that there is not one consistent clutch hitter for the Nats right now. No one can hit. Yes we get runners on base but then nothing at all happens but double plays and shallow fly outs. I know we are ravaged by injuries so lets pull guys up.
The guy that is hitting the best right now is Jesus Flowers. He was supposed to be playing AA ball but has been hitting plus-300 ball since we absolutely needed him and called him up. He has been calling great games with Redding and Lannan so the whole theory that he should be calling games with pitchers that he will be playing with in the majors in a few years should be flushed right down the toilet. How about Cory Kasto? Has anyone realized that this guys on base percentage is .667 this year? He was the worst last year but heck he improved, a lot. So maybe it is time to start moving other guys up. Even if they hit like Kasto did last year perhaps next year they hit like he is right now when we could possibly contend. (I know that sounds stupid but look at either team from Florida and its June, still early but it's June and beyond just fluky; anything can happen.) The Nattos can't hit right now so let's find somone who can. We have the sixth- best rated farm team in the league let's see if that means anything. Let's see what Maxwell can do in a pinch-hit situation, or possibly spelling Blastings for a game. We have a couple of road series against the Mariners and the Twins starting on the 13th. Maybe we move D. "voodoo fingers" Young to DH and bring Marrero up to cover 1st while Nicky J. is out. The point is that even if these guys don't hit, the Nats will probably score more than the two runs in the thirty plus innings that they had scored before tonight, where once again it is proven that a broken clock can tell the right time twice a day. Even the Nattos can put up ten. If there is anything positive to being ten games out of first and .500 lets find it. Moving your hitter in the 8th spot to 2cnd would not seem like the smartest idea, but it worked tonight with "Put Up Your" Dukes to win the game in extras. Lets mess around and see what else we can shake up.
The guy that is hitting the best right now is Jesus Flowers. He was supposed to be playing AA ball but has been hitting plus-300 ball since we absolutely needed him and called him up. He has been calling great games with Redding and Lannan so the whole theory that he should be calling games with pitchers that he will be playing with in the majors in a few years should be flushed right down the toilet. How about Cory Kasto? Has anyone realized that this guys on base percentage is .667 this year? He was the worst last year but heck he improved, a lot. So maybe it is time to start moving other guys up. Even if they hit like Kasto did last year perhaps next year they hit like he is right now when we could possibly contend. (I know that sounds stupid but look at either team from Florida and its June, still early but it's June and beyond just fluky; anything can happen.) The Nattos can't hit right now so let's find somone who can. We have the sixth- best rated farm team in the league let's see if that means anything. Let's see what Maxwell can do in a pinch-hit situation, or possibly spelling Blastings for a game. We have a couple of road series against the Mariners and the Twins starting on the 13th. Maybe we move D. "voodoo fingers" Young to DH and bring Marrero up to cover 1st while Nicky J. is out. The point is that even if these guys don't hit, the Nats will probably score more than the two runs in the thirty plus innings that they had scored before tonight, where once again it is proven that a broken clock can tell the right time twice a day. Even the Nattos can put up ten. If there is anything positive to being ten games out of first and .500 lets find it. Moving your hitter in the 8th spot to 2cnd would not seem like the smartest idea, but it worked tonight with "Put Up Your" Dukes to win the game in extras. Lets mess around and see what else we can shake up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
