New Year, New Trades, and New Opinions

Happy New Year, baseball fans!  I took it upon myself to write a blog post today because it's a gazillion degrees below zero and I needed to think warm thoughts.  Realizing that Spring Training starts in less than 40 days instantly warmed me right up with thoughts of pitchers casually tossing to catchers, rookies seeking advice from veteran players, and Adam Wainwright in a Speedo - I mean, in a uniform.  So what has happened baseball-wise during the off-season?  It hasn't been as exciting as in years past, but it has definitely been productive.  Here's a run-down of who has been traded, who has been signed, and who is still unemployed.

The biggest news of the off-season was the signing of Japanese "phenom" Sohei Ohtani.  This kid can both hit and pitch, so he was annoyingly being called "the next Babe Ruth."  Don't do that, people - there's only ever going to be one overweight, difficult-to-get-along-with, womanizing alcoholic who was amazing on the field but an absolute mess in his personal life.  I didn't fall for the Ohtani craze, because I think the kid has a lot of "proving himself" to do; not that Japanese baseball is inferior to Major League Baseball talent-wise (their players are just as good), but just because you kick ass in one league doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be the best in another one.  The rumors of which team would sign Ohtani were all over the place - the Mariners need someone exciting, the Cardinals and Giants could use him as a pitcher who could actually hit, the Tigers could use him as a Designated Hitter... The kid ended up surprising everyone and signed with the Los Angeles Angels, so now he will team up with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to provide some excitement to the American League fans in LA (by the way, do any of you still refer to this team as the California Angels or Anaheim Angels?  I know - I'm old!).  I'm OK with Ohtani being out west and I'm probably not going to see much of him because of it; I just hope he stays healthy, easily adjusts to life in the US, and if he really is as wonderful as they say he is, I hope it gives the sport of baseball a positive and uplifting boost.

Let's see... what else?  Oh, Derek Jeter decided to become CEO and part owner of the Miami Marlins, and he's not being well received by the Miami media, the fans, or the players themselves.  Those Marlins are going to be really really good... twenty years from now.  To say that this will be a "rebuilding year" for the Marlins is quite the understatement - they got rid of MVP Giancarlo Stanton (welcome to the Yankees, Giancarlo!), second baseman Dee Gordon is now a center fielder for the Mariners, and Marcell Ozuna was sent to the Cardinals.  Next on the trading block?  Rumors point to Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto, and many Marlins players (current and former) have let their disapproval of these trades be known (gotta love when athletes tweet!).  So who will make up the Marlins' roster this season?  Let's hope they have a lot of young talent coming up for Spring Training, otherwise they'll have to ask one of the hot dog vendors at Marlins Park to grab a glove and play the outfield for a game or two.  I personally think that Jeter secretly wants to come out of retirement as a Marlin and is getting rid of all his players in order to make room for himself.  I say bring back Ozzie Guillen as manager, but I think I'm the only human being who wants that.  Hey, Ozzie was a passionate guy - there's no denying that!

Then there's the soap opera of Manny Machado.  The Orioles' best third baseman since Brooks Robinson is rumored to be either a Yankee or a Red Sox - both "Public Enemy Number One" teams of the Orioles.  The Yankees claim that Machado wants to to be on a contending team, and the Red Sox just want him because the Yankees do.  Machado reportedly wants to move to shortstop, but will Orioles fans allow him to achieve greatness at the position that will always belong to Cal Ripken?  Here's another issue:  Machado will become a free agent at the end of the 2018 season.  What does that mean?  Well, if I was the Orioles' GM, I would keep Machado at third base, trade him before the July 31st deadline to a contending team (since the Orioles have no pitching to contend and their closer, Zack Britton, ruptured his Achilles tendon last month), and get a bunch of prospects for him (so that us Frederick Keys fans have some up-and-coming players to watch in the Minors).  I'm not bashing the O's season before it's even started; I'm just trying to be realistic.  And Machado can be like Yu Darvish was this past season with the Dodgers - go to a contending team for a couple of months, play in the World Series, and then use your free agency to get yourself a hefty contract with another team right after that.

Oh wait!  Yu Darvish is one of those free agents who hasn't been signed yet!  He joins pitchers Jake Arrieta, Lance Lynn, and Alex Cobb, as well as J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakis in the list of top free agents who have yet to be signed by anyone.  And for those of you who think that free agents never re-sign with the last team they played for, pitchers CC Sabathia and Brandon Kintzler signed to continue with the Yankees and Nationals, respectively.  And rumor has it that the Nationals want to keep Bryce Harper even after he's eligible for free agency at the end of the 2018 season.  So there you go - "franchise" players are still a thing!

Still unsigned and therefore unemployed are old men Jayson Werth and Ichiro Suzuki.  Now, as much as I like Werth (my son dressed as him for Halloween one year, bearded mask and all), it's time for him to go and enjoy retirement (but don't drive too fast, Jayson; remember how that landed you in jail for a couple of days several years ago!).  But Ichiro?  Really?  No one wants a 44-year-old right fielder who batted .255 with 3 home runs in 196 at-bats for the Marlins last year?  Hey, the Marlins don't have ANYONE in the outfield - they may want to take this guy into consideration!  If the Marlins don't want him, then someone should sign him just so he can retire with dignity and every team he visits can give him a proper farewell.  Come on, Seattle Mariners - show some love to the guy who brought fans to your ballpark for many years and is likely to wear your cap in Cooperstown!

So there you have it, my friends - a recap of what has happened and what is to come for the 2018 baseball season.  If Manny Machado ends up with the Yankees, make sure to check back with me because I will surely have plenty to say about that.  In the meantime, stay warm, and please continue to pray for the people of Puerto Rico, who still suffer from plenty of power outages almost 4 months after hurricane María ripped through the island.  Gracias, amigos! :-)

Mother and Son at the Ballpark (My Husband was There Too!)

My seventeen-year-old daughter has just begun her Senior year in high school, so for the past three years, our lives have been consumed by countless track meets (and corresponding pasta parties), college visits all over the Mid-Atlantic, and numerous meetings, appointments, and activities related to my daughter's academics, athletics, or extracurricular activities.  All along the way, my thirteen-year-old son has tagged along (many times begrudgingly) and served as photographer, stopwatch operator, bag carrier, or whatever "other tasks as assigned" have been thrown at him.  But he's been a pretty good sport (especially since each college visit came with either dinner at Panera, a visit to the college ice cream shop, or a stay in a hotel with a pool).  Constantly in his sister's shadow, he still manages to maintain a sense of humor while my husband and I try to accommodate his concert band schedule around everything else going on in our busy lives.  

One thing that has helped our bond is baseball.  He has been watching baseball with his mother since he was in utero, and despite "retiring" from Little League over a year ago, he still enjoys watching and following the sport with his overenthusiastic and highly competitive mother.  He went trick or treating dressed as Jayson Werth one year (complete with full bearded mask), has a respectable baseball card collection, and owns a wide assortment of Washington Nationals apparel.  He doesn't just watch baseball because it's what's on TV; he actually sits down, asks questions, and follows certain players' statistics (and admittedly, he's learning how to heckle.  Who could be teaching him that?).

One recent Sunday, my son, husband, and I traveled to Washington, DC to catch a game at Nationals Park.  The Nats were playing the Mets, the weather was perfect for an evening game, and we scored great seats for a decent price (just a few rows behind the Nats' dugout).  It was game two of a day/night doubleheader - a make-up of a previously rained-out game from July.  Tanner Roark was on the mound, and despite many of their big players being on the Disabled List (Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Trea Turner...), it was refreshing to see a lot of the younger guys playing so well.  The Nationals won the game 5-4, but that's not why we had such an unforgettable time.

There was the walk from the parking lot to the park.  The area around Nationals Park has really undergone a tremendous development, and there were new outdoor dining venues, numerous street vendors, and many sights that were not there since my husband and I were last there a year ago.  My son was all over the fact that you could buy a bag of peanuts right outside the park for less than half of what they charge you inside (yes - we bought one to share).  He has always enjoyed people-watching, so standing in line waiting for the gates to open was entertaining for him (he's not one of those teenagers who is constantly on his phone - he actually keeps himself occupied looking at his surroundings and making good observations and occasional snarky comments.  He is my son, after all).

Once inside the ballpark, we perused the gift shop, where of course my son wanted one of everything (actually, so did I!) but was horrified at the prices.  Now he knows that we're not willing to pay $113 for a jersey; time to revise your Christmas list, kid!  We walked around a bit, showing him things he had never noticed before (his last two visits to Nationals Park earlier this summer were with "boring people," according to him) and then found our seats.  My son was AMAZED at how good our seats were - his other visits came with outfield seats located in a section where you couldn't see the big scoreboard.  So he marveled at the wealth of information shown on the big screen - lineups, statistics, highlight videos...

When the game began, he put on his "focused" face.  This kid can get so focused sometimes that I swear he could perform microsurgery on a human brain while wearing headsets so he could direct "Sully" Sullenberger to safely land his airplane on the Hudson River.  He intently watched every pitch, every swing, every catch, only getting up once to get some ice cream.  We laughed at the drunk people behind us, at the frat boys in front of us who kept buying beer after beer (despite my son insisting that they did not look twenty-one), and at the Racing Presidents in the middle of the fourth inning.  One drunk guy had us laughing so hard, I don't think I had ever heard my son laugh so non-stop.

When I asked him on our way home what his favorite part of the evening was, he said he liked feeling like a real fan; not just a spectator.  Aw! I don't know if he'll remember this moment as fondly as me, but spending those few hours on a beautiful Sunday evening with my not-so-little-anymore boy taking in a game of baseball was a definite highlight for his mother.

Millionaire Babies, or Regular Guys?

One thing I pride myself in is being able to be such a huge baseball nerd while still making an attempt at being a feminine woman who wears dresses and matching jewelry.  But being female seems to put me at a disadvantage when it comes to trying to figure out a male baseball player's psyche and how his childish mind works.  Case in point is when a player charges the pitcher's mound after being hit by a pitch.  Is such violence necessary?  According to most men, yes - it is.

Bench-clearing brawls have been a regular part of baseball for as long as the game has been played, and despite not being as popular as they were in the PED-days of the 1990s, they are still part of "America's Pastime."  Several intense ones come to mind - Orioles reliever Armando Benitez hitting Yankee Tino Martinez in 1998; Manny Ramirez trying to go after Roger Clemens in 2003 (Clemens was a punk during his career and was involved in many brawls); and of course, who can forget Robin Ventura and Nolan Ryan going at it in 1993?  That's personally my most memorable one, because I used to think Ryan was a god who could do no wrong, and then I learned that he was one to intentionally hit batters all the time.  Who DOES that?

So I guess there are two separate issues here.  First is the intentional hitting of a batter by a pitcher who seems to have a particular issue with a certain batter or just his team in general.  Then there's the issue of whether said hit batter should charge the mound to go after the pitcher who hit him or not.  According to my husband, who is the nicest, sweetest, and most non-violent person in the universe, intentionally hitting a batter is ok if you have a good reason to do so.  Cole Hamels hitting Bryce Harper on purpose as a "welcome to the big leagues, kid!" in 2012 is not cool (Harper ended up stealing home plate after that).  But if a batter is successful against you and seems to have an attitude about it, it's perfectly OK to plunk that batter whenever he comes up to bat.  But in my husband's defense, he says he would never do that - pitchers do it because they're jerks.  OK then!

This was the case this past Memorial Day, when the Nationals' Bryce Harper went after the Giants' Hunter Strickland after Harper got hit on the buttocks by a 98mph fastball.  Now, if you read my previous blog post, you saw how I said nice things about Harper and how he's all grown up now and has a better temper.  Yeah.  Harper didn't just charge the mound and push Strickland around; he took a few legitimate swings with a right hook akin to the kind Billy Blanks used to teach in Tae Bo classes.  Now, there's history between these two players - in the 2014 NLDS, Harper hit two home runs against Strickland, and after the second one, he glared at Strickland like "In your FACE, dude!"  Now, that was the childish and immature Harper of 2014; I would have assumed that almost three years later, he would have been over it.  But apparently Strickland wasn't over it either, which is what most of Harper's teammates seem to have issue with.  Daniel Murphy, who seems almost as nice and sweet an non-violent as my husband (rumor is he doesn't ever swear, which cannot be said about my former-sailor husband!) and Jayson Werth were both surprised that Strickland had not gotten over what happened almost three years ago, and most Giants players (including manager Bruce Bochy) said that Strickland did what he had to do.  This is where I shake my head in confusion.

What I can't understand is how grown men who make millions of dollars can act like such babies.  My husband agrees that Harper was right in charging the mound - if someone intentionally hits you, what are you supposed to do?  However, he thinks the pitcher was a jerk and should have gotten over what happened almost three years ago.  Hubby also brings up the point that as a teammate, you HAVE to join the melee and at least pretend to shove somebody from the other team, otherwise you're not a team player and you're unofficially black-balled.  I don't get this either - the benches clear, the bullpens empty, and everyone is pushing and shoving.  Oh my gosh, grow up, guys!  And to make it worse, my 13-year-old son thinks this is the coolest thing ever!  Oy!  Violence has consequences, son; wait until Major League Baseball issues fines and suspensions - it won't be cool then!

So yeah - according to my wonderful husband, I just don't get it.  And apparently I never will.  But as long as there's baseball, there will be pitchers intentionally hitting batters and hitters charging at the pitcher without any rhyme or reason.  And since when do Mormons act violently?  As a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Harper should have just shown up at Strickland's house and given him a copy of the Book of Mormon while wearing a white shirt and skinny black tie.  I'm sure things will get interesting in August when the Giants visit DC for a series against the Nationals; in the meantime, let's hope everyone can play nicely in the sandbox and no one runs with scissors.

To Watch, or Not to Watch?

We may have a fresh coat of snow on the ground here in Frederick, Maryland (9 inches, to be exact), but in Florida and Arizona, Major League Baseball's Spring Training is in full swing (pun intended!).  I sat by the warm fire in my living room fireplace in my fleece, velour, and fuzzy socks watching the Dodgers and White Sox yesterday, where the crowd was all in tank tops and shorts.  Oh to be in a warm climate enjoying ballpark hot dogs and watching the badass Clayton Kershaw pitch two shutout innings!

Actually, I should not be allowed to watch any Spring Training games at all.  They just give me anxiety and make me want the real season to start tomorrow.  I'm too damn competitive for these "pretend" games that don't count - why did Max Scherzer allow a home run in the second inning of the Nationals' game against the Mets?  That's inexcusable!  The Nationals paid seven gazillion dollars for him; he needs to be perfect!  Why didn't any of the Nationals' regulars get any hits in today's 5-4 victory?   Aren't they supposed to be the best lineup in baseball?  I don't think I can take it this month - they need to start playing for real right now (never mind the fact that there are three feet of snow in Fenway Park)!

Spring Training is a time for previously-injured players to get back into the swing of things (there's that pun again!), like the Orioles' Manny Machado and Matt Weiters, and for veterans like Ryan Zimmerman to get used to playing new positions (he's making the move from third base to first).  But they also have regular nine-inning games, so how can they expect us to not get excited when we've spent the last four months wondering if Peyton Manning is going to retire and trying to figure out if that dress on the Internet is blue and black or white and gold?  We are ready for some real excitement!

Instead we need to stop, take a step back, and chill just a little,  hard as it may be. We need to let the baseball players get into their routines,  practice their batting stances, and get their uniforms dirty. We've waited this long, so we can wait a few more weeks for the regular season to start, right?  I guess.  Players still need to be cut, umpires need to brush up on their skills, and groundskeepers have to get the ballparks ready for opening day a month away.  And some of us have big decisions to make:  Do we get tickets to "Jayson Werth Chia Pet Night," or "Anthony Rendón Garden Gnome Night?"  So let me try to practice what I preach and not take Spring Training so seriously - something very hard for a competitive Puerto Rican like me to do!  This is when I take a deep cleansing breath, go outside to shovel some snow, and bake some cookies... while taking a peek at MLB Network coverage of Spring Training.  Sorry; I just can't resist!

The Groundhog Days of Winter

In just a few days, Major League pitchers and catchers will be starting to report to their team's spring training camps in Arizona and Florida, despite the minus-zero wind chills here in Maryland and the seven feet of snow in New England.  The first spring training game is just two weeks away, which is beyond exciting for baseball nerds like myself.  I did keep my baseball feet wet during the off-season though, going with my husband and son to NatsFest in December and attending the annual meeting of our local SABR chapter just 2 weeks ago.

NatsFest, which was held in the DC convention center, was full of Nationals players available for photo ops.  We met manager Matt Williams and relief pitcher Drew Storen, as well as TV and radio personalities.  The rich people were able to get autographs from several players while the rest of us watched a Q&A with some of the players.  It was a nice event, though I would have liked more free stuff (don't give us a big plastic bag when we get there and not give us free stuff to put in it!  Haven't you ever been to a fitness expo where the Bic pens and the lanyards are free for the taking?).

The SABR conference was a completely different experience.  Members of the Society for American Baseball Research are (believe it or not!) nerdier than I am.  These people can rattle off statistics that the normal person would never consider to be a statistic.  Did you know that Tony LaRussa managed a total of 647 players?  No, I didn't either.  How about the fact that on two occasions, a team scored 13 runs with all RBIs coming from home runs (the Yankees and the Reds)?  Nope, I didn't know that either.  Also interesting to note was that at a game in April of last year, every Orioles starter scored a run.  Yep, that's what these people do all day - try to out-do each other with interesting but unusual statistics.  If these people used their nerdiness for good, we would have a cure for cancer, vision loss in humans could be restored, and colonoscopy preparation wouldn't be such a nightmare.  But hey, I got Jayson Werth and Manny Machado bobble heads in one of their drawings, and a very good lunch was included with the price of our registration. 

So now what?  Now we wait for the players to start trickling in and for the predictors to do their predicting for the upcoming season.  As I read all the projections, the one thing that makes me happy is that neither the Yankees nor the Braves appear on any of the "Top 10 teams" lists.  Most experts put the Nationals on top, with the Dodgers and Cardinals close behind.  I would actually like to see the Seattle Mariners do well this season.  They have Robinson Canó and Nelson Cruz offensively, and one of the best arms in Felix Hernandez.  And the Royals did so well last year that it would be nice to see them do well this season too, especially with their good run production. 

As far as my Nationals are concerned, they have six good arms in their starting rotation.  That's right - most teams have five starters and the Nationals have six since they signed Max Scherzer.  Rumor has it that Tanner Roark will be moved to the bullpen, :-( and some are even saying that Stephen Strasburg could be traded (!).  All I know is that Bryce Harper needs to grow up and step up, Jayson Werth served his 5 days in jail for driving too fast (though he probably won't start the season because he is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery), and Ryan Zimmerman is being moved from third base to first base.  And by gosh, Wilson Ramos, can you stay healthy for one full season?  So let's wait and see if the predictors and experts and SABR analysts are right about the Nationals - only six weeks left until Opening Day!

In the meantime, you should know that Gary Sheffield played in 51 different ballparks.  Yep!  Now you can go back to shoveling snow...

The Off-Season in Review (with my comments, of course!)

Football season is over and the Olympics only go for two weeks – what comes next?  Why baseball season is just around the corner, of course, and for those of us who are tired of these record-cold temperatures, we’re hoping that the start of a new baseball season brings with it some warmer weather.

So once you’re done rooting for Lolo Jones, Bode Miller and Shaun White, it’s time to get geared up for the 2014 baseball season.  Before you don your Orioles shirt, Nationals cap, or Yankee pinstripes (ugh!), you may want to catch up on what went on during the off-season, after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.  Well here’s a recap of what transpired since November in a nutshell (start your stopwatch – this should only take two minutes to read):

·        Detroit's Miguel Cabrera earned his second consecutive Most Valuable Player Award in the American League, took Players' Choice top honors and added a Silver Slugger as well. 

·        The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw won his second National League Cy Young Award in three years, and José Fernandez of the Marlins received the well-deserved reward of NL Rookie of the Year award.  (Remember him?  He’s that Cuban kid who spent time in immigration jail before successfully defecting by coming over on a makeshift boat that hit rough waters and a bunch of people fell overboard including his family.  And he can really pitch!)

·        Free agents:  Robinson Canó went to the Mariners, Jacoby Ellsbury is now a Yankee, Shin-Soo Choo signed with the Rangers, and Japanese pitching star Masahiro Tanaka went to the Yankees.  Who didn’t see that one coming?  Oh, the Yankees also signed outfielder Carlos Beltrán and catcher Brian McCann; they’re clearly trying to buy their way to another World Series.  Whatever!

·        Trades: The Rangers acquired slugging first baseman Prince Fielder from the Tigers for second baseman Ian Kinsler, a doozy of a deal featuring All-Star talent and big bucks. The Cardinals followed by sending third baseman David Freese to the Angels for Peter Bourjos.

·        New managers:  Bryan Price in Cincinnati, Matt Williams in Washington (it should have been Sandy Alomar, Jr.), Brad Ausmus in Detroit, Lloyd McClendon in Seattle, and Rick Rentería with the Cubs -- and don't forget Ryne Sandberg in Philadelphia, a late-season addition.

·        Oh, and in case you didn’t realize this, the Orioles lost their closer, Jim Johnson, to the Oakland A’s.  I felt really bad about that one – despite Johnson’s blown saves last season, he was a good pitcher and will be hard to replace.

·        What about my Nationals?  They acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister from the Tigers and were able to avoid arbitration with pretty much every player who was eligible for it.  They also announced “Jayson Werth Garden Gnome Day,” which is pretty exciting.

·        Notable quote:  Curtis Granderson went across town from the Yankees to the Mets, saying “True New Yorkers are Mets fans.”  That one made me smile, since I started out as a Mets fan back in the 80s.  Too bad the Mets will suck again this season.

·        Three of the all-time great managers were honored with their election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame -- Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre, all heading to Cooperstown in July.

·        In an election that again was preceded by considerable debate, the BBWAA elected three first-timers on the Hall of Fame ballot: pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and hitting star Frank Thomas.

·        Lucrative deals:  Lefty Clayton Kershaw agreed to the richest deal ever for a pitcher, signing a seven-year, $215 million contract through 2020.  The Tigers then signed AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million deal, and the Rays signed David Price  to a one-year pact worth $14 million.

So there you have it – now you know what went on during the “Hot Stove” season and you can pretend like you know what you’re talking about when necessary.  Stay warm, enjoy the Olympics, and remember that Opening Day is only about seven weeks away!  

"National Disaster" a Bit Harsh

In the 12 years in which I’ve lived in Frederick, I have enjoyed reading the commentary of Hal Grau, who has a “Coach’s Corner” column in Sunday editions of our local fishwrap, The Frederick NewsPost.  Mr. Grau, who is touted as a legend in area high school sports because he coached different sports for 36 years, writes about very timely and interesting topics for us sports fans, ranging from local athletics to professional teams.  I usually like Mr. Grau’s columns, because he always gives good advice from a coach’s perspective, and he and I usually share the same opinions about many sports-related topics.

This Sunday’s “Coach’s Corner” headline, however, caught my eye in a negative way ("Pretty much a National disaster).  Referring to the Washington Nationals as a “National Disaster” was definitely a bit harsh.  Yes, the Nationals have not lived up to the hype and “World Series or bust!” attitude they brought onto themselves during Spring Training, and yes, they’re still 8 games out of the final Wild Card slot, and no, they probably won’t make it to the playoffs this year… but calling them a “disaster” was a little much.  I know Mr. Grau was probably going for some sort of play-on-words catchy headline, but “National Disappointment” or “National Deficit” would have been a little nicer.

Don’t get me wrong – as an avid Nationals fan I am definitely not happy with the inconsistency and lack of cohesiveness within the team, but the word “disaster” is usually used when everything has gone terribly wrong, like when a tornado wipes out an entire town or a space shuttle blows up or your teenage daughter’s bedroom looks like a war zone and you can’t find the floor.  Despite the Nationals’ sub-.500 record, they do have some positives going for them, like the much-improved bat  of Jayson Werth, the good pitching from rookies like Ross Ohlendorf and Taylor Jordan, and the smooth transition that Anthony Rendón has made by moving from third base to second.  (Look at me – I was one of the first to complain about how the Nats were playing such lackluster baseball, yet when someone agrees with me, I get all defensive, like if someone said that my kid did something wrong or that my mother’s potato salad recipe wasn’t the best.  I’m not contradicting myself; I’m just trying to lick my wounds and justify why the Nationals’ season hasn’t been a total “disaster.”)

First of all, Mr. Grau, “From the penthouse to the outhouse?”  Really?  Talk about harsh!  Have you seen how the 2012 World-Champion San Francisco Giants are doing?  They’re in last place in their division and have a worse record than the Nationals (who are in second place in the NL East).  And how about the Toronto Blue Jays?  With all their off-season acquisitions (including José Reyes and 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey), everyone had them winning the World Series.  Where are they now?  Dead last in the AL East.  I know you mentioned them in your column, but you failed to mention how worse-than-the-Nats these teams currently are. 

Then there’s your criticism of 2012 Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper, who failed to run out a pop-up recently.  The usually all-out, all-the-time Harper makes one lackadaisical move and all of a sudden he’s frustrated.  Well we’re all frustrated – the players, the coaching staff, and the fans – but Harper will continue to give it his all and play like every game is his last one (and I’m old enough to be his mother, so don’t be surprised if I get all “mama bear” on you if you try to say bad things about him again!).  He must feel some frustration after being on the Disabled List for a month in only his second season in the Majors.  Stephen Strasburg must be frustrated knowing he has one of the lowest ERAs in the National League yet has a losing record because of the lack of run support.  Franchise player Ryan Zimmerman must be frustrated knowing that he no longer has Gold Glove talent at third base and his bat has been pretty silent.  But these guys are still managing to stay afloat despite having an old has-been for a manager and despite the Braves having won 14 games in a row (including a sweep of the Nats). 

You do mention that you will be a better person in sports and in life if you are always well-prepared and always give it your best, but these guys play 162 games a year (WAY more than any high school season); they’re bound to have a game or two in which they just don’t feel like playing their best.  Yes, they do get paid millions of dollars to play a kids’ game, but they’re not paid to be perfect (because no one is), and if they make a mistake or two during a game (not outside of the game, like using PEDs - that's a whole other topic!), it’s fine.  I mean, if I were a coach, I would expect nothing but the best from my athletes, and I would get mad if they didn't give it their all.  But regardless of how good they were or how hard they tried, they're more than likely not going to win every game nor will they win the state championship each year - that's just a reality.  I know I've said before that if I were Commissioner of baseball, I would fine players for every error they made.  But just because I'm a hard-ass doesn't mean that I don't realize that errors do happen and expecting perfection is unrealistic.  The Nationals have not had any Billy Buckner moments this year – their botched plays and decline in pitching quality are not the end of the world.  And they are definitely not worth referring to their season as a “disaster.”

In the Blink of an Eye...

Hello, my friends.  I know I haven’t posted in a while, but I was so caught up in the baseball playoffs that I wasn’t sure what to write about – the surprising Oakland A’s, the feisty Orioles, the Strasburg-less Nationals…  But as a true Nationals fan, I have to accept what happened Friday night, and I’m hoping that by writing about it, I can move on and look forward to next year’s baseball season.

The Nationals went into the post-season with the best record in baseball – 98 wins that surprised many skeptics who had said that the Nationals were too young, too inexperienced, and relied too much on their pitching.  But regular-season records and statistics are erased come October, when everyone starts with a clean slate (including major-league-leading 21-game winner, Gio Gonzalez, who was less than stellar in his two post-season starts).

In game 1 of the National League Division Series (NLDS), the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 3-2.  This despite Bryce Harper going 0-5, Gonzalez walking 7 batters in 5 innings, and 10 runners left on base.  It was Tyler Moore’s 2-run single in the 8^th inning that made the difference, and it was all the Nats needed to squeak by the Cards, who also didn’t play particularly well on that day.

In the second game, the Cards won by a score of 12-4, thanks to two home runs by outfielder Carlos Beltrán.  The Nats left 9 runners on base that night – again, a game they did not play very well.

For game 3, the Nationals came home to DC but still lost 8-0.  The Cardinals had 14 hits, and their starter, Chris Carpenter, pitched 5 2/3 innings very well despite having missed most of the regular season with injuries.  This time, the Nationals left 11 players on base (are you sensing a pattern here with the LOB?).  For sure, the Nationals were playing so lousy that they were certain to be eliminated in game 4.

However, in game 4, after Jordan Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard each struck out their 3 batters in relief, Jayson Werth hit a towering home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nationals a 3-1 win.  It was one of those moments you’ll never forget, whether you were one of the lucky 45,000 fans to be at Nationals Park that night or whether you were watching at home.  It’s right up there with Kirk Gibson’s home run in the NLCS back in 1988 and Curt Schilling’s bloody sock in the 2004 postseason.  The Nationals were still alive, and all of a sudden everyone thought they could beat the Cardinals in game 5 and move on to face the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.

But as memorable as game 4 was because of Werth’s home run, game 5 will go down in Nationals infamy as the biggest heartbreak in the team’s short history.  In the top of the ninth inning, with the Nationals leading 7-5 and one more out to go before they could clinch their division, Nationals’ closer, Drew Storen, loaded the bases.  Then the Cardinals’ Daniel Descalso ripped a two-run single off the glove of shortstop Ian Desmond, bringing in two runs to tie the game.  Pete Kozma then followed with a two-run single to right, and before you knew it, the Nationals trailed by two.

The Nationals were unable to get on base in the bottom of the ninth, so just like that, the Cardinals move on to the NLCS.  It was a stunning and crushing loss, and some of us still can’t believe that the team that we supported all season is all done for the year.

So now what?  With both the Orioles and the Nationals being eliminated on the same day, what are DC/Baltimore fans supposed to do now?  Well I, for one, am going to root for the Detroit Tigers (though I seldom root for an American League team).  I’m going to keep watching the next 2 weeks of baseball (hoping that the Yankees choke and that Verlander, Cabrera, and Fielder can put on a good show), and I’m going to look forward to next year, when my husband and I can buy another five-game ticket plan, pitching ace Stephen Strasburg will hopefully be able to pitch for a full season, and most of the players in the Nationals team will be returning next year.  Their fans will still be here (including the new ones who joined the bandwagon this season); wearing our Nationals jerseys with pride and showing off our NATTITUDE. 

So stay tuned, amigos - I'm sure I'll still have plenty to say during the playoffs!  :-)

My Sincerest Apologies, Mr. Werth!

For the past year, I have been very vocal in my displeasure with Washington Nationals’ right fielder, Jayson Werth.  In my other blog, I have referred to him as “Werth-less,” “lousy,” and “just plain awful.”  (You can check out my other blog on http://www.prosportsblogging.com/)  Well, I’m happy to say that Mr. Werth is finally hitting, and in doing so has given himself a batting average of .362 (tenth in the Majors) with a .444 on-base percentage (OBP).

So what has Werth done recently to break out of last year’s funk?  Some say it’s the fact that first baseman Adam LaRoche has been effectively getting on base before Werth (LaRoche has hit in 8 of his last 10 games and has a current .333 batting average); others say Werth is “seeing the ball better” (something that this legally-blind blogger doesn’t quite understand!).  Whatever the reason, Nationals fans are happy that he is hitting and no longer has to be booed by Nats fans.

Jayson Werth is currently third in the Majors with 17 hits, and so far he has had 6 multi-hit games.  He looks pretty solid in right field, and manager Davey Johnson has said that right field is where Werth will stay (there were rumors during the off-season that Werth was going to be moved to center field).  The $126-million-dollar “Boras Boy” will be with the Nationals until 2017, and hopefully will continue producing consistently.

So on another note… Did you notice that the Nationals are 1 ½ games in front of the Mets in first place in the National League East?  Despite their .348 combined slugging percentage, the Nats are on top of their division, due largely in part to their stellar pitching.  The Nationals' starting rotation has combined to post a 1.69 ERA this season, which is by far the best in the league.  Nats starters have also held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average, which makes Nationals’ sluggers breathe a sigh of relief.  Third-baseman and #3 in the lineup, Ryan Zimmerman, is off to a slow start, as is catcher Wilson Ramos.  In an ideal world, the pitchers would continue to be stellar and the offense could continue to relax.  But since this is not Oz or Disney World or some made-up perfect world, Nationals’ batters need to start doing some more hitting – Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth cannot carry this team by themselves!

In non-Nationals news, did you hear about Jamie Moyer?  He's a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, and last night he became the oldest pitcher in history to earn a win.  Jamie is 49 and still going strong - I remember him playing when I was in college, and that was a LONG time ago!  Nolan Ryan always comes to mind when thinking of old pitchers, but Moyer has Ryan beat.  I know I've mentioned Jamie before, but I had to give him a shout-out after his first victory this season.  Way to go, old man!

Oh, and the Orioles!  I have to mention them, because they too are in first place in their division, with a 7-4 record.  Adam Jones had hit safely in every game this season until last night, and left fielder Nolan Reimold has homered in 4 consecutive games.  I know it's early, but wouldn't a Nationals/Orioles World Series be something totally exciting?  That's not going to happen, but I had to mention it since the two DC-area teams are in first place (for now).  Let's see how long that lasts...