Jerome Williams will not be back.
His line tonight...
Williams (L, 0-3) 3.0 11 hits 11 runs 7 ER 2 BB 2 K 9.48
They can't all be winners.
I have to admit, I didn't see today's day game, but I heard about it. And you have to be pleased at our pitching lately. Scrap heap find over and over, and we squeeze real performances out of them. This team is nowhere near being good yet, but as has been said by every single National announcer, the Nationals don't give up, and will fight you the whole game. So, keep doin that guys. Hopefully the front office puts up the dough for 2 or 3 big offseason moves, and that we can moves these picks to high Minors next year, which will set us up for 2009. Wooooo!
That's right, I'm challenging anyone who thinks this Belliard deal isn't a good one to a duel. 10 paces at dawn, bring it! Here are some reasons why this is a good deal for team:
1. He hits the ball
Unlike the rest of the team sans D'Meat and Guzmania, Belliard has good at bats. He looks at pitches and can spray the ball all over the field. He may not have power but he plays in the one position where it's excusable...2nd base. Now I really don't understand why 2b's get a pass to be just base hitters but that's another issue.
2. Felipe is not the long term answer at SS
Stay with me here. Felipe Lopez is playing SS this year due to Guzman's freaky finger injury. Thus when Guz comes back next year and continues to romp (Guzmania 2K8 lives here, don't accept imitations), Lopez is back at second. And that means Belliard is on the bench. Which is arguably where he is the most valuable. Just look at the stiffs we send up to pinch hit now. With the exception being Jesus Flores, our pinch hitters are despicable. Belliard would be a definite upgrade on the bench.
3. We're not a mid-market team
Now after my last point, I'm sure a lot of you are saying, "So we just signed a 32 y/o bench player to a 2-year, 3.5 million dollar deal! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!!!" Despite the low-level product we've put out in the past and present, the Nationals are a big money team. According to Forbes magazine, the Washington Nationals are the 6th most valuable team in baseball, just behind the Cubs and Dodgers and ahead of St. Louis, Philly, Atlanta, and Anaheim. The Washington metro area is the 8th largest in the nation. So while the Lerners have committed t "The Plan" of re-stocking the farm system, they are showing with this trade that they do have deep pockets and we will not hesitate to sign someone that will help the ball club.
As always, I don't care about your thoughts. Unless they agree with mine they're wrong. But you can click the little comment link and put them in anyways, and I will ridicule you!
Watching this game today, I've come to a few conclusions:
Felipe Lopez is in a big time funk, and looks really lost at the place. Overstriding, and swinging off balance. I wouldn't be opposed to letting him go at the end of the season, and keeping Belliard at 2B for a few years.
Bergmann is having issues keeping the ball down. Is it mental, mechanical, physical? I don't know, that's why they pay St. Claire to figure it all out.
Dmitri Young is a monster. This guy is playing a different game than the rest of the league. He is spraying the ball over the field, and never gives up on an at bat. I say keep him for the year, if Nick looks like he is still made of Candy glass, offer him a 2 year deal, and put him on a weight loss program. If Nick looks like he'll be ok, get your compensation picks.
I hate Austin Kearns swing. I hate it. No matter what, he looks he's late on the pitch. I don't care if he hit .350, someone has gotta get this guy to a hitting tee, and tell him to go to the ball with his hands.
I used to be pro-Langerhans, anti-Nook. I'm mostly apathetic now, but Nook's speed keeps him on the team in my book. A lot of teams have their speedster, (Bourn in Philly, Willits on Anaheim, Harris on Atlanta) and they can change the game with that speed. Langerhans is a defensive player at best, which you don't need on a last place team. (Update: He's a defensive player that can hit an upper deck homerun. I don't know anything)
Micah Bowie is a dork. "Get r dun". No, Micah. No.
I'm starting to like Don Sutton. He has a good voice for Color. He's no Vin Scully, who I got to listen to on my free Mlb Extra Innings preview. That man's voice is silky smooth. And the guy who did a few minutes in the Philly game this weekend on ESPN was way better than Jon Miller.
The Astros suck. I wish they traded Hunter Pence to us for Sori last year.
You still read this? Let us know. Comment. Email.
For the few readers who check here occasionally for new posts in vain, go check out DC Sports Bog this week, as our favorite blogger, Chris Needham from Capital Punishment is guest blogging. He's always entertaining, and has the endurance to continue to post with a team that gives us a win followed by 2 losses most of the time. So go do it.
As you may or may not have noticed, we kind of stopped posting. It was a chore, and we (the Nats) are painfully inconsistent. Right when we get excited about the team (crazy awesome May-early June), they bring back the suck. Its very frustrating, as I'm sure you know.
The All Star break seems like an eternity for a baseball fan, but is probably nowhere near long enough for a player. I imagine most ballplayer's wives don't remember what they look like after a long road trip, but they also find comfort in spending their hubby's ungodly wages coming from playing a game. Nonetheless, we're in a sports vacuum today, aside from some soccer which I love. I'm not going to give the Nats a midseason report, mainly because if they had a grade, it would be an F. They're in last, they will be for a couple seasons, and they're only going to get worse in the second half. They get no D's. A few players deserve high grades, but the low grades from everyone else bring down the average. It's like that retarded trailor trash kid that screwed up your 6th grade class' SOL score. Asshole.
So, let's hope we don't embarrass ourselves in the second half. Why do I say that? Because I'm sure we'll be losing D-meat, Belliard, and possibly our closer and setup man. That makes a Big Momma sized hole in our already anemic offense, and kills our bullpen. So, pardon me for not drawing hearts on my Nats ticket stubs, and dreaming of the future, since the immediate future is pretty dark.
Haven't posted in awhile cause there hasn't really been much to say. I'm rendered speechless by the suck that is our team right now. Mannyger should have them practicing hitting off tees, just so they can remember what contact feels like, cause they're not getting any of it in games. Ever since Guz went down the sticks have gone away. And I think its giving our pitchers/guys with arms confidence problems. How can you go out and pitch effectively if you know its not really going to matter because we're only going to score 2 runs and they won't be scored until the 8th or 9th. Amazingly though, our team is on about the same pace as our team was last year. We just had a little more firepower last year so it was bearable to watch. As the trade deadline approaches, the team is going to shift in a new direction and though the play might not be much better, it still leaves the door open for an exciting second half. Exciting in the sense that we might get to see a lot of the younger guys in the system get some PT, oh and Nick Johnson might play a game or two. I sort of want Bowden to keep DMeat. I don't really think we're going to get a lot of value prospect wise out of him because of his age. So unless we get an offer that we can't refuse prospect wise, we should just hold on to him and milk him for all he's worth. Plus he looks like Wesley Willis, which I find hilarious. CUT THAT MULLET!!!
Went to the game again at Turner...
This game has it all. Z-man pulling a Nook, a Flop 3 pitch all looking strikeout, and a multi homerun game by a guy with 4 HR all year coming in. I'm not going tomorrow. I can't stand how much we blow.
And its all because GUZMANIA is dead...he was more important that you all realize.
That's what the Nats and I share in common this week. I'm on the road for business as are they. And we just both happen to be in the ATL. So how better to spend a balmy summer night then at a real major league ballpark, Turner Field, watching the Nats take on the cowards, errr Braves. I will have all of you that watched know that somehow we didn't look as bad in person as I'm sure we looked on TV. I didn't even notice the 13K's, well except for Zimmerman's. Dude looks as lost as a congressman in his constituency. Highlights of the game were that Bergmann looked just as good as he did before he went on the DL. I attribute the fall off in the 4th inning as him just getting tired. It's only his first start back, so look for him to go longer and longer into games as he keeps going. But what I saw looked promising. The hitting also wasn't as bad as I had feared when I heard the Guzman news (more on that later). We just couldn't string them together. With Tim Hudson behind us now, I think we have a good chance to come back in this series and win it.
On the the Guzman news. As most of you know GUZMANIA 2K7 is now over. He had surgery to repair the cartilage in his thumb. What sucks about the whole thing is that it was on such an innocuous play. Barfield looked much more shooken up by that play than Guzman. Then again three weeks ago in my slow pitch softball league a slid into 2nd and torqued the wrist, played the rest of the game and the next day couldn't move my hand, so I can see how it happened. I'll tell you why I'm not as depressed as you'd think I'd be. Had Guzman continued playing, there was a good likelihood that he would be dealt before the deadline to a contender. Now that he's "damaged goods" he'll be around next year, when we're supposed to have a marginally better roster. So the GUZMANIA 2K8 train is now being assembled. Tickets go on sale next spring! Those of you who bought season tickets to 2K7, thanks for Pledging your allegiance, you've got preferred status for next years GUZMANIA!
BTW after watching a game at Turner, I don't care how much more expensive tickets are at the new field...it'll be worth it. Also I'd like to take a moment to thank the Braves for making the game a good experience for the visiting fan. Before the game, on the giant video board, they ran a 5 minute promo on the Nationals and their history in Montreal. And repeatedly throughout the night many of the trivia questions were actually Nationals related, such as how much the Nats new ballpark cost, and who threw out the first ceremonial first pitch ever at RFK. Perhaps I'll go back tomorrow and sit in the $1 skyline section, as opposed to my no closer to the field $8 seat.
Chief is strikeout nasty right now, and so was Rauch. A display of Bullpen mastery by the Nationals, along with a strong performance by Micah Bowie.
We were talking about Bowie's ability to continue to avoid L's, and it's a smoke and mirrors scenario. He has little control of his curve, but he has multiple pitches. And he's tricky.
And Kyle has a new favorite player, double 00, B Watson.
Oh, and Pwned, Boobs, Teen, Porn, Sex, Nats, 9/11, Al Quaeda, Bush.
We're trying to boost our Google skills.
Last night....well, we aren't going to talk about that. That was an example of good vs. not very good. Let's talk about other stuff.
Levale, we hardly knew ye. But, hope you weren't settled in DC. Speighner along with Abreau were DFA'd today, making room for Luis Ayala (YES!) and Chris Schroeder (who?). Also, Brandon Watson has arrived, proof that the Nook/Langerhans combo isn't working. Nook needs to go.
My next pick to leave, Tony Batista. Bergmann to come up. We'll see how genius I am.
Just want to let this out, so you can pay us homage later. Keep D-Meat, ship Nick Johnson. There we said it, what're you gonna do about it!
UPDATE: Bowden says we might be right.
Word on the street, from a million different sources, including the Nats home page, Nats Journal, Rotoworld, Fox, etc., etc., say we will be going after the one, and only, Elijah Dukes.
No one disputes the Dukes has pop in his bat, something we want in a CF next year. You know who else has pop in his bat? Jose Canseco. He's still in independent ball somewhere, throwing the knuckler. Let's give him a contract! It's not like he hasn't confessed to doing anything wrong, and written books about it!
The consensus is that the Rays are trying to get rid of Dukes ASAP, as he has just fathered his fifth child out of wedlock by a 17 year old foster child. At this point, the Rays might be asking for a bucket of baseball and some bats. If this is the case, I say we take him, and stick him in Columbus, as we have no youngsters of real worth there, and he can't screw up a last place team. BUT, if they ask for a young player like Flores, or on of our good arms out of the the pen (READ: COLOME. They want him back, maybe? probably not. But I want him), then I say, NO! with a fake French accent.
Flores WILL be the man. Mark my words. Just as we predicted the rise of GUZMANIA2K7, we are predicting that Flores will be an All-Star in 4 years. Write it down.
So in summary, No to Elijah Dukes, unless he's almost free. If free, then yes.
I doubt he will be free, and I would keep him away from DC, as there are enough crimes there without importing criminals, so I doubt we'll have him.
Perhaps its true. We just might be on a roll. Yeah I know we're playing just over .500 ball as of late, but for a starting rotation of Simontacchi, Chico, Basick Speigner and Bowie. Just take a few minutes to stew about that for a second. At most any of one those guys is a 5th starter on contender and a 3-4 guy on a .500 team. Kudos to Mannyger for gettin the boys up. This brings me to my next point. As good as it is to have our team win games so far this season, its going to be that more disappointing when we become abhorribly bad after the trade deadline. As much as I'd like to be able to see some wins to close out the season, I'd much rather see us trade away the valuable commodities we have for some young talent. Now I'm not saying that we should start over with a new team next year, expanding "The Plan". Rather we separate the chaff from the wheat, leaving only the players that can help us for the long haul. So here are the players I would say will be up on the block this summer:
Ronnie Belliard
Dimitri Young (Love this guy, but he's getting old and he needs to go to the AL so he can DH)
Ray King
Chad Cordero
Jon Rauch
Cristian Guzman (Maybe, but I hope not. Guzmania lives!)
I think we could get some real value for these guys, for guys like Cordero and Rauch, we could get some decent prospects, some of which could make the team next year.
As for tonights game, we brought out the whoopin' sticks tonight. And with the exception of Fick and Colome, everyone manned up tonight. I was gonna say that chicks dig the long ball, but no one wants the women baltimore has to offer soooooo yeah, not goin' there. Anyways the nats go for the series win tomorrow. It's in the bag.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we have stated from the start, GUZMANIA2K7 is a force to be reckoned with, and deserves an all star berth. Don't believe me? Ask Ladson.
If you read this blog, we demand you cast your vote for GUZMANIA 25 times, which is the maximum. Here is the link.
It's been awhile since I've had my say on here. But let me explain. I had no internet the entirety of last week after I moved across town. A weekend trip to Blacksburg and you've got the 10 days or so I've been gone. Enough about me though, what've the Nats been up to. You know, the unusual. Losing a series to the Pirates and then winning one against the Twinkies. This is edge of your seat stuff man, at least we're in almost every game. The pitching seems to have regressed a little bit as of late but that's to be expected with the arms we're rolling out there. The offense however has surprisingly stayed pretty good. We still have yet to blow anyone out but I don't care about blowouts. It's all about the W's baby! Tomorrow the Nats will bring a little class to the Baltimore era by gracing the Orioles with their presence. I'm just glad we don't have to face Bedard this series. Anyways I'm back, so get off me!
Meat, you are a great hitter right now, but you don't not belong in the field. Your error in the 7th today is the stuff of little leagues. If the Nats bring this game within 1, I will make a Meat voodoo doll and stick a pin in your glove hand so you have to DH this entire week. Don't think I won't do it.
Since Kyle is dead or something, and hasn't posted in a while, I'm going to cover today's important events. What important events might I be speaking of? That would be the 2007 First Year Draft, which the Nationals need more than most other teams. I'm also watching the Nats play the Pirates, and after giving up a lead off triple, Chico manned up, got two fly ball outs, backed up an errant throw by Kearns and prevented a run, and the K'd Jason bay looking. Nice start. I'll be popping back in as things happen.
Also, later today or tomorrow Kyle and I are going to post what we think the Nationals need to be a competitor in the NL East.
Update 1:23- Seriously, if we don't trade DYoung ASAP, we're idiots. The man is hitting out of his mind. It's too bad we don't get to use a DH, cause this man is built for it. He's just not built for anything involving a fielder's glove. 2-0 Nats off Meat's 2 run blast.
Update 2:46- We took Ross Detwiler, after Wieters was nabbed in the 5th slot. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but we'll see. Score still 2-2.
Posts
