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Tag Archives: Mike Rizzo

The Time To Move on From Dusty Baker Is Now

2017 Articles, Features 3 Comments

Many a great remembrance of Dusty Baker’s time will be written  across the DC region this week. Rightfully so. Two winning seasons with two division titles in two tries is more than any other manager in our short history has done, and for that he will always be fondly remembered. Well, that and because Dusty Baker is simply an awesome person. 

Many people who derided his hiring instead of Bud Black just two short years ago — myself included — were very much won over by the charming skipper. His quips, his casual but confident way, his soft, smooth voice when answering questions. And, of course, all the winning. 

But success cuts both ways, and Mike Rizzo probably has the right of it when he says regular season victories and division titles are not the goal anymore. Pulling yourself out of your post-Game 5 malaise, even the most ardent fan can’t pretend like they are okay going on losing in the first round ad infinitum. Where the dividing line between Rizzo (or maybe, more rightly, the Lerners) and fans is who exactly is to blame. 

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After Another Disappointment, Reject The Tired Narratives

2017 Articles, Features 5 Comments

Note: there are many more obscenities in this article than those that usually appear on our site. If you find such things offensive, I recommend that you choose to read one of our other great articles by our amazing authors. Thanks.

I’ve spent the better part of a day trying to decide what to say, and if I wanted to say anything at all. I am still struggling with that, but I decided it was better for my mental health if I just started to type and see what came out. After all, that’s how I started getting into this in the first place when I started my first sports Nationals blog in 2010. What’s below are the ramblings of an incoherent person, one still feeling a wide range of emotions related to the Washington Nationals latest NLDS debacle, another baseball season gone by, and many years of closely following this team.
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The Bullpen’s Back, and There’s Gonna Be Trouble…

2017 Articles Leave a Comment

…Hey-na, hey-na, the bullpen’s back!

With the addition of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson, the bullpen has started to take shape and has been very effective. Two of the Nats most reliable starters faltered on this recent road trip — Max Scherzer surrendered five runs in the first two innings, on back-to-back-to-back home runs to lead off the game. Yesterday, Nats fans everywhere collectively held their breath as Stephen Strasburg left after just 51 pitches with some forearm stiffness. What happened next will blow your mind!

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The Hidden Costs of Not Fixing the Nationals Bullpen

2017 Articles 1 Comment

Look: I’m sick of talking about the bullpen, you are sick of reading about the bullpen, but we really don’t have a choice. The Nationals have an elite offense (even more so if they get healthy) and an elite rotation, but have been treading water for the last couple months because of a ‘pen that cannot keep runs off the board. Fortunately, the stiffest competition has a bullpen that is nearly as useless, leading to a massive lead in the division all the same. The resulting popular rhetoric has been “the Nats have time” and “why rush into a move, maybe they can figure things out before the last week of July.” I am here to challenge that notion with some thoughts on the hidden costs of the 2017 Nationals bullpen.

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Nationals Short-Season Leagues Preview

2017 Articles Leave a Comment

Folks, it’s that time of year again. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I’m getting a sunburn every time I step outside; summer is (almost) officially here. Of course with the beginning of summer comes the beginning of short-season baseball, the obscure and sometimes mysterious proving ground for draftees and international signings alike. Modest baseball fields from Missoula to West Palm Beach are firing up their lights for the first times all season, ready to watch young men take their first steps towards their major league dreams or fight to keep that dream a reality. Alright that’s enough of me trying to sound poetic about short-season baseball; the low minors are fun, they’re weird, and most importantly they give many fans a chance to see their team’s newly drafted players and international free agents for the very first time. For the Nationals, several high-upside prospects are set to make their much anticipated professional debuts after the Nats splurged on international prospects last summer. When you add in the incoming draft class, Nats fans will have plenty to watch for between Auburn, West Palm Beach, and Boca Chica this summer.

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Did the Nationals Try to Draft Relievers?

2017 Articles Leave a Comment

By all accounts, the Nationals had a good draft. In the part that really matters — Day 1, which is composed of the first two rounds — they did what has worked so well for them in the past: Pick players (usually pitchers) who fall for reasons other than ability. The selections of lefty Seth Romero and righty Wil Crowe meet those criteria to a T, as Romero fell due to character concerns and Crowe fell due to medical concerns after his return from Tommy John surgery. In the part that matters least — Day 3, which is rounds 11-40 — they did what every team does: Select enough players to fill out your minor league teams, with a few unsignable high schoolers and your executives’ grandkids thrown in.

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