Quote:"You can look at our team and our defense and our pitching staff," [Nats catcher Brian] Schneider said, "and you go ahead and ask around the league: Teams hate playing us."
Such a supposition seemed fishy, so we did ask around the league: Do teams really hate playing the Nationals? Each NL personnel man uttered some derivation of what one scout put best: "Yeah, like we hate eating chocolate cake."
I guess there are a few people that don't like chocolate cake.
I think the Nats will struggle, at times mightily, and yet my hunch is talk of 120/130 losses may be overdone.  I think that was the point of Schneider's comment--at the positions and even at the plate, the Nats have a real chance to be just a little on the bad side of mediocre.  If somehow the pitching comes through, 74 and I will be smiling more than anticipated this summer.
Of course, there is the other possibility.
BTW, after resisting the move and then not knowing when the time came, I'm here.
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Sitting in dowtown DC, I'm in no state save confusion.
Beltway makes it into our new home.
Beltway makes it into our new home.
Quote:Yeah, looks like the infield is set.  Now, all we need is a complete pitching staff, a couple of catchers and I reckon around 5 outfielders.  Oh yeah, reserve infielders as well.  And management--oh yeah, we need management--well, we've got that already but if they're gonna have to play, are they competent enough to manage as well? Â
Screwed that up, didn't I? Obviously, I'm not management material. I could change it and all but frankly I'm used to reviewing my mistakes on a regular basis.
Watching a spring training game between the Nats and Mets.  Nats lead 5-2 in the 7th.
Bob Carpenter says "Unless these last few weeks of spring training are an illusion, this team is going to be a lot better than the so called experts are saying.  Just this week, one [fool] got on tv and said they would lose 130 games."
Don Sutton replies "You know they'll hit and field the ball.  If the pitching comes around as it seems to be doing, the situation is not nearly so dire as the experts say.  But many of the experts couldn't tell a jock from an oxygen mask."
As if on cue, Mets get a bomb.  5-3 Nats in the 8th.
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sitting in downtown DC, I'm in no state save confusion.
I do believe the Nats will be tough if (when) their pitching staff comes together.