It was 1-1 when we got seated for dinner, 5-1 when I got up momentarily and 7-5 when we headed out the door. Only the Nats. I did not allow it to spoil a great meal.
What I'm having a hard time getting my foggy head around this morning is this report on Nationals.com - not the report itself but the information contained within.
I'm foggy this a.m. for some reason, first time in ages I haven't felt well. I have to pack and get to the airport and get home. I don't have the time or brainpower to deal with this right now. Arrrgggh. My head hurts.
I guess my basic question is: Was anyone watching the store when all this was being built? Didn't anyone raise a hand and said, 'Wait a second?'" Was Rizzo totally silent until he got the big job, albeit on an "acting" basis.
The team has come to the conclusion that Dunn and Willingham should be in the AL as designated hitters? Their body of work came from the NL. There was a history. Dukes makes fundamental mistakes? Suddenly, Guzman can't play short? They're going to unload all four (the story didn't say that, I just wonder)? The one guy who would trade for Dukes is no longer working in baseball.
I'm sure there's an expiration date after which we can no longer blame this mess on JimBow. I'm just curious about why no one seemed to be watching what he was doing. I'm also curious about the sources on the Nationals.com story - there can't be that many privy to the thinking, can there? Why go anonymous?
8 comments:
It seems that Rizzo is performing some clubhouse chemo, if you will (stolen proudly from a buddy of mine, David). They seem to be cleaning up the mess of attitude questions, struggling relievers, poor defenders and corner outfielders.
My take is that no one questioned what Bowden was doing because he was staying within his budget. They were ignoring the broader issues he was creating.
"The one guy who would trade for Dukes is no longer working in baseball."
Until yesterday, you could have said the same thing about Milledge, couldn't you? Or Hanrahan, for that matter. If the likes of Milton Bradley can still find jobs - making much bigger money, mind you - it's not outside the realm of possibility that someone out there could want Dukes on their team.
True. But Bradley has a much bigger body of successful work at that level to make the risk seem more worth taking. Milledge doesn't have near the baggage of Dukes. But I think his value was way, way low. Didn't they want a ton for him originally (the Mets I mean)? Then it became Schneider and Church, still a good haul.
The Pirates will end up trading him for a wheelbarrow.
Brian, that's probably a very accurate take. Sad but accurate.
Sigh. What you have here is an acknowledgement to Nats fans that after suffering for five years hoping the team would improve in the long run that the team HAS TO START BUILDING AGAIN FROM SCRATCH.
At this point the blame now falls on the Lerners (and Kasten's) heads for not firing Jimbo when they took over in 2006. We fans should all get t-shirts that read: "The Plan is a Sham."
Personally, I wouldn't care at this point if they dumped the entire roster save for Zimm, Flores and the starting pitchers. Anything would be better than watching this embarassment night after night.
And as for Dukes, the most disturbingthing is that despite being on relatively good behavior he seems to be regressing as a player. Ugh.
I agree, but the difference is that rebuilding under Bowden gave me no hope. Under Rizzo, I have hope. I also agree that anyone that can be traded except the corner stones should be.
I am, unlike bdrude not married to Zimm. The kid needs to spend a little time working on his throwing arm before I declare my allegiance to the Face of the Franchise.
Jim Bowden's primary asset was his salesmanship. he could sell sand to the Saudis. Rizzo is dealing with buyer's remorse over someone else's purchases.
one thing to remember: Ladson often goes down his own path on these things sometimes. Willingham is serviceable in left if you've got someone in center to go get the ball.
as for Dunn...duh. anyone paying half attention knew that Dunn is a butcher in the field. why do you think he settled in DC? for half the years and 1/4 the money he wanted?
Guzman's range factor has been decreasing for several years, and now he has a range of about four feet. going to his left it's particularly noticeable.
as for Dukes? an enigma. he should be much better than what he's showing, and it would not surprise me at all to see him shown the door.
are we all ready for The Plan 2.0 (tm)?
Well, we have one answer. I see in my links to the right that Dukes is going to AAA. Wonder how that will play out?
Ben: Even if Zimm tops out near to where he is right now, we'll have an above average third baseman with decent power who is locked in for five years at a reasonable cost. He might not be the superstar of the "First Great Nats Team," but he'll be a strong supporting player.
And that would only be a disappointment if you bought into all of Jimbo's hype when he was drafted.
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