I'm sitting here watching my son set up the new TV and thinking we should have hauled it up 95 and gone. Too late now. Those who went, take a moment and let me know what it was like. Did I miss anything?
My wife told me this a.m. she wants to add two tickets to our package so we can take our son, friends, whatever. Not sure I'm willing to commit another grand to this team just yet so we'll see. If they trade her favorite player (Milledge), I suspect those extra tickets will be something she tries to shove somewhere someone wouldn't want them shoved.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
What he said, revisited
Thomas Boswell was always about 1,000 times the writer I was and that hasn't changed. Check out his latest if you haven't already and see if you don't agree with him.
I do.
Good start to the offseason with the Olsen/Willingham deal (first reported by yours truly, I just had to work that in again).
Nothing since.
Give us a real big sign that you're still working to make this 102-loss outfit better. Give it to us soon. I already re-upped my tickets. I hope I don't regret that.
Get Dunn done. Get Zimmerman done. OK, I'll shut up now. Boswell said it all better than I could.
I do.
Good start to the offseason with the Olsen/Willingham deal (first reported by yours truly, I just had to work that in again).
Nothing since.
Give us a real big sign that you're still working to make this 102-loss outfit better. Give it to us soon. I already re-upped my tickets. I hope I don't regret that.
Get Dunn done. Get Zimmerman done. OK, I'll shut up now. Boswell said it all better than I could.
Monday, January 19, 2009
(rapid head shake) Markakis, $66 million?
This report about Nick Markakis' deal leaves me with two thoughts, or maybe a third:
*Is he really worth THAT much?
*If so, how much is Zimmerman worth? This guy isn't as good, right?
*Why can't the Nats get something done with Zimmerman? The Capitals earned a lot of good will with their growing legion of fans by locking up the NHL's best player long term. Why can't the Nats put something together for Zimmerman?
*Is he really worth THAT much?
*If so, how much is Zimmerman worth? This guy isn't as good, right?
*Why can't the Nats get something done with Zimmerman? The Capitals earned a lot of good will with their growing legion of fans by locking up the NHL's best player long term. Why can't the Nats put something together for Zimmerman?
Friday, January 16, 2009
MY odds and ends!
Apologies to my friends at We've Got Heart for ripping off their thread title. Been a while since I have been able to post and I just have a few short things to yabber about tonight.
*Don't tell my wife. Just bought a High Def TV that my son swears was too good a deal to resist. Should be here next week and he says when I see a Nats game on a 46-inch HD it will be BETTER than actually going to the park. Beer cheaper, colder. Bathroom closer. NO long drive home afterward. Should have thought of all that before I renewed my tickets. The TV was cheaper.
*I wake up every morning hoping for some news. Real news. Olsen/Willingham level news or higher please. I'm disappointed very early in the day.
*The less said about the latest Dukes mess the better. Someone posted on NJ in the comments section that the Nats ought to work out a long-term deal now that will look great to him in his current situation and let them get off cheap. I admit I laughed but it actually isn't a bad idea. Of course, lawyers would get their hands on a chunk of that money, too. I've come around on Dukes as a player and I'm really trying to get comfortable with him as a person but I still fear there's always going to be something with him.
*Someone tell me why I should, or shouldn't, attend this NatsFest thing. The caravan stops at a joint not far from my office. My wife and I went two years ago when I was still sports editor so I could try and get a clue on interest in the Nats in this area. The line was out the door of the restaurant the entire time the Nats were there.
*Does Chesley Sullenberger need a wheelbarrow to haul those things around or what? I'm not at all confident I have the stones to pull off something like that. I'm reasonably certain I don't. Oh, we'll just put this bird down in the river here, no worries. I immediately decided I want this guy as the Nats' next GM. Today would be good.
*Don't tell my wife. Just bought a High Def TV that my son swears was too good a deal to resist. Should be here next week and he says when I see a Nats game on a 46-inch HD it will be BETTER than actually going to the park. Beer cheaper, colder. Bathroom closer. NO long drive home afterward. Should have thought of all that before I renewed my tickets. The TV was cheaper.
*I wake up every morning hoping for some news. Real news. Olsen/Willingham level news or higher please. I'm disappointed very early in the day.
*The less said about the latest Dukes mess the better. Someone posted on NJ in the comments section that the Nats ought to work out a long-term deal now that will look great to him in his current situation and let them get off cheap. I admit I laughed but it actually isn't a bad idea. Of course, lawyers would get their hands on a chunk of that money, too. I've come around on Dukes as a player and I'm really trying to get comfortable with him as a person but I still fear there's always going to be something with him.
*Someone tell me why I should, or shouldn't, attend this NatsFest thing. The caravan stops at a joint not far from my office. My wife and I went two years ago when I was still sports editor so I could try and get a clue on interest in the Nats in this area. The line was out the door of the restaurant the entire time the Nats were there.
*Does Chesley Sullenberger need a wheelbarrow to haul those things around or what? I'm not at all confident I have the stones to pull off something like that. I'm reasonably certain I don't. Oh, we'll just put this bird down in the river here, no worries. I immediately decided I want this guy as the Nats' next GM. Today would be good.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Color me shocked
Nationals.com and the Nationals Journal both write about the retirement of John Patterson. I'm tempted to crack wise with a line like "how can you tell?" but I won't because I find the whole thing very sad.
I saw Patterson pitch a number of times in 2005. I saw him beat Seattle 2-1 in what I believe was win No. 9 in that marvelous 10-game streak in June. I saw him pitch lights out in Philadelphia and get zippy run support. I had tickets to his shutout against the Dodgers later in the season and couldn't go. My brother went, as did a colleague. Both called me after the game gushing about his stuff. When the guy was on, he was quite fun to watch.
Who knows what is up with his arm? I know there were some questions about his toughness, some thought that it was all in his head when it took forever to come back from what seemed like a relatively minor injury. I'm not a doctor (though I am the son of one) and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night but I don't really subscribe to either of those theories. I've seen it enough in sports over the years. Some guys can get hit by a Mack truck and play the next day. They heal quickly or they just don't get hurt. And some guys - Patterson being one - have no luck in that regard. Odd that he made it back from ligament replacement surgery but this wrist thing proved to be too much.
Patterson always seemed like a good guy, too, though I have no personal evidence of that. Guys I know who covered him said he was a standup guy.
Good luck in whatever is next for him. Meanwhile, I'll continue to dream about what might have been. I really thought for a while he was The One of all The Ones.
I saw Patterson pitch a number of times in 2005. I saw him beat Seattle 2-1 in what I believe was win No. 9 in that marvelous 10-game streak in June. I saw him pitch lights out in Philadelphia and get zippy run support. I had tickets to his shutout against the Dodgers later in the season and couldn't go. My brother went, as did a colleague. Both called me after the game gushing about his stuff. When the guy was on, he was quite fun to watch.
Who knows what is up with his arm? I know there were some questions about his toughness, some thought that it was all in his head when it took forever to come back from what seemed like a relatively minor injury. I'm not a doctor (though I am the son of one) and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night but I don't really subscribe to either of those theories. I've seen it enough in sports over the years. Some guys can get hit by a Mack truck and play the next day. They heal quickly or they just don't get hurt. And some guys - Patterson being one - have no luck in that regard. Odd that he made it back from ligament replacement surgery but this wrist thing proved to be too much.
Patterson always seemed like a good guy, too, though I have no personal evidence of that. Guys I know who covered him said he was a standup guy.
Good luck in whatever is next for him. Meanwhile, I'll continue to dream about what might have been. I really thought for a while he was The One of all The Ones.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Milton Bradley?
Nats.com reports the team is pursuing Milton Bradley, seriously they say.
Milton Bradley? Is that really necessary? Does the team need more outfielders?
How tough is it? Go get a first baseman, go get Orlando Hudson. Go get another pitcher, maybe, if a good one can be had at a decent price.
Milton Bradley? Someone explain to me what I'm missing about why such a move makes sense, please.
Unrelated to that, Cabrera is apparently Redding? Let me 'splain. He cost about what Redding would have cost and I think it is a solid exchange. Redding is Redding, there isn't much chance of him becoming a hell of a lot better at this stage. Cabrera isn't much better now but seems to at least have a bit more upside. I guess we'll see. At worst, we'll probably see 10 wins and more than a few nailbiting moments.
Milton Bradley?
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone. There are many, many, many things in my life I want to see improve in 2009. The baseball team I follow is high on that list.
Milton Bradley? Is that really necessary? Does the team need more outfielders?
How tough is it? Go get a first baseman, go get Orlando Hudson. Go get another pitcher, maybe, if a good one can be had at a decent price.
Milton Bradley? Someone explain to me what I'm missing about why such a move makes sense, please.
Unrelated to that, Cabrera is apparently Redding? Let me 'splain. He cost about what Redding would have cost and I think it is a solid exchange. Redding is Redding, there isn't much chance of him becoming a hell of a lot better at this stage. Cabrera isn't much better now but seems to at least have a bit more upside. I guess we'll see. At worst, we'll probably see 10 wins and more than a few nailbiting moments.
Milton Bradley?
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone. There are many, many, many things in my life I want to see improve in 2009. The baseball team I follow is high on that list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)