Fun with numbers. 300

For the last time in my life, I saw a 300-game winner. I'm sure there will be another one eventually but I suspect it will be a long, long time.

I would have given up my eyewitness to history claim, however, to see Drama Queen the Umpire make the correct call on Adam Dunn in the eighth.
Yes, I'm biased. My Son the Braves Fan is not. He was watching at home and sent a text right away - horrible call, brutal call, pitch was low.
What really bothered me was Drama Queen waiting about a week to make the call. You want to butcher a pitch, fine. Do it. Don't primp for the camera.

There's a thread on Johnson on an online forum I participate in at www.sportsjournalists.com and many there thought the pitch was definitely a ball.

Three hundred is a lot of wins. Fifteen seasons of 20 victories? Wow. Here's a fun fact about 300 - Randy Johnson now has two more victories than the Nationals have in their four-plus seasons in Washington.
Check my math with me: 81+71+73+59+14 = 298. Yep, my computer calculator says it is correct.

Somehow, when the Nats get No. 300 in 2-3 weeks, I don't think there will be as much of a fuss. Today's game - guess the date they win No. 300: I have June 21.

The Rain King

Is it the Counting Crows who sing about the Rain King? That's me, the Rain King.

I went to the second home game of the season, when MASN had originally scheduled its Blogger's Night. Fortunately, the game was called early so I was able to enjoy good company in two different restaurants and still get home at a reasonable hour.

I had tickets to the Cardinals' game that was rained out. We were heading over when I got a text message that said the tarp was back on the field.

MASN rescheduled its event for us Kings of the Keyboards for the day portion of the day-night doubleheader. That went off without a hitch. Not so the night game, which at least played long enough to be official.

Then came the disaster that was last night. No way anyone with vision could have looked at a radar and seen a way to get that game in once 9 p.m. version of the rain started. No way. Yet many stayed and stayed and spent and spent and spent *** and there's the deal. You're here. Once we pull everything out of your pockets that we can, we'll do what should have been done two hours ago and call the thing off.

I understand schedules and wanting to play and doing everything within reason to do so. Within reason is the key. There's no way after a certain point you can risk million dollar players on a field like that. Let's not forget the comfort and safety of your fans, either. That has to count for something.

I had tickets last year to the game - also the Cardinals, I believe - that was delayed under a similar circumstance. I couldn't go so I gave the tickets to my daughter. Called her about five to see if she'd headed out. "Heck no. It's raining like crazy and the radar is as red as a fire engine," she said.

She was right. It never let up. There was never a reasonable window. Yet they waited and waited and waited to call it. My brother was at the stadium and he predicted within five minutes when they'd make the call. "They won't do it," he said, "until they sell all this food. And drinks to go with it."

I love baseball. I love it enough to go to great lengths to follow a bad team and see it in person as much as possible. I don't love rain. I'm a wimp and don't like sitting in wet clothes in wet seats and making long, wet walks back to my car.

So my plea to the Nats is to take that "within reason" part to heart in the future. You're getting plenty of money out of me now. You don't need to "soak" me for more.

Now, let me stop writing and go get ready to drive to D.C. again. Ladies Day and my wife is taking a half day off. Ladies Day is under cover and will go on, rain or shine, we're told.

Just got home

mostly dry by now. LONG day of driving, sitting around at ballpark, spending money (you are welcome Uncle Stan), NOT seeing baseball. No chance of that with the weather, I understand. It took until 11 to make that call?
More later. Probably shouldn't post when I'm tired, wet and ticked.
At least I get to see two tomor *** uh, later today.

Catching

Wee haaaa! On a roll, bay-beee. The Nats are 1-0 in the McCatty Era. The team is within 22 games of the .500 mark. Better days ahead.

Ah, but there's still a question to be answered. Or so we're told on the television. Bob and Rob talked about it last night before the Nats exploded for a zillion runs in the bottom of the eighth. With the bad news about Jesus Flores' shoulder, there's now a competition going on with Wil Nieves and Josh Bard for the top catching job.

Really?

Mike Rizzo was quoted as saying the team is content to go with those two and I suppose it makes sense. If there was a No. 1-worthy catcher out there, someone would already have him. It is probably not worth trading even a marginal prospect for someone to use the rest of this season. What, catching Nieves-Bard is going to cost this team a playoff spot?

So while being OK with this duo because of circumstances, I'm still a bit confused. A competition? Is there really any question that Nieves is the better choice of the two?

Bard is growing on me and not because he hit a home run last night. I posted a while back about a quote of his I loved. I saw his postgame interview last night and my guess is he's the media people's dream. Chatty, personable, a good quote. He's a guy I could like a lot. Despite Nieves' recent hitting, Bard is probably a better offensive option.

But by how much? Heck, Wil "Who?" Nieves almost had a grand slam last night!


I also can't make myself believe Bard's a solid defensive catcher because I haven't seen any evidence of that. It seems that Nieves has it over him there in a big way. Neither of them is Flores on offense or defense but, sadly, that's no longer an option for 2009.

Am I nuts? Shouldn't it clearly be Nieves-Bard?

As for Flores, I'm still bothered by the use of the term "stress fracture." Years ago, before I gained eight million pounds, I ran a lot. Even did the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon. Honest. My brother was there was a witness. I know a thing or two about stress fractures because I had a couple. I've been under the impression they were overuse injuries. Flores took a ball hard off his shoulder.

I'm also curious why it didn't show up before he went on a rehab assignment.

Perhaps there's a perfectly reasonable and legit medical explanation for all this. I'm going to guess that's the case. But given the Nats' medical history over the past couple of years, these questions are not out of line.

I really hate this for Flores. He's the best thing JimBow did for the Nats. I love the way he plays, love the way he carries himself. I think I'm going to wear my Flores t-shirt to the game tonight in his honor.

A move IS made - St. Claire gone

See Nationals Journal (cool links to the right).

I'll leave my poll up, most were in favor of this among the 30 votes thus far.

Manny stays, St. Claire goes. Interesting world. I'm eager to hear some of the explanations. As usual, Chris Needham has a good take on why Manny may still be around. And you can still blame Chris for me writing my nonsense. He stopped his old blog and I started mine.

I don't have much of an opinion on St. Claire. I always bought into the hype that he was pretty good, never really questioning that theory like it should have been questioned. But I asked not long ago (as many did and have since): WAS he really any good? What pitcher can he brag about having developed? He's had Bergmann every season the Nats have been in D.C. Is Bergmann any better now than he was then?

And I still want news on Flores.

Well, maybe I should have just shut up on Flores. Here is a cut-and-paste of the latest Nationals Journal and it has flat-out ruined my day. How did someone miss a stress fracture? And, if the ball that hit him caused the injury, is that not something other than a stress fracture? A stress fracture, I think, is an overuse injury. So does this have nothing to do with that ball nailing his shoulder? Whatever - we won't see him again this year.

Flores Out At Least Three Months, Maybe For Season
Just got the word on catcher Jesus Flores's status. It'll be a long time before the Nats' first-string catcher -- and a big part of the future -- is back on the field.

Flores has a stress fracture in his right shoulder. The team is saying he will be out three months, maybe the rest of the season.

Flores has been on the disabled list since May 15 with a right shoulder contusion. As recently as last week ago, the Nationals were anticipating Flores to be ready within days. But while rehabbing with Class AA Harrisburg, Flores aggravated his injury, and was sent to Birmingham, Ala., for a consultation with Dr. James Andrews.

The other question

While waiting for yesterday's Big News That Didn't Happen, I forgot about another issue.

How did Flores' visit with Dr. Jim go down there in Birmingham? Wasn't that yesterday? Has anybody read anything? I still hope for the best, fear the worst.

Just bought tickets for tomorrow. Last 300-game winner we'll see in my lifetime. Watch, that'll be the one game the Nats win this week.

Remember when?

For some reason, that old song "Re-mem-mem, Re-mem-be-member, Re-mem-mem, Re-mem-be-member when?" won't leave my head today.

So while we sit and wait for off-day news that doesn't appear to be coming, let's board the way back machine and go all the way back to June, 2005.

I remember back-to-back homestands where the team posted a 17-2 record. I also remember being present for both losses. Even when the team doesn't stink, I can't manage to see it win. The first of those homestands actually started May 30.

Chad Cordero saved FIFTEEN games in June. FIFTEEN.

That team spent 53 days - MORE THAN SEVEN WEEKS! - in first place. That team went 20-6 in June.

If this team goes 20-6 in June, it will still be NINE games below the .500 mark for the season.

Admit it. You're singing it, too. All together now: Re-mem-mem, re-mem-be-member, Re-mem-mem, re-mem-be-member WHEN!

Bring back Frank.