Time again to check in on the little ballclub that could, the Washington Nationals. To date, the heretofore monikered "Nots" have, by all accounts, exceeded expectations. Even as their rotation went from questionable to doubtful to utterly unknown, they've managed to win enough games to merit a .413 winning percentage, well on their way to losing fewer than 100 contests. (And losing TJ some beer.)They're doing it with smoke and mirrors, or so you'd infer from a segment ESPN.com just unveiled. In their super-scientific look at the league's talent, ESPN has ranked the Top 100 players this year. Naturally, the Nationals couldn't crack the 100, the only NL club to miss out. (The ChiSox duplicated the feat as well.) It's certainly saying something to have posted 26 wins by June 10 without anybody making that list.
Meanwhile, Rob and I have decided to import our occasional MLC segment "A-Rod Versus the Nats" to G:TB, a more suitable home for Nots content. See here and here for the origins of the thread, but it's a pretty simple concept: in April, Rob averred:
"It says here that A-Rod will finish the 2007 season with more homers than the Nationals collect wins. And there’s a chance that it won’t really be close. We’ll be watching the Nats closely, so you don’t have to. You're welcome."The update: With a four-game win streak and taking six of eight in late May, the Nats began to look strangely...not hapless. (Hapful?) They dropped the next three series, but were swept in none of them. After taking two of three against the decidedly competent Twins in the Metrodome, it started to look as if Rob would be blown out of the water by the All-Star Break.
But A-Rod keeps killing the ball (even while engaging in P.R. nightmares on a weekly basis), including his two bombs against woeful Pirates pitching yesterday, and it's kept him in this race.
The current tally:
Nats Wins: 26
ARod HRs: 24
Stay tuned, it could almost get interesting.
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25 comments:
Dmitri Young got hosed.
the Nats are one 4-game losing streak from falling below the 100 win pace. if you don't think they're capable of that, i've got a nice piece of oceanfront property in missouri that you might like.
Let's just say I was shocked the Nats didn't get swept in Minnesota.
I don't want to post it again, but go back to the comments of the last post and check out Greg's latest email to me. I'm still laughing.
Greg speaks the utterly enjoyable truth.
It's true. They're great guys. At some point I'm taking them to King's Dominion. They've seen the commercials and are admittedly scared of roller-coasters. This will help them conquer that demon.
Picturing Kenyans visibly scared of rollercoasters (based on a commercial, no less) had me chuckling to myself.
make sure you set your alarm clock
Seinfeld rules.
Are you excited that I'm coming to DC, Rob? I'm sure you are.
indeed. i was just recently inquiring of thomas the timing of your sojourn to our fair town.
and seinfeld's finale was far, far worse than that of the sopranos.
and i, too, love seinfeld.
Mark, make sure you give Rob enough notice to schedule a flight from Leesburg.
Absolutely correct on Seinfeld. Though I always enjoy a Jackie Chiles cameo.
Sure thing. Hopefully you'll be bale to get off work and join us. Oh wait...
levale speigner beat johan santana this weekend. wtf?
gentlemen, the guy that runs sports gone south (www.sportsgonesouth.com) is a w&m grad with a vaguely familiar name (jay busbee). do we know him?
Sounds like we need to extend the Gheorghe olive branch...
Why must we torment the Gnats so?? Remember when we (I) were (was)excited just to have a team in town? Can't we just celebrate a little bit of the happy times of what will ultimately be a disastrous season? Isn't that what Gheorghe would want?
And I trust the Elijah Dukes rumors have been covered at length in this space??
All good fans have some angst. Have to hate them to love them. Like Elijah Dukes and his wife.
Elijah subscribes to the OJ "I love them so much I have to fucking decapitate them and their boyfriend" theory. Or something like that.
tumbleweeds
"It is about time that the news media point out that they are not doing their job," says O.J. "Things have changed a lot from my trial until today. It is all about ratings, unfortunately. When I was growing up, to watch guys like Walter Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley, I didn't know what they thought of the news. Legitimate news people are giving their opinions. It is hard to tell the difference between legitimate news people and Nancy Grace and Bill O'Reilly."
You know what really grinds my gears? The way Andruw Jones apathetically submarine tosses the ball into the infield after every pop fly he catches. That...and of course the atrocious spelling of his first name.
Smart money's on Andruw Jonez as the Center Fielder for the nationals next year.
I'm praying for Torii Hunntr, though.
Justin Verlander...very impressive.
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