Comments on Nats Insider: Lidge agrees to 1-year deal with Nats

I really don't understand why we didn't re...

2012-01-27T13:46:19.375-05:00

I really don't understand why we didn't re-sign Coffey. The guy was fantastic last year. Lidge is a head case with withering skill.

Bill Ladson has just made some disparaging Tweets ...

2012-01-26T17:54:22.537-05:00

Bill Ladson has just made some disparaging Tweets about Roger Bernadina. Wondering if he was asked by someone to trash Bernadina. Lets face it, Bernadina isn't a star and won't be but the guy is serviceable if you don't bat him leadoff.

washingnats William Ladson
There is no way I see a platoon of Roger Bernadina and Mike Cameron in CF. What about Rick Ankiel and Mike Cameron? We'll see. #Nats

washingnats William Ladson
I'm going to be honest: I don't see how Roger Bernadina fits with the #Nats. A lot of people in the FO don't think he is a CF.

I'm not a fan of moving Desmond and pencilling...

2012-01-26T17:44:08.437-05:00

I'm not a fan of moving Desmond and pencilling in Lombardozzi for starting 2b, but I don't think he should just be written off forever because his September wasn't up to snuff. Stats over 28 games really don't mean all that much. Let's remember that Danny Espinosa hit all of .214 during his September callup.

I don't write off Harper's AA performance as struggling, because he was lousy at first and then started to mash, which is his precise M.O. at every level he's ever played at - he just got injured before he could completely offset his earlier stats the way he did in Hagerstown. And to those who sniff at his performance in AA ball - how can you cite his 27 games in AA ball for the idea that he struggled but dismiss his destruction of the AFL (again, after starting slowly) in 36 games as "small sample size?"

Uh, change that period to a closing quotation mark...

2012-01-26T17:31:06.118-05:00

Uh, change that period to a closing quotation mark, and we're good to go. I think I need some food. Later...

(I should have typed "Yes, way!.) :-)

2012-01-26T17:29:38.666-05:00

(I should have typed "Yes, way!.) :-)

JaneB, here it is. (No way!)

At least Detroit got their best offensive player i...

2012-01-26T17:24:03.280-05:00

At least Detroit got their best offensive player in Prince. Werth may be the highest paid but not impact. He is supporting cast.

jd, are you sure it was Rizzo fleeced in the Werth...

2012-01-26T17:21:52.154-05:00

jd, are you sure it was Rizzo fleeced in the Werth deal and not Lerner? Boras has a history of preying on octagenarian billionaires. Look at the mess Mike Illitch's GM finds himself in today. I guess that's why GMs get paid the big bucks. You build a team with a vision and then your owner blows the budget on some guy and you get blamed for it forever.

How many teams has Boras completely conned now? You have to think that once you've been fooled once, you would be harder to fool the next time around. Maybe not...

1a THANK YOU! I am still smiling my face off. Wha...

2012-01-26T17:13:25.037-05:00

1a THANK YOU! I am still smiling my face off. What a night that was! What great sounds -- the bat, the fans, the horn! Counting down the days till we hear it again. (NOW I have to dig up the Mariners' call of that same play, but I don't know how to do the link).

natsfan1a said... ;-), NatsNut. You want submari...

2012-01-26T17:05:16.875-05:00

natsfan1a said...
;-), NatsNut.

You want submarine horn? I'll give you submarine horn.

(Didja know you could search videos on the team site by player?)

January 26, 2012 4:55 PM
________________________________

Thanks for that off-season video. One of the greatest moments of 2011

JaneB, That was exactly my point. It is very ver...

2012-01-26T17:04:25.509-05:00

JaneB,

That was exactly my point. It is very very possible that the Gio deal will end up being a win for both teams. I don't necessarily agree that Rizzo was fleeced in the deal.

I do however feel that he was fleeced by Boras in the Werth deal and I suspect he knows it too.

NatsLady, it ain't 2010 any more. No repeats o...

2012-01-26T17:01:48.945-05:00

NatsLady, it ain't 2010 any more. No repeats of guys like Stairs on an Opening Day roster. This team is in it to win it.

Love how the National League keeps weakening with the exodus to the AL.

;-), NatsNut. You want submarine horn? I'll g...

2012-01-26T16:55:04.854-05:00

;-), NatsNut.

You want submarine horn? I'll give you submarine horn.

(Didja know you could search videos on the team site by player?)

NatsLady.....struggling is exactly what Harrisburg...

2012-01-26T16:53:30.690-05:00

NatsLady.....struggling is exactly what Harrisburg and Syracuse is for. He needs to develope at those locations and experience success before bringing his game to The Show.

Anon 3:53 Okay, but Damon is a vastly sperior hitt...

2012-01-26T16:52:27.592-05:00

Anon 3:53 Okay, but Damon is a vastly sperior hitter to either Cameron or Bernadina, so as a bench bat he's better than both. I suspect he's a better hitter than Cameron against LHs, so maybe the side of the plate he stands on shouldn't be the main question.

If he still pays some defence he can't be a complete disaster. Has his defense been curtailed by injuries (i.e. he can't play D for any period of time) or is it just because he's a sub-par defender? If it's the latter, the question should be, how much worse is he? The Nats are looking for a guy that can hit with a little pop and play in the OF if necessary.

LOL, 1a. I got the Seinfeld reference. =)

2012-01-26T16:43:42.868-05:00

LOL, 1a. I got the Seinfeld reference. =)

JD, I guess what I meant was the Anaheim fans can ...

2012-01-26T16:43:05.715-05:00

JD, I guess what I meant was the Anaheim fans can cry now, but they will see the wisdom of the move eventually. I am hopeful that it was a good deal for both teams.

I do think it's possible/likely that Harper wi...

2012-01-26T16:40:32.978-05:00

I do think it's possible/likely that Harper will struggle both offensively and defensively in the majors. So you have to bring him up early (April) or late (September). Don't bring him up in June, July or August when he will disrupt the clubhouse and the field. Better to bring him up this year, when we only MIGHT be in the hunt than next year.

If we don't plan to bring up Harper, we sign Ankiel and start him every day in CF, with the idea of possibly trading him in July if a better option becomes available or if we need a pitcher. That he's not signed is, to me, a clue.

On Bryce Harper, at least this year they have told...

2012-01-26T16:38:02.367-05:00

On Bryce Harper, at least this year they have told him he can make the Opening Day roster and I am sure that means it is a tryout and he has to be better than the penciled in CF to push Werth to CF. Can Harper do it? We will see. I am with those that don't see him ready.

MicheleS, thanks for the link. First, I experience...

2012-01-26T16:33:57.176-05:00

MicheleS, thanks for the link. First, I experienced a bit of webcam nostalgia, thinking back on the days when we'd check out the Nats Park webcam frequently. Next, I wondered "was that a Seinfeld reference" as I started to read the post. (Yes, yes it was, I daresay.) Finally, I repeated two words over and over as I read on and looked at all of the pics. Imagine my amusement to find them typed, next to a helpful arrow, on one of the photos (holy, uh, moley). Okay, I alternated with three other words: Oh. My. G*d. That is some HR feature they have there. Wowza. I quite simply lolled, my dears. :-)

Here's an interesting nugget from Chase Hughes...

2012-01-26T16:31:06.908-05:00

Here's an interesting nugget from Chase Hughes' piece on CSN about the Nats possibly being interested in Roy Oswalt (that interest was reported on by Ken Rosenthal):

"The Nats seem to already have a full rotation, especially with the addition of lefty Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez will slot behind Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann with John Lannan providing one of the best number four starters in the National League."

Wow.

I'm also intrigued by Mark's summary of our likely pitching staff "as it currently stands," with the 7th bullpen spot likely going to whichever of Detwiler, Wang, or Lannan doesn't make the starting rotation. Seems to me that both Wang and Lannan are unlikely to be in the bullpen, even if Detwiler tears it up in spring training. I still think one of our lefties gets traded before Opening Day.

Mark'd, My point all along it that things wil...

2012-01-26T16:27:36.538-05:00

Mark'd,

My point all along it that things will be different in a year and something like that kind of deal might make sense.

By then we should know a lot more about what the OF will be and the MI. It may make sense to trade the FoF as his replacement may be ready. Then again, moving him to 1B or having Rendon play 2b may work as well. Its just that some things that are unknowns now will have been discovered in about a year maybe a year and a half.

FWIW, I would much rather have both of them in the lineup, Morse crushing 30 Bombs from 1b, Werth and Harper manning the Corner OF and Bourn/Upton/Goodwin etc + Epsy as SS and Rendon at 2B. But rarely do things work out the way we all want.

GYFNG!!

Does JayB ever say anything positive or constructi...

2012-01-26T16:20:14.277-05:00

Does JayB ever say anything positive or constructive? He should follow a different team!

Everyone seems to focus on Harper's hitting su...

2012-01-26T16:18:03.587-05:00

Everyone seems to focus on Harper's hitting success - I realize that's his claim to fame. I just think they should make very sure that he can play a position well enough - maybe not gold glove worthy - but well enough, before they bring him up. He seems athletic enough to be an offensive asset and to not be a defensive liability. Let him learn the outfield and how to steal bases before he comes up so that he is not making those mistakes at the big league level. I think being hungry to be here is a good motivator for him. Why not make sure instead of jumping the gun? This kid can be a superstar - shortcuts will only hurt him and the organization.

I agree with N. Cognito. Harper had trouble at fi...

2012-01-26T16:12:13.444-05:00

I agree with N. Cognito. Harper had trouble at first in AA, just imagine the adjustment to MLB. And for those who think we should just throw Lombo out there at 2B? Seriously? He didn't show anything at all at the plate in September. Compare Espi in September 2010. I don't mind keeping him if necessary as a utility infielder, but to rely on him as our starting 2B? Yikes. Mendoza line here we come. I think we're stuck with Desi at SS for awhile, I just wish we could bat him 7th or 8th.