The Nats Thread (old thread link inside, too many load issues)

[superozman]

Funny how the nats got blasted when the caps were playing on cold rainy nights. Anyway, its not a sellout if people don't show up.

Let's breakdown the word "Sellout". Hmmm...SELLout. SELL. SALE. SOLD. Tickets SOLD.

Very much different than ATTENDANCE.

[Popeman38]

Let's breakdown the word "Sellout". Hmmm...SELLout. SELL. SALE. SOLD. Tickets SOLD.

Very much different than ATTENDANCE.

Hmm, then why did the Phils announce an attendance of 43,821 (100.4% full)? Photos clearly show that the stadium was closer to 50% full than to 100.4%.

[superozman]

So, let's add two more pieces to the equation that you conviently left out of your excuse: the Phillies are in last place and playing poorly.

This isn't about the "Nats dying for a rivalry". This is all about Philly fans being front runners.

Philly fans, DC fans, Every single city fans are front runners. People are less likely to show up to a game if their team is not playing well. I never argued here that Philly fans are immune to front running. We are. So are Redskins fans, so are 76er fans (they are a HUGE CULPRIT!!!). However - the cherry picked photo just kind of irked me.

And once again, I didn't use saturday's Nats game (being at the same time as the CAPS) as an excuse. And Friday/Sunday - the ratio of Nats to Phillies was much higher when the Caps didnt play.

[Buford]

This is the same problem Davey had last year....he's too reluctant to sit a guy he knows is cold....rather lets him play through it even if its costing games. I see the long term goal here, but bases loaded for Danny and everybody knew he was striking out. I put last night on poor managing choices.

[GoSkins0721]

Philly fans, DC fans, Every single city fans are front runners. People are less likely to show up to a game if their team is not playing well. I never argued here that Philly fans are immune to front running. We are. So are Redskins fans, so are 76er fans (they are a HUGE CULPRIT!!!). However - the cherry picked photo just kind of irked me.

And once again, I didn't use saturday's Nats game (being at the same time as the CAPS) as an excuse. And Friday/Sunday - the ratio of Nats to Phillies was much higher when the Caps didnt play.

Dude, this is getting tiresome. I've got one more comment and then I'm done with this topic:

You claimed that CBP has been sold out since the Phillies started playing there. You also said that fans hated going to the Vet and thus stayed away from there. When the team started playing in CBP they also started playing better. Ticket sales & fan attendence picked up at the same time. In 2 of the 3 previous years prior to moving to CBP (2001 & 2003) they won 86 games. They had Bowa coming back in 2004 when CBP opened and there was a lot of excitement, finally, about the team.

Say what you want, but people didn't go to the Vet because the team sucked from 1994 until ~2003. That's why they didn't go to the Vet. And selling out CBP has been all about the team being good since the day it opened. They have 0 years where they won less than 85 games since moving there in 2004. That's pretty strong. But it's also indicitive of front running fans supporting a team when they are winning.

[Teller]

He must be related to Shawn Springs.

That guy is always hurt no matter where he plays.

It's pretty ridiculous. And it seems to usually be a soft-tissue injury, which leads me to believe G.A.C.O.L.B. is on to something re: pain tolerance.

But yeah, he was an awesome guy. He received a Purple Heart and some other medals at the Battle of the Bulge. As far as I know, he refused to talk about it for the rest of his life, 50 years. I've always wondered what happened but I definitely respect and understand his silence. But yeah, he was just awesome. I wish I had more time with him.

Real heroes rarely talk about what they did. My granddad, a D-Day vet, was the same way. He'll always be my hero though, regardless of his reluctance to ever accept being called that. Kinda cool, his middle name was "Lacy," and I was honored to be able to name my oldest daughter after him. I only wish he was here for me to have been able to tell him in person.

I know it sounds corny, and on some level it is, but as long as we keep the memories of men like our grandfathers alive, they're never really gone.

How the **** did we win eight out of nine series only to then drop one to the [i]Pirates?

You can't be condescending when you're getting dat azz thumped. Kidding. Like I said, this IS a big deal for us. But I can certainly understand your frustration, given the way we've started.

Well he wouldn't exist if his great-grandpa had chosen the Pirates, so I think he's probably okay with the decision.

I didn't mean it like that.

G.A.C.O.L.B. and I spend a lot of time on each other's last nerve, but he ain't a bad cat. He's just wrong a lot.

[hunterx]

Well in fairness he did go 1 for 4 with a double tonight. That should up his sub .200 average a bit.

I am more bothered by his strikeouts than anything else. If he's putting the ball in play and giving himself a chance then great, but striking out is the worst thing you can do for your team. Now...if he fixes that and cuts back on strikeouts but still can't get on base...I will complain about that. Baby steps, though

[Warhead36]

I am more bothered by his strikeouts than anything else. If he's putting the ball in play and giving himself a chance then great, but striking out is the worst thing you can do for your team. Now...if he fixes that and cuts back on strikeouts but still can't get on base...I will complain about that. Baby steps, though

Yeah and the thing is when he swings and misses, he's not even close. It's not like he's getting beat by great pitches. He's just striking himself out. Very frustrating.

Hopefully Strasburg can salvage tonight's game. Would suck to get swept by the lowly Pirates right as we head into a tough weekend series in Cincinnati.

[superozman]

You claimed that CBP has been sold out since the Phillies started playing there.

I never did - and as a fact, it has not! I actually miss the days of tailgating at CBP (04-05) and then walking up an hour before the game and getting a decent seat. However, I love the fact that it's a great atmosphere there all the time.

And I agree - there are front running fans.

I was just replying to the person posting a picture of a game where other teams were playing in PLAYOFFS.

Anyway, I'll talk again on the 21st

And PS - here is the link for tickets if anyone wants to come up on the 21st - 23rd. The Linc lot is where all the tailgating happens, and the Tuesday game is dollar dog night:

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com..._id=phi&y=2012

[pjfootballer]

I remember that now. Sorry, I had forgotten. Such an awesome story. How differently your fandom may have turned out had he chosen "correctly."

Anyway, I'm thrilled with this series, BECAUSE I respect the Nats. Y'all aren't the O's. You're a REAL first-place team. It's a big deal at this point for us to play well against y'all.

Hey, hey, hey, watch it with the O's jab. We aren't in this conversation.

[StillUnknown]

Benching Espinosa could possibly be the beginning of the end of his career. I respect Davey for giving him every possible chance to turn it around. Even if it costs us a few games, a fixed and productive Espinosa would more than make up for it in the end. It's worth the shot I think. I do think it's getting very close to enough is enough though. If it isn't--probably--there already.

I wouldn't bench him, I would send him to Triple A. Be it a mental block or something physical, he can't hit anything slow or that breaks. I don't like to feel sorry for pro players, but I feel bad watching him struggle at the plate. Its like everybody in the stadium knows what is going to happen and we just watch it play out.

Sending him to Triple A allows him to work on his issues without the added pressures of facing media after every game or just sitting on the bench waiting and hoping for his number to be called again.

If his career is derailed from a simple demotion, which isn't that uncommon for young players, then he probably wasn't big league caliber to begin with.

[Teller]

Hey, hey, hey, watch it with the O's jab. We aren't in this conversation.

My fault, bud. No offense intended. I can empathize with your plight, so I hope you guys do stick around. I just don't see it happening.

Also, on the Espinosa front, his head just isn't in the game at all. The deer-in-headlights play that allowed Cutch to score from second was just utter meatheadedness. He had no clue what he was doing. That's just fundamentals. You've got to know where you're going with the ball before the pitch is thrown.

I'd agree with a short stint in Triple-A. He needs to get his head right, and get a little instructional refresher, IMO.

[TMK9973]

Here is the thing with Danny -
He obviously is having major trouble recognizing the curve...

Last night -Unless I am mistaken -EVERY first pitch to Danny was a curve out of the strike zone. 3 of those times last night he swung. Each time resulted in a swinging strike and the @bat ended in a out (2 of them being strike outs).

The 1 time he didnt swing and started off 1-0 - He got a fast ball on the 3rd pitch and a double.

Until something different -the 1st pitch you get will be a curve ball out of the strike zone...STOP SWINGING!!!

[GoSkins0721]

Here is the thing with Danny -
He obviously is having major trouble recognizing the curve...

Last night -Unless I am mistaken -EVERY first pitch to Danny was a curve out of the strike zone. 3 of those times last night he swung. Each time resulted in a swinging strike and the @bat ended in a out (2 of them being strike outs).

The 1 time he didnt swing and started off 1-0 - He got a fast ball on the 3rd pitch and a double.

Until something different -the 1st pitch you get will be a curve ball out of the strike zone...STOP SWINGING!!!

You're right, it's pretty close to what I've seen from him in previous ABs:
1st pitch - ball out of the zone he swings and misses
2nd pitch - a curve he either takes for a strike or swings and misses
3rd pitch - chest/eye high fastball he swings and misses

It's almost like he has no idea of what he wants to hit, what the pitcher is going to throw, or what's a ball or strike.

He will swing at anything and look really, really bad doing it. You don't see him foul off a lot of pitches. He's miles away from the ball when he misses it. I understand getting fooled at the plate sometimes. But he just doesn't seem like his head is in the game.

I think he should be sent back to AAA to work on his batting. And I mean work on it for hours everyday. Right now, he strikes out 33% of the time he comes to the plate. He has 2 RBIs this season. TWO and one of those came on his only HR.

Interesting comments on ESPN:
Espinosa is hitting .188 this season as the Nationals' starting second baseman. He said his 30 strikeouts so far are a result of him not keeping his approach consistent at the plate and trying to press too much. While it's nice to hear a player has found himself again, it's not going to mean anything until Espinosa shows that he "gets it" on the field. The reality of his situation is that there is a strong possibility the team could send him to minors and give the second base job to Steve Lombardozzi once Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder) comes off the DL next week.

[H@iL2Gibb$]

Do you guys think Lombardozzi shouldould start at 2nd in favor of Kspinoza tonight? I sure hope so