I’m tired of hearing that stat. It’s killing me. You check the newspaper, you turn on the radio, you watch Baseball Tonight on ESPN, you hear about run differential. Everyone says “blah blah blah, the Nats are overrated since they have a negative run differential. There is zero chance they’ll make the playoffs, no one with a negative RD makes the playoffs.”
Wrong.
I quote Mr. Tom Boswell, from his weekly Nats e-mail, courtesy of Washington Post – “ First, what is the best result ever by a team that has ever been outscored for the season? Answer: The ' 87 Minnesota Twins were outscored by 20 runs, but won the AL West, then won the World Series. If anybody says the Nats can't possibly go to the playoffs with such a statistically unimpressive team, tell 'em Washington just might win the Series, because it's already been done.”
He also offers a list of teams that (recently) were very like the Nats.
· The '97 Giants (-9) won the N.L. West title.
· The '95 Rockies and '95 Dodgers were only +2 and +25 respectively, but Colorado was the wild card and the Dodgers won the N.L. West.
· The '90 Red Sox were just +35 but won the A.L. East.
· The '89 Orioles , another team managed by Frank Robinson, only outscored the league by 22 runs. But they went 87-75 and stayed in the pennant chase until the final weekend.
· The '87 Expos were a paltry +21 but won 91 games.
· The '85 Reds were +11 but won 89.
· The '84 Royals were -13 but won the AL West.
Yes, the Nats are a long-shot contender. No, I don’t expect them to meet up with Minnesota in the World Series (did I just say Minnesota?). But it’s time for people like Peter Gammons of ESPN, John Donovan of Sports Illustrated and even our own Boz to stop dogging them about run differential and realize that RFK is so unlike any other stadium in the league, and Run Differential may just not apply to a team that plays 81 games there, instead of crazy home-run parks like Camden and Fenway.
It’s time for them to go back to school… the old school. And Frankie Rob’s team is teaching the class.
A WORD TO THE NATS MARKETING FOLKS
I appreciate the Nats e-mails from nationals.com, but please don’t mass disperse an e-mail about renting the luxury box behind home plate. 90% of your recipients cannot afford the 3 grand to rent the place for one game. Most folks pay less than that for 2 season tickets. Target some corporate clients if you need it used. A word to the wise, though – all that does is remind the normal, everyday folks of how many things at a ballpark they cannot afford in any decent sized quantity – like $6 beers and $8 poorly made chicken fingers, let alone the over-priced replica jerseys.
From Nationals Pride
Monday, June 27, 2005
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Stunned
One word says it all. No one, not even a poor pundit like myself, could have ever predicted the Nats would be on fire this much. They have won 14 of their last 16 and still retain sole possession of the NL East lead.
The more amazing part, however, is how they are doing it. They pick up Ryan Drese off waivers from Texas, who was 4-6 with a 6.46 ERA, and turn him around to pitch against an AL team that he had faced before (Texas is in the same division as Anaheim) and he throws an 8 inning 2 hit shutout. His ERA after that performance dropped almost a run. Granted, this performance may not continue, but I refer you to the fact that AL pitchers going to the NL almost always have a huge drop in ERA and perform better. For reference see Clemens, Roger and Martinez, Pedro. Also, Drese is a sinkerball pitcher, meaning he gets a lot of ground balls. The Nats are exceptional defensively, so between his propensity for ground balls and the friendly, no homer confines of RFK, he should be fine as a 5th starter.
What really gets me is the performance of Chad “chief” Cordero. He comes on last night with a 1-0 lead, promptly loads the bases – you read that correctly – with NO OUTS – you also read that correctly – and still gets out of the inning. He struck out two and gave up a pop fly that wasn’t deep enough for Darrin “linebacker” Erstad to tag up and bum rush another NL East Catcher.
Watching these games is more exhilarating than a Ridley Scott opus. Oh wait – we couldn’t watch last night. You’re right, ESPN2 broadcast the game, but it was blocked in the DC area by Comcast for Comcast subscribers using the local viewing rights exemption (despite no local broadcaster showing it) as a new ploy in their legal battle with MASN. When will they realize that the public doesn’t care who wins this battle, as long as they can see the Nats? I hear more people blaming Comcast for not showing the games than MASN.
SIDE NOTE – Carlos Baerga, don’t be mad at me for what I’m going to say. You’re a great part of the Nats and have defined “clutch” several times this season. But dude – when you run – I laugh uncontrollably. I giggle like a schoolgirl. You run like your legs are two little pistons, and it looks like you take 3 steps per foot of ground you cover. I point this out when noticeable and other people giggle too. My dad loved it, so when he watches the Nats now he always looks for it. Don’t be mad, Carlos, and keep up the good work. If you hear laughter when you run, it’s just me. Don’t worry.
From Nationals Pride
The more amazing part, however, is how they are doing it. They pick up Ryan Drese off waivers from Texas, who was 4-6 with a 6.46 ERA, and turn him around to pitch against an AL team that he had faced before (Texas is in the same division as Anaheim) and he throws an 8 inning 2 hit shutout. His ERA after that performance dropped almost a run. Granted, this performance may not continue, but I refer you to the fact that AL pitchers going to the NL almost always have a huge drop in ERA and perform better. For reference see Clemens, Roger and Martinez, Pedro. Also, Drese is a sinkerball pitcher, meaning he gets a lot of ground balls. The Nats are exceptional defensively, so between his propensity for ground balls and the friendly, no homer confines of RFK, he should be fine as a 5th starter.
What really gets me is the performance of Chad “chief” Cordero. He comes on last night with a 1-0 lead, promptly loads the bases – you read that correctly – with NO OUTS – you also read that correctly – and still gets out of the inning. He struck out two and gave up a pop fly that wasn’t deep enough for Darrin “linebacker” Erstad to tag up and bum rush another NL East Catcher.
Watching these games is more exhilarating than a Ridley Scott opus. Oh wait – we couldn’t watch last night. You’re right, ESPN2 broadcast the game, but it was blocked in the DC area by Comcast for Comcast subscribers using the local viewing rights exemption (despite no local broadcaster showing it) as a new ploy in their legal battle with MASN. When will they realize that the public doesn’t care who wins this battle, as long as they can see the Nats? I hear more people blaming Comcast for not showing the games than MASN.
SIDE NOTE – Carlos Baerga, don’t be mad at me for what I’m going to say. You’re a great part of the Nats and have defined “clutch” several times this season. But dude – when you run – I laugh uncontrollably. I giggle like a schoolgirl. You run like your legs are two little pistons, and it looks like you take 3 steps per foot of ground you cover. I point this out when noticeable and other people giggle too. My dad loved it, so when he watches the Nats now he always looks for it. Don’t be mad, Carlos, and keep up the good work. If you hear laughter when you run, it’s just me. Don’t worry.
From Nationals Pride
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Congratulations, NBA
You have now assured yourself of the most boring NBA final EVER. Since, you know, Detroit and San Antonio are such TV hotbeds, ratings will be through the roof. That, and Ben and Rasheed Wallace are just as interesting as Shaq and Dwayne Wade.
Oh wait, no, they're not. On all counts.
Now, instead of having the backdrop of South Beach and an offensively minded final, we'll drop back to defense and have 5 or 6 82-76 games. The spurs were interesting in the Western Conference Final because they played up tempo basketball to compete with the Suns, somethign they would have done against Shaq and co. Now that they'll be playing Detroit, Poppo will revert his team to boring, defensive wonders.
That, and we all know how Tim Duncan, as good as he is, is Milquetoast compared to Shaq. No one wants to tune in to watch TD, because he has a bland personality. They want to see Shaq yell "Can You Dig It" at the top of his lungs.
So, congratulations, NBA. Going into a CBA contract year with the players, and staring in the face of an NHL-style lockout, you'll top off a good playoff year with one of the most boring finals of all time.
In the words of Leonardo Leonardo - "well played".
Oh wait, no, they're not. On all counts.
Now, instead of having the backdrop of South Beach and an offensively minded final, we'll drop back to defense and have 5 or 6 82-76 games. The spurs were interesting in the Western Conference Final because they played up tempo basketball to compete with the Suns, somethign they would have done against Shaq and co. Now that they'll be playing Detroit, Poppo will revert his team to boring, defensive wonders.
That, and we all know how Tim Duncan, as good as he is, is Milquetoast compared to Shaq. No one wants to tune in to watch TD, because he has a bland personality. They want to see Shaq yell "Can You Dig It" at the top of his lungs.
So, congratulations, NBA. Going into a CBA contract year with the players, and staring in the face of an NHL-style lockout, you'll top off a good playoff year with one of the most boring finals of all time.
In the words of Leonardo Leonardo - "well played".
Monday, June 06, 2005
First Place
I know, I know, it won’t last, but it sure sounds nice, doesn’t it? The first time a DC team has been in first this late in a season since 1933. They went on to win the pennant. Now, I don’t think that will happen this year, but we’ll at least challenge down the stretch. It’s good for baseball and it’s good for DC, whose fans deserve a team that can get them all on their collective feet.
A word about Marlon Byrd. I wasn’t there Saturday night, but I was watching at home. I won’t comment on what MLB will do ( I have no basis to judge) but I will back up Frank Robinson on his statement – with the team hurting (Wilkerson hurting, Guillen hit by a pitch in the hand) the LAST thing Byrd should have done was get himself ejected and then probably suspended for multiple games.
Finally, A word on stadium chants – Most of them I get, and we all seem to have fun with. I question, however, the “Day-o” chant. What purpose does it serve? Where does it come from? We go to the games, we all cheer “day-o” and none of us knows why. Can someone explain this? Best answer on the message board might win a prize.
From Nationals Pride
A word about Marlon Byrd. I wasn’t there Saturday night, but I was watching at home. I won’t comment on what MLB will do ( I have no basis to judge) but I will back up Frank Robinson on his statement – with the team hurting (Wilkerson hurting, Guillen hit by a pitch in the hand) the LAST thing Byrd should have done was get himself ejected and then probably suspended for multiple games.
Finally, A word on stadium chants – Most of them I get, and we all seem to have fun with. I question, however, the “Day-o” chant. What purpose does it serve? Where does it come from? We go to the games, we all cheer “day-o” and none of us knows why. Can someone explain this? Best answer on the message board might win a prize.
From Nationals Pride
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