BREAK UP THE F-ING NATIONALS

[James Ford]

What is so great about his personality?

[chaz]

hustle
talent
enthusiasm
confidence

But lots of players have these things. 

this topic is played out. 

[gaaaaaaaaah]

i personally like the flashiness (aka brashness or douchiness or whatever you want to call it). i dont think he entirely backs it up yet, but i like his confidence and i liked seeing him pal around with chipper jones throughout last nights game. i think it speaks to the way he plays when even veterans and guys like cole hamels come around and praise him. all in all, he's just fun to watch because hes a talented kid having big league fun earlier than anyone expected.

that being said i wish i got to see trout play more often. if bryce is anywhere near that good when he hits 20 the nats will be in a good position for sure.

[HoyaSaxa03]

How on earth was that ruled a single is what I want to know.  I'm not a professional paid by MLB to determine what is and isn't an error, but based on what I do know, I thought for sure that'd qualify.  Anyone have any insight?

a fielder not catching up to a ball (whether because of effort, lack of speed, losing the ball in the twilight, etc.) is never an error - the fielder would have to actually touch and misplay the ball in order to get an error.

[gaaaaaaaaah]

The official scorer shall charge an outfielder with an error if such outfielder allows a fly ball to drop to the ground if, in the official scorer?s judgment, an outfielder at that position making ordinary effort would have caught such fly ball.

so the ball doesnt need to be touched, but its obviously a judgement call and the scorer gave bryce some pity or mercy and called it a hit.

[HoyaSaxa03]

The official scorer shall charge an outfielder with an error if such outfielder allows a fly ball to drop to the ground if, in the official scorer?s judgment, an outfielder at that position making ordinary effort would have caught such fly ball.

so the ball doesnt need to be touched, but its obviously a judgement call and the scorer gave bryce some pity or mercy and called it a hit.

fair enough, but I've never seen an error called on an outfielder that doesn't catch up to a ball on the fly - and definitely not on a ball lost in the twilight.

[HoyaSaxa03]

i'm spending way too much time on this:

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/04/post_153.html

[vansmack]

I've already said that I love that he hustles every play.  I took no issue that he tagged up with an 8-0 lead in a game that little or no significance.  I also take no issue that any player that might have taken issue with it or felt shown up (like say Josh Hamilton thinking he may not need to get the ball in very quickly because it's 8-0 late in an All-Star Game) may spike him at second or plunk him at the plate - that's the game. It sorts itself out.

And even though I rarely agree with Rhett, he's spot on about earning it.  The fans didn't vote you in, twice. The players and managers didn't choose you as a reserve either.  You were lucky to be there because of injury, why don't you show a bit of humility and be thankful that you're there?

And the players, coaches and GM's aren't going to say a word about this - they never have. Ask Reggie Jackson - other than the Gary Carter comment, I think most people agree with Reggie.  He was still asked to take a leave because he broke the code.  Baseball has always been a game about respect.  And it's self policed. Players/coaches/managers let the game take care of it.  The Cole Hamels plunking makes a lot more sense to me now - I'm guessing there's much we don't know about the reaction inside baseball to Bryce Harper. Perhaps that's why he wasn't named as a reserve by them?

Anyhow, he's young.  He'll learn.  They all do, except Ricky Henderson.  He was always just being Ricky....

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Mike Trout was 1-1, took a walk, stole a base, tried to steal another and was given defensive indifference, didn't make an error playing in his non-natural position, and wore red shoes.  Just like he does every day.  Maybe that's why the players and coaches named him as a reserve.

[gaaaaaaaaah]

i agree with all of that. i just don't see how wearing gold shoes equates to not showing humility or respecting the game. its not his fault he was picked as a last minute replacement when he probably shouldnt have been. is he supposed to turn it down or refuse to take an at bat? from all the press and practice clips i saw he seemed incredibly thankful to be there hanging out with current and past legends of the game. what more was he supposed to do?

[stevewizzle]

in all sports, sometimes it comes down to "what's right by statistics" versus "for the good of the league". this was obviously the latter. it's good for the nationals (hooray), mlb, mike trout (joint press-conf), the media.  it's easy to criticize the decision, but it's hard to fault the decision. 

fwiw - i think aaron hill was a terrible snub. he has hit for the cycle two times this year!

[DeathFromAbove1979]

There's no denying he's super-talented and has unlimited potential.  I just think he acts like a jerk too much.  And the 'he's a 19-year old kid' excuse doesn't cut it. 

His favorite teams are the Yankees and the Cowboys.  Just sayin'.   

Acts like a jerk? I think he's passionate, also, he's still fucking 19 years old. I think he shows an incredible amount of maturity for his age, and when he has a momentarily 19 year old moment everyone thinks he's an asshole. TEENAGERS ARE FUCKING ASSHOLES. I like how hard he plays, I like how angry he gets, I like his passion. What's so wrong with a passionate player coming to DC wanting to do his best for his team?

It's a God damn shame he's a Cowboys fan though hahaha

[James Ford]

How much maturity was he showing when this happened?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/bryce-harper-hits-own-face-bat-gets-10-135714993.html

There's no denying he's super-talented and has unlimited potential.  I just think he acts like a jerk too much.  And the 'he's a 19-year old kid' excuse doesn't cut it. 

His favorite teams are the Yankees and the Cowboys.  Just sayin'.   

Acts like a jerk? I think he's passionate, also, he's still fucking 19 years old. I think he shows an incredible amount of maturity for his age, and when he has a momentarily 19 year old moment everyone thinks he's an asshole. TEENAGERS ARE FUCKING ASSHOLES. I like how hard he plays, I like how angry he gets, I like his passion. What's so wrong with a passionate player coming to DC wanting to do his best for his team?

It's a God damn shame he's a Cowboys fan though hahaha

[HoyaSaxa03]

He was always just being Ricky....

a humble servant of God

[hutch]

Smackie where is the daily Mike Trout update??? What did he do on his off day?

[James Ford]

That's a fish question, bro.

Smackie where is the daily Mike Trout update??? What did he do on his off day?