BREAK UP THE F-ING NATIONALS

[shemptiness]

[DeathFromAbove1979]

I don't like how the catcher goes right after Bam Bam and the umpire holds him back. If I were in the Nats dug out I would have gone right for the catcher. Fuck that.

The Barves and Nats Twitter exchaned a tweet over the altercation.

[vansmack]

I don't like how the catcher goes right after Bam Bam and the umpire holds him back. If I were in the Nats dug out I would have gone right for the catcher. Fuck that.

What you really shouldn't like is that there's no one in the lineup that can protect him.

[DeathFromAbove1979]

Just another example of the team having no heart.

They can't stop runners from stealing, they can't score god damn runs, there's no leader in the clubhouse that will stand up and call people on their bullshit. Letting the opposing team steal doesn't win games. Stranding runners doesn't win games. They are about to be close to 14 games back and it doesn't even seem like they care.

[hutch]

Just another example of the team having no heart.

They can't stop runners from stealing, they can't score god damn runs, there's no leader in the clubhouse that will stand up and call people on their bullshit. Letting the opposing team steal doesn't win games. Stranding runners doesn't win games. They are about to be close to 14 games back and it doesn't even seem like they care.

wait a minute its like almost all the same players from last year.. what? they don't have heart now? they did last year? they lost it in spring training??

oh big strikeout of laroche right now in the 9th... that was a very big at bat...i think that may be the end for the season...

i think people always say a team has no heart when it loses but its a pretty questionable way of looking at things..

why isn't it also possible to say that the team simply overperformed last year and couldn't replicate it this year?

also does anyone else find Santangelo incredibly annoying.. i cant stand him....he's such a kissass.. all he does is talk about how great all the players are...and his voice just grates....

[Bombay Chutney]

I love FP, but I know he really grates on a lot of people.  I agree he's too much of a cheerleader at times, but I like him calling the games.  I'd like to get Ray in the booth more.  He'd definitely tell you what he thinks.

I think the team just bought into their own hype.  I got so tired of hearing that it's only April...It's only May...There are still 100 games left....It's not even the All-Star break...We're going to crush it the second half...   They never had a sense of urgency about things and now it's too late.  They seem genuinely surprised that things didn't just fall into their lap.

[stevewizzle]

Just another example of the team having no heart.

They can't stop runners from stealing, they can't score god damn runs, there's no leader in the clubhouse that will stand up and call people on their bullshit. Letting the opposing team steal doesn't win games. Stranding runners doesn't win games. They are about to be close to 14 games back and it doesn't even seem like they care.

wait a minute its like almost all the same players from last year.. what? they don't have heart now? they did last year? they lost it in spring training??

oh big strikeout of laroche right now in the 9th... that was a very big at bat...i think that may be the end for the season...

i think people always say a team has no heart when it loses but its a pretty questionable way of looking at things..

why isn't it also possible to say that the team simply overperformed last year and couldn't replicate it this year?

also does anyone else find Santangelo incredibly annoying.. i cant stand him....he's such a kissass.. all he does is talk about how great all the players are...and his voice just grates....

good post. 

laroche was a total over-performer last year. so was the bullpen.

last years team had guys that could go deep anywhere in the lineup.  morse and espinosa come to mind, then you have a hot-hitting laroche batting cleanup and that is a power lineup who can produce runs.

this years team has a sort-of identity crisis.  they pick up a speed guy like span, lose power in their starting line-up and their bench, and they struggle and start shifting the line-up around so much that no one can find rhythm. are they a speed and small ball team? their lineup these days seem to suggest that's their approach. 

I disagree with your FP gripe.  I think his voice is great, he has an appropriate amount of homerism, and he offers really good commentary.  he explains situations well and accurate, and he loves the team.

i would hate to see ray in the booth.  the combo they have now is great.

[DeathFromAbove1979]

I love FP. He explains situations a lot, I think you can hear some negativity in Bob's voice. It seems almost every other inning [if not every inning] they're going 1 2 3. Huge spot last night with loaded bases and can't bring in anyone or keep the line moving? Braves were through their rotation by the middle of the 2nd inning.

No one will step up and call them out on their bullshit. At this point you might as well fire Davey, I can't believe I'm saying it, but that seems to be the only way to wake the team up. In post game conferences he doesn't have the answers, he has no idea what's wrong with the team. Last night he said Jordan Zimmermann had some neck soreness, Jordan's response to that was "That's the first I'm hearing of it." The division is lost, they're like 9 games out of the wild card, the season is over. They haven't won more than 3 or 4 in a row all season, they won't start now.

[gaaaaaaaaah]

i had no objection to fp last year, but hes really gotten on my nerves a lot this year. homerism is ok, optimism is fine, but theres a point where its just ridiculous, and he reached it long ago. this team has never given any signs that theyre gonna snap out of it and make a run at the playoffs, but if you listen to fp theyve been on the verge all year. "too much talent," "only a matter of time" etc. bob at least seems to recognize the miserable performances when a nat hits a wimpy popup in a big situation or strikes out looking. fp will call them good at bats.

now it seems like every game hes trying to argue that the impending taylor jordan shutdown is anywhere near the level of the strasburg shutdown? come on. i know hes half joking but he wouldnt keep bringing it up if he didnt somewhat believe it too.

anyway this seasons been a lost cause for a while but this last home sweep by the braves has buried them for good. there's no coming back from that.

[vansmack]

People need to remember that TV personalities are employees of the ball club now - they are no longer employees of the network.

[hutch]

People need to remember that TV personalities are employees of the ball club now - they are no longer employees of the network.

oh i know that.... but there is a limit, no?

[vansmack]

oh i know that.... but there is a limit, no?

They are marketers, pure and simple, with some knowledge of the game to make the viewer think they are providing sound commentary.

Pat yourself on the back for recognizing the silliness here, but don't expect a change.  It's a 3-4 hour commercial for the ball club.

[vansmack]

What you really shouldn't like is that there's no one in the lineup that can protect him.

Apparently, on either side of the ball:

Bryce Harper would have liked to have seen a little retaliation after he got drilled the other day.

He was on Comcast and said this:

?I think if I?m the pitcher on my team, I think I?m gonna drill somebody,? he said of the lack of retribution on Tuesday. ?It?s something that?s part of the game, you know, yesterday, and it?s also something that I think could light a fire for us. But, like I said, we?re 14 1/2 games back and we don?t need anybody getting ejected or doing anything like that. We got a great team and we gotta push to the end.?

[DeathFromAbove1979]

Last year JZimm plunked someone after they hit Bam Bam earlier in the game. Tit for tat.

Got free tickets on the club level for tonight. Gonna boo the shit out of the Phillies. Hate those fuckers.

[DeathFromAbove1979]

Went to the game on Friday and had a blast. We were sitting in the club level and our seats were behind home plate. Had a couple foul balls land close to us, but we didn't catch any. Offensively, it was good to see the line moving. I hate thinking that we just whooped up on the Phils, but maybe this could be the start of something. Strasburg pitched out of his mind yesterday. I was blown away that he walked out of the 8th with just 90 pitches. Philly fans kept chanting "Werthless" whenever Werth was up to bat, I think he was 2 of 3 on Friday, so I didn't get it. A charming lady behind me stood up and chanted "DICKLESS" to those guys. It was fun.