What can I say - sometimes you get busy. If you guys want to pay me... let's say 100K a year, I'll do this full time and you'll get some damn good blogging action. That would be a successful Kickstarter, right? I'll throw in creating a comic based on Jesse Pinkman's superhero sketches. Rewindo will walk backwards into your hearts!
Anyway get excited - this is arguably the Nats most important series since late in 2005 (I'll have to flip through Svrluga's masterpiece, but looking at the game log - the season unofficially ended losing 3 straight to the Marlins at home in early September). The goal is minor - one win (probably Saturday) and stay in first. They could easily do better and only a sweep by the Braves would be worth losing sleep over. Even then the Braves have proved time and again this season that they are allergic to success and would likely promptly lose the next 4 in a row.
Win tonight and play with house money over the weekend.
I feel your pain on the requirement to hold down a paying job. You're a great blogger and have proven you could do this full time.
ReplyDeleteI'll sleep better knowing you think we only have to win one of the three games in Atlanta. I'm worried about tonight but think we have a better than even chance tomorrow and Sunday. With one exception, Stras and Gio are cruising, lessening the pressure on the offense.
I'll sleep better knowing if this series in May makes a damned bit of difference later in the year, it'll be because there are playoff implications over one or two wins.
ReplyDeleteFunny that the somewhat unexpected success of the Nats this season has moved me to perceive each divisional series as basically a playoff. I've got to cool down my fandom if I'm going to survive this season. I need Harper lessons in automatonity.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I guess it helps to be a fan of another team.
I'm nervous about this weekend, but the Nat's have played Atlanta well the last year or two. Hopefully that carries over. Plus Chipper Jones is still out. Sure would be great to see Detwiler have a strong outing. I think the issue for him is that he's susceptible to getting rattled by an error or bad call. Keeping my fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteHouse money it is. Unfortunately, not a good game by Det.; 100 pitches in four and a third, and replaced by Wang who immediately allowed two inherited runners to score (luckily Ankiel got Diaz at third or else that inning could have gotten badly out of hand), then later gave up a home run. But the O showed up nicely; let's hope it can get to Minor in the same way.
ReplyDeleteSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Bryce Harper is hitting .269/.355/.462? SSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBring on the brooms.
ReplyDeleteJeff - thanks. And at this point you should be sleeping like a baby.
ReplyDeleteblovy8 - true and now it's getting harder to see the Nats OUT of the playoffs
Kenny B - Yes it certainly does help. though I'll note that the anxiousness will also go away if your team wins 4 WS in 5 years.
Donald - Jones being out has helped but really this series has been about the Nats hitting (or ATL pitching dependent on how you look about it) Chipper ain't making up 4 runs a game.
Dezo - done (as in "detwiler is") and done (as in beat up Minor)
Sec 220 - Hey Kilgore says if he keeps this up he'll be an All-Star! Side note - Did you know Mike Trout is better across the board? And a better fielder? (and, to be fair, a year older with 40 games in pocket coming into this year) It pays to ask for attention
Sec 204 - Broom with a view... of first place.
Oops. My bad. Bryce is now .278/.366/.495. SSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLook, I know I'm being obnoxious, but my point is just that your "Calm down with all the hoopla!!!!" about Bryce meme was a bit overplayed. If you have to resort to comparing him to Mike Trout (you do acknowledge the experience and age gap there) to try to say that Bryce is overrated, I would respectfully suggest that maybe he isn't overrated, no?
Mike Trout: .857 OPS (.367 OBP)
ReplyDeleteBryce Harper: .901 OPS (.376 OBP)
Trout plays better D and more speed. Bryce has a little more pop.
Any way you slice it, it's going to be fun watching these guys for years to come.
Another way to look at this is to ask if you'd trade Harper for Trout straight up right now. I'm not sure either side makes that trade.
ReplyDeletesec 220 - "overrated"? Never said it. Don't believe it. There are two points about Bryce that I was trying to comment on
ReplyDelete(1) his power seemed diminished, and given that that was supposed to be his defining trait it was of interest to note that. Only said it might not come this year, not ever.
(2) The media coverage on Bryce is oddly favorable. Oh there's still "he's a jerk" type columns out there but it doesn't seem like anyone is rooting or even interested if he fails. He goes 2 for 12 but has an important RBI double and hits a few line drive outs and it's not about the 2 for 12. We don't usually see stars covered in this fashion. Usually its
hit well - you're ignored
hit great - you're story material
hit badly - you're the talk of the town.
Bryce Harper is good now. Bryce Harper should be up. Bryce Harper will be very good in the future.