Not a new story, but a good one to repeat, esp. in this online milieu of incessant Gotcha and Why-Doesn't-He and He's-A-Bum, from people who never played ANY game, let alone this one, at a high level.
At A High Level -- the significance of that didn't even occur to me until I was in my late 20s. Most of us will never be as good at anything as these guys, I mean Bacsik and Bowie and Brandon Watson and so many others, are at baseball. And to do what they have done, to be on the bubble, they have to operate at the extremes of their own ability, every day, or they DO wind up coaching high school, and they know it.
As does Barry, who is the beat writer for one of only 30 MLB teams.

Great piece of writing, Barry.

Barry, wonderful Sunday evening after a day game post to give us something to muse about! Drink while writing more often!

Tell Dimitri we are rooting for him. If/when the Detroit media ask you for background on Dimitri, tell them we love having him here.

you certainly have a way with words. thank you for this little something extra to make us love our team even more.

While reading this latest post from Barry, I had to get a Coors light so that I may enjoy every word (molson not in frige). It also came to me that perhaps the correct name for this left for dead vagabond bunch of rejects and retreads would be...the Washington Mashionals. I think we can all agree they are truly a magnificent mash unit. GO NATS ... STAY HOT

Barry,

The $0.35 edition missed a great column.

Let's appreciate this moment from these "Mashionals" - MLB's runt of the litter.

Every game I wonder, if/when this will fall apart?

But what the hell:

Bring on the Tigers!

Dear loyal, kind, and true Nationals Journal faithful, please don't hate me for asking this, but:

swanni, where you been at?

I think the key word here is JOURNYMEN,those essential ingredients that make up that what is sport & only for those true connoisseur's of spectatorship can they be truely appreciated.

As Wimbledon approaches here in a couple of weeks,what would be the value of seeds without those early rounds where those above type players are playing in "real" terms with a lot more at stake.

It's the same in all sports,which i guess is why i'm reading these pages & getting more out of them then the glossy writings of the type that flicker on the chosen few on something like ESPN or MLB.com!

I think the key word here is JOURNYMEN,those essential ingredients that make up what is sport & only the true connoisseur of spectatorship can appreciate.

As Wimbledon aproaches here in a couple of weeks,what would be the value of those seeds without those early rounds where the above type players are playing in "real" terms with a lot more at stake.

It's the same in all sports,i guess thats why i'm reading these pages & getting a lot more out of them than those glossy articles that concentrate only on a flame when its burning brightly.

Dmitri Young is one of baseball's best stories this year. Sure he can hit, but he's turned himself into a ballplayer. I remember a quote from spring training when someone in the Tigers front office reacted to rumors that the Nationals would use him at first base. "Ohhh," he said, "you don't want to do that." Now, nobody will ever confuse him for Keith Hernandez out there, but clearly he has worked very hard at improving his fielding. He still makes mistakes, such as putting the wrong foot on the bag and subsequently stretching the wrong direction, but he keeps getting better.
As someone who once shared some of his problems, I know how long and hard is the road back when you finally decide to stop ruining your own life. By all accounts, Dmitri is not just having a great year at the plate, he is having a great year as a fine human being. This, too, can be as fragile as a pitcher's arm, but he seems determined to stay on track and for that I applaude him.

Great story Barry. Even though I know better, I still make the mistake of thinking just because I'm only now seeing a player for the first time, he must not have been playing long. It's great to hear about their histories and agree with BrianH-- $0.35 is missing out.
Go Mashionals!

Bravo Barry, Bravo

"Munch some innings." Beautiful. Dude, you gotta use the word "munch" more often.

Great post, too! :-)

Barry, you are, as always, a total rock star. Also, cornucopia!

Re: the Nationals and fragility. It always seems to me that the Nats are more fragile than most other baseball teams, both physically and mentally. And I don't mean to insult them in any way, because as cevans said, they are better than I could ever even think of being, but these guys seem to psych themselves out more than players on other teams. Ryan Church, I think, is a notable example (at least in the past). Austin Kearns might be another one--anyone see at the beginning of the season when it appeared that he wasn't charging fly balls as rigorously as he used to? I'm not saying it's not completely understandable, because it is, just pointing out an observation. (I would also say that Kearns is probably the least physically fragile, because he will break you and not even mean to do it.) I don't know, maybe it's just me and I've gone off on this long and rambling tangent. Okay, good talk.

Great piece of writing. Insightful. Analytical. Truly what separates a guy with real insight from a who-what-where reporter. Thanks, Barry. Your respect for the Bowies and Bacsiks and Youngs of the game shines through.

Happy Monday morning everybody. I look at the standings every morning after reading the gamer and long for the day when I can see how many games back the Nats or their competition are from leading the division.

That day is not yet. But in the meantime, I have devised through my amateur statistical ability (which means, please check and correct!) and Excel my very own standings list for all of baseball which has a "GB/A" stat -- number of games a team is behind or ahead of the Nats in MLB. This allows me to gloat over the "expert" sports writers in Chicago (where I was opening day) that talked about a Cubs-Sox World Series and nominated the Nats for Worst Team Ever.

So here's part of that list, for your enjoyment:

Plc - Tm (W-L) - PCT (GB/A)
30. Texas (26-43) .377 (-4)
29. Cinci (27-43) .386 (-3.5)
28. KC (28-42) .400 (-2.5)
27. B'more (29-40) .420 (-1)
24. ChiSox (28-37) .431 (0)
23. NATS!! (30-39) .435 --
23. Pitt (30-39) .435 (0)
23. Houston (30-39) .435 (0)
22. SanFran (30-38) .441 (.5)
21. Tampa (30-37) .448 (1)
20. "StLouey" (30-36) .455 (1.5)
19. Cubs (31-37) .456 (1.5)
18. Toronto (33-35) .485 (3.5)
17. Florida (33-37) .471 (2.5)

I think it's nice that the Nats are a half game closer to 1st in the NL East than the Yankees are in the AL East. GO NATS ... STAY HOT

I'm assuming that there will be repercussions during the next sports writers' Kangaroo Court session.

But, seriously, great blogging and will look forward to seeing/hearing future podcasts. BTW, the paper edition promotes a Boz-Kasten podcast for today but I can't figure out when that would be?

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We want to build a consistent product of coverage around the club, and I dropped the recorder on this one. Look for a new podcast tomorrow.)

excellent post, thanks.

Section 506, you've been a busy Nats fan. Well done!! Gloat mode

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...I have devised through my amateur statistical ability (which means, please check and correct!) and Excel my very own standings list for all of baseball which has a "GB/A" stat -- number of games a team is behind or ahead of the Nats in MLB. This allows me to gloat over the "expert" sports writers in Chicago (where I was opening day) that talked about a Cubs-Sox World Series and nominated the Nats for Worst Team Ever.

That was supposed to say "Gloat mode on" but my fake, bracketed coding didn't come through in the posting. Hope it didn't have any adverse effects on the blog site. I'm a baaaad poster :-(

Thanks, Section 516 (After moving). Nats +1 over B'more--sweet.

Speaking of the Blo's, it seems that they are in the market for a new skipper.

From the BBC, just noted in passing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/6757153.stm

Baseball coach, 77, appointed MBE

A baseball coach who is still training the players of the future at the age of 77 has been made an MBE.
Retired language teacher and grandmother-of-three Margaret Borley has been involved with hockey for 50 years and baseball for 25 years.
She has coached up to several hundred children at Tonbridge Bobcats Baseball Club in Kent - occasionally training two generations of the same family.

(Not a "Nats story", but obviously the latest Beltway battle is partly responsible..)

FYI, according to the AP just now...

Sam Perlozzo was fired as manager of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday with the last-place team in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.

Echoing the above statements: nice journal entry Barry, can't watit for the podcasts to begin again - they're great, and Go Dmitri! Write him in on your All Star ballots! The season has been great so far thanks for the superb reporting.

I think it was a foregone conclusion that Perlozzo was going to be fired after being swept by the Nats. Damn shame they cannot fire Angelos.

I think Perlozzo got fired because he forgot to kick dirt on the umpire when he was having his temper tantrum during the last Nat's game.

Shoulda drop kicked his hat a few times, too.

The news of Perlozzo's firing got me wondering: what ever happened to Jorge Arangure, Jr., Barry's former whipping boy? Haven't seen his name in quite some time. Is he no longer with the post? did I miss something?

I feel an inexplicable rage over Perlozzo's firing. With all things Bawlmer, I'm usually indifferent to sympathetic. Yet, I literally can feel my temples throbbing like Hank Hill's when someone insults propane.

Perlozzo deserves better. He never had a chance at that nuthouse. He didn't overpay for Dany Baez and Aubrey Huff, etc.

This firing is another example of why Peter Angelos is an "alpha hotel". Another reason why I will never root for the Blo's.

1) Didn't Jorge go to "4-letter" network's magazine?

2) Barry, FYI, - I am a 7-day home subscriber of the Washington Post, a PLATINUM member of Post Points, a program where you can earn great rewards, from pizza to travel to a big screen TV!

Only from the Washington Post. If you don't get it, you don't get it. Join today!

Mr. Svrluga,

(You know, every time I type that I'm reminded that among Kent Hrbek's nicknames was "Buy A Vowel".)

That's a superb piece of writing at the top of this thread -- analysis as well as reporting. Keep this up and Mr. Boswell will be afraid to go on vacation.

No comments on the team at the moment, I just wanted to say thank you.

So the question just hanging there: how long before they need a new pitching coach?

Perlozzo was screwed. Angelos must go.

(We know what the odds are of that.)

Micah's in his 14th years as a pro! As a pitcher, no less. Sounds pretty durable to me.

And I agree with cevans - it demonstrates the small degree of difference between the players who make it big and those who don't.

With the number of people playing the game not just in the US but the world, even just grabbing a handful of wins in the Majors puts you in a special class of athletes.

And it's really that class of career, even more so than the game's stars getting old on fat contracts, that makes MLB great. It keeps those stars on their toes.

The Wimbledon analogy is apt.

Methinks that baseball fans throughout the region would rejoice.

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Perlozzo was screwed. Angelos must go.
(We know what the odds are of that.)
Posted by: Hendo | June 18, 2007 02:11 PM

Actually, Barry's Babe, I think the Perlozzo firing is a Nats story, in the sense of comparison, anyway.

When the Nats took the series from the Orioles with their win in the second game, the two clubs shared the same record (the Nats went on to split their next four, while Baltimore went on to lose their subsequent games).

What's important to note is, to the Orioles, this record is unacceptable - hence Perlozzo getting sacked. For Nats fans, it's more than we could have hoped for. It goes pretty far to show where the two franchises think they should be at this point in their building processes.

It also goes to show just how inept Angelos is as an owner, though. Last week's sweep will end up being the norm if Kasten's foresight is as keen as the nearsightedness of Angelos.

Section 502:

I was wondering why Houston and Pittsburg are ahead of the Nats, but share the same record. Do they own tiebreakers?

I love it, though. GB/A is the new VORP.

The real nickname for this team: Cool Hand Nats ("Sometimes, nothing can be a real cool hand.")

John in Mpls ("Mpls"? Another case of 'Buy A Vowel' Hrbek idolatry gone bad?) asked:

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Section 502:

I was wondering why Houston and Pittsburg are ahead of the Nats, but share the same record. Do they own tiebreakers?

I love it, though. GB/A is the new VORP.
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But you need to ask our mutual friend four sections over. Those stats are courtesy of Section 506 (after moving).

What, you guys don't meet in the concourse in between innings and discuss GB/A?