Personalized license plates

[KnorrForYourMoney]

So you agree the Nats deserved it.  Good.

[The Chief]

Wrong.  The Wizards made the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2005, the same year the Nats had one of the most massive second-half chokes in recent history.

Oh come on, that's not fair and you know it.  To say they choked in the second half is to pretend they were playing to their ability in the first half, and I think we all know that's not true.  Their talent caught up with them, that's all.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

They went 31-50!  If they had done something like 37-44 then I'd agree, but they went from a 100-win pace to a 100-loss pace.  Ridiculous.

[The Chief]

They went 31-50!  If they had done something like 37-44 then I'd agree, but they went from a 100-win pace to a 100-loss pace.  Ridiculous.

They played over their heads first half, and the law of averages caught up with them second half.  Call it "choking" if you like but from my perspective you have to be good to begin with in order to choke.  The '05 Nats weren't good, just lucky.

[shoeshineboy]

They played over their heads first half, and the law of averages caught up with them second half.  Call it "choking" if you like but from my perspective you have to be good to begin with in order to choke.  The '05 Nats weren't good, just lucky.

Right. Even when they were in 1st place they were being outscored.
First half of the season they gave up 361 runs (14th) and scored only 357 (16th)
Second half, they gave up 312 (11th) and scored 282 (14th)

They were playing like a team that would end up at .500 (and should have actually finished slightly below). They were on the right side of a lot one-run games in the first half. Those things even out. Livo and Vinny broke down, the bullpen was taxed from the first half, they had no pitching depth, the "collapse" was natural and predictable, not a choke job. Those first-half stats were not those of a playoff team. They were the little team that could for what amounted to a short-lived, fun, and magical time that made the return of baseball extra special. But we all knew what we were really watching.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Those first-half stats were not those of a playoff team. They were the little team that could for what amounted to a short-lived, fun, and magical time that made the return of baseball extra special. But we all knew what we were really watching.

You weren't watching a 100-loss caliber team.

[PowerBoater69]

Most 1st place teams trade for talent to make a push for the playoffs, but of course the '05 Nats couldn't because the last thing the other owners were going to do was allow DC to increase payroll if it was going to result in another team missing out.  Then when rosters increased to 40 players the Nats had MLB "budget contraints" preventing us from adding depth.  So when other teams got better we had no replacements as guys got hurt.  In my mind the primary reason we didn't make the playoffs in 2005 will always be because the 29 owners who controlled our payroll blocked us from competing.

Still, those were the high water days for Nats fans.  I remember posters on the main board calling MLB offices demanding they authorize Bowden to bring up talent from AAA.

[shoeshineboy]

You weren't watching a 100-loss caliber team.

Down the back half of the season I was. A team reduced to a 4-man rotation that includes a reliever due to a lack of pitching depth, a tired bullpen, and older players breaking down is a team that would be expected to perform at a poor pace if it started the season with that make up. It was not surprising it performed so poorly once it got to that stage in the latter part of the year. A team lacking the talent, depth, and health was not going to sustain a pace that they had, especially since they shouldn't have been better than .500 to begin with. That team was the worst scoring team in the league, so it survived on the strength of its pitching performances. When that broke down due to injuries and a gassed bullpen, they weren't going to sustain that. Their record ended up at the end where it belonged to begin with. .500

[Obed_Marsh]

I agree that if the plates are based on merit neither the Nationals or Wizards deserve one. If it is not, than all teams should have a plate.

[PowerBoater69]

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050901&content_id=1192505&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was

Zimmerman is the only player from the Nationals' farm system that will be called up on Thursday. Budget restraints prevented them from calling up more players. However, Bowden expects more promotions in another week.

"We are going to make the best moves we can and watch out budget," Bowden said. "The Triple-A team [in New Orleans] plays through Sept. 5. So it may be an advantage to wait a few days, save the money and call up an extra one or two guys rather than call them up right now and limit ourselves."

http://www.forums.mlb.com/ml-washington/messages?msg=9181.2

If the league is in fact responsible for this, it is an outrage.

[CALSGR8]

I agree that if the plates are based on merit neither the Nationals or Wizards deserve one. If it is not, than all teams should have a plate.

I thought t would be used as a fundraiser!   That's what the Caps do!  I suggested it a long time ago, so the city schools could get some money for repairs or to libraries.   No one picked up on it obviously.   I ordered a caps plate, but it has to pass thru the legislature before they start sending them out.