Rizzo: "We felt it was important to not ... make us an OK major league team"

[imref]

And the Cubs. But nobody wants to hear it. If you pay for a MLB ticket you have the right to expect to see MLB talent.

well, it's not like the lineups are hidden until after the game starts, you know who you are going to see on the roster before you buy your ticket (unless you are a ST holder).

[PebbleBall]

It's really, really ridiculous to be upset by this. 

First of all, the reporter, not Rizzo, calls it "a willingness to lose."  All I see in what Rizzo is saying is that they didn't want to take a shortcut, that they'd rather take a long road to being a stable contender than a shortcut to being mediocre.  I know I'm putting words in his mouth, but it's a lot less of a stretch than anybody willing to believe Rizzo's goal was to build a bad team. 

This is also from the article:

The philosophy was carried out by Rizzo, who was hired as the club's new vice president of baseball operations: develop, or die trying.

If you disagree with the philosophy, that's justifiable.  But don't plug your ears and deliberately twist it into a desire to tank. 

[blue911]

well, it's not like the lineups are hidden until after the game starts, you know who you are going to see on the roster before you buy your ticket (unless you are a ST holder).

A majority of fans trust the team to field the best possible product.

[cmdterps44]

How about "Rizzo's Plan is Working."

Saying something like this is similar to saying "I told you so" when the outcome was bound to happen eventually. The only difference here is that its happening sooner than later. This could've gone on for four more years. I'm happy we're actually doing something right, finally. I'm not happy that we had to throw away four losing seasons to get something right.

[HalfSmokes]

If you disagree with the philosophy, that's justifiable.  But don't plug your ears and deliberately twist it into a desire to tank. 

If not a desire to tank, suck is the clear by product of not caring about the major league roster, it's one think to not bring in payers when you'll block prospects, but that is clearly not what happened here

[PebbleBall]

If not a desire to tank, suck is the clear by product of not caring about the major league roster, it's one think to not bring in payers when you'll block prospects, but that is clearly not what happened here

All I'm saying is the company line was "we're building for the future" all along.  All Rizzo is doing is reiterating that.  I don't get it.

[Smithian]

You all have got to be kidding me.

You people read an article talking about the Washington Nationals being a sleeping giant and being on the cusp of a dynasty and you're pissed off because we admitted we didn't add low level free agents back in 2009?

That is an awesome article written about the ascent of the Washington Nationals, THE WASHINGTON ZOMBIE EXPO NATINALS, into one of the league's elite.

I called it. Even when the Nats start winning people won't start winning.

Sorry guy, but THE PLAN has WORKED!

GO NATS, GO RIZZO

[The Chief]

All I'm saying is the company line was "we're building for the future" all along.  All Rizzo is doing is reiterating that.  I don't get it.

You don't get why fans who invested untold time and money into the team during all those years would be upset to hear the GM admit that they felt it was important NOT to improve those teams?

[Lintyfresh85]

You all have got to be kidding me.

You people read an article talking about the Washington Nationals being a sleeping giant and being on the cusp of a dynasty and you're pissed off because we admitted we didn't add low level free agents back in 2009?

That is an awesome article written about the ascent of the Washington Nationals, THE WASHINGTON ZOMBIE EXPO NATINALS, into one of the league's elite.

I called it. Even when the Nats start winning people won't start winning.

Sorry guy, but THE PLAN has WORKED!

GO NATS, GO RIZZO

We're not whining about winning, we're whining that we payed MLB prices for a AAA team.

[cmdterps44]

You all have got to be kidding me.

You people read an article talking about the Washington Nationals being a sleeping giant and being on the cusp of a dynasty and you're pissed off because we admitted we didn't add low level free agents back in 2009?

That is an awesome article written about the ascent of the Washington Nationals, THE WASHINGTON ZOMBIE EXPO NATINALS, into one of the league's elite.

I called it. Even when the Nats start winning people won't start winning.

Sorry guy, but THE PLAN has WORKED!

GO NATS, GO RIZZO

No one's throwing out the current teams progress. People are just discussing the issues of the past... the years of misery that we all went through and what the cause of it was.

[The Chief]

blah blah rah rah sis boom bah

That's great, but just because things worked out doesn't mean it was a good way to handle a new team or its fans.

I'm certainly less bothered by this than I would have been 2-3 years ago, but it's still a ridiculous thing for a team spokesman to say.

[Smithian]

I don't know why anyone is shocked. It is plainly obvious the Nats were not signing guys who weren't long term answers. I posted as much and said it often.

I am damn glad Mike Rizzo is our general manager. Not many general managers set out to build something the right way and stick with the plan throughout.

The results so far are fantastic.

[Smithian]

No one's throwing out the current teams progress. People are just discussing the issues of the past... the years of misery that we all went through and what the cause of it was.

We were in the process of building it the right way.

[The Chief]

We were in the process of building it the right way.

By tanking.

I bet a lot of the same folks here kissing Rizzo's ass are probably the same people who look down their nose at lotto players.

[houston-nat]

We're not whining about winning, we're whining that we payed MLB prices for a AAA team.

Maybe it's that I've only ever been to 3 reg-season Nats games and they were all in Houston, but I have nothing to whine about. Wasting our time and money on mediocre free agents would have been a face-saving move. What we needed was real change and we got it. This team's on its way.

[cmdterps44]

We were in the process of building it the right way.

Right way? Debatable... which is why we're having a discussion about it right now.

[PebbleBall]

You don't get why fans who invested untold time and money into the team during all those years would be upset to hear the GM admit that they felt it was important NOT to improve those teams?

I think you're doing a lot of work to imply that he was saying that.  The entire basis of the article is the path Rizzo/the Nats took to improve the team.  That is 100% the point of the article.  I keep looking back and I don't know where to begin.  Do you really think Rizzo is saying that they're goal was not to improve? 

[Baseball is Life]

There's nothing new about this to me. Lots of teams have been unabashed about having to be really bad before they could get really good.

Billy Beane is doing it as we speak and he's considered a genius.

And, he's actually trading piece he already had. The Nats had no such luxury.

[PebbleBall]

I don't know why anyone is shocked. It is plainly obvious the Nats were not signing guys who weren't long term answers. I posted as much and said it often.

I am damn glad Mike Rizzo is our general manager. Not many general managers set out to build something the right way and stick with the plan throughout.

The results so far are fantastic.

Rizzo's exact sentiment is bolded. 

[cmdterps44]

Do you really think Rizzo is saying that they're goal was not to improve? 

According to the article and what Rizzo said? Yes. All of this discussion is based off published words that suggest a willingness to lose.

[NatsDad14]

  Most of the 18 teams that played in the World Series since 2007 were substantially built through draftees or players acquired from trading draftees.

How did 18 teams play in 5 world series?

[The Chief]

According to the article and what Rizzo said? Yes. All of this discussion is based of published words.

This, good lord.  Are you flippin blind?

[Baseball is Life]

Right way? Debatable... which is why we're having a discussion about it right now.

Of course, it's debateable. We debated it for, oh, about 5 years. There's no right or wrong answer. It was a management decision.

[The Chief]

Rizzo's exact sentiment is bolded. 

Talk about plugging your ears.  His exact SPOKEN WORDS are in the article.  Sentiments my ass.  No shock this whole thing is falling along party lines though.  I'm done here.

[cmdterps44]

Of course, it's debateable. We debated it for, oh, about 5 years. There's no right or wrong answer. It was a management decision.

And now people are allowed to vent about it because now they have some factual statements delivered from Rizzo himself.