Author Topic: more than Morse?  (Read 1929 times)

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Offline ajcartwright

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more than Morse?
« Topic Start: April 22, 2013, 09:22:31 PM »
Nat's play this season                                                                                                                                           
begs question; is heart and soul                                                                                                                         
now in Seattle?

Offline Mathguy

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #1: April 22, 2013, 09:25:06 PM »
Oh don't be so silly.  If there is any one heart/soul of this team, it's #34

Nat's play this season                                                                                                                                           
begs question; is heart and soul                                                                                                                         
now in Seattle?

Offline wpa2629

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #2: April 22, 2013, 09:38:44 PM »
OMG Really?


Offline spidernat

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #3: April 22, 2013, 09:41:55 PM »

Offline Squab

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #4: April 22, 2013, 09:43:17 PM »
Please only post in Haikus.

Offline BerkeleyNat

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #5: April 22, 2013, 09:59:04 PM »
You need to immediately change your name to AirMorse. Don't ask why, just do it.  :lmao:

Offline spidernat

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #6: April 22, 2013, 09:59:41 PM »
:lmao: :lmao:

Offline nfotiu

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #7: April 22, 2013, 10:03:42 PM »
Morse didn't even play much last year and when he did, he didn't play that well. 

Zimmerman's suckiness and hurtness has hurt a lot. 

Offline nats2playoffs

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #8: April 22, 2013, 10:08:59 PM »
Morse has 2 hits in his last 23 ABs, 1 run, 0 RBI, 0 HR.  He may still have problems with the fractured pinky finger, but won't admit it.


Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #9: April 22, 2013, 10:09:34 PM »
Fist baseman hitting. 185 doesn't help

Offline houston-nat

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #10: April 22, 2013, 10:13:25 PM »
Nat's play this season                                                                                                                                           
begs question; is heart and soul                                                                                                                         
now in Seattle?

Dang it now I want to create an account that posts only in haiku.

Offline Coladar

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #11: April 22, 2013, 10:31:27 PM »
Oh don't be so silly.  If there is any one heart/soul of this team, it's #34


Uhh, yeah, not so much. Error prone of late, maybe, but saying anyone but Ryan Zimmerman is the heart of the team before the day he retires is blasphemous. Heretic!

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #12: April 22, 2013, 10:37:58 PM »

Online imref

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #13: April 22, 2013, 10:38:59 PM »
didn't we play the first couple of months last year without him?

It's obvious that the heart and soul of this season last year was Jesus Flores.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #14: April 22, 2013, 10:41:23 PM »
didn't we play the first couple of months last year without him?

It's obvious that the heart and soul of this season last year was Jesus Flores.
No, he came up in late April.

Offline CALSGR8

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #15: April 23, 2013, 06:36:28 AM »
Part of Boswell's chat!

 I got an e-mail after the game from a Nationals fan who said that she felt the team missed Michael Morse's loose presence and felt it was obvious that the Nats were pressing, trying too hard, burdened by expectations __a team of analytical introverts who "need a clown" to help them relax.

I think that's probably close to the case but not something that's going to be as easily fixed as a few practical jokes or more chuckles on the bench. TheNats may miss Mark DeRosa as much as Morse.He was smart (Wharton degree), tough (Penn QB) and funny in a clubhouse way that seemed spontaneous but was also always part of setting team tone. It's rare to see a player who doesn't produce much, like DeRosa, who's part of chemistry.

BUT the primary problem, imo, is not the absence of Morse (or any one else). It's the introduction of high expectations, criticism, judgment, Game Five. Some teams aren't especially bothered by it. The Nats seem to be. You can't know its importance until you see it play out. The reason that "expectations rob joy" is kind of a cliche is because it's true. The Nats will haveto learnto dealwithit.

If anything, Morse is the type (secret worrier) who would haveproblemswith this. (He's down to .219 in Seattle.) LaRochelessso. We'll see how it works out, whether it costs the Nationals a nervous disappointing month or contaminates a large part of the season. I'd guess the former. I can't tell you how often I've seen highly-touted teams start the year frustrating themselves and their fans for 100 or more games; the players are much morebothered, usually, than any fan, but they don't show it often. You can make a long list of teams that started a year 52-50, then finished 40-20 to go 92-70, then made the post-season and went a long way. But, obviously, that's not what anybody wants. The Nats 14-4 start last year was a perfect example of a team using a fast start to get a slingshot lead in winning its division. The Braves are doing the same thing now at 13-5. It's only three games but it IS three games. BTW, Atlanta is going through a total team hitting slump right now with injuries (McCann, Freeman) and tons of strikeouts.

I'll be interested to see if playing the (hated) Cards snaps the Nationals out of their sloppy play funk. The Cards said some very uncomplimeentary things after Game Fives in the St. Louis media. It would be a rare team in any sport that didn't remember an opponents that said they "couldn't breath" or that claimed they "knew" they would overcome a 6-0 deficit because of the way the other teamwas playinmg. Even if they thought it was true __even if it is true__ it's poor judgment to say it. Let those lousy "critics" throw the rotten tomatoes. Too bad Gio Gonzalez doesn't get to pitch in this series. He shutout the Cards in regular season last year, then walked 11 in 10 IP in the playoffs against essentially the same lineup. And he had another inexplicable control meltdown vs the Mets on Saturday in giving up a 3-0 lead in a game the Nats eventually won.

The Nats "identity" really does exist and goes back beyond '12. They played up to their talent in '11, too, and their clubhouse mix was part of the reason. Thecorrect operating assumption is that they start "playing like themselves" soon. But they better. Between now and June 2 __six weeks__ they play the Cards (3), Reds (4), Braves (6), Tigers (2), Dodgers (3), Giants (3), Phils (3) and O's (4). Those 28 games are as tough as ALL of the rest of the '13 schedule.

If they play as they have so far, theywill certainlynotbeat .500 on June2nd. If they play as they are capable of playing, they will be well over .500 by then and may pick up steam the rest of the season.

So, there's my column-length answer to a short, but on-the-money question.

Offline MorseTheHorse

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #16: April 23, 2013, 08:30:21 AM »
seems like Morse might have come back from the broken pinky a bit too fast.  I can understand why given how he was hitting before the injury.  Great "column" from Bos. 

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #17: April 23, 2013, 09:12:35 AM »
I'm sure Morse would have cured cancer by now if he wasn't traded so far from NIH.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #18: April 23, 2013, 11:26:43 AM »
He is secretly being positioned in Seattle in order to swat North Korean missiles out of the air with his size and bat speed. 

Can N2P do a gif of this?

Offline spidernat

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #19: April 23, 2013, 11:57:57 AM »
I'm sure Morse would have cured cancer by now if he wasn't traded so far from NIH.

"sanity"  :clap:

Offline ajcartwright

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #20: May 02, 2013, 01:46:55 AM »
May 1, Safeco Field
Morse hit his 9th round tripper
miss him much?  indeed!

Offline ajcartwright

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #21: May 02, 2013, 01:48:06 AM »
Michael Morse was more
than just hitting and fielding
he was our essence

Offline Galah

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #22: May 02, 2013, 11:24:41 PM »
.....I don't do haiku....
Michael Morse...next year, when he plays at Nats Park with the Mariners when they come to town, will get the same reception that Adam Dunn got on the 10th of April, and that Josh Willingham will get on the 8th of June.
Oh, wait, did you forget about those guys????

Offline aspenbubba

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #23: May 03, 2013, 07:07:55 AM »
.....I don't do haiku....
Michael Morse...next year, when he plays at Nats Park with the Mariners when they come to town, will get the same reception that Adam Dunn got on the 10th of April, and that Josh Willingham will get on the 8th of June.
Oh, wait, did you forget about those guys????


Seattle has to re-sign him for that to happen.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: more than Morse?
« Reply #24: May 03, 2013, 10:16:46 AM »
Morse definately had a bigger following than Dunn or Willingham

.....I don't do haiku....
Michael Morse...next year, when he plays at Nats Park with the Mariners when they come to town, will get the same reception that Adam Dunn got on the 10th of April, and that Josh Willingham will get on the 8th of June.
Oh, wait, did you forget about those guys????