Changes need to be mede before tonights game!!!!!!!!

[mlbnationals]

This is a message I posted on Nationals.com last night after the rock bottom loss to the Rockies:
 
After tonights game, I believe it is clear that the Nationals will not only not win the division, but not even win the wild card with the bunch of so called ballplayers they put out on the field tonight. It seems to me that the only starters making any effort to win and showing heart are Vidro, Guillen, Wilson, Church, and Schneider, and it seems that Nick Johnson likes wearing a bra and matching panties because he hasn't come back yet! As for the others, I don't even know where to begin. After some thought, I came up with some roster moves that could shake this team up and hopefully wake them up!

1. SS - Bench Guzman! Start Jamie Carroll in his place. He's not bad defensively, but where he lacks in the field he makes up for at the plate. At least when he comes up to bat, it's not an automatic out.

2. CF/1B - Wiff-erson! Either bench him or put him on the DL, because he's not lighting it up in the field, and he's unreliable at the plate. Promote Rick Short from AAA New Orleans. In 71 games, he's batting .377, with 92 hits, and 46 RBI's. This guy doesn't hit for power, but he gets on base, and that's exactly what we expect a possible #2 or #8 hitter.

3. 1B - Nick Johnson! Anyone up for taking a collection so we can buy this guy a gift certificate to Victorias Secret? Maybe if he isn't happy in his matching bra and panties, he could go get a nice silk nighty with a matching pair of crotchless panties. He needs to get off the rag and play some ball!

4. 3B - Call up Brandan Harris! Now I know that Harris may not be the greatest 3B in the history of baseball, but neither is Vinny Castilla. It is clear that Vinny is tired, and aching. In his defense, he needs a break every now and then. What Harris does is give the Nats power at the corner. In AAA he's hitting .285 with 9 HR's and 52 RBI's. The first time this kid stepped up to the plate earlier in the season against the Cardinals, he belted a home run! Give him a start every 4th or 5th game, 'cause Vinny needs a rest. Clearly, Zimmerman is the 3B of our future, and that's the direction we need to take at 3B. Stick with what we got, and prepare for Zimmerman in a year or two.

5. Cut Cordero!! Why in the world was this worthless wife beater ever signed!? I think it's a three way race to see who s*cks more, Wifferson, Guzman, or this piece of $hit. JB, CUT HIM!!!!!!

6. Call up Tyrell Goodwin!!! This gives us a 4th outfielder allowing us to rest one of the starting outfielders (Church, Wilson, & Guillen) every day or every other day. My good Nats friends, GODWIN is the lead off man we are currently lacking! In AAA, he's hitting .329, with 102 hits, 14 2B's, and 16 stollen bases! BUT, the stat that catches my eye is that in 310 plate appearances, he only K'd 45 times! The kid was a AAA all star! Although I despise them, the Braves have a great lead off man in Furcal, who usually steals second if he doesn't get a double. If we had Godwin leading off, and letting him run, imagine what a difference "no out and a runner on second" would make!

7. Get an Owner! This team can only stay competitive for so long without an owner. The increase in spendable money we will have with an owner will make us serious contenders for off season free agents, and the occasional "cleaning house" that occurs with some teams this time of the season.

8. Find a good retirement home for Frank Robinson! This guy has made numerous bonehead calls all season, and tonight was no exception. No disrespect to Jamie, but why bat him in the bottom of the 9th, when you have Church up to bat with 2 on and one out. We needed a base hit in one of the outfield alleys, not a double play. Just his constant hard on for Will Cordero makes me want the new owner to can his @$$!!

[gosensgo05]

You get the award for "Most Melodramatic, Over-Reaction Panic Attack" by a baseball fan.  

MLBNationals...the Nats are NOT the S.S. Titanic.  The ship is not sinking:  it's traveling at five knots instead of 25.  The team has not hit THE ICEBERG.  If you want to point out a disaster in the making...look no further than the LA Dodgers.  

Anyway, your remedies are extreme and counter-productive.  

1.  Bench Guzman?  Fine, he deserves it.  Demote Guzman to the minors and put J.C. in the starting role?  Are you nuts?  The Nats are paying Guzman big $$$$ to play at the MLB level.  Guzman will NEVER, ever accept an assignment to the minors.  They mind as well eat his entire salary and cut him.  

2.  Wilkie is suffering from an arm injury.  It has affected his swing slightly.  Even in Montreal, Wilkie was a free swinger with big K numbers.  He has put together some awesome games at the plate and in the field.  If anything, maybe Wilkie will be trade bait before the July 31 deadline.

3.  I think you are being unfair to Nick Johnson.  How do you know the health situation with NJ????  Are you his doctor?  Nope.  Stop busting on NJ and cheer him when he gets back to the lineup.  Which will be next week.  

4.  Brendon Harris?  LMAO!  Yeah right.  Harris couldn't hit squat in the bigs and you are calling for him to replace Vinny Castilla?  Castilla can still produce big hits when he is healthy.  Give me a break.  

5.  Now that the Nats are a miserable, awful, embarrassing 53-40, you want Frank's head on a plate.   Gee...I guess you would find such awesome managers like Jim Tracy in LA or Lloyd McClendon from Pittsburgh as suitable replacements?  Or how about Dusty Baker who couldn't manage a ball club if his team had the 25 greatest players in baseball history?  Uh-huh, I would take Frank over those bums any day.

[Montcobaseball]

Unless you have had a bad bone bruise on a body part that supports 200 pounds then you have no idea what you are talking about.   Do you really think that Johnson wants to sit on the bench or in the stands?

[mar (AKA pasqual AKA JMG)]

Unless you have had a bad bone bruise on a body part that supports 200 pounds then you have no idea what you are talking about.   Do you really think that Johnson wants to sit on the bench or in the stands?

I made a promise to myself not to criticise Nick this season as far as his current stint on the DL. I hope he comes back soon and picks up where he left off.

BUT if I'm Bowden or another GM, I am already looking for who I can upgrade to at 1B in the offseason.

Nick may be a nice guy and maybe its not even his fault but he has been on the DL in each of his last 7 seasons - including his last 2 minor league seasons - and the pattern is he's injury prone and slow to recover.

I believe he's FA eligible after 2006 and I can't see any Nats GM signing him long term. You just don't want to go into every season when the question is not "will he go on the DL?" but "when he goes on the DL, how long will it be for?" 7 outta 7 is just too much to think its likely to change.

Too bad. He's a very good hitter for OBP and has been excellent this season with RISP but he just raises the uncertainty quotient too high in a key position.

[bumsfan4]

Jamey and Carlos B to replace Guze and Vinny in starting lineup tonight according to WTOP.
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Lets go Nationals!

[mar (AKA pasqual AKA JMG)]

Jamey and Carlos B to replace Guze and Vinny in starting lineup tonight according to WTOP.
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Lets go Nationals!

I dunno whether to laugh or cry

Not so much at Jamey as Carlos (nothing against him but likely been a long time between 3B starts)

Be interesting, anyway.

[The Chief]

If true, I like that swap.  Those two are solid on defense and respectable on offense.  Although admittedly I've never seen Baerga play 3rd before.

[luckyexposfan]

Jamey and Carlos B to replace Guze and Vinny in starting lineup tonight according to WTOP.
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Lets go Nationals!

That's the best news I've heard all month.

[tomterp]

Don't get too excited everybody.  Quick, raise your hand if you've seen Baerga play 3rd in the last decade......

And, Carroll is hitting .222 vs. righties, scarcely better than Guzman's .215.  If you platoon Carroll at short, you would play him only against lefties, who he hits over .300 against.

So maybe this is not a platoon situation....

[luckyexposfan]

Don't get too excited everybody.  Quick, raise your hand if you've seen Baerga play 3rd in the last decade......

And, Carroll is hitting .222 vs. righties, scarcely better than Guzman's .215.  If you platoon Carroll at short, you would play him only against lefties, who he hits over .300 against.

So maybe this is not a platoon situation....

At least Carrol knows how to bunt and field  

[mar (AKA pasqual AKA JMG)]

Don't get too excited everybody.  Quick, raise your hand if you've seen Baerga play 3rd in the last decade......

And, Carroll is hitting .222 vs. righties, scarcely better than Guzman's .215.  If you platoon Carroll at short, you would play him only against lefties, who he hits over .300 against.

So maybe this is not a platoon situation....

Kind of a "we sucked last night so we're gonna do something - ANYTHING - to shake things up situation?"

Gee! And Patterson gets to be the recipient of all this good luck. Well, he set a new career high in K's last game, maybe he can go for the Rocket's all time record :wink:

Be really nice if Guzman was being held out pending the Tampa Bay trade but that's way, way to much to hope for.

More likely dizziness has become epidemic on the Nats (and actually I'm not making fun of them. One time I flew into DC when it was real hot and humid and I was having trouble breathing til I got used to it so I can see how it can cause problems when you just come off the road).

[The Chief]

I've been more and more impressed with Patterson as the season has worn on.  As long as we play solid defense, Patterson should be able to get us the 'W'

Hear that, Nats?  Solid defense

[mar (AKA pasqual AKA JMG)]

I've been more and more impressed with Patterson as the season has worn on.  As long as we play solid defense, Patterson should be able to get us the 'W'

Hear that, Nats?  Solid defense

Oh I agree with you on Patterson.

He convinced me he was the real deal when he got thru that period that's the undoing of a lot of guys having their first good year.

Start of the season, you're the extra guy in the scouting report, but when you come outta the gate like Patterson did, all of a sudden you get a lot of attention from scouts and every tendency, every move gets analyzed and passed on to opposing hitters.

Patterson had a bit of trouble in about his 4th thru 7th starts but then made his own adjustments and has been excellent ever since.

Obviously needs to learn to be more efficient with his pitches and hold base runners a bit better but that'll come with time.