Let's Remember Some Guys: Nats Edition

[Baseball is Life]

Elijah Dukes, Willy Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge, and Jose Guillen. Great talent and not so great heads.

[Mattionals]

Never forget Da Meat Hook.

[mitlen]

Never forget Da Meat Hook.

I got my bobblehead on the end table  ...   missin' both arms.     

[imref]

Brian Schneider: the very first #FOTF

[Count Walewski]

Not a player, but what was the name of the team chaplain who got in trouble for saying that Jews go to hell?

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Brian Schneider: the very first #FOTF

Actually, that was supposed to be Brad Wilkerson. I think he was even in a local ad for Chevy Chase bank (before it became Capital One, of course).

[imref]

Actually, that was supposed to be Brad Wilkerson. I think he was even in a local ad for Chevy Chase bank (before it became Capital One, of course).

Oh jeez, you are right.  Thanks.

[aspenbubba]

Not a player, but what was the name of the team chaplain who got in trouble for saying that Jews go to hell?

Ryan Church . It wasn't an intentional anti-Semitic remark , but because he was taught to believe that if you didn't accept Christ as your savior you couldn't go to heaven. I recall that his girlfriend at the time was Jewish.

[UMDNats]

Actually, that was supposed to be Brad Wilkerson. I think he was even in a local ad for Chevy Chase bank (before it became Capital One, of course).

he hit for the cycle in our 2nd ever game

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Was Rick Short the guy who hit something like .400 in New Orleans when they called him up.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Was Rick Short the guy who hit something like .400 in New Orleans when they called him up.

Yeah.  He never got a fair shot.  He could actually hit, which almost nobody else on that era's Nats teams could.  True story: his career batting average in MLB is .400, albeit in like 15 at bats.  I remember watching him launch an absolute bomb at RFK.  Defense or no, a dude who hits .380 in AAA deserves a chance over the abject cluelessness on those teams.  I mean, he was hitting .380 in AAA and couldn't get a shot at 2B because he allegedly sucked in the field.  Meanwhile Jose Vidro was unable to hit his quite considerable weight while waddling around short right field and occasionally fielding a grounder while pretending to play 2B in DC.

[UMDNats]

i completely forgot we had chein-ming wang at one point

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I have a CMW XXXL mumu I got at the team store for like $4

i completely forgot we had chein-ming wang at one point

[KnorrForYourMoney]

he hit for the cycle in our 2nd ever game

A game that I couldn't watch because DirecTV didn't carry MASN until July or August of that year. What a weird season that was.

[hotshot]

Ryan Church . It wasn't an intentional anti-Semitic remark , but because he was taught to believe that if you didn't accept Christ as your savior you couldn't go to heaven. I recall that his girlfriend at the time was Jewish.

Scary thought but I suspect a good percentage of athletes (as part of the general population) believe just that! I know my Catholic priest way back when did.

[Count Walewski]

I was not living in Washington DC when that happened, and wasn't following the Nats yet, but my recollection from what was reported in the national media was:

(1) Two outfielders on the Nationals got into a dispute over whether or not Jews go to hell
(2) They asked the team chaplain
(3) The chaplain said, yes, they do
(4) this got public, people were outraged, the Nats were like "wait, why do we have a chaplain anyway" and fired him

Let me know if I got any of these details wrong.

I personally am not religious, but my understanding is that whether or not Jews go to hell is an open question in Christian theology and there are Scripture-based arguments for both views.

[NJ Ave]

Yeah.  He never got a fair shot.  He could actually hit, which almost nobody else on that era's Nats teams could.  True story: his career batting average in MLB is .400, albeit in like 15 at bats.  I remember watching him launch an absolute bomb at RFK.  Defense or no, a dude who hits .380 in AAA deserves a chance over the abject cluelessness on those teams.  I mean, he was hitting .380 in AAA and couldn't get a shot at 2B because he allegedly sucked in the field.  Meanwhile Jose Vidro was unable to hit his quite considerable weight while waddling around short right field and occasionally fielding a grounder while pretending to play 2B in DC.

I wonder if he just curses the Baltimore franchise every day of his life.

Drafted at 21
At age-22, hits .418 at high-A
At age-23, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .312 and isn't promoted
At age-24, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .319 and isn't promoted
At age-25, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .308 and is FINALLY promoted twice all the way to triple-A
At age-26, sent BACK to double-A where he hits .314 and isn't promoted
At age-27, sent BACK to double-A where he hits .331 and is FINALLY promoted to triple-A for the final 13 games of the season

At that point he's a complete non-prospect and minor league free agent who drifts around to 5 franchises and Japan, basically always hitting .300 or better.

Maybe his defense was just THAT bad, but it seems like he could've gotten a better shot.

[Ray D]

I was not living in Washington DC when that happened, and wasn't following the Nats yet, but my recollection from what was reported in the national media was:

(1) Two outfielders on the Nationals got into a dispute over whether or not Jews go to hell
(2) They asked the team chaplain
(3) The chaplain said, yes, they do
(4) this got public, people were outraged, the Nats were like "wait, why do we have a chaplain anyway" and fired him

I think they fired him because a chaplain is supposed to be non-denominational, and he was clearly denominational.

[Ray D]

(1) Two outfielders on the Nationals got into a dispute over whether or not Jews go to hell
 

Well one of the two was Church, obviously, but I'd love to know who was the other one.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Nick Johnson IIRC

Well one of the two was Church, obviously, but I'd love to know who was the other one.

[hotshot]

When u looked at Nick, you thought 40 HR. What you got was maybe 15. BIG guy.

[Elvir Ovcina]

I wonder if he just curses the Baltimore franchise every day of his life.

Drafted at 21
At age-22, hits .418 at high-A
At age-23, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .312 and isn't promoted
At age-24, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .319 and isn't promoted
At age-25, sent BACK to high-A where he hits .308 and is FINALLY promoted twice all the way to triple-A
At age-26, sent BACK to double-A where he hits .314 and isn't promoted
At age-27, sent BACK to double-A where he hits .331 and is FINALLY promoted to triple-A for the final 13 games of the season

At that point he's a complete non-prospect and minor league free agent who drifts around to 5 franchises and Japan, basically always hitting .300 or better.

Maybe his defense was just THAT bad, but it seems like he could've gotten a better shot.

The strange this is that it wasn't.  He sucked on defense, but not so badly that he was a DH or something.  I always wondered if he pissed off someone in Baltimore's system so badly that they decided to screw his career.

[Baseball is Life]

My favorite Nats player in 2005 was Chad Cordero. The kid was just grateful for the opportunity to play at the MLB level, seemingly knowing he wouldn't have a long career. He had an awesome year that year (47 saves) and couple of more decent years but petered out soon after...

[mitlen]

My favorite Nats player in 2005 was Chad Cordero. The kid was just grateful for the opportunity to play at the MLB level, seemingly knowing he wouldn't have a long career. He had an awesome year that year (47 saves) and couple of more decent years but petered out soon after...

I'd buy a $7 ticket and sit in the OF  ....  as close to the rail as I could get.    When Chief came in, I'd give it all I had, "Chiiieeeeeeeeeeefffffffffffff  !!"     

[UMDNats]

Remember Hector Carrasco? Son of a nag came out of nowhere to pitch to a 200 ERA+ in 88 IP for us in 2005.