Plan "B"

[Air Zimmerman]

agree

i would also like to add:



these two are going to DOMINATE in the Nationals OF for the next 10+ years. that's going to be a more often occurence: Dukes congratulating Lastings after a homer. i don't think people realize what the Nationals have in Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge.

[PatsNats28]

Unless they bolt and sign 10M a year deals to ride the Yanks' bench.

[natsfan4evr]

Unless they bolt and sign 10M a year deals to ride the Yanks' bench.

Thankfully they can't leave unless we nontender them.
Whoever came up with the 6 year rule is a genius. If it wasn't for that, the Yankees would buy up all the talent imaginable.

[hammondsnats]

you are that attached to Milledge huh.

No.  But why the hell would we trade a 23 year old who led our team in a bunch of offensive categories for something.  I thought the whole part of "THE PLAN" was to get young talent, let them grow together to build chemistry and one day be a solid ball club.  This would be going against it. 

I honestly doubt they'd trade him, but after all the guys we've given second chances to ... to base one season on Milledges' play in center and get rid of him would be a joke. 

[hammondsnats]

Damn. I said within two weeks hammonds would be back on his crusade. Who could of guessed it would only be two hours?

look back in the archives to the last time i have said the lerners are cheap.  now i'm just nagging about how when we failed to get teixeira, i realized how bad we're going to be again. 

and as a 25 year old season ticket holder who spends a lot of dough on not just tickets, but merchandise, etc, it ticked me off how bad we were last year.  and we better make some VAST improvements FAST (looking your way jimbo) or its going to be another year of the same 'ole pete orr, ryan langerhans, wily mo pena, levale speigner crap. 

sorry i can't remaing upbeat.  not today.  even if it is the holiday season (and i just spent over $150 on nats merchandise for members of my intermediate and outside family). 

[natsfan4evr]

look back in the archives to the last time i have said the lerners are cheap.  now i'm just nagging about how when we failed to get teixeira, i realized how bad we're going to be again. 

and as a 25 year old season ticket holder who spends a lot of dough on not just tickets, but merchandise, etc, it ticked me off how bad we were last year.  and we better make some VAST improvements FAST (looking your way jimbo) or its going to be another year of the same 'ole pete orr, ryan langerhans, wily mo pena, levale speigner crap. 

sorry i can't remaing upbeat.  not today.  even if it is the holiday season (and i just spent over $150 on nats merchandise for members of my intermediate and outside family). 

I'm 25 too. I can't commit to season tickets.
When I go to the games, I sit in the 3 or 400 levels. I go to about 10 or so a season.

[DPMOmaha]

look back in the archives to the last time i have said the lerners are cheap.  now i'm just nagging about how when we failed to get teixeira, i realized how bad we're going to be again. 

and as a 25 year old season ticket holder who spends a lot of dough on not just tickets, but merchandise, etc, it ticked me off how bad we were last year.  and we better make some VAST improvements FAST (looking your way jimbo) or its going to be another year of the same 'ole pete orr, ryan langerhans, wily mo pena, levale speigner crap. 

sorry i can't remaing upbeat.  not today.  even if it is the holiday season (and i just spent over $150 on nats merchandise for members of my intermediate and outside family). 

It's unlikely we'll be as snakebitten on the injury front next year as we were last year.  I expect to see a lot of things more similar to that stretch we had in, I think it was August, where they were actually pretty competitive.  I don't think we'll approach contention by any measure but I don't think we'll see suffer the same fate, not by a long shot we did last year.

[natsfan4evr]

It's unlikely we'll be as snakebitten on the injury front next year as we were last year.  I expect to see a lot of things more similar to that stretch we had in, I think it was August, where they were actually pretty competitive.  I don't think we'll approach contention by any measure but I don't think we'll see suffer the same fate, not by a long shot we did last year.

I think the injuries can't be overlooked.
It isn't fair to rate the team last year. Most of the starters were out for a substantial amount of time.

I think 2005 was a freak year. It was nice to finish at .500 though.
I just want to have a chance. I felt like every time that FLOP or LoPuca would come up to bat, that they would strike our or get an out.

Our pitching was not that terrible for most of the season. When you only scored 2-3 runs a game, it is hard to win though.

[hammondsnats]

I think the injuries can't be overlooked.
It isn't fair to rate the team last year. Most of the starters were out for a substantial amount of time.

I think 2005 was a freak year. It was nice to finish at .500 though.
I just want to have a chance. I felt like every time that FLOP or LoPuca would come up to bat, that they would strike our or get an out.

Our pitching was not that terrible for most of the season. When you only scored 2-3 runs a game, it is hard to win though.

i appreciate the optimism and i know i've been sounding like sportsfan, but i mean the bad taste is still in our players mouths.  they still have it in their minds that - injuries or not - that roster compiled 102 losses.  do i think we'll be better this year?  no question?  but a guy like teix really would've helped, tremendously.  he would've boosted the morale in the locker room, no question.  he would've lifted our fan base.

a very sad day. 

[spidernat]

Damn. I said within two weeks hammonds would be back on his crusade. Who could of guessed it would only be two hours?

Actually I meant the positive optimist hammondsnats. I prefer the current one because that hammondsnats at least keeps it real. 

[DPMOmaha]

i appreciate the optimism and i know i've been sounding like sportsfan, but i mean the bad taste is still in our players mouths.  they still have it in their minds that - injuries or not - that roster compiled 102 losses.  do i think we'll be better this year?  no question?  but a guy like teix really would've helped, tremendously.  he would've boosted the morale in the locker room, no question.  he would've lifted our fan base.

a very sad day. 

My initial reaction to this is, well, Duh!  Of course he would have been a tremendous boost.  I also think the players know what happened with all the injuries.  And if they get off to a decent start, not even a hot one, but just a decent one, I think you'll see a whole different attitude on the field.  Not that it's fairly evident we won't have a huge boost, let's take a step or two.  We're all excited about Zimmermann's potential and the hope of Strasburg and his potential but realistically they don't come in here and dominate right away.  They might have some success early and then the league will adjust and then they'll adjust and we'll know how good they really are.  Since we're not going to make a huge splash, take a couple of steps and try again next year.  

[Air Zimmerman]

I'm still going to be optimistic as always about the Nationals chances in 09. that said, i think Dukes BREAKOUT season combined with the collective improved play of the rest of the team, will carry this team to contention in 09!

[cmdterps44]

We better not come out starting April with like a 1-27 record or some crap

[spidernat]

 Since we're not going to make a huge splash, take a couple of steps and try again next year.  

Isn't it a little early to start the "we'll get'em next season" mantra?

[Air Zimmerman]

i really don't even need to give a statistical prediction for Dukes in '09. all i have to say is: just imagine the damage Dukes did after the game he hit his first homer for a full 162. 

[sportsfan882]

We better not come out starting April with like a 1-27 record or some crap

I will cry if that happens. Every freaking year except '05 we've been out of contention by the end of April.

I'd just love to at least have the thought of playoffs for a few months into the season.

[hammondsnats]

We better not come out starting April with like a 1-27 record or some crap

[ronnynat]

I'm still going to be optimistic as always about the Nationals chances in 09. that said, i think Dukes BREAKOUT season combined with the collective improved play of the rest of the team, will carry this team to contention in 09!

You still think we're going to be the '09 version of the '08 Rays, don't you? Who's our Kazmir? Who's our Pena? crap, who's our Howell? We need some help to be in contention next year, dude.

[cmdterps44]

I will cry if that happens. Every freaking year except '05 we've been out of contention by the end of April.

I'd just love to at least have the thought of playoffs for a few months into the season.

Yea i mean last years 3-0 start made it look like we'd be able to recieve that, but then whatdya know, 9 games down the drain and we blow it.

[MrMadison]

Oh goodness, I wasn't aware that Adam Dunn was the best position player of our time.

Glad I'm in the know, now!

see what I did there?

[spidernat]

I'd just love to at least have the thought of playoffs for a few months into the season.

[hammondsnats]

You still think we're going to be the '09 version of the '08 Rays, don't you? Who's our Kazmir? Who's our Pena? crap, who's our Howell? We need some help to be in contention next year, dude.

Who's our Hinskie.  Oh probably Hinskie.  Who will also be our everyday first baseman 8-)

[sportsfan882]

Yea i mean last years 3-0 start made it look like we'd be able to recieve that, but then whatdya know, 9 games down the drain and we blow it.

Yeah I was so proud of us after starting 3-0 and I really thought we had turned the corner and then we had one terrible loss in Philly and we never recovered.

Our first 6 games of the season are on the road so we could be looking at another bad start. 

[MrMadison]

I'm not even gonna look at that, and just assume that it's Jim Mora.

[sportsfan882]

Sorry. What was I thinking? Is it too much to ask of them to at least hover around .500 into May-June?