Tom Boswell is full of beans

[welch]

...and here's an example. So many bits of idiocy that I'm reminded of Shirely Povich's final column. Povich begins the mentioning that no one writes better or more knowledably about baseball than his colleague, Tom Boswell, who had just claimed that Mark Macgwire was a greater slugger than Babe Ruth. Shirley then, politely and humorously, ripped Boswell's argument to shreds. Povich mentioned that the Babe hit his homers without nautilus machines or the new "protein shakes" that had become so popular by 1998. At 95 years old, having covered baseball since 1924, Shirley Povich scooped Boswell and all the other "reporters" who missed PED use. Povich off-handedly concluded with one pitcher's comment comparing Ruth's power to other sluggers. "Let me just say this: when the Babe hit them, they got smaller faster". That was Walter Johnson.

Here is Boswell:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/in-the-cold-gray-of-the-day-after-nats-shortcomings-are-subtle-but-all-too-clear/2017/10/14/5a078b48-b095-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.4dbffa944305

In the cold, gray light of morning, Boswell swings and misses just as badly as he did in 1998.

[DPMOmaha]

Help me out here, what are you disagreeing with?

[HondoKillebrew]

This is Boswell's answer to the "gutless or talentless" question.  I don't know if he's right, but at least he's trying to figure out the reasons for the consistently disappointing performance by so many Nats in the postseason. 

[welch]

Help me out here, what are you disagreeing with?

Boswell's claim that the current Nats should have showed him more bitterness after the game. And his claim that the bitter Cubs won because someone scored from third on a ground ball while Turner was thrown out in the first inning...suggesting that the Cub grounder was hit just as hard as the Nats grounder.

Why did Roark not pitch in the playoffs? Did Baker stick with Gio entirely because Dusty is sentimental, wanting to give Gio a chance to redeem all of his playoff failures? If not sentiment, then why, r, at least, why not ask the question?

Why is Boswell the only reporter who can walk into the Nats clubhouse and see into each player's psyche?

In the cold light pf morning, Boswell misses again and again. I first noticed that when he insisted that Danny Espinosa was a good hitter and that we would see his average improve as soon as Espinosa's bad-luck BAPIP rose to a normal .300. About then, Boswell seemed to hand us more and more sabremetrics, making more and more predictions based on inside stats. In 2016, as best I remember, he predicted that the Cubs would flatten in the second half.

[Scraps]

Boswell is spot on imo.

There’s more than one cancer on this club and a good start to removing it is to hold the door open for Werth as he exits then push Gio out the window. After that I would ask Ryan Zimmerman if he might be interested in moving over to an American League club where he could get more rest as a DH.

If we can somehow convince Zimmerman to exit then enter Eric Hosmer as our first baseman, we would be well on our way to changing the “milkshake drinker” persona this club has to one not being overwhelmed by it’s past and ready to compete next October for the Big Prize.

If Rizzo “leaves it alone” the weight of the 800lb gorilla of our past will take us down again. It’s time to turn the page on the so called leaders of this club. **note:** Zimmerman and others on this club are way overrated by their inflated stats accredited by batting against all the AAAA pitching they face in the weak NL East.
Sure would be nice watching fierce competitors such as Eaton and Hosmer lead this club, versus another year of “milkshake” Gonzalez and watching Zimmerman fall trying to carry the weight of that gorilla AGAIN. If Detroit can move Verlander, this town will survive Zimmerman moving over to the AL. It would be best for all involved including  Zim.

Oh, fire Baker or move him into a mentor role hidden in the bowels of this organization where he belongs.

[bluestreak]

Everyone here is funny.  This is a good team. They lost a series to the defending champs who had the best record in the NL over the second half. They lost by the smallest margin you possibly lose by. And everyone wants to blow up this team.

Cleveland was the best team in baseball. They had the best pitching staff ever, they had a great lineup. And they just lost. These things happen in the playoffs. You don’t blow up your team because of it.

[HalfSmokes]

Everyone here is funny.  This is a good team. They lost a series to the defending champs who had the best record in the NL over the second half. They lost by the smallest margin you possibly lose by. And everyone wants to blow up this team.

Cleveland was the best team in baseball. They had the best pitching staff ever, they had a great lineup. And they just lost. These things happen in the playoffs. You don’t blow up your team because of it.

It’s nice to know that after repeated first round flameouts, they’re actually a good team

[More of #34]

 I don't like all the criticism of Ryan Zimmerman.  He had a sensational year and he's a model baseball player.  Do you also want to get rid of Scherzer - he had a lousy night?  Boswell's article was excellent and right on the money as far as I'm concerned. 

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Everyone here is funny.  This is a good team. They lost a series to the defending champs who had the best record in the NL over the second half. They lost by the smallest margin you possibly lose by. And everyone wants to blow up this team.

Not really.  If you look at the offseason priority thread, most of us just want to retool the team and replace only the worst (postseason) players.

[bluestreak]

Not really.  If you look at the offseason priority thread, most of us just want to retool the team and replace only the worst (postseason) players.

That’s fair. My reaction was mostly due to people wanting to get rid of Zimmerman, which I think is a little premature.

[tzinc]

no team would take zimmerman lol

[The Chief]

I've been watching Face try to pull outside pitches for 10+ years.  I'm not saying we can do better, in fact I'm not saying anything at all.  Except for what I just said.

[Mathguy]

But I saw RZ take the ball to right quite often this year.

I've been watching Face try to pull outside pitches for 10+ years.  I'm not saying we can do better, in fact I'm not saying anything at all.  Except for what I just said.

[Ray D]

I've been watching Face try to pull outside pitches for 10+ years. 

The good Ryan takes the ball to right field. The bad Ryan tries to pull it.  That's what I've been seeing. Actually, 12+ years.

[GburgNatsFan]

When he was trying to look like Murphy he did. At some point, he stood back up, moved further out in the box, and started looking like the old RZ.

But I saw RZ take the ball to right quite often this year.

[MarquisDeSade]

Nobody cares.

[OldChelsea]

Tom Boswell (sorry, THOMAS Boswell) is an Orioles supporter. I tend to regard his opinions about Nationals baseball as being as valid as the opinions of a soap-opera addict on the symphonies of Anton Bruckner.

[Ray D]

Tom Boswell (sorry, THOMAS Boswell) is an Orioles supporter.

No, he was a Senator fan in the 50s, 60s, and right up until they left.  And like me he had no team to root for for 34 years.  I didn't become an Oriole fan, because I didn't have to. He did. At least, he had to cover them, it was that or find another job.

[OldChelsea]

No, he was a Senator fan in the 50s, 60s, and right up until they left.  And like me he had no team to root for for 34 years.  I didn't become an Oriole fan, because I didn't have to. He did. At least, he had to cover them, it was that or find another job.

He certainly did shill for the Orioles all those years. His panegyric for Cal Ripken Jr in those years was sickening.

[I had no team from my arrival here in 1977 until the Nats moved here - and I never accepted the Orioles as 'my team' either]

[DPMOmaha]

Tom Boswell (sorry, THOMAS Boswell) is an Orioles supporter. I tend to regard his opinions about Nationals baseball as being as valid as the opinions of a soap-opera addict on the symphonies of Anton Bruckner.

In my years reading Boswell, which has really only spanned the Nats existence, I haven't really found this to be the case. Who else was he supposed to cover? Baltimore was the only team in the beltway.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

In my years reading Boswell, which has really only spanned the Nats existence, I haven't really found this to be the case. Who else was he supposed to cover? Baltimore was the only team in the beltway.

the twins or the rangers. 

[UMDNats]

Boswell is like the biggest Nats homer ever.

[DPMOmaha]

the twins or the rangers. 

that prolly ain't gonna sell many fish wraps.

[MarquisDeSade]

the twins or the rangers. 

Sure, just ignore Cal breaking the Streak.  I'm sure the locals would rather hear about Juan Gonzalez and Mickey Tettleton or Chuck Knoblauch instead of the O's. 

[OldChelsea]

In my years reading Boswell, which has really only spanned the Nats existence, I haven't really found this to be the case. Who else was he supposed to cover? Baltimore was the only team in the beltway.

Washington isn't Baltimore. From 1972-2004 Washington was as much a non-MLB city as Indianapolis, Salt Lake City or Budapest. The Orioles had no more business proclaiming themselves 'DC's Team' than the Phillies, Pirates or Braves (to cite probably the three next-closest MLB towns) - Edward Bennett Williams' proclamation of the Orioles as a regional team probably sealed the deal (powerful DC attorney will get his way). And boy did the media sheeple follow - led by Boswell and former Cubs supporter George 'Men at Work' Will.