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Nationals try to explain themselves in Washington Post
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Nyjer Morgan was a big part of the Nats' Sunday ad, and should be a big part of their future plans.
The Nationals made an interesting P.R. move by placing a full-page ad in this morning’s Washington Post. The advertisement, titled “Thank you Natstown for Sharing the Moments and Memories of 2009,” listed off some the minor achievements made by the team on the field this year. Surprisingly, the team was able to come up with a fair amount of “accomplishments” despite losing over 200 games in two seasons. Without mentioning the fact that the team has finished dead last two years in a row, it was acknowledged that there is still is much to be done to turn the Nats into a winning franchise. Still, the tone was a positive one, and the ad claimed that 2009 would be the season “long remembered by Nationals faithful” as the one where the Nationals title hopes “took flight.”
As I have touched on over the last few weeks, there were a handful of positive achievements for the team to crow about this season (and hopefully provide fodder for some awesome new commercials on MASN staring the dorkiest Nats fans the network can find, short of my Dad). Ryan Zimmerman’s many exploits were mentioned, such as his 30-game hit streak, Gold Glove-worthy work at third (which recently earned him the right to be called ESPN Baseball Tonight’s “Web Gem Champion”), and career year at the plate. Other offensive high water marks were mentioned as well, such as Dunn and Zim combining to be the first 30 homer duo in club history, and Josh Willingham’s double grand salami special in Milwaukee. Shockingly, no feats of amazing pitching were mentioned.
Another player who earned a deservedly significant chunk of page D5 was Nyjer Morgan. Morgan really provided a spark never before seen in DC, stealing 24 bases and batting .351 in the two months he was in the Nationals’ lineup. The stats for the lineup with Morgan were startling, considering the record, as the team ranked second, third and fourth in the National League in runs scored, stolen bases, and batting average, respectively, during Morgan’s tenure at the top.
Obviously, with the present being relatively embarrassing as far as the standings are concerned, much of the focus was on the future. The drafting and signing of Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen were mentioned, as was the momentum created by the end of season seven-game winning streak. Even though the optimism is clearly there, the most telling part of all were the victories the team mentioned. In one paragraph, wins over the Yankees in New York and the Red Sox in front of a record crowd of 41,985 (although no thanks was given to the 41,982 Red Sox fans that made it possible) were lauded. As nice as it is to beat those teams, it is indicative of their current standing that just beating those teams once is newsworthy. So, how does these team reach the point that wins over baseball’s elite is expected?
Rather than being a “thank you” to the fans as titled, the ad seemed more of an apology. The team was urging fans to stay committed, come out to the Park next year, and saying that things would be different. Instead of apologizing, the team can make some steps this offseason to right some wrongs and take the team a little closer to competing with MLB’s heavyweights. First, the team can listen to me, stop wasting time and just hire Jim Riggleman. Then, they should read their own posting in the Post and follow the precedent set by improving from within. Adam Dunn is praised for giving the team a “legitimate middle-of-the-order presence,” and I couldn’t agree more. Nyjer Morgan gave the team an undeniable spark. If the Nationals want to send a stronger message to their fans than a full page in the Post, they need to extend the contracts of these two players. Both players are 29, and because both are horrendously underpaid (of course being “underpaid” at eight figures per year is all relative), the team will have to grant some pay raises to make both deals happen, but they need to happen. The Nationals told Nats fans that this is the season that will be the start of the turn-around, and if the team makes the right moves this Winter, it actually could be.
Small notes around the Bigs: With two questionable double plays from Game 2 in the Fall Classic, the talk of instant replay in baseball once again spread across the country. We have already seen video replay be used in home run calls this year, and while I can live with that, all of this talk needs to end there. Not only would already long games be extended, but does anyone really think video review of close plays in the infield is a good idea? How many bang-bang plays are there in a typical game at first base? Five? Six? Either way, it is ludicrous to think that we need to stop the game and review the tape for every close play. Sure, with the intense microscope of the playoffs, we have seen some bad calls. However, Major League umpires are the best in professional sports, and the only “professional” referees in all the major sports. Get over it, and enjoy the game.
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