Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Flotsam and Jetsam

The Nationals dumped a lot of roster deadwood yesterday, releasing crappy pitchers such as: Ryan Drese, Brian Lawrence, Joey Eischen, Pedro Astacio, Zach Day, and Felix Rodriguez. As some day it must happen, Bowden's got a little list. They'll none of them be missed.

This is more of a procedural move than anything. There's still talk of bringing Lawrence back next year -- tho the prospects of bringing back a mediocre pitcher who's coming off shoulder surgery ain't something to get too excited over.

  • With Florida's firing of Joe Girardi, he becomes the hot name with the Nats (although the vast NL-central conspiracy has him going to the Cubs). One question for all the Girardians: What evidence is there that he's a good manager?

    It strikes me that his tenure is the Frank Robinson problem all over. From a distance, the macro level, he looks great. Look at what he did with the kids (ie look at what Frank did with a moribund franchise). But when you look closer, he doesn't look as pretty. Girardi kept Josh Johnson (who led all rookies in ERA) in the bullpen for a long time, despite his 'baseball people' telling him to start him. He mouthed off to his owner, telling him to F off, which you don't do, even if Loria deserves to be kicked in the nuts. And, by all accounts, he's an arrogant SOB, insisting that he knows best because he 1) went to Northwestern, and 2) Was a Yankee. Big woop.

    He MIGHT be a great manager, but I don't see how anyone could draw that conclusion yet.

  • Soriano's money-grubbing agent is meeting with the Nats today. One of Ladson's stories last week mentioned a 5/$80 figure for Soriano, which would be ridiculous.

  • PT Bowden says that the team won't be a player in the FA market. He also says that they're scouring the "depths of the earth" to find starting pitching. I can't be the only one that interprets that in a way that'll find us watching Walter Johnson's reanimated corpse on the mound on Opening Day.

    Meanwhile Todd Jacobson hints that payroll could actually be lower next year. (I wonder if he'd hint at that if he hadn't heard whispers -- Svrluga's hinted at the same thing).

    If that's the case, my fears of a Pohlad-lite will intensify. The team ran an admitted $25 million profit last year (and god knows how much they actually made). DC's tax revenues are down slightly from last year, which is an indication that they're not making as much, but there's still profit. And when you factor in an improved radio deal, not to mention an increase in payments from MASN, there is NO EXCUSE to lower payroll, especially when the club won't even invest a few extra hundred K into the draft picks they select.

  • Preston Wilson needs to STFU. He rips the team for letting Frank go, and complains about the clubhouse last year.

    Recall that Wilson, who was completely superfluous, filling a need that didn't exist, came over and hit like crap, playing some of the worst centerfield defense this side of Bernie Williams. Then, with the season nearly over, Frank inserted his carcass time after time into the lineup for a vain attempt to get him 90 RBI, putting stupid personal statistics ahead of what was best for the team. No wonder Wilson is upset. Screw him.

  • 13 Comments:

    • Why was Preston Wilson even asked? He is not really high on the "people who matter" list.

      By Blogger WFY, at 10/04/2006 10:27 AM  

    • Man, between Aaron Sorkin and now here, evidently the Gilbert and Sullivan Revolution is upon us. And at least the first half will be televised.

      By the way, the current rumor here in Chicago is Piniella. And thanks again so much for keeping this DC transplant up to date all season.

      By Blogger Senor Beavis, at 10/04/2006 10:27 AM  

    • Wilson's crappy play has no bearing on the reasonableness of his complaints. The GM's a dick? Well, I've said that many times, and I'm an even worse player than Wilson. Doesn't mean I'm wrong. The clubhouse was full of Guillens? You don't have to be an all-star to point that out.

      By Blogger Ryan, at 10/04/2006 10:43 AM  

    • Well, sure. But Wilson shouldn't be the messenger.

      That's a bit like [Warriors_character] complaining about [plotline_in_Warriors].

      (You'll have to fill in the blanks for me. My knowledge of that movie's a bit lacking.)

      By Blogger Chris Needham, at 10/04/2006 10:51 AM  

    • You need to fill in the dots Chris.

      IN PRINT
      Preston: "He was in a situation when the GM didn't always back him. . . . There were certain guys that when Frank said something, they went to the GM and wanted their own way."

      FULL QUOTE
      Preston: "He was in a situation when the GM didn't always back him. Hell, that clown signed me thinking I would be the solution in center. Are you joking? I'm not a fielder I'm a hitter. And I'm not even a good one of those! I'm a hacker who if you put me in a tiny ballpark or up in the mountains, maybe, just maybe, I'll squeak a couple over the fence! But still at least I was in Frank's corner. There were certain guys that when Frank said something, they went to the GM and wanted their own way."

      By Blogger Harper, at 10/04/2006 2:36 PM  

    • I dunno, I like the fact that Girardi told Loria where he could stick it. He is the worst scum-sucker among a league full of them.

      The fact of the matter was that he was a first time manager, given a team full of guys fresh out of triple A and that team stayed competitive into the final month.

      Sorry dude but the Frank Robinson comparison does not apply to me. Robinson's team was filled with veterans and crap and he did not make them competitive.

      If we can get Girardi, that would be great. I think he will end up in Chicago.

      Hence, my money is on Manny Acta. Or that Diamondbacks bench coach people rave about.

      By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/04/2006 5:50 PM  

    • I love Girardi. It was like Major League - the ownership seemed to want to lose, stripping down the team to the bare bones and seemingly going out of their way to devoid them team of all talent except Cabrera. Girardi pushed the right buttons - which is what a MLB manager is all about, he learned from one of the best in Torre - and kept them in it when they should've been out.

      But has there been any hub bub down in Miami though? Seems like a lot of radio silence down there. Who knows, maybe the players didn't like him.


      I also heard the Nats will go after Terry Pendleton, speaking of NL conspiracies.

      By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/04/2006 6:13 PM  

    • Preston Wilson's an ass. I agree with WFY- I can't understand why he was asked in the first place, besides the obvious juicy sound bite...

      By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/04/2006 8:58 PM  

    • Somebody asked him. What's he supposed to say, "Gee, I'm not a very good outfielder. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut"? He's saying things are pretty obviously true, and that makes him neither an ass nor someone who needs to STFU.

      By Blogger Ryan, at 10/05/2006 8:29 AM  

    • Your first part is right, Ryan.

      His correct answer should've been something along the lines of...

      "I'd like to comment on that, Jorge, but, as you know, I'm an atrocious outfielder who wears his pants too high on his waist, and I run as if I had the remnants of a three-day old meal leaking out of my depends, so I'm really not into a position to comment. Oh, did I mention that my father is my uncle is my cousin, or some other weirdass crap like that?"

      I'm surprised you can type with your Cardinalsboner in the way. ;)

      Hey, how 'bout that Gary Bennett?

      By Blogger Chris Needham, at 10/05/2006 8:43 AM  

    • Man, there aren't more than forty seconds in each day where I even remember he's a Cardinal. And I'll thank you to stop staring at my boner.

      By Blogger Ryan, at 10/05/2006 11:14 AM  

    • Thank you Chris. Not often that I see Northwestern from that point of view. As a fellow Wildcat, I enjoyed Girardi's career...both as a player and as a manager.

      Girardi would be a bad fit for the Nats. He'd last a year at most, since he'd tell a lot of folks (hopefully Bodes) to pound sand. The Nats aren't the right place for him.

      By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/05/2006 11:35 AM  

    • I wasn't trying to imply that NW is full of snooty people -- just that, from the things I've read, he carries himself as if he were smarter than everyone.

      I'm not sure what kind of fit he'd be. I just don't think that he's the king of the world, or the best manager since McGraw retired.

      By Blogger Chris Needham, at 10/05/2006 11:39 AM  

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