Fire Rob Dibble

I was never a big fan of the FJM shtick, particularly after the revelations of who they actually were caused all the fanboys to fall all over themselves and suck up to them further. That being said, three words: Rob Dibble Blog.

Baseball is a game where the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.
Unless all runs are a mistake, this almost certainly isn't true.


After the first three games of the 2010 season, some things have already started to become apparent.
That the Nationals probably suck as much as they have since you came to town?

The veterans brought in this year will change the culture in the Nationals' clubhouse on and off the field.
I hear Pudge makes a hell of a bean dip.  What good is culture if the results are the same?

Just watching how some of the new Nats like Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy, Jason Marquis, Tyler Walker, Matt Capps and Brian Bruney go about their business is a pleasure.
Yeah, watching Marquis, Bruney and Walker brought nothing but smiles to my face.  And I really liked how Capps struggled through an ultimately successful inning.  Ulcers are fun!

Hard working, determined, and relentless are a few words that come to mind.
Mediocre and stopgap are two more.

I can tell you from speaking to the players, this organization is going in the winning direction. 
Oh.  Yeah, cause talking to the players always yields valuable insights about the direction of the team.  I'm sure players have realistic assessments of their talent level, particularly compared to the opponents they'll be facing.  And I'm sure they're also think outside themselves, strategically about the long-term impact of the team's investment (or lack of) in the farm system and internationally.  Yeah, I'm sure that Brian Bruney's right on top of that.  Hey, did you know he has a ring?  Automatically makes him the team's best player, no?

Wins and losses, of course they matter, but players who truly hate to lose and are willing to do whatever it takes to win are hard to find.
So let's get more scrappy gamers who WANT to win and work hard, even if their talent level blows.  We need a team of (wait for it... you know it's coming...) David Eckstein's at every position.  Sure, they'll probably lose just as much because they couldn't score more than 2 runs per game, but it's not because of the force of their will.  And it's great we've got solid pitchers like Bruney who WANT to win, even as they're walking their fifth straight batter.  It's all up here {points to head, hears hollow sound}

Add to the new additions, Dunn, Zimm, The Hammer, Nyjer, Ian, Wil, Willie, Cristian, the starting rotation and the bullpen, and you get a great group of determined guys.
Those household names really roll off the tongue.  Other than Ian, that's the core group that played last year, no?  Were they not determined last season?  What changed over the offseason?  Does Pudge make them want to be better men?  That's it!  Pudge and Bruny must complete Rob.  Add a few mediocre veterans, and a complacement mediocre team becomes.... non-complacent and mediocre?   Though in fairness, mediocrity would still require a 20-game improvement.

I wish I was still playing because I would love to go into battle every night with this team!
We wish you were still playing so you'd be about as far away from a mic as is possible in that stadium.  Gotta be 600' from the press box to the pen, right?

Respect, that's what you want as a reputation, but you have to earn it.
Sure.  Respect is a noble goal.  But to people admire Albert Pujols because of how hard he works?  Nope.  They admire him because he can hit the sputum out of a baseball.  Do people admire David Esckstein for how hard he works?  Nope.  Unless you count sportswriters as humans.

The Nats now have some players willing to go out and get it done.
When the list you gave us above was essentially the same as last year's list.  Marquis, Bruney and Pudge REALLY make that much of a difference?  They really motivate Zimmerman and Dunn, who both had career years?  Or are you saying that those two weren't willing to do that?  If not, then who?  Name names, instead of this vaguely worded rah-rah character BS.

Just check out the end of yesterday's win. 
Note: does not apply to yesterday's loss

The defense, hustle and heads up plays, together with solid coaching moves are what won that game, and isn't that fun to watch?
Yes.  I'd just prefer to see it more than 25% of the time.  Hell, I'd settle for 40% of the time.  But Pudge and Bruney aren't the reasons.  And the team's new attitude, and the reasons for it, which you haven't successfully identified, probably isn't the reason for the win.  A shitty Kyle Kendrick probably had more to do with it.  If the Nats got to hit off Nats-quality pitching more, the Nats would win more.  I think I just ripped a hole in the vortex of suck there.


Honestly, I can't wait to get to the park here in NY and see what tonight brings.
Care to revise and extend your remarks, Sir?