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Photo by Rachel Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER Was Stephen Strasburg's debut the best moment of 2010? |
And there were no shortage of notable developments in NatsTown in 2010. Some were positive. Some were negative. Some were funny. Some were sad. Some were promising. Some were depressing. All were memorable.
I've been thinking of a few myself this morning, but I wanted to open this up to everyone else out there for discussion. Let's break it down into the following six categories:
-- Best moment of 2010
-- Worst moment of 2010
-- Funniest moment of 2010
-- Saddest moment of 2010
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010
Explain your picks in the comments section. I'll pore through them all and try to come up with a consensus list for each Moment of the Year.
85 comments:
Best and Worst are pretty easy:
Best - Strasburg's first start
Worst - Opening day
My sentimental favorite moment is chanting "sign Adam Dunn" even after the fourth strikeout.
Best = Strasburg's first game
Worst = Strasburg getting hurt
Funniest = Nothing funny about this season
Saddest = Opening Day fiasco
Sentimental = have to get back to you on this one
What the bleep = (tie) Nyjer's tantrum and the inexplicable reasoning as to why the Nats continue to have Teddy lose the race each time.
(Soapbox time): It's beyond boring. It's not fun nor funny, and I for one am sick and tired of having any correlation between a perennial loser (Teddy) and this ballclub. Maybe I'm the only one that puts stock into how a silly mascot/PR tool for the team is trotted out there night in and night out just to lose. Maybe, just maybe if the Nats stop finding stupid ways of having Teddy lose, then the players themselves won't tolerate a losing atmosphere in and out of the clubhouse themselves. (off my soapbox)
Here, here, erocks. Time to put the loser-mascot to bed. Let Teddy win on OD and be done with the shtick.
I think most of the answers to the list questions are pretty obvious - SS's debut, OD, Silver Elvis Wig/Willie's inside-the-parker, Change-up to D Brown, Dunn chant, fight in FL.
Every year in baseball you see something you've never seen before. What do the unclean masses think was the most bizarre thing to happen to the Nats all year? I'll say the Miss Iowa situation. As for a purely baseball play - maybe the run of no-calls on check swings in Houston.
My 2 cents -
Best - Stras and 14 debut strikeouts
Worst - Nyjer throwing his glove down during a play.
Funniest - Silver Elvis wig
Saddest - By far Opening Day. Almost quit going to games right then. Management should be totally ashamed of itself for that day.
Senitmental favorite - last 3 home games with Dunn trying to crush every pitch thrown.
What the &*# moment - Guz in right field.
@court,rfk428: You are right, the Miss Iowa moment does deserve its own special award - maybe Miss Congeniality?
Best - Finding NatsInsider
Worst - Nyjer Morgan making a fool of himself.
Funniest - The game I saw saw someone eat the RoughRider! Man, that is a big rib.
Saddest - Adam Dunn signed elsewhere
Sentimental - Opening day ceremonies. It was great and then the Nats turned in a turkey.
What the bleep - Phase II - Sign Werth and do nothing else. Seems like Phase I to me.
WTF moments: Riggleman double switches Morse out of the game after he hits two homers. Riggleman puts Guzman in RF. Riggleman continues to roll Clippard out there night after night even though he is clearly spent.
All leading to this ultimate WTF moment: Rizzo re-ups Riggleman.
I might be one of the few dissenters here. I thought the Strasburg debut was amazing. I was at the edge of my seat with excitement with every pitch.
To me, though, the best moment of the 2010 season took place on July 31. My dad and I made the trip down to D.C. (a four hour drive) to see two games against the Phillies. A whole host of terrible relief pitching found the Nationals down 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 9th with Brad Lidge on the mound. A single, a sac bunt, and a walk led to this:
http://nationals.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10487951
I'll abstain from voting for all of the other moments.
Honestly, did we not do enough flogging of Opening Day back in August (http://natsinsider.blogspot.com/2010/08/5-worst-days-in-nats-history.html) and multiple other times this season? Do we have to go through this again? Can we not admit that it was partly our fault -- those of us who were in the stands and didn't stand up for our team, didn't stand up to the Philly fans, and just curled up into the fetal position like we expected to be trampled in our own park? I was one of them that day, and I'm embarrassed about it. And I'm not going to let it happen again.
When there are a$$holes in the stadium in the future, I will stand up and cheer for my team. And if you're at home cursing the ownership instead, well, bully for you.
Agree with erocks about Teddy, it was old a year ago and I can't figure out why they continue
I will be surprised if anyone doesn't pick the SS debut. I was there and it was electric
Worst - a combination of Nyjers - tantrum in CF, getting clocked by the firstbaseman, poor baserunning (not letting the runner score from 3rd etc, etc)
This could also be worst but I will put it under saddest - feeling on opening day when Zimm was booed by the drunks from Philly on opening day - I just can't wait to have a "comeback" moment and that day still registers negative emotions with me. I honestly doubt if I will use my ST on philly games this year but will probably trade them. Hope you guys don't rag on me too much but it was just a difficult situation being surrounded by drunks.
Not too many happy moments but I seem to recall we did have at least one Zimm walk off and those are always nice.
Not a huge fan of bringing Dunn back for 4 years but it was sentimental to see the fans cheering for him.
And since I'm done with the ranting and the call to arms:
Funniest moment was definitely Batista trying to recover from his Miss Iowa comment: "It's like you hear Miss Iowa, and you say, 'Iowa?' And then you see her up close and you say, 'Wow, she's gorgeous.'" Yeah, Miguel, I'm sure that's exactly what you meant. ;) But in truth, he really was gorgeous that day ("gorgeous" being relative, of course).
Sentimental favorite: our last game with the Donkey. The strikeouts, the standing ovation, the hope, the fear...
Saddest moment: Right now. I'm getting more and more depressed thinking that the Jayson Werth signing may have only been for cosmetic purposes. Geez, get me a 1st baseman.
Best: Strasburg's debut
Worst: Nyjer throwing a fit in center field
Funniest: Collin Balester hitting two people in the head
Saddest: Trading Matt Capps
Sentimental favorite: Willie Harris's inside-the-park home run
WTF: Guzman in right field
Best - selling a lot of my tickets on StubHub for a profit.
Worst - Opening Day
Funniest - Can't think of anything
Saddest - All the games the Nats played Keystone Kops, which was way too many games.
Sentimental - Can't think of anything
What the $%^& - Morgan, on multiple occasions
I sold more tickets on the secondary market, and went to fewer games, than in any previous season.
Teddy losing is old, but anyone that thinks it has anything to do with on-field failure or success needs to get back on their meds.
I'm taking mine and I feel wonderful.
Best: Strasburg debut
Worst: Nyjer brawl with shirt open, looking insane
Funniest:Miss Iowa
Saddest: Strasburg ligament tear
Sentimental (personally sentimental): being at Nats park to see Livo pitch a complete game shut out on my 40th birthday (April 17).
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010 Nyjer centerfield tantrum.
Best: Strasburg debut, no contest
Worst (tie): The "embarrassed by their aura" game agains the Cubs--followed a 6-0 blowout with a 9-1 stinker, officially killing the season in August. (Inspired Mark's "5 worst Nationals moments" post the next day). Tied with our prize FA acquisition (Marquis) giving up 7 runs without recording an out against the Brewers in April (how the Nats led the NL Wild Card in May while dragging that anchor is a mystery.)
Funniest (tie): Miss Iowa and Mark Lerner taking a BP flyout in the face
Saddest: Opening Day. It's a pretty helpless feeling to be overwhelmed in your own yard, on a day that's supposed to be joyous.
Sentimental: Lannan's return to form in early August.
WTF (aka Nyjer Morgan division): stealing 2nd and 3rd after his payback beaning in FL; tantrum in CF; WWF behavior after brawl
A few favorite moments:
- Roy Oswalt's second start here this year, on July 30. Also happened to be Oswalt's first start ever with his new team. As with his previous start, the Nats owned him.
- July 7: Nats beat Padres by one run, thanks in part to Dunn's three homers.
- Aug. 26: Bernadina ties the score with a home run in the bottom of the 9th after the Cardinals' big top of the 9th. Then Desmond drives Nyjer home in the 13th to win the 4.5 hour game. 22 players used in the game.
- July 27: And that's one of the many reasons that we have a guy like Batista on the roster. What a start.
Best: Strasburg debut. No contest. But his last game against Philly was also pretty great.
Worst: Strasburg injury.
Funniest: Willingham, wearing the Silver Elvis wig, shushing his son. Also, Stras' first strikeout of Lastings Millege. That was pretty great.
Saddest: Elijiah Dukes being convicted.
Sentimental: Sign Adam Dunn.
WTF: I would have to go with Guzman's Right Field Adventures.
Best: Strasburg's first start
Funniest: pie to the face after signing Bryce Harper
WTF!?: Morgan slamming his glove in CF after he thought the ball went over the fence
This may seem strange for a "sentimental favorite", but I have to mention the memory of Pat Listach as the second Nat in the Morgan-Volstad brawl. Next time I'm in a brawl, I want Listach by my side.
NatinBeantown makes a great point about that April 18 Marquis start. What a disappointment.
A just for fun moment on MLB's best blog. Have to think about the total list for a while.
But right off the top, 'The Saddest' morphs for me into 'The Dumbest': letting the Dunnster sign with the Chisox. A few more jackass moves like that and Ratzo, like Bowden, will be a forgettable part of Nats' history!
Worst - Jason Marquis, 10-run meltdown in the 1st inning - early season harbinger of another painful year. Runner-up worst Scott Olson's 10-run meltdown.
Best: Strasburgs first game, was there F'ing awesome..entire stadium filled..with Nats Fans and not Philly Fans
2nd Best: Getting Rid of Guzman
Worst: Strasburg Injury
Saddest: Being one 0f 10 fans at the first game of the Colorado Rocky series at home.
Funniest: Guzman attempting to play baseball, Nieves Batting
Sentimental: Honoring the old expos, (sort of, I dont think most people at the game cared)
WTF!?: Nyjer Morgan turning into a miserable player & person, Werths contract
Of forgot to add
Worst Moment: Getting my car towed from the secret spot I always parked at and never had trouble with before.
Best moment: sometime in mid-May, when it looked like I was going to have to revise my 66-win prediction.
Saddest moment: sometime in late June, when I realized I wouldn't.
Worst: tie between Opening Day, and getting tossed in the second inning of a Rockies game for stepping on their (AB) grass eye.
Funniest: Miss Iowa calling Batista out.
Sentimental fave: Livan's CG.
TOP WT? moment: plenty of worthy on-the-field choices, but I gotta go with Dibble's ShoppingGate.
Another WTF moment: The team starts a Ring of Honor in Nationals Park (great idea), includes representatives of the original Nationals/Senators, the Homestead Grays and the Montreal Expos (nothing wrong with any of those), yet can't find room for Frank Howard to represent the expansion Senators or Frank Robinson to represent the current Nationals.
Oh, and Opening Day way *in no way* the local fans' fault.
Best: Strasburg's debut...one of my favorite sports memories of all time; great game and outstanding atmosphere
Worst: Strasburg injury and TJ surgery. Like a punch in the gut.
Funniest: Entire Miss Iowa situation...that's pure comedy
Saddest: Dunn signing with the White Sox...I understand it and agree with the logic, but my 7 year old son cried when I told him that Dunn was leaving the Nats. Can't get any sadder than that.
Sentimental favorite: Dunn's three homers in one game...great game, amazing achievement and was there with my young son
WTF: Opening Day. Stan should have learned from the mistakes of 2009's opening day, but he didn't and made it even worse in 2010. Very glad Stan is gone and that the Phillies are not the opening day opponent.
My choices are:
Best Moment - Strasburg's ML debut.
Worst Moment - Strasburg getting hurt.
Funniest Moment - Maxwell tripping while rounding 2nd base, getting up and scrambling safely to 3rd base.
Saddest Moment - Rob Dibble getting fired.
Sentimental favorite Moment - Saying goodbye to Adam Dunn.
What the #$%&?! moment - Bernadina getting picked off second base.
Angriest moment - Opening Day and the Philli Phans.
And your blog doesn't like my droid
Most of my nominees are already listed, but a few I would at least like to add for consideration even if they aren't the best:
Funniest: Against the Cubs we had Batista pitching to Castro with Kennedy ready to put him out. OR the night the scoreboard went out and Jerome had to announce the count after each pitch. OR the weird song for the piano bar with the NatPack dancing on the dugout roofs
Sentimental: Dunn's walk-off agains the Phillies in the next-to-last game of the season.
WTF: Bernadina picked off on 2nd against the Mets OR any day we had Justin Maxwell in the majors (I think at one point late in the season we had 3 sub-.200 hitters in one line-up after Riggs made some double switches: Maxwell, Harris and Nieves.)
Off the top of my head:
Best moment of 2010: I didn't attend, but I suppose the SS debut
Worst moment of 2010: The SS injury
Funniest moment of 2010: Miss Iowa incident (although that moment with the Hammer's kid was also priceless)
Saddest moment of 2010: I'm with Sonny re. the canning of Dibble, who provided a number of my funniest moments with his color commentary (btw, I was not offended by "ShoppingGate")
Sentimental favorite moment of 2010: Livo's complete game shutout, which I did attend (Love ya, Livo!); there was also a nice walk-off by the Hammer (another in-person fave memory...ahhh)
"What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010: Nyjer's tantrum. I was at the game and I basically said that at the time (with the mystery word starting with "H" in my case ;-))
Bonus "why I love baseball" moments: Batista's stepping up and excelling when SS went down; Wee Willie's inside-the-parker
Oh wait, I remember another awesome moment..
when Bernadina threw out that guy at home from Right....I was at the game, and jumped out my seat yelling and hollering and saying in your face..I forgot who it was against though...
I also like to mention how I awesome I am, going to about 30 nats games this year.
I wanted to write mine before reading anyone else's but my memory is so poor that I reserve the right to amend and extend my remarks upon review:
-- Best moment of 2010 - Zimmerman Walk Off Against the Phillies (Wife and Beer Included)
-- Worst moment of 2010 - Opening Day amidst the Philly Fans. Absolutely unforgivably embarrassing. Shame Stan, Shame.
-- Funniest moment of 2010 - Interview with Dunn while Pudge is goofing in the background. Inane question from Debbie Taylor: "How great is it to play with HOF Pudge?" Dunn: "I'm glad he got a chance to play with me."
-- Saddest moment of 2010 - Strasburg blows out his elbow. Next.
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010 - Dunn hits a walk-off against the Phillies - last week of the season.
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010 - Almost anything to do with Nyger Morgan, but I'll go with chest thumping after baiting the pitcher to throw at him.
Yep, sure enough upon review, I'll vote for Miss Iowa. (I'm going to miss Batista - assuming they don't give him another try - not really sure why they would not, I thought he was very valuable and saw nothing lacking in his performance)
Also, I guess I could flip worst and saddest. Potato/Potato. (long-a/short-a)
Sentimental Favorite revision - I forgot to remember the excitement of seeing Harris round second and realizing that he was going to score on the inside the park homerun. That was a good one. (Beer and wife also involved in that one...).
Sam!
Nice recall. I went to Strasburg's debut and the July 31 game. Difficult to compare but sticking it to the Phillies was SO much sweeter than piling on the Pirates.
Worst: Nyjer's punk move of giving the St. Louis catcher a forearm shiver for no reason....
Funniest: Got go with ChicagoNatsGirl: Miss Iowa. Not much to work with other than the silver Elvis wig....
Saddest: the two saddest words in baseball: Tommy John
Sentimental: "Sign Adam Dunn!" chants
WTF: Not benching Nyjer after his centerfield glovee-throwing hissy fit.
Zimmerman losing a grounder up his jersey was kinda funny.
Most memorable to me was Batista sucking it up when he replaced Stras, along with the "Miss Iowa" encore.
Best moment -- Zimmerman's walk off against the Phillies
Worst: Seeing that Adam Dunn was signed by the White Sox.
Funniest: Seeing Jim Riggleman chase the team out of the lounge and into the batting cages on a rainy day in Viera in March.
Saddest: The last Monday night of the season, sitting in the Presidents Club in the rain while the low life Phillies fans took over the stadium
Sentimental: Standing ovation for Adam Dunn in his last Nationals AB
WTF: Guzman botching that fly ball in Houston, which started a downhill slide for the rest of the season.
Best moment of 2010: Strasburg Debut
Honorable Mentions: Rizzo pulling off the Capps/Ramos trade, Signing of Bryce Harper
Worst moment of 2010: Strasburg Injury
Honorable Mentions: Another early mathematical elimination from the playoffs
-- Funniest moment of 2010: The Miss Iowa Saga
Honorable Mentions: Elvis Wig, Willingham's son
-- Saddest moment of 2010: Opening Day
Honorable Mentions: Dunn leaving via free agency (always sad to see a fan favorite go, even if I do think he got more money than he should), Willingham trade (happy trails to another fan favorite)
Sentimental favorite moment of 2010: My first game in Nationals Park... May 22 victory over the Orioles. Got to see a great win, and a great tantrum in person. Been to plenty of games at old RFK, but its been tough to get down there from Philly on a regular basis.
"What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010: The above mentioned Nyjer Morgan tantrum
Honorable Mentions: The strange sequence of events leading up to Nyjer's Brawl with Florida, Jayson Werth's mammoth new deal
-- Best moment of 2010 - Strasburg's debut
-- Worst moment of 2010 - Strasburg's injury (only because Opening Day was more Saddest than Worst)
-- Funniest moment of 2010 - Miss Iowa
-- Saddest moment of 2010 - Opening Day
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010 - Zim walkoff vs Phils
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010 - Everying Nyjer related. Like, why is he still here?
-- Best moment of 2010 - Strassy Debut. No doubt.
-- Worst moment of 2010 - Nyjer's CF tantrum & Jason Marquis' 10-run 1st inning.
-- Funniest moment of 2010 - Mr. Batista and Miss Iowa
-- Saddest moment of 2010 - Strasburg's injury. It just took the life out of NatsTown after a few weeks of elation.
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010 - The genuine Adam Dunn love at the end of the season, including standing ovation for final AB.
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010 - Bernie getting picked off at 2nd to end the game as the Nats rallied. That had me saying "where was he going?! what was he thinking?!"
Mark will tell you that opening day was not bad. That it was less than 30% phils fans....we who were in the stans and not out of touch in the press box will tell you it wad well over 70% drunk phils fans who should have been arrested instead of honored gurst of stan. Someday mark yoi will get it....that day was marks low point of reporting and the nats too
I'm thinking "impostor." The real Jaybeee at least spells his own name right. And speaking of WT#, what's with the random out-of-nowhere slam on Mark?
Best Moment--Strasburg shutting down the Pirates in his initial ML game.
Worst Moment--Watching Obama throw out the first pitch in the opener wearing a Nats jacket and a White Sox hat. How tackey!
2nd Worst Moment--Listening to Debbie Taylor interviews on MASN
3rd Worst Moment--The Dibs getting fired. He took the team to task and he told it like it was. Sometimes the truth hurts.
4th Worst Moment--Watching Adam Dunn strike out so many times in his last few games.
5th Worst Moment--Watching Debbi Taylor stumble around the Nats dugout in her stiletto heels and tight slacks.
6th Worst Moment--Watching Nyjer Morgan run the bases.
7th Worst Moment--Zim getting booed by the obnoxious Phillies fans at opening day as he received his gold glove and silver bat awards.
Anybody that slams 'Da Mark', will have to go through a humungus bunch of loyal posters--and learn how to spell!!
dnam strate
Could be, sect threeeee. Agreed re. the slams.
After some reflection (wish that I'd thought to reserve the right as NatBiscuit wisely did), I have another sentimental fave. The July 9 home game that SS started vs. the Giants. All of the natsfan cohort were in attendance (1b was visiting from Chicago). The festivities included Dunn dingers and the Nats won. Last but not least, there was the fireworks display after the game. My Chicago baseball buddy and I embarrassed my husband by singing along with the Beatles tunes throughout. The next morning, her last in town, we all went out for a delicious breakfast, and I slipped a Beatles CD in the drive for the drive (again, much to my husband's chagrin, we sang along). :-)
(Speaking of spelling, I believe that it's "Debbi" Taylor.)
Best moment of 2010: That time that JayBeee was actually right about something.
Oh wait, that never happened.
best: SS debut, still get chills thinking about it
worst: debacle in Baltimore; opening day Philthy Phan takeover; Berkmann non strike call
saddest: SS injury
funniest: Miss Iowa
most sentimental: last game cheering we want Dunn
what the bleep: anything Nyjer Morgan
Best moment of 2010:
Strasburg's 14th strikeout
Worst moment of 2010:
The opening day embarrassment
Funniest moment of 2010:
Miss Iowa at Nationals Park
Saddest moment of 2010:
Strasburg elbow pop and wince
Sentimental favorite moment of 2010:
Tie
July 2 Abe Lincoln takes out the GEICO Gecko
Gaby Sanchez clotheslines Nyjer Morgan after he charges the mound in Florida
"What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010
Tie (Oh so many choices!):
Riggleman letting pitcher hit immediately before yanking him (multiple infractions)
Riggleman going first to Willie Harris to pinch hit against RHP despite batting .180 against RHPs (multiple infractions)
That gimmicky "inside joke" presidents race that I have to try to explain to readers (multiple infractions)
Nyjer Morgan centerfield tantrum as ball lies on the grass, and all that followed...
Pleased to meet you, "Original N F." No worries re. confusion, as I've always been lowercase, with no space between, and a "1a" on the end. ;-)
-- Best moment of 2010: Strasburg Debut
Hon. Mention, the week of Miss Iowa, from Batista's win, to the Beatdown of the Phillies on Friday night when Miss Iowa attended and Zimmerman's Walk off on Friday night. I was at all these games and each one was memorable.
-- Worst moment of 2010
Opening Day, for sure.
-- Funniest moment of 2010
Balester falling off the mound; Storen batting and later saying it was odd facing a "man" on the mound - the last time he'd batte the pitcher was a boy.
-- Saddest moment of 2010
Realizing Jesus Flores was not coming back this year.
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010
listening to my 3 year old and 2 year old daughters "announcing" the line up before each game that we attended.
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010
Nyjer throwing his glove. I had to be restrained from running out on the field to smack him.
Best... Strasmas. What a day!
Worst: should be the phillies game where SS git hurt. But the most painful game I saw in person was when Marquis couldn't get any outs on that cold awful day in April. I wanted an earthquake or s e natural disaster to take us all out of our misery. As for Opening Day...my husband hates that I tell Phillies fans these is no booing in our stadium and to pipe down. But I do and I did and I will.
Funniest had to be Miss Iowa, unless it was KNOWING Batista was in for it as soon as the words left his lips. I'm glad she took it with grace instead of indignation.
Saddest: different kinds. Awful umping going against us too many times, and knowing if we were better, we would have gotten the benefit of the doubt. And Starburg getting hurt. But for me personally, hearing Dunn signed with Not The Nats.
Most sentimental: sign Adam Dunn chants. Seeing Capps in the All Stars do so well, even though he wasn't ours. Also watching Zim get his two awards presented. Finally, looking at the team on the last home stand, knowing we wouldn't see some of them on our team, and some of them ever again, on any team.
WTF: Nyjer tearing his shirt open..
Runner up funniest is the fan wearing the #37 shirt that said Jeezus instead of Strasburg on it.
Another great day: meeting fellow Insiders upstairs.
I'd like to take this opportunity to amend my statement to include a WTD moment, viz., firing Elijah Dukes without having any replacement in the system at all. At least they gave themselves the entire offseason to get a first baseman.
JaneB, I wanted to include the NatsInsider meet-up in my list but didn't. Thanks for including it in yours. Was great to meet fellow fans and Mr. and Mrs. Z.
Er, I mean Nats Insider, not NatsInsider. (Just so you know it wasn't an impostor. ;-))
thanks, 1a
I meant the name literally, as I grew up when the old Nats played at Griffith Stadium and lived through two team losses. Having baseball back after so many years is a thrill. This blog is the greatest.
Best = Strasburg's first game and I was there by luck of the draw.
Worst = Jason Marquis' 10-run 1st inning and knowing that something was wrong and he would be of no help last year.
Funniest = OK its not the Nationals but it sure was funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM_y6tMF4pQ
Saddest = Figuring out that Tony Plush was just a mirage.
Sentimental= No more Dunn key chant.
WTF = Seeing all the bad base running errors and all the times the ball was not thrown to the cutoff man or the correct base.
I was wondering if that might be the case, ONF. I wasn't in the area back in the day, and I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose my Nats once, let alone twice. Agree that this blog is great!
Just a couple of amendments...
Best Moment: I'd like to add as an honorable mention my friend Scotty pointing me over to this blog in early April... I think I've checked it every day since.
WTF: Honorable Mention: The time I lost count of how many double switches Riggleman pulled in one homestand
"Mark will tell you that opening day was not bad. That it was less than 30% phils fans....we who were in the stans and not out of touch in the press box will tell you it wad well over 70% drunk phils fans who should have been arrested instead of honored gurst of stan. Someday mark yoi will get it....that day was marks low point of reporting and the nats too"
Can anyone translate this into English for me?
Thanks.
Best = Strasmas.
Worst = Opening Day (Thanks, Stan).
Funniest = The whole "Miss Iowa" thing with Batista.
Saddest = Continuing to be owned by the Marlins (not a moment, but a constant source of irritation).
Sentimental = The "Sign Dunn Now" cheers for Adam Dunn.
WTF = Morgan - the Glove 'throw-down', the meltdown against FLA, or Riggleman double-switching Morse out after 2HR.
Worst moment: being swept by the cellar dwelling Orioles in Camden Yards end of June.
I'll take a whack at the more obscure parts.
The writer is comparing the aggressive and combative Phillies fans to "the honored Gurst of Stan", i.e., a mythical West Asian potentate (this is supported by the writer's own identification with those "in the Stans and not out of touch in the press box"--a common disparagement of the Elite Media's criticism of US foreign policy, at a safe distance from the shooting).
"...it wad well over 70% drunk phils fans"
A classic understatement, since everyone knows any given Phillies fan is well beyond 70% of the legal limit long before the game. "It wad well" is an obsolete Elizabethan-era expression, roughly "it's well known that..."
He ends with a vague threat, but mistakes, I think, a Pittsburgh Steelers expression ("yoi") for the Philly one ("YO!"). In DC, we might say "You'll never get out of Committee with that."
I hope that helps.
Jim Webster's O's moment is the one in June I was thinking of, now that you mention it.
That translation was hilarious, sec3! :-D
Aww, and here I was expecting an academic brawl to break out about my totally unfounded and speculative conclusions...
Best moment: Strasburg's first start, hands down..
Worst moment: Hearing that Strasburg needed TJ surgery.
Funniest moment: watching Morgan jump up in an attempt to hit the Marlin pitcher.
Saddest moment: Watching Morgan throw a tantrum, resulting in an inside the park homerun.
Sentimental favorite: The standing ovation for Dunn in his last home game.
"What the #$%&?!" moment: Nyjer's WWE moment after being ejected from said Nat's/Fish game...
I am sure this has been stated in several different thread by many different posters, but I want to thank Mark for having what is (IMHO) the best Nats blog out there.
The June 1 game was a very tough one to stomach: the blown call on Berkman's third strike -- which should have been the end of the game -- led to the game-winning RBI. We were at .500 at the beginning of the day. We would never see .500 again this season.
It was such an appalling and obvious signal of the disrespect that others in the league show for this team. It's one thing to deal with the laughing and the taunting and the "you're REALLY a Nats fan?" It's in a completely different realm when that carries over to officiating. And this wasn't the last game-changing bad call that went against the Nats in 2010.
But on the other hand, dang, July 30 and 31 made for a good weekend this year!
WTF moment(s): Riggleman's myriad double switches; R & R's basically letting Nyjer Morgan run amok; the Teddy gimmick got old 2 years ago - still love the Presidents, but the race itself should just be a race each home game sans the Teddy-losing shtick
Sentimental: Livo throwing slop basically brilliantly much of the season
Best: almost of the times Stras pitched - whether watching in person or listening at home, the atmosphere was always electric
Funniest: Mr. Batista and the Miss Iowa incident
Worst: Opening Day; our president disrespecting the hometown team; mgmt allowing Opening Day to be the total disaster it was; Riggleman continuing as manager to next year
Best moment of 2010:
Stras' debut (most amazing game I've ever attended) but a very specific moment: Striking out Lastings Milledge for his first major league K. Could it have not been scripted better, Nats future over Nats past?
Worst moment of 2010: TIE:
Hearing Stras needed TJ surgery; Opening Day
Funniest moment of 2010:
Miss Iowa (and it's not even close)
Saddest moment of 2010: TIE (two different definitions of "sad"):
Matt Capps traded and Nyjer Morgan's Week of Stupidity
Sentimental favorite moment of 2010:
Rick Eckstein announcing he was donating a kidney to his brother
"What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010:
Omar Infante over Ryan Zimmerman or Joey Votto, pushing both to the final spot voting
Worst was opening day.I knew things were bad at the tailgate when bus after bus of drunks from Philly strolled into the parking lot. The game was painful as a father to have my 11 year old son witness this. And yes it was at least 70% drunk Phils.
@ SpringfieldFan
Do you really think umpires routinely job the Nats? The way I see it, blown calls happen all the time, its just part of the game. Normally it passes relatively unnoticed, as "the human element." Sometimes it reaches Armando Galarraga levels of attention. But it seems to me that when blown calls happen, its just bad luck... and bad luck happens to everyone
Best: Strasburg debut
Worst: Losing 7-6, 6-5 and 4-3 to the Orioles in Baltimore after leading 6-0, 5-0 and 3-0
Funniest: Miguel Batista and Miss Iowa
Saddest: Strasburg injury
Sentimental favorite moment of 2010: Riggleman getting tossed in Philadelphia on April 12 by the home-plate umpire for standing up for his players. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto, and Milquetoast Manny Acta's not in the dugout.
What the #$%&?!: Njyer Morgan throwing a tantrum on the warning track while the Orioles' Adam Jones circled the bases
suicide squeeze: bonus points for the inexplicable snub of eventual MVP Votto and Zim. A definite headscratcher. Let us start ASAP on electing Zim and Werth as STARTERS in 2011.
and Sec 3, I literally laughed out loud at the translation.
What makes this blog so good is Mark's coverage of the team. What makes it great is the informed, often humorous, gently self-policing commentary. (Yesterday's string on "Will They be Better" was fantastic. Thanks to the regular commenters!
Best: This blog.
Second-best: StanK, packing.
Third-best: "As good as advertised? Maybe better."
Worst: That weekend in Baltimore.
WTF: That goofy group sales lady who cashed all those commissions from the 215 area code.
Sentimental: Miss Iowa.
Sec 3 I also laughed out lout. Scared the dog.
The 14 inning win against the Cards was a pretty sweet game too...we stayed in it in a way we often didn't.
Ah...as someone said the other day, this is SO much better than staring out the window, waiting for spring.
Silver Spring, if you're thinking of the inside-the-parker inducing tantrum, it was the Mets' Angel Pagan who was circling the bases.
Oops, my bad. I was thinking of a different inside-the-parker. Heh. I should have remembered that it was the O's, as I was at the game ("What the???").
-- Best moment of 2010 - Strasburg debut was definitely the best game but the best moment was the standing ovation for Strasburg as he left the field on his debut after striking out 14.
-- Worst moment of 2010 - Plenty to choose from. Watching the Nyjer Morgan meltdown as Adam Jones gets an ITP HR. It got replayed so many times that it is an image that is hard to shake.
-- Funniest moment of 2010 - Watching the Phillies fans cry as Ryan Zimmerman hits the walkoff HR against the Phillies Brad Lidge. All I could do is laugh with joy! The Nats had a 3 game winning streak too!
-- Saddest moment of 2010 - Do you know that moment you go from joy to sadness? Just flip back to May 13th with all the hope we had as Nats fans. On Saturday May 15th the Nats started the day 5 games over .500 and got swept in a doubleheader in Colorado. It was the beginning of the end of the 2010 magic. All that could have been as the Nats got past the RF debacle, Zim's hamstring injury, and Marquis's injury but couldn't get past the slide that started on June 1st where losing became the norm again.
-- Sentimental favorite moment of 2010 - Something few people saw on the last home game of the season. Adam Dunn takes off his jersey and walks past the MASN camera and hands his wet jersey to a young kid in the stands. The kid was so happy, and I bet a fan for life now!
-- "What the #$%&?!" moment of 2010 - There were so many WTF moments, but the winner has to be Guzy losing that ball in RF.
-- Shocking moment - Knowing that Strasburg was seriously injured and how bad I felt for him as he is truly a competitor and the Nats are lucky to have him as part of this organization.
-- Best spoken words - Stephen Strasburg on the Bryce Harper negotiations (before signing) "I don't have any advice for him," Strasburg said. "It's his decision. If he wants to play here, he's going to play here. He doesn't need advice from anyone to confirm his views. If he doesn't want to play here, then we don't want him here. That's the bottom line."
"If he doesn't want to play here, then we don't want him here. That's the bottom line."
Remember that the next time somebody says they should have gone harder after Greinke.
Best: TIE: Strasburg's 14-strikeout MLB debut, and Zim's July 31 walk-off against the Philthies.
Worst: Strasburg wincing on the mound, ending his 2010 season and (most, if not all of) 2011.
Funniest: Nyjer stealing 2 bags off the Marlins despite the lopsided score in their favor. Almost makes up for his WTF moment. Also Riggs' follow-up comment: "We'll decide when we run. The Marlins will not decide (that for us)."
Saddest: The Matt Capps trade
Sentimental favorite: The cheers and "Sign Adam Dunn!" even after 4 strikeouts on the final day at Nats Park.
WTF: Nyjer's tantrum leading to an inside-the-park HR.
I'm guessing we'll see a post from Mark shortly.
Harmon Killebrew announces he has cancer
By Ben Goessling, December 30, 2010 10:14 AM
http://tinyurl.com/22lmycj
"I was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer. With my wife, Nita, by my side, I have begun preparing for what is perhaps the most difficult battle of my life. I am being treated by a team of medical professionals at the Mayo Clinic. While my condition is very serious, I have confidence in my doctors and the medical staff and I anticipate a full recovery.
The Mayo Clinic is one of the largest and most experienced medical centers treating esophageal cancer in the world. In the past decade, they have made tremendous advances in the treatment of this disease. Nita and I feel blessed to have access to the best doctors and medical care.
I thank everyone for their outpouring of prayers, compassion and concern. Nita and I ask for privacy during this difficult journey."
@Stranded_in_Philly:
I neither said nor believe that "umpires routinely job the Nats."
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