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Photo capture of MASN broadcast Adam Dunn's misspelled jersey qualified as a truly embarrassing moment. |
The list is epic, ranging from Dan Turk's botched snap in the 1999 playoffs, to Marty Schottenheimer beginning his lone season as coach 0-5, to Steve Spurrier's "5 and 11, not very good" team in 2003, to Joe Gibbs getting penalized for calling two consecutive timeouts, to Jim Zorn calling for two consecutive fake field goals, to Albert Haynesworth getting suspended for four games, to yesterday's trainwreck of an extra-point attempt.
I also couldn't help but think of a handful of embarrassing moments in Nationals history, though I'm not sure any one moment tops yesterday's follies at FedEx Field. Off the top of my head, here are my candidates for "Most Embarrassing Moment in Nationals History." I'm not talking about the most crushing losses or the most lopsided games. I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing moments after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune.
Here's what I came up with...
CRISTIAN GUZMAN'S MUDDY BALL ERROR
April 21, 2005
The Nationals led the Braves 1-0 at RFK Stadium, where a steady rain had turned the infield into a mess. The umpiring crew decided to try to finish this one without calling for the tarp. Chad Cordero, as only he could, loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, then struck Brian Jordan and Adam LaRoche to put the Nats within one out of victory. When Raul Mondesi grounded to short, it looked like a curly W was in the books. But Cristian Guzman picked up a ball covered in mud, and his throw to first skipped past Nick Johnson. Two runs scored, and the Braves went on to win 2-1. "I've never played on an infield like that in the big leagues," teammate Vinny Castilla said. "You could see the water and it never soaked in, it just stayed."
MIKE STANTON'S WALK-OFF BALK
July 15, 2005
This might well be the winner. Stanton, the veteran reliever who had just been acquired two days earlier, was summoned out of the bullpen to make his Nats debut in the bottom of the 10th in Milwaukee, with the game tied 3-3, runners on the corners and Lyle Overbay at the plate. Stanton immediately tried to pick off Rickie Weeks at first base, at which point umpire Paul Schrieber waved his arms frantically signaling a balk that forced the winning run home without Stanton ever having thrown a pitch. Later, in the Nats clubhouse, a furious Frank Robinson gathered reporters around a TV screen showing a freeze-frame of Stanton's pick-off move. "He stepped to home and threw to first. That was the umpire's explanation," Robinson said. "Now, take a look at THIS!" Pretty embarrassing way to lose a game.
MATT CHICO'S 45-DEGREE PITCH INTO THE STANDS
April 21, 2007
In only the fourth start of his carer, Chico solidified his place on the blooper reel when he attempted to throw a first-inning changeup to Josh Willingham (then with the Marlins) and wound up tossing the ball into the second row of the stands at Dolphin Stadium right above the first-base dugout. It missed its intended target by probably 80 feet. The craziest part of it all? Chico had done it before in the minors. "It usually happens to me about three to four times a year," the lefty said. "I've done it so many times now that I just shake it off and concentrate on what I'm doing after that." To his credit, Chico did shrug off the incredibly wild pitch to strike out Willingham. Still, that pitch has been attached to his name for nearly four years now and probably will continue to be for years to come.
WHAT WAS NOOK LOGAN THINKING?
June 23, 2007
Perhaps the defining moment in both the careers of Nook Logan and Charlie Slowes, which is really saying something. It was the bottom of the ninth at RFK, Chad Cordero had just blown a 3-1 lead to the Indians in the top of the inning, and the Nationals were trying to storm back to win in dramatic fashion. But with the bases loaded and one out, Felipe Lopez hit a comebacker to the mound. Joe Borowski threw to the plate for a force out, and then Logan inexplicably rounded third and was tagged out himself to end the game. Slowes captured it all brilliantly on the radio, screaming what surely we all were muttering to ourselves at the time: "What was Nook Logan thinking?! What was he watching?! Where was he going?!" We're still not sure.
THE WASHINGTON NATINALS
April 17, 2009
This one certainly came to embody this woebegone franchise during some of its darkest days. When Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn unknowingly wore jerseys missing the letter O from Nationals for several innings, the world noticed. Everyone started calling this 100-loss team that couldn't do anything right the "Natinals." How did the egregious mistake occur? Well, the Hall of Fame had asked every team in baseball to send in three player jerseys from Opening Day. The Nats chose Zimmerman, Dunn and Elijah Dukes. So that necessitated a new shipment of jerseys for those players to come in from Majestic Athletic, the company that provides all MLB uniforms. Unfortunately, no one noticed the misspelling until it was too late. "We checked the backs of the new jerseys when they came in," clubhouse manager Mike Wallace said that night. "We never thought we had to check the front, too."
NYJER MORGAN'S TANTRUM IN CENTER FIELD
May 22, 2010
There are no shortage of "Nyjer Moments" from the past year, and I'm sure you'll rattle off several more, including the brawl in Florida. But for sheer embarrassment, nothing tops this one against the Orioles. In the top of the fourth inning, Adam Jones crushed a ball to the fence in center field. Morgan raced back to the wall, leaped and felt the ball go off his glove. He assumed it had cleared the fence for a home run. So he spiked his glove to the ground in disgust and fumed about having come up just short. Meanwhile, the ball lay about 10 feet to his left as Jones raced around the bases. By the time Josh Willingham came all the way over from left field to pick it up, it was too late. Jones had himself an inside-the-park home run, and Morgan had himself a moment of absolute embarrassment.
Those are the embarrassing moments I came up with. I'm sure I'm forgetting some more doozies from Nationals history. Please share your favorites...
90 comments:
I don't know that I'd call the Guzman mud ball game embarrassing. It was a tough way to lose a game, sure, and you can argue that play should have been suspended before it could have happen. But embarrassing? No, it's just a thing that happened in a ballgame.
Now, how about the National Tarp Pull against the Mets in 2005? That was ridiculous.
I think Roger Bernadina's baserunning gaffe this season was worse than Logan's. At least Logan had some possible reason to round third- maybe the throw gets away and he can score, or maybe it's just force of habit. There was no conceivable explanation as to why Bernadina would need a big lead off second down two runs.
I also recall that it came just as the Nats were in the midst of a terrible run of losses in which they squandered their 25-20 start on their way to another season of irrelevance.
How about Opening Day 2010?
A great and pretty comprehensive list Mark. A few others that I remember off the top of my head --
"Anderson Hernandez, never saw the ball"
Bob Carpenter's call of this used to be the audio lead in to FJB's podcast. It was a show rolling bunt toward third. Zim and the pitcher converged on it. Hernandez, covering first, must have been watching Zim and thought that Zim had the ball and didn't make a throw. The pitcher's throw to first went right by him.
"Mike Hinkley's errant pitch into the stands behind first base"
Kind of like Chico's and just as funny.
"Anderson Hernandez error was caused by the cut of the grass."
Actually, the embarrassing moment was not Hernandez's error, it was Manny Acta making that unbelievably lame excuse for him. One of many lame excuses that Manny made while he was here -- like constantly saying the Nats were a young team, still learning, even when that was demonstrably not true.
"Matt LeCroy's attempt to play catcher and Frank Robinson's tearful apology."
By the way, accounts of Nyjer's meltdown seem to always say that Nyjer spiked his glove -- but he never actually let go of it. So it was more like a pho spike, or an interrupted spike. Watch the video. Still, plenty embarrassing.
"Chad Cordero, as only he could, loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, then struck Brian Jordan and Adam LaRoche to put the Nats within one out of victory."
Kilgore ghostwriting for you now?
How about winning fireworks going off before the third out in the final inning? But, that has happened often enough that it really isn't embarrassing anymore.
Nyjer Morgan trying to turn a double into a triple with two outs and a pitcher running in front of him, getting tagged out at third before the runner could score.
Embarrassing??
How about letting Dunn get away to the ChiSox?
And they were supposedly quibbling over a 3 or 4 year contract, while hitching Werth up for 7 years!!!!
Imagine Werth and Dunn in the same lineup!!
DUMB!
Oh, Zimmerman losing the ball in his shirt!!
Oh, and I almost forgot --
"Guzman's sad attempt to play right field in the bottom of the 9th or 10th in that tragic May 2010 game against Houston."
This was the game the Nats should have won because Berkman's "check swing" was actually strike 3. The embarrassment was not Guzzie's fault, it was Riggleman's doubleswitchitis and his assumption that infielders can play outfield. He did the same thing with Desmond in the September of 2009.
Oh there are so many....Anthing to do with Lasting Milledge and keeping track of outs was bad. Dukes and his crotch grab and Lenny Harris and his softball chants....
BUT I agree the worst EVER was opening day 2010.....in my lower bowl 1B/RF section.....90% drunk Phils fans booing Ryan Z and our training staff....Phils fans who pissed all over the parking lot in front of my family and even tried to make my two daughters take off their Nats caps before they would move so they could open the car door.
Mark has always missed the level of disgust and embarrassment Stan Kasten caused that day. From his Press box view it all seemed OK maybe 30% Phils fans......Mark you still do not get it do you?
You'd need to build a new wing onto your Hall of Shame to handle all the Jim Bowden embarrassments. Here are four off the top of my head:
"We pray for his buttocks and his family."
"Who's farting in here?"
Announcing the non-tendering of Chad Cordero months ahead of time, on a radio show, without having informed Cordero first.
Wearing a Manny Ramirez wig when the Dodgers were in town.
"So it was more like a pho spike"
I thought that was when you put too much hot sauce into your Vietnamese soup. I believe you meant to say a faux spike.
The 2009 season. All of it.
Wait. There was a pointy-ball game yesterday?
How about Collin Balester's tumble on the mound?
Or Matt Lacroy's inability to throw out runners which made Frank Robinson cry.
Anon, I stand corrected. I'm just a faux commentator.
Oh yeah, the Zim grounder in his shirt is number one in my book. And the expression on his face for the entire rest of the inning was just priceless.
The Zimmerman "hidden ball" was the first that came to mind for me, too.
this is an impressive list but nothing will ever top Nyjer's temper tantrum causing inside the park homer.
The look on Zim's face really made that hidden ball a classic--he looked like he had just taken a big swig of sour milk and could not get the taste out of his mouth.
Gotta go with OD 2010 for #1, tho. Even misspelled (#2), this team name isn't inherently embarassing.
And Mike Bacsik didn't cover them in glory by grooving one to Bonds (inadvertently or not).
NYJER MORGAN'S TANTRUM IN CENTER FIELD
May 22, 2010
That's the winner along with his WWF fist pumps walking off the field after his brawl wit the Marlins.
Nyjer, remind me again why he is penciled in as the CF starter? That is embarassing.
And then there is the whole Smiley Gonzales thing...
I agree Steve M.---Nyjer as our CF starter, now that's embarrasssing!
A. Hernandez did not merely not see the throw on that bunt, he saw it just in time to bail out.
Still, blowing a 3-games to 0 lead to the Red Sox HAS to ... oh, wait, that was the Yankees...
I would say the current Ryan Zimmerman commercials for Mercedes Benz are embarassing in a funny way. Kazoos, digadigaroos and dancing.
Nyjer Morgan as a player is a joke and an embarassment to the current franchise.
Still my tops in embarassing the previous owners of the franchise was when MLB hired Jim Bowden and his many actions to follow including SmileyGate, Austin Kearns, Austin Kearns extension and after Opening Day 2006 when he got arrested:
"On Sunday evening in Miami Beach, Fla., I was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. I intend to plead not guilty at a future date in a Miami Dade court. I deeply regret any embarrassment that my arrest may cause the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball.
"On the advice of legal counsel, I will have no further comment regarding this incident until the court proceedings are complete."
Nothing tops Jim Bowden. A clown and a man not to be trusted.
Mark, why pick moments. Frankly I think the last six years has been "embarrassing moments" in themselves. Until we have a winning season the Nationals will be one big embarrassment.
I was at a Mets – Nationals game that first season in RFK. A major rain storm hit and the grounds crew couldn’t get the tarp down before the field got soaked and unplayable. It was like they never had any training on how to put the trap down, vendors were coming from the stands trying to help. It was just embarrassing – and funny :).
@Golfersal, because it's funny.
Can't believe no one has mentioned this, but I'll go with the folks who work the consessions at the stadium. Truly sad if we are them....
FLop. PLoD. WiMP.
I could go on and on...
Focus, people.
"I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing *moments* after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune."
Those Zim commercials are great! But I only heard them when they were linked to from the Sportsbog about a year ago. Have they started running on the radio?
Dave said...
Those Zim commercials are great! But I only heard them when they were linked to from the Sportsbog about a year ago. Have they started running on the radio?
They run on the radio, hear them all the time on 980am. I love the talking British one, "Dentist, what's a dentist?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8ZbEYLNjc&feature=player_embedded
From last night, Lastings Milledge starts a brawl. From what I heard he made a gesture earlier in the game. Watch the whole tape for Lastings taking a punch to the face.
Like I said, both Morgan and Milledge will be out of baseball by July.....both major head cases and MAJOR EMBARRASSMENTS.
July 23rd, 2007 and Nick Logan...LORD!
I was at that game and the funny thing was the very next summer I was at a Blue Crabs game in Waldorf and Nick Logan was playing centerfield for the opposing team. LOL!
Frediemac.... Say NOOK three times and then add the MORGAN.
And JayB.... if there is ANYTHING we agree totally on it's how awful NYJER LOGAN (pun intended when coupled with my last post) is.
Howzabout Willie Harris fields a ball with his crotch (sorry, guys)?
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sec3 said...
Focus, people.
"I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing *moments* after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune."
Two years ago, Willie Harris took one in the man zone when he wasn't wearing his house. He writhed in pain for what seemed like 10 minutes.
New info to me revealed in this column:
1) That "the Hall of Fame had asked every team in baseball to send in three player jerseys from Opening Day. The Nats chose Zimmerman, Dunn and Elijah Dukes." Elijah Dukes???
2) You mean there were at least 22 other Natinals jerseys in the clubhouse?
natsfan1a: beat me to it!
Great minds think alike, joem (although you described it in more detail). :-)
1a, good one, if less embarassing if you empathize, imo.
I liked saying "Nook." Used to try to get everyone around me saying it repeatedly, like "nooknooknooknooknook..."
No, it didn't catch on.
joemktg said...
New info to me revealed in this column:
1) That "the Hall of Fame had asked every team in baseball to send in three player jerseys from Opening Day. The Nats chose Zimmerman, Dunn and Elijah Dukes." Elijah Dukes???
2) You mean there were at least 22 other Natinals jerseys in the clubhouse?
No, the only new batch of jerseys they had to order were for Zim, Dunn and Dukes. And I believe only the Zim and Dunn jerseys had the misspelling.
Thanks, sec3.
Gee, I wonder why that chant didn't catch on? :-)
How about Austin Kearns falls down and goes boom on the basepaths? (Sorry, Austin.)
How can anyone forget Paul Lo Duca impersonating a left fielder in late Spring or early Summer 2008? After a horrendous inning or two, he then had the good sense to -- at least as it appeared to my 9-year-old daughter and me -- fake an injury while jogging to the outfield, thus avoiding any continuation of the sad charade we had been watching. Quite frankly I was embarrassed for him, not by him.
Remember the night that they gave out the cheap umbrellas (I think they were umbrellas) at the game. They gave them out after the game, didn't have enough people to do the job, blocked the exits and wound up throwing them to (some might say at) the fans. Some got two or three; some got none.
not most embarassing, but funniest, was when zim lost a ball - and found it had gotten into his shirt.
Keith, that's a key distinction, imo. In a number of the episodes in question, I was embarrassed for rather than by a player. In some other cases (as with Zimm), I just thought the situation was funny.
Another funny one that comes to mind is Dmitri trying to catch a pop fly and landing on his behind. I couldn't help but laugh along with him in that case.
The time the sniper got Kearns! Yes!
And was it Patterson who drilled a throw intended for first into the ground in front of himself?
Or the circus music playing in our heads (c'mon, you know it was) every time Nick got "under" a popup?
And waddu eye no's funny/embarrassing distinction was good, too, imo.
Nick was certainly having his issues with popups towards the end of his tenure. I heard the circus music more with Meat Hook, though. :-)
sec3mysofa pointed out a good one... Mike Bacsik serving the big one up to Bonds, and his fishy discussions of the subject after the fact.
The circa 2009 MASN Commercials were so embarassing. Both the Baltimore and Washington segments had the worst dialogue and the "actors" looked like they came straight from a homeless shelter.
The only good thing is we got "Who, Wil Nieves".
natsfan1a said...
And waddu eye no's funny/embarrassing distinction was good, too, imo.
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Well, then you've got to draw a line between "embarrassed" and "shamed"--like not being allowed to expand the roster in Sept. 2005 in a playoff race.
Nyjer going out of his way to give the catcher a shoulder shiver as Nyjer scored uncontested. Too bush for words.
The Calendar Magnet Fiasco
a summary:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjLgekyOZA0#t=0m58s
Good illustration, sec3. And since we're going there, funniest anthem ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyCc1DzRAgQ
seems to be some difference of opinion on that, 215A:
http://natsfangirls.com/2010/12/phil-rizzo-on-scouting/
This is the funniest. Because it was REAL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdI37HbztWI
Unless that was a Frank Drebbin tribute: da-ang.... :-D
Anybody remember the time Zim was on first with one out. The batter hit a fly ball and Zim started jogging all the way to third when he realized his mistake he just stopped, smiled and waited to be doubled off base. A true little league double play! I can't remember who the Nats were playing that day but I am pretty sure it was at RFK. Anybody remember the details on that one?
Anonymous said...
Anybody remember the time Zim was on first with one out. The batter hit a fly ball and Zim started jogging all the way to third when he realized his mistake he just stopped, smiled and waited to be doubled off base.
_____
Yes, I was at that game; I don't know who the opponent was but I remember thinking that it must have been an awful walk to face Frank Robinson after that gaffe. I don't believe that is the only time that happened with Zimm; I seem to remember another occasion at the new park
I do remember a few "forgot-how-many-outs-there-were" events over the last few years, one of them being Zimm in 2009, it seems to me. Embarrassing, but hardly unique to this club, really.
and then there's that Rockies game last year, when Hawpe homered in the top of the second, and they 86'd a perfectly excellent customer for stepping on their [AB] grass in the batters' eye. All-time low point there. Still costing them.
The Guz throw was not embarrasing I was there for the whle game sitting in the rain. What was embarrasing was that MLB did not respect the Nats enough to call the game that was the worse field conditions I have ever seen.
Maybe the way Nats320 had way too much access under Kasten? Here's another - the way the Lerner's organization failed to pay NATS RADIO's Steve "The Stinger" Ray in a timely manner until he went public with their disgraceful shenanigans? http://thestingersteveray.blogspot.com/2010/11/number-of-people-asked-why-i-had.html Yes, that's off field, but another black eye for the organization.
There's no such thing as too much access. You don't like what he writes, don't read him.
I thought he was gonna include John Lannan's debut against the Phillies. He beaned two batters in a row, clearly unintentionally, then got tossed by the home plate umpire.
Ooooh, another good one.
Wow, glad that spring training will be here soon.
Still, have to go with Nook and the last out of the game against the Indians. I immediately gave away my free give away hat for the game. Whenever I see it, I shudder.
Oh, and any game Jerome Williams pitched.
Ugh...now the Phillies appear to be the possible front-runners for Cliff Lee, depending upon who you read/listen to. That's bad news for us - can you imagine their rotation, led by Halladay and Lee? Please stay in the AL, Cliff!
Oh, as for the topic at hand, I vote for Nook's baserunning blunder. But another one I remember that I haven't seen here yet, from May 20, 2009, is Joel Hanrahan's walk-off wild pitch against the Pirates after Lannan pitched a gem of a game. Or there's also the game where Hanrahan uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the Mets to walk-off after 14 innings on April 18, 2008.
Lee to the Philthies. F this!!! I hope he sucks.
Lee to the Phillies, reportedly for five years and $100 million. Wow - the union will pissed at him for leaving $50-70 million on the table!
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/agree-to-sign-cliff-lee.html
John C.
Luis - How's about Lee to the Phillies for less than the Nationals. 5 year deal around $20 mill per year.
Make it 5 year deal $24 million a year.
Why did it have to be an NL east team? The Philly pitchers are now jaw droppingly great. And they were amazing before he signed.
Lee turns down Yankees money to go to Philly, of all places. Well, the small measure of schadenfreude in this is that the Yankees now know what it's like to have a higher offer turned down by the prize free agent of the offseason.
Hey Hey Hey. I'm glad you bozos signed J. Werth. Freed up the cash so that our 4th starter is better than your 1st.
Have a fun year! Can't wait till spring.
Bobo, wait till their arms start falling off and you are burdened with salaries that will bury your team. We all know how the Phillie fans will be when you start losing, you will abandon your team just like you all have done before.
Anyone can buy a Playoff team, the Yankees have been doing it for years and so have the Phillies.
Good luck tool!
Steve M.
Would it have hurt you so much to have ignored him?
Thanks, JD. I couldn't have said it better.
NatsJack,
They (the Philthies) do look pretty scary for the next year or 2 provided they don't all spend half the year on the DL (very likely for Rollins, Uttley, Howard, Ibanez, Polanco) and you have to figure that at least one of Oswalt, Lee or Halladay will have some kind of health issue.
I guess our hope is that when their window closes ours will just start opening.
JD... When their window closes, it will disintegrate. The age and contract amounts for their key individuals will be a burden that makes todays Mets look like the SF Giants.
Was at the Goozie game, the embaressing part is nothing to do with the Gooz. It was Vidro waving his arms up and down trying to get the grounds crew out to put down turface, and being ignored. AFTER the top of 9th, they put it down for the Braves.
And from my seat, it didn't look like LoDuca "faked" an injury. Looked like he "LoPuka"-ed.
How about Colin Balestar and his multiple bean ball games? Thankfully, the opponents knew an idiot when they saw one and didn't bother to retaliate...
That Slowes call was great Mark... thanks for posting it. LOL
I was at that Guzman mud throw game. That was a heartbreaker.
I've got at least one more:
2005 in July sometime. Nats in first place, shocking the world ;). They have a robot sing the National Anthem, and we go on a total reversal from that point on, finishing at 81-81.
BTW, Steve M... don't feed the trolls.
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