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US Presswire file photo Miller Park hosts Wisconsin native Jordan Zimmermann tonight. |
The right-hander just barely missed out on opportunities to pitch in his home state in the past: He was scheduled to start against the Brewers in 2009 right before he learned he needed Tommy John surgery. And he missed out by only one day last season, starting in Baltimore on May 22 right in advance of a three-game series in Milwaukee.
Zimmermann, of course, will be looking to keep his streak of six-inning starts intact. He's got at least that many innings in all 20 of his starts this season, a feat bested only by Justin Verlander.
With left-hander Randy Wolf on the mound for the Brewers, Davey Johnson goes with a slightly different lineup. Danny Espinosa leads off, with Steve Lombardozzi bumped all the way down to the 8-hole. Tyler Moore, meanwhile, gets a chance to start in left field, essentially taking Roger Bernadina's spot in the lineup.
As you know, I'm not on this leg of the road trip. Enjoy the game and the ongoing conversation here...
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Miller Park
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 89
Weather: Partly cloudy, 77 degrees, Wind 7 mph in from CF
NATIONALS (59-40)
SS Danny Espinosa
CFBryce HarperCorey Brown
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Michael Morse
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Tyler Moore
C Jesus Flores
2B Steve Lombardozzi
RHP Jordan Zimmermann
BREWERS (45-54)
RF Norichika Aoki
CF Carlos Gomez
LF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez
1B Corey Hart
2B Rickie Weeks
C Martin Maldonado
SS Cody Ransom
LHP Randy Wolf
UMPIRES
HP Laz Diaz
1B Mike Estabrook
2B Tim Welke (cc)
3B Paul Schrieber
7:00 p.m. -- A late lineup change for the Nats: Bryce Harper has been scratched with a stomach virus and has been replaced by Corey Brown.
Go JORDAN! GYFNG!
ReplyDeleteMust've really soured on Nyjer, not starting him against a righty. Laz Diaz at homeplate. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteMark, your review of JZim's past history of near misses of pitching against the BrewCrew, suggests that you know this team down to a T!
ReplyDeleteWho else can chronical this team as well? My guess, is no one!
Go, J-Zimm! Hope that he's had some home cooking and will enjoy some home rooting tonight. Go, NATS BATS!!
ReplyDeleteAmanda Comak reporting that 5% of Jordan's hometown will be at the game. The last census listed the population at 800. Come on, JZim!!! Do it up right!!! Where else can he pitch where all the fans sound exactly like him?
ReplyDeleteGame 100 - really?
ReplyDeleteA p.s. on the Edwin Jackson discussion:
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Meyer's rise, the Nats have to think about Matt Purke. I know his health has been iffy, but the Nats gave him a four-year major league deal worth nearly $4 million. So, he's in their plans, too.
I'd love to have Edwin back for two years, but with Cain, Hamels and -- perhaps -- Greinke off the market, he'll be in position to seek a longer and lucrative deal.
wtf does gyfng mean?
ReplyDeleteGo you (freaking) Nats, go!
ReplyDeletesweet. except i have a feeling that thats the "clean" version haha
ReplyDeleteClip:
ReplyDeleteYou might also see occasional references to "hacking the Gorse" or "Gorse hackage" in relation to Michael Morse.
Long story short: Sometime last year somebody, perhaps UNKYD, accidentally typed Morse as Gorse.
Somehow it evolved into a riff of Scottish lore -- Braveheart meets Nats Park, as in "Ay, that's fine Gorse Hackage that would make William Wallace proud."
Yeah, it's weird, but now you know.
Couple of players I wasn't fond of us facing have left the National League - Greinke, Sanchez, Ramirez, and that was after Pujols and Fielder in the off-season. Anyone else wish to depart? Are those exits making the National League weaker? I am not sure about that - I think the National League has some exciting younger players that just might pushing those guys out a little bit. I think the AL is especially attractive to older hitters who can DH.
ReplyDeleteWait, the Dodgers aren't in the NL anymore?
ReplyDeleteI'll betcha 1A has the genesis of gorse hacking saved in her machine.... As I recall the phrase I tried t type was "hacking through the order", which got spellchecked into gorse..... Spellcheck is fun!!!
ReplyDeleteOh - NatsLady - You are correct as usual. I was thinking that we were done with them for this year and wrote them off. Wish we could, actually. Thanks. The musical dugouts have been a big confusing.
ReplyDeleteUnky:
ReplyDeleteThat's right! That's how we got to hacking the Gorse.
(The blasted autocorrect on the iPhone has a dastardly mind of its own.)
After he pitches, does JZ get to go home and meet the team on Tuesday?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't have it saved but I did turn it up (hat tip to ask.com). Hacking the first was auto-corrected to hacking the gorse, and the rest is history. :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.natsinsider.com/2011/06/missing-zimmerman-more-than-ever.html
Just read this:
ReplyDeleteBryce Harper was scratched from the Nationals' starting lineup Saturday due to a stomach virus.
Harper was able to take pregame batting practice and will be available to pinch hit if the Nationals badly need him. He should return to the lineup Sunday afternoon.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteApparently Hanley ran through a stop sign and scored, evading a tag attempt by Posey. Do you suppose Donny Baseball will fine him for that?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Harper had one too many brats. :-)
ReplyDeletewaddu, idk but, fwiw, I think Cat would be the one to ask about pfb. ymmv.
Wow, 1a. How do you find things in the archives so fast? I would be searching for days.
ReplyDeleteclip-
ReplyDeletefyi, fwiw - ask about kook-aid. iirc, pfb. (imho).
gyfng, btw.
k? ttfn.
Anyone know at what point a player can be scratched but still be available for that day's game? I know once the lineup cards are swapped, it's final, but that officially doesn't happen until 2 mins before first pitch. Does this swap really make it official, or is the swap more ceremonial?
ReplyDeleteI just use a good, old-fashioned search engine, Sonny. Back in the day, I did online research using databases where one was charged by the minute, and I honed my search strategies out of necessity. :-)
ReplyDelete(lol, waddu)
Nice throwbacks the guys have on tonight. Hope they make those available. I have the 1936 & 1924 throwbacks (both Zimm's numero 11).
ReplyDeleteYou dont have the gray throwback from when the NATS were in Baltimore celebrating 1970 WS? 1970 Senators Replica
DeleteGiants DFAd Emmanuel Burris, DC native. Hitting stats this year not great but if he could improve in hometown settting he might be useful backup for middle infield if we could claim him off waivers and park him at Syracuse for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteHARPER has a stomach virus! Brown batting second!
ReplyDeleteFP and Carp look out if place in suits!
ReplyDeleteHARPER has a stomach virus! Brown batting second!
ReplyDeleteMr. Brown will be fine. Are the Nats setting a record with rookies playing the game this year? It sure seems like it.
ReplyDelete97mph. I would say JZim bas some hometown NatsTown adrenaline flowing!!!
ReplyDeleteNatsJack, 3rd AB
ReplyDeleteNJ -- it may take awhile, not for Brown to get his first hit, but to get comfortable and start doing what he's capable of doing at the plate. He's taken some time to get acclimated at each new level and don't see anything in his first few games to think it'll be any different in the Show.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand he looks comfortable and even sort of polished in CF, with clean routes even to tough balls.
And nice to see JZimm back in the groove again (groundout to Aoki, Ks to Gomez and Braun, for those without GameDay).
Thanks, 1A!! You are one PFB searcher...
ReplyDeleteBoy... We were a frustrated bunch, last June, no? Does CB in DC still post? Winder what he thinks of our "culture of losing" now? Gawd, how that phrase grated!!
Never seen a ball hit the rosin bag before...bad luck
ReplyDeleteThose uniforms look uncomfortable, both teams...unless that's faux-flannel...
ReplyDeleteThat will work for CB Jack... Funny
ReplyDeleteAtta boy!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, there ya go!!! First hit, a home run!!! Can't ask for better than that!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to The Show, Mr. Brown.
ReplyDeleteCue the Corey Brown fan club...
ReplyDeleteLet the Roy Hobbs comparisons begin...Uniform and everything
ReplyDeleteWhat was Porter thinking sending Morse home?
ReplyDeleteOh, Bo Porter. Agressive is good, but that was not good.
ReplyDeleteMorse was trying, for a guy who's not fast, he was chugging away.
ReplyDeleteBo owes Tyler one now. Crunch
ReplyDeleteOK!!! Had to get to this guy sooner or later, I mean, look at his ERA...!
ReplyDeleteROOKIE POWER!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the happiest guy in the ballpark? Bo Porter.
ReplyDeleteSyc Cheifs (Grays) 3, Milwaukee Brewers (Bears) 0
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, they could have caught that one. Brewers not hustling.
ReplyDeleteNow JZimm's turn....
ReplyDeleteLOL Good one Swift Eagle
ReplyDeleteWell at least the rooks have given JZimm some run support.
ReplyDeleteHey, he almost did get a hit. Turned on some jets, made it real close.
ReplyDeleteWow, Ryan may be the 2nd fastest Zimmerman(n) on the team...Jordan was moving
ReplyDeleteSomething wrong with my color, Jordan is BLUE!!
ReplyDeleteIs everyone else getting that bizarre color reversal on MASN? Someone messed up with a filter....
ReplyDeleteMe TOO!! Looks like Avitar
ReplyDeleteIt's Avatar baseball!!
ReplyDeleteIt's actually kind of cool
ReplyDeleteSigourny Weaver warming up in the bullpen?
ReplyDeleteAliens on the field!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to — The Outer Limits.
ReplyDeleteEagle, I aun't giving you a Coke 'cause I spelled UT right! ;-)
ReplyDeleteCarp is the same though. "Jammage."
ReplyDeleteI've always thought Blue Man Group was kinda creepy...
ReplyDeleteWon't this be something if it shows up this way on the MLB highlights?
ReplyDeleteLol, I cant argue that Eddie!
ReplyDeleteI've watched lots of sports on TV, never seen this happen before
The "Bears" look like the Reds.
ReplyDeleteThe Grays become the Blues.
ReplyDeleteIt is only MASN
ReplyDeleteThe Mil. broadcast is fine but not my MASN.
OK, JZ, settle down. I know you are a stranger in your own land, but, just settle down...
ReplyDeleteThe Grays become the Blues.
ReplyDeleteYou know what's cool about this? All the players - white, hispanic, black, Japanese - are pretty much the same color.
ReplyDeleteFinally, we have become post-racial America.
Thank you to our friend Peter Angelos for another fine broadcast of Washington Nationals baseball.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Boise State played baseball.
ReplyDeletei thoght they already did the smurf thing last year.
ReplyDeleteBut the grass is still green!
ReplyDeletei hope they don't fix it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of "there's something wrong with my TV", the beach volleyball players appear to be wearing long sleeve shirts...what's that all about?
ReplyDeleteSmurfs vs oompa loompa's
ReplyDeleteActually it's getting sort of nauseating unless you think of everyone as Avatar actors.
ReplyDeleteI think this is not healthy for JZimm.
"Minor"technical difficulties, MASN?
" Finally, we have become post-racial America."
ReplyDeletethe best of all possible worlds
...and now the picture craps out entirely, and sound goes to 1940s radio broadcast quality...
ReplyDeleteHey, I'd rather see them in blue than not at all.
ReplyDeleteI want my #BLUENATS back!!!
ReplyDeleteTurtles, that was a strike... OK, Jordan, don't give it back.
ReplyDeleteSwift Eaglei, (1) the Olympic powere that be decided to let female volleyball players wear more than bikinis if they wanted (mostly so that women form Muslim or other culturally conservative countries could participate, (2) temperature as in the 60s when the game now on NBC was played.
ReplyDeleteAnd nothing can help Laz Diaz's miserable umping.
ReplyDeleteAwesome pitch, and a great stretch by ALR (again), he makes that look so easy
ReplyDeleteDouble play. Pitcher's best friend. Wonder if someone will tell JZ he was blue for half the inning.
ReplyDeleteBoy, Ross Detwiler's dad sure looks like him. Wow.
ReplyDeleteBoy, Ross Det looks like a total clone of his Dad!
ReplyDeleteNJ, yeah, McCatty in the dugout--not a happy man.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteToo High....I thought... Nice Ryan
ReplyDeleteRZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still loving ya, man!
ReplyDelete"he was blue for half the inning."
ReplyDeleteyou'd be too.
if each plan
for zimmer man
kept fallin through.
oy, i'm getting on my own nerves again
That was reassuring to see. According to Boz, Zim still has 2 or 3 weeks left on his hot streak.
ReplyDeleteThat old-fashioned uni looks good on JZimm. Anyone who'd pitch with a broken jaw wired together would fit any definition of old school.
ReplyDeleteJason Benetti @jasonbenetti
ReplyDeleteJayson Werth just hit a soaring double to right center to score Jeff Mandel in the 5th. Chad Tracy just singled to score Werth after. #Nats
CMW--mixed results. 6 innings, 2 gopher balls, 4ER, no walks, some doubles (hard to know if they were legit w/o watching the game). 10 ground outs, plenty of strikes.
Aw, Davey is taking JZ out. GREAT JOB!!!! AGAIN!!!
ReplyDeleteJZimm pitch count up to 93 after 6, ERA down to 2.28!
ReplyDeleteThink he'll come out for the 7th?
(I'd suspect yes, but only if he accepts that Davey will take him out if he gets into any trouble.)
So much for flipping between the Olympics and the Nats....
ReplyDeleteDavey protecting JZ, thinking of Sept and Oct. Look at that 56 MPH. Eephus?
ReplyDeleteI love it! Danny takes an Eephus pitch and gets a Texas leaguer.
ReplyDeleteGIve Weeks credit, that was a very nice play.
ReplyDeleteActually, NJ, the hopeful thing is they just showed Druuuu warming up."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think we could all live with the Nats giving up only one more run in this game at this point.
The Grays uni does not flatter Storen. Not important. Just hope he is OK.
ReplyDeleteoooooh, shook Flores off twice and then hit Weeks. Maybe should have taken Flores advice?
ReplyDeleteI know peric wants RZ at 1B, but I so love to watch him on the hot corner.
ReplyDeleteAh, RZ, beautiful! And he checks his glove, just to make sure it's there! :) :)
ReplyDeleteI need better friends. No cable or internet at their house. So i didn't see the blue team. Darn it. Just got home and I am watching now. Happy for jordan and corey.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kimbrell is filthy. Can't believe he blew a save in that crazy game... And he shows no sign of being tired.
ReplyDeleteThis guy, Henderson, sorry to see him get Nats out, but really glad for him, ten years is a LONG time to be riding those buses. Lotta guys give up and just get jobs coaching in high school.
ReplyDeleteYeah, NJ. So much for the ignorant who were sure the Phils were going to go on a run because they could get to the Brewers' bullpen for a series. Now two straight losses to the Barves.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing about that is that the Phil's won't come into Natitude Park with any head of steam.
yeah, gameday called that pitch 'eephus' too. didn't know pitchers throw it nowadays.
ReplyDeleteOK, Clip, just do your job. NO drama, please, I'm sleepy. :)
ReplyDeleteNice to see Clip with good command of all three of his pitches.
ReplyDeleteWOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! 60 wins! 2008 &2009 are in the rear view mirror!!! Onward and upward!
ReplyDeleteHey, NL, how does a 1-2-3, 9 pitch ninth look to you?
ReplyDeleteCurly W #60 is in the books...Sweet
ReplyDelete.600 baseball!
ReplyDelete"WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!"
(Copyright, MicheleS, 2011).
Eddie, it looks GREAT. And the Yanks lost, so even though it's not relevant, I still like being their equal!!! If we meet them in October, boy are we a different team than in June!!!
ReplyDeleteWe now can take a game into the 7th inning and know we can dominate!!
ReplyDeleteStoren, Burnett, Clippard
Enough said
Go Nats!
A good, solid win. No mistakes, and some power from the rookies. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteWhat, no Gatorade bath for Corey Brown and Kristina?
ReplyDeleteAnd the good Smurfs win. I love it when that happens. :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe no bath because it's on the road, Candide.
13-win Gio facing a AAA call up for the series win tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange game with the retro unis, the blue, the sound only for a while. So happy for JZim with his posse in attendance. He was hitting 96 tonight.also happy for Corey Brown and TyMo. Hope Bryce feels better soon, though. I thought he was looking thin.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Corey Brown! Well done, Tyler Moore.
ReplyDeleteAll the young dudes
Carry the news ...
Look how our rookies step up, I love it!!!
ReplyDeletebut alas, those damn Braves win again, lol
ReplyDeleteloved the uniforms... Cool Papa Bell, etc...
ReplyDeleteWell played by the defense. JZim with another gem and he got the Win!!!
ReplyDeleteRook power!
At first I thought JZim was getting the B lineup tonight. Brown and Moore take advantage of their starts. Good going. Jordan must have had plans with his group for after the game. Pretty fast game. So happy for him. Go Gio!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAlso loved that they had Mamie Peanut Johnson in the house. Listened to and met her at a Smithsonian baseball program. She was still talking smack to all the former batters. You go, Mamie! :-)
ReplyDeletenatsfan1a very very cool!!!!
ReplyDeleteMick, yes, Braves won and the Phillies keep falling further and further out.
ReplyDeleteTrade the Nats Brian Schneider for backup. One of my favorites. Trade them Cutter Dykstra.
Ghost... lol
ReplyDeletespeaking of Cool Papa Bell... here is one of his infamous quotes
ReplyDelete"I remember one game I got five hits and stole five bases, but none of it was written down because they didn't bring the scorebook to the game that day."
Just say no to Brian Schneider. That ship has sailed. We're not going back there.
ReplyDeleteOnce again a key player goes down and the rest of the team keeps it going. I miss watching Desi play, though.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite...
ReplyDelete"Cool Papa Bell was so fast, he once hit a line drive up the middle that hit him in the head sliding into 2nd base"
I always liked the one about the light switch.
ReplyDeletegreat link,thanks
ReplyDeleteswift and natsfan1a.... lol!
ReplyDeleteI usually like the historic unis. Some guys look great in them and some guys look really bad. Jordan is a throwback and so he looks good, so does TyMo. Braun looks absolutely horrible.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the search for a backup catcher: George Kottaras, recently DFA'd by the Brewers, likely will be traded to Oakland.
ReplyDeleteI saw the smerfs play tonight also. I was watching the game and get up to go to the bathroom (water pills working). I come back and my gosh, Jordan is blue. In fact everybody is blue. I thought oh no, my tv has lost a color gun. It is very expensive and I can't afford to replace it. I switched channels and saw normal color; what a relief that was.
ReplyDeleteI thought Laz Diaz umpired a good game tonight...for both sides.
What a thrill to see Corey Brown get his first major league hit and it being a home run. Moore and Zims home runs were crushed also. Great game. Nice to have 60 wins.
Nice to see good friends Tyler Moore and Corey Brown playing together again ... there's a lot of synergy ... Dan Kolko called it Syracuse south. Hopefully Corey can start hitting consistently like his friend Tyler Moore when he gets called.
ReplyDeleteI know peric wants RZ at 1B, but I so love to watch him on the hot corner.
ReplyDeleteOver the last 2 years how many games have you seen him do his magic at the hot corner? Sure the guy is good but one of the big knocks against his getting that contract was his injury history ... and it has only gotten worse? He was pathetic at the plate until he got the cortisone shot. Will it last the entire season?
They need Zim's bat. He is absolutely their best hitter bar none. Advanced stats clearly show that he is capable of hitting at MVP caliber. Most MVP caliber hitters must stay healthy in order to achieve those levels. How many play first base? A good number. Some play a corner position of the outfield. They are there for the bats not their gloves.
Bottom line: the Nats need Zimmerman in the lineup not on the DL. The one guy they can least afford to lose to the DL right now has to be Zimmerman. Yet it has happened.
Davey Johnson says Rizzo is more into insurance than he is. If I'm MIke Rizzo I am going to do everything possible to ensure Ryan Zimmerman and his bat are in the lineup for the entire season. That means first base as soon as Rendon is ready to take over. If Rendon can manage to play the hot corner after surgeries on both ankles and avoid the injury bug.
Sure, Davey might ask to keep LaRoche next year. He may have already made the request. But eventually I think we have to assume Zim and his great glove moves to first. And honesty, I think Zim will be better at the other corner than LaRoche.
Kudos to both of the Zimmermen tonight!
ReplyDeleteOn the west coast and just catching up. I watched the highlights on mlb.com, and I continued to be amazed at how this team is filling in with guys. I was interested to see Davey insert Brown rather than Bernadina tonight when Byrce got sick. I wonder what his reasoning was. Was he asked in the post-game presser? Regardless it worked as most things seem to do with him this year.
ReplyDeleteI also need to point out (again) just a ridiculous decision by Bo Porter tonight. A MLB base coach should NEVER get a runner thrown out by that much at home plate with less than two outs. Simply brutal.
Ricky Henderson in his prime couldn't have scored on that play, much less Morse. I like aggressive baserunning, but I detest stupid baserunning. I'm beginning to think Bo porter needs an eye exam and a pair of glasses.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you guys...If Zimmermann took a bunch of players out for dinner, how would the bill be payed? A credit card number, checking account number, and carrying a bunch of cash can all be stolen? I would assume they would chance a CC. Any guesses?
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see next week how Davey aligns the bullpen now that everyone is finally healthy, knock on wood...
ReplyDeleteApparantly we need chicken soup now too! Whoever noticed Bryce looking slimmer, per Kilgore's notes, he has been vomitting since Thursday. Great! And of course he says he plays today.
ReplyDelete60 is a nice number.
And Liriano went to the White Sox. Apparantly Kenny Williams is all in this year.
ReplyDeleteHuh? Everybody knows that Jordan doesn't have to pay for meals in Wisconsin. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGinger ale and crackers, Michele.
In other news, guess who's leading the majors in dingers? That's right, former Nat Adam Dunn. Atta way, Dunner.
For those pour souls that actually bought in to the BS the Marlins were selling during Spring Training, Google "Jeff Passan Miami Marlins" and read his July 25th article on Yahoo.
ReplyDeleteA bunch of us knew this all along.
Link for Passan story.
ReplyDeleteThanks 1a.
ReplyDeleteThat article sure makes one happy to be a Nats fan.
You're welcome, NatsJack. Thanks for the heads up on the story. That's a clown front office for sure.
ReplyDeleteIn Syracuse, Josh Johnson finished the game in left field after starting at shortstop.
ReplyDeleteAre the Nats grooming another utility guy, possibly one that can actually play shortstop?
And Christin Garcia got a save for the second night in a row.
WOW! That story on Loria is bad. At least the Lerners are from DC and want to set this up to be a source of Civic pride. Loria is just a swindler.
ReplyDeleteOh, boy. Davey reportedly told the media that Jordan has been having soreness in his pitching shoulder just prior to his last 3 starts, and that is one reason he has been taking him out after 6, or 7, at most.
ReplyDeleteHe is the heart of that rotation, and they just cannot afford to lose him.
Wikipedia article about Loria says he tried to buy the Orioles, but lost to Peter Angelos.
ReplyDeleteNever, ever complain about the Lerners again. Loria or Angelos... O's musta felt like Poland stuck between Hitler and Stalin.
As a former Expos fan I know all about Loria and Samson. I think Selig should shoulder a little responsibility as well. No fan should be exposed to that BS.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Peric! Zim to first, as soon as Rendon is ready. And he'll have no
ReplyDeleteproblem with it, because he'll see the wisdom... He want to be healthy as badly as we want him to be....
Passan hates Loria, and with good reason. That article is powerful. I do want to call attention to Harper the Blogger's take on the "fire sale," which he doesn't believe is a true fire sale. You can still despise Loria and his annoying son in law GM, while also recognizing that unloading Hanley, Annibal, and perhaps Johnson for top prospects might be a good baseball decision.
ReplyDeleteHere's an excerpt, but I recommend his whole post, which also covers the Phillies' signing of Colbert.
As for the Marlins the gamble was that the team would be good enough to compete this season. Bring in Reyes, bring in Buehrle and get yourself a pennant race. Didn't happen, so now what? The minor leagues for the Marlins is pretty bare. There was little help coming, especially in the rotation. You could keep trying to throw money at this, watching as most of your starters go over 30 and into oblivion or you could pull the rip cord now. The Marlins best players, and one of the best players in the league, is Giancarlo Stanton who is 22. He is a special player. The new plan has to work around him, because you don't know when you'll get another like him. Get as many major league ready prospects as you can and cross your fingers that they work out. That's what they've done. Eovaldi and Turner are ready for long looks in a major league rotation, Brantley might be ready to catch at the major league level next season. Get lucky and maybe these guys can help you out right away. The likely "worst case" though is that they are all major league players for as long as you have Stanton. Along with their top prospect, OF Christian Yelich, they could be the kind of cheap filler that you can then work around signing guys in 2015 or so to fill in the holes.
This isn't a fire sale. This isn't a team that could compete right away. It looked more like a team looking to hover around .500 for a year or two until it crashed back down. By jumping the gun and grabbing guys that look to be part of a Stanton led team a couple years down the road, the Marlins have given themselves hope that they'll be as relevant as they wanted to be in 2012 in some year not too far down the road.
And by the way, featuring Ozzie Guillen on two of three seasons of The Franchise is way more than enough. I am so tired of his schtick.
Sect 222 Hanley was a cancer there and wasn't producing. Anibal for young prospects? No brainer.
ReplyDeleteJust like the Greinke trade, have to do it. The Cubs needed to trade Dempster and his wear is showing with 2 bad starts.
Ghost,
ReplyDeleteYou are right but the entire pre season splash with FA signings and the addition of Ozzie was a typical Loria, Samson production. They finagled a new stadium on the tax payers, pretended that hey are increasing the payroll to become competitive and now they are pocketing the savings from Hanley, Anibal and more to come.
Wait a year or 2 and these two con artists will cry poor again with pretend offers to move the team to Portland Oregon or Las Vegas. Those of us who lived through the end of the Expos era know their game real well.
The best advice for any town or team is when you see these 2 coming hide your wallets as well as your women and children.