They say doing the same thing while expecting different results is the definition of insanity. At Nationals manager Jim Riggleman's press conference Wednesday, the new skipper said he would pretty much do the same things ex-manager Manny Acta tried to do...
Strengths--bats up and down the lineup, pitching potential...from Adam Dunn to Nyjer Morgan-- the upgrades to last years thin sticks has paid off thus far. Morgan is settling in as a threatening leadoff hitter while Dunn's pursuit of a fifth straight 40-home run season is going as scheduled. Their presence makes holdovers Ryan Zimmerman and Christian Guzman that much more effective. Young pitching has shown upside periodically; if only half of the team's "hot prospects" pan out this will be one heck of a staff eventually.
Weaknesses--situational hitting, inconsistent pitching and porous fielding. Batting averages and hits are great until you can't bring home runners from second or third with less than two outs. Pitching's Jeckyll and Hyde situation is even more frustrating: when the rotation's on a roll, the bullpen gets butchered and when the relievers are ready the starters get scorched--it's almost like the old Sesame Street "Hole in a Bucket" song. And to make things even worse, the pitchers have the worst defense in the bigs behind them. The Nats lead the world with 82 errors -some painful, a few comical, but always out there- making Timmy Lupus look legendary.
And this is the approach Jim Riggleman wants to continue as manager? He was obviously being politically correct to his predecessor and one doesn't expect him to pile on Manny---but give the fans a little hope and lip service. See you at the ballpark,
All Star Game thoughts: TWO HOURS AND THIRTY-ONE MINUTES!!!! Wow, thanks MLB for finishing before midnight... showing how quick moving games can still have strategy and drama. Nice grab by Carl Crawford in the seventh over the fence...making Jonathan Papelbon 2009's version of Don Liddle (Willie Mays counterpart in 1954 WS). This win marks the 12th time in 13 years the AL has topped the senior circuit...and just like the NL had reasons behind its dominance way back when--there are a few reasons why the American League is king.
1--The DH...even in years where they play in National League parks, the designated hitter is an advantage to the American League. Why? Because established free agents are drawn to AL teams because they won't have to play every single day out in the field. A slugger instead of taking days off can DH a game here or there... or a hitter coming off an injury can DH his way back until he's 100% ready to take the field. Better free agents means a better talent pool. Facing a DH on a regular basis gives the AL pitchers a mental edge as well-- with both teams pinch-hitting in NL parks and DHing in AL cities, hurlers from the senior circuit all of a sudden have to get 9 outs instead of 8 when they try to make it through the order.
2--Evening the playing field... for years the NL had much more artificial turf stadiums and thus whenever the AS game was played on that surface, the National League usually won (9-3). Since the mid-90's, most ballparks have reverted to natural grass--taking away the NL's inherent advantage.
3--Big spender in the big apple... while the New York Yankees inflated payroll might not have delivered a title to the Bronx since 2000... the collection of all stars in pinstripes has contributed to a talent infusion advantage-- and while one might not be able to buy a team to win over a 162 game marathon...talent trumps chemistry over a nine-inning sprint.
Just when you thought the Skins were enjoying a quiet summer... the team bolstered its defensive line by taking Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of the NFL's supplemental draft. More on this tomorrow in this very space...
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