Thank goodness for the Nationals. Really? What was that? After the Caps playoff implosion and the Wizards hibernation (plus a Redskins Draft season where the Burgundy and Gold braintrust actually didn't do anything ridiculous)... the DC Nine is giving fans cause for celebration this May. For some reason aren't going away after their first winning April in some time. While 14-13 means NIT Bubble in some worlds, it begs for answers in the NL East.
For starters, its the relief-- while closer Matt Capps leads the league with 11 saves, Tyler Clippard is holding hitters to a .127 batting average. Sean Burnett and Jesse English have also pitched well over the first month of the season. The question from here is can this four stay fab as the summer heats up...
Pitching pickups...not half bad-- Livan Hernandez is shining (4-1, 0.99 ERA) while Jason Marquis is struggling (0-3, 20.52 ERA)... while many could have expected the reverse this spring, it's not a major surprise. However, the key for the rotation is for the other starters to get their ERA sub-6.
Offensive challenges-- Nyjer Morgan has had an up and down start... with a 3 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio and stealing success rate of just 50%. Still, the sparkplug atop the order is providing enough juice to get the middle of the order motor going... while Josh Willingham and Justin Maxwell are both producing at the plate. Adam Kennedy and Pudge Rodriguez may not be putting up numbers, but their value in the field and clubhouse transcends mere stats.
In the middle of all of this has been the sharp management hand of the organization by Mike Rizzo and in games by Jim Riggleman. The two aren't making as much news as their respective predecessors, and that's probably a good thing.
Skinsationalism-- Marko Mitchell (August 2009 MVP) and Anthony Montgomery are among those released by the Redskins in the most recent roster purge... leading one to believe that when the final 53 is in stone come September-- the holdovers from the Zorn Regime will be few and far between... especially regarding the non-starters.
From the shores of Tripoli-- rarely does Howard steal the college hoop headlines-- but with the naming of Kevin Nickelberry as its new coach the Bison make some waves in the MEAC. Nickelberry spent the last year coaching the Libyan National Team after three seasons guiding Hampton to a 49-44 mark. Will this turn around the recent trend of HU ho-humness on the hardwood? Sometimes any change is good.
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