Going Deep with The Nats

Nationals Winterfest Report (card) Day One

Overall, I give them a C+.  Yes, it was nice to be able to tour the clubhouse, bullpen and batting cages. But that was more than offset by the cold, rain, and logistics of having to go in, out, around, up and down to get between venues and get food in the rain. Little chance to run into someone you knew because (1) a lot of folks didn’t show up even if they bought tickets due to the rain/Metro and (2) of necessity the events were in different places so everyone was dashing from point to point in the cold and rain (unlike the Convention Center where you could actually spot people sauntering from place to place.) They did put out radiant heaters by some tables—people were so cold they were standing under the heaters holding up their hands as if they were worshiping the light. Continue reading →

Curt Blefary 1965 AL Rookie of the Year

Baseball is a sport of youth.  Few things epitomize that more than the “Rookie of the Year.”  Begun in 1947 on a national basis the award draws attention to the next-greatest-thing in the sport.  Some of the winners, like this year’s phenom Ronald Acuna Jr. and Bryce Harper in 2012 were heralded long before arriving on the big stage.  They were picked by pundits and analysts to make a splash and did not disappoint.  Others emerged from seemingly nowhere to take the honor.  Most who have won the award have gone on to have fine careers.  Some 16 of the 110 retired award winners have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.   Subtracting the 10 retired players in the 5-year HOF waiting period yields a rate of 1 inductee out of every 6 ROY award winners.   On the other hand some honorees go on to relatively short and nondescript careers. Continue reading →

The biggest Washington Nationals news on Tuesday was the acquisition of Brittany Ghiroli as a Nats beat writer for The Athletic. Some would say “finally” they hired someone at The Athletic whose main purpose is to cover the Nats and give some fresh perspective to a team that has few regulars on the beat. Many baseball fans know Britt Ghiroli from the Orioles beat and from her appearances on MLB Network. As a former collegiate swimmer at Michigan State, Ghiroli fits right in with athletes — even athletes who compete on grass and dirt. She does not know any of the current Nats players, but knows manager Dave Martinez who she covered with the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2008.  Continue reading →