Going Deep with The Nats

Juan Soto Batting Practice; Photo by Don Henderson for TalkNats

The Nationals are back to mediocrity in the standings at a flat .500 and 3rd place in the NL East. On June 9th, the Nationals were in 1st place and cruising at 11-games over .500. That was their high point in the season as we look back. Trying to find the answers in a team sport when things go wrong are often complicated.  In baseball, wins and losses are often judged in numbers and statistics. Manager Dave Martinez’s strength was supposed to be analytics and statistics.  Continue reading →

The Nationals had a Spring Training that is now the brunt of jokes about camel humps, and dromedary poop. Many cultures used camels for the transport of people and carrying goods like straw that was harvested. From that became the idiom about the straw that broke the camel’s back which alluded to the proverb “it is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back” and that is the irony as each loss piled up on that camel until it broke. Every season, there are 20 teams that are eliminated from making the post-season and the last straw is when they are officially eliminated, but along the way the weight of those straws are not all equal. This gives rise to the phrase “the last straw” or “the final straw” which many times is used when someone is fired from their job, a divorce, a separation, and other unpleasant finalities. Continue reading →

The Nationals arrived in St. Louis a few minutes before 2:00AM (EDT) last night on an un-happy flight. The players probably fell asleep earlier than many of the fans. Last night’s loss was one of those game’s for the history books, and at the same time a game the Nationals would like to forget. The team hopefully takes their frustrations out on the St. Louis Cardinals.  Continue reading →

The Nationals and Cubs will complete this 3-game series tonight under the lights at Wrigley Field, and the Nats get another featured game on ESPN’s Sunday Night Game of the Week. While getting the big game is an honor, it is also a game that changes sleep patterns as they usually finish up near midnight in the East. Luckily on this getaway day, the flight to St. Louis is a short one about an hour in the air, and the Nationals will probably still get to their hotel by Busch Stadium between 2AM – 3AM (EDT). Continue reading →