Perfect nickname for Harper if you ask me!

And the parade of injuries goes on.

As Jayson Werth was moving back to his statistical mean and doing the things the organization wanted him to do – snap!  No more Jayson Werth for 3 months.

So what’s our realistic expectation for the rest of May?  We know that Morse/Werth/Storen are not coming back anytime soon, and thank goodness Bryce Harper was only waiting for this moment all his young life – but the outfield is definitely spongy now.  Maybe not defensively, but the league will adjust to Harper and hopefully Nady/Moore decide they really do want to be big leaguers.

The pitching staff is keeping us in games.  Now if Henry can quit grooving fastballs we’ll be okay.  And I gotta say it – wasn’t Harper’s steal of home off Old King Cole just delicious?  That’s the way you stick it in his ear Bryce.  I loved it.  Hamels is a twerp and the Old School I saw was Harper saying ‘Yeah man.  “Old school a piece of this…” 

Let’s get this win tonight and get out of Pittsburg.    

Why is this surprising?  It is, after all, how animals respond when backed into a corner.

And believe me: the Lillies are worried.  The Nats have been THE topic of Philadelphia sports radio all season.  After this past weekend, that’s not going to change.

But one thing that has changed is the NATITUDE of Washington, D.C.

Think the Lillies will come to regret plunking a rookie on national TV?  Let’s hear from Jayson Werth, who endured verbal taunts from the phans in right field after breaking his wrist last night:

“After walking off the field feeling nauseous knowing my wrist was broke and hearing Philly fans yelling ‘You deserve it,’ and, ‘That’s what you get,’ I am motivated to get back quickly and see to it personally those people never walk down Broad Street in celebration again.”

Better get your tickets now for that October 1-3 home stand.

Heh – admit it, you loved it.
Washington did take back the park last night. Closed those phans down and rightfully so. Not sure what’s up with the umpiring this year though, either I’m watching more baseball and seeing more blown calls, or the men in blue need to rethink how they call the plays they see in front of them.

I mean seriously, I have no true vantage point from where I sit in the Park, but tv replays do not lie – and man, have I seen some awful calls lately. Dapper Dan is looking for some blog-love on this post, so have you folks seen any really tremendously bad calls this year that just make you wonder what game the umps are watching, or is it just me?

Been a rough go as of late, but hey – we’re NATS FANS. A four game skid is nothing compared to some of the ‘lose 8, win 1, lose 5, win 2, lose 6′ marathons we’ve had in the past.

Morse – oblique, Storen- elbow, Zimmerman – shoulder, Werth gets migranes now, Stras looks awesome but turns into a pumpkin after the all-star break, Lidge has a hernia, HRodriguez had the willies, Espi is swining at everything, our LF has hit a combined .097.

But in spite of all this, when we go to the game tonight our team is in first place, and has been for like 2 weeks now. LaRoche is off to a fast start for a change, JZimm/Gio/Detw/Jackson are smoking the ball up there, Harper is bringing some attitude and is showing he can play the outfield, the catching is perfoming well, we lead the league in fielding (and ERA).

The good news is the pitching is holding up – and that’s the key to longevity. We’ll find someone to help bridge the end of the game – I have faith in Rizzo and Davey. Mattheus, Stammen, Gorzy, Clip…they’ll be okay. So will Henry Rodriguez. I’m still serving kool-aide. No reason not to. Arizona’ll be a good teat at home.

Go to the games this week(end) fellas – score a $5 seat and go say hi to Ed our usher in 223. Shout down those phans and remind them they are looking at our butts in the standings.

Our Park. Seriously.

From the lap(top) of Dapper Dan:

So 10 games above .500.  The sixth consecutive series win.  The starting staff is currently recognized as the best in baseball by the numbers.  All the guys are throwing 93+.  Henry Rodriguez has 5 saves, given up one hit, and no runs.  LaRoche leads the team in RBI’s with 14.  All without Michael Morse/scant production out of the LF position, and without Drew Storen.  Zimmy is a little balky in the shoulder and resting.  The only gripe I can even reach for is watching Brad Lidge blow 2 leads (whom I still think is a spy for the Filthies).

Now, while all of this is deliriously sweet, we’re all seasoned Nats fans and we’re used to taking it on the chin…having to deal with obnoxious phans in our ballpark, watching the talking heads of baseball prattle on and on about the Yankees or the RedSox or the Mets or the Cardinals or anyone but the Nats.  IMHO they are still being dismissive of the Nationals, but that’s another post.

Like someone in AA, it’s one day at a time.  But when you look at the rotation – and this is just fun to type – these young guys are only just starting to show their potential.  How will they do against the Braves and the   Bullies of Philthy?  The Cardinals?  Orioles?  And the Yankees are coming to go against this staff.  We’ll know soon enough.  I do charge you however, faithful reader, to get involved and take back our park from the phans.  No more excuses.

As Mikey says in the Goonies:  ”This is Our Time.”  At least for this delicious April that we as Natsfans so sorely deserve, I believe it certainly is.

From the lap(top) of Dapper Dan:

Hey folks.  What a terrific start from our guys on So. Capitol Street huh?  I tell ya, when our 5th starter can blank those Ozziefish…and the drama of Henry Rodriguez humming up those 101 mph fastballs with the tying runs on base and Hanley Ramirez at the plate….doesn’t get any better than that if you ask me.  These guys are pitching their way to some notoriety.  As you saw the crowds were small for the Houston series – seriously weird that only 17k showed up for Stras’s last start…but the Caps were playing the Bruins.  I think today the fannies will be out in full force.  Err….in the seats that is.

I had occasion yesterday to roam about the park (as I scored a $5 seat) and took in the game from various spots before settling in with a friend in section 202 to watch the end of the game.  In my travels I got the chance to chat with a very friendly DC cop who was keeping an eye on the lower bowl section from 123 around to the right field section135 or so.  Real nice guy who detailed for me a little about the larger-than-you-might-think amount of police there who up until now had been pretty invisible to me.  Mainly he said they’re there to assist security when needed and cart off unruly fans as “you can’t negotiate with a drunk”.  Very clear in his appraisal that the Senators Sausages were the way to go and that when phans invade that they get very busy showing the out-of-towners the facilities that none of us really wanna see below the concourse.  We compared notes on different sports venues (Nats Park vs RFK, Verizon Center vs. Capital Centre, RFK vs. Fed Ex) and he took off all smiles to answer a call and bade me a good evening.  Most pleasant conversation with a cop I’ve ever had. Seriously!

So while we cheer our team on be reminded these guys and gals are looking out for stray backpacks, hauling out the “trash” and keeping the park safe for us to enjoy.