Monday, October 02, 2006
71-91
Nats lose 6-2 to end the season 71-91. And so passes the 2nd season of baseball in its current incarnation in Washington. Of course, the game on the field yesterday was very much secondary to the real purpose of the day, which was to give Frank Robinson the proper send-off he deserved. I could recap his moving speech here, but I'll direct y'all to the primary source so that you can listen to just what a class act the man always will be. If anyone from the Nationals front office reads this blog, please consider retiring Frank's #20 jersey next season on Frank Robinson day. It would be the right and proper thing to do to honor the man who helped shepherd baseball back to the city.
Saying good-bye to Frank has obviously been the big topic in Nats-land over the past few days:
Looking forward
I'm glad that the Post's Barry Svrluga made it a point to discuss the importance of Frank's role as an African-American icon in a majority-black city like Washington. It's something that didn't get discussed enough and I think that the Lerners and Stan Kasten need to seriously consider what bringing real diversity to the Nats front office would mean for the franchise. I discussed this briefly in March, and I'm still of the same opinion. The next manager should be chosen based on what's best for the frnachise. Obviously, baseball acumen should be qualification #1, but the need for diversity (especially in DC) should also be considered when evaluating candidates.
On that note, uber-connected BallParkGuy and Baseball Prospectus contributor Maury Brown is hearing from sources that Fredi Gonzalez's future as manager of the Florida Marlins is no longer a hypothetical and will soon be fact. ESPN is quoting sources saying that chances are "99 out of 100" that Gonzalez will soon be announced as Joe Girardi's replacement. Semi-official word from MLB adds that Girardi will be let go Tuesday morning to be replaced by Gonzalez. If this is true, we can scratch one of the more promising names off the potential Nats managers list. Continuing down the candidate list, Dusty Baker's departure from Chicago is all but official. I'm not a fan of Baker's managing style, but his hiring would certainly be a sign that Bowden was serious about building diversity in to the organization:
My money is increasingly on Joe Girardi to get the job. A report from the Chicago Tribune on Friday are that the Nats may be willing to get into a bidding war (presumably with the Cubs) to acquire Girardi's services. Today is the first true day of the Lerner/Kasten rebuilding era, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them throw the necessary cash at Girardi. At this early stage, I would say that the candidates probably rank as 1) Girardi, 2) Baker, 3) Pena, followed by Acta/Manuel/Piniella/Alou/etc.
Whether Girardi is in fact the right man for the job is much less clear to me. As I discussed last week, the hype-factor on Girardi is a bit high, seeing as how he has all of one managerial season under his belt. I might be willing to overlook that as well if Girardi had more experience in other managing roles, but the only other item on his resume is a 2005 stint as the Yankees bench coach. Sure, there's a certain element of risk in any hiring, but if we really expect the next manager of the Nationals to lead the team to contention in 3 years, I wonder if we're not putting an awful lot of eggs into an unproven basket...
More offseason stuff
Nats Farm Authority notes that the Nats will have the 6th pick in the 2007 Amateur Draft. The draft is a crapshoot (Zimm's meteoric rise being the exception to the rule), but I'm glad that we are at least in the top 10. Check out NFA's excellent run-down of the Savannah Sand Gnats, especially rising stud Shairon Martis (best Stanton trade, ever!).
Speaking of Zimm, ESPN's Jayson Stark predicts that he will win the National League Rookie of the Year honors. I woud be pleasantly surprised if he beat out Uggla and Hanley Ramirez.
I've heard rumblings about this already, but Maury Brown is reporting that the MLBPA and the league have agreed to drop free-agent compensation picks from the upcoming CBA. If so, that sucks big donkey balls for the Nats since it's possible that they could get no compensation at all if Soriano leaves for greener pastures. Let's hope that there is some sort fo grandfather clause to include the 2006-07 free agents, otherwise the debacle of the Soriano non-trade would be totally and utterly complete.
Final thoughts on the season that was...
From a performance point of view, the season was sabotaged from the beginning by devastating injuries to Brian Lawrence, Ryan Drese, and Luis Ayala. Things didn't get much better from there and 71-91 where we ended up. I had predicted 78-84 prior to the season based on a return to reality from the overachieving 2005 squad. Pre-injury bug that sounded good to me. I suppose I should be happy with "only" being off by 7 wins considering the AAA rotation we threw out there for most of the season.
The positives I draw from 2006 are mostly structural in nature:
UPDATE: Forgot to mention that while 71-91 sucks, it's still a game better than the BlOrioles. Yeah baby!
Saying good-bye to Frank has obviously been the big topic in Nats-land over the past few days:
- Federal Baseball: " It wasn't that Frank had to go. It was more like the organization was ready to go without Frank."
- Capitol Punishment: "On one hand, I can't stand the guy. He's a crapbag manager. ... But I have a helluva lot of respect for the guy. He's had an amazing career, and really is one of the all-time greats."
- Curly W: "I've been just as critical of Robinson's field generalship as anyone, and I stand by those comments. However, the Nationals have been truly blessed to have this legendary man play such a key role in stewarding the franchise out of death row and into D.C.."
- Nats320: "As critical as I have been of the game decisions by Manager Frank Robinson, today was a sad day for Our Washington Nationals."
- OMG: "It’s official. Frank Robinson is out! Initial feelings? I’m glad. ... For a team that is hopefully going to be very youth oriented next year, Frank just isn’t the right guy."
Looking forward
I'm glad that the Post's Barry Svrluga made it a point to discuss the importance of Frank's role as an African-American icon in a majority-black city like Washington. It's something that didn't get discussed enough and I think that the Lerners and Stan Kasten need to seriously consider what bringing real diversity to the Nats front office would mean for the franchise. I discussed this briefly in March, and I'm still of the same opinion. The next manager should be chosen based on what's best for the frnachise. Obviously, baseball acumen should be qualification #1, but the need for diversity (especially in DC) should also be considered when evaluating candidates.
On that note, uber-connected BallParkGuy and Baseball Prospectus contributor Maury Brown is hearing from sources that Fredi Gonzalez's future as manager of the Florida Marlins is no longer a hypothetical and will soon be fact. ESPN is quoting sources saying that chances are "99 out of 100" that Gonzalez will soon be announced as Joe Girardi's replacement. Semi-official word from MLB adds that Girardi will be let go Tuesday morning to be replaced by Gonzalez. If this is true, we can scratch one of the more promising names off the potential Nats managers list. Continuing down the candidate list, Dusty Baker's departure from Chicago is all but official. I'm not a fan of Baker's managing style, but his hiring would certainly be a sign that Bowden was serious about building diversity in to the organization:
"There'll be diversity in this entire organization from top to bottom," Bowden said. "It doesn't matter if it's scouting, player development, managers, coaches, players. This organization is all about diversity."My thoughts on the other names on the market are mixed. Lou Piniella's seemed ill-suited to rebuilding Tampa Bay in his three seasons there. Felipe Alou is likely out as manager in San Francisco and if he doesn't stay with that organization in some capacity, the Nationals will certainly give his hiring a thought. A thought is all he really merits, in my opinion. I'd like more assurances that the next manager will be around for 4-5 seasons than the 71 year old Alou will likely be able to give. Tony Pena's name continues to be bandied about and I would guess that he is JimBo's boy in intra-office discussions. Manny Acta and Jerry Manuel are probably dark hourses.
My money is increasingly on Joe Girardi to get the job. A report from the Chicago Tribune on Friday are that the Nats may be willing to get into a bidding war (presumably with the Cubs) to acquire Girardi's services. Today is the first true day of the Lerner/Kasten rebuilding era, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them throw the necessary cash at Girardi. At this early stage, I would say that the candidates probably rank as 1) Girardi, 2) Baker, 3) Pena, followed by Acta/Manuel/Piniella/Alou/etc.
Whether Girardi is in fact the right man for the job is much less clear to me. As I discussed last week, the hype-factor on Girardi is a bit high, seeing as how he has all of one managerial season under his belt. I might be willing to overlook that as well if Girardi had more experience in other managing roles, but the only other item on his resume is a 2005 stint as the Yankees bench coach. Sure, there's a certain element of risk in any hiring, but if we really expect the next manager of the Nationals to lead the team to contention in 3 years, I wonder if we're not putting an awful lot of eggs into an unproven basket...
More offseason stuff
Nats Farm Authority notes that the Nats will have the 6th pick in the 2007 Amateur Draft. The draft is a crapshoot (Zimm's meteoric rise being the exception to the rule), but I'm glad that we are at least in the top 10. Check out NFA's excellent run-down of the Savannah Sand Gnats, especially rising stud Shairon Martis (best Stanton trade, ever!).
Speaking of Zimm, ESPN's Jayson Stark predicts that he will win the National League Rookie of the Year honors. I woud be pleasantly surprised if he beat out Uggla and Hanley Ramirez.
I've heard rumblings about this already, but Maury Brown is reporting that the MLBPA and the league have agreed to drop free-agent compensation picks from the upcoming CBA. If so, that sucks big donkey balls for the Nats since it's possible that they could get no compensation at all if Soriano leaves for greener pastures. Let's hope that there is some sort fo grandfather clause to include the 2006-07 free agents, otherwise the debacle of the Soriano non-trade would be totally and utterly complete.
Final thoughts on the season that was...
From a performance point of view, the season was sabotaged from the beginning by devastating injuries to Brian Lawrence, Ryan Drese, and Luis Ayala. Things didn't get much better from there and 71-91 where we ended up. I had predicted 78-84 prior to the season based on a return to reality from the overachieving 2005 squad. Pre-injury bug that sounded good to me. I suppose I should be happy with "only" being off by 7 wins considering the AAA rotation we threw out there for most of the season.
The positives I draw from 2006 are mostly structural in nature:
- The team finally gets out from under MLB ownership - This alone would have made for a successful season
- Stadium construction gets under way - 1 million-plus square feet of stability
- MASN-Comcast debacle gets resolved - TV revenues are just as, if not more important than attendance
- Hiring of Stan Kasten - Great choice for team president will pay dividends on and off the field for years to come.
- Zimmerman exceeds expectations - Rock-solid performance in all facets of the game gives hope for the future.
- Kearns and Lopez acquired - Best trade of JimBo's tenure. Two good long-term position players acquired for easily-replaceable bullpen arms.
- Failure to trade Soriano - Little to no chance he gets resigned. Potential for the end of draft-pick compensation in the next CBA could mean that his $10 million salary was worth some extra butts in the seats and that's all (no prospects, no draft picks). By far, Bowden's biggest mistake.
- Bad signings and trades - Robert Fick, Brian Lawrence, Pedro Astacio, and Damian Jackson would be the main culprits. Trading Jamey Carroll was probably the wrong move in hindsight.
- Parking decks - IMO, the choice in favor of fugly above-ground decks in the new stadium will prove to be regrettably short-sighted on the part of the Lerners.
- Stadium entertainment district back in limbo - Strictly speaking, this is beyond the Nats' direct control, but the team very much needs this development to happen. Tailgating at RFK is a enjoyable fan experience and is currently the only way for fans to enjoy the gameday experience beyond the gate. When parking is reduced drastically in the new stadium, the need for attractive off-site entertainment will be even more acutely felt.
UPDATE: Forgot to mention that while 71-91 sucks, it's still a game better than the BlOrioles. Yeah baby!
# posted by JammingEcono @ 9:34 AM 
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An offical rant from the Beltway Boy:
I am a fan of diversity, real diversity. But the kind of thing Bowden is talking about is P.C. diversity, in other words, diversity for the sake of bringing together different people so you can say "See? We're diverse.Love us."
While in Air Force basic training in 1978, I took a test to be an announcer / D.J. for the Armed Forces Radio & TV Services. I got the highest score and figured I was "in." When they handed out orders later that month, I was going to be sent to a missile silo in Minot North Dakota. When I reached the guy who gave me the test, he told me that Jimmy Carter had implemented a "diversity program" in the military. Blacks got 5 points extra on the test, and women got 5 points extra on the test. I lost out to a black woman by 3 points. That she wasn't as good behind the mic as me didn't matter. The guy was so angry at the new system that he gave me the softest job in the service, being a "house mouse" or "Radar O'Reilly" for a company commander. It was a breeze.
I love it when different people get together and teach differing views and values to one another. But when it is contrived, when it is forced, it's sooooo wrong. If the Nationals hire Manny Acta as the manager, some will wonder, even suggest, that he got the job as part of Bowden's "diversity" program. And that's crap. Bowden should hire the best person for the job, but give equal access to all who are qualified. If he says Acta was the best, then Acta was the best, and he's fulfilling the diversity angle the right way.
It was very difficult to turn down some extra cash and incentives the last couple of years because I'm an Arab-American (their words, not mine) and my background is the flavor of the month. But if I had taken it, I would be a first-class hypocrite.
There. I feel better. Huz-zah.
I am a fan of diversity, real diversity. But the kind of thing Bowden is talking about is P.C. diversity, in other words, diversity for the sake of bringing together different people so you can say "See? We're diverse.Love us."
While in Air Force basic training in 1978, I took a test to be an announcer / D.J. for the Armed Forces Radio & TV Services. I got the highest score and figured I was "in." When they handed out orders later that month, I was going to be sent to a missile silo in Minot North Dakota. When I reached the guy who gave me the test, he told me that Jimmy Carter had implemented a "diversity program" in the military. Blacks got 5 points extra on the test, and women got 5 points extra on the test. I lost out to a black woman by 3 points. That she wasn't as good behind the mic as me didn't matter. The guy was so angry at the new system that he gave me the softest job in the service, being a "house mouse" or "Radar O'Reilly" for a company commander. It was a breeze.
I love it when different people get together and teach differing views and values to one another. But when it is contrived, when it is forced, it's sooooo wrong. If the Nationals hire Manny Acta as the manager, some will wonder, even suggest, that he got the job as part of Bowden's "diversity" program. And that's crap. Bowden should hire the best person for the job, but give equal access to all who are qualified. If he says Acta was the best, then Acta was the best, and he's fulfilling the diversity angle the right way.
It was very difficult to turn down some extra cash and incentives the last couple of years because I'm an Arab-American (their words, not mine) and my background is the flavor of the month. But if I had taken it, I would be a first-class hypocrite.
There. I feel better. Huz-zah.
Farid,
I appreciate your sentiment, but I have to play devil's advocate here. By my fuzy math based on the bio on your site, you were born in 1957. When did you leave DC? If it was any time before the early 70's I'm guessing that you left a city that was MUCH different than it is today in racial makeup. Not that I want to get all urban vs. provincial on your, but Pocatello ain't DC.
What I mean is that in a city like DC in a professional sports league that is trying desperately to attract young black kids back to it, giving added weight to a quality managerial candidate who can appeal to the city's majority demographic has some logic behind it.
Do I wish that we were all color-blind and could look past our differences and function as a pure meritocracy? Sure. That said, it's naive to think that that is how society is today. We have a long and painful history of racial and ethnic bias in this country that we have to deal with every day in a thousand different ways. Trying to create a diverse Washington Nationals franchise is one small step towards righting several hundred years of wrongs.
I'm half French, and those riots you see over there are the day-to-day effects of a country that trys to officially ignore its differences while consigning its own Muslim minority to a substandard quality of life. Wouldn't it make more sense for a society to accept the reality of its situation and try to implement ways to make the country more equal?
Just my $.02.
I appreciate your sentiment, but I have to play devil's advocate here. By my fuzy math based on the bio on your site, you were born in 1957. When did you leave DC? If it was any time before the early 70's I'm guessing that you left a city that was MUCH different than it is today in racial makeup. Not that I want to get all urban vs. provincial on your, but Pocatello ain't DC.
What I mean is that in a city like DC in a professional sports league that is trying desperately to attract young black kids back to it, giving added weight to a quality managerial candidate who can appeal to the city's majority demographic has some logic behind it.
Do I wish that we were all color-blind and could look past our differences and function as a pure meritocracy? Sure. That said, it's naive to think that that is how society is today. We have a long and painful history of racial and ethnic bias in this country that we have to deal with every day in a thousand different ways. Trying to create a diverse Washington Nationals franchise is one small step towards righting several hundred years of wrongs.
I'm half French, and those riots you see over there are the day-to-day effects of a country that trys to officially ignore its differences while consigning its own Muslim minority to a substandard quality of life. Wouldn't it make more sense for a society to accept the reality of its situation and try to implement ways to make the country more equal?
Just my $.02.
I was born in '56, "devil boy!" :)
I appreciate and respect your view. We both want the same thing. Rather than give any one a preference during the hiring phase, I would much rather back-load the perferences -- in other words, offer those disadvantaged (particularly African-Americans) free vocational training and/or college education (there choice) along with a stipend so that equality applies at the personnel door. I have no qualms about losing out on merit -- heck -- that's happened all too often in my life.
I get cranky when things aren't equal in the country. I suspect you are the same. That we differ on how to guarantee equality to all only means that we both want it to happen. Nothing more. I have no idea if I'm right; it's conjecture at this point. That said, I know first hand of the pain when equaity if force-fed. My guess is that the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. It always does.
By the way, thanks for the huz-zahs. Funny thing. I got three or four people who read your remarks and left their own "gee you've got a great site" remarks. I wonder if they would have done that had they known yours was coerced?
Diversity in color. Diversity in thought. Man, it's a beautiful thing.
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I appreciate and respect your view. We both want the same thing. Rather than give any one a preference during the hiring phase, I would much rather back-load the perferences -- in other words, offer those disadvantaged (particularly African-Americans) free vocational training and/or college education (there choice) along with a stipend so that equality applies at the personnel door. I have no qualms about losing out on merit -- heck -- that's happened all too often in my life.
I get cranky when things aren't equal in the country. I suspect you are the same. That we differ on how to guarantee equality to all only means that we both want it to happen. Nothing more. I have no idea if I'm right; it's conjecture at this point. That said, I know first hand of the pain when equaity if force-fed. My guess is that the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. It always does.
By the way, thanks for the huz-zahs. Funny thing. I got three or four people who read your remarks and left their own "gee you've got a great site" remarks. I wonder if they would have done that had they known yours was coerced?
Diversity in color. Diversity in thought. Man, it's a beautiful thing.
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