“Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion,” Bryce Harper and the 2015 Nationals

Not exactly an ideal start, before that Red Sox game they are already -11 in runs. But surely they'll win the division at least.

Also, man, they could do something to remember the 'spos at little more.

I thought this was a Hillary Clinton thread from the title.

rrrrreally

t'was all for you Morbs

Still having a hard time getting to .500

Following his injury batting and the reported season-ending Achilles injury to Adam Wainwright, Scherzer told CBS Sports that it's time for the designated hitter to be used in both leagues.

Max Scherzer told CBS Sports that having a DH in the NL would be an easy way to add offense as MLB looks to boost scoring.

"If you look at it from the macro side, who'd people rather see hit: Big Papi or me?" Scherzer told the website. "Who would people rather see, a real hitter hitting home runs or a pitcher swinging a wet newspaper? Both leagues need to be on the same set of rules."

Scherzer, who said he likes hitting, jammed his right wrist and thumb batting in Thursday's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He has only briefly played catch since sustaining the batting injury and missed a scheduled bullpen session Saturday.

"If you look at it long-term, I think eventually there will be a DH in the National League," Scherzer told CBS Sports.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12769662/max-scherzer-injured-batting-advocates-designated-hitter-rule-national-league

i'm less offended by pitchers who don't hit than by hitters who don't field. solution! eight-man batting orders. yr harpers and mccutchens get that many more plate appearances, offense is boosted, pitchers stop exploding on the base paths, i get a genius grant

i would notify the MacArthur folks but are you factoring in an uptick in DL appearances due to bulging swingcounts?

wet newspaper is clearly in my top 15 baseball expression

Max Scherzer, nursing his jammed thumb, repeatedly mumbles "seven and 13" as he watches April defensive highlights of Gose, Cespedes, Iglesias.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-nationals-have-lost-almost-all-of-their-edge/

welcome to the show, a.j. cole

nationals season saved by dan uggla

poor max: 1-3, 1.26

oof!

leading the league in walks: Bryce Harper

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-washington-nationals-bryce-harper-patience-walk-rate/

https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/595689431929102338

Oh mookieproof posted that on the Bryce Harper thread first. Sorry.

Strasburg exits in 3rd inning. Oh dear.

being checked by chiropractor for "lingering shoulder blade issue"

Scherzer may get a win for his worst outing of the year (3-run Stanton HR)

and Harper might get up again

...well, probably not w/out extras now.

and the tying runs are on

I like Stanton's "G" face guard -- hadn't seen it before.

This guy is never going to pan out.

Harper must be one of the youngest to have a 3 homer game.

youngest player with 3 HR in a game since Joe Lahoud (22 yrs, 53 days) on June 11, 1969

youngest player with three straight HR in a game since Boog Powell on August 10, 1963

youngest player with at least 3 HR & 5 RBI in a game since Al Kaline on April 17, 1955

also

@jazayerli
I mean, we're all - justifiably - getting excited about Bubba Starling, who's in Double-A. Harper is 2 months YOUNGER than Starling.

Bubba Starling.

I swear you americans give weird names.

Another two today.

HR for Harper.

tbf bubba's actual first name is derek, and no one wants that

Now it's a walk of HR. Dude is unstoppable.

"I don't think 40,000 people came to watch him ump tonight. Plain and simple," Harper continued. "I really don't think they did. Especially when we're playing the Yankees. The Yankees are a good team, we're a good team and we're rolling. I don't want to get tossed. There's no reason for me to get tossed in that situation. I don't think I did anything bad to get tossed. Maybe he just had a bad morning or he didn't get his coffee."

http://www.csnwashington.com/baseball-washington-nationals/talk/harper-williams-strongly-disagree-ejections-win-vs-yankees

@JamesWagnerWP
Dan Uggla hasn't played much but he's made an impact in Nats clubhouse -- with his hugs. "A big bicep teddy bear."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2015/05/29/dan-uggla-is-a-good-hugger-washington-nationals-say

homoerotic headline, or the seepage of cuddle parties into sports culture?

swept by the Redlegs! in trouble?

Rendon activated.

so I'm starting to believe that they will just keep on semi-sucking, with Werth out most of the summer and Harper, Espinosa and Escobar the only offensive threats, and the pitching all over the place.

And it's p much the Mets' only hope now, winning the divison.

Harper, Espinosa and Escobar the only offensive threats

i don't know, Rendon is back, and Span's got a 118 wRC+. pitching is obviously a strength (5th-best FIP in MLB, just behind the mets). i haven't watched them play too much this year so who knows, but i figured if they're only half a game back after underperforming for so long, they could pull away quickly if they get hot

oh i still like their odds, but it's all i have left.

I know Rendon is back, but i will blindly assume he's playing hurt til the stats say otherwise.

pepco amirite

BP odds now have NL East winner as Nats 60/Mets 40

@washingnats
Jonathan Papelbon said he wants to continue to close because he wants Mariano Rivera's saves record. #Nats #Nationals #MLB

That's MLB writer William Ladson, aka "washin gnats."

@washingnats
Jonathan Papelbon said he feels free and like starting a new life by joining the #Nats. #MLB #Nationals

@washingnats
According to Jonathan Papelbon, Doug Fister has been compensated for giving up No. 58. #Nats #Nationals #MLB

He gets to shine Papelbon's cleats? What the fuck?

https://s1.2mdn.net/viewad/2946704/300x250_ChiaPet.jpg

not sure i knew werth was back

@jay_jaffe
SMH. focusing on quallity of Bryce Harper's hustle shouldn't the issue when HIS ASSHOLE TEAMMATE TRIED TO CHOKE HIM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

Like Papelbon wasn't motivated 100% by revenge.

Did he ever pull anything like that with Ortiz, Ramirez, Howard...?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CP_xlV_VAAIQLBV.png

mark derosa otm

it's like papelbon learned about calling out a lack of hustle from a babelfish translation of a misspelled brian mccann facebook rant

@jay_jaffe
SMH. focusing on quallity of Bryce Harper's hustle shouldn't the issue when HIS ASSHOLE TEAMMATE TRIED TO CHOKE HIM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
― Andy K, Monday, September 28, 2015 10:55 AM (18 minutes ago)

unless harper was bragging about sleeping with pabelbon's partner or something i have no idea why it matters what they were arguing about

i guess this Friday's NYM-WAS game i have tix for might be suspenseful after all

unless harper was bragging about sleeping with pabelbon's partner or something i have no idea why it matters what they were arguing about

Absolutely. I kind of missed the throat-lunge initially; it makes everything else irrelevant.

@LaTroyHawkins32
@CJNitkowski loved the article CJ, Pap will take a beating for this from everyone who doesn't play the game. #EntitlementGeneration

kids these days think they *deserve* not to be choked

it's like papelbon learned about calling out a lack of hustle from a babelfish translation of a misspelled brian mccann facebook rant

― nomar, Monday, September 28, 2015 11:09 AM (50 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol so otm

Also see Showalter's quote above -- top step as turnbuckle.

wtf Latroy Hawkins.

The 'play the right way' shit from old-timers is extra bizarre since this is the first season Harper hasn't hurt himself for hustling too hard.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQAeJAVUsAIuFBW.png

Today's lineup -- the Nats' last home game. Thanks, fans!

Taylor CF
Turner SS
Rendon 3B
Robinson 1B
Ramos C
Moore LF
den Dekker RF
Uggla 2B
Scherzer P

@MarcCarig
So, Harper had a scheduled day off, and now it’s being labeled as a benching. This guy is amazing.

tbf the nats fans are some of the worst in baseball, so maybe they deserve dan uggla starting at 2B still being in the major leagues

they are?

ha, well it's obviously anecdotal, but every game i've attended there has been dismal. i chalk it up to DC being such a transient place. feels like the nats are everyone's second favorite team there.

better that than real-life hatcats/caps/terps fans

not sure how the nats are going to finish this game without their closer

don cherry is weighing in on the papelbon affair; i'll bet you (canadians) can guess where he stands

given that papelbon has authority as judge and deliverer of punishment, and that he judged harper to be guilty of not hustling enough, the only question left was whether the sentence would be an immediate choking, a suckerpunch in the locker room, or a spinning Zangief-style piledriver into a pile of empty fragile crates in the corner of the room.

(xpost) Ditto Don Cherry Jr., Gregg Zaun, who says that Harper would have lost his MVP vote over this incident. You read that right the first time.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQFbOIJVAAA1fDX.jpg

judge lee judge

CJ Nitkowski has opinions. as usual, they're terrible

I've been focused on the what and not the why about Pap/Harp, so it's been interesting to figure out that this wasn't really about hustle but about Harper criticizing Papelbon in public Thursday night for beaning Machado.

baseball's juvenile self-governance horseshit is outdated and stale.

For the headline--the piece itself is just okay.

https://medium.com/sportspickle/jonathan-papelbon-arrested-after-strangling-man-with-17-grocery-items-in-15-items-or-less-line-b4af48685383

see that would be totally justifiable

matt williams, buried: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/trade-for-jonathan-papelbon-had-disastrous-results-for-the-nationals/2015/09/30/0aef1564-66ee-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html

daaaang

matt williams, fired

too bad rizzo couldn't have joined him

he was the manager, he was the one who managed the game

Guess he won't be a repeat manager of the year...

'contacted' Dusty Baker YESSSSSSSSSSS

Jim (on the ledge): Okay, Keith. Washington’s first managerial interview is with Dusty Baker. I’m hoping it’s just a “courtesy” interview, although saying he’s “better than Williams” doesn’t reassure me. Granted the Prior/Wood issues were over 10 years ago, and lineup construction can be overrated, but still, how worried should I be?

Klaw: He’s absolutely not worth hiring. It would be a dumb PR-oriented move that would be more likely to set the franchise back rather than forward, and with the Mets ascendant and only likely to improve from here – it’s pretty easy to forecast them as a 95-win team in 2016 with only marginal changes – the Nats would be shooting themselves in the face by hiring someone so regressive.

also heard bud black was in the running for the spot

http://www.federalbaseball.com/2015/10/18/9563981/washington-nationals-rumors-will-the-nats-consider-trading-stephen-strasburg

Larry King @kingsthings
Congratulations to my pal @dbaker_12, he's the new manager of the @MLB @Nationals. Play ball!

some choice quotes from ol' Dusty:

"I don’t think of myself as 66 years old. I don’t know how old I am sometimes...not to sound cocky or nothing, but I don’t see a whole bunch of dudes out there that look better than me now."

"Adapation is no problem for me. My friends call me a chameleon because they think I can adapt any place, any time, anywhere. I would like to think that I transcend different generations - like some musicians. I mean, Stevie wonder still sounds good"

my eyes are watering. please tell me you made that last one up.

I accidentally cut some off, I encourage you to read this

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/11/05/dusty-baker-wins-the-press-conference-with-one-terrific-quote-after-another/

“I do know quite a few politicians, from the president down,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit because of the culture here, the educational system here, I’d like to turn my son on to the diversity that’s here. Last night I went to a Wizards game and I saw people from all over the country and all over the world. I used to call myself back in the day International Bakey, even though I wasn’t international yet. Now I have an opportunity to be international and feel as such. I’m used to diversity, and this is probably the most diverse setting and the most diverse town that I’ve been in.”

this isn't a Clickhole article, believe it or not

is he doing this intentionally? like - is he just throwing shit out there to mess with us – or are these all earnest blatherings?!

dusty's just l-i-v-i-n

Dusty supposedly smoked a J with Jimi Hendrix.

Ol' Bakey indeed! ==~~

http://deadspin.com/dusty-baker-once-smoked-a-joint-with-jimi-hendrix-1737726562?trending_test_a&utm_expid=66866090-62._DVNDEZYQh2S4K00ZSnKcw.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2F