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

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-collapse-of-the-nationals

a leetle premature w/ the headline

Oof

lol

I think we just saw plumber butt on national tv

i don't often say this about a Cardinal win but YEEEEEEEHAWWWWWW

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/02/matt-williams-puts-up-another-strong-performance-in-his-quest-to-get-himself-fired/

@NoahFrankWTOP
A friend just pointed out: #Nats have 6 walk-off losses. All were tie games. Designated closer (Storen/Papelbon) appeared in none of them

Right before Moss hit the home run, the Cardinal announcer said that when Jansen throws more than 18 pitches his ERA is over 11.

Then on his 21st pitch, 3 run homer.

But how would papelbon get the save if the game is tied? Duh!

But yeah, Williams might be the only manager who makes worse on-the-field decisions than matheny (who made some terrible moves himself last night). Does he balance it with being a good "clubhouse manager", keeping players happy, dealing with clashing personalities, etc? I don't know anything about it but based off of his benching Harper for not hustling enough (lol) it seems like he isn't.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/COEcwuoUwAAKM8v.png

Goid mprning

@pgammo
Scherzer frustration:10-7, 2.11, 10.71 K-BB 1st half; 1-4, 5.12, 5.12, 6.25 K-BB 2d half. ERA bv month:1.26, 1.67, 2.33, 3.40, 6.43, 5.25

“[Papelbon’s] our closer,” Matt Williams said Wednesday morning in his weekly spot with “The Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan, speaking of Papelbon, idle the previous two nights. “He’s the one that closes the game.”

that is almost, almost, but not quite, as dimwitted as matheny and "non-save situation. we're on the road."

this next bit, however, may be dumber:

“So everybody wants to know why you don’t use Papelbon in that situation,” Williams told the Junkies, uttering something upon which we could all agree. “Let’s say, for instance, ‘Pap’ throws a clean ninth and we score in the 10th. Who’s closing the game for us? I guess it’d be ‘Somebody,’ right?” ... “All these people want to know why Papelbon isn’t in the game,” Williams said. “Because we lost. He’s our closer. He’s the one that closes the game.”

New York - Top of 7th

Blake Treinen pitching for Washington

Treinen relieved Thornton.
Wright singled to right.
Duda flied out to left.
d'Arnaud popped out to shortstop.
Conforto walked, Wright to second.
Flores singled to center, Wright scored, Conforto to third.
Johnson hit for Goeddel.
Rivero relieved Treinen.
Uribe hit for Johnson.
Uribe walked, Flores to second.
Granderson walked, Conforto scored, Flores to third, Uribe to second.
Storen relieved Rivero.
Céspedes doubled to deep left, Flores, Uribe and Granderson scored.
Murphy walked.
Céspedes to third, Murphy to second on wild pitch by Storen.
Wright walked.
Duda walked, Céspedes scored, Murphy to third, Wright to second.
d'Arnaud lined out to right.

6 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors

Storen's ERA has doubled since the Papelbon deal.

last night Nats relievers threw 70 consecutive pitches w/out getting a swinging strike.

Zimmerman oblique still sore. Escobar 103 fever. Taylor's knee "extremely swollen"

Papelbum in, trailing? Williams is desperate.

rip

@SI_Wire
Nats’ Drew Storen slams locker shut, breaks thumb, likely out for season http://on.si.com/1Mjo4Ir

loss last night reduced their shot at overtaking Mets to roughly 3 in 1000

you are really tempting fate

@pgammo
If Steven Steaaburg hadn't been limited in 2012, would he be as good as he is now?

Steven Steaaburg

1 result (0.29 seconds)

Funny how Harper refers to an opponent here by first name and then calls Papelbon "somebody." Perfect quote.

"I mean, Manny freaking hit a homer," Harper said. "Walked it off, and somebody drilled him. I mean, it's pretty tired. It's one of those situations where it happens, and, I don't know, I'll probably get drilled tomorrow."

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=350923120

@pgammo
The Nationalds are 25-27 since the Papelbon trade

Buck Showalter said of Papelbon: "He kind of reminds me of the wrestlers who pull somebody's hair and then they throw their hands up."

lol

ahhhahahahaha, yes

@MLB_PR
WSH RHP Papelbon has received a 3-gm suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch in the head area of Manny Machado.

Hoping for save situations in each of the games he's out (and losses in all others, obv).

papelbon-harper fite!

omg lol etc

Wonder how that would have played out with Harper the attacker from above.

Spencer Ackerman ‏@attackerman 58s58 seconds ago
Fitting that Papelbon's first instinct vs Bryce was... Wait for it... To choke.

pls fight strausberg/scherzer next

fuck a reliever telling the mvp to run out a popup

hope they change that error on trea turner to a hit so all five of pap's runs are earned

loved the espn article title "NATIONAL DISGRACE" before i realized it was a play on the team name

obviously the most impt story from that game though is back-to-back HRs from desmond (den) dekker

I don't think I've ever disliked a player as much as Papelbon, even when he was on the Red Sox.

Just watched it. I'm not saying Papelbon's right and Harper's wrong, but it does remind me of something from Ball Four: you're only as smart as your ERA. I forget the specifics, but I think it was a journeyman having an argument with a star player, and Bouton was pointing out that it didn't matter what the journeyman said, he wasn't winning that argument. So Harper's the league's MVP, a billion dollar property, and Papelbon's a reviled jerk who's worn out his welcome. But I wonder how that would be perceived if it were Harper getting on Papelbon for not hustling.

i think the issue is more that papelbon was the one who escalated it into a physical fight. i mean of course the fact that he was attacking the league MVP and the franchise cornerstone for what is likely a decade to come means he toast obv.

if harper was the one who escalated it i think papelbon would still be getting hate but i don't think it would potentially end his career with the team.

Yeah--it was Papelbon who lunged at him (at his throat, no less), I guess that's the issue.

http://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2015/09/27/mlbtv_phiwas_505505983_1200K.mp4

Apology:

"First of all, let me say, I'm in the wrong there," Papelbon said. "I've got to leave that up to our manager.

"I've talked to Bryce and told him how we feel and we're on the same page now, which is good. Squash this and (play) tomorrow's game. You know, I grew up with brothers, he grew up with brothers. I view him as a brother of mine. Sometimes in this game there's a lot of testosterone and there's a lot of intensity that spills over, and I think that happened today. For me, I can't allow that to happen in the middle of a game. You handle that after the games or allow the manager to handle that. In that light of it, I'm wrong."

You could take that at face value, or not. Obvious the Machado thing lurks in the background here.

i guess bull durham has taught us all not to throw punches with our pitching hands, but grabbing at someone's throat seems like a strange reaction to me

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/414papgrabsharpbyneck.jpg

u wan play spies

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CP9ySspVEAAp2G1.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/794522/images/o-ASHAMEDANIMALS-facebook.jpg

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/09/28/former-players-think-papelbon-was-right-wha

come on, cj