[BluesDuke]

Note: On Monday, a rather sharply-observant reporter at the Nats-Reds game spotted a team store display showing two Papelbon jerseys next to a pair of Harpers. When the reporter returned to the team store a short while later, the Papelbon jerseys were taken down in favour of a pair of Stephen Strasburgs . . . and the store inside was removing any and all Papelbon merchandise as fast as they could get it out of there.

There were also reports that Nats fans were offering to make donations to any charity the team designated in exchange for getting Papelbon off the team.

Papelbon became a Nat in the first place because general manager Mike Rizzo thought the solution to the team's actual mid-season needs---namely, a little offensive fortification and some bullpen help for the middle innings---was to deal for a disgruntled Phillies closer who put a gun to the heads of any team that might deal for him, saying he wouldn't go unless he was named the closer . . . even though the Nats at that moment had a re-established closer---who had 29 saves in 31 tries, a 1.73 ERA, and one run surrendered in 36 1/3 innings before the Papelbon acquisition.

So much for "Natitude." Leave it to a jackass like Jonathan Papelbon and a clueless soul like Matt Williams (a fine, smart player in his day but as far over his head as a manager as His Excellency Al-Hashish Field Marshmallow Dr. Barack Obama Dada, COD, RIP, LSMFT, Would-Be Life President of the Republic Formerly Known as the United States is in the White House) to be sure people would spend less time talking about things like the Mets winning the National League East the right way, the National League West going just about down to the wire with Clayton Kershaw v. Madison Bumgarner tonight possibly deciding the title for the Dodgers, the National League Central's jockeying for division title and wild cards (not to mention Jake Arrieta prying his way into the National League's Cy Young Award race---and his Cubs going to the postseason, period), the American League West's sudden intrigue with the Angels and the Rangers reviving themselves just in time to make both that division race and the league wild card race even more interesting, and the Royals taking the AL Central title while the Blue Jays and the Empire Emeritus slug it out for the AL East . . .

[GSWarrior]

Baseball has the biggest prima donnas in team sports...from owners, managers, players to umpires. It’s also boring, especially live. IMHO.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

“You didn’t run on that ball you hit,” Keller continues, gently but firmly. “If you did, you could have made it to second,

How in the heck does a short pop dropping in to center field allow ANY runner to get to second base. Any center fielder could throw out a runner trying to stretch a short base hit to center.

[Rodamala]

I am not a baseball or sports nut by any stretch but this was a good article and I am glad I read the whole thing... Though, I gotta say, as a smoker of Lucky Strikes for 20+ years, I take offense to using "LSMFT" as a descriptive term in your comment for The One.

I will just accept that it is used in the "Hey, Reggie, "Let's Screw, My Finger's Tired" sense, or "Leftist Sexes/Male, Female, Trannies"

[Hebrews 11:6]

From a distance, as a Dodger fan, I’ve never liked Papelbon, but I didn’t really have a concrete reason for my dislike—he just gave me the creeps. Now, I do.

[Artemis Webb]

THE BASEBALL PING LIST

This is a medium volume ping list during the baseball season and a low volume ping list when all life stops in late October.
If you would like to be on the ping list please FReepmail me.

[pgkdan]

Bryce Harper popped out to shallow left leading off the Nationals’ eighth Sunday afternoon. He fumed in disgust for a moment before dropping his bat and trotting to first base anyway. Then he turned to return to the dugout. As he arrived, Papelbon on the top step snapped at him, apparently to run it [the expletive] out. Harper snapped back as he descended the steps and reached the dugout floor.

I agree with the article overall, but I take exception to this/ Harper was on first when the ball was caught. The chance os that ball being caught were 100% but Bryce still ran it out and got to first before the ball was caught.

I never want to see Papelbon in a Nats unform again. It's not his fault that Rizzo brought him in and destroyed Drew Storen's outstanding season, but he's still that guy. I can't believe that with all that...without ever having swung a bat in his MLB career...he thought he HAD to take it upon his shoulders to teach the 'kid' how baseball should be played. The 'kid', who happens to be a four year verteran and who is most likely the league's MVP and who has played nearly every damn game this season on a team that has only fielded it's Opening Day lineup, twice, all season.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Papelbon is a blowhard loudmouth always complaining about how nobody but himself wants to win or play hard - he’s going to b*tch himself out of the rest of his career....