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Know Thine National Enemy

Johnny Dickshot Apr 02 2006 02:26 PM

Hello. When my Mother in Law yesterday asked me who the Mets were playing first I said "Montreal." Same diff tho. The Nationals were the Majors' worst team during Spring Training (9-23) and just like always have been beest this spring by questions of health, position, defense, pitching, ownership, stadium, television and just about everything else. Still they can be pesky little fruitcakes, and seeing as this is the first of 18 or 19 meetings with them, beating their asses repeatedly will be an important component of world domination. Rotation: Livan Hernandez v. Glavine John Patterson v. Brian Bannister (really) Wed. Ramon Ortiz v. ?Trax? Pedro? Zambrano?? Thurs. I'm already confused. Bullpen: The Nastys have depth and injury issues here. Ayala is gone for the year; Drese is hurt, so it'll be retreads, rejects and stiffs like Mike Stanton, Gary "Mullet" Majewski and Felix Rodriguez, etc. leading to strong closer Chad Cordero in the event the Met O can knock out the Nationals starter. That's never a certainty with guys like Livan at the head the the rotation. I think teams will really beat up on the Nats' back-end starters this year, but that's not what we get this time. Throwing a huge array of pitches at any count, Livan is always fun to watch, and they say, healthy after offseason knee surgery. Patterson went 0-1 in 4 starts vs. the Mets last season but seemed to me to be better than that. I'd be very surprised if he's not the Nats' strongest pitcher this year. Ramon Ortiz is the former Angel and last year Red with big ears. He pitched once against us last year and lost 2-1 thanks to a rare good start from Kaz Ishii. Lineup: The Nats scored the fewest runs in the NL last year but still have some dangerous guys. Looks like it'll be: Watson CF Vidro 2B Johnson 1B Guillen RF Soriano LF Zimmerman 3B Schneider C Clayton SS Watson is a rookie the Nats feel pretty good about. Prolly won't be another Wilkerson, but he did hit .355 last year in AAA and 308 this spring. Like Anderson Hernandez, he struggled in a Cup of Coffee with the big club last season. Fun Fact: Watson wears No. 00 on his jersey. Vidro and Johnson, say it with me, IF HEALTHY, are excellent producers; and Met hurlers ought to be frightened of Attitude Alley (Guillen, Soriano) at 4 & 5. Let's hope Soriano hears a lusty chorus of boos and decides Shea is no place for him this or any year. Ryan Zimmerman in a short debut last year was the balls and if things hold true, he & Wright (and perhaps Gordon from KC; Stewart in Colorado; and Marte in Cleveland) could be forming a New Golden Era of Third Basemen. Schnieder ain't much with the lumber but I admire how he plays -- head in the game always and good enough defensively to win a game or two over the course of the year. Clayton, in for the injured Guzman, is about 100 years old. He's an ex-Giant and married to a track star: I'd check his bum for needle marks for sure. X-Met Factor: 3 (Marlon Anderson LHPH; Mike Friggin Stanton LHRP; Pedro Astacio (injured) I'll be working like a schnook and miss the first Met game as usual. I suck.

A Boy Named Seo Apr 02 2006 02:32 PM

Pesky little fruitcakes. Outstanding. If the first KTE is any indication of how the season'll go, we're in great shape. Is Zimmerman in that Wright/Marte/Gordon department, or is he Sean Burroughs 2.0? I think he hit more HR this spring than he did in high school, college, American Legion, Babe Ruth, and tee-ball combined. Great work, JD.

metirish Apr 02 2006 02:37 PM

Baseball has arrived...great job Dickshot....flip Clayton and Schneider and you have the Nats starting order accoring to Nats.com.

Nymr83 Apr 02 2006 03:20 PM

I don't think Zimmerman is anywhere near the Wright/Marte category, but he's no Burroughs either... Koskie or Randa might be a good comparison. The next big 3Bman should be the Rockies' Ian Stewart.

Edgy DC Apr 02 2006 03:24 PM

"And I tell you, I'd check his bum for needle marks for sure."

Frayed Knot Apr 02 2006 09:43 PM

Zimmerman was something like a 4th overall draft pick and came out of college so doesn't need (and isn't getting) the apprenticeship that Wright & Marte did/are. I think there's a chance he could get to their level and they say he may already be better than any of them defensively.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 02 2006 11:01 PM

My comment on Zimmerman had to do mostly with what I recall from radio accounts of his hitting in that series v. the Mets last September. Does appear to be a goodly group of hyped-up 3Bmen these days though, no? More than I can recall in some time.

metirish Apr 02 2006 11:02 PM

Jon Heyman today predicts Wright will win the NL MVP.....

cooby Apr 06 2006 08:15 PM

Mike Stanton found a team, unreal

*62 Apr 06 2006 08:31 PM

It should be noted that Wright and Zimmerman are best budds when at home in Virginia and work out together. The Young Guns.

metirish Apr 06 2006 09:26 PM

Nice bit of info 62....

Frayed Knot Apr 06 2006 10:41 PM

*62 wrote: It should be noted that Wright and Zimmerman are best budds when at home in Virginia and work out together. I was actually just wondering about that. They'd be about the same age although took different routes: Zimmerman to college, Wright right out of HS. I did know that Wright and the older of the Upton brothers (B.J. of TB) knew each other growing up and through youth baseball in the eastern Virginia area. Michael Cuddyer also although he's a few years older.

*62 Apr 06 2006 10:46 PM

metirish wrote: Nice bit of info 62.... From ESPN The Magazine. I tried not to like ESPN T.M. but I must say it became my favorite. They they bagged on my free subscription. Weak.

*62 Apr 06 2006 10:49 PM

I drafted Zimmerman in all my deep fantasy leagues I'm guessing .850-ish OPS right away