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Bergmann, Redding and a Flashback
Hey Nats Fans, hope all is well and you are staying cool during these boiling (or broiling!) summer days!
Jason Bergmann was solid Thursday against the Diamondbacks--you have to really feel like he is making progress in going after hitters. He gave up 4 solo homers last time against Arizona, none this time. He is attacking the hitters, keeping them guessing and making the plays easier for his defense. I think we might have something here.
I had a great conversation with Tim Redding as he faced his former team, the Houston Astros. I often wonder if Major Leaguers get more pumped up when they get to face their former team, or do they downplay it so they don't get too overhyped and lose their concentration on the game at hand. Here's what Tim said about facing the Astros:
"I didn't have a bad time in Houston--I just wish I was as reliable as I am now. (There was a little pressure in) trying to live up to the hype of being a flame throwing prospect. Roy (Oswalt) and I were supposed to be the heir apparents to Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan. It just didn't work out for me that way. Roy has had a great career so far and he is going to continue to do so. I just have to go out there and pitch like I can pitch and the way I have been pitching."
That reminds me of a great story from my youth. When I was looking for a favorite Major League team, I chose the Houston Astros. I didn't live near a Major League team, so I liked watching the Astros play. While living in Northern California, I convinced my Dad to get tickets to a San Francisco Giants game against the Houston Astros at Candlestick Park. This had to be the early 1980s. The Astros had built their team around outstanding pitching but had a limited offense. Often they would rely on their defense and pitching to keep them in games, hoping for a couple of late runs to win games. We had some good seats at Candlestick, and watched a duel between the Astros and Giants head into the late innings. I think the Giants led 2-0 in the 7th or 8th, still a manageable game. The Astros pitcher Bob Knepper was having some control problems though and had loaded the bases. The Giants' weak hitting pitcher came up and hit a dribbler down the left field foul line that the Astros' third baseman and Knepper decided to watch in hopes it would go foul. It did not. The chalk line was apparently very thick and the ball rolled fair; everyone was safe and the Giants led 3-0. A subsequent base hit or two and that was the ball game. The Giants ended up winning 9-2. As I lamented the Astros' lack of luck, my Dad took my pen and put an "L" by the Astros name to make it "Lastros". Looking back, that was pretty funny, but I certainly didn't appreciate the joke back then.
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