A whirlwind of a road trip
Hello NatsTown,
I hope all is well with every one of you. It has certainly been an interesting trip for us.
LA was a two day trip, where we found a hot Dodgers team that had won 12 games in a row at home; they made it 13 against us after winning the opener. Then the drama started.
Breaking news... Phone rings in the morning...Blackberry beeps with emails...and all of the sudden the sad news came out about Manny Ramierz's suspension. It was sad because it was another black eye to our favorite game. One of the greatest hitters to ever play the game is going to have his name tainted forever.
You can imagine the circus, all the vans from every TV station in LA were at the stadium. There were reporters all over the clubhouse and on the field, asking all types of questions. The only time you will see that many reporters on a baseball field is for All-Star games and the playoffs.
We had a great win that night, as J-Zimm stayed out there as a warrior after giving up six runs in the first and then shutting them out for the next five innings and giving us a chance to start a come from behind win to split the series. Our bats really made some noise against their bullpen.
Next stop: Phoenix, AZ - More drama cropped up when one of the finest gentleman in the game, Bob Melvin, was fired. It goes to show you about our business and the jobs we are in. Bob was Manager of the Year in 2007 and guided the D' Backs to the NL championship series. It is tough and unfortunate, but as I told the press, in our line of work there are only five guys who can pick and choose where to go and for how long... Cox, Torre, LaRussa, Leyland and Piniella... I don't include Scioscia because Mike has a very long-term deal in Anaheim. The rest of us are just day-to-day.
We won the series in AZ as our line-up did some damage and R-Zimm continues the nice streak.
Now we are in Frisco, shopping and loving the seafood around here. We would love to win this series to make it the best west coast trip since I've been here.
The weather changes have been weird: we arrived in LA, to beautiful 65 to 70 degree temperature; Phoenix was a smoking hot 102 degrees; then when we got out of our plane in Frisco, it was in the 50's...Wow...
Well, so long NatsTown, can't wait to go home. For those following the shopping spree in my entries throughout this trip, we already have more wins than shoes and I'm going to keep it that way.
And remember, it takes courage to stand up and speak up...It also takes courage to sit down and listen.
-MA
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Categories (click for archive)MASNblogs | Manny Acta |
Sorry to see Zimmerman's streak come to an end last night, but happy to see another curly W in the books. Hope he gets a nice ovation on his return to Nats Park on Friday. He's earned it! (And he can start his new streak then.) The West Coast has not been kind to the Nats in the past, and I was pleased to see our guys come out at .500 for the trip. Welcome home, Nats.
Please try and make better decisions as our manager.
Now I am not saying that just anyone can do what your doing, and I, like alot of people, have alot of faith in you. We want to see you succeed. But you have done a poor job at that. Fans in D.C. pay alot of money too see a last place ball club.
Please stand up to Stan and Jim and let them know about the lack of talent you have to work with.
Why havent we traded Nick Johnson yet? (sell high).
Why are Alex Cintron, Ronnie Belliard, Daniel Cabrera and Austin Kearns playing for the Nationals? Do you really see them with the team next season? How are they fitting in the long term goals of this young ballclub?
Most importantly Manny, you seem to be lacking fire. Get in the faces of your players. Get in the faces of the umps that have been blowing calls. You have some other great coaches around you that can step in if you get ejected. It's okay to be mad at your bullpen for being the worst in the majors, you don't need to sugar coat what they have been doing.
We wan't to see you in a nats uniform next season, Manny.
But I'm not sure you want too.
Manny, I hope all is well with you. I'm writing for the first time and have some comments about about Daniel Cabrera.
As an Oriole fan, I watched Daniel pitch for several years. His great potential was evident (like when he one-hit the Yankees) and I hoped he would finally get his command.
When the O's let him go I was disappointed, but understood their reasoning. The Nationals picked him up and I was happy he was given another chance.
Why I'm writing is to express my concern that something could be wrong with his arm. Here's a player who doesn't turn 28 until later this month, but the speed on his fastball has dropped from 98-100 mph to barely 90. Now if he was 38, maybe I could see him losing velocity, but not at 28.
I know you've probably had some tests done already, but what about to see if he's suffered any nerve damage. I know he has control issues as well as his reduced speed, but both could be arm related.
It's just a shame to see what might still be a solid major league career fade away. I'm pulling for Daniel and just wanted to suggest more testing on his arm to see if his problems can be overcome. Thanks and good luck.
Hi Manny --
Quick question. Have you ever considered an outfield of Willingham in LF, Kearns in CF and Dunn in RF? This would be our best offensive OF in my opinion, and Kearns has baseball instincts and arm to handle centerfield quite well. Is this something that you would consider in the future? If not, why?
Thanks.
Hi Manny,
How often and under what circumstances are guys on the team required to take fielding practice? Every time I make it to the ballpark early, I never get to see the Nationals doing fielding work. Are pitchers included in these practices?
Thanks.
Manny,
My son and I are still holding up our end here in Front Royal, in the Blue Ridge. We feel bad about Manny Ramirez too. One thing the Nationals can say is that we are clean as a team. Its a good example for John Paul. As for people who say you should do this or that, we are happy to see OUR Manny "being Manny." I have a question about Hernandez not seeing the ball in yesterday's game. Is that something that indicates a need for something to be worked on in practice or is it just a bad break? Ultimately, you know, its a game and things happen that you can't control--that's what makes the game fun. We need some breaks to go our way.
God bless you Manny,
John and John Paul Janaro
Why did you have Cintron hit for Ross? Ross was doing great, and is a much better hitter.
Good moves from the organization calling up Bergman and Maxwell. Looks like things are heading in the right direction. I would hope that Maxwell is the starter in CF. Willie Harris would be a decent 2nd baseman, much better than the current Belliard/Hernandez combo. So let the kid play CF, and give wille the job at second base. If you tell Willie Harris that the starting second basemans job is his to lose, you will see that man produce and help out the ballclub in a way no other player can. He deserves to start after all he did for the club last year, and neither Belliard or Hernandez are good options.