National Disgrace?

I am a Washington Nationals fan. There, I said it. Saying that out loud is something akin to shitting yourself in public. Half of the people run away from the stink and bile, the other half laugh at you as you sit in your own filth. Being a National fan is like being a baseball pariah, never expect to be taken seriously.

This years team should go a long way towards continuing that feeling. Much like standing around wallowing in your own shit, watching this team this year will be an uncomfortable and probably rather smelly experience.

The offseason saw the Nationals lose many players ranging from all-star to decent role players. Alfonso Soriano, Jose Guillen, Jose Vidro, Livian Hernandez, and Tony Armas, Jr. will all be suiting up with different clubs this year. The Nationals made no moves of importance this offseason and seem to be rather happy with what they will be trotting out there this long, hot summer. Nick Johnson (1B) is coming off of a very serious injury and is questionable if he can still play well. Felipe Lopez (2B) is being moved over to an unfamiliar position and already was a defensive liability to begin with, his bat is average at best. Cristan Guzman (SS) is coming off a season ending injury last year, while good when he played for the Twins, the last time we saw him play for the Nats he was struggling to maintain a .160 average. Ryan Zimmerman (3B) is perhaps the only promising player in the lineup this year, he put up rookie of the year type numbers last year and looks to improve on that this year. Brain Schneider (C) is still a very good defensive catcher but is no great shake at the plate. The outfielders are a mix and match of career minor leaguers and journeymen, I don't expect much to come out of them this year.

If possible the pitching situation may be even in more dire straits, and yes, money for nothing is exactly what the Nats are getting out of it. John Patterson is perhaps the only legit starter, though he struggles at times and on a good team he would at best be a third starter. The rest of the rotation is guys you have never heard of and I expect the rotation will change many times throughout the season. The only bright spot is perhaps the bullpen. With the return on Luis Ayala and Ryan Driese the bullpen looks like it could maintain fairly well, especially if Cordero plays as he did in 2005.

Overall, don't expect much out of these guys this year Nationals fans. The final year at RFK will be much like the first two, lots of losses but a pretty damn fun time nonetheless. The only pieces of advice I have for the 2007 Nationals season is wear a diaper and always bet on Abe to win the races.