What is there really to say today. It just feels at times that this franchise is cursed, and even when they make the right move it turns out wrong. The Strasburg injury might be nothing. It might just be as John Lannan says and is the same thing he suffered through before. Lannan has proved nothing else but that he is durable, and there is value in a guy that can go out there every fifth day and give you innings. Even if they aren't very good innings. --Byron Kerr at masnsports.com
Every time a team orders a new test, or a second opinion, I am just waiting to hear the magic words. The one name that sends chills down the spines of baseball fans. Of course it isn't without precedence for this sort of thing. Fransico Liriano, Edison Volquez, and Jordan Zimmermann are all pitchers that had TJS in their rookie seasons. Of course this is jumping the gun let's wait and see what his second MRI says before we jump off the cliff. --Mike Henderson natsdailynews.com
Steven Shell must have been at the ballpark last night, because everything had a bad aura as the Nats lost to the Cubs in the wake of the bad news. --Mark Zuckerman at natsinsider.com
Boswell said it yesterday, and now national writers are saying it. The most important thing is to protect Stephen Strasburg. --Bob Klapisch from foxsports.com
Rob Dibble not speak his mind? Of course he had something to say (he is also paid to speak so silence might be bad for job security). Dibble goes against common thinking and laments for the past at the same time. --Dan Steinberg The DC Sports Bog
After the jump you get an extended rant about Rob Dibble. I am actually starting to wonder if I don't want him back next year just so I don't have to hear people complain about Rob Dibble.
Of course in a way he is right, but people are so hung up on it is Rob Dibble that said it and his normal brash manner that he said it with that they actually miss the value to what he said. If this is just a strain and Strasburg isn't stretched out then next year at this time the same problem will arise. The other good point is all athletes play with pain. One of my favorite scenes in a movie is in The Program when the freshman running back gets laid out and the coach asks him if he is hurt of if he is injured and he has to ask the difference. All athletes play hurt, and Dibble is right that Strasburg has to be able to tell the difference. A lot of the complaints about Dibble is that he comes across as macho. In recent times I have lamented the fact that our action heroes are no longer Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford, but are instead Leo and Matty Damon. I do like the Bourne movies and Inception, but there is just something awesome about watching Kurt Russell escape from New York, or Tom Selleck take down bad guys. I don't really care about Dibble (my wife can tell you there have been a fair number of times she has thought I have seriously hurt myself, because there is no way that many expletives should come out of a healthy persons mouth), but disliking him for being too manly is like disliking someone...well you can fill in the blank. (Note this was all written before Dibble's response was transcibed on this site. I still feel that there is a difference between being hurt and being injured and Dibble shouldn't just be critized because he is too macho, but what he said today is far worse. It takes a smart man to know when to walk away, and Dibble doesn't know when to walk away.)
This is a good blog on why exactly the decision the Nationals face with Strasburg might not be as easy as it first appears. --Harper at natsbaseball.com
In the non-dark cloud and suffering area of Nats news, Drew Storen has been named the player rep. --Adam Kilgore at washingtonpost.com
Manny Acta really like Saul Rivera. --Zach Links at mlbtraderumors.com
And a poll on if another former Nat should get a big contract from the Yankees in the off-season. Hint: it isn't Nick Johnson. --Zack Links mlbtradrumors.com
Just incase souldrummer hasn't answered all your questions on who certain minor leaguers are here is a profile and information on Tyler Moore. If he wins the Carolina League batter of the week award anymore they might just have to name it after him. --Jeff Bergin natsdailynews.com
A day after renewing with Syracuse the Nats announce that AA will be staying in Harrisburg. This is good news for me at least. I have a good friend from college that lives up there. --Adam Kilgore washingtonpost.com
The Nats spent a lot of money on the draft, and they rank in the top ten in percent over slot. --Jim Callis baseballamerica.com
In a bit of silver lining news Bryce Harper will be introduced on Thursday. I wonder if the Nats will offer discounts like they did when they introduced Strasburg. --Bill Ladson fron nationals.com
Around the NL East
I always thought the team in the lead had the best chance to make the playoffs, but this says that just isn't true as the Reds and Cardinals are both likely to finish with more wins than the Phillies. --Andy at baseball-reference.com
Keith Law likes income tax, or just tweeted before thinking about what he was saying. Either way he was shocked that the Marlins made money and then upset that Florida tax payers (tourist paying sales tax) paid for the new stadium. --Keith Law via Twitter
The Phillies must not like what their fans have to say, or it could be that they are winning and trying to squeeze every dime from anywhere they can. Whatever the reason this is bad news for everyone if the Phillies are able to get away with charging money to have the right to blog about the Phillies. --Teresa Masterson from nbcphiladelphia.com
General Baseball
I think the best answers might be nothing. A look at the form NCAA baseball players have to fill out when selected in the draft and don't sign. --David Mathews deadspin.com
If Adam Dunn isn't signed there are other options, and Paul Konerko might be one of them as he is having a resurgent season. --Jeff Passan at yahoosports.com
Rob Dibble isn't the homerist announcer out there. That award would have to go to Cubs color man Ron Santo, but besides from being wildly entertaining to listen to should he be in the Hall of Fame? --Andy from baseball-reference.com
"We got a player from the Giants."
"Not those Giants."
Another amazing catch made in Japan. --'Duk at yahoosports.com
A detailed look at why and when some managers leave, and it might not be good news for the Cubs. --the Common Man at platoonadvantage.com
His list of managers is at least slightly better than his list of women. Not really sure how Manny Acta ranks above Riggleman, and also why he just stops at 20 and just puts all the rest in a category called all the rest. --Steve Phillips from mlb.fanhouse.com
In many ways it doesn't matter how good your manager is. There is no better way to have a better team than to have better players, and teams could learn a lot from watch the Cubs struggles. --Joel Sherman nypost.com
After watching the Nationals play the Phillies tough for a couple games I was looking forward to what they would do against a team just as bad as them. The problem is the Nationals like to play to the level of the team they are playing. I just hope that things start to look up in Natstown as this could be a very long month, and it could be a very long offseason if Strasburg needs TJS and Dunn walks.