Wire Taps: Mark DeRosa On Washington Nationals' Collapse; AFL Updates; Werth In Vegas

Mark DeRosa was not on the Washington Nationals' postseason roster, but he was there on the bench and he helped cheer his teammates on and then console them after the devastating Game 5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. The 37-year-old veteran of 15 MLB seasons appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning and talk inevitably turned to the Nationals' loss to the Cards. The Nats' bench bat and defensive replacement was asked if the Cardinals' history of hanging around and staging comebacks ever occurred to him as the game played out? "Absolutely," DeRosa said, "I think any other team probably goes away even though it was the biggest game of our season and biggest game of our opponents' season. I just thought at home with a 6-0 lead, with the way Gio Gonzalez had thrown the ball all year, I felt like it was pretty much a done deal. But, I mean I was in the dugout screaming, 'These guys are not going to go away. They're not going to give in," so, when it started eeking back 6-1. 6-3, all of a sudden it's 6-4, you knew we had to score a few more runs. And their bullpen, I don't know where these guys have come from, these Joe Kellys and [Trevor] Rosenthals, and [Mitchell] Boggs and all these guys are all throwing 97 mph, so it makes it tough to score runs late." The Nationals scored just one run four hits in 6.2 IP against the Cardinals' pen after putting up seven hits and six runs in 2.1 IP against Cards' starter Adam Wainwright... Yeah, that's enough reliving that game for now. BTW: MASN's Byron Kerr reported that 2011 3rd Round pick Matt Purke had surgery on his shoulder. Real News??? Links and lots of them, starting... RIGHT NOW!!!!

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "'If we’d have won a World Series, I might have pulled a LaRussa,' Johnson said, referring to Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager who retired after winning the title in 2011." - "Davey Johnson answers second-guesses, has ‘unfinished business’ for next season" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

• NATS BEAT:

• "My friends couldn’t understand how I took the calamitous events so calmly. After all, I’ve been a Washington or Baltimore baseball buff since Bess Truman was running things in the White House." - "HELLER: Not to worry, Nationals' rise is just starting" - Dick Heller, Washington Times

• "The Nationals are loaded with young talent that will learn from the devastating Game 5 loss to the Cardinals in the National League Division Series." - "Nationals' priorities this winter are dealing with Johnson, LaRoche" - Thom Loverro, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "After a frustrating debut season and after missing three months this season with a broken wrist, Werth finally got to enjoy playing in D.C." - "Position analysis: Outfield" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "The Nats enter the offseason with only two players who were on their National League Division Series roster definitely bound for free agency..." - "Nationals Pastime: A look at the Nationals' roster entering the offseason" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "So was the Cardinals' offense that good or was the Nats' pitching that bad?" - "Using NLCS to gauge the Nats' pitching performance" - Brian McNally, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "[Davey] Johnson instilled confidence in his players, and it affected their attitude. Shortstop Ian Desmond, for example, had the best year of his career." - "A look back at the Nationals' remarkable 2012 season" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "Going into the season, Davey Johnson, Mike Rizzo, and the rest of the Washington Nationals’ decision makers certainly expected to get strong production from their first basemen and that’s exactly what happened." - "Morse, LaRoche, and the Case of Too Many First Basemen" - Dan Wade, FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

• "Had he been healthy all season, Werth’s on-base percentage (.387) would have landed him in the top 15 in the majors." - "Nationals positional review, Part 2: Outfield" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "'I grabbed Drew and told him 'You'll be in this situation again.' This team's young and talented and not going anywhere,' teammate Mark DeRosa said." - "Nationals still believe in Storen" - Brian McNally, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "Today, October 16, 2012, Bryce Harper turns 20. Really think about that for a moment." - "Teenage Dream" - Curly W Live

• "[Bryce] Harper's 98 runs scored were the fifth-most in the National League, ranking behind only Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (108), Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen (107), Arizona's Justin Upton (107) and Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins (102)." - "Examining birthday boy Bryce Harper's impressive teen numbers" - Pete Kerzel, Nationals Buzz, MASNSports.com

• "[Bryce] Harper joined Nomar Garciaparra (Boston in 1997) as the only rookies in the modern era to notch at least 90 runs, nine triples, 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases." - "Bryce Harper no longer a teenager" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "In the clubhouse afterward, when Gonzalez explained his thinking about the start, he certainly did not sound like a classic, been-there-done-that postseason ace." - "Cardinals say Nationals’ inexperience led to Game 5 comeback" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

• "In his second full year in the big leagues, [Wilson] Ramos looked poised to breakout as one of the game's best young catchers." - "Position analysis: Catcher" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "After retiring from playing in 1962, [Eddie] Yost spent 22 years coaching with the Senators, Mets and Red Sox before retiring in 1984." - "'Walking Man' Eddie Yost passes away at 86" - Matt Weber, nationals.com: News

• "[Ryan] Zimmerman’s been there since ’05, and been there through tough seasons,' [Anthony] Rizzo recalled last month. 'I asked him, ‘Man, how did you do this?’ Because it’s not fun losing." - "Rizzo gives the Cubs some core strength" - Patrick Mooney, CSNChicago.com

• "But it came down to this: [Mike] Rizzo really believed the risk of future injury wasn’t worth it — though he certainly could have done a better job explaining the actual medical studies the team was using to come to that conclusion." - "A final accounting of the Nationals' Strasburg controversy" - Brian McNally, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "Of course, general manager Mike Rizzo has plenty of other options that he can consider if he wants to shake things up a bit, the majority of which center around the first base and left field spots." - "Nationals Pastime: A ton of options at the corners" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "'That’s the second first-pitch slider that Storen has thrown in this inning that looked to be a strike,' color man Bob Brenly added.'" - "Drew Storen vs. Yadier Molina" - Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog, Washington Post

• "The Hot Stove League won't heat up for several more weeks, but it's never too early to look at some of the biggest offseason storylines." - "Video: On LaRoche, E-Jax, Davey" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Peace isn't the mere absence of violence; peace must come from inner peace. And inner peace comes from taking others’ interests into account."

• AFL/MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES:

• "Right-hander Aaron Barrett got the call to pitch in Arizona and is off to another good start, showing the same promise he did at Potomac." - "Aaron Barrett showing 'aggressive fastball' in AFL (plus Salt River update)" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "AFL Update: Oct. 17, 2012" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

• AFL Updates (10/15) - Brian Goodwin - 2 for 5, 2 2B, 2 Ks; Matthew Skole - 3 for 4; 2B; Anthony Rendon - 1 for 5, 3 Ks; Cole Kimball - 1.1 IP, 2 Ks - BOX SCORE.

• AFL Updates (10/16) - Brian Goodwin - 0 for 5, 2 Ks; Matthew Skole - 1 for 3, 2 BB, 2 Ks; Aaron Barrett - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 Ks - BOX SCORE.

• "Christian Garcia, BA’s #20 Int’l League Prospect" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

• NATSTOWN:

• "'I think everybody in the Washington Nationals’ front office should pay attention that guys should go deep into games,' Morris replied. 'I shouldn’t say that, should I?'" - "Morning Pixels: Jack Morris jabs the Nats" - Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog, Washington Post

• "Metro logged 15,678 riders entering the system after the game ended, with 12,858 at Navy Yard-Ballpark and the rest from the Capitol South, Federal Center or Waterfront stations, according to Metro." - "One-third of fans at Friday's Nats game take Metro home" - Kytja Weir, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "Inside of the Nats world most people have either put their faith completely with [Mike] Rizzo and his staff, or accepted the arguments they were making after deliberating the pros and cons." - "Last thoughts on the shutdown (one hopes)" - Harper, Nationals Baseball

• "His 4.9 WAR on FanGraphs is the second-best for all Nats position players, bested only by Ian Desmond..." - "Bryce Harper’s Historic Teenage Season" - Joe Drugan, The Nats Blog

• "October 17, 1956 Rumors about a possible move by the Senators are confirmed when it is revealed that Louisville, KY and San Francisco are making bids." - "This Date in Washington Senators History – Possible move by the Senators are confirmed" - Art Audley, D.C. Baseball History

• "Sorry, Drew Storen. Davey Johnson isn't willing to consider that he maybe made a mistake or two there in Game 5." - "Davey Johnson: 'I don’t give a rat’s ass what anybody else thinks.'" - Nats Enquirer

• "Big Improvements in 2012 – Part 2" - The Nationals Review

• "The game earned a 16.7 rating in the Washington television market, 84 percent higher than the rating for Game 4 the previous night." - "Game 5 smashes Nats TV ratings record" - Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog, Washington Post

• "And now a word from Ian Desmond" - ouij, Natstradamus

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Mets: "Young outfielder Brandon Nimmo was drafted as high-upside hitter. After 2012, do the Mets still have a potential star on their hands?" - "Brandon Nimmo Prospect Profile" - Spencer Schneier, Beyond the Box Score

• Phillies: "Despite being led by 31-year-old veteran Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies’ bullpen featured a plethora of fresh, young arms in 2012..." - "The Bullpen Youth Movement" - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley

• Braves: "After playing while hurt for much of a career-worst 2012 season, Braves catcher Brian McCann had shoulder surgery Tuesday that will likely require a recovery period of about six months and affect his availability for the beginning of next season." - "Braves catcher McCann to have shoulder surgery" - David O'Brien, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• Marlins: "Though I have nothing concrete on which to base this on, it is my belief that as more time passes, the greater the likelihood Guillen keeps his job." - "All quiet (for now) on the Marlins front" - Clark Spencer, Fish Bytes - Miami Herald

• Phillies: "Some Phillies Fans Heckled Jayson Werth in a Las Vegas Casino on Monday" - Kyle Scott, Crossing Broad