As the baseball season has gotten underway, with the assistance of increased attention on the Washington Nationals, we've had a number of newcomers to our posting threads. This is GREAT! Welcome aboard, there's still plenty of room on the bandwagon. As a public service, I thought I would put up a fanpost explaining some of odder phrases and traditions. If you have a question, please feel free to ask in the comments; and of course seasoned vets of the page can add to the list. So without further ado (and in no particular order):
Peaches: Tyler Clippard's nickname. For his first couple of seasons with the Nationals, Tyler's entrance music was the song Peaches by the Presidents of the United States. Despite the fact that he switched his intro music last year, it's still not uncommon for game threads to riff on the lyrics of this song when Peaches comes into the game.
Goggles: Another nickname for Tyler Clippard. Anyone watching him play baseball knows this one, as his goggles are pretty spiffy.
PFB: "Pretty Frickin' Bueno": Nationals Pitching Coach Steve McCatty used this phrase to describe "Bullpen B" closer Henry Rodriguez's stuff. When HRod is on, he's virtually unhittable. When he's off, mascots better watch their step ...
IMH: "Is My Hero," typically used when one of the Nationals does something great. "IDIMH" = "Ian Desmond Is My Hero." Etc.
FOTF: "Face of the Franchise" - this could only be Ryan Zimmerman.
Cyborg: an occasional nickname for the Nationals' top prospect, Bryce Harper.
Shark: Roger Bernadina. How the outfielder from Curacao got this nickname is kind of a long story. Fortunately, someone else has already written it up. When the Shark catches a fly ball, he goes CHOMP!
The Blue Guy: This is from a blue icon of the cookie monster stuffing baseballs into his mouth that someone (I think MissB, but don't quote me on that) developed to show the tragedy and pathos appropriate to an occasion when a National hits into a double play. We do not like The Blue Guy. He is evil. And greedy.
The Red Guy: The Blue Guy's cousin, a red icon of the cookie monster stuffing baseballs into his mouth developed to show the joy and happiness appropriate to the occasion when the Nationals turn a double play. We like The Red Guy. He is stylish, and always a pleasant visitor. Sometimes also referred to as "monster" (in today's game thread a poster said "here monster monster monster" in a situation where a double play would be very helpful).
Offenza: A mythical product that we wish the Nationals could get for their hitters. Offenza is a well-known cure for anything that ails a baseball team's offense.
SPAD: Refers to "Speed, Pitching And Defense," a phrase that Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo used before the 2011 season to describe the Nationals' philosophy (and also to explain some of the roster turnover that took place that year.
+10 points!: This is what is awarded to someone who inadvertently makes a double post in a comment thread (usually with the "assistance" of a smartphone). No actual points are awarded, purely intended as good natured mockery.
PBP: Play By Play, done on a game thread, for the benefit of those who can't watch or listen through normal means. It's nice to trade of PBP duties, as it requires a lot of fast typing.
Clip & Store: Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen, the dynamic duo of the Nationals' bullpen squad. Excellent individually, together they are pretty frickin' bueno.
WereWerth: Jason Werth. Occasionally goes into "Wolf mode." We wouldn't mind seeing a lot more of this, to tell the truth.
Mongoose: Ian Desmond. Honestly, I'm not sure how he got this nickname.
RISP Pigs: "Runners In Scoring Position" Pigs. We don't like these snoinking pigs, because they prevent the Nationals from hitting with RISP.
I hope this helps our new members. I know that there are a lot more, but this is a start. Let's see some more!
