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In our continuing attempts to spread the good word about the Washington Nationals, we talked to Sam Fels of the Chicago sports site The Ivy Drip about the series between the Nats and Cubs. You can find one question and one answer below and below that the latest edition of Nats Nightly that we recorded after last night's loss in Wrigley...
The Ivy Drip: It probably is no shock to you that Dusty Baker isn't exactly a beloved figure around here. How's his first month been in DC? What did you think of the hiring when they made it?
Federal Baseball: I was on the fence as far as the hiring of Dusty Baker at the start, especially with all the drama that surrounded the decision, and I was just wondering the other day if he would be as well-embraced as he's been in D.C. if it wasn't for the 19-9 start to this season, but he's quickly become a favorite in the nation's capital.
How much that has to do with the fact that he's just about the complete opposite of Matt Williams is unclear, but I think it has a lot to do with it. Safe to say that he's still enjoying the honeymoon period in Washington.
As someone writing about and covering the team on a daily basis, it's sort of like covering Davey Johnson all over again with the stories, relationships he talks about and the history in the game he has and shares on a daily basis.
I was a big fan of Davey Johnson and maybe it's just something about the era that both he and Dusty played in that has me a little bit more awe-struck than Williams did, but whatever it is, I've enjoyed the first months of the Baker era.
I've also really enjoyed how he's handled the bullpen, not necessarily assigning roles and showing a willingness to match up depending on who's available and who they're facing and I've really enjoyed hearing him talk hitting this season. He has a lot to say and most of it's interesting. So far so good, I guess.