Archive for November, 2010
Dancing with the (NL) Stars
A travesty is what it was. A travesty. Oh, sure, in the end, the right dancer won. From the second week of the season, it was clear that Jennifer Grey Pujols and Votto were the best out there. No arguing with the outcome, even if it was clear that Votto only won because the baseball [...]
Nationals Heritage: Weekend of Nov 19
William Edward “Wid” Conroy, 1909 Nationals.
Another Award Ignores Zim, Natsiah
When BallWonk heard that Lord of Misrule was nominated for the 2010 National Book Award, he rushed to the bookstore, giddy at the prospect that a book about Jim Bowden’s reign as Nationals GM was getting the respect it no doubt deserves. When the shy woman with the Yoda pin at the Borders answer desk [...]
Sun Rises in East: The Jesus Injured Again
The bad news: The Jesus is off of his Venezuelan League team’s roster with an injury. The good news: The Jesus hurt his calf, not his shoulder again. And even a Nats player probably can’t turn a charlie horse into a two-year injury, so we may just live to see The Jesus come again. Supposedly, [...]
Hundreds for Posey but Not One Vote for Natsiah
If Jeannette Rankin were still around to vote for Rookie of the Year, she totally would have cast her lone ballot for Strasburg. But Washington’s most famous antiunanimitarian was not available, so the Natsiah got fewer votes for Rookie of the Year than league-average hitter Jose “Who?” Tabata. Though to be fair to Tabata, he plays [...]
Hats Off
Editor’s note: On November 10, the Nationals unveiled sweeping changes to their uniforms for the 2011 season, including replacing their longstanding navy road cap with a new, red-brimmed hat. Over the weekend, BallWonk sat down for an interview with the 2005-2010 all-navy road cap to discuss his retirement, highlights from his career in Washington, and [...]
Origin of the Silver Slugger
Far across the galazy, a young third baseman on the planet Zim-Ra trembled before the world-consuming might of Galacticus and weighed an awful choice. He could have the cherished Gold Glove if only he would serve Galacticus as his personal herald of evil and destruction. Surely a small price to pay for universe-spanning power and [...]
Pretzel Logic
Three years. For three years, BallWonk sat under the awning of that little tiki bar on the beach, you know the one, drinking coconut-lime rum drinks and watching the Nats on TV. All silent-like. “Hey, BallWonk, whaddaya think about Lastings Milledge?” someone would ask, or “Yo, BallWonk, you backing Rizzo this time around?” or “I’ll [...]
