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| The Washington Nationals face a crisis of confidence after early postseason ouster | The Washington Nationals face a crisis of confidence after early postseason ouster |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The terms “choke” and “cursed” are old sports euphemisms that help crestfallen fans, most of whom are fed up with explanations about matchups and bad luck, and vent their frustration for believing in a superior team that ultimately disemboweled their soul. | The terms “choke” and “cursed” are old sports euphemisms that help crestfallen fans, most of whom are fed up with explanations about matchups and bad luck, and vent their frustration for believing in a superior team that ultimately disemboweled their soul. |
| If not entirely accurate, they’re at least understandable in Washington today. | If not entirely accurate, they’re at least understandable in Washington today. |
| After all the ruminations, after all the declarations of, “That’s baseball,” and, “We picked a lousy time to go into a slump,” the bottom line is the best team in the National League two of the last three years does not even have a single postseason series victory to show. | After all the ruminations, after all the declarations of, “That’s baseball,” and, “We picked a lousy time to go into a slump,” the bottom line is the best team in the National League two of the last three years does not even have a single postseason series victory to show. |
| The Washington Nationals, picked to win the World Series a mere six days ago by Las Vegas and most of baseball’s keenest observers, are done in four games, banished to their couches for the rest of the postseason. | The Washington Nationals, picked to win the World Series a mere six days ago by Las Vegas and most of baseball’s keenest observers, are done in four games, banished to their couches for the rest of the postseason. |
| “Choke” and “cursed” also don’t begin to explain the underlying worry after the Nationals bowed out to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series. You have to go deeper for that. A crisis of confidence about what it takes to win in the postseason is a fair assessment, just as it is for any talented team on the cusp of being great that somehow can’t hurdle a certain plateau. | “Choke” and “cursed” also don’t begin to explain the underlying worry after the Nationals bowed out to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series. You have to go deeper for that. A crisis of confidence about what it takes to win in the postseason is a fair assessment, just as it is for any talented team on the cusp of being great that somehow can’t hurdle a certain plateau. |
| The extreme is the Buffalo Bills, who were 0 for 4 in consecutive Super Bowls. In baseball, the Texas Rangers were so close recently but never were able to win it all. The Braves, after two decades of dominance, managed just one World Series victory – but at least they got one. | The extreme is the Buffalo Bills, who were 0 for 4 in consecutive Super Bowls. In baseball, the Texas Rangers were so close recently but never were able to win it all. The Braves, after two decades of dominance, managed just one World Series victory – but at least they got one. |
| Locally, the Nationals’ inability to win in October reminds us of Alex Ovechkin’s team not being able to get out of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Four of the core players on that Capitals team from the first playoff season in 2008 — Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich — have yet to push through in the postseason despite having the NHL’s best record two seasons running. | |
| Those players aren’t “cursed” and it’s unfair to say they “choked.” But each one, especially Ovechkin, carries extra psychological baggage each April when the NHL postseason rolls around, knowing they have had the talent but somehow haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. | Those players aren’t “cursed” and it’s unfair to say they “choked.” But each one, especially Ovechkin, carries extra psychological baggage each April when the NHL postseason rolls around, knowing they have had the talent but somehow haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. |
| That baggage is heavier for the Nationals’ core after a loss Tuesday night in San Francisco, the night Matt Williams may have again mismanaged his bullpen, the night his anemic lineup was again so bad offensively it could not bust a grape in Sonoma. | That baggage is heavier for the Nationals’ core after a loss Tuesday night in San Francisco, the night Matt Williams may have again mismanaged his bullpen, the night his anemic lineup was again so bad offensively it could not bust a grape in Sonoma. |
| A writer who covered Williams when he played with the Giants told me last week that he was surprised Williams went into managing after his playing days. His thought was Williams took every slump so personally and was so tightly wound, he wouldn’t want be part of a daily grind that could give you an ulcer by each July. | |
| People change, of course, but Williams showed a disturbing inflexibility — really, an inability to manage by feel, intuition and in some cases just logic — that has to be worrisome going forward. If the rationale for not letting Jordan Zimmermann finish a shutout in Game 2 is going to be, “That’s what we always do,” and letting a rookie reliever wild-pitch in the winning run of the serieswhen Tyler Clippard is collecting cobwebs in the bullpen, then we might as well fast forward to next season and go home before the NLCS again. | |
| Williams has learned much this season, in dealing with players and game situations. Now he needs to learn to adjust instead of never deviating from Plan A in the crucible of his team’s season. | Williams has learned much this season, in dealing with players and game situations. Now he needs to learn to adjust instead of never deviating from Plan A in the crucible of his team’s season. |
| There is no excuse for Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos going a combined 9 for 89 with 24 strikeouts for a .101 batting average in 45 innings. None. The only real starting pitching matchup that slightly favored San Francisco was Madison Bumgarner in Game 3, the Nationals’ lone win in the series. | There is no excuse for Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos going a combined 9 for 89 with 24 strikeouts for a .101 batting average in 45 innings. None. The only real starting pitching matchup that slightly favored San Francisco was Madison Bumgarner in Game 3, the Nationals’ lone win in the series. |
| The fact that they could not work the count more and manufacture more than five runs against Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants’ formidable but not flawless bullpen is an indictment of that offense. | The fact that they could not work the count more and manufacture more than five runs against Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants’ formidable but not flawless bullpen is an indictment of that offense. |
| But if they lost their patience at the plate, the Nationals also lost their poise at times. | But if they lost their patience at the plate, the Nationals also lost their poise at times. |
| MLB, Fox and TNT must be as crushed Bryce Harper is not going to play at least one more playoff round as much as that baseball was crushed by Harper into McCovey Cove Tuesday night. Harper had a memorable series, from his dead-sprints to rob the Giants lineup of base hits in left field to all three bombs that went over the right field fences of two parks. Harper was boisterous, beyond intense and clearly boffo box office. | MLB, Fox and TNT must be as crushed Bryce Harper is not going to play at least one more playoff round as much as that baseball was crushed by Harper into McCovey Cove Tuesday night. Harper had a memorable series, from his dead-sprints to rob the Giants lineup of base hits in left field to all three bombs that went over the right field fences of two parks. Harper was boisterous, beyond intense and clearly boffo box office. |
| Harper was also a buffoon for showing up the home-plate umpire in Game 2 and Hunter Strickland, the relief pitcher he homered off in Game 4. If his inability to realize that the best revenge on the field is success doesn’t kick in soon, he’s going to get run by more umpires than he realizes over the ensuing years. More concerning, he’s going to get more heaters thrown at his head by pitchers he publicly humiliates after taking them deep. | |
| Harper is going to, in short, make his career harder than it has to be if his gum-flapping, death-stare histrionics continue in a sport that still has old-fangled lines of decorum that players are punished for crossing. If he can’t find the line between unbridled intensity and rage-boy stupidity, the game’s gatekeepers will help him find it and it won’t be pretty. | Harper is going to, in short, make his career harder than it has to be if his gum-flapping, death-stare histrionics continue in a sport that still has old-fangled lines of decorum that players are punished for crossing. If he can’t find the line between unbridled intensity and rage-boy stupidity, the game’s gatekeepers will help him find it and it won’t be pretty. |
| Don’t get me wrong. Harper’s power, aggression and passion at the most important time of the year is something every one of his older teammates needs to take a hard look at and try to emulate. But harnessing those qualities before they hurt his team also needs to be dealt with. | Don’t get me wrong. Harper’s power, aggression and passion at the most important time of the year is something every one of his older teammates needs to take a hard look at and try to emulate. But harnessing those qualities before they hurt his team also needs to be dealt with. |
| Let’s also not excuse Werth’s “leadership.” I’ve come around on his value to this club on and off the field after early reservations about his physical frailty and his surliness at times in the clubhouse. But you don’t speak to reporters on the last night of the season, instead ducking out and leaving your teammates to answer for their surprising loss? | Let’s also not excuse Werth’s “leadership.” I’ve come around on his value to this club on and off the field after early reservations about his physical frailty and his surliness at times in the clubhouse. But you don’t speak to reporters on the last night of the season, instead ducking out and leaving your teammates to answer for their surprising loss? |
| Nuh-uh, that’s not leadership. | Nuh-uh, that’s not leadership. |
| The real crusher is the Nationals had the better team. But Giants Manager Bruce Bochy stayed the course, managed his team as brilliantly as he had in 2010 and 2012 when they won it all. He also didn’t have the baggage of not being able to get it done with this roster in the postseason, something the Nationals need to eventually shed before their contender status goes quietly into an October night. | The real crusher is the Nationals had the better team. But Giants Manager Bruce Bochy stayed the course, managed his team as brilliantly as he had in 2010 and 2012 when they won it all. He also didn’t have the baggage of not being able to get it done with this roster in the postseason, something the Nationals need to eventually shed before their contender status goes quietly into an October night. |
| Twenty-three years and counting. That’s what Washington will be going on without a major-revenue sport title and accompanying parade. The Nats didn’t have to break through and raise the trophy as the floats rolled by, but it would have been nice to at least get another shot at the Cardinals to erase the wrenching heartbreak of 2012. | Twenty-three years and counting. That’s what Washington will be going on without a major-revenue sport title and accompanying parade. The Nats didn’t have to break through and raise the trophy as the floats rolled by, but it would have been nice to at least get another shot at the Cardinals to erase the wrenching heartbreak of 2012. |
| “Choke” and “cursed” don’t help us understand any better. But again, after another fruitless October and hopes dashed before even one series was won, some of the vitriol given the expectation is understandable. | “Choke” and “cursed” don’t help us understand any better. But again, after another fruitless October and hopes dashed before even one series was won, some of the vitriol given the expectation is understandable. |