Quiet and Steady as She Goes

March 27, 2011 by Ted Leavengood · Leave a Comment

The Nationals traded Nyjer Morgan for Cutter Dykstra and during the wee hours. The move was no surprise to anyone, but some had opined that the Nationals would take almost anything to get rid of the distractions surrounding Morgan. Dystra is not “almost anything,” but he knows a little bit about distractions. Anyone who has […]

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Trying to Focus on the Positives

March 22, 2011 by Ted Leavengood · Leave a Comment

At his best Nyjer Morgan is a scrappy, prototypical lead off guy. Â Diminutive in size, he plays with grit and determination. He hurt himself sliding head-first into second base one too many times a season ago. But in 2010 he committed a multitude of sins, not the greatest of which was running into the Cardinal […]

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Catch a Falling Star

December 3, 2010 by Ted Leavengood · 6 Comments

Lastings Milledge was non-tendered by Pittsburgh yesterday. It is just another benchmark in the descent of a once promising talent that was briefly with the Washington Nationals. Jim Bowden traded Ryan Church and Brian Schneider to the Mets for Lastings Milledge during the off-season before the start of 2008.Â The rumblings of his unpopularity in […]

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Nyjer Needs Some Love

September 4, 2010 by Ted Leavengood · 4 Comments

After two whopping suspensions, dumping on Nyjer Morgan at this point should be half the distance to the goal for egregious piling on. Â The guy needs some love big time. Â So pardon me while I swim against the tide of the conventional wisdom–a concept born and raised here in Washington, DC. I will start at […]

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Can’t Get No Satisfaction

March 26, 2010 by Ted Leavengood · Leave a Comment

Five days in the Florida sun watching baseball without commuting on Metro, conference calls from hell, or stereo political rhetoric. Â How can the crowds be so small down here when the grass is so green?

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A Proper Frame for Stephen Strasburg

February 28, 2010 by Ted Leavengood · 1 Comment

Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson left southern California in 1907 a shy young man who was uncertain why the Washington Senators thought he was going to be a star. Manager Cantillon had heard from scouts the kid was a unique talent-77 straight scoreless innings, 166 strikeouts in eleven games. Now, a century later, another […]

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