TC the Terrible

There.  I said it. Out loud even.  Words that so seldom come out of my mouth that they taste like dust when they do.

The Nationals managed to get Strasburg signed before the deadline.  They most likely paid more for him than he’s worth to the average MLB team.  But the Nats are not an average team.  Not by a long shot.  They are a team that is need of credibility.  And while their play over the last month is starting to make them look respectable it’s not enough.

The team needs to put more fans in the seats.  Strasburg will do that every five nights.  They need somebody that can move merch.  Strasburg will do that, after he wins a couple of games.  The Lerners needed to prove that they are serious about winning.  Locking down Ryan Zimmerman earlier this year did that.  That was the first sign.  Dumping Manny was the next.  Now we have Rocket Boy on the roster.

He’ll get a couple of innings in this season.  That’ll be good for ticket sales.  He’s already got people talking.  That’s good for the team.

Here’s hoping that Mike Rizzo is right.  Let’s hope the kid is “ultra-ultra competitive” once his pockets are lined with cash.   The Nats need that from him.

I’m a big boy, so it’s time for me to act like one and eat some crow.

A few days ago I wrote that the Nats were toying with my emotions by stringing some wins together. Now they’ve won eight straight and 12 our of the last 16.  Guess Riggleman does have the right formula to take this team somewhere.  Or maybe Adam Dunn is right saying that it’s the defense that has finally caught up to the bats.  Ironic coming from a guy who has hit 30 homers this year (and the five before it) but is marginal at best in the field.  Still, the Nats are on a roll and should take at least two more from the Braves this week.

But I swear.  This is like I’m in high school again dry humping my girl friend in the car on Friday night.  No matter how good it feel, I’m not crossing the plate before her curfew.

What the heck is going on here?  The lowly Nats have won four in a row?  And six of the last eight?

That can’t be right.  This is the team that can’t even sign its top draft picks.  This is the team that has the worst record in baseball.  This is the team that only draws fans to watch the other team.  This is the team that’s destined to lose because the owner knows shopping malls, not baseball.  This team is supposed to be a joke.

And they may well be a joke next week.  Teams may take notice and start putting more effort into their games with the Nats.  Or the Nats could simply fall apart and go back to being the team that DC is used to seeing.

Or they might not.

Either way, I’m along for the ride.