NHL Conference finals, Odafe Oweh thoughts, Trade or keep Abrams?

Today I talk breifly about the NHL playoffs, give my armchair scout thoughts on Odafe Oweh, and talk about the nats in general with a fun CJ Abrams trade or keep thought experiment. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know at carl.lanore1@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hey everybody, this is the DC Die Hard Podcast for Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. I'm your host, Carl Lenore, and I am just another overweight white guy with a mic. Uh, today I want to keep going into the NHL playoffs, been really fun to watch. Talk about a little bit more in depth Adafe Owe and just kind of my thoughts. I watched a little bit of his tape. Uh, just wanted to kind of just give my opinion on him. And uh then we are a little over a quarter of the way of the season into the nationals, so got a lot to say about them too. Uh so here we go. Um, as far as the NHL playoffs is going, it's been a lot of fun to watch. Um I've been I've always wondered if having too much time off really almost hurts you in a weird way. Like I think it's nice to have a little bit of time off in between series or in between weeks, whatever it is, but um I'm I'm the Aves are down two games. The Canes came out, lost game one. They just won game two. I just finished watching that game going to overtime. Uh luckily they didn't let uh Montreal sneak out of there uh up too well going to going back to Montreal. Um that first canes habs game was absolutely incredible. I mean, you get two goals within the first like three and a half minutes of the game, just back to back, just canes hitting and then Montreal hitting, and then Montreal ends up running away with it. It just seemed like and this is what I was talking about with having a little too much time off, just seemed like the Canes were a little slow, a little sluggish. Um, just looked like they hadn't played hockey in what I think the official it was like 12 days or something, 11 days. So a little under two full weeks. Hadn't played hockey, and it it definitely kind of looked like it, but I definitely expected them to come out and win today. Uh and they and they did. Um it was still close, but you know, it came out when it looks like uh looks like uh we we got we got a really entertaining series in the east going right now. Uh ads are down two games. They got beat at home for the first two games of the series, so that was really, really surprising to me, especially with the Vegas Golden Knights. Um, that Zach Eichel guy, he's he's going off. Um, I think he's got he's got probably and I I don't know off the top of my head I didn't look up the stats, but he's got two goals in in the last two games, might might be more than two goals. I don't know if he had a multi-goal game, one of those two games. I can't really remember, but it's been fun. Everybody's been hitting. Um I de it's definitely on my bucket list to go to an NHL game, uh, NHL playoff game, whether it be it, it doesn't really matter to me who it is. Honestly, like uh like if Calgary ever went back, if uh Edmonton, uh Toronto would probably I mean any of the Canadian playoff atmospheres would probably be an absolute blast to experience. Not that you know the American-owned teams aren't aren't good, but I think I think Canada takes it takes hockey to a whole different level. So I think you know that's one of my bucket list things. Anyways, um NHL playoffs have been fun, been really enjoying it. Uh, and I I am already itching to itching to watch more. It kind of sucks that uh here in a little bit we're only gonna get one game every every other day. But that's that's what happens when you get to the final part of it, right? Um I think I might still stick to my guns of an Aves Cames finals. Um I I feel like the at the Aves might puke and rally and get it together. I mean, they've been the best team in hockey all year long, and it hasn't even been questionable. Hasn't even been questionable. So we'll see, we'll see what they get done. Um hopefully, hopefully McKinnon can can get them boys rallied. I do like that that Burns guy on the Aves. He's huge, and he's just kind of a menace on the floor, kind of just kind of just like that enforcer, you know. I re I I've actually really enjoyed watching him play, even though they've been been losing. But um, yeah, been fun, been fun. I like I said, like I was saying before, I really enjoy NHL playoffs. If you're not watching it, you're absolutely missing out. Um, so yeah. On to um talking a little more in depth about Adapai Ailway and just like some commanders offseason things to talk about. I feel like I need to just mention them even though nothing's really happening on the commander side of things. Uh, I know the schedule just came out, I gave my take on that. I think you know, um is what it is. I I will say if I just touch on the schedule really, really quick, um I'm kind of sniffing something that's similar to 2012, where if you remember 2012, the Redskins at the time, um they started out three and six and then puked and rallied the rest of the season and got into the playoffs, and then uh a lot of heartbreak happened there, which kind of sucks. But um I I can I can see that happening with how tough the schedule is at the beginning with Eagles, Dallas, Seahawks right off the get-go, and then you're going, I think I can't I can't remember the whole schedule off the top of my head. I think there's like I think I know Giants is week five. Who the fuck is week four?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Who is week four? Um I am so sorry, I shouldn't know this. I should know this.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Um, two oh, it's the Colts in uh in uh in in London, playing the Colts in London. Um so I mean I and I don't I have no idea what the Colts are gonna look like. I think they lost, you know, we took uh I think we took Nick Cross from him. Um and I they might have lost one or two other pieces on that defense. Um and then I I have no clue which Daniel Jones we're gonna get because he tore his I don't want to say it was his Achilles. I know he he might have it might have been his Achilles. I don't know, he blew something out. I know he's he's had knee injury before, and now he's dealing with another pretty significant injury that not too many other guys have been able to come back from pretty you know easily. So we'll see we'll see how that goes. Um but then it's Giants, and then it's Monday night at 49. I mean that's the first six games, and then we get the bye, and then it's right back into the Eagles. So it'll be uh it's definitely gonna be interesting to watch, but that's why I'm saying I'm I can s I could smell like a like a similar you know 2012 season kind of happening where because the schedule at the beginning is so tough, uh it might be uh we might we might start out, you know, three and six, four and four and something, uh in in puke and rally and and get into the playoffs. Um or the we're gonna hit the ground running and win more games than I probably expect out the gate, or I'm gonna be looking at some draft boards by about week 10. So um, which I don't know would I be completely mad about? I you know, I feel like we I feel like we did enough in the offseason so far to fill some holes. Um not calling this a playoff team yet. I gotta see it. I gotta see it, especially how we saw how last how last uh last year went. But anyways, let me get back to Dafa LA. I dug into some of his tape, um watched watched some of his, you know, the all 22 tape, and uh honestly overall, I I think it reaffirmed that me thinking that this is a good signing. Um just going through his stats again really quick. Uh he had 38 tackles last year with seven and a half sacks, 52 QB pressures that which couple of pressures resulted in um resulted in some turnovers. Uh so I mean the stat line is is good. Uh the and and the tape kind of matches it. Um there were a few plays where I really noticed I I really liked the way he uses his hands. He really like swipes down or or you know uses his hands really well to to get get off get off the tackle. Um another thing is uh I feel like he sets edges really well most of the time. There's there was a few times he got a little too deep and let a guy get away. Um but especially in today's NFL where every QB seems to be mobile, except for maybe a few of them. Uh I think I think setting the edges and and he was really good in his uh rush lane discipline too. So uh I really like that about him. Um and I think the thing that I like the most was he is relentless. The guy has a motor and he doesn't quit on a play no matter how far away from it. Oh, excuse me, he might be. Uh I there was uh one of the sacks he had against Mahomes, he started to where I couldn't even see him on the screen. Um and uh because because you know I was watching from the from the end zone um end zone angle, and he, you know, he I couldn't even see him on the screen, and then out of nowhere here he comes because Mahomes has nowhere to go with the ball, and and all of a sudden there's a Daffe Owe putting him putting him on a turf. So I mean he's got he's he's fast, he's he's he's got a good motor, like I said. Um I think I think he's gonna be I think he's gonna be a good addition. Um the only thing that I didn't really that it seemed like and he was when when I noticed this he was going against some stud tackles on like you know the Eagles. Um I think uh Cowboys O-line is alright. Um those are just some of the teams that I that I watched. I watch I watched most. Uh his is when he was still with the Ravens last year early on in the season. Um seemed like uh I watched I watched a couple of those games early on. Um but anyways, one of the things that kind of maybe downside, and this could be just like a um armchair coach on the couch kind of kind of take. It just seems like he kind of got stuck a little bit. Like he he didn't really um he was he wasn't able to like move the the tackle once uh once play started and he just kind of got got stuck, but that's that's about it. But see, that's where I don't know if he's just setting the edge and like remaining keeping his you know rushlane discipline or um if he really is just like he just that tackle got him on that play. Um I I don't I don't know that um and I don't you know I didn't know the way he was being coached whether it was in Baltimore or in or in uh LA but um I mean that's that's about the only small small knock even if it is if if it's a knock at all because like I said I don't know how how he's being coached. So we'll we'll see what happens, man. I uh I I definitely want to keep going through tape and giving a little just snippet. Uh next week I want to do Leo Chennault and then go um, I think Amiek Robertson, Chig, Aconqua. I'm actually pretty excited to see Chig in in an offense like this. I don't know if Tennessee used him right, but um, so yeah, I'll go through all those and um because you know it's the off-season. I find the off-season absolutely uh boring. I'm just constantly just like, oh man, is it August yet? So um excited for the season, but like I said, I'm not I don't want to make any like hey, we're gonna win the division and go to the you know, go make a playoff run because I don't I gotta see it. I gotta see it, like I said. So on to the Nationals. Man, they are still giving me uh surprise. It seems like a new guy is stepping up every single week. It is absolutely insane. So the last ten games, we are um we took the series against the O's, we split with the Mets. That should have been a sweep, if you ask me. I'm a little butthurt. We didn't sweep the Mets, not only because I just as a Nats fan, I wanted to sweep the Mets, but there were some every every single one of those games was absolutely winnable, and and we just kind of dropped the ball for whatever reason. Um let's see, and then we have an opportunity since I last spoke with you guys uh to go into Atlanta and win the series in Atlanta. Um, so we will see what happens there. So we're five and five in our last ten. That's what I that's the stat that I was looking for. I'm sorry. Um standings, we're 30 and at least sitting still, and we're three and a half games back of the wild card. I don't think that's too too significant. A few teams have have fallen off. I think the Cubs have taken a few L's. Um the Reds have been kind of reeling as of late. Um, there's just some teams that have been kind of hit a kind of hit a a bump in a road, but I if you ask me right now, I don't think our pitching is good enough to get us into the playoffs. I I just don't think to like steal a wild card spot. Maybe you never know. Uh the pitching has been getting better of late, but I think I think we'll see. We'll see who who steps up. Um we'll we'll see what we'll see what happens. The bullpen's get been getting better. Starting pitching this past week has been better. Um, and I'm about I'm about to go into all of that. Um the hitting has still been the highlight of the year. We are number one in run scored somehow, even with the little bit of we we could have piled on some runs the past couple games against the Mets and the Braves and just couldn't get a bat on the ball when when it mattered most. Um, but we're still number one in run scored. We're six in home runs, fourth in ops, and second in RBIs. Thank you to James Wood and CJ Abrams for the most part. For the most part. It's not just them carrying a whole load. Um, there's some guys that have been stepping up. Um, Cruz has been um lukewarm on him. Um, I think he, you know, he had to get called up due to the Jacob Young um injury or lack thereof. I think he just needed to day off, seemed like I when I saw him get hit like that, I was like, oh no, he might have broke a rib. Um Jacob Young is absolutely one of my favorite players still right now. And uh I it's so it's so awesome to see him put the bat on the ball a lot better this year. Um he's getting a lot harder contact, and he's got five home runs uh through uh already this season, and that I think that's all he hit last year. So he's already got five home runs this year, man. Go for him. Um I'm really rooting for the guy. Um but yeah, we're still we're still hitting the hell out of the ball, and we're still getting runs runs in across the plate, and that's what's been giving us games. Um one guy I really want to highlight this week who I think has been absolutely phenomenal, is KB Ruiz. In his last seven, in the last seven games, he has a 400 average. And I would say about a week and a half ago, he had a 500 ops, which if uh if you don't know of if if you sit around 700, your your average in the MLB. Um but if um but like 500, you're you're not doing well at all, man. Not doing well at all. He's got an above 700 OPS right now, as as we speak. Um, I think it was like 786 or something. That's freaking phenomenal. He's turned it all the way around in the past few weeks, and it's not just that he's been getting on base or that he's been um hitting the ball, it's like he's getting extra base hits, he's hitting doubles, he's hitting the ball out of the park. This is the K-Bear that we've been wanting to see the whole time. If you asked me at the beginning of the season, if you asked me three weeks ago, maybe like a month ago, if you asked me about K Bear, I'd be like, dude, I'm I'm ready for Harry Ford to come up, even though he's not he was struggling in triple A, so it didn't really make sense to call him up. But K Bear and Millie uh have have been haven't been great up until the last the last week or so. K Bear's been been amazing. He looks like the catcher that we need him to be. Um, I don't know what's clicked lately, but he had that one game where he just looked absolutely awful, and then after that game, it just seemed like something's clicked. I hope it keeps clipping. I I hope I hope this entire team can can keep this up because this has been a absolutely fun season to watch, where I don't feel like they're ever out of it, no matter who they're they're playing against. So um it, you know, let's go K Bear. I hope he I I I want him to keep it up. I'm rooting for the kid. You know, if you asked me three weeks ago, like I was just saying, I uh I would I would have been like, dude, we need to get rid of this guy. I'm so sick of him. I was so sick of him. He it was just so bad because it was it wasn't just like he was non-existent at the plate, he it was like hitting into double plays constantly. And so, and now that he's been you know hitting hitting a lot of doubles, um, couldn't be happier for the guy now. Couldn't be absolutely couldn't couldn't be happier. Um I'm just glad to see that that he's having he's having success now because I know that what was it his 2021 season? I think he had uh he like that's the season that got him the contract, I think. And everything it was either 2020 or uh like 2023, uh anyways, like a few years ago, and then after since then he's just been not good at the plate. Um, and then his his challenges have been bad too, but lately he's he's cleaned that up as well. Um so let's keep it up, man. Let's keep it up, K Bear. Uh, because because I keep I love seeing it. I love seeing underdogs like this come up and just start having success. Um starting pitching, I think, even though this this week has been good, I need to keep seeing this. Um I I still think it can it can be better. Um, we've gotten a few guys going deep into games. I want to see some more six inning, six innings pitched games, only giving up, you know, two to three earned runs. I think we can live there and we can win ball games like that. Um so if I just go through the past past few starts, Irvin got injured today. I haven't seen any news on what the injury is or like if he's gonna be out for a while. I have no idea. I just know he got out of that fifth inning, and uh he he he couldn't he couldn't finish it. He tried to come back out and he he just he couldn't he didn't even start the sixth inning, which kind of sucks. Excuse me. I gotta get a drink. Um so we'll we'll see what happens, but he pitched really well today. Um, I don't think he he didn't give up one earn run and he got seven K's. I love it. I love seeing that from Irvin because Irvin, I was kind of the whole time watching the game today, I was waiting for the wheels to come off because he'll just have one inning where he gives up like five earned runs, and it's like dude, how like now we gotta climb this hill. Um and today he look he looked really sharp, and I was really, really happy to see that up until up until the injury, of course, and that just that just kind of sucked to see. Hopefully, like I said, um it's nothing too serious. Uh Franny on the Nationals broadcast thought it might be a back injury, the way just kind of like the way he came off the field, and like you said, it wasn't you know, he didn't really hold his arm, he wasn't limping or anything, he just kind of walked off. I wonder, you know, he might be right. It could be could be like a like a well, I don't know. I'm not I'm just a freaking moron doing a podcast uh some kind of strain in his back, you know. I'm not a medical professional, of course. Um either way, he was sharp up until the up to the injury. Um I would have liked to see him go sixth. I think he would have, um, which kind of sucks. Uh Miles Miles Micholus. Michaelis. Micholas? Michaelis. Miles Michaelis uh went, had a starter come out for him again, which I don't mind. It was uh Richard Lovelace, I believe, and he came out and did well. Um then he had he uh did five innings, uh zero in runs. I was really happy with that because he's got like I think it's like above five like ERA. Like that's horrible. That like you shouldn't you should be down at triple A. I think if he wasn't a veteran and we didn't sign him for what was it, like five million or something, I think he would have been option long. Ago. But still around, and he came out and he gave us a good outing. Just couldn't put it away against the Braves in extra innings, which which kind of sucked. And we had so many opportunities to win that game. I really wanted to win that game. But hey, is what it is. We got the W we got the curly W today. Just couldn't get it yesterday. But Miles Miles Michaelis, pitch, pitch good. Especially, you know, you have your opener come in, take, take an inning, and then you go five five deep after that. Take us into the seventh and bring in, you know, whoever. Lately, you know, I've been really impressed with uh Brad. I've al I've always liked Brad Lord. Been a been a definitely a Brad Lord fan coming out of the bullpen. But uh and and uh Mitchell Parker has has been good as well coming out of the bullpen, especially extending games when guys can't just can't get through the fourth inning. Even like I've watched games where it's like it'll be like a low-scoring ball game, but our pitcher is in the fourth inning with like 70 pitches thrown. I mean, you we gotta go deeper. We gotta go deeper. Um Zach Lattell had another good outing. His last two outings have actually been pretty good. His last outing, he went five innings, uh, only gave up two earned runs. That one hurt because we could have we could have took the series win for the for the Mets, but we ended up splitting with him because we just couldn't get the bats together that game for for whatever reason. That kind of sucked. Uh, but good for Zach. Glad to see him getting back on track. Um, he just he just keeps throwing like one or two meatballs because he doesn't have a lot of velocity. He tops out at like like 92, maybe. I don't I don't know. I haven't seen him touch 93 this year. Um, but he usually sits around like 91, 92 with his fastball, not a whole lot of velocity. So his uh and I I you know I think a lot of people have admitted this, including him, where his his command just has to be on point. Um and he and he's been successful in the past. So hopefully he's he's getting come back around because he's not been good. He has not been good um for the first first quarter of the season. Um but his last two outings, hey, I I I don't think we can really really complain, especially five innings, two earned runs. I mean, you can live there, uh, especially with us bringing in the most runs in the league. I mean, we should be able to win them ball games all day. And I know every so often you'll probably have an off day with the with with the with the bats or with with something, but it just is what it is. Um and then Foster Griffin has been the one that I thought I could rely on the most, and now he is kind of his last two outings have not been good. Um his last outing was five in he's pitched, he went five deep and gave up five runs. Now he gave up those five runs, I think, in the first two innings. Um and he gave up two two this is gonna be a tongue twister, two two-run homers to the same guy. I can't remember his name. Um was it Pobachet? I can't remember. Anyways, he gave up, he gave up those those homers. Um and it it just but then he just kind of like he kind of settled in and he didn't give up a run after that and ended up going five deep. And we actually ended up winning that game, funnily enough. Uh so that uh that just kind of that just kind of is what it is. Um that's that's how it goes. Uh love that our bats. That that's what I'm saying, though. That's what I'm saying about I don't feel like we're ever out of it with this team. It's been that's why they've been so fun to watch, because a guy like Griffin can come in and give up five runs, and then we still win in the game. Uh by you know, I think it was like a eight to four, eleven to four, I don't know, something like that. Um, so it was fun. Uh I want to talk about Ribalta. They've brought in Robalta a couple of times now, and even though I think he needs to clean up his early walks in his outings, um, he just he like the past two times I've seen him come out, bases were loaded, and it it was like one or no outs for both situations, and the guy just kind of bit down on the mouthpiece, got the outs that he needed to get, whether it was through strikeouts, pop-ups, grounders, whatever, and got out of the inning just smelling like roses. So I just wanted to highlight that I think this guy can be good. I know he's walked some guys um early on, and that's why he gets in the trouble that he is, but hey, he's got some grit to him, and he'll bite down on the mouthpiece, he'll freaking and he's he's gotten out of some really, really tough situations. So um just wanted to give him a shout out. Um the pitching overall, I think, um, I know I just went through it, but um, but from both I've seen this from both guys out of the bullpen and uh starting pitchers. Uh I I'd like to see us to get ahead in counts a little more often. Um because you know, I I think it's just rough a rough way to it's I think it's tough to get outs, especially strikeouts when you're constantly down in the count, you know, 2-0, 3-1, 2-1. Like if we could start, you know, just start getting that first pitch strike, I think uh I think the pitching could definitely come around a little bit more. Um, so that's the one like non-stat thing that I've that I've really noticed is just you know, we're constantly behind in counts, and then especially if you're going up against some of these big sluggers, like it's hard to come back from that. Now you're pitching around them, and now you're worried about throwing a meatball, but you still got to throw a strike. And I think if you just come out the gate and just get get ahead, um, now you put their backs against the wall and now they're wondering, you know, same thing, but just from the up from the different side of the fence. So um yeah. Pitching has has gotten it it's been it's been better. It has been better. Especially with the starting outings that I just that I just highlighted. Uh it's it's been it's been better, but it's still I still don't see us getting to the playoffs with this current. But that and that's fine. Like, I think I don't think if you asked me at the beginning of the season, I thought this was gonna be one of the worst teams in baseball. And we're sitting one game under 500, we've gotten to 500, you know, a couple games ago, just need to keep it rolling and and string some ones together. Um, but uh if you if you told me that we would have been leading the league and run scored, I told you you're stupid. I would have told you you're absolutely stupid. There's no way, but here we are. That's why you play the game, right? Um, just a couple things to highlight for for the pitching, and why I say, you know, it's been better, but it still could be better. We're second in home runs given up, or or not, no, no, no. Let me, I misspoke. We're first in home runs given up, second in earn runs given up, first in runs given up with 301. The next team that's even close to us is the Baltimore Orioles with 278. That is just crazy to say. So if we could just clean that up, that would be uh we we'd probably win some more ball games, to be honest. Um, but we're we're we've getting been getting better with walks. We're ninth in the league in walks given up. Um and um we're second, we're second in hits giving up. What was the one where we were like it looked like we were getting better? First and home runs giving up. Second in hits, first and runs. Was it whip? It was whip. We're I had to scroll down. We're 24th. So we have one of the oh, that's why we're so far down the list because I clicked too many times. There we are, we're seventh in whip. We're seventh in whip overall with a 1.39. That's crazy. Um so yeah, like I said, it's gotten a little bit better, but it still needs to be a lot better. But there have been guys some guys stepping up and some key. We've been seeing a lot of Richard Lovelady. Uh, I'm also happy for that guy because he continues to just step in. He's had some pretty clean outings past the past couple weeks. Uh, I remember even today today, uh he came in, just got three outs he needed to get, looked good. Um few nights ago, he walked a guy, but still got in the excuse me, uh, got in the got in a roll and and got the dub. Like he's been closing games, he's been opening games and looking good. He, you know, Blake depict her. It seems like he can just put him kind of put this guy in wherever he needs to put him in, and he's gonna go out, and he's got so much emotion. I love it. He's got so much emotion after a game. And uh, especially, you know, and uh I just love to see it. I I kind of you know, I'm rooting for the guy because he's been bouncing between us and the Mets, and he got uh DFA'd from the Mets and we picked him up because you know, we needed we need somebody. So um I I hope to keep seeing him doing well. I hope to keep seeing the pitching trend in the right direction. But as of right now, if you ask me, it's still not even close to good enough to to consider us a serious playoff team now. But we'll see how the rest of the year goes, um, and and just kind of see what happens. Um, the last thing I want to talk about. I kind of blew through everything. I didn't have a whole lot to I thought I had a lot to talk about, but I guess I didn't. Um which is fine, I guess. Uh Abrams. Do we trade him or do we keep him? Now I've seen a lot of good arguments for trading him. I've seen a lot of good arguments for keeping him. I I could probably change my mind on this week to week. I would say the arguments to trade Abrams is because of the pitching row woes that I just talked about. And especially since we're still seemingly, even though the season has gone way better than anybody expected, uh, especially from an offensive standpoint, not just in the win and loss column, um, a lot of people would say to trade him because we're still in a rebuild. We're still rebuilding. So you could especially because he's he's number one in RBIs. He leads the league in RBIs right now. He is hitting the leather off of the ball. The only downside to him is I don't think the majority of fans, the majority of the league, I don't think they view him as a shortstop because his defense has been shaky at times. Um, so could we trade him to a team making a playoff push and get some like ace pitching prospects? I think so. I wouldn't be too mad at that. Um, as much as I've really enjoyed watching the guy play in the National Jersey and watch him hit the way he's been hitting. Um, I wouldn't be mad at that move, to be honest. It would be sad because it seems like we sell every season since you know 2019. But um if if that's what Paul Taboni wanted to go do, I wouldn't be I wouldn't be upset with that. Uh you know, especially because this is a younger, more analytically driven front office and coaching staff. Um if that's how they think success is gonna be going for the long term is to trade Abraham's and get some get some decent pitching prospects. I think I'd be all for that. Um now the argument to keep him is he's really good at the plate. He's been hitting the hell out of the ball. He leads the league in RBIs. He him and James Wood are you know battling neck and neck every week of uh every game of who has the highest who has the highest OPS. Um yeah, I I don't know. I if I if I was the GM of this team, I wouldn't know what the hell to do with Abrams, because I think, like I said, I think there's good arguments for and against. Um but gosh, it would be the this team would not be doing what it's doing without CJ Abrams. I don't think anybody besides James Wood can hit the ball like CJ Abrams has been hitting the ball. Uh I think I think a lot of those um I think a lot of those W's turn into L's. And people might be bitching, you know, oh why didn't we keep Abrams? I could see that. Uh so if you ask me today, I think I might have just talked myself into it. If you ask me today, I I want to keep CJ Abrams. And I think it's kind of a selfish reason as a fan, because I'm just sick of selling at the trade deadline. Um I want to see, like like here's the roster that we got now. Let let's let's build upon it. Let's go out in free agency and get some actually actually get some good pitchers. If there, you know, I don't know who's coming up in free agency, so if there is none, maybe it then it would make sense to trade them. Anyways, let's just say there is, and we can. I say keep this roster. Not exactly the way it is. Maybe maybe you do want to add a bat, um, because you know, like a guy like Nasim Nuez doesn't seem to hit the ball very well, but is great defensively. Um maybe uh, you know, maybe you know, we go and add a few pitchers, get some depth in the bullpen, and and this is uh, you know, and then this is a wild card team next year, you know, wildcard playoff competing team, um, which would be amazing to see. Um so I lean, I definitely lean to keep CJ Abrams. Uh I know he's had his defensive woes at shortstop. I think what we do there, if they I I think this is how we'll know if if if Taboni is just gonna keep is just gonna keep Abrams. Is if Abrams starts playing at second, that's when we know. That's what's like okay, we're keeping Abrams because right now we're trying to keep his trade his like uh trade stock high be by keeping him at shortstop for a team that might need a shortstop, a good shortstop with a great bat. You know, a team trying to make a playoff push, adding a bat into their lineup with a guy who can who can play in the middle infield. Um so I think that's why for the most part they've been keeping him at shortstop. Otherwise, I think if if you do want to commit and keep him, I think just move him to second and put Nunez at shortstop. Um Nunez is is so fun to watch when he's when he's playing defense because and you know, even even though I was just trashing him for not having a good bat, most stolen bases in the league, by the way. Let me double check myself, but I'm pretty sure he's got the most stolen bases in the in the league. Um but either way, either way, he's got a lot of stolen bases, and he's so fun to watch in the field. Um, and he's he's got amazing arm strength for a guy his size. It just goes to show you that you don't need to be like a a big person to throw hard. You don't need to be Randy Johnson to to have a good arm. Um, I know you know he was a pitcher, it's probably um maybe I'm comparing Apples in Origins, sir, but he's a little guy and but he slings it and he makes great plays and he's fast and he's just fun to watch. Fun to watch when he's playing defense. I just I wish he's got the same problem that Jacob Young has is I I need the bat to come around now. I need you to get on base, I need you to have a little bit more discipline at the plate. I think the discipline at the plate the past week has gone downhill just a little bit. I've seen this team go through like really good plate discipline stints and then some shaky discipline stints, and I think, you know, when we have good plate plate discipline, we start hitting the shit out of the ball and start hitting piss missiles, and then I think guys get a little trigger happy, and that's when we you know need to reel it back in. But um that's you know, that's just uh that's it, man. Um I uh either way, I'm I'm really you know keep I I think keep CJ Abrams. I think the pitching's getting better, but I think it has a lot to improve on. Um and I think I think the bats the bats are are s way Oh no, that's just because I'm oh the team, hold on.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

I gotta see this. All teams.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Yep, Nassim Nunyz leading the league with 22 22 bag swipe, baby. God, let me uh that just reminded me. We had Nunez on second, K Bear on first against the Mets. Was it against the Mets or was it against the freaking I think it was against the Mets. And we send both of them. We send Nunez and K Bear, and I'm sorry, as much as I was just talking him up, and as much as I'm rooting for the kid and think it's it's great that his bad has come around, he's still slow. He's not a base dealer. That I thought, you know, you got I I felt like they had some guys at the plate coming up that you know could drive in Nunez from second. I think that would have been tying run, if not, if not to take the lead. And and I I think setting Nunez is fine because he's quick and he's leading the league in stolen bases. But you see, K Bear and I think the catcher just was just kind of licking his chops and threw him out at second, and then the inning was over because you have two outs. I didn't understand that at all. Um, I think you know, I overall I'm so happy with this new coaching staff and this new front office. Like, obviously, the team is way better. So, was it the coaching, Davy? It's never on the coaches, right? Bullshit. It was on the coaches. Um, as much as I'm happy that like Davy brought us the 2019 uh World Series and all that, the past few years have just been so hard to watch, and then I see a new regime come in, and the the guys they look like different ball players, really. They're just all of them are better. Jacob Young is a great example. He couldn't his he had such poor contact last year, and now he's getting good contact. He's got five home runs already. So I I can't stand it when guys don't take a little responsibility. Like, I'm not saying that you know good coaches can always make up for bad players, but good coaches will make players better, and the fact that this team is doing what it's doing now, um, like, yeah, it it was on the coaches at least a little bit the past couple years. Um so, anyways, like I was saying, um I I I'm just plum happy with Blake Butera and the way he's been running the team. There's just been a couple of calls that he's made that a little bit of a head scratch. I'm like, uh, should we be doing that? I don't know. But like I said, very analytics, young driven coaching staff in in front office. So it's like uh but it was just like the sending K bear with Nunez and and K bear gets thrown out. There was there's a few lineup shakeups with trying to like pinch hit guys and and this and that and like the fifth inning um that kind of come back to bite us in the ass later in the later in the games. Um I think one was I think he pinch hit Jose uh Tanya and Um then it took I think it took Jacob Young out of the game um in the fifth inning. And I I just kind of questioned that when I was like, uh maybe we save that one. Um I did hear it was like most games, like if you go by the analytics, most games are decided in like the fifth or sixth sixth innings. So if you don't jump on it then, uh you're probably gonna end up losing that game. Um, however, uh there's just been a few I think there's always a few situations where you just kind of put the analytics to the side and you just gotta kinda go with what you got until you know seventh, eighth inning, and then save it for then. But like I say, who am I? I'm I'm you know, this is just overweight white guy opinion here. But I just I just feel like a couple of his of his calls have been just a little bit questionable, but he is also a really young manager and he's probably learning some lessons at you know managing a team at the uh at the show level at the MLB level. I know he's managed a few minor league teams, which I think is, you know, great experience, but maybe the MLB, he's still learning a few lessons at the MLB level, which is fine with a rebuilding roster, I think. I think he's gonna end up being one of being a really good coach. I'm so uh I'm I'm pretty happy with this with this team overall man. Um it's been really fun to watch and I'm glad that I can be frustrated. Because last year it was like oh yep Nats fucking lost again who would have thought especially when they went on that 12 game skid Jesus that was brutal um but now it's like you know I'm I'm over here saying oh should have should have swept the Mets. Could have took taken that series against whoever there's been a few series that we've dropped and I'm like ah we could you know we could have had that one. The Phillies at the beginning of the year for sure um you know I'm I'm frustrated with losses sometimes because I'm like we we could have won that one. The one last night um we could have won that game we we could have already won the series in Atlanta right now but we just uh just a couple of things just don't go our way guys swing in a few pitches out of the zone and then you're taking the L so that's just the way it goes but overall man I'm it's gonna be fun to watch this team for the for the rest of the year I am I I'm watching these guys grow in real time. I'm watching guys like K Bear come together I'm watching guys like JY come together I'm watching you know I'm watching James Wood consistently hit the shit out of the ball I'm watching CJ Abrams consistently hit the shit out of the ball um Dalen Lyle consistently is hitting the he had a triple today he's consistently hitting the shit out of the ball um and a lot of there's been a lot of great defense too so um it's been it's been a great team to watch fun team to watch I can't wait to go see him live in at uh colorado at the at the Rockies Course field if and if you've never been to Course Field highly recommend top five stadium in the in the MLB if you ask me but I haven't been to all of them I just read some articles sometimes about uh about stadiums anyways um I think I'm gonna quit running my mouth um I got some I got some golf to play the next couple days on this lovely Memorial Day weekend I hope everybody's Memorial Day weekend is gonna be great I hope it's been great so far it's been great for me so far because Nats uh have a chance to take it away take a series away from the Braves who are who have the best record in baseball right now. I'm you know it's it's been great to watch them just compete. It's been great to just watch them compete against that team um I just wish we could close out some series against some of the worst teams like Miami like the Mets um but hey it you know it is what it is like I've been repeating my this whole time I didn't think this team would be here um if you would have asked me where this if you would have told me this team is 26 and 27 uh at this this point through the year I I would have kind of looked at you with that you know border collie like cock eyed like anyone ain't gonna be 26 and 27 but they are and I love it and it's been fun to watch um I'm definitely gonna be tuning in and bringing you guys my thoughts as uh as they keep coming um and hopefully I can get better at podcasting and kind of blew through all the material I had within like the first like 30 minutes but you know is what it is. Alright I just I I've been saying for the last like five minutes I'm gonna quit running my suck so I'm gonna quit running my suck. Hope to see the Nats take the series from the Braves in their house tomorrow night. Uh yeah so sweet everybody have a good weekend. I'll talk to you later