Caps offseason, Nick Cross tape, Nats pre All-Star break

Today I talked about the Capitals busy offseason and the return of Ovechkin. I talk about Nick Cross and what he brings to this defense, along with how excited I am to watch this defense as a whole, and finally talk about the Nationals in general going into the all star break. Spoiler, I talk about the bullpen.

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

Transcript

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Yo, what's up? It's a DC Die Hard Podcast for Monday, July 13th, 2026. How's everybody doing? Today I want to get through uh the caps have been making some moves. We're gonna talk about that. We're gonna talk about some knit cross tape that leads into some Durante Jones defense. Uh we just signed Rasul Douglas, a veteran corner, and I am going to uh talk about uh a little bit about Bryant Brandon Ayuk, but I don't want to give it too much attention, and then I'm generally gonna go over the Nats and probably how disappointing this bullpen has been going into the all-star break. So here we go. Uh caps trade. Uh well, first of all, the first piece of news isn't a trade. It's just the great eight is coming back. OV is coming back for another season. Super excited about that. Um I I I don't know. I always thought that OV was going to be coming back, especially after I saw all the moves that they were making. Um, so I I don't really I I never really thought Ovi was was going away. Everything just kind of just the very little bit that I heard about um from OV and like interviews and stuff like that. I just kind of figured he wasn't done yet. Now I could see I'm definitely gonna watch a lot of caps this year because this might be uh I mean I watch a lot of caps anyways, but that this might be Ovi's last year. I mean the guy he he definitely last year was definitely super super obvious that he really took a major step back. Um so that's just yeah, but but I mean he's fuck, he's old, he's over 40, still playing a physical sport like hockey. Uh one of the best to ever do it, for sure. But um I I am about 75% confident that this will be his last ride. And I I think that's definitely indirectly said by the franchise with all of the moves that they made, I think, both to support him right now and to insulate the team from him from him leaving as uh as as uh as the future goes on. So first off, uh I I don't really watch any tape. I embarrassingly admit that I didn't know who any of these fucking guys are until I looked them up and I looked up their stats, and they seem like pretty fucking good hockey players, if you ask me. So first things first, the big blockbuster one was we traded for Jordan Cairo. He was a forward coming out of St. Louis, coming from the St. Louis Bur Blues. We traded McMichael a prospect and a first um for a 2026 first, that is. Um he scored 72 goal, he played 72 games, scored 18 goals, had 28 assists with a total of 46 points. Um he I saw he had a negative plus minus. Um, I didn't use that stat for the first couple guys that uh we're gonna talk about. I I did, I thought it was significant for the last guy, uh Vincent DeSharis DeSharnes. I'll get to him in a second, but talking about Jordan Kyrie, everything I read about him, um, he's he's just a solid forward. He could definitely be a star in DC. Um he didn't play as much this year, but still, I think he still put up great stats. Um that was probably I would venture to say they didn't play him as much because they thought that they were gonna get a trade for him. But outside of that, man, I think he's he'll be a he'll be a solid player, um, great addition. And uh with how good the caps have been consistently for the past uh I don't know, two decades, I definitely trust this front office. And if they're gonna go get a guy, go get him. Just go get him. Um the next one, they signed another forward, Alex Tuch. Um he is I think he's coming from, I wish I would have wrote that down. I think he's coming from Buffalo. He played 79 games with 33 goals, 33 assists, with a total for 66 points. Um another another solid signing there. Uh, can't really complain about that, especially with Buffalo coming off. I mean, if if you play 79 games for a team, you were you were at least part of the reason that they went to the playoffs and made a little bit of a run. So really happy with that signing. Um signed forward Boone Jenner. I forget where he came from, but um he played 67 games, 13 goals, 25 assists, 38 points in total. I think this is just kind of a uh, you know, looking at the stats and looking at um just kind of reading up on him who he was. I think this is just kind of a depth piece. Um and they signed a defenseman in lieu of John Carlson leaving. I that's what it feels like. I don't know for sure. I'm just a fucking idiot with a mic. Um uh but they signed defenseman Vincent DeSharnes, and he played 53 games with one goal, six assists with seven points total, which does not sound impressive for the 2025 season. But I went back and looked at his stats. Um he had a he has a plus-minus of 16. He was he's plus 16 over his career. I found that pretty significant because that means the guy isn't scoring a lot. He's probably not handling the puck a whole lot, um, at least in in an offensive sense. But he's that when he's on the ice, he's probably playing a hell of a lot of defense because having a plus 16 over your career means you might he might not be scoring goals, but he's not giving up goals either. It seems like he's he's probably getting in front of the puck. I bet you if you look at him, I bet you he's missing a tooth. Um, so um I th I think that's a solid defenseman signing. Um I I wish I wish there was I wish I knew of a more way because if you just go on NHL.com, it's just like those basic stats. You get games played, goals, assists, points, and uh plus minus. You don't really get there and and maybe it's just hard in hockey to track those things, like and and maybe there maybe there was a way to like look at hits and da-da-da-da-da, but I just didn't get that deep because like I said, uh as far as outside of just watching hockey, uh, I'm a I'm a pretty casual fan. A, I think that's pretty obvious because I just admit it that I didn't know who the four guys were that I just rattled off um before before they got signed to the Capitol. So, but either way, man, I'm I'm getting excited. They did the front office did come out and say, like, hey, we made all of our signings, we're done. We're kind of I think they're just getting ready for the season at this point. And I I think there was a little bit of hinting at, you know, OV won't be really on that first, second line. Maybe he'll be like in the third, whatever it is, um, but he won't be like in that in that first line. I think they're gonna kind of put him not to the side, or like I don't know how to say it, or like not, it's not like benching him or anything, but he's definitely gonna um take a step back and let some of these young guys go out there and and get it done for sure. Um and I think some of these guys are probably pumped to to play for Ovi. I mean it it's like playing with LeBron at this point. Like you just want the you just want the the experience that a legend like that has on the team. So um I got a lot more to get to um with with the rest of the stuff. So I'm I think I'm gonna I think I'm gonna stop the NHL news there. I'm just gonna end it with I'm just I I'm pretty excited to to watch some hockey this fall going into going into winter and in and into I I I'd be colored shocked if we weren't a playoff team next year. So yeah, super excited about that. Um I watched some Nick Cross tape. I mean, I he's probably the player I watched the most because I couldn't really get a get a read on him, even though I love watching defense. So it did make it a little bit easier than like when I went and watched Chig, uh I did honestly watching a guy run route after route and just not get targeted, and he's like wide open in the flat. Like it just it just got boring to me. Um and they and they didn't really use him block, so so I didn't really get to watch him block either. Um anyways, um, but but I watched a lot of Nick Cross and and actually really enjoyed it. Um because the Colts had a good defense. So um, anyways, one of the things I saw, he was a good open field tackler. Um, he he honestly like there was a few plays that I saw out in the flat, and he he was able to just go get him and get him to the ground. Um I I didn't see any like massive hits from him, but uh like I think we saw we saw last year just being a bad tackling team is just you're you're just gonna give up a lot of shit. So I was happy to see that he was a good open field tackler. Um he he can come off the edge. I watched him come off the edge a couple of times and rush the passer, and and dude, pretty good, man. Like he has a quick first step. And listening to some of the Washington media coming out, a lot of guys are tough, like they're not really talking about his like ability, even though there's a lot to talk about there, they're just talking about his size, like they're like, dude, they you look at Nick Cross, and he's massive, and you know, he's big for the position and chiseled, and like he just just looks like a fucking strong dude. Um, he was lined up in many different spots. Honestly, I I was surprised when you when you went into NFL Pro, you'll look at where his alignment was with snaps. Majority of his snaps wasn't even in a safety position, it was actually in a linebacker position fitting a run. So it's nice to see, and I think if there was like one play, he was even lined up as a three technique. Um, but you you can put him anywhere. Um another thing, what uh while I'm talking about fitting a run, um, when he's lined up in those linebacker spots, he is not afraid. When that alley opens up, he is not afraid to meet you in a phone booth. Uh, I I watched him a few times go in and just lay it down on a guy. Uh so it it's definitely nice to see some fearlessness because I think we're gonna need that in this defense. Um, wide receivers seemed to struggle to block him. When I watched him, you know, make a tackle or or or go to fit to run or whatever it was, um, screen whatever, it seemed like wide receivers really, it didn't matter who it was, it really seemed uh to struggle to block him. Um when he there there were times when he when they lined him up front, um, and then you just see him like sprint back into coverage like all the way back to to wherever his zone is. Um and I think that'll be that'll be a pretty big quality when when we're talking about this Durante Jones defense being in this um 3-4 uh nickel, whatever it is, um that that's gonna be kind of the base for the commanders. Um it's I mean, we say we say a base defense, and we're talking, you know, usually we're talking 3-4, 4-3, but I think in today's modern NFL, I would love to be corrected if I was wrong on this. It almost feels like nickel is like the base defense for most teams. Um, but at least in this Naronte, uh at least in this new commander's defense, when we're talking about, you know, projecting it to be a 3-4, and you have a guy like Nick Cross who can blitz, who can drop into coverage, who can tackle, who can fit the run, he can pretty much just do it all. Now you have another chess piece that I think you can move around the defense, and the quarterback is gonna have a very hard time knowing who's coming, who's going. It's just gonna be really hard to read out. And so um it's it's just gonna be super versatile. Uh Colts matched him up against tight ends frequently. I watched him, you know, match up against Chig himself. I watched him match up against Kelsey, I watched him match up against multiple tight ends. So it does I it seemed like the Colts didn't view him as a complete mismatch against tight ends, which is which is a good thing. It it's it's nice to see that. Um my only criticism, my only criticisms of him was he seemed to be kind of late breaking to the ball on a few plays. Um but that could be him just doing his job first. I gotta go, I gotta go get this zone, I gotta go get this zone, and I'm not I'm not gonna I'm not gonna let anything behind me, and and that could be it. It could be just the way he was coached, or maybe he was just a lit just a and I'm talking it's a beat late. It's a beat late on the ball. Um but that's that's it. Uh I also wrote down that guards eat him up. Uh he didn't really do particularly but but I mean he's a 6'3, what what was he, 215, something like that? Two I know he's not 250, that's for damn sure. Um so honestly, that's like expected. Like if a guard doesn't isn't able to block a safety head up coming into the freaking A or B gap, uh that's probably not a very good guard, if you ask me. Um so with that, um, that was very like general going into going into Nick Cross. Um this kind of not completely wraps up. I I'm sure there's like I could probably go watch like Witherspoon or something, but I think I've watched enough of the you know signings to this defense to kind of see what the picture might be and to get excited for this defense. I'm excited to see, you know, you got you'll have like Owe, Payne, Dietrich Wise, uh uh who else am I forgetting? Um uh Javon Kenlaw, you'll have uh Johnny Newton, you'll have Dorence Armstrong who was dominating before he got hurt. I think everyone's sleeping on on Dorence Armstrong uh coming into the year just because they didn't get to see what he was doing. Um, so I I wouldn't be surprised if if he has another good year, and there's just a plethora they they really made this this uh edge and defensive line room deep. So and then we get to the linebacker room, which I'm most excited about with Leo Chanel, um uh uh Sonny Styles, and why am I forgetting the third uh Frankie Louvu? Frankie Louvu, and then you have Jordan McGee in there somewhere if you're running if you're running a 3-4. I bet I bet you if we get base 3-4, unless you're using like you know, Nick Cross or one of these um smaller guys to to like be a nickel. Um probably play nickel, stuff like that. Um but but I think about those three linebackers, and and I just get super excited. Like I remember talking about Leo Chanel earlier in the early earlier in the year, and he I mean I I was I was like done when I saw him take on a guard in the center and still make the tackle. I think it was on Justin Hill, on Justin Justice Hill, uh from the Ravens. And I I was when I saw that I I might have maybe just been a little too quick on it, but I felt like I saw all I needed to see from him just from that one play alone. So I'm really excited for him. I think about the idea of Sonny style and the fact that he still has a long way to go with development, and that's super exciting. That's not me saying, you know, he sucks, he's just he's a rookie, he's a rookie, and it's his second it this will be his third year playing linebacker. He started as a safety at Ohio State, and so wait, was he at Ohio State Dalton? I think he was at Ohio State, anyways. It doesn't matter. He started as a safety, I know that for sure. Um and so this is his third year with just the sheer raw athleticism. There's a lot of media coming out of camp saying he's just smart and well put together, and I I don't know if they'll give him the green dot. I'm more than sure that they'll make him earn it if they do. But I I think about that group. The secondary is the question mark for me. The cornerback room is the question mark for me. Because I think about the secondary, and Mikey Samurai still had a down year last year, but that was because there was a definitely a big difference at the beginning of the year when they had him inside playing a nickel position, and then when they put him outside. When they put him outside, he was better. When they had him inside, he wasn't he wasn't that good for whatever reason, whether it was scheme or for some reason he just doesn't because he played inside at at Michigan, maybe he just didn't play uh, you know, maybe just the inside position doesn't transfer very well from from college to the NFL. I I don't know, I I don't know what it is, but he just for some reason he just played better when he was at the outside corner position. Um I think about Trey Amos. He he got injured last year, but he was playing very well up until now. I've heard rumblings that people are kind of labeling him as the cornerback one. I don't know if I'm there yet. I don't know if this cornerback room has a true cornerback one, like true boundary corner, but if we did, I bet you Tramis would be the one to develop into that role. Um but but I just don't know yet. I only saw I saw 10 games last year. I saw 10 games last year, and I just don't think I just don't know. I just I just don't know yet um what he's gonna turn into or what what he's going to uh how he's gonna come off the injury. There I think there's a just a lot of variables there, but I am very confident that he is going to be a good cornerback for this for this team. I just don't know if he gets to like cornerback one status or if we're gonna have to, you know, trade or which I'm sure people just if if anybody listens to this, I'm sure somebody just eye rolled at that. But um, because of the Marshawn Lattimore trade going south, but um you could you could draft one, but whatever it is. I I I just there's still a question mark around the cornerback room. I think Amique Robinson is good, not great. I think um Nick Cross is good. He could be great depending on on the scheme of this defense. I think um and then we have Quan Martin. Quan Martin is the one where a lot of the guys that played in the NFL love Quan Martin, and I I understand why I am just I'm still stung from some of the big plays he let up. Like a guy can be good all they want, but if they can't just make the play when you need to make the play, when you can't make the tackle, when you need to make the tackle, I think about the Bears game. Um I mean that hurts. That hurts. Like, so I I do have confidence that he'll be good, that that he'll take a step forward this year, hopefully, but but that I mean the the whole secondary is just one big question mark. I think a Nick Cross signing helps solidify it and make makes it makes it better. Oh, and we still have Will Harris. We didn't get to see a whole lot of Will Harris because I think he got hurt in like game three of uh of last year. So hopefully we'll get um we'll get to see a lot more of Will Harris. Um Will Harris is is a definitely a a good good good piece. We just didn't get to see it last year, so we don't know. We just don't know. Um but overall, now that I've gone through you know the three levels of the defense, overall I'm excited for the idea. We don't know what this Durante Jones defense is going to actually be. Everyone's speculating that it's gonna be the blitz happy Brian Flores, this and that, but we don't know for sure until probably week one, week two. Honestly, we probably won't know what it's truly gonna be until about week five when when we see it all. And that's just my prediction. Um, because you're because you are putting in a new system, but I I just I get excited for a lot more of a versatile defense, a lot more positionless defensive football. I get I get excited about that, man. I get pumped for the idea of you know Sonny Styles being able to be in coverage or blitzing or fitting a run. I get excited about Leo Chanel doing the same thing. I get excited about Frankie Louvu being able to come downhill. I get excited. Excited about think thinking about you know what if you know Javon Kinlaw and DeRon Payne don't have to take on double teams the whole time. I get excited about Adaphe Owe and Calaevon Chase on getting after the quarterback. I I just I get really excited when I think about all of these things, and I missed so many other players. I miss so many other players. Um so yeah, I'm just I'm just super excited to to watch this defense. I I think this could be some of the better, not the best, not like Greg Williams or uh back in the day in the 80s, early 90s kind of defense, but um I definitely think this is one of the better defenses that we might have the privilege to watch this year in the Burgundy of Gold. Just so uh just uh uh football can't come quick can't come soon enough. It just can't come soon enough. Um one place we added depth to the cornerback room this past uh I think it's been week and a half, two weeks now. Anyways, uh we signed Russell Douglas. Uh he's coming, this is his uh maybe like fourth or fifth team. He played in Green Bay, he's coming from the Dolphins, he's a veteran guy. I am I never look at a headline of like commander sign veteran, blah blah blah. Like I am A-OK with signing veterans to one-year deals when you have some young talent, especially in this cornerback room with Mikey and Trey. Um, I I think just veteran presence aro around your younger guys, of just like, you know, uh because like I'm sure it's super helpful for to get different perspectives of how guys have hung around in the league, like Rasul Douglas, of like, okay, well, this is how I've prepped and this is what I do, and you know, I take care of myself this way, and da-da-da-da-da, and this is how you be a pro. Um you know, I think I don't I don't think it matters what industry you're in. I'm sure everybody is helpful with that. Everybody has has a mentor and has been in that mentee position. So I'm always super I I'm always very positive on just it doesn't matter if they're good or bad. If they've hung around in the league for 10 years and you sign them to a one-year deal, especially I'm sure this was a cheaper deal. You're not really breaking the bank for this guy. You're you're just adding you're just adding experience to to the quarterback room. Um and I'm I'm sure he can play too. I need to maybe I need to go watch that tape too. Um I'm sure he can play. But um, so I'll I'll never scoff at at a veteran signing like this. Um just to you know add a unk, as the kids would say. Is that what the kids say? I don't know. I feel like I I sound like an idiot now. Um anyways, um good signing. Can't can't really uh I'm not gonna complain about it, that's for sure. Especially adding depth to to a room that that's a question mark, that's for sure. Um I wrote last week, because I made these notes last week. I wrote, please do not sign Brandon Ayuk. This guy seems like he's a fucking head case. We we just don't need it. I would much rather just roll with the with the room that we have rather than sign this guy and add a cancer to the locker room with him like because somebody, you know, obviously somebody was yelling at Jaden Daniels because he was at the World Cup game in LA. They were like, fuck Brandon Ayuk, blah blah blah blah blah, went on and on and on. And he just laughed it off because what else is he supposed to do? Is he supposed to like react and like get after a fan, and now you got even more negative press about, you know, friggin' whatever the hell would come with all that? Like he just did what any other regular human I would have laughed it off, I'm sure. Like, because he's not even on the team. Yeah, I'm sure, you know, there's always been talk that they've been good friends and blah blah blah blah blah. But and then Brandon Ayuke took to Instagram again, which it's been a guilty pleasure of mine. I hate to admit it, it's been a guilty pleasure of mine whenever the Brandon Ayuk video comes out, and I'm like, oh, what's he what's he what dumb shit is he saying now? But it is you know, I I just I don't think he would be an addition, especially because he hasn't played football in a year and a half. Guys that haven't played in a while tend to not come back and play very good. I just don't think I I don't think I think it's just name value at this point. I don't think he would come back and and be any better than Luke McCaffrey or rookie Antonio Williams, uh, or you know, we got Van Jefferson in the building. We got we you know we s we got a few we got a few guys that that it could pan out. But that's just um that's just me. We have Chigakonqua who could also be the wide receiver too. You just don't freaking know. But I just I'm totally against signing this guy. Um if they do, I'm just I'm a I'ma I'ma just hope for the best. You know, because if they sign him and he balled out, then you know I'm I'm just gonna shut the fuck up, right? I'm I'm not gonna say anything after that. If he they sign him and he balls out, especially to a you know cheap one-year prove-it deal. But I've just everything I've seen, it's just the whole situation has just been weird. Um, I know he posted something kind of giving his side of the story to the 49ers and they fucked him over and yada yada yada. I just how the whole situation's been handled by him and and just it's I I just I don't like the signing. I don't like the signing for all of those reasons, and I don't really want to give this any more attention. Okay, so we're gonna go to the Nats. And it's it's been bumpy. Last time I talked to you guys, it was middle of June. I think we had just come off of two series wins after the after coming off of the very frustrating Phillies series, and I it's going into the all-star break getting swept feels feels pretty bad, and it's kind of solidifying everything I had been saying this whole time, that I don't think this is a serious contender, we're back below 500, by the way, and that we don't have a deep enough pitching staff in general, because while Lattell and Michaelis and Cade and Foster Griffin, who is an all-star, by the way, while all of those guys have been pitching very well at the rotational pieces, I just I look to this bullpen and I'm holding my breath and squishing my butt cheeks every time that they throw a pitch because I don't know if it they're gonna get through the inning or if they're gonna give up three home runs. I mean, it's just been absolutely ridiculous. Blake Butterra, he is just so damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. You know, you play the matchups and people bitch and the guy and and the guy gives up his stuff and and you know people bitch about it. And then you put out your guys that are supposed to be your better guys, and then they still blow the fucking game. And then it, you know, I'm sure as a fan, I I'm just like, dude, Blake, what do you what do you what what the fuck do you do at this point, buddy? I mean, well, well I don't I don't even know what to tell you at this point. I I feel like you know, seventh inning and on, you might as well just get bent, flip a coin, I don't know, something, throw a dart, whatever it is, because that's gotta be just as good as trying to do the analytics and shit because it's just that's just how bad the bullpen is. It just feels like it doesn't fucking matter who you put in. Clayton Beater will be good one night and then just totally fuck it up the next. I don't get it. I don't get it. Let me go over the standings just really, really quick. Um, so you in the NL East you've got it goes Atlanta, Philly, Miami, Washington, New York. And by the way, Miami, Washington, and New York lost their last three games going into the all-star break. If we could have just come away with one of those games, we could have at least caught up to Miami a little bit. Then you go to the wildcard standings, and we're sitting four games back, we're looking up at a lot of good teams ahead of us. So Chicago, Philly, and Miami are holding the wild card spots as of right now, and there is a lot of subject to change when I say that, because on the heels of Miami, you've got St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Arizona, San Diego, and then Washington. And oh, by the way, which then there's a big gap between Washington and Cincinnati, who I thought was going to be better this year. They're not. And so, but I look at this team and I just they've lost their last they just got swept. They just got swept. Um they got they uh they took the series against Houston, but they lost the series against Pittsburgh. Um, they took the series against against Boston and Baltimore, and I think that was the last time I had talked to you. So um it just feels really bad to just get swept, uh, lose, you know, lose two out of those three series, one of them getting swept. Um, and in the way they did it, they were ahead every single one of those games against the Yankees, and then the bullpen game in and gave up home runs. I mean, what the fuck are you supposed to do with that? Excuse me. Um I I know that people are, you know, I know that the offense was supposed to, you know, they they had a lot more opportunities to get runs across. Um, it was a lot of solo home runs. But it just, you know, this bullpen has just been very volatile. They never it never feels like the other team is out of it. The Philly series was probably the most frustrating thing I'd ever watch outside of this Yankee series and the Giants collapse. Um they blew a lead against the Pirates. They could have um took they could have took that series if they didn't blow that lead. And they almost blew a six-run lead to the Astros. I almost forgot about that. I'm glad I fucking wrote it down because we needed to score 12 runs to win that game. I'm how do you need to score? You needed to score 12 runs. You needed to do that because James Wood hits a grand slam, puts the team up 12 to 6, and then all of a sudden it's the ninth inning, and then there's two, there's a it was like there was a runner on first, maybe set maybe a runner on second. I can't totally remember. It's it was a while ago. And I'm sitting here like, oh my god, they might blow another big lead. You know, it's just the last six outs of these games just feel like a massive mountain decline because of how bad this bullpen is, and it's so frustrating because I think about I was I was thinking about it today while I was taking a walk, while I was on my break at work, and it was just like if you gave this team a middle-of-the-road bullpen, they would be comfortably, comfortably in a wild card spot. Because they they win, uh you know, half of those blown saves turn into W's now, right? And not that all of them were, I think I'm sure some of those blown saves were still wins, even though they blew the save, but still, like there's a lot more wins on the card than there is losses. And I don't think we're looking at 48 and 49 going, what the hell is wrong with this bullpen? We're we're probably sitting above 50 wins, either knocking on a door of a wild card spot, or we're we're holding a wild card spot like like the Cubs or the Phillies are doing right now. And it it's just been it's just so frustrating to think about it that way. And it it's also super frustrating because the way this team has been losing I think has really taken away a lot of the great things that that this team's been doing because we have the best offense in baseball. We have a better offense than the Dodgers, than the Phillies, than the Yankees, than the Cubs, then than everybody that was supposed to be better than us. You know, and it's frustrating to think about that when you know it's I I want to think about those things. I want to give credit to, you know, I want to give credit to Foster Griffin, who's an all-star pitcher in his 30-year-old rookie year. I'm using air quotes over here. Um I I wanna I want to talk about all the good things, but because they're losing in the fashion that they are, it's just so hard. It's it's like it's like when the offensive line is bad. You just that's all you bitch about. It's like, oh, the offensive line is just fucking trash. It's like, well, yeah, if they had an offensive line, I wonder what they could do. It it feels like that, and I just hate it. So with that, I'm gonna quit bitching, and I'm gonna go talk about some good things. Um, a few good things before I go back to maybe looks like I have a I have a Butera complaint to file, like he gives a shit. Um Wood, here's one good thing that I've seen in the past two weeks of some Nationals baseball. Wood went into a slump in the Philly series, but he got right out of it. He was lost at the plate for that week of baseball, and he he got out of it, and now every single game of the New York series, he hit a home run in the first inning. And I think two of those, he hit the first pitch out of the park. This guy is absolutely on fire, and it's been so fun to watch it. Excuse me. Damn, I got I'm burpee. I'm burpee. Um it's been so fun to watch this guy just stay at the plate and hit the ball. It's been fun to watch him, you know, play defense. He's just been he's been one of the high like major, major highlights of the season. Um I would be I I'm I'm going to predict that there's a big extension coming this guy's way. Uh there I I would be I I'd be surprised if they ain't writing it up right now. Um he had he had a grand slam and first inning homers against the Astros when they played the Astros. Um when I at the time that I typed this up, he had eight first inning home runs. And now I think he has nine, ten first inning home runs. I think it's nine. I'm not sure. Anyways, he is absolutely crushing the ball, and it's so fun to watch. Luis Garcia has been absolutely on fire. The he kind of he kind of cooled off against the New York Yankees, which is fine, because he had been on an absolute heater. He caught up to CJ Abrams and James Wood Knopps in that in that little two and a half week stretch since the last time I got on this mic and talked shit. He was absolutely crushing it. Foster Griffin has been killing it in his starts. He's been going like seven deep, giving up one to two runs. How can you complain about that? And and he got himself into an all-star spot. Foster Griffin is absolutely killing it. I'm so happy for that guy because he was in the MLB. He got he he um I don't want to say he got kicked out. Maybe you can say it like that. Anyways, he had to go to Japan. He went to Japan, balled out enough for the Nats to give him a shot, and and he is just taking this opportunity that he has and absolutely running with it. It has been so fun to watch. He is the ace of the Washington Nationals with Cade Cavalli being on his heels. And I'm not gonna talk about the all the Cade Cavalli controversy shit. Um I was going to talk about it until I didn't get on the mic and uh addressed it because I was gonna address it that week, but it is what it is. It's it's water on the bridge now. Um no absolutely nobody's talking about it anymore. So who really gives a shit? But Cade Cavalli, he in that game, he had 13Ks. He was now the next outing kind of sucked because he was like, I couldn't really sleep very well, and uh he said he got dehydrated, and that really sucked for him, but you know, is what it is. But then this next outing, I think he gave up a couple of runs, but he was still pretty solid. It was the bullpen that fucked it up yet again. Um one I I the one complaint I wanted to file with Blake Butera is I just I just wish he would stop taking out Garcia for Chaparro. I couldn't remember what game it was, but the reason he gave for taking out Garcia and putting in Chaparro was because of how good that he's he said it wasn't about who the batter was, and it was everything about who the pitcher was. Um, and that pitcher was really, really fucking good against lefties. I will give Blake Butera that. But here's where I think analytics goes wrong. I think in every fucking sport, I don't give a shit which one it is. This is where I think analytics goes wrong, is it doesn't take into account that in this is the I'll use this specific situation as an example. And I'm not saying if Garcia would have hit in that spot that he would have gotten a hit or did well, maybe he would have fucking struck out too, who knows? But when you've got a guy on a heater that Luis Garcia was on, and you have a guy like Andres Chaparro, who has not been hitting very well, especially in pitch hitting spots, I think you take your chances on the guy that's hot, regardless of who's on the mound. I think instead of it being everything about who the pitcher was, I think it should be about who who's hot at the as as the batter right now. Like, if you know, if a guy's hot, you just keep giving him the opportunity. I don't give a shit who's on the mound. You just keep riding a hot hand, I think, sometimes. Um like I get it. I let me back up just a little bit. I get it. I absolutely get it that you look at the stats and you go, okay, this guy's like I mean lefties I think were hitting sub 100 against this guy. Um but it wasn't zero, I guess. And I don't know, man, and Chaparro, he he just he hasn't been doing it in pitch hitting spots. He's he's pinch hit a bunch since uh since I've last last been on the mic, but I just don't think I I I don't know, man. I it I don't know, man. And and then the way the bullpen's been pitching, I I guess it really doesn't fucking matter what you do. You know. Um whatever. I it's hard to say. I think there's just a lot I I think the bullpen is just like the overarching problem. Like I could sit here and talk about these stupid little micromanage-y, you know, do you pinch hit them, do you not? And I and I I don't know. I'm just uh I'm just the kind of guy you ride that thinks you ride the heart hot hand regardless of what the analytics say. Um, unless you have a good pinch hitter. Like if you have a good pinch hitter, uh, you know, yeah, I think you make that move. If you can put in Oh do we have any good right-handed hitters? Um Man, there's gotta be somebody I'm missing. Anyways, anyways, if you have a good pinch hitter, I'm sure, I'm sure that move makes a lot more sense. But when it's got Garcia, who had been hitting like a home run every game, hitting doubles, crushing RBIs, catching up in in uh and ops to your two best hitters who happen to be top ten hitters in the league. I I don't think that's far-fetched to say. I'm sure I could go find some stats and find and probably come to the conclusion that Wood and Abrams are top ten hitters in the league. But hey, um it happened. It this is those decisions have been made. He makes a hell of a lot more money and lose a and has probably forgot more about baseball than I'll ever know. Um it's just it's just it's just goofy. It feels it feels like here's what it feels like. Last year, when Cliff Kingsbury, I remember saying, you know, like, I think we're getting too cute with the play calls because it would be all this kind of like tricky shit. I know one of them was like, you know, Jane Daniels did a ring around a rose. And you know, handed the ball off or something. And we would just it it was just too cute. And I feel like, right, I feel like some of these moves, it just feels like we're getting too cute. And uh that that might be that might be the problem that I have with it. Um But yeah. Um I I'll I'll get off my soapbox about because traditionally I think I kind of just fucking hate analytics. Um well I don't hate analytics. I'm coming around on analytics. I'm definitely coming around on analytics. Um but there are some points in games where I'm just like like in football, I'm just like, just take the like it's the first quarter, just take the fucking points and get on the board, you know. Um I had a fun little question here. I'm just gonna completely abandon everything I was just saying and pivot into that. Because I was wondering, I was like, the ninth spot behind James Wood, I I think I think the ninth spot in general is starting to become one of the more important uh batting spots in baseball. Because if you can if you have a guy that can hit the ball in the ninth spot and then you're bringing up the top of your lineup, that like I mean, because the way I thought about it before is like your ninth hitter is usually like where your pitcher was, if if you remember the old National League days, like it was just your worst hitter, and fuck it, right? But lately I've been like, man, if you if you have a good hitter in that ninth spot and you can bring the top of the lineup around on it, you know, and so I had a question here of Nunez or Ruiz in the ninth spot, because both I think are kind of middle of the road hitters, but can hit the ball. Um, I think Ruiz is a better hitter than Nunez. I think he's proven that, but Nunez is so much better on the bases, and so it's like which one's gonna it's a fight between like who's actually gonna get on base and then who's gonna run the bases better because Ruiz is slow, as as much of a step forward as he's taken this year. He's so slow, dude. He's so fucking slow, but he's been hitting decent. I don't think even lately, I don't think he's been terrible. He hasn't been, you know, hitting into double plays like he was last year. Um and then Nunez, he went on a small heater for about a week. Um, he's definitely cooled off. But he's quick. I mean, he leads the league in stolen bases for a reason because he's a good fucking base runner. He can he's good at stealing. He's he's good at these things. He's you know, he's easy to get around. So I would love um anybody that I'm shouting to in to the void, you know, whether you think it's you know Nunez or Ruiz or anybody else. Maybe somebody else is better, you know, in that ninth spot, or maybe you maybe it still holds true that you just put your shittiest hitter in the ninth spot, whatever it is. Um shit, they had that uh they had a guy get his first hit ever. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because honestly, that some of these lineups have been so daggone goofy. I've watched Jacob Young hit in the third spot, and I thought that was goofy, but then we call up a guy from Rochester that we had traded for when we got McKenzie, when we traded away again McKenzie Gore for the uh Rangers. Um he uh he got his first double, congrats to him. Um but uh let me let me look up his name real quick because um he he deserves he deserves that freaking shout out. Um let's see, let's see, let's see. Who was it? Dog on it? Um anyways, uh congrats congrats to him on on getting the first MOB hit. Like that's kind of major. Um that that that's a that's a big deal. Family was there. I think that's uh really cool. Um but um my my point is that it's been it's been goofy. It's been goofy lineups, man. Like I'm not even gonna I'm not even gonna um not even gonna lie to you. Curtis meade Jordan Viva, someone I don't have it. Um I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, everybody. Um anyways, I think his name is Ortiz, I'm pretty sure his name is Orte Ortiz. Let me see the box. Uh yep, Ortiz. Um Bemelec Ortiz. I hope I said that right. Um but he yeah, he he got his first MOB hit, but he was batting third. He was batting third, a Kai you called up. So it's been goofy, man. It's been goofy, and it's been it's overall with all the bitching that I've done for the past 15, 20 minutes, has been it's been fun. Um it's definitely been been fun. So I can't I can't I definitely as frustrating as it is, I can't say this team is boring. I cannot say that this team is boring. Um so I I did have a few other points about, you know, I wish the starting rotation would elevate the floor a little bit. Uh I don't think ever since then. I I don't think um I I I just don't think there's anything. This pitching staff is just so absolutely fucking bad, because at any point Lattel or Michaelis or you know, Alvarez gave up a few runs in that last game um when he relieved. Uh we need Jake Irvin back. We definitely uh we definitely need Jake Irvin back. I need to go find out some news on him. Um anyways, this this past uh ten minutes has been, or at least past you know, three minutes has been uneventful because I was blanking on a guy's name. If uh so I think I'm I think I'm gonna leave you guys here. Yeah, bullpen stinks, but it's alright. Because in the grand scheme of things, the team is way better than it was. The commanders will be better than they were, the caps will be better than they were, and hopefully um I might I might start getting back into the NBA. Uh, but I don't know, that shit's fucking rigged. After that, you know, what was it uh Malik something or or Beasley or something? I don't know. Was it Malik Beasley? Is that what his name was? Anyways, guy gambling on his own frickin' stats. Um that shit is just fucking that's one of the it's the most corrupt league in the in in all sports. I don't know if I'd feel like giving it the time of day. Um then I saw everybody was saying AJ DeBonsa was flopping in the summer league game, and I I don't know. Some of those maybe he was trying to draw I some of those he definitely flopped, and I was like, come on, dog, this is what you do the first game of the year after everybody got to bitching about SGA. Anyways, um, like I was saying, Nats are better, commander should be better, and the caps will be better. I'm very confident that the Capitals will be get will be better. Um if you made it this far, if anyone other than the bots in Virginia and Oregon have been have been listening to this, um thank you so much. Appreciate you. Um and I will catch you guys. I will I don't know if I'll get uh um I'm pretty busy next week. I've been pretty busy in general, that's why I haven't been been um releasing episodes. But um I don't I'm pretty busy next week, I don't think I'll I'll get on here. Um I'm pretty sure the week after first week is that the first week of August? No, no, it's the last week of July, not quite there yet. We're almost a football season, boys. Let's go. Um, anyways, go Nats, go commanders, go caps. I'll talk to you guys in two weeks.