The real story here, of course, is that the win statistic suddenly seems a little trivial. Baseball experts across the board have always agreed that wins are the definitive pitching statistic. ERA? WHIP? Maybe those nerds at the acronym factory are on to something, because a zero-pitch win just doesn't seem right. Then again, Embree was up against the Nationals, and everyone wins against the Nationals.
I commit my fair share of typos. It's an unfortunate consequence of writing things on the Internet. But if I instead stitched my posts, letter by profane letter, onto a quilt or throw pillow or something, you'd better believe that there would be no mistakes.
Some important news and notes from the warped minds at The Dugout:
1. Our annual Spring Training event (hilariously named "Spring Dugz" by Nick), where we cover a different team every day for 30 days, begins on Monday. So if you like ... I don't know, the Astros, be sure you don't miss out. 2. From here on out I won't be "B" anymore, but B. Thompson Stroud. Check the byline. Same letter, same guy, same esoteric jokes about wrestling. 3. Above the words here is an old picture of Dmitri Young being run over by a clownish car, because I felt that image best expresses the 2009 Washington Nationals season.
Now that that's all out of the way, enjoy tonight's Dugout, part 2 of Nationals Lampoon, after the jump.
The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.
The Nationals made it official Thursday, inking slugger Adam Dunn to a two-year, $20 million deal and introducing him in Washington. Dunn fills a glaring need for the Nats -- left-handed power -- but he also creates a roster crunch that general manager Jim Bowden will have to clear up before the team heads north for the start of the season.
Of course, Washington isn't the only club with a bit of a logjam heading into Spring Training. Here are a look at five rosters that will need to be un-cluttered in the coming six weeks, and how they might be.
What does this mean for the Twins? Obviously it means "we are trying to do something to light a fire under Delmon's ass so he stops playing defense like that." It could also mean Delmon being traded, hopefully to the Nationals, because that would be really hilarious and awesome.
A great topic for the next session of the SpeculationStation: Exactly how famous do you have to be to get upset when somebody doesn't recognize you? And once you've reached that level of fame, how famous do you have to be until only other famous people will do?
Some baseball guy named Larry Jones tries to sympathize with the greatest all-around sports hero of his generation in today's Dugout, after the jump.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first: the Nationals are not a good baseball team. We knew that would be the case coming into the season. What seems clear after another devastating day for the club, is that they're also a pretty unlucky bunch.
Ryan Zimmerman is already out for most of the rest of the season with a tear in his labrum. Before Tuesday night's game against the Angels, Washington announced that first baseman Nick Johnson will miss the rest of 2008 with a wrist injury. Then pitcher Shawn Hill was torched for eight runs (six earned) by the Halos in three innings. Hill, looked physically broken down and has pitched with forearm pain all season. It was decided immediately after the game he would go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for a re-evaluation of his arm, an ominous decision considering his lengthy history of arm trouble.
If you're keeping score at home, the Nats have lost the cornerstone in their grand franchise rebuilding effort (Zimmerman), the player who led the team in VORP in 2006, the last time he was healthy for a full season (Johnson) and they might lose the pitcher who led all Washington starters in VORP last year (Hill). They already have the second fewest wins in the majors, and things are probably going to get worse. You almost have to feel bad for them.
Q: LeBatard, what's your views on Tiger and whether or not he's an athlete and if he is, where does he rank among other greats?
LEBATARD: not an athlete.....what he does is a skill, not a sport....it is like being a brain surgeon or a seamstress.....golf isn't a sport....you can't be eating an apple during key moments of athletic triumph.....that said, he's a better athlete than everyone else doing that.....but it isn't a sport when someone carries your stuff and the most grueling thing you do is walk
Wow, that's short-sighted. Maybe LeBatard was joking (Mr. Tony plays golf!), but let's assume he wasn't. What makes an athlete? That's kinda tough to answer, but does anybody consider Dmitri Youngmore of an athlete than Woods? And is baseball more of a "sport" than golf? I mean, didn't Manny take a water bottle with him to left field a few years ago? Is that any better than eating an apple (or in Young's case, a pizza)?
Instant replay. Baseball might have instant replay, but instant replay would require instant replay. The issue of instant replay has been an instant replay for years now, only complicating the matter of instant replay. On one hand, instant replay. Of course that raises the issue of instant replay. This, in turn, creates the problem of not being able to have instant replay without instant replay. Personally, I instant replay. I've instant replayed since I was a small instant replay. Instant replay is a completely natural and instant replay thing. Baseball purists who instant replay the issue need to instant replay themselves and stop instant replaying the matter at hand.
At the start of the video clip below, courtesy of the D.C. Sports Bog, you'll see Dmitri Young of the Nationals booting a play at first base. Keep watching, though, because he more than makes up for it in the at-bat that follows.
Watching him jiggle about while running is almost hypnotic. I can't believe he had the strength left to do his little hand dance at the end. And it's all for naught! Obviously another vote for instant replay on home runs but the best part is that, replay or no, we wouldn't be robbed of watching the Meat Hook willing himself to third base.
Had it been a triple, it would have been the 30th of Young's big league career. That would make him 73rd among active players, most of whom aren't forced to lug quite so much baggage around the bases with them. Nor are they quite as much fun to watch when they chug their way around the bases.
On Tuesday night's game between the Nationals and Rockies, Alan Embree earned the win without even throwing a pitch. For one night, at least, he got to live the life of a fantasy baseball team owner.
I commit my fair share of typos. It's an unfortunate consequence of writing things on the Internet. But if I instead stitched my posts, letter by profane letter, onto a quilt or throw pillow or something, you'd better believe that there would be no mistakes.
The 
All Twins, all the time! We just 
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in 
Instant replay. Baseball might have instant replay, but instant replay would require instant replay. The issue of instant replay has been an instant replay for years now, only complicating the matter of instant replay. On one hand, instant replay. Of course that raises the issue of instant replay. This, in turn, creates the problem of not being able to have instant replay without instant replay. Personally, I instant replay. I've instant replayed since I was a small instant replay. Instant replay is a completely natural and instant replay thing. Baseball purists who instant replay the issue need to instant replay themselves and stop instant replaying the matter at hand.
