Posted by DangerNat on 2 Jul 2008 8:35 am. Filed under
2008 Season.

Newly minted Nationals starting pitcher Collin Balester looks like Jeff Faley from 1992’s film The Lawnmower Man. This isn’t a bad thing because that movie was awesome and is completely underrated. So the NQ dubs Collin Balester with his gangsta name: The Lawnmower Man.
And like a real lawnmower man, he shredded the Fish in five innings only giving up one hit, with one earned run, three walks, and three strike outs in receiving his first major league win in his major league debut as the Nats crush the Marlins 9-6.
“He’s got good stuff, it’s just a matter of him harnessing it a little bit,” said Paul Lo Duca, who finished the night 2-for-4 and was behind the plate mostly to ease Balester through his first start. “He’s got an electric fastball and an electric curveball, and he’s going to be a good pitcher for a long time.
That’s great to hear, especially from TOAST who has had more Playboy Playmates and probably more car batteries clamped to his nipples than I will ever have. He in essence, is the very definition of “electric.”
The Nationals offense cleaned up with a Ronnie Belliard grand slam, the second of his career. Nine runs would give any team a comfortable lead, but not the Washington Nationals. The bullpen once again started to implode allowing the Marlins to get back in the game twice. Then in the ninth a similar situation arose for Jon Rauch like the other night when he allowed a walk-off homerun, however, the Big Wookiee returned to form and got out of it for his 17th save.
Other than Roger Bernadina, the top of the Nats line-up has slowly come to life. Guzman and Dukes are ripping it up, Belliard is hitting well, and even Young somehow fits himself onto the base paths. These four guys have really turned it up and since doing so, this team has not become an easy pushover. Now if they can just get the bullpen to make itself a little more formidable, this team would be in decent shape going into the second half.
Yes, that is a hint of optimism you hear in my words. It is like a nuclear blast going off and in the middle of the devastation remains a small bit of invaluable, fragile, life that can be easily crushed underfoot. I know you think I am talking about a rose or something, I am not. I am more thinking like a cockroach, those little bastards that can survive anything. Don’t mess with my cockroach optimism because with all the radiation in the air it could grow three heads and a set of teeth and maul you if your not careful.