October 3, 2013
Sports F2
silverchips
Nationals fall short of fan expectations
After last year’s successful streak, Nats decline By Alex Frandsen The Washington Nationals don’t suck. If there’s any consolation to take from this season, that would be it. With a .517 winning percentage, they’re almost certain to become just the second team in franchise history to notch a winning record. But when the 2013 MLB season comes to a close, the only emotion most Washington fans will feel is disappointment. There will most likely be no playoffs this year in D.C., and after last year’s breakthrough, that’s really the only barometer of success. Once you’ve tasted October baseball, anything else is bitter. It’s safe to say that the city had a fully-blown crush on the team heading into the season. And after a 98-win season last year, it was completely justified. With stud muffins like Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, and Ryan Zimmerman patrolling the field, expectations were exceptionally high. Not only was talk of going to the World Series widespread, it was realistic, too. The pitching staff looked outstanding, the offense seemed strong, and the bullpen was solid. But then, unfortunately, the season started. The Nationals played average baseball for the first three months of the season, and followed that up with an awful July, coming
out with a dismal record of 11-16. By the time the month ended, they were 11 and a half games back in the division, and fourth in the wildcard race. August and September were much more successful, but the hole was too deep. It’s hard to blame the performance of the team on just one thing in particular. The offense became one of the more mediocre units in the league, and former contributors like Drew Storen and Danny Espinosa suddenly lost the ability to play baseball. The top three starters in the rotation were solid, but the other two spots were sketchy, as Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler suffered from either being terrible or being injured, and sometimes both (Detwiler managed only 13 starts this year, and Haren needed a hot streak to get his ERA below 5). But perhaps the most important factor that fan’s disappointment this season was simply having ridiculously high hopes. In the past five years, only three teams have improved upon a season of 95 wins or more, and those teams are the Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees. Not only are those some of the classic franchises in baseball, they have some of the most experience, too. The Nationals are the fourth youngest team in the MLB, and although that’s a blessing in many ways, it’s also a
curse. Much of the Nationals core group of players is still developing, including Bryce Harper, probably the most talented player on the team. He’s not even allowed to drink legally yet, and if he were a normal human being and not some creature made in a lab to play baseball, he’d still be in college right now. With youth like that on the team, a few speed bumps can be expected. The season was not a complete disaster, even if D.C. fans act like it. In all likelihood, the 2013 Nationals will finish with the second best record in franchise history, and there were a number of bright spots on the team. Outfielder Jayson Werth’s play has been nearly as dazzling as his facial hair since returning from the disabled list in June, and he’s currently fourth in the league in batting
average. Shortstop Ian Desmond has quietly solidified himself as one of the premier offensive shortstops in the game,
KYLE DESIDERIO
with 20 homeruns and 71 runs batted in under his belt. And Denard Span, after a disappointing first couple months with team, is in the midst
of a 23 game hitting streak. Although Harper has missed a significant amount of games to injury, his presence and swagger have been impressive. Plus, he’s kept the teenage girl (and boy) audience tuned in through the rougher stretches of the season. For the ridiculously optimistic fans out there, there’s still some hope (“Some” being generous). The Nationals aren’t technically out of the race for a playoff spot, but barring some miracle from the baseball gods, there won’t be any playoff baseball in Nationals Park this fall. And while that’s disappointing, it shouldn’t dampen the mood of any fan for too long. With another year of experience, the young core should improve next season, and there’s an entire offseason to address team needs. Missing the playoffs is a downer, but chances are that the Washington Nationals will be back in the postseason sooner rather than later. They weren’t absolutely awful this year, and that’s more than we Nats fans could say just three seasons ago.
Fall sports teams: 2013 season update from SPORTS UPDATE page on F1 Field Hockey Varsity Field Hockey (2-2) is confident after their 9-5 record last season. The team carried this self-assurance into their first game against Northwood, winning 5-1, and after suffering a two-game losing streak against Clarksburg and Walter Johnson, the team recovered with a win against Bethesda-Chevy Chase. The girls demonstrated their adaptability to unfavorable conditions during their season opener. “They adapted to the field, which wasn’t so great,” head coach Candace Thurman said. The Blazers’ chemistry was also pertinent to their success. “We’re very close,” senior captain Susannah Merrill said, describing the tight-knit team, “and we know how to communicate.” The Clarksburg game emphasized the team’s need to learn to make quick decisions using their tactical skills, HOCKEY Allison which would have come to use when Clarksburg scored with three minutes left in the game. “We need to score more often with pressure and work on switching fields,” Merrill said, emphasizing the importance of knowing how to pass the ball to and from
different sides of the field. Thurman, on the other hand, believes the most pressing problem is field awareness. “We need to work on positioning and having a greater visual of the field,” she said. In addition to the necessary improvements, the team must deal with the loss of a few key players, such as middle Zoe McCarthy and goalie Mattie Cohen, who both graduated last year. “Zoe in the middle was a real sparkplug, and we had a very observant, mature goalie, Mattie,” Thurman praised. The senior losses worried Merrill, but, as the season has progressed, she has seen skill in her teammates, such as sophomore forwards
vance far into the playoffs after being eliminated during the first round against Blake with a score of 0-2 last season. “I really want to get past the second round,” Merrill said. However, every two years, the schools’ schedules are realigned, which added high-ranking schools such as Clarksburg, B-CC, Good Counsel, and Wootton to Blair’s schedule. Thurman admitted that the new schedule will be more challenging. “We have a tough schedule,” she said. At the very least, Thurman says she would like the girls to match their record from last season. “I’m hoping to equal our record, which might be very hard,” she admitted. “We might have a record that isn’t as good, but we will be going against better teams.” Cross Country
Chen dodges a BCC defender. Anna Reachmack and Madeleine Boyer, and senior midfielder Jenna Kanner. “Anna and Maddie score a lot, and Jenna is a very good, fast midfielder,” Merrill said. By making the necessary improvements, the team is hoping to ad-
Despite an opening loss, Blair’s Cross Country team (1-1) enters the new school year riding on the momentum gained from last season’s end, in which both the girls’ KYRA SEIGER and boys’ varsity squads posted winning records. The girls (5-0) dominated the competition while the boys (3-2) secured their first winning season in several years. Expectations for this season are high, as the Blazers strong performance at counties last
fall resulted in the team getting bumped up a division, from D II to D III. Junior captain Jack Murphy acknowledged the challenge of running in an elevated division. “The teams in Division II are much better than in Division III,” he says. However, he believes the team can handle the competition. “We’re just going to try and run well and stay competitive in most of our races,” Murphy said. Much of the Blazers’ success this season is dependent on whether they adhere to principles from last year. Great teamwork during races accounted for many of the team’s victories in the previous season. “We did a really good job last year running as a pack, staying together, and pushing each other in races,” said Murphy, “so we want to carry that through this year.” Although Cross Country consists of individual runner’s competing, it takes the collective efforts of an entire team to win a race. Fortunately, maintaining the team chemistry from last year should not be difficult for the Blazers. The team lost few seniors and returns the same two head coaches. “We were lucky we didn’t have that many seniors that left,” Murphy said. The biggest changes for the team comes through the acquisitions they’ve made. Jeremy Gagnon and Laura Shonkwiler are fast incoming freshman to watch out for, and star sophomore Alex Mangiaifico is healthy after missing a majority of last season due to injury. With prior success and new talent, Blair Cross Country is poised for another big season. Crew Blair’s Crew Team is optimistic
about how the team will perform this season due to improvements they have made since last fall. The focus of the fall season is conditioning, rather than rowing, in order to build strength and power for spring. In addition, the recruitment that occurred throughout the year has resulted in a large number of varsity rowers, who have allowed the team to enter many boats in competitions. “The big pool of varsity is going to let us create the best lineups,” senior captain Cailyn Keely said. The coaches and captains have attributed the large team to the rowers’ welcoming character. “They’re very inclusive,” land coach Jodi Gail said, “They want anyone who wants to join to come give it a try.” The adaptability of the team also contributes to the team’s growing progress. “When things go wrong, we don’t panic. We can work through any problems that might show up,” senior Grant Tipton said. However, in order to make progress, the rowers must attend practice regularly. The captains and coaches recognize that this does not always happen, so they emphasize the importance of attendance. “We want to see all the rowers showing up to all the practices,” Keely said. The captains have been observing the new varsity rowers, and say they have seen a lot of potential in junior Emily O’Brien and sophomore Andrew Fuchs due to their strength, power, technique and commitment. The team plans to record themselves while rowing in order to improve their technique enough to send some boats to Nationals.