The Oscillating Fan

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(Posted 8-9-26)

Greetings from The Booth!

What a difference 8 games makes. Think about it. 8 games in a 162-game Major League baseball season is a proverbial drop in the bucket, but in this 2026 Washington Nationals campaign, 8 games recently changed the direction and philosophy of the team.

It’s said that over the course of a full MLB season, a team’s strengths will be revealed, and it’s weaknesses exposed. Going into last weekend’s key series against the Atlanta Braves, the Nats were one of the top offensive teams in all of baseball, and despite a suspect starting rotation and terrible bullpen, were finally relevant after a 7-year rebuild. With his analytical approach to the game, Manager Blake Butera had the Nationals 2 games over .500 and in the thick of the Wild Card race.

Then, they were exposed. In a 4-game sweep by the Braves, Washington proved to be a pretender, not a contender. While Atlanta came up with the clutch hits and made stellar defensive plays, the Nats left numerous runners on base, and in the field, threw the ball around like little leaguers. Oh, and let’s not forget the “Gas Can Gang,” who wasted several solid efforts by Nats starting pitchers by giving up late-inning runs with games on the line. It didn’t take an analytical genius to see who the better team was in the series.

By the time Monday rolled around, the Nationals went from buyers to sellers, and ahead of the trade deadline dealt Curtis Meade, Luis Garcia, Jr., and Foster Griffin. Garcia led the league in slugging percentage, while Griffin posted a 12-3 record with the Nats.

While the Nationals received some promising prospects in return, namely some much-needed arms, the malaise of the trades and the 4-game sweep by Atlanta carried over into the next series in Philadelphia, where former Nats Bryce harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber had their way with Washington, winning 3 of 4. And just like that, the season was effectively over. Going into the trade deadline I was, like lots of Nats fans, all in on a possible postseason run. Just days later, I did a complete 180.

But hold everything. Like the oscillating fan that I am, I may be changing direction once again. After a 3-game weekend sweep of the Reds (their first series sweep since mid-April), the Nationals are clawing their way back to .500, and maybe with any kind of win streak, can get back in the conversation. I know, it’s a stretch.

No matter what happens with regard to the postseason, it could still be a fun remainder of August and September. CJ Abrams, still a National, is worth the price of admission. Former Yankee Yovanny Cruz gives Washington a live arm out of the pen who can hit triple digits. Cade Cavalli has been looking like an ace recently. And Trevor Williams is back and has pitched to a 0.00 ERA since his return. Although Abrams probably won’t be with the team next season, I’m filled with hope for 2027 (if there’s baseball).

But, check back with me the next time the Nats lose 3 in a row…

Until the next Visit from the Booth…GO NATS!

RW

 

 

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Barking Baseball

The R-Dog and Duke are back for the Sports Dogs and barking baseball and the start of football season.

The Dogs discuss:

  • 10-U Little League State Tournament
  • Winchester Royals VBL Championship series
    • Recorded before Royals winning Game 3 and claiming the Championship
    • For more on the decisive victory, click HERE
  • Nats trade deadline
  • Commanders training camp begins
  • and more…

Available HERE on The River 95.3 online, iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

Brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC. Let Dave add some curb appeal, AND save you money on those energy bills! Visit them at https://energywindowsllc.com

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Sports Dogs Podcast: Barking Baseball

The Dogs are back together and as we get into the “Dog Days” of August and are barking baseball and Commanders. Brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC. Let Dave add some curb appeal, AND save you money on those energy bills! Visit them at https://energywindowsllc.com

Buy or Sell…and Training Camp Opens

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(Posted 7-28-26)

Greetings from The Booth!

Well, it’s been a minute since we got together. I got back last week from a nice week off, and a relaxing vacation at Deep Creek Lake, where I played a round of golf, ate very well, and as I always do, watched a fair amount of The Open Championship, as well as the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. A lot of folks in the lake house were glued to the FIFA World Cup. I must admit, once the USA was eliminated, I checked out. As the late NFL great Sonny Randle would say, if a soccer game broke out in my backyard, the shade wouldn’t go up.

We’re kind of in a down time in sports, with baseball’s “dog days” approaching, and football season not quite here, but I did want to weigh in on those two sports, specifically your Washington Nationals and Washington Commanders. We’ll start with the Nats. As of this post, the Nationals are a hair above .500 at 54-53 after last night’s loss to Toronto.

(Sidebar: it was really strange seeing former Nats’ great Max Scherzer in a Blue Jays uniform last night. In an emotional return to DC on his 42nd birthday, “Mad Max” got the start and threw 2 and 2/3 gutsy innings, and received 2 well-deserved standing ovations from the Washington fans, who appreciated his contributions to a great Nationals’ run over 6-plus seasons. At 42, and on a one-year contract, last night was probably his last appearance in the Nation’s Capital.)

With the trade deadline a week away, should the Nats buy or sell? It’s a tough question. The team is very much in contention for a Wild Card berth, but also very much in need of pitching for the long haul. The name being brought up most often in trade rumors is Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, who was last week’s NL Player of the Week and has been red hot recently. As a fan, I want Abrams in Washington, and I want to see the team go all in on a playoff run. This is why GM’s get paid the big money. Do you throw all your cards on the table for 2026, or do you stay the course and get some young arms for the future? We’ll find out soon.

And, we head to Ashburn, where the Commanders open training camp this week. NFL training camps have become less important in the modern age of football, because of OTAs and year-round conditioning advances, and the strides that have been made in nutrition. Back in the day, players would arrive at camp vastly out of shape, having sold insurance or used cars in the offseason. There is no offseason now in the NFL, so camps are refresher courses for the veterans, and for developing chemistry for rookies and new acquisitions.

That’s why I think this is a very important camp for the Commanders, as the team tries to cleanse its palate from a 5-12 campaign. With an almost complete overhaul of the defense, this will be a camp where everyone on that side of the ball must get on the same page. Offensively, we need to see a hungry Jayden Daniels, who wants to show his critics that his injury-plagued 2025 was a fluke, and that he is not a one-year flash in the pan.

Interesting times are ahead for the Nats and Commanders. Until the next visit from The Booth…GO NATS…and HTTC!

RW

 

 

 

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: 4th of July Firecrackers

The Dogs wish you a fun and safe 4th of July!

Randy and Ryan weigh in on a number of topics, like:

  • the Nats’ bench-clearing broohaha
  • Capitals free agency
  • the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and more!

Listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. Visit Dave at 540-671-9243 or at https://energywindowsllc.com

Sports Dogs Podcast: 4th of July Firecrackers

The Dogs wish you a fun and safe 4th of July, and weigh in on a number of topics, like the Nats’ bench-clearing broohaha, even the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest! Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. Visit Dave at 540-671-9243 or at https://energywindowsllc.com

 

Views From The Booth: “Stopper”

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(Posted 6-29-26)

Greetings from The Booth!

Despite 2 wins to close out the weekend, it was not a great week for the Washington Nationals’ bullpen. Three of the losses in the 4-game losing streak were due to blown saves by the Nats’ “Gas Can Gang,” including a ridiculous 14-9 loss to the Phillies in which the Nationals pen gave up 8 runs in the ninth, all after two were out! Folks, that is Randy Woodward vs Jefferson stuff from 1977. The Nats’ starters deserved a better fate in the Philadelphia series, and you could easily make the case that Washington should have swept that 4-game set, arguably the biggest series for the Nationals since the Championship season of 2019.

To be a contending team in Major League Baseball in this day and age, you’ve got to have a quality bullpen, and it doesn’t seem that the Nationals put a high priority on that going into the 2026 season. The pleasant surprise, though, has been the starting rotation, who have been solid recently. Cade Cavalli has had nasty stuff, Zack Littell has been reliable, and even Miles Mikolas, who was acquired to eat up innings, has given the Nats some quality starts in recent weeks.

That brings me to Foster Griffin, who should (but probably won’t) be an All-Star. Griffin is 8-2 with a 3.15 ERA. The 30 year-old Griffin is a throwback, and what was known back in the day as a “stopper.” That term refers to a starting pitcher who can take the mound and put a stop to a losing streak, and that’s exactly what Griffin did this past week against the Orioles. Griffin threw 112 pitches in 7 innings, limiting the Birds to just 3 hits, a truly “old-school” performance. Alas, he did not get the “W” because the bullpen (you guessed it) gave up the tying runs late in an eventual 4-3 Washington win that ended a 4-game skid.

His performance this weekend was reminiscent of two of my favorite pitchers: Max Scherzer and Bob Gibson. “Mad Max” was another old school throwback, who dared a manager to come get the ball. Win or lose, Scherzer wanted to go 9 innings in an age where 6 innings is a “quality start.”

Scherzer would have fit nicely in 1968, the “Year of the Pitcher.” Pitchers were so dominant in ’68 that the following year the mound was lowered and the strike zone was changed to benefit hitters. It was the year Detroit’s Denny McLain won 30 games, a feat that surely will never be duplicated. And 1968 was the year that Bob Gibson dominated like no pitcher has since. Gibson gave up just 38 earned runs the entire season, and pitched to an ERA of 1.12 on his way to that year’s NL MVP honor.  I remember coming home from school that October (yes kids, World Series games were played in the afternoon) to see Gibby mow down 17 Tiger hitters via strikeout in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. I think that’s when I realized I wanted to be a pitcher.

Foster Griffin is a pitcher who has surely come to the Nats in 2026 from a 1968 time machine. Note to Griffin: next time Manager Blake Butera comes to take the ball, wave him back to the dugout. Somewhere, Bob Gibson will nod his approval.

Until the next visit from The Booth…GO NATS!

RW

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Rapid Barking on FRLL, Caps trades, Nats pitching, and more

The Dogs are back together, and have takes on a number of topics, from:

  • the Gas Can Gang Nats’ Bullpen
  • Caps trades
  • Front Royal Little League’s 10U domination
  • AJ2DC
  • World Cup
  • and more…

Listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. No need for 5 contractors…call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Sports Dogs Podcast: Rapid Fire Barking

The Dogs are back together, and have takes on a number of topics, from the Gas Can Gang Nats’ Bullpen to the ongoing World Cup! Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. No need for 5 contractors…call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

Sports Dogs Podcast: Sports Gumbo

The Dogs cook up a gumbo of topics this week, like R-Dog’s Nats outing, Front Royal Little League Baseball, local high school playoff teams, and Mountaineer Magic. Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC, where Dave does it all! Windows, siding, gutters, roofing, and doors! Visit him at https://energywindowsllc.com or call 540-671-9243 TODAY!