I returned home last evening from the last “Back to School” night of my parenting career in time to catch the last half of a swiftly and beautifully played game between the Philadelphia Phillies, Champions of the National League East, and our home-standing Washington Nationals.
There was great pitching between Roy Oswalt and Jason Marquis. Rookie Danny Espinosa showed once again why he’s becoming a regular in the web gems highlights with a great pick and throw at second base.
But the best was saved for last. On a night when fans received a “Mr. Walk Off” T-Shirt with Ryan Zimmerman’s name down the arm (it was long-sleeved), Adam Dunn did the honors, with a blast as the first batter in the bottom of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie and send everybody home happy.
Please tell me why it has taken the Nationals so long to figure out that Adam Dunn can be a great part of their future for the next 3 or more years? He’s only second in home runs, has over 100 RBI, and – while a defensive liability at first base – he has three other terrific young infielders in Zimmerman, Desmond, and now Espinosa to take up the slack. You can find defensive players, but pure power hitters who are as consistent as Dunn are hard to come by.
Plus, how can you not want a guy on your team who, when asked by Debbie Taylor in the post-game interview what it is like to play with certain Hall-of-Famer Pudge Rodriguez (who was mugging beside the camera) replies dead-pan, “Yeah, I’m glad he gets to play with me.” Priceless!
Come on, Nats. Sign Adam Dunn!
More to come…
DJB
MORE TO COME... 
I am so with you, DJB. I don’t care that he strikes out. He made the game exciting to watch……it seemed that even if the Nats were down by many runs, he wouldn’t let it get in his head and was capable of a blasting hit or HR at any given at-bat.
He was the spark plug, and kept me intersted in the Nats, even when it was clear that their season was heading downhill.
If the Nats lose him over very petty stuff like whether it’s a 3-year or a 4-year deal, I will be very disappointed. Not sure I’ll even be interested in attending any games, or even watching them on TV.