By Jay Sekulow
The left's outrage over the IRS turns to a plea to 'move on'
Mark DeRosa has agreed to a $775,000, one-year contract with Toronto, giving the Blue Jays more infield and outfield depth as they try for their first playoff berth since 1993.
With runs hard to come by, the Washington Nationals put Michael Morse in a couple of situations in Game 3 of the National League Division Series to get them on the board.
A few hours before he'd start the first major league playoff game of his life, Ian Desmond leaned on the dugout railing and pondered the question of how much experience mattered in the postseason. The Washington Nationals, of course, have very little. And the reigning 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are rich with it.
Bryce Harper stood reluctantly at his locker before a battery of cameras and microphones, doing his best to try and convince the world – and perhaps himself – that the biggest game of his life was no big deal.
They sang the song in unison. It was one they'd heard 96 times before, the one they put on after every win they ticked off in this deliriously charmed season. They knew the words.
The Washington Nationals came as close as they ever have to a playoff berth on Wednesday evening.
When the Washington Nationals arrive at Citizens Bank Park on Friday, Bryce Harper will prepare to play his 102nd game in the majors. It will be his 102nd game in the past 118 days, a grueling stretch that bests any the 19-year-old phenom has experienced — and that doesn't include the 21 he played in Triple-A in April.
Mark DeRosa was 23 when he first experienced life with Chipper Jones. A 1998 September call-up for the Atlanta Braves, DeRosa was in the dugout watching as the Braves' third baseman tapped a 3-2 change-up back to the pitcher in his first at-bat one night.
Renee Suzuki wasn't looking at her phone. Gone to the grocery store, she left her husband, Kurt, and their 15-month-old daughter, Malia, in their East Bay home. She'd put the phone away for mere minutes. When she checked, her heart jumped. Seven missed calls from Kurt.
The Nationals shored up their middle-infield depth Monday, acquiring Cesar Izturis on a waiver claim from the Milwaukee Brewers. Mark DeRosa was placed on the disabled list with a left abdominal strain, making the move for Izturis not only timely but necessary.
Adam LaRoche homered twice, Danny Espinosa hit a three-run shot in Washington's six-run eighth inning, and the Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 10-7 on Saturday night.
The Washington Nationals didn't make any moves at Tuesday's trading deadline, which means at least two things: General manager Mike Rizzo likes the makeup of his team, and Edwin Jackson is staying put for just the second time in seven years.
Bryce Harper homered his first time up in New York, then hit a tiebreaking single to key a six-run burst in the 10th inning Monday night that sent the Washington Nationals over the Mets 8-2.
The Washington Nationals' list of serious injuries to key players got longer Sunday when they put shortstop Ian Desmond on the disabled list with a tear in his left oblique.
It seemed only fitting that San Francisco starting pitcher Tim Lincecum ended the Giants' 2010 season by allowing just three hits and striking out 10 in their World Series win against the Texas Rangers. After all, it was precision from the mound that brought the crown to the City by the Bay in the first place.
"I'm just sad for these guys," Mark DeRosa said. "I think that's the frustrating thing. This team had enough talent and enough immaturity to maybe win the whole thing. That's what I was excited about."
