Nationals News: Matt Williams’ grandfather played on 1924 Senators
Good morning DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! The Washington Nationals continued to get ready for baseball in Viera yesterday and there’s plenty to talk about on that front. But first, we’ll start off today’s Daily with a really interesting piece from the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell.
In today’s Daily, Boswell discusses Matt Williams’ grandfather, Bert (Buck) Griffith, who was a member of the 1924 Washington Senators. As you may know, that Senators team not only won the World Series, but it also won the only World Series trophy that Washington D.C. has to its name.
So, Williams – who is entering his second year as manager of a team that has World Series aspirations – is the grandson of a player who was on the last team that ever won a World Series in this city. Call me crazy, but I think that’s really, really cool. In the article, Williams even says that his relatives have told him that he looks like his grandfather did when he was young.
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Can Williams follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and bring the city another title? That remains to be seen. While this is really just an incredible coincidence, it’s still one of those amazing, almost creepy stories that seem to pop up all the time in this game. Be sure to checkout the article below, it’s definitely worth a read.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier discusses the Nationals’ bullpen, specifically the eighth inning hole left behind by Tyler Clippard, who was traded to Oakland earlier this winter. The question of who will replace Clippard has been a big one all winter long, and many assumed that it was answered when the team signed veteran right-hander Casey Janssen.
As Collier writes, however, manager Matt Williams might have other plans for the eighth inning role. While the job belonged solely to Clippard last season, now that the goggled right-hander is gone Williams may consider playing match-ups in the eighth inning this season.
We’ll continue to monitor the bullpen situation this spring along with all other Spring Training news from the Nationals’ camp, so be sure to stay tuned to DoD. For now, start off your day with these great articles from around the web :
Could grandson follow grandfather to the World Series?
(Thomas Boswell, Washington Post)
VIERA, Fla.— Thirty-five men played for the 1924 Senators, the only team from Washington to win the World Series. Four of those Nats had brothers who played in the majors: Ossie and Otto Bluege, Pinky and Bubbles Hargrave, Curly and Jack Ogden and Allen and Lefty Russell. So, there were plenty of baseball genes, if such things exist, on that team.
Yet out of all the direct descendants of those Senators, all the sons and grandsons and perhaps even great-grandsons over the past 91 years, only one ever played in the major leagues, even for a single game. A 1924 Washington outfielder named Bert (Buck) Griffith had a grandson. Read full article here.
Williams may employ multiple relievers in setup role
VIERA, Fla. — One of the few question marks for the Nationals at the start of Spring Training is how the team expects to fill the void created by trading setup man Tyler Clippard to the A’s.
The eighth inning used to belong solely to Clippard, but Nationals manager Matt Williams said Tuesday that he might rely on using more matchups with his relievers to get through the eighth.
“We’ll look at that as we look deeper into spring,” Williams said. “Get the guys in some of those situations where we’re matching up potentially in the eighth inning to get the ball to the ninth inning and close it out hopefully.” Read full article here.
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