Brian Dozier told the Junkies Wednesday that he thinks Stephen Strasburg will be at the team’s five-year World Series anniversary celebration…but he wasn’t listed on the Nationals’ confirmed list of attendees, and what if he DOESN’T come?
That’s a question Grant & Danny asked Andrew Golden during Tuesday’s Beltway Blitz, and, knowing they came to an agreement with him recently to pay off his contract so he could officially retire, GP wondered if this was a deke of sorts, so that Stras could surprise everyone and come out of the tunnel unconfirmed?
“I think if he was gonna be there, I don't think they would go about it that way. I think if he was scheduled to be there, he would be there, so I don't think he'll be there,” Golden said. “It could just be a maybe the timing and things didn't work out, or maybe it's something between the team and him. Obviously, this didn't go the way that both sides wanted it to go, so there could be maybe some animosity or some lingering feelings, but I wouldn't expect him there. He’s not on the list, and I wouldn't expect the coming out of the tunnel kind of thing.”
GP is surprised to hear it, because to him, it felt like the Nats were ‘beating the clock’ to come to the financial agreement to maybe get Stras here.
“It felt like they were beating the clock to try to make sure that he was at the event, and that they put out their press releases and everyone's complimenting him and slapping him on the butt,” Grant said. “I mean, why do all that instead of just continue the stare down if he's still gonna tell you to kick rocks?”
“I think the practical reasons, right? You have that you have that roster spot and you need to obviously clear that up; I know it’s not an immediate hold having that lingering roster spot, but it’s really a good question and who knows?” Golden said. “Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he does pull up on Friday and it's a whole tunnel thing, I just don't see it. I think he would have been announced if he was gonna be there.”
Danny could only say ‘it is a bit of a kerfuffle,’ while GP calls that a ‘bummer.’
“It's gonna be a blast one way or the other, but that's gonna be a story, and it should be a story,” Grant said. “He knows way more than I do and I'm sure he's right, but I've assumed all along they're gonna fire up ‘Seven Nation Army’ and he's just gonna come out of the tunnel, waving his hands over his head, and everyone's gonna lose their mind if that doesn't happen. Again, why come together a couple of weeks ago? Why not put the pressure on him a little more and wait it out?”