SHARKSANITY!

Hello Loyal Shark Fans! Tyler here with my first post of the year. Sorry I haven't posted sooner, I've been sick...with a case of SHARKSANITY! And the only cure is a fully loaded syringe of the Sharkadina blog plunged directly into my heart. Brace yourself people.

For those of you following the Spring Training story lines, you are already familiar with the big four:

1. "Living legend" Stephen Strasburg is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and is expected to pitch a full season. He is already looking good in Spring Training and threw a live batting practice session yesterday. This kid is so good, he even struck out The Shark!
2. Bryce Harper is in camp and is fighting for a starting job in the outfield. Rumor has it he has been seen with eye black in the shape of a Shark.
3. Ryan Zimmerman's contract extension! We're all happy that "The Face of the Franchise" will be a National until 2012. Apparently, one of his demands was to have the locker next to Bernadina because "he is, like, the coolest guy I know, and that nickname is SWEET!"

And the biggest Spring Training story line...

4. HOW WILL ROGER "THE SHARK" BERNADINA DO?

Will he get traded? Will be waived and picked up by another team? Will he make the 25 man roster as a 4th or even 5th outfielder? Will he dominate Spring Training and finally solidify a starting spot, sending  everyone's least favorite player, ricK anKiel to the bench? Baseball fans everywhere are on the edge of their seat waiting to hear the fate of their favorite aquatic-predator-nicknamed player. 

Today we got some inside info from our old pal Bill "NOT SPEED RACER!" Ladson (please continue to tweet, write, call, mail letters, etc. to Bill imploring him to stop using the Speed Racer nickname and embrace "The Shark" like the rest of America, nay, the WORLD.) Here's the article reprinted for your connivence and without permission (when you call him The Shark, we promise to be more polite, Bill!).

Nats looking for Bernadina to be consistent 

VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals outfielder Roger Bernadina is out of Minor League options, so it will be interesting to see what role he'll play this season. 

There is a possibility that Bernadina could be traded, although one baseball source said recently that the Nationals are not actively trying to deal him. 

If Bryce Harper doesn't make the team out of Spring Training, there is a possibility that Bernadina could find himself in a right-field platoon with Mark DeRosa. 

Bernadina is coming off a disappointing season in 2011, hitting .243 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. There was even a point in the season where he was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse due to a lack of production. 

Hitting coach Rick Eckstein is on a mission to see that Bernadina stays consistent at the plate. Eckstein wants Bernadina to use the entire field to get base hits instead of going for the long ball. Bernadina seems to go into prolonged slumps whenever he tries to hit home runs. 

"He can slot in the top of the order and be an on-base percentage guy," Eckstein said. "He can bunt, he can run, he can use the entire field. But then he has that power component, and sometimes that power component takes over. He has the bigger swings, he swings at pitches he shouldn't be swinging at. Definitely, our goal is to have him reach his potential. 

"Bernadina is a special athlete. We've all seen what he is capable of doing, but he needs to package it every day. We love him. His athleticism is tremendous. There is no doubt in my mind that he can be a complete-package player. But showing up every day, bringing that package to the park and utilizing it for the team every day is the challenge. I think he is up to it."

Yes, of course he is "up to it," Rick! Have you read everything Bernadina can do?

More to come.

Shark Vs The Competition

For some players, spring training is a time to dust off the rust, break in the glove, and readjust to the grind of daily baseball.  These players have their positions secured.  Players like Albert Pujols, Ryan Zimmerman, and Tim Wakefield know where they will be on opening day.   For other players, spring training is their chance to secure their position on a major league team.

Sadly, and somewhat ridiculously, the Shark is one of the players who will be fighting for his spot this spring.  You will recall that last year (and the year before, for that matter), he was in this same position.  Last year, he was battling Nyjer Mogan, then RicK AnKiel for the position.  While he did not win the competition last season (which cause several Nationals players to become psychologically and physically nauseous), he was called up in April, our long Nationals nightmare was over, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The battle kicks off again this spring, with the Shark battling several players for a position, including AnKiel, Jason Michaels, Brett Carroll, Xavier Paul?, and Mark DeRosa.  To the outside eye, this may seem worrisome, but the eye of a Shark, worry is not an option.  In fact, concern is not an option.  Pete Kerzel's article, Caught in a numbers crunch, Bernadina doesn't seem concerned talks about the different opportunities that the Shark has this spring, and how he's not worried about his chances.  After all, why should he be?

RicK AnKiel is an injury risk who strikes out more often than he gets hits.

Jason Michaels batted .199 last season.

Brett Carroll has a total of 5 home runs in his 5 seasons.

Xavier Paul.  I'm not sure if he actually exists.

Mark DeRosa has 1 home run in the last 2 seasons and is 10 years older than Bernadina.

Mike Cameron did challenge Bernadina, until he came face to face with the Shark this spring and retired

The Shark continues to have tremendous upside and a solid spring could keep him a National a while longer (which would be ideal for Tyler and I).  I expect a lot more people to toss in the towel this spring and plan for an early retirement.  The Shark has a tendency to scare off the weak of heart...

The Nats didn't bother to supply DeRosa with a spring training uniform

More to come.

Spring Shark 2012

WE'RE BACKKK!!!!

All across the MLB, pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on Monday, and sharkingly, the Washington Nationals were no different.  Their pitchers, newbies Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson (who have yet to be nicknamed), join Jordan Zimmermanntastic and Stephen Strasburg, to create one of the more promising looking rotations in the National League.  Wilson "the Rhino" Ramos is ready to stampede the completion and be the National League' All Star Game starting catcher.

Most importantly, of course, THE SHARK IS BACK IN CAMP!

While it has been mostly pitchers and catchers that have reported to camp, the Shark, hungry for a starting position was one of the first position players in the Nationals camp.  Throughout the offseason, he spent his time conditioning, from the icy waters of the Arctic to the depths of the Mariana Trench.  Remember last season, when he was so bulked up, a flex of his bicep would tear to shreds the dopiest XXXL novelty hoodie?  Well imagine that again, only this time with more (if that's possible) fire in his eye.

I understand this post doesn't include much relevant information, but we have officially dusted off the keyboard on our computers and more posts will be written soon.  That's correct, we don't touch our computers at all in the off season, not even to respond to time sensitive materials.  That's over now.  We are back.

Before I go, I will leave you with this photo from Nationals Spring Training.  You can see the Rhino and Tyler Clippard running to keep up with Bernadina...who's running with a bat?

More to come.

Last Shark Standing/Hitting

Well, the Nationals season is over, and they couldn't quite squeak out the +.500 season we were hoping for, ending at 80-81.  Still, its 11 more wins than they had last season which is something to brag about.  They ended in third place, behind the Phillies and the Braves and ahead of the Marlins and the Mets.  Not too shabby at all.

Additionally, guess who had the final hit of the 2011 season?  The Shark
Guess who had the final RBI?  The Shark
Guess who will go down in history as the greatest hitter of the 2011 season?  The Shark

The Shark was the exclamation point at the end of the improvement season and I hope this exclamation point will help drive the Nats to the 2012 postseason.

It has been a lot of fun following the Shark this season and as promised, there will be a Season in Review post coming shortly.  Tyler is on a trip up to Boston, where I pray he rubs the Red Sox' epic collapse in the face of anyone wearing a B on their hat.  Because of this trip, you will just have to be patient for the Review...

In the meantime, I will leave you with something which is mostly unrelated.  Tyler and I have appeared on the Jumbotron something like 10 times this season (with two Fan of the Game Trophies under our belt as the highlight of those appearances), and apparently it runs in the family.  My cousin and uncle appeared on the Jumbotron at a Philadelphia Phillies game recently.  Regrettably, they are Phillies fans, but I love them anyway.  Anyway, my aunt e-mailed out this picture, which I presume means it is public domain??  They look so happy cheering for their Phillies!

Now look at the score.  GO NATIONALS!

More to come.

2 in Sharksight

Amidst a tight wildcard race in both the AL and NL, the Shark and the Nats are battling for their own positive end to the season.  With only 2 games left in the year, the Nationals are fighting their way to their first winning (81-80, .503) season since 2003 (when they were the Montreal Expos). The Nationals, led in part by the Shark and his intimidating ballplayer presence, are ripping through opponents, like regenerating teeth tearing through the soft gills of a flounder. The Nats have won 8 of their last 9 and 13 of their last 16...

Let me repeat that, "The Nats have won 8 of their last 9 and 13 of their last 16."

THOSE ARE RIDICULOUS NUMBERS!!!

Sadly, Tyler and I attended the 3 losing games in that stretch.....

But do not fear, we aren't heading to Florida today or tomorrow so if we were the cause of those losses, we can't affect the next 2...  We can, however, hope and pray that Davey Johnson starts The Shark for the last two games to GUARANTEE VICTORY.  After all, SHARKS LOVE TO FEAST ON MARLINS!

Need proof?  Click these examples:  Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6

In other news:
Mako Morse has clearly been this season's MVP, hitting his 30th sharkadelic home run, yesterday which not only helped the team come from behind, but also helped power my fantasy baseball teams to commanding leads.  He now has 94 RBIs, leaving him in need of a strong 6 RBI last two games to finish the year with 100...  I believe in you Mako!

Tyler and I will be watching the last two games of the season closely.  Let's grab those last two wins!

More to come.

The Nats won 4-1

Jawsome.

Photo by Jumpin' Zac Flash

More to come.

Final Shark Night

Sadly, Tyler and I went to our last baseball game of the 2011 season...  A "Season in Review" post will happen at the end of the season, providing such useless stats as how many games we saw, the Shark's stats at the games attended, the Nationals win-loss record, and some other sh**k.

But anyway, you will have to wait for that (or delete this blog from your recently viewed websites and pretend we don't exist),  because this post is about last night.

Things weren't looking great leading up to the game.  It rained literally all day long and there was a "soak watch," which apparently meant the ground was so saturated that if the rain came down hard enough, flash floods were inevitable.  While this seemed like something that the Shark would thrive with, it also began to look like these tickets were cursed.  Tyler bought these tickets for half price for a game in April, then when that was rained out, we rescheduled for the Dodgers series a few weeks ago. That game was rained out too, but it turned out third time was a charm because the rain cleared just in time for last night's game.

We got to the park early and went to the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk, one of our favorite pre-game hangouts. We finally got a chance to try Shake Shack (burgers were great, but a little small) and met longtime Shark supporter @SodaPop6548.  We had a great time chatting about the playoff races and baseball stats until Terry (This is Tyler, who has taken over writing this post. Confusing, I know, but deal with it.) was pulled away to film Fan of the Game (more on that below).

We made our way to our seats near the LF foul pole and got ready for a mostly Shark-less game. Bernadina didn't start, but Stephen Strasburg did.  Unfortunately, he didn't look like his normal self and gave up 3 runs in the first inning.  While the Nats struggled to come back, Terry and I spent the time making friends in the stands.  We sat next to a great family with a cute little girl who put on a Shark hood during the game (you can see her at the end of the video below).  And we ran into our friends and Shark supporters Michelle and Lex. 

This is Michelle's friend and new Shark Fan.

We met a ton of great people who read this blog or follow us on Twitter!  And we made new friends, like Mako Morse's high school friend who we rode the Metro with after the game.  If you said Hi to us last night and you're reading this, leave a comment so we know who you are!


Remember when I won Fan of the Game?  Well, it was finally Terry's turn and he won too!

The Shark finally came out in the bottom of the 9th to pinch hit. We got our whole section cheering and we watched on the edge of our seats as he battled to a full count.  Shark struck out swinging and the Nats lost 7-4.  We just weren't in the mood to watch the post game fireworks.  We charged up Terry's phone and made our way back to outside of the clubhouse/player's parking lot in hopes of talking to The Shark for the final time this season.

The last time we were back there we got to go inside, but this time we were stuck outside of the gate with autograph vultures and kids who would run in front of players cars and even CHASE STRASBURG'S CAR DOWN THE STREET.  I'll be honest, some of these fans were pretty embarrassing.  Although it was cool seeing all of the players leave in their expensive, expensive cars.

Much like last time, Bernadina was one of the last to come out, and as soon as he saw us waiting outside the gate with the "unwashed masses" he waved us back and told the security guard we were cool.  Just like in the movies!

We chatted with him and his entourage, Andrew and Sol, for a good 20 min.  Some of our conversation is confidential, but we can tell you that we talked a lot about how awesome "The Shark" nickname is and made big plans to grow his fan base going into next season.  Bernadina will be in Curacao for the offseason and we all hope he will back with The Nats next year.  Oh, we also all talked about Bill Ladson and how horrible the Speed Racer nickname is.

Every time we have talked with Roger in person this season, he has been nothing but gracious with us.  For a professional sports player to take the time to talk with two random, crazy guys who nicknamed him out of nowhere is really awesome.  We wanted to do something thank him for everything he's done for us, including the autographs, like the one Terry got last night:

Last night we gave Roger Bernadina one of the original Shark hoods.  The yellow-eyed Shark is currently sitting in his locker at Nats Park. He promised to wear in the clubhouse to help spread the Shark nickname with the media and even said he might wear it out on the field before batting practice today or tomorrow!

Just because the season is coming to close, doesn't mean Sharkadina will be going away.  We will be your source for exclusive Roger Bernadina news during the offseason and will continue to bring you information on The Nats, baseball, and actual Sharks.  Don't worry, the photoshops and our unique brand of Shark related humor will continue through the winter! 

More to come.

SHARK EATS PHILLY: Part 4

Quick poll:

How would you prefer the Shark to close season against the Phillies?

• Going 2 for 4 with 1 run, 2 RBIs and a SB or...
• Making a Great-White-Shark-Breaching-To-Devour-A-Seal style catch

To quote the Iron Man clip played when the Nationals are losing at the end of the game, "Is it too much to ask for both?"

That is exactly what Roger Bernadina did tonight against the Phillies.  He was playing at the 5 tool level we all know he is capable of.  His double and single sparked the offense while his defensive prowess backed Brad Peacock's  (the only member of the Nationals Zoo who doesn't need a nickname) gem.  Despite Mako Morse's attempts to steal the glory with a 3 run home run (which I will admit did help both my fantasy baseball teams), the Shark was the reason that the Nationals won this game.

The Nationals ended the 4 game Phillies series with 4 wins (the first time the Phillies lost 4 in a row since.... last year?) which brought them one giant leap closer to a .500+ season (it is statistically impossible for them to have a .500 record, feel free to ask me why).  Tonight's win brought their record to 76-79, meaning over the rest of the season, they have to go 5-1.  After watching the Nats outpitch and outplay the Phils, I am very confident that the Shark can lead them to 81 wins!

Why?

BECAUSE HE IS ON FIRE!

Apparently, it can happen!

The Shark has 5 hits in his last 14 ABs (.357 BA) with a home run, 2 defensive jewels, and 5 RBI's!  Literally (figuratively) on fire.


More to come.