This is a quote from Matt Williams’ appearance on a local radio show this morning. It represents him doubling down on his postgame comments last night regarding his failure to use Jonathan Papelbon on two straight nights when the Nats blew late leads. We talked about all of that this morning, of course. Frankly, I’m amazed that he’s sticking with this mantra:
It’s less technically accurate but more cosmically accurate to picture Williams repeating that to himself, over and over again, as he walks through his dark, empty house this winter, trying to come to grips with his state of unemployment. The tone and inflection changes each time he repeats it -- “He’s OUR closer . . . " “He’s our CLOSER!” as if they were different arguments in service of a grand point. Every now and again his family members come by and, reassuringly but with great sorrow, say “Yes, Matt. He is our closer . . . now turn on a light and have something to eat. We’re all worried about you.”
Oh well. That quote is served up in Barry Svrluga’s fairly devastating takedown of Williams in the Washington Post. Not devastating in its sharpness, really, but just by virtue of the local press clearly turning on Williams in a city whose press corps doesn’t turn on the local coaches all that often.