All throughout the season, many writers have engaged in an ongoing crusade to credit the Nationals' relative success to their chemistry and togetherness. The idea is that the Silver Elvis stuff, the smiling, etc. are more than just things to laugh at; they're actually reasons the Nationals are hitting the ball better and making better pitches. (Which is surprising, because I've tried signing Kumbaya with my basketball rec league teammates in the past, and it hasn't worked).
↵If you're one of those people, Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a message for you: stop it. Via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post:
↵↵↵"Take all that clubhouse [stuff] and all that, throw it out the window. Every writer in the country has been writing about that [nonsense] for years. Chemistry don't mean [anything]. He's up here because he's good. That don't mean [a hill of beans]. They got good chemistry because their team is improved, they got a real good team, they got guys knocking in runs, they got a catcher hitting .336, they got a phenom pitcher they just brought up. That's why they're happy."
↵
I only hope someone gives Jim Leyland a platform like this to express his thoughts. It would be very entertaining.