Mike Rizzo met with the media before today's game and talked about the start of MLB Draft on Monday and who the Nationals would take with the top overall pick. Near the end of the media session, someone asked about Rizzo's experience with holding the top overall pick from last year:
Reporter: Does drafting #1 last year help you in getting ready for this year's pick?
Rizzo: "Heading into this last year we were certainly prepared and we had an impact draft. We feel the same way this year. We feel great where we are at and we like the players that will be available."
In fairness to the reporter, it's a question that needs to be asked and they did the best job possible of phrasing it in a way that's not insulting, but despite their best efforts, it's hard to ignore the unintentional dig. It's incredibly difficult to talk about a team receiving the top pick two years in a row without mentioning that it took back-to-back seasons of having the worst record in baseball to get those prized picks. And to be fair to Mike Rizzo, he's not the one who built the foundation, or lack thereof, of the two teams that wound up with the worst record in the majors.
After the jump, we'll look at polite ways to phrase questions to other D.C athletes.
Albert, how has not practicing with the team prepared you to sit on the bench for half of the defensive snaps this season?
Gilbert, how did your injuries prepare you to sit out the rest of the season after you were suspended?
Andray, how did your multiple arrests prepare you to be in the spotlight after Caron and Antawn were traded?