In addition to the rehab process, Storen is answering fan questions in the latest edition of his MASNsports.com video blog, with topics ranging from his music of choice to how strong rookie Bryce Harper is.
Check out the full interview in the second edition of the Drew Storen video blog!
And while the guys on the active roster are getting things done, particularly on the mound, let's not forget the guys who, after some time to heal, will be back to bolster an already-strong Nationals roster.
For Drew Storen, the Nationals closer certainly fits that mold and Wednesday he took part in his inaugural video blog with MASN's Amber Theoharis.
Storen updated on fans with plenty of information, including some things fans might not have known about the young right-hander.
Storen gave an update on his progress, saying he expects to be throwing soon and hopefully returning to the bullpen in the near future. Of course, Storen never like to keep things completely serious. Once the baseball chatter was out of the way, the closer reviewed some of the tasty restaurants in DC, gave a critique of his roommate Tyler Clippard's singing talents, even revealing his secret desire to become a catcher.
From sports to music to fine dining, it's all here in the first edition of the Drew Storen video blog. Check it out!
A lot of you asked about my decision to not go back to go school this fall. There are a lot of factors that went into deciding to not return to Palo Alto. The main issue would be the inability to take the classes that I need in order to obtain my major. With the season going until it does, I would miss at least two weeks of class. Last year, I missed three. The classes I would be due to take are in lab, design and building classes, classes that require you to be there from day one and often involve group work. Stanford is very understanding to many situations, but this is one where they can only do so much to help me out.
I still plan to return at some point to finish. I think would it be cool to go back and finish my degree and help out the baseball program. As for this offseason, I am going to give myself a nice break in my place that is down in Florida. I will also head back to Indiana to spend time with everyone there. It will be a nice quick breather until I start preparing myself for the season next year.
The other topic of interest seems to be the Smurf trip. And for good reason. We had a great time on our way to New York City. All the rookies from last year and this year donned white tights, blue paint and white hats to create a strong resemblance to the Smurf crew. We had a great time with it. We had to have them kill the air conditioning in the train because we were all so cold since shirts were not part of the Smurf outfit. When we got to NYC, Michael Morse played the theme song on his Bose dock as we walked through Grand Central Station, which was probably the funniest part of the trip. We got some good laughs out of people.
And for those gamers, I do plan on getting the new Call of Duty in November. I picked up NHL12 the other day, and am fairly certain I have yet to win against Tyler Clippard.
That's all I've got for now. I will get another blog up here soon hopefully. As usual, hit me up on Twitter (@DrewStoren).
]]>A lot of you have asked about all the trade talk. I am real happy that I am still here. No offense to Minnesota, but I want to be here in D.C. and help take the Nationals organization where we want it to be. Trade talks are just part of the baseball business. I understand that it isn't anything personal and was not anything that I could control, so I tried not to sit around and stress about it.
Bill Scheft, a very funny writer and good family friend, asked about our bullpen discussions during a game. This is a great question because there is a brotherhood among bullpen guys. When you are together for so many hours throughout a season, you tend to know a lot about a fellow bullpen member, which is one cool aspect about being a reliever.
Mid-game discussions are a big reason for this. For the first couple of innings, depending on how the game goes, we sit and watch the game just like the fans. We talk about everything, from whether the guy was safe or out, whether Tyler Clippard is really that good at singing or what we want to eat after the game.
When we see the starter is getting into trouble or as the pitch count rises, things turn into business down in the bullpen. We then start to do our own things. We all have our certain stretches or little routines before we pitch. I usually start stretching in the seventh inning. The more I can stretch out before I throw, the less sore I will be the next day.
As a reliever, you have to be able to switch gears quickly in order to prepare for the game. We always joke that the phone ringing in the bullpen automatically raises our heart rate. If I had the bullpen phone ringer on my cell phone, I would never have to hit the snooze on my phone alarm.
So this off day is almost a wrap. My buddy Andy and I hit up Fogo de Chao and then went to Georgetown. We shot some video, so we'll see how it turned out. Maybe another video blog option. If you want another Clip cameo in a video blog, shoot some ideas to me on Twitter: @DrewStoren.
]]>My break was nice. I flew to Indiana to visit family and just unwind for a few days. It's always good to get some home cooking and see familiar faces, but I am definitely ready to get back into the swing of things. We played good baseball in the first half and overcame adversity, so hopefully we can find our stride and move up in those National League East standings.
I was pumped to see Tyler Clippard get the W the other night in the All-Star Game. Two years in a row for a Nats reliever to get a win. Hopefully, we can keep that streak alive next year. Had to be a cool experience for him and his family. I sent him a few texts, but figured I would just wait to hear the stories later.
Thanks for all the feedback on Twitter. It was amazing how many people responded. I will address a few topics, and save a few for a later blog.
dc_Roach asked about the pressure of closing. I always tell people that relieving late in the game is a high-risk/high-reward job. It is great when you are good, and not so fun when you are not. I try not to ride the emotional roller coaster of the season, but I would not trade it for the world. I do like coming in with runners on base; it adds to the pressure and you get the chance to pick a teammate up.
ColinCarlisle2 asked about my favorite place to play. I assume this means playing outside of D.C. I would say San Francisco. The fans are always real into the game. They have great music and is pretty much a big rage. They played the Jersey Shore "Fist Pump" song when I came into close a game there this year and the place went nuts. He also wondering what my favorite restaurants are. I would say in D.C., Sei and Matchbox Pizza, two spots Clip and I hit up a lot. Great food, and it's close to where we live.
Looks like my blogging helped pass the time - we're starting to board. As always, thanks for reading and I will blog again soon.
]]>For this edition of Storen's MASNsports.com video blog, he takes Nationals fans on a tour of his apartment, MTV "Cribs"-style. Get an insider's look at where the Nationals' closer and set-up man relax after a stressful night of work protecting leads and saving ballgames.
In Part 1 of this two-part series, Drew guides fans through the kitchen and living room while Tyler naps in his room. When Drew enters, hilarity and awkwardness ensue.
In Part 2 below, take a look into Drew's room and find out about his unusual obsession. The two roommates also play a short game of air hockey as well.
As always, if you have any questions for Drew, or an interesting idea for his next video blog, drop a comment in the comment box below.
]]>Anyway, you are probably more concerned with the resignation as opposed to my choice in late-night television. My thought on the situation is this: I enjoyed playing for Jim Riggleman and I am disappointed that he has decided to leave, but I do understand the need to do what you think is best for you.
As a team, we are ready to go forward. We have a strong clubhouse led by solid, veteran guys who know how to win at the big league level. Like I said in a few interviews before we left D.C., it'll be a good test for us, but I trust that we will be all right.
So enough with that heavy stuff. I have to mention how awesome the crowds were this past homestead. It's fun to win, but it's a lot more fun to win in front of a great crowd. We definitely appreciate it when Nationals Park rocks.
I always say to ask me questions on Twitter (@DrewStoren) and I will answer one each blog entry.
@BullpenJunkie25 asked me about what it was like throwing to Pudge Rodriguez. Growing up, I was a huge Pudge fan. So when I threw to Pudge last year, there was definitely an awe factor. He is great to throw to because he has such an incredible knowledge of the game and of the hitters. He calls a great game, we are rarely on different pages. It is always fun throwing to him, it has helped me learn a lot about me as a pitcher.
And yes we did tape the cribs episode. I feel like it will be fairly close to quality entertainment. We are doing some editing and will get it put up as soon as possible. Keep your eyes on my Twitter for any updates.
All right, I'm off to bed, hoping to sleep a solid eight to 10 hours. I'll blog again soon. Shoot your comments and questions to Twitter.
]]>Drew mentions which Chicago team he rooted for growing up and who his favorite pitcher was as a kid.
Drew continued to tease what to expect from he and Tyler Clippard in a future video blog.
Leave a comment in the comment box below!
It is really nice to be back in D.C. after a long road trip. West Coast trips are always difficult with the time change. I tried to stay on eastern time for the beginning portion of the trip but it was inevitable that I would make the switch over to PAcific Standard Time. The off day Monday was huge for acclimating ourselves back.
Last night's win was a lot of fun. Obviously it is a big boost to have Zim back in the lineup. Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora did a great job filling in for him when he was gone. Ryan's bat will be a big boost for our lineup. The crowd was great and stayed strong to the end. Those are always the best nights, when a big crowd is there behind us. It shows you how hard are hitters are working when they can put together a late rally to get us back in the lead.
The bullpen also had a good night. It was fun to see Ryan Matheus in his debut. He has great stuff and will be an asset to us if he can keep throwing like that. Sean Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard did their thing and threw well. It is always fun to follow up those guys after they set the tone.
Well I'm off to the field. I usually try to get there around 2 o'clock everyday. Clip and I are talking about putting together a little "Cribs" video blog to show our place, so hopefully we can get that up this homestand. As usual, feel free to shoot any comments my way via twitter (@DrewStoren).
And don't forget, I'll be meeting a group of fans before the game on Friday night. If you'll be at the game, text "DREW" to 29292 for your chance to win.
]]>On the agenda for this blog revolved around how Drew became a closer and what he does to prepare for a game.
Also, Drew gave a little teaser on what him and Tyler Clippard are working on for a future video blog.
If you have a question for the Nats' closer or an idea for his next video blog, drop your questions or comments in the box below.
]]>The Phillies are a good team. Even when you take an early lead, they never give in. They are really good at bearing down late in the game with good at-bats and they move runners real well. It was a total team win. Laynce Nix had a great game at the dish and in the outfield. He's been a big part of this team. John Lannan also threw real well, and my comrades in the bullpen came in and got the job done.
This past homestand, I had the opportunity along with a few other players to attend the groundbreaking of the new Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. The facility will have three fields, along with state-of-the-art classrooms for after-school activities. The plans are very impressive and I am excited to see how it turns out.
It will be a great asset for the 7th Ward in Southeast D.C. Kids will be able to have a positive after-school environment where they can get their homework done and learn the great game of baseball in a top-notch facility. I was very fortunate to have baseball be a part of my childhood and learned many valuable lessons from the game. I am excited to see how this academy can help kids' lives in the district.
We have our first game tonight against Arizona. They are a hot team now, but we have Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. He has incredible stuff and hasn't really caught many breaks this year. Hopefully, tonight we can start off this road trip on a good note.
We head to San Francisco after these four games. I always love going to that city since it is only about 45 minutes from Stanford. We used to visit the city a lot to see Giants games, so it is pretty special to be on the other side of things.
As always, feel free to give me some feedback and let me know what you want to hear about. Any questions you have can be sent to my Twitter account (@DrewStoren). Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll post something else here soon!
]]>Storen also discussed the upcoming West Coast road trip as the Nationals get set to face Arizona, San Francisco and San Diego.
Be sure to check out Storen's official blog, which can only be found at MASNsports.com. If you have questions for Storen, be sure to leave them in the comments section.
]]>I am excited to get this going and hopefully give you some insight into our season. First off, I am not sure exactly what everyone is interested in knowing about, so do not hesitate to tweet at me (@DrewStoren) with anything you would like me to discuss in my next entry.
Our season has already had its ups and down. That's just how the game goes. Fortunately for us, there is a much different feel in the clubhouse. Our veteran leadership has really changed the attitude and is a reason why we have made a step in the right direction.
As I have said in interviews, our goal isn't to move into the right direction. We want to win. We want to compete and win big games. It's a process and we have the right personnel to get us where we would like to be.
As I said before, feel free to let me know what you would like for me to discuss here. I appreciate all the support and feedback, and thanks for reading.
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