VIERA, Fla. — I’ve always been intrigued by the many facets of Matt Williams’ personality.
Here’s a guy who arrived in Washington with the “Big Marine” reputation but has proven to be more reflective than disciplinary. He’s strict at times, sure, and meticulous in his planning. But he can also be incredibly laid-back and is generally a very understanding person.
All of those things kind of collided at one point in his press conference Sunday, when he was asked about “easing up” in his second season.
“Easing up, that’s not in my vocabulary. I can’t do that. Because then I don’t feel like we give ourselves the best chance,” Williams said. “So we will work. And we will pay attention to detail, and we will do the things we need to do. Sometimes, I need to ease up on myself and say, ’Matt, get out of there way, let them go, let them play’. And not worry about it myself, because they’ll take care of it from time to time.”
How exactly does Williams help ease up on himself? The simple answer is not worry and, by extension, make more of an effort to relax. For example, he spent Saturday night with the rest of the coaching staff at a barbecue on the beach. The training staff cooked for them. The menu consisted of ribs, pork tenderloin, corn and apple turnover for desert.
“We get a chance, now that we know each other, get a chance to enjoy each other’s company a little more,” Williams said. “That grind starts at 6 a.m., 5 a.m. every morning. Again. But there’s time we can sit and make sure that we get a chance to enjoy each other’s company, too.”
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Williams said the coaching staff has also gone on fishing outings, looking for bass mostly. “Lots of big bass around here,” he said. They have a list of favorite spots in the area.
“We’ll continue to do that type of stuff,” Williams said. “But none of that takes away from 5 am til we’re done for that particular day.”
Breakfast links
— From today’s paper: The Nationals’ rotation may end up being historically good, but for now, “historic” isn’t even in their vocabulary.
— Tanner Roark is still preparing as a starter, but ready to fill whatever role is asked of him.
SEE ALSO: Nationals’ Tanner Roark still preparing as a starter, but ready to fill any role
Workout observations
— The competition for Opening Day bullpen spots is going to be incredibly tight, and there are a lot of guys with a chance. Two stood out to me Sunday: Matt Grace and Evan Meek, each for a different reason. I haven’t seen Grace throw much, but Williams singled him out Sunday when asked about players he had been interested to see. Meek stood out simply because of his delivery. The right-hander holds the ball a bit longer than most to hide if from the hitter, then uses a compact motion to get it to the plate. He’s struggled a lot in recent years, so I’ll be interested to see how he performs in games.
— While the pitchers did some conditioning towards the end of Sunday’s workout, the catchers were on a side field getting blocking practice. Wilson Ramos had a funny moment there. Rather than blocking one ball and rolling it back toward the pitcher’s mound like all the others, he flipped off his mask, snatched the ball and fired it to first. The only problem? There was nobody standing on first to catch it. The ball just rolled into the outfield. Ramos laughed. The way I see it, that just showed an extra level of preparedness!
An ode to Doug Fister
Without opening a debate about hero worship in professional sports here, I would like to give a small shout-out to Fister. He wasn’t the only guy who signed autographs for fans after Sunday’s workout but he was the only one who went directly down the line, signing as many things for as many fans as needed. He even posed for a selfie with one. In total, he was probably there for 15-20 minutes after the end of the workout.
I point this out only because it’s so rare these days, not just in baseball but across professional sports. Few athletes take 20 minutes to sign autographs, and those who do are usually role players or lesser-known names. Kudos to Fister for doing that. He gave some kids a moment they’ll always remember.
A dining recommendation
From the moment I arrived in Viera, I’ve kept hearing about a restaurant in Melbourne called Bonefish Willy’s. It was recommended to me by probably every reporter here. I’m not a big seafood guy, so I didn’t think much of it.
But now, I’d like to pass along my own recommendation: if you’re ever in Melbourne, go to Bonefish Willy’s. Sit on the back deck. Order the jerk chicken. Trust me. One of the best all-around dining experiences I’ve had in a long, long time.
Early arrivals
Denard Span and Jeff Kobernus both arrived at Space Coast Stadium on Sunday, meaning that more than half the position players have now checked in early. It’s mostly starters left now. They’re due to report Tuesday.
Worth watching
Day 1 all but revolved around Scherzer and Strasburg. As the so-called “A Group” returns to the bullpen, I’m excited to focus more on some of the up-and-coming prospects, including A.J. Cole and Sammy Solis. Though there’s a logjam now, the Nationals love both of those guys and see them contributing in the not-so-distant future.
Quote of the day
Who’s the best fisherman on the Nationals’ coaching staff?
“It depends on what hole we’re fishing in,” Williams said, “because if there’s lots of fish, everybody claims they’re a good fisherman.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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