Dunn enjoying the excitment of the WBC

[missionhockey21]

It really is a shame that the market was down and Dunn chose the contract and playing with friends over going to a contender. Dunn never got a fair shake in Cincinnati and after playing with a loser for virtually his entire MLB career (exception was 2001), its too bad it'll likely be a while to see a winner with Washington and playoff action.

Dunn missed the 2006 WBC to learn 1B for the Reds in ST, which was pointless since the Reds signed Hatteberg that spring.

I hope that some Nats fans got to see Adam Dunn's two walks and two-run home run in the sixth inning which provided the eventual margin of victory in the U.S.'s 6-5 win over Canada in Toronto this afternoon in the WBC. Oh, he was the TV star, too. Lot of fun.

As the game went down to the final out, with the tying run on second base for Canada, TV kept cutting to reaction shots of Dunn in the dugout, cracking up his teammates as he took his own pulse __fingers to his neck__ because he was so excited by the game. He'd come out for defense (naturally) after his homer had given the U.S. a 6-3 lead.

"This was like a playoff game, even though I've never been in the playoffs...If the playoffs are better than this...," said Dunn, who had a perfect day at the plate, walking twice against Canada's Mike Johnson and scoring twice, including his homer over the leftcenterfield fence off Chris Begg on a pitch on the low-outside corner.

Asked about taking his own pulse as he watched the last pitches of the bottom of the ninth, Dunn said, grinning, "I get nervous...It doesn't get any better that that." He added that, when the U.S.A.team called the Nats earlier this week, "It was an easy decision. I knew I was going. I'm just excited t be here."

These quotes, by the way, were just written down hastily off TV. But for those who didn't see it, or tape it, I thought it would be better than nothing. The pitch Dunn hit out was a pitcher's pitch (maybe even a hair low-and-outside), but he still got it on the barrell and over the fence in the leftcenter power alley with room to spare.

A few days ago in Viera, Manny Acta said that the biggest surprise about Dunn since the Nationals signed him was "his personality. We didn't know he had one." A joke. But Dunn has gotten relatively little attention Cincinnati, which has been a grouchy baseball town in recent years and seldom seemed satisfied that whatever he did was enough. Since coming to the Nats, he's been very outgoing, especially since the club wants him to share some of the "face of the franchise" duties (and pressure) with Ryan Zimmerman.

Joel Hanrahan pitched the sixth inning for the U.S. and allowed a hit, a walk and one run on his own wild pitch.

Dunn has certainly had an odd career __278 home runs, far more than many famous sluggers at that age, yet it seemed that this may have been the most exciting moment of his baseball life. So far. He definitely enjoyed the theater with more than 42,000 in Toronto standing throughout multiple late-game rallies by Canada.

Adam Dunn: USA HR Hero (Mr. Personality?) - Baseball Insider - In-depth news, analysis and insight on Major League Baseball from Washington Post reporters, editors and columnists

[Kingdom]

Stuck on a crappy team, too bad. Still not crazy about the guy but BUT, he genuinely wanted to be on USA like Granderson and a few others, so I'm seeing him a whole new light. And he's been the best hitter, that doesn't hurt!

[love_that_reefer]

Dunn got the contract he did because he isn't that good. His OB skills are vastly overrated since he is extremely slow on the base paths. He is terrible on defense and can't hit in the clutch so why pay this guy a lot of money or give a long term deal? Don't remember a real contender even offering Dunn anything so he had to take what he could get.

[missionhockey21]

Dunn got the contract he did because he isn't that good. His OB skills are vastly overrated since he is extremely slow on the base paths. He is terrible on defense and can't hit in the clutch so why pay this guy a lot of money or give a long term deal? Don't remember a real contender even offering Dunn anything so he had to take what he could get.

Abreu took a low contract to go with a contender, I am sure if Dunn said to baseball that he was available for $3/4/5 million dollars, there would have been contenders wanting him despite the flaws you mentioned. For the FA market of 2009, Dunn did fairly well, $10 million a season is sure a lot more than other players got.

Dunn is not extremely slow. Extremely slow is Sean Casey. Trust me, I've seen him run the 40, I've seen him steal bases. If he dropped some weight like reported, for a guy his size, he might not be fast but he isn't slow.

Its pointless arguing Dunn though, he isn't on my team and I know whenever I post anything about him, these debates will begin and never resolve. My point with the contract simply was I wish a contender would have offered him something decent so he would have had the chance to play a few years with a winner since he might respond to it differently.

[love_that_reefer]

Abreu took a low contract because all that he was offered, contender or not. Dunn is only a Nat for two years so he still has a chance to go to a contender.