| Nationals Natio...'s profileNationals NationPhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
March 15 2008 Promotions at PotomacThe P-NATS just announced their tentative promotional schedule for the season, and here's the highlights. Opening day is April 8th against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and will feature a color guard ceremony by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington (MDW). Also, Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart (who intends to run for Lieutenant Governor in the next election) will be throwing out the first pitch.
 During the first weekend homestand on April 11 & 12, the Potomac Nationals will be giving away schedule magnets on Friday and Saturday night. As with all Saturday games at the Pfitz, the 12th and the 19th will have firework shows at the conclusion of the game. On Sunday afternoon April 20th there will be a team photo giveaway and players will sign autographs on the field for fans.
In May the feature of the month will be an appearance by actor and former "CHiPs" star Erik Estrada. Mr. Estrada will be at Pftitzner Stadium on May 24th to promote his partnership with the Safe Surfin' USA Foundation which educates young people on the dangers of surfing the internet. "Ponch" will be present throughout the game to greet fans and emcee between innings with contests and prizes for kids. Unfortunately, I can find no indication whether Mr. Estrada will be sporting a helmet and sunglasses for the traditional playing of Y-M-C-A by the Village People in the bottom of the 3rd.
  On the following day, May 25th - the PNATS will give limited edition Disabled Veterans baseball card sets featuring Potomac Nationals players to the first 1,000 fans. On May 31st there will be an "Outdoor Expo" at the stadium in which several auto dealers, power sports, camping, home improvement companies and resort properties will be present offering information and materials to fans. Washington Nationals mascot and racing president George Washington will be on hand this day as well.
June 8th will be the ever popular batting helmet day and the first thousand fans will receive a free life size Potomac Nationals replica batting helmet. Later that month on June 22nd, the Potomac Nationals will have "Biker Night". There will be a Motorcycle Show outside the stadium two hours before the game and a "bike parade" in the outfield just prior to the first pitch. In addition, the first 1,000 fans will get a nifty P-Nat bandana to show their colors during the game.
With July of course comes fireworks and according to the press release, The Potomac Nationals boast the largest 4th of July fireworks show in Northern Virginia. There will be shows both on the 4th and the 5th, but the 5th will also feature everyone's favorite Washington National mascot Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy will attempt to break his perfect losing streak by taking on P-NAT mascot "Uncle Slam" in an exciting race to the plate at the Pfitz. The next day on the 6th the first thousand fans will get a free P-NAT umbrella which will sport the Potomac Nationals circular "regional logo" (which I guess must be the same logo I have on the wallpaper for this blog). The 18th and 19th should prove to be popular days as the P-Nats are going to be giving out free P-Nat caps to the first 1,000 fans and the 19th will also have Washington Nationals mascot Abraham Lincoln attending.
 August 2nd will offer another P-Nat cap opportunity for the first 1,000 fans, the next day, August 3rd will present another chance to get a Potomac Nationals team photograph and players will again be on hand to autograph for fans before the game. The first thousand fans on this day will also receive P-Nat visors. Another Outdoor Expo will be presented on August 23, in addition to Justin Maxwell bobbleheads being given away to the first 1,000 fans through the gate. Thomas Jefferson will also be on hand on the 23rd as the last of the Washington Nationals "Racing Presidents" to grace the confines of Pfitzner Stadium. Finally, on August 24th the first 1,000 fans will get Potomac Nationals cooler bags which will be the last scheduled promotion of the season.
The Potomac Nationals front office will be releasing their daily promotions schedule next week. If you wish to learn about some of these and all the other promotions scheduled for the upcoming season such as the Scouting Nights, Kids Run The Bases, Busch Gardens Nights and more - refer to the official Potomac Nationals website. March 05 2008 Top Prospects Current Top Prospects Of The Washington Nationals
(excluding those that reported to major league camp at the beginning of Spring Training)
Pitchers:
     Fielders / Hitters:
      February 27 Spring Training 08: Starting PitchersSpring Training 2008
* Gold Frames Indicate Player Is Expected To Make Active Roster By Starting Day
* Blue Frames Indicate Player Has Been Sent To Minor League Camp
* Red Frames Indicate Player Is Expected To Start The Season on DL
* Darkened Frames Indicate Player Has Been Released
Pitchers - Starters:
                 Manning February 26 Spring Training 08: BullpenFebruary 24 Spring Training 08: Hitters / FieldersOutfielders:
               Infield - Catchers:
       Infield - First Basemen:
     Infield - Second Basemen:
    Infield - Shortstops:
   Infield - Third Basemen:
      January 27 Nationals Nation EvolutionOver the latter months of last season I had been struggling with what to do with this blog. My personal life at home became a severe hampering to my ability to maintain quality postings that would keep you, the reader interested in coming back for new and interesting content.
My wife and I just went through a gruelling two year process in an attempt to adopt a 14 month little boy from overseas. By some miracle of God, during the ending stages of our adoption process my wife got pregnant (despite 6 failed fertilization treatments in the past). To our horror and dispair, this caused the adoption board to terminate our adoption for the little orphan we had already fell in love with. It was a trying and emotional time for us, an experience that we still struggle to cope. The good news however is that our birth child is doing well and all the tests appear to indicate he will be a healthy baby boy born sometime around June of 2008.
 The Son We Should Have Had
Now, the new Nationals season is approaching and I have come to a sort of epiphany on how I should proceed with my blogging for the future. Despite the fact that the Nationals are a new team in a new market - our Nats appear to have the following of a solid fanbase that is not only passionate but talented in a multitude of ways. Each blog seems to have it's own personal expertise that adds to the mosaic that is the Nats Blogosphere. Nationals Bloggers rank 5th on the Striketwo.net chart of most blogged teams with at least 28 blogs that are registered there.
I feel this healthy number of blogs just disproves what everyone said before the team was relocated to Washington. That not only are Washingtonians capable of supporting a baseball club, but they are both knowledgable and passionate about supporting their team. While this no doubt is an asset, I have come to the conclusion that the Nats blogosphere is indeed oversaturated. This fact makes it extremely difficult for bloggers to find something fresh and exciting that has not or will not be discussed on another blog albeit with a different opinion and editorial slant.
It is with this thought in mind, and with the fact that I will be having a newborn in the house shortly, that I have decided to change the emphasis of Nationals Nation to concentrate more on the Single-A Carolina League affiliate Potomac Nationals. Pfitzner stadium is approximately 3 miles from my home and will be much easier for me to cover on a more regular basis. The club is actually the one that turned me into a true baseball fan back in in the early 1980s when my father used to take me to games every weekend. Back then, they were called the Alexandria Dukes and played in a municipal stadium behind an elementary school not far from Crystal City.
 G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium, Woodbridge, VA
I will still be going to Nationals games in Washington of course, and I will continue to add photos and content here about the parent club, but the true emphasis will now be on the P-Nats and upcoming prospects throughout the farm system that relate to the Potomac Nationals. I will in no way offer expert analysis or statistical breakdowns or anything of that nature - I'm still just one guy who's a fan of the game. For that kind of content I will offer a plug to The Nationals Farm Authority which I have always found a great read on what's going on around the minors.
 Artist Rendering Of New Potomac Stadium
For my first news about Potomac I'll pass on that I just read that Art Silber (P-Nats owner) has found a way to finally get a new stadium built hopefully by the 2009 season. It will be built adjacent to the Pfitz so this bodes well for a well funded and strong club that despite rumours to the contrary, isn't going to be going anywhere. I can only offer that if you want to find out what's happening around Woodbridge, just stop by my blog and I'll try to keep it as informative and interesting as my time allows. See you all at the new stadium in Washington & at the Pfitz in Woodbridge! July 20 Clippers in Richmond at the Diamond RICHMOND IS A GOOD PLACE TO CATCH A GAME, IF YOU CAN STOMACH THE AMBIENCE
Yesterday I drove down to Richmond so I could get a gander at our Triple-A squad from Columbus. Despite the fact that I left Lake Ridge at 2:30pm, I still managed to suffer through the misery that is Washington traffic. I think to myself, "When do these people work? If it's now 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they must have some kind of flex schedule that starts them off at 5 in the morning?!? I mean you get up at three in the morning to start out the door by four? And if you are still stuck in traffic between Springfield and Fredericksburg despite your efforts...then what in the world is the purpose?!?" LOL! Whatever. Traffic in Washington is only going to get worse - one day when we are all extinct, alien archeologists are going to dig up around DC and find a bunch of cars jammed against one another with skeletons inside slumped over steering wheels. The dinosaurs had the ice age - we have traffic. I had never been to The Diamond before. I found it easily accessible off of I-95 at exit 78, it's impossible to miss - you can see it as you're driving the off ramp. Amazingly, it reminded me of a minature version of RFK. It has a large concrete awning that stretches over the upper deck seats from third base to first. As is always the case at RFK, the awning in Richmond was a blessing when the sky opened up in the top of the 7th with heavy rain, lighthing and thunder.
 FANS WAIT IN THE UPPER DECK DURING 7TH INNING RAIN DELAY IN RICHMOND
What's really cool about the Clippers is that just about every face on the team is familiar. I rarely had to check my roster sheet to know who was who. Spring phenom Emiliano Fruto was the starter for Columbus and he was relieved by our old pal Levale Speigner - followed by a name from the past: Hector Carrasco. Unfortunately, Fruto was struggling the entire game. His very first action was to give up a homer to Pete Orr. Immediately after that, he loaded the bases and then gave up a two-run single to Braves third baseman Wes Timmons which put the Clippers in a hole right from the start.
 LARRY BROADWAY AND MICHAEL RESTOVICH
Despite Fruto's struggles on the mound, the Clippers had several opportunities to make a game out of it. However, just like the true Nationals players they are - they consecutively grounded into double plays in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The handful of Nats fans that were present in the stadium could only shake their heads as Braves starter Lance Cormier recorded his third win of the season. The reliever for Cormier was a guy named Will Startup (what a name for a pitcher), he arrived on the mound after the rain delay and he's got this herky-jerky delivery that reminds me of Brendan Donnelly - only he does the Brendan spastic motion not with his arms but with his foot. His motion as he releases the ball looks to me like a 10 year old doing a Bruce Lee karate kick. Hey, but whatever works right?
 PLAYERS WARMING UP AFTER 30 MINUTE RAIN DELAY
Despite the frustration, we Nat fans stuck together behind the Columbus dugout (safety in numbers) and cheered for the guys in blue. All that was missing was you! The Clippers will be in Richmond again August 11 through 14th and box seats are only 10 bucks. I suggest everyone to take a day off in the Old Dominion this summer and cheer on the guys from Ohio. You never know who you might see up-close and personal. Ya might even see a real live Nats blogger! June 28 Summer Scorcher At PotomacAs the Washington Nationals suffer a three game losing streak, the latest being a 13-0 thrashing by our division rival Atlanta Braves - I packed my gear Tuesday and drove the couple of miles from my home to watch the Potomac Nationals on a rare weekday afternoon game at Pfitzner Stadium. It was a scorcher. The heat index was up over 100 degrees and the stadium was full of kids due to it being "Day Camp" day. Most left about halfway through the game due to the extreme heat.
 Potomac Starter Shairon Martis Engaged In A Pitcher's Duel Under the Summer Sun Jun 26th
But daytime games make for great photography due to the abundant sunlight, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to take great photographs of the Potomac squad which has recently added some great new developing players. Probably the biggest name circulating among the writers and scouts is Chris Marrero who just joined the club June 11th along with teammates Mike Daniel and Justin Maxwell. Maxwell's been on the DL during the past week and wasn't in the lineup, but both Mike Daniel and Chris Marrero were and both had a productive afternoon in a 4-2 come-from-behind victory yesterday.
 Mike Daniel Steals Second Base
Mike Daniel had two hits and a stolen base against Keys starter David Hernandez. Potomac starter Shairon Martis was sharp as he struck out six and allowed one run in six innings. But the P-Nats found themselves behind in the seventh when the Keys managed to get a 2-1 lead off of Nationals reliever Josh Parrault. However that lead was short-lived when Ofilio Castro and Matt Rogelstad got on base to set up a P-NAT rally for Chris Marrero in the bottom of the eighth.
 Chris Marrero Connects For An Two-Run RBI Double In A Tuesday Afternoon Day Game
Chris Marrero then hit a double that scored the baserunners and put the Nationals on top. Hot prospect Marrero is currently holding a .282 batting average there and has yet to hit a home run for his new club in Woodbridge. Right-handed pitcher Adam Carr allowed two baserunners in the 9th with a couple of walks but shut the door with two strikeouts notching his third save of the season.
 Matt Rogelstad Rounds Third To Score The Game Winning Run
Unfortunately, the P-Nats joined their parent club's fortune last night by suffering a defeat by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans with a final score of 4-1. Good news for Ofilio Castro - he's been promoted to AA Harrisburg as the Senators released third baseman Brandon Larson. Good luck Ofilio. Note to my readers: I've been swamped with work lately - so my apologies on getting this in the blog a day late...unfortunately there is crap like a real job that always seems to get in my way. Thanks again for your continued readership. June 21 Crests & TroughsI think Tums and Rolaids must get alot of business from Washington Nationals fans. Take for example our first season with the new club in 2005. We tore through the NL East going from top of the food chain at the All-Star break, to record setting loser and celler dweller by the end of the season. I wistfully remember back then the way Nat fans made the movable stands along the 3rd baseline literally bounce up and down. The look of shock and disbelief by players and visitors that weren't around when Redskin fans used to do that every Sunday was priceless.
 I WANT TO SEE SCENES LIKE THIS WITH MORE REGULARITY
Now look at the story of the walking wounded that's befallen this team in a constant line of misery. Losing Alphonso Soriano to the big dollar sign, even though Washington is one of the richest metropolitan areas in the country. Losing Nick Johnson in dramatic fashion last year brought back shuddering memories of another Washington sports hero that ended his career to the sound "snap". Then there is the Chief. The drama king of closers - it's almost as dependable as air. When Chad Cordero takes the mound in a save situation, there's always going to be some kind of reason to reach for the anti-acids.
But this last series against the Tigers wasn't stressfull in excitement, rather it was stressfull because of how completely lost they looked out there. As Acta was quoted after last night's game, "They are a great club, We were outplayed. What can I say? They have everything you want. We did the best we could. We battled in the first game, and today we battled again. They even beat up on our strength, which is our bullpen. They are a good team. We just got outplayed." No Manny, we didn't battle - we sucked and lost most spectacularly. And I'd like to add that if our bullpen is our strength, we better start hiting the weight room. The bullpen was taken to task in this series and made these games most depressing to sit through. The mighty Tiger lineup made a pitcher's park look like a bandbox and everytime you looked at the scoreboard, you looked for the beerman in the same motion. I didn't have any Pepsid, so during times of stress such as this, I've learned that it's always best to self-medicate by numbing your senses.
 FRUSTRATION HAS BEEN THE ORDER OF THE DAY LATELY
Jim Bowden had finally had enough it seems, and made some interesting moves today. Luis Ayala was activated two days early which means he will be returning to the bullpen Friday. He DFA'd Winston Abreu (17 earned runs in 24 innings) and Levale Speigner (11.79 ERA in six starts). He sent Jerome Williams to AA Harrisburg (whoops!) and recalled Chris Schroder who's had an impressive season so far at AAA Columbus; 2-2 with a 1.64 ERA in 26 games.
Also in the mix now is Mr. Double-Zero Brandon Watson, who was called up yesterday (0-3 last night) to replace the grieving Robert Fick who lost his mom Tuesday. It's anticipated that he will continue his presence in the starting lineup for the time being and he's been absolutely scorching hot in the minors with a 43-game hitting streak. However, I remember he was hot at New Orleans last year too - then he ran smack into the brick wall that is major league pitching. I hope he can finally show his worth this year, he says his lack of production last year was because he was nervous. Well, what minor league callup isn't Brandon? Suck it up man!
 BRANDON WATSON IS BACK AGAIN
Poor, poor Alex Escobar. I swear, the man is perennially cursed. He must have slept with the daughter of some witch doctor in his home country of Venezuela or something. Yes my friends, he's on the DL again. Jim Bowden moved him from the 15-day DL to the 60-day one because he sprained his right ankle in a recent minor league stint with the Harrisburg Senators. Somebody needs to make an offering to Jobu and release the curse of this unfortunate kid.
 "OH YEAH... I RECOGNIZE THAT SOUND"
Next on the Nats plate are the Cleveland Indians who are just as hot as the Detroit Tigers - in fact they are neck in neck at the top of their AL Central division. Weather permitting, I'll be at a rare day game with the P-Nats this Tuesday so stay tuned in for some upcoming photos and recap. June 15 Senators Come To Bowie, MDWhile the Nationals were sweeping up the bird droppings at RFK, I was following the OTHER Nationals / Oriole series which was taking place at Prince George's stadium in Bowie, Maryland. Unfortunately last night, the AA version had the opposite results as the Bowie Baysox swept the Harrisburg Senators with a lopsided final score of 7-1. The Senators are now 0-6 vs. the Baysox this season.
 Roger Bernadina Scored The Only Senators Run Last Night With A 3rd Inning Homer
Senators pitcher TJ Nall had a pretty rough go of it despite getting the early lead when Roger Bernadina homered in the third inning. Hall's struggles began in the 4th when the Baysox scored four with a rash of good hard line drives into the gaps, but Harrisburg's fate was truly sealed in the sixth when he gave up a home run to Ruddy Yan with two runners on, his second in two nights.
 TJ Nall Needs A New Ball - The Old One Just Went Outside The Ballpark
Both Bernadina and Harrisburg's star first baseman Josh Whitesell just came off the disabled list. Whitesell appeared for one at bat and struck out. The Senators rallied in the eighth inning when they loaded the bases but the threat was quickly put-down by Baysox reliever David Haehnel.
The Baysox starter Fredy Deza just completely mystified the Senators. Batter after batter were sent to the dugout throwing bats, helmets and muttering to themselves. Deza amassed a season high 10 strikeouts, allowing only one run on two hits for his first win since back in third week in April. His 10 strikeouts were more than he had in his last seven starts combined.
 Holy KKKKKKKKKrap!
Also at the game, because it was "army night" - wrestling fans young and old were treated to a guest appearance by pro wrestling legend Sergeant Slaughter! I used to watch this guy when I was growing up when he used to take on the likes of Randy The Macho Man Savage, The Iron Sheik, The Ultimate Warrior. He told me that he is 58 years old and still wrestling! Yep, I'll admit it...I got me a signed autograph photo next to "The Sarge".
 At Ease Soldier, He's Only A Pro Wrestler June 04 Exceeding ExpectationsHello fellow Nationals fans, I had a wonderful trip in Vegas and Arizona this past week. Thankfully, I was able to keep tabs on the Nats through the miracle of satellite technology. Yes, I am indeed an XM subscriber and like most new technology today, once you get it, you can’t live without it. I was relaxing in my timeshare Sunday evening when I heard Ryan Langerhans hit his first career grand slam off of Randy Flores in the bottom of the 8th. I smiled to myself and listened blissfully to the booing of St. Louis fans in the background.
 For those of you who haven’t been to Sin City, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas has this massive sports board that looks like the trading board at Wall Street. It has the lines on every single sporting event taking place every single day. While strolling through the casino, I took it upon myself to check their “expert opinion” about the upcoming game that night and they had the Nats losing with a payout of $118 per every $100 if they got it wrong. Darn it! I should have dropped some cash on the Nats! They could have made me rich! Seriously though, for those of you who may be slightly naïve or vulnerable, Las Vegas is an amazing place – but stay away if you can't handle vices or temptation, the strip is indeed a highly addictive place.Next, I’d like to bring up this gem of a video that happened while I was gone:
It looks like our manager has finally started to lose his cool about all the negativity coming out of the press despite our recent success. Certain writers apparently are disappointed with the fact that the Nationals are not playing to script by being historically awful. So here comes Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times on May 30 writing about how the “Nats know a dirty little secret, that their success only comes from lesser competition”. I’m glad to see Manny Acta show some emotion for once, and since Mr. Zuckerman has made himself part of the news instead of reporting on it, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind him that I’m still waiting to be added to his blogroll.
Finally, let’s review the two series we just completed with the Dodgers and Padres. I think we certainly know
 that Levale Speigner needs some work before he can be considered a real and dependable starter, but I would like to offer that his most recent defeat was more due to poor defensive support than the quality of his appearance. In these recent stands we can see that Dmitri Young, Ronnie Belliard and Cristian Guzman are absolutely on fire, while Ryan Church and Austin Kearns are currently suffering painful slumps. Guzman is really surprising me this year so far and he's starting to make me a believer of the story about his poor vision being a large reason for his failures in 2005.Tommorow, we take on the Bucs at home for a three game set. This should be a great series, I’m going to be at RFK on the fifth. I’ve personally claimed Pittsburgh as my second home away from home. It’s where my paternal ancestors started in America and I still have relatives up there that I visit during the summer to this day. Even so, I hope we can sweep them so we might head into Minneapolis with some solid momentum. I think we'll need it when we go up against the 'Senators Part I' next weekend. May 25 Spankin' RedsWow talk about a turn-around series! The Nationals really dominated the Reds in Cincinatti this week and took 3 games out of 4 in an offensive juggernaught. Well all right, all right I will rephrase that: they defeated the last place Reds with alot of home runs at Great American Ballpark.
Nope, I like the my first opening better: we kicked butt!
 FELIPE LOPEZ JACKED A FUNGO OVER THE G.A.B. WALL 15 FEET AWAY
Seriously though, how do Reds fans tolerate that joke of a ballpark? Anybody's
<cough [ Ken Griffey Jr.] cough> home run totals have got to be looked at with some kind of stat-curve. I mean, come on... there were sixteen home runs in four games. The Nationals scored more runs in this series than you can shake a stick at. Hell, even Jason Simontacchi almost jacked one over Wednesday night. If I was a major league pitcher and I got traded to the Reds, I'd try and sneak into the park some evening and burn the place down. That place is just sick. Bonds may have Balco but Griffey Jr.'s got GAB...just imagine if Griffey could have stayed healthy. Unreal.
 GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK: HOME OF THE DINGER
I'm really rejoicing about the increase in offense by our guys during this series. Just maybe I will delude myself into thinking they have turned the corner and will start showing some real grit. At the very least, they have provided a much needed lift to the clubhouse and can go into the next series with their heads held high. It's going to be a real collision this weekend because the Cards have just come off a sweep of the Pirates and we are riding a wave of victories against the Reds.
 EVERYBODY WHO GOT A HOME RUN TONIGHT: RAISE YOUR HAND!
Note to Readers: I will not be posting for the next week because my wife and I will be away in Las Vegas and Arizona. Doubt I will be able to see the St. Louis games on TV but if I'm lucky the Dodger series might get piped into Nevada. Being without my Nat games will be like a heroin addict going through rehab. Despite my hardship: Go NATS...and see you guys next week.
 "NYAHH-NYAHH! WE GOT A BASEBALL TEAM, WE GOT A BASEBALL TEAM!"
May 22 What in God's Name Was THAT?!?Hey, thanks guys. Really. I mean you did everything I asked of you by producing some real offense for a change. I appreciate it 'cause it means you're reading closely, and I hope you continue reading because it can only mean success for you! But of course, like some kind of sadistic Greek tragedy; you only showed the offense for a couple innings and then everything else went to pot. Can you fellas handle multi-tasking? Do you need a Pfizer pill so you can keep it up and last longer? Sigh.
  Meanwhile, it was certainly entertaining to watch Levale Speigner servin' up some sweet potata' pie from the mound last night. The Reds were holding out their plates for seconds weren't they? Free taters for everybody in the outfield seats at Great American Ballpark! My Lord, what a humiliating and frustrating loss.
We had them darnit! When your opponent's down, don't give him a chance to get back up...step on his throat and finish him - seal the deal and shut the door!
Even though we didn't seal the deal and allowed Cincinnati back into the game, we still had a chance to come out on top. Unfortunately in the 8th inning it all unravelled. Austin Kearns and Nook Logan chased a line drive hit by Scott Hattieberg off of "alternate closer" John Rauch. Nook Logan was yelling that he had it...but Kearns kept coming. Logan yelled over and over, "I got it, I got it, I got it!"...and yet Kearns said nothing and kept coming.
Remembering last year and preferring not to become another Kearns collision casualty, Logan decided he'd rather not have a broken femur and peeled off. The ball then got behind both players and rolled to the wall scoring Alex Gonzalez and putting the Reds within one. Immediately afterward Javier Valentin homered and put the Reds on top 8-7. Game Over.
 Nook said..."I got it, I got it, I got it!" Then he saw Austin coming,
He thought back to last year, and said..."You got it!"
Austin what are you thinking out there? Logan is the centerfielder, so HE's in charge...if he says he's got it, then get the hell out of the way! It appears that once Kearns gets locked in on a fly ball, he homes in like a heat seeking missle and the the whole world temporarily fades from his consciousness. This ruined a perfect homecoming for Kearns, since he did hit one of the Nationals home runs earlier.
Changing the subject, as you probably noticed I've done some sprucing-up of the web site. Hope you like the changes. I appear to be the only Nats Blogger using Windows Live Spaces as a blogging platform. I like trying new features as they are developed; some of the stuff they come up with is good...some not. I don't want to use too many gadgets, bells or whistles...but I do like the fact that my blog is different and unique from the others. I hope you do as well. May 21 Tough Love: We LOSTYes, the Nationals avoided the sweep yesterday in dramatic fashion at RFK against the arch enemy. And yes, they did indeed come from behind during the bottom of the 8th when Nook Logan hit a two-run single off of Boriole reliever Danys Baez defeating the Birds 4-3 Sunday afternoon. Bang, zoom go the fireworks…presidents running around the foul lines on segways, fat goofy eagles dancing on dugouts and so on and so forth.
  Look… normally I’m not one to rain on a parade, but forgive me for my lack of enthusiasm. Anyone not wearing a Nats cap on their head will point out to you that we lost the series and dropped two out of three. That’s enough to keep Lord Baltimore and his minions smirking and keep us at twelve games under .500.
What continues to amaze me is that despite our desperate pitching situation, it’s not pitching that’s killing us…it’s our continuous and relentless struggle at offense. Pinch hitting is still reeking: the current average now is .102 or 7 for 72. Manny Acta continues shuffling the lineup like a deck of cards on a daily basis, no one knows who’s going to be where from day to day, game to game.
But as inconsistent as the batting order may be, the starting players are pretty well established and simply have not been performing to specs. Four of the core players have been below the poverty level in productivity:
Felipe Lopez: .237 batting average, .190 w/ RISP
Austin Kearns: .240 batting average, .220 w/ RISP Brian Schneider: .222 batting average, .094 w/ RISP Ryan Zimmerman: .240 batting average, .167 w/ RISP  Felipe Lopez Has Been Struggling For Offensive Numbers This Season
These guys are not call-ups; they are the starters, three of which were named clubhouse leaders by Manny Acta shortly before the season started during Spring Training. Well, they certainly aren’t leading by example with numbers like these.
It does appear that Zim’s bat is finally starting to warm-up (thank God) and I fully expect that he will come out of his funk shortly. But the other three need to step it up and start supporting the pitching arms who I believe are currently playing above their pay grade.
 Pitcher Mike Bacsik Made a Great Major League Spot Start Against the O's Saturday
This Nationals rag-tag, strewn together pitching staff has held their opponents either behind, or within two runs in 28 out of 44 games this year. Now that 'aint bad for a bunch of "minor league nobodies". And listen, two run ball games can go either way…I think if we had put together some decent at-bats in all those wasted RISP opportunities, we might have a very different perspective on the season right now.
I’m not downing these guys, but sometimes you need to show a little tough love - much like a football coach’s pep talk in the locker room at half time. The Nationals veterans need to start showing leadership by displaying a hunger for success and an anger for what’s been said about them. There’s not many better ways to take out anger than with a wooden bat and an inanimate object stitched with a leather covering. May 18 Hometown Cookin' Left Handed Starter Matt Chico Obtained His Third Win Yesterday
Well what do you know? Forgive the pun, but sometimes baseball just throws you a curve. Yesterday, under a cloudy but pleasant sky in Washington...our boys completed a fantastic home series against the division leading Atlanta Braves - taking 3 out of 4 against them. Matt Chico was brilliant in 6 innings of work allowing only three runs and garnered his third win of the season. Congratulations Matt. Kudos also extended to our relievers: Billy Traber, Jesus Colome and big John Rauch. And thanks guys for not doing what was in the back of every mind in the stands: a bullpen collapse. Instead, we were treated to no drama and no heartburn...just good solid relief and the Braves never produced any offense to threaten the Nationals lead. What a breath of fresh air that was.
 Felipe Lopez Slides Into Third. He Was A Home Run Away From Hitting The Cycle Yesterday
And how bout some offense? Finally! ...some movement along the basepaths on our side for a change! Unlike the past season, when the Nationals could rely on a large blast from Alphonso Soriano over the left field wall, this year it's got to be done the old fashioned way. Yesterday, the Nats offense executed good fundamental baseball by moving baserunners with sacrifice bunts, stealing bases and taking advantage of the Braves mistakes. This is the key to any success we might enjoy this season because we don't have a "Big Papi", A-Rod or an Albert Pujols.
 Nationals Backup Catcher Jesus Flores Scores In The 6th Inning
What's unusual about yesterday's game (in addition to having exciting offense) was the lineup itself. This was an unusual batting order: Jesus Flores, Tony Batista and Ronnie Belliard all started the game in place of Brian Schneider, Christian Guzman and Robert Fick. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get excited over Tony Batista (although he did provide a much needed RBI), but I'm all for using Jesus Flores and Ronnie Belliard to infuse some pop in the lineup. The Nationals tendancy of not being able to score when runners were in scoring position finally seemed to escape us yesterday...and it was a very welcome change.
 Braves Manager Bobby Cox Looks Over Washington's Stats Thinking, "This CAN'T Be Right..."
Now the bad news: Today, Bill Ladson over at Nationals.com reported that Jason Bergmann experienced some pain in his elbow when he woke up Tuesday morning. This being the day after almost pitching a no-hitter against Atlanta. We just can't afford another starter to go on the DL, but pain in the elbow is a profanity in pitching circles. Hopefully it's nothing serious, as they are not placing Jason on the disabled list yet. If they do - I don't know where they are going to get anyone from anywhere. Fruto and Hanrahan are still on the minor league DL and Redding has been less than stellar in his outings with Columbus so far this season.
 Friday Afternoon Update: Latest news is now Bergmann will indeed be placed on the disabled list for right elbow inflammation retroactive to May 15. Apparently, the Nats have purchased the contract of Mike Bacsik to replace him on Saturday against the Orioles. Hopefully, Bacsik will not spend too much time on the major league stage as he is still in need of much polishing before he is ready to take on pro level opponents.Nats take on the Birds today at RFK Stadium for a weekend series. Our friends from the North are having problems of their own with a current clubhouse implosion. No, I'm not laughing....well, ok maybe just a little. Should be good enough for some decent entertainment regardless. May 14 Cleanup in Seafood Department - Aisle 11 Screech Was Excited To Finally Be Able To Kick The Tires On His Screech-Mobile Sweep-Mobile
So ok, I guess there's reason to celebrate right? The Nationals got their first sweep of the season against the Florida Marlins over the weekend. But of course, there would have to be some major drama to accomplish the feat...a walk-off grand slam by Zimmerman in a game that had a two and a half hour rain delay. The game apparently didn't end until 1:45 in the morning.
I say apparently because I missed it...I was in Harrisburg Saturday with my daughter watching another game that was rain delayed (three and a half hours). I intended to take game-time photos to add to the Senators photo album but the rain forced me to keep my camera gear in car. Will have to make up for that when they play in Bowie later in the season.
 Nationals Third Baseman Ryan Zimmerman With A Walk Off Homer At 1:43 AM
It is my fervent hope that the Nationals will use this as a springboard for a season turn-around. Don't get me wrong, I of course know that they aren't going to be making a run for the pennant this year, but I hope they can dispose of this talk of being historically bad. MASN announcers Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton have made comments during the game that despite the losing, the Nats have been holding tight against their opponents. Now it's time to turn those close games into victories.
That being said, it's not going to be easy because they are going to have to do it against the Braves during the week, followed by our cross-town rival Barn Swallows (cough) excuse me...Orioles over the weekend. Not only this, but they will be working with a much diminished pitching rotation since both #1 John Patterson and #2 Shawn Hill will be sitting these games out on the disabled list. Simontacchi proved yesterday that he can be effective again...however apparently Levale Speigner will be starting against the Braves on Wednesday. Yeah, my fingers are crossed too.
 Arghh! Baltimore Fans Can't Get A Break! Yet Another Player On The DL. May 09 07 HARRISBURG SENATORS THE 2007 HARRISBURG SENATORS
I must admit that since our parent club has been struggling so horribly lately, my criss-cross around the minor league circuit has been a much needed distraction for my sanity. For this week's destination, I drove the two and a half hour hike up to Harrisburg, PA to visit the Nationals AA affiliate: Harrisburg Senators. Let me tell you, it was a gorgeous night for baseball and the ballpark in Harrisburg is top notch.
Commerce Bank Ballpark (originally Riverfront Stadium); the venue for the Senators since 1987, is located on an island in the Susquehanna River alongside the town proper. In fact, you can see the city skyline and the majestic Pennsylvania Statehouse across the river from the upper seats. There is both a vehicle and a footbridge that connects the island with downtown. Parking for the games is also available on the island for $3.00.
 HARRISBURG LEFT HANDED STARTING PITCHER MICHAEL HINCKLEY
Monday night featured an familiar face for me since Mike Hinckley used to be a starter for Potomac just last year. I found his performance pretty good but he walked some guys in some bad spots which seemed to make life difficult for him. Another Potomac arm; Alexis Morales, came in and took the mound after Mike and was really sharp. He had a biting fast ball that seemed to mystify the Rock Cats. The Senators had their best chance when they had the tieing baserunner, Frank Diaz only 90 feet away...but unfortunately failed to score on an attempted steal of home plate. Harrisburg closer Zechry Zinicola kept the game within a run, but they never again threatened for the remainder of the contest. The following evening on Tuesday was a miserable affair with my favorite young pitcher, Beltran Perez allowing 8 earned runs, 4 of them in the first inning. Perez has been off to a slow start so far this season.
 SENATORS FIRST BASEMAN JOSH WHITESELL
The biggest success story so far from this club appears to be the first baseman Josh Whitesell, who's already racked up 5 home runs, a .359 batting average and a .454 on base percentage. Yesterday while I was photographing BP, the MASN "Nats Access" crew was there interviewing Josh. Larry Broadway (who whoever is playing first in Columbus these days) should take notice. With the continual struggle of any type of offensive power currently experienced in our beloved Nationals, Whitesell could find himself propelled to the next level sooner rather than later. April 30 Frustration NationThe first month of the season is now behind us and I can't say I will be sorry to see it go. The Nationals have become the epitome of frustration. As fans hurl their beer cans at their televisions, they exclaim the utter bad luck of the worst team in baseball. It seems like time and time again we suffer the wrath of the almighty baseball gods. But putting those Nat fans that wear their signed, unwashed Vinny Castilla jersies aside, it's not luck that is the problem, it's the playing on the field. Good, talented fundamental baseball will always trump Bambino curses and billy goats. And frankly good, talented fundamental baseball is what we've lacked this April.
 Granted, we are expected to be a poor team with a very questionable pitching rotation and no big name stars...but the complete and utter non-offense from what's supposed to be our capable lineup along with poor defense on the field is getting old really fast. Finally this past week, we received excellant starts from pitchers that have been struggling early on. Matt Chico took on the mighty Mets and went 5.1 innings holding them to only two runs and scored his second win of the season. The following day, Jerome Williams fighting for his very life as a major league starting pitcher, went head to head against future HOFer Tom Glavine and matched him inning for inning. He left the game with a precarious one run lead in the 6th only to have it given up by Jesus Colome in the 7th. Then Bergmann yesterday - he's surprising everybody (including me) with his performance so far this season.
First off, the Nationals bench is a completely sad college course on non-productivity. Nats pinch hitting is historically bad at 3 for 42. If you didn't get that - that's THREE for FORTY TWO. If you find that hard to believe, then look at the numbers:
But it's not just the pinch hitting and utility players...the fundamentals displayed on the field defensively have been equally atrocious. Zimmerman's web gems notwithstanding, error after error continues to plague this team. If you were misfortunate enough to watch John Patterson's game on the 25th...they looked like low-A minor leaguers. Absolutely horrid defense - misplayed grounders, missed cut-off men and overthrown balls.
 The continuous unsucessfull use of the sacrifice bunt is as equally frustrating. Manny needs to get off of that desperate tendency. No, I think these guys need to go back to Viera and start relearning how to play basic baseball. Bunting is just a little too difficult for them to master at this point. Can we please get a do-over? Before the season started Manager Manny Acta told the media that despite the lack of big stars in our lineup, this team would display solid fundamentals. If this is so, then Manny will have to ignore the month of April.
 April 22 The Phones Are Ringing...Today is the close of week three, so now let's step back for a moment and see where we are. Our current record is six and thirteen (.316) and we're holding firm to our #5 spot in the NL East. As expected by all the sports writers & pundits before the season started, Nationals pitching is indeed dismal. We rank dead last in the National League in team ERA at 4.99 and last in saves with two. We rank first in giving up home runs, earned runs, walks, and losses. The performance of both Matt Chico and Jerome Williams in the past two appearances was a painful experience for any Nat fan, in addition to having to watch Ryan Wagner fall on his sword for a bullpen that was already completely depleted.
I think this rotation is already in need of some changes...and I believe that's going to require some shuffling. Keep in mind that there will probably be alot of moving of the peices this year (I wonder if the Nationals issued permanent jerseys for all of their starters for both Washington and Columbus). The first to don a clean, new Nationals uniform on the mound will probably be Joel Hanrahan in replacement for Jerome Williams. However, I don't expect him to stay around much either...you might even see Matt Chico lose his spot if he can't get his control issues down against the Mets on April 27th - a tall order indeed. Our closer, Chad Cordero is starting to show vulnerability and a depreciated value. Should we have worked a deal with Boston over the Spring? Time will tell. What's frustrating to me is that not only is pitching struggling, but so is the offense. There's no excuse for the Nationals not to be able to compete in the offensive arena when they have such capable bats in their lineup as they do. Thankfully, Zimmerman is finally showing signs that he might be arriving for work. He scored a powerful yet futile grand slam in the 9th inning of today's miserable slaughter by the Fish. Ronnie Belliard, Dmitri Young and Ryan Church, three players that were questionable at the start of the season, have provided a majority of the thrill and drama at the plate so far for Nationals fans. Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, Brian Schneider and Zimmerman have been absent, especially with runners in scoring position (RISP) - a trait that is frustratingly becoming a Nationals tradition.
Also today, Manager Manny Acta made a public statement to the team when he benched Ryan Church for not hustling on his run to first on a groundout. I don't think it was a blatant Manny Ramirez impression...but I like what he is trying to convey to his players: I don't care who you are - I don't care what the score is...I want 100% out of everybody every game, and every at-bat. Church said after the game that he understood completely and heard the message "loud and clear".
Life isn't going to be getting any easier for our Nationals in the coming weeks...They have to take on Philadelphia and New York, then they are off on a murderous road schedule in which they will have to travel to San Diego, Chicago and Milwaukee, not coming back home until the second week of May. Good luck guys, I think you're gonna need it. April 19 07 HAGERSTOWN SUNS Just about every Nationals game you watch on MASN features an advertisement for the P-Nats in Woodbridge, VA. But take note Maryland fans, your state's got it's own version of Nationals minor league ball...and it's right smack in the middle of Oriole territory. That's got to irritate Lord Baltimore quite a bit...and any thing that makes life a mess for Peter Angelos has got to be worth the price of admission in my book. Just about an hour from Washington to the West on I-70, THROUGH the Oriole affiliate town of Frederick...is the small but booming city of Hagerstown. Home of the Washington Nationals newest affiliate, the Hagerstown Suns.
The Suns are not a new club...in fact, the town has had baseball around since 1915. The ballpark (Municipal Stadium), which was built in May of 1930, is one of the three oldest stadiums in the minor leagues. Despite it's age, I found the stadium to be more than adequate for their needs and the design to be a classic step into baseball's past. The pressbox sits high above the stands and reminds me of a minature version of Fenway Park in Boston.
 Hagerstown Suns Left-Handed Starter Cory VanAllen
The weather last night was another chilly one, but not uncomfortably so. This fact in addition to being a weekday evening series, resulted in plenty of seating...but I hear that the park can get really filled-up during the summer weeks. I snapped several shots which you can view in the photo album in the upper right.
The Suns as a team played well despite falling behind early. From what I understand, this was Cory VanAllen's first start with the club and alot of his early struggles were results of some sloppy fielding and throwing errors by Suns infielders. After being down by six runs through much of the game, the team staged a comeback in the last couple of innings and rallied to within one run in the bottom of the 8th...unfortunately it wasn't enough to put them on top as they eventually ended up losing 7-6 to the Cleveland Indians affiliate, Lake County Captains.
 Florida Hot Prospect Chris Marrero Belted His First Home Run In Last Night's Game
I personally recommend all Nats fans to take a night off and make the pleasant one hour drive to Hagerstown to root for these kids. This team is especially calling all you fans in Maryland...think of it as a way to poke a finger in the eye of that jackass in Baltimore. And while I'm talking about that particular subject, may I just pass the suggestion to the Suns ownership to please lose the orange and black. It makes it difficult for us Washington fans to buy your souvenirs & gear. |
|
|
