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The sensational phenom and savior of the Nationals (Stephen Strasburg) felt tightness in his shoulder as was pulled from his start on Tuesday to a chorus of boos.
Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post expressed that she hoped it was only due to disappointment.

Of course, the boos were due to disappointment. If it's fair to say that in the four games Strasburg doesn't start (along with discounting games played vs. Philly & NY team fans) the Nationals draw slightly under 20,000 fans while attendance spikes up to an estimated 40,000 fans for home games when he pitches, then it illustrates just how powerful a draw Strasburg has become. Fans chart out Strasburg's day in the pitching rotation. He even draws higher attendance for the teams when the Nationals travel for road games.

Fans have every right to vent their disappointment and frustration for one of the few games they honestly wanted to invest their hard earned time and dollars into seeing Strasburg only to have the rug pulled out from under them for a fill in starter. It's not like Riggleman came out on the jumbotron to announce that as a precautionary measure to ensure that the franchise and fans can enjoy many more Strasburg games that he would be pulled due to concern over a shoulder injury.

It's probably fair to assume that if most fans had the knowledge about Strasburg's arm they wouldn't have sent boos to Batista and the home team.

The point Hamilton appears to be missing is the 40,000 in attendance actually cared enough to plot out Strasburg games to witness something special. The fans wanted to see a true home team legend in the making type player for a city that hasn't had too much to cheer about come playoff time in any sport other then college basketball.

The boos should ring in the Lerner's ears as a message to become buyers and not sellers in the trade deadline market or at least stand pat with the top tier players such as Dunn, Willingham, and Capps. This is a time to excite the crowd even more by showing a willingness to spend and encourage fans to show up in droves to more than just one game out of every five.

Strasmas mania continues. On Thursday, on the Late Show with David Letterman, Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg delivered a pretty decent Top Ten List. Of course Letterman's staff wrote them, but Strasburg delivered it well. With his next start this coming weekend in Cleveland against the Indians, can the Strasburg Fever continue? Watch the Top Ten below.

The most anticipated call up in the short Washington Nationals history was a success. That is if you count 14 strikeouts in 7 innings a success. Stephen Strasburg, in his Major League debut downed the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps each pitched a scoreless inning to solidify the win. The important stats: 7.0 IP, 14 K, 0 BB, 2 H, 2 ER, 2.57 ERA. Oh plus this...he clocked 100 mph a few times, averaging 99 mph on his fastballs. Also there are reports that on the MASN telecast, they recorded at least one pitch at 101 mph.

The crowd was there for a show and Strasburg did not disappoint. We could feel that a good outing was coming. When the Pirates' Delwyn Young lofted a home run to right field to take them to a 2-1 lead, it showed that the young pitcher was human. But the best part was the reaction. He came back out confident and struck out his final 7 batters. The 14 overall strikeouts set a Nationals record in one game for a pitcher. It was something to see. The soldout crowd roared at every strikeout. We barely sat the first inning as every pitch was reviewed by the fans.

While it was Strasburg's night, the pitcher had solid defense behind him. Adam Dunn launched a 2 run home run while Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham provided solo shots.

Even the expert and analysts were in awe. Listening to ESPN Radio's MIke & Mike show, their baseball people one after another noted how great his start was. On the Internet, in particular Twitter, the term "#Strasmas" was coined to describe the debut.

Of course we are talking about one game. Strasburg has many more to come. It will be how the opponents prepare for him. For the few teams that might see him multiple times this season, what will they do to adjust? Time will tell, but savor the moment for now. Strasmas might go down in the books as the day baseball truly returned to the Nation's Capital.

The Nationals selected 17 year old Bryce Harper (OF) as the #1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft last night. Harper, who spent much of his time at catcher, will be fast tracked to the majors by playing in the outfield vs. spending time behind the plate and risking injury. If he lives up to his potential Washington could find the corner outfielder so desperately needed. He possess the speed, arm, power, and defensive prowess that the team has been lacking in the OF. The promise of another possible game changing player to don a Nationals uniform marks this week as the week that could turn around a franchise mired at the bottom the past few years.

Stephen Strasburg's time to shine in the major league spotlight begins tonight (officially). Strasburg's talent has been showcased all season as one of his minor league starts aired on MASN. Tonight the city of Washington, Nationals fans, and baseball fans from all over get to witness one of the most anticipated spectacle in years to watch what could be the next great pitcher of this generation. The last time such excitement was in the air that forced networks to interupt programming was Sosa/McGwire's HR Chase or Cal Ripken's streak. Time will write its own story on Strasburg's career, but tonight Nationals fans can delight in the beginning of the Stephen Strasburg story that could turn around the franchise. Let tomorrow start the talk of whether the Nationals can sign Harper (a Boras client) or how Strasburg fares in his debut and let the Nationals fans bask in the glow of the past two days and dream of what could be.

The date has finally been set. The Nationals announced that Stephen Strasburg will make his Major League Baseball and Washington debut on June 8, at home facing the Pittsburg Pitrates. It was what everyone had anticipated, and now it's set.

Strasburg's work in the minors have done wonders for the minor league stadiums he's pitched in. They've sold out many of the games. His arrival in Washington comes at a great time. The Nationals are hovering over a .500 record backed by good pitching and offense. There have been down times, like giving up 2 inside the park home runs in back to back series, but even those were wins. Strasburg should further shore up the starting rotation.

The question now asked is can they play this way the rest of the season and make a run at a wild card berth? In all likelihood, it's not going to end that way, but the prospects just look better with Strasburg on the top level. The day prior to his MLB debut, it's expected that the team will be drafting catcher Bryce Harper. The future is now and later for the Nationals. The end of the 2010 season could prove interesting. Even better is the 2011 season. But we shouldn't look that far. Let's just enjoy June 8.

So in the span of about a month, I have given up season tickets to both the Redskins and the Nationals. Before I continue, I should define what I mean by season tickets. To me, it means a plan that includes several games over the course of the season. In the case of the Redskins, it was the entire season. In the case of the Nationals, it was a 20 game plan. There were a number of issues that came up to help to make these decisions. Economy and the performance of the team were common in both, but there were others specific to the teams and sports.

Over the course of my post-college adult life, I have owned or been part of a group that owned tickets to the Redskins, Nationals, Orioles, Capitals, and Terps Men's Basketball. I'm down to just the Terps now. My alma mater holds a great place in my life, and they could be in a losing season...I'll still watch them anytime.

For the Orioles and Capitals, it came to distance and time commitments respectively. Baltimore is not that far, but committing to every Sunday game (and for awhile, several weeknight games as well), just wasn't great. The nail in the coffin for the Orioles was when the Nationals arrived in town. The Capitals are a great ticket to have, but my work got in the way and I just could not commit to any games ahead of time to justify keeping those tickets.

The Nationals was easy. The 20 game plan was not onerous. We even actually split the tickets so I was only obligated to about 10 games a season. But in reality, why should I prepay for games they decide I should buy when I can show up on virtually any gameday, 10 minutes before first pitch to buy the exact same seats and probably have a 90% chance of getting them? It sounds harsh, and I'm becoming what the team does not need...a fan who barely spends money on them. Note to the Lerners, I'm probably not the only one.

The Redskins was much tougher, yet was easily justifiable. I once had season tickets in the upper level for a couple of seasons during the Norv Turner era. Then I had given up until a friend decided he was interested in getting premium seats (lower level). So for the past few seasons, we have been 20-30 rows from the field, in the end zone, cheering on those fans. This past season, we were upgraded to the club level to test out the seats there. But ultimately, it was not enough to keep our interest. Besides some personal issues, the Redskins simply don't have the draw any longer. The price was not justified and while the fan experience there is great, watching games on TV is almost as good as being there. After you weigh in parking, getting there, and the simple hassle of possibly not sitting an entire half, it was too easy a thing to drop.

One day, I hope to reacquire some of these tickets. I may sound like a fair weather fan, but a dozen or so Terps games is plenty. Add in the occassional ticket I'll be purchasing as a one-off game for all these teams, I'll still end up going to 25 or so sporting events live each year. Which means I'll essentially creating my own season plan.

Is same as the old. Well, more concisely, the interim no more. Jim Riggleman was announced as the Nationals permanent Manager tonight, Veteran's Day. As The Sports Freak just commented in our discussion of this minutes ago, it's almost appropriate as Riggleman seems like the grandpa that will tell you war stories.

Initial reaction is why Riggleman? Rumors had little, if anyone really looked at by GM Mike Rizzo and the Lerners. Former Mets and recent Japanese league manager Bobby Valentine was considered. Maybe Valentine cost too much? Or maybe he turned it down. Riggleman was a good choice to fill the interim role. But he showed little in his time to prove that he deserves the job on the permanent basis. Is it his fault? Not entirely, as former manager Manny Acta lost his job for the same reason...non-production from a team that CAN NOT produce, thank you Jim Bowden.

Well, positively for Rizzo, at least the Nationals didn't go through the debacle that the Redskins had hiring their leader until settling for Jim Zorn.

Anyone?

Yes, the World Series is still going on. But the Nationals season has been done for about a month now and one could argue has been done since June, but there has been little talked about the next manager. Is Mike Rizzo doing anything about it?

We have to believe Rizzo is making the rounds, and checking out potential candidates. But this isn't like the NFL where you might be waiting out an assistant to finish his current team's playoff run. Maybe, but there are great candidates out there. Why have we heard little about it? The only thing I've seen is a small comment in an article about the front office changes. Riggleman as the permanent? Really? He's done OK, but is this a great improvement over Manny Acta? BTW, congrats to Acta for getting interviewed in both Houston and Cleveland and landing the Cleveland job.

The Lerners and Rizzo need to pound the pavement. Eventually all these high draft picks may produce a great major league team. The right manager would help too. One early rumor who is still available is Bobby Valentine. He's a great analyst and may end up permanently at ESPN, but he could be the right man for the Nationals. Will the Nationals be the right team for for him?

Remember way back when, like almost 20 years ago, when the Redskins last won a Superbowl? Then a series of events occurred that was going to bring sports championships (plural is intentional).

1. Wizards being declared a team to be reckoned with.
2. Capitals make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
3. Baseball returns to Washington.
4. Redskins sign/hire Spurrier, Gibbs, Haynesworth, Campbell

In Pardon the Interruption style, Toss Up, though we'll change it up a bit and give you a few choices. I get the feeling I already know the answer.

Thursday night, the Washington Nationals achieved the century mark by gaining their 100 loss of the season. Surprisingly the team was in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers until late. It was back and forth with the Dodgers taking a 1 or 2 run lead and then within an inning or two, the Nationals fight back to one run down. They even tied it all up at 6. But the loss would come, unlike Wednesday night when they won against the same Dodger team.

More importantly than the one game, the 100th loss marks the second season in a row the team goes over a century. Not good when you open a publicly funded stadium and reward the city and fans with 2 sub-subpar seasons.

GM Mike Rizzo thought it best to relieve Manny Acta of his managing duties midway through the season, which didn't solve much. Jim Riggleman might be considered for the position permanently, but it's likely the team will go outside the organization to find the new manager. The interesting part is they never gave Acta, nor Riggleman in relief, much of a chance. The team was built by former GM Jim Bowden in terrible fashion, by acquiring has been, never was, or unwanted players of other teams. Player development went by the wayside and those that made it got shipped off in those trades.

In the end, no matter who manages the team, the Nationals need strong players to be selfless and play as a team well. They lack a true field leader. Maybe Ryan Zimmerman can fulfill that role, but he'll have to step up. The pitching core is both busted and inexperienced. Another season under their belts, the young arms should gain momentum in 2010. Is it enough? Maybe not for 2010, but we can shoot for a smaller goal than pennants. Let's see if we can go 99 or less.

Jim Riggleman has done a decent job since the Nationals fired Manny Acta. While some feel Manny had to go, others think Manny would have similar success at this point in the season with this team. Nyjer Morgan just does not get that good because of Riggleman.

That said, thoughts of what is going to occur in 2010 with the team are afloat. Of course there will be that pesky pitching thing. But who will lead this time? Funny that it is now rumored Bobby Valentine and Buck Showalter are on the Nationals list of interviews. The Sports Freak and I discussed this very topic when Riggleman took over. Well, not Showalter, but definitely Bobby V.

Showalter, I had not anticipated. I'm curious to see what he can bring to the table, but that may be the issue. Good solid veteran manager is what the Nationals need. While Showalter has been around awhile, I don't know if he fits the bill.

Valentine was a manager in MLB, probably most famously with the New York Mets. Once after being ejected from a game, he decided to return to the dugout with fake glasses, nose, and moustache. A little humor and personality just might be whtat the Nationals need in a leader. He currently manages a team in Japan, but they will not renew him after this season.

The Washington Nationals fired Manny Acta when the team returned to DC last night after a 5-0 loss the the Houston Astros. This was somewhat a surprise, as the rumours of his departure subsided after a frenzy less than a month ago. Jim Riggleman, the bench coach, is likely to take over in the interim. While a team playing subpar needs changes, the question is why now?

Baseball has come upon the All-Star game break, so putting in new management now is not a surprise. Riggleman can tweak the lineup and/or rotation and pull players from the minors if necessary. Certainly there is no question that the Nationals are terrible and need changes. But if Acta were not here all season, would the team be in contention? This team built by former General Manager Jim Bowden, did not underachieve. It had virtually no pitching and the hitting can not make up for that. Nor can a miracle manager. There are questions as to whether Acta was major league manager material. Alas the Nationals will never know as he never got the chance to field a major league team.

So who's up? While Riggleman has experience, which might be the direction that the team will head toward, he is still below .500 in his managing career with several teams. He will probably get to run the team in interim until th end of the season. Likely the team will have to go outside the organization. This becomes a problem as the team has yet to decide on a permanent replacement for Bowden. Mike Rizzo has kept the team running, but sinking, and made transactions, but has not had a full offseason to work. There is time of course, but the Redskins had time too when Joe Gibbs 2.0 retired and look how quickly they settled hired Jim Zorn.

The Nationals drafted Drew Storen #10 overall in the 1st Round. Two sirens should have rang for Nationals fans to hear.

The first would have been the change in philosophy from high risk high reward picks involving young high school players vs. a more measured approach by acting general manager Mike Rizzo who prefers more experienced players from college to fully understand the player he's drafting with more time to evaluate players.

The second signal Nats fans should have heard was the sound of money. For all of the money that will be spent on the #1 overall pick Strasburg, the Nationals drafted a reliever early in day one of the draft. Storen signed quickly and could even be rushed (too) quickly to the 40 man roster in September. Adding to the mix the lack of command of Storen's pitches by MLB.com. Drafting another starting pitcher may have cost the Nationals more money. Although the Nationals bullpen lacks the depth and quality in the minor and major league level, drafting a closer for a team that is on pace to secure the number one pick in next year’s draft let alone vie for the league record in futility set by the 1962 Mets with a 120 losses seems premature. Affordable relief pitching can be found early in the offseason if it's a priority. With excellent scouting, young pitchers can also be developed through the system. Two factors that haven't really been addressed in recent seasons.

Would it be that far to fathom that ownership may consider all the money tied up into Strasburg and look for savings elsewhere? Fans may draw a connection between the lack of free agent spending in prior years coupled with a relief pitcher taken so early. Would ownership really have been willing to add Adam Dunn to the roster if they had already signed Teixeira? Fans may already be drawing their own conclusion and are expressing their counterproposal to ownership by the way of empty seats.

After taking back to back series vs. the Yankees and Blue Jays, much of the ballyhooed talk of the Nationals making a change at the helm to bench Coach Jim Riggleman has died down. The front office cleared out the coaching staff after last season with the exception of pitching coach St. Claire who was let go earlier this season. Removing Manager Manny Acta at this point in time won't resolve the underlying issues that permeate through the organization. Acta may have his faults and still have plenty to learn, but it would be interesting to see how he improves as a manager with more talent on the roster.

Stan Kasten and Manny Acta are all that's left from the initial hiring’s of managers and coaches. Former GM Bowden resigned before the start of the season. Firing Acta will neither improve the performance of the players on the roster nor improve the evaluation process of players to acquire. It's a move that would tell fans that ownership can't fire themselves for decisions and missed opportunities in free agency over the years, so the active manager would take the fall. If ownership truly believes that Acta is a solid manager and would be the best manager in the long term then giving him an opportunity to prove himself with more talent would suggest granting him that extra time.

A spectacular performance by SP Ross Detwiler and CF Willie Harris combined for a solid one-two punch to help defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday to ensure a series victory with a 5-3 walk off 2R HR by Willie Harris at Nationals Park.

Detwiler pitched seven stellar innings in one of his best performances of the season as he searched for his first win. He was pulled after 99 pitches. Dukes helped Detwiler’s cause with a double that he tried to stretch into a triple. He was ultimately thrown out at third base, but drove in Nick Johnson before the out. Kip Wells came entered the game in relief with an inherited runner and after a single to LF, Adam Dunn failed to locate the cutoff man and proceeded to throw the ball to home plate allowing the tying runner to advance to 2B and scoring position.

Wells retired two batters in the 8th inning after allowing another run. He was relieved in place of Joel Hanrahan, who twice hasn't been able to hold down the closer status.

After the 7th inning MacDougal could have been called into the game or when Wells found himself in trouble. Instead MacDougal wasn't brought into the game until it was headed into extra innings. If he could log the two innings then why not preserve the victory and call in the closer in the 8th inning?

Ultimately the game was won by a 12 inning walk off 2R HR by Willie Harris who earlier in the game manufactured the first Nationals run of the game almost single handedly with a double and a steal. He also made an unbelievably difficult catch in CF to rob the Blue Jays of a sure hit.

Could extra innings have been averted? Fans will never know. 3B coaches usually get the pink slip for too many bad decisions about sending or not sending runners home. Managers get judged more often by keeping the locker room together as a cohesive group and managing the pitchers. Manny Acta's done a phenomenal job of keeping the team together and looking forward every game, but his handling of the pitchers leaves something to be desired.

Manny often makes similar calls time and time again regarding the pulling of starting pitchers very early in games without allowing the young pitchers to learn how to manage their own pitch count, how to pitch without their best stuff, and how to adjust during a game after the batters have adjusted with their third at bat. Otherwise Manny is creating middle relievers that start the game. It's the experience the starters gain in the later innings that make them a better starter. What clouds the evaluation of Manny's decisions about pitching is the talent he's had over the years on the staff. It will be interesting to see if decisions become easier and better as the talent improves.

The Manny Acta watch is on Day Whatever. His job continues to be on the line and according to the Nationals front office, he will be evaluated on a series by series basis. What confidence they give this man! Seriously, of course changes need to be made to this team. But firing Acta will not immediately improve the team. It may not even improve the team next season. Simply, there is no one out there who can say he's a good or bad manager. He's being evaluated as a miracle manager. That's not the way to run a baseball team.

So now that the worst team in baseball beat the hottest team, does that mean he buys an extra day? Series? Do we chalk it up as a win if they take one of three? Maybe not as they beat Chien-Ming Wang.

If the front office were baseball smart, and it should be after Jim Bowden left, Acta should keep his job through this season. Call up the best minor leaguers in September and see how they stack up against major league competition. By best, I mean the players who are major league ready, so Stephen Strasburg can stay down too, if he still needs tinkering in the minors. While not the best way to evaluate Acta, it's better than canning him now. Jim Riggleman is not a miracle worker either. Unless you can convince a Joe Torre type to take over the team, no manager can turn this team around.

It's anticipated that the Nationals will draft pitching sensation Stephen Strasburg with the first pick in the draft. His resume includes a fastball clocked at 100 MPH as well as some talented breaking pitches. After the selection the Nats front office has to quickly get back to work for the #10 pick in the draft, a compensatory pick for not signing SP Crow in last year's draft.

MLB decimated the Nationals farm system and allowed trades to occur receiving little back as compensation for top tier players. As the Expos moved to Washington, MLB directed GM Bowden to draft more players from college to accelerate their climb to the big leagues.

The Nationals reversed that strategy over the past few seasons looking long term in the hopes that some young arms would soon yield better records for a franchise looking up from the bottom of the league. The organization has signed few free agents the past few years and the depth of young players hasn't translated yet to the major league level.

The fans are waiting for some encouraging signs of life from the team and the Nationals may need to pass on the potential of HS athletes for a more tested and proven player from the college ranks. Ryan Zimmerman worked out nicely for the team. it doesn't mean that the long term strategy is flawed or incorrect, but there's been some misses in the draft causing the club to stay status quo with the exception of the signing of Dunn and a couple trades. Hopefully for Nationals fans the evaluation of talent is correct and will soon find some of the recently drafted players on the big league roster in the not too distant future.

The Atlanta Braves released Tom Glavine today. He signed a one year contact this season, but never pitched an inning this season, starting it in on the DL with rehab starts in the minors. Glavine has already stated that he wants to pitch somewhere this season.

While reportedly pitching only in the high 80's, he may have value to other teams Nationals?. OK, I may be joking, but I thought this might have been a good fit before he re-signed with Atlanta. Still, a real veteran arm (i.e. not named Cabrera), could give all the pitching a boost, even though the Nationals just replaced their pitching coach. Plus Glavine could draw bigger crowds to Nationals Park given his 305 wins and probable Hall of Fame in the future. His contract with the Braves would have cost at most $4.5 million. While not cheap, that may be a small price to pay to put some respect back in Washington pitching.

The Nationals released Randy St Claire from his pitching coach position yesterday. They replaced him with the AAA pitching coach Steve McCatty. When looking at a team with the highest ERA in the majors, you want to say it is a pitching coach problem. Except you have to look at the Nationals pitchers.

The bullpen frankly sucks. There is no secret about that. While some might argue there was no talent out there, the Nationals truly sat on their hands for pitching, opting to go for hitting power instead. St Claire did not get this team to produce, but I argue that anyone could have. Ultimately its the pitchers out there on the mound and they are responsible for their actions. All St Claire could do is make sure they were as prepared as possible. The talent is just not there.

Now that McCatty is taking over, the pitching might improve. Hey, they held on to the lead in his first game, winning 10-6. Yeah! Wow cheering for 6 runs given up. What I find unbelievable is that time and time again, a mid-season change in coaching is expected to produce. It almost never does. We will see how the Nationals respond long term. But the bullpen is bad. There's no getting around that without acquiring new talent.

Steroids are back in the news and not because Jose Canseco got beat badly in an MMA fight. No, this time it involves the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals.

Richard Thomas, of Florida, was arrested Tuesday and apparently ranted that Nats and Caps were some of his customers. The Capitals and the NHL responded this afternoon and refutes the claims.

It is a wonder why Thomas would specifically name Washington teams and no others. No Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, or Florida Panthers. The details are sparse at this time, so only further investigation will do. These accusations cast a small shadow over the Caps great season. However, this places another level of distraction on the Nationals. Already reeling from poor pitching resulting in a pretty bad season, steroids accusations just pile it on. Testing is not perfect, but there has not been any public notification of steroid accusations for either team.

Now comes the hard part...proving a negative. Both teams need to prove that they didn't take steroids. For the Nationals, it is almost easy to believe, given the bad season they are having. However for the Capitals, it is an image they'll have to fight after a fairly successful season in a very physical game.

It can't be left unsaid that two members of the baseball team that plays in Washington had the word "Natinals" written across their chest on their jerseys. This leaves the door open for so many easy comments at the Nats that I'll just let this one speak for itself.

The Balitmore Orioles set a league record for going 0-21 to start a season, but don't let the fact that the Nationals have only won one game so far this season fool you. The hitting is dramatically better than last year and should end more losing streaks then had occured last season. Unfortunately for Manny the starting pitching has been relatively poor. The relief pitching on paper is even worse than last year.

Similar to the Wizards, look for the Nationals to monitor Acta closely through the first 20 games especially before a series on the road as the 20 game mark approaches. Eddie Jordan's team was beset by injuries. The Wizards started poorly and shortly there after he was let go. Jordan helped take Washington to consectuive playoff runs which Acta doesn't have on his resume.

Now that one week of the 2009 Major League Baseball season is under wraps, let's play a little fact or fiction:

The Tampa Bay Rays will make the playoffs in 2009: Fiction.
One piece of fiction about the 2008 Rays was that none of their players had career years. Are you kidding me? Just look at their pitching staff: Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and James Shields all had career years last year, so if even a couple of them fall back to earth in 2009 it will mean that the Rays won't make the playoffs. Add to the fact that the competition in the AL East is better in 2009 than it was in 2008, and you've got the Rays being left out when October comes around.

The Nationals left Spring Training amid a myriad of hope. This season started with the hope that the relatively young pitching staff can come together and sustain itself over the long course of the season. There’s also the hope that the starting pitching won’t rely heavily upon the questionable bullpen which was overworked much of last year due to starting pitching rarely working deep into games and the hope that the depth in the outfield would yield to more production in scoring. Even after three straight losses it's too early to judge this team and the season. There's still lots to be learned and lots of games yet to be played.

Jim Bowden resigned yesterday as General Manager for the Washington Nationals. He cited that it was difficult for him to conduct Nationals business while the allegations of skimming money are still looming over him. He also denied that he participated in that wrongdoing.

We should feel bad for him. While he has not been charged with any crimes, he is "guilty by association" in related aspects. The age scandal over the prospect who is now really 23 instead of 19 or so involved a Dominican player, which is where some of the suspected money skimming has occurred.

Aside from the controversies, we need to analyze Bowden as a GM. He had a tough task ahead of him, taking the Montreal Expos underspent payroll, decimated farm system, and zero fan base to a team that at least you could say was a Major League Baseball team. Then the unenviable task of taking that team and competing against the Mets, Phillies, and Braves, in arguably one of the better divisions in baseball. His work was not stellar, but he has made progress. Sometimes in the process, the GM has to be sacrificed. In a few years, we'll know if Bowden really had the team headed in the right direction.

Thomas Boswell wrote an excellent column in the Washington Post today regarding the waiting game on Jim Bowden. It has more insight, but there's no real new news there, so we'll move on to things that are occurring on the field.

Oh wait, this doesn't occur on the field either.

Odalis Perez decides not to show up for Spring Training. Does he call the team? No. E-mail? No. Communication through the agent? No, even the agent is MIA. After signing a $850K minor league contract, Perez is not communicating and not showing up. It reminds me a little of the late Redskins defensive back Sean Taylor. Except Taylor was good, under contract, happy with it, and was seen at the University of Miami. Perez seems to be gone.

From his stats, his best season appears to be 2002, when he had an ERA of 3.00. Not too shabby, but the rest of the time except for 2004, he hovered around 5.00 or higher. And he expects to get a bigger contract? Or maybe he wants a major league one.

I guess time will tell, as now that he's a free agent again, he can test the market. But remember, Manny Ramirez is still out there. Maybe he's got an advantage since he's a lefty pitcher, but they've all reported in the past couple of weeks. Some team will really need that southpaw to sign him. We'll see if he gets closer to a million or is he just getting $875K?

So the Nationals have their own little medical mystery of their own. In July 2006, the Nationals signed Esmailyn Gonzalez as a 16 year old shortstop prospect. However it has been revealed that he has aged to 23 and is really Carlos David Alvarez Lugo as si.com reported Tuesday.

Team President Stan Kasten has called it a deliberate fraud. The juicy details are showing several connections to the Nationals front office, as the team's own website is reporting. It goes as far up as Jose Rijo, special assistant to GM Jim Bowden. Given this little tidbit, I don't think it's a stretch that Bowden is on the hot seat. Rijo and Bowden are being investigated for skimming money designated for development of Dominican players and Bowden's previous drunk driving accusation in Florida are not making this situation easier. Also that Bowden was an MLB hire by previous team president Tony Tavares when the team was still owned by the league and not a Kasten/Lerner hire.

To me, they shouldn't do anything until his contract expires or he is officially charged with said crimes, if he is involved in this Gonzalez Lugo debacle. While his hands have been somewhat tied by a non-public salary cap, his performance as a GM is not the brightest. Not the worst, but not the best. I hope he is clean from all of this and the Nationals can make a clear decision based on his work as the GM.

Adam Dunn signed a two year $20M deal with the Nationals. Initially this article was going to be Dunn done with Nationals, but it appeared Dunn was tired of waiting on Manny to sign with a team. If Manny had signed with the Dodgers that would have limited the options for Adam Dunn and pushed the Nationals offer to the top of the list. If Manny had signed elsewhere, it would have allowed Dunn to possibly fill the void in LA and absorb some of the dollars slotted for Manny. With Bobby Abreu reaching a one year deal with the Angels, the dominos began to fall into place for corner outfielders.

Tom Glavine, an Atlanta Braves great and arguably one of the best all time lefties, is showing interest in pitching for the Naitonals. His choice is to resign with the Braves, but if that is not the case, he might turn to Stan Kasten, current Nationals team president and former Braves excecutive.

This is not exactly the best choice for the Nationals in pitching. Glavine might have a best a couple of years left in him, but if they are looking to improve on last season's abismal record, Glavine could give them those extra few wins. Even with his age, he is probably better than all the current projected rotation, except possibly Daniel Carbrera. If the Braves do pass on him, Washington should not hesitate to work a deal, especially given the relationship he already has with Kasten.

One of baseball's greatest players phone is silent. Will the Nationals place a call to Ken Griffey Jr.? It's a familiar sound to hear that when he's healthy Griffey can still produce and do it well. The Nationals know all too well from dealing with Nick Johnson's injuries. While everyone is concentrating on other players, Washington could secure a steadying influence in the club house and the outfield by signing a future hall of famer.

For a team like Washington looking to rebuild the organization with players from the farm system, signing a player like Griffey, Jr. will provide the right type of player to help augment the development of the younger players on the team. It couldn't hurt in negotiations with Dunn to have one more player on the team he's already knows. Name one player on the Nationals roster that any free agent would say here's a player I want to play with and the answer would probably be zero, but add a player like Griffey, Jr. and that would change. There's something about talking baseball in the club house with one of the games greats. It's just one more selling point to prospective free agents.

Rumors on the boards suggest the Nationals are interested in Milton Bradley of the Rangers (OF). Just what the Nationals need another outfielder that may hit around 20 home runs. Signing Bradley after missing out on the Teixeira sweepstakes would sink any fan's 'Battleship'. The Nats possibly signing Bradley would be acceptable if he was the missing component towards winning a division title or championship. His signing with the Nationals would bring neither. It would only clutter the outfield with more of the same.

The only thing palatable about signing Bradley if they fail to sign any marquee players would be for the front office to hand out board games to every fan in attendance for every game Milton Bradley plays. At least it would provide the fans something to watch during the games. If the Nationals are completely locked out of signing any significant players during the offseason, it would mean more to invest the money into the community with charity work and donations to some favorite charities rather than over pay for a player that won't dramatically change the record of this team.

The Nationals may have lost out on acquiring Teixeira, but they shouldn't rest on their laurels or assume that the relationship between Dunn and Bowden is strong enough for him to sign with the Nationals over contender ready teams strapped with cash to spend. With other teams in a far more attractive position to court Dunn, the Nationals need to move more quickly to ensure that a trend of coming up short this offseason doesn't leave ownership and fans out in the cold.

The Nationals may not have landed Teixeira, but it was an encouraging sign by the Lerner's that they're willing to spend money on quality free agents as they continue to rebuild the franchise. They have rebuilt the front office, scouting department, and the farm system besides entering a new stadium with all types of amenities.

The Nationals didn't send any mixed signals about making a legitimate offer to Teixeira. Their offer was as high as any team still in the bidding war for his services. The team has been reluctant to sign any high priced free agents while instead focusing on rebuilding the infrastructure of the franchise that was decimated by MLB's ownership of the Expos. This would supposedly lead to a healthier team as the farm system was also rebuilt.

Buster Olney of ESPN recently wrote that the Nationals shouldn't have even entered the sweepstakes. "But what in the heck are the Nationals doing in this poker game? What in the heck are the Orioles doing in this conversation?

They should not be bidding. They should call Scott Boras, the agent for Teixeira, three minutes ago and tell him -- like someone who accidentally raises his hand at an auction -- Look, sorry for the misunderstanding, but we made a mistake. We really didn't mean to make that $160 million offer. ESPN.

The Yankees caught many off guard by making an initial offer and quietly sat back to then walk away at the end with the most prized free agent this off season. Teixeira is in the prime of his career. After the Angels pulled out of the bidding war and the Orioles fell behind most speculated that the Red Sox had the inside track over the Nationals with the Yankees a mere spectator. What does such high price spending leave for the rest of the league?

The Nationals appear to still be in the running for Teixeira. What will the Nationals do if they're able to sign him? That's not just what some Nats fans will be thinking, but Teixeira as well. What did the Nationals front office communicate to Boras and Teixeira? If Boras would require an escape clause to option out after three or four years, how will the Nationals continue to build around him other than hope for the farm system continue to develop?

Its music to Nats fans ears to see the Nationals making such a sizable offer to the most prized free agent this offseason. It shows a willingness by ownership to spend money to win as well as squash any rumored differences of Kasten and ownership.

A potential trade between the Rockies and Nationals involving (SP) Tim Redding and (CF) Willy Taveras fell apart after one player failed his physical ESPN. It's not mentioned which player failed the physical, but Redding did have foot surgery a few weeks ago. If it was Redding, then it's too bad the Nats couldn't due more to sweeten the trade offer like toss in a Kearns to dump some salary and one of the many corner outfielders on the roster plus receive a mid round pick back in the draft. Hopefully this trade isn't completely dead.

For a power pitcher, it's always been interesting to watch Redding throw against pitchers in games. He gave up multiple hits to pitchers in one game that included a home run. He danced around the plate showcasing his pitches, instead of blowing three fast balls right by the pitchers. Redding rarely made it to the 7th and sometimes 6th innings. The third time through the order gave him difficulties. Although it is true that the Nationals need more pitching, the addition of a potential leadoff hitter that can steal bases and compensate for others in the outfield with his speed and defensive abilities would have been welcomed in Nationals Park.

Is it true that the Nationals could be courting Manny to play in DC? Washington Post - Manny. Let's hope not. This is Manny at 36 and not 28 or 30. Manny may not be the big draw some would think, where Soriano was in his prime and was a draw to the game when he play here.

Manny also brings all of his wonderful clubhouse charm and for a team that already has several players with a troubled past the Nats will need more than just a slugger. There's so much speculation and rumor floating about, but with so much on the line going into the second season in a new ball park the Nats should aim higher.

The winter meetings in baseball are heating up as the holiday season approaches. Will Santa Claus bring Nationals fans the slugger and pitching they so desperately need or will fans receive a lump of coal? Trade rumors are fluttering about with most pundits perceiving the Nationals as an afterthought. It's known who the Nats are interested in and what their needs are, but will any prized free agents want to dance in DC? Boswell reported earlier in the Washington Post that an eight year deal for Teixeira may fall short of Boras ten year asking price, but will at least force our local team into the equation and a decision. ESPN also has reported the rumor of 8yrs at $20M per yearESPN Buster Olney.

The Nationals acquired outfielder Josh Willingham and starting pitcher Scott Olsen from the Marlins in exchange for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and minor leaguers Jake Smolinski (SS) and P.J. Dean (P) Nats Trade. Willingham (29) has battled injuries throughout his career and has topped the 20 homerun mark. Unlike more recent Nats starting pitchers, Olsen has made it through an entire season. He’s an innings work hog that should provide relief for an overworked bullpen.

The Nationals broke into the new Nationals Park with a story book ending game winning home run from Zimmerman. Although no one thought the Nationals would contend for a playoff berth this year, the hope was to follow up on a previous season without as many injuries and questions about pitching. As the season progressed, starters were barely able to make it into the seventh inning let alone log a complete game with any consistency. The starting pitchers and Acta created a tired bullpen staff.

With the team in need of a top pitcher and a cleanup hitter to protect Zimmerman, Guzman, and Dukes, how will the Nationals be able to sign what is hopefully Stephen Strasburg when the Nats couldn't even sign this year's top pick? To make matters more interesting, Scott Boras appears to be advising Strasburg Nats Possible Pick. This offseason will tell the future of how the current ownership runs the team.

The Nationals season came to a bitter end this past Sunday. While most of the DC area was reveling in the Redskins upset win over Dallas, the Washington Baseball Team got swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the final series of the year. The Nats finish the season 59-102, because last Thursday's game against the Florida Marlins was rained out and was not rescheduled since it would have no affect on the outcome of the division.

Another lousy season goes by. Many of the fans did not want Frank Robinson released from his managing postion at the end of the 2006 season. But Manny Acta has worked hard to get the team up and running. Nobody expected the team to contend immediately. Baby steps are needed and they seem to be treading lightly.

On the field, the greatest need is pitching. From top to bottom, rotation to bullpen, the Nationals need arms. Just don't invite 1,000 pitchers to Spring Training like it was done in the past. Off the field, will Jim Bowden keep his job as General Manager? He joined the team before the Lerners purchased the Nationals from MLB and has had some questionable moves. Paul LoDuca anyone? The acquisitions of Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes are only a year old, but some thought they were risky when the transactions were made. Bowden may get to keep his job for now, as no one had expected a contender. The question remains will the Lerners and their team president, Stan Kasten, wants to keep him around or hire their own GM.

The Nationals are on the edge of 100 losses. Only way to stop it now is run the table, since they are 99. The Seattle Mariners decided that there was no reason to hold back and broke the triple digit mark already.

The Sports Freak and I attended last nights game, the penultimate of the home games. Well, I say attended because after the first pitch, we had pretty much decided to leave early and did so in the 4th inning. Hey, it's a school night. The day job had me traveling out of town Thursday, so staying until the end would not have been good. The picture is from the moment we left. At least we got to see them score one run.

While I'm still rooting for those pesky Nats to avoid the 100, I can't ignore this bad streak they've been on. Although if they do win out, they screw up those Phillies in the NL East, if those Mets can get it together. That kind of gives me a good feeling.

As the 2008 MLB season comes to an end, the Nationals are ready to set a franchise record for losses unless they win four of their last five games. Big Money Tony, would like the Nationals to avoid this dubious achievement. Five or ten years from now will anyone remember a 100 loss season from a 99 loss season? 100 Losses. No, but fans could remember that this was the year that finishing with so many losses provided one of the best and most heralded pitching prospects to enter the draft in the last decade.

The Nationals are in the midst of their final homestand for the 2008 season. While there was promise with the likes of Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge joining, there was no expectation of a playoff run this year. Note that I didn't mention Paul LoDuca.

There's only one goal at this point. Win 5 of the last 9 games. Doing so will leave the team at 63-99, avoiding the triple digit loss stat. The Sports Freak and I are headed to tonights game. Follow me on Twitter to get live reports from the field and in the stands.

Let's go Nats!

The Nationals continue their winning ways, beating the Phillies 9-7 in a great game. Yours truly was in attendance, albeit in 226U. That's 8-1 for our Nats in the past 9 sweeping AL West contender the Dodgers and taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 8th, Ronnie Belliard got a pinch hit RBI to give the Nats the lead. Then Cristian Guzman gets to the plate with bases loaded and clears the bases with a double, giving insurance runs. We needed those as Hanrahan gave up two runs in the top of 9th before closing it out. Ryan Howard hit 2 home runs for the Phillies in their losing effort and now trail the Met by 3 games for the NL East crown.

As part of the game, in the next section over, a Philadelphia Eagles fan wearing the Westbrook jersey led chants of "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" every once in a while. I missed it, but during the top of the 8th, apparently a Nationals or presumably Redskins fan yelled back "Z-E-R-O, ZERO!...Superbowls!". That shut up Mr. Westbrook.

Guzman, coming off last weeks cycle game, comes in the clutch. Let's hope these performances are indicative of the offense next season.

Up next, a road trip that includes Atlanta, the Mets, and the Marlins. Only a 2 game set against the Mets, but hopefully the Nats can continue the winning ways.

Hi there. If you want to follow live with comments not made by the TV or Radio teams and oddball views from the fan seating, follow my Twitter postings here. It won't be play by play, but I'll summarize important plays or amusing anecdotes live. Also feel free to subscribe to my Twitter feed for instant analysis of future Redskins games, some Maryland Men's Basketball, and other sports or non-sports events. Summarized analysis and pictures on the next day.

The Nationals put together a streak fans should be happy about. Along the way of the sweep, Cristian Guzman hits for the cycle, getting the elusive triple in his last at bat.

Not only do the Nats put together a pretty good winning streak, but they put the Dodgers in peril of winning the NL West. Of course the Arizona Diamondbacks are making it interesting by not winning that often either.

Guzman wasn't the only part of the offense, as Elijah Dukes hit two home runs in the game. Hopefully this is a sign of the offense we'll be seeing next season.

Busy day with the Washington Nationals.

Ryan Zimmerman returns after a stint on the DL. While nobody is expecting a Nats run at the playoffs, this should help the team get on track and put together a decent run in preparation for next season.

Next, Jon Rauch gets traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio. Bonifacio has been designated the Nats 2B of the future and will spend time at AAA Columbus until then. Obviously this puts pressure on Felipe Lopez to keep his job.

Finally, Cristian Guzman signs a new contract with the Nats. This event alone does not really mean much itself, except that the Nats are assured that shortstop will not be on their shopping list for next season. However, in combination with Zimmerman, and the Lopez/Bonifacio 2B, most of the infield is set. All we need is Nick Johnson to stay healthy for longer than a week or Dmitri Young to step up his defense, and the Nats have a pretty solid overall infield.

The hometown Nationals appear to only play two ways. Win late or lose. They won last night, 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Catcher Jesus Flores, after going K, K, groundout, K, finished the night 1-5 with a single that scored Elijah Dukes.

In a game that ended sometime last night, thankfully before midnight, the National defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3.

Elijah Dukes had a 5-6 night including the tying and the game winning hits. Not to be dismissed was his excellent fielding as well.

Big Money Tony's streak of wins has come to an end. It should have come as no surprise if everyone knew how the evening started. I met BMT at his client's office as I exited metro. We happened to have a parking permit for our seats to last Friday night's game. As BMT's vehicle was being pulled from the garage, he had to run back upstairs to grab something. The parking lot attendant then had to move the vehicle over a second time. As I stepped inside I tipped the attendant. BMT then came down and jumped inside ready to go. I told him I had tipped the parking lot attendand to which he uttered damn. He had tipped the attendant, too.

We joked about going back to say there was a misunderstanding and ask for a tip back. Then it dawned on me. Wasn't this a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode? Maybe one of the lurkers on the site would be able to chime in? In any event the smug remarks forshadowed the pounding the Marlins gave the Nats on Friday and then twice over on Saturday.

The Nats found themselves taking the Braves, Cubs, and Pirates series at home this past week. Not only did the streaky Nationals find some hitting but you could see how much fun the players were having. Winning has also made it easier for Manny to find time for players like Boone to receive more playing time and contribute making it a happy clubhouse.

The winning isn't the only change at home recently. The Nationals also changed the look of the HD Scoreboard. Now it shows both lineups and the live stats of the batter and pitcher. It also displays balls, strikes, pitch count, and mph. It looks fabulous and provides all the stats one could want.

Now on to more important things that being food of course. As BMT and I share a partial plan, we've been able to take in some of the cuisine at the new ball park. After sampling some of the dogs, I prefer the Hebrew National Dog and for a dollar more than the Nats dog it offers a lot more flavor. The Kosher Dog follows a close second and the potato knish was a tasty treat with less salt than a pretzel. The chili mac at Hard Times tastes great too.

We also tried the cafe in center field as we were seated and had waitered service. The view to home plate was fantastic and the chicken caesar salad was pretty good. The chicken was nice and juicy. We may never need to go back, but if we do I'll remember to ask for more dressing. Gifford’s Ice Cream even on a mild is always a nice treat.

The only thing lacking was finding the cuisine of the visiting city. I had read that Nationals Park would provide a taste of a Chicago dog when the Cubs came to town and I walked around the concourse level to no avail. Anyone that's had a Chicago dog done right knows just how delicious it is.

With baseball season being back, it's time to see the ballpark. And for us National fans, do we have a great one.

Photo by BMT

That's right the Nationals are now 2-0 and own a half game lead over the Mets in the NL East. The future looks bright, but let's not forget to enjoy the present. The Nationals have a great new ball park, new players, and lots of optimism following a season ago where many were predicting Washington to set a new MLB record for losses prior to last season.

From the pre-game festivities to the nationally televised game on ESPN, the Nationals from top to bottom delivered the goods. Channel 7 and ESPN's pregame showcased the stadium, it's view, and all it's emenities. The only thing left to accomplish in their new ball park was to bring home a win and that they did in a dramatic walk off home run by Ryan Zimmerman in the bottom of the 9th for a 3-2 victory.

Did you hear it? No, everyone pretty much knows about March Madness (yeah, Georgetown is out!). The Major League Baseball season started this morning (for those of us in North America) or tonight, if you are in Japan or other parts of Asia. In not going to begin to figure it out for Istanbul. At least they didn't start the season tomorrow. The defending World Series Champion Boston Redsox defeated the Oakland A's 6-5 in 10 innings. Yes, it was also the first extra innings game for the season.

Part one of my Major League Baseball season preview by division begins with the NL East. Teams are listed in order of predicted finish.

New York Mets. The Mets have a lot of question marks for a team predicted to win their division. Can you really expect to get much production out of Pedro Martinez and El Duque in the starting rotation? Can Oliver Perez and John Maine have the consistency they’ve lacked in the past? Besides Billy Wagner, who is going to solidify the bullpen? Does their high priced, aging lineup have enough left in the tank? David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana are bona fide stars, but the Mets are going to need production from other guys as well. The one thing the Mets have going for them is that the NL East is a relatively weak division.

Stan Kasden has done it again. He already improved RFK with the food court. He brought in some of the best minds in baseball and improved the farm system from one of the worst to a top ten farm system making it one of two teams that had the biggest leaps in grading MLB farm systems. With Stan's committment to winning and improvements made in the outfield, how can Stan mark another big win for the Nats?

What kind of an apology is it when someone doesn't even say what they're sorry for especially when they say "c'mon bro" when that very question is posed to them Lo Duca. What kind of comment is that?

Isn't anyone else tired of players paraded around and being forced to tell what they've done wrong? Is Pettite such the honest man when compelled to tell the truth. He may have confessed his soul, but after an inquiry. All of these players are now tainted, but the attitude Lo Duca has could spell disaster with such young players like Dukes on the roster. Whatever happened to being humble and trying to correct a mistake? Could the signing of Dukes who could be a changed man be the better signing than Lo Duca who already has an attitude over what he perceives to be something in the past?

A misjudgment and error in thinking that irreparably harmed himself and the game would have been a more appropriate ending to the discussion for Lo Duca, but instead readers of the "fireside" chat with Lo Duca had to settle for indifference. This is strike one for Lo Duca in my book. Bob could be right in his assessment of Lo Duca.

It was the end of August as Stu, BMT, Q, & I were driving down to Charlotte, NC where our 2007 Keeper Fantasy Football Draft was held. Every year twelve of us get together for a weekend at one FFL Owner's house for draft weekend festivities that have included in the past such items as a grill out, pool, Phillies Game, Pat's & Gino's Cheesesteak, Tony Luc's, all night poker, a bachelor party, minor league baseball, Chinese food cooked by a fabulous chef, and Sonny's sweet bbq.

Somehow along the long drive out of Virginia traffic on a Friday night we stopped for gas and stopped in to use the restrooms. This was not the cleanest of stations, so when Stu went in first and I heard some extremely loud leaf blowing machine or something emanating loudly from the restroom for nearly a minute I wanted to yell - Stu are you ok?!

No, this is not a rehash of an old article. The Nationals signed Johnny Estrada to a one year contract.

This seems a bit interesting. Is there more to the LoDuca injury that has been let on? While Estrada has had problems with coaches at other teams, the Nationals seem to think they can fix that issue. Seems to be a lot of rehab projects going on in DC.

The Nationals acquired the catcher they were looking for to mentor Flores by signing LoDuca to a one year contract ESPN

Washington makes a good signing for the right amount of time. It’s interesting that the Mets essentially traded catchers with Nats after trading for Schneider and giving the Nationals Milledge. Also interesting to note is that the Mets could have protected Flores in last year’s rule #5 draft and the move to acquire Schneider may not have been necessary.

The Winter Meetings for MLB concluded on Thursday. The Nationals made three trades, a free agent signing, and extended Willy Mo Pena's contract. It was a spectacular start to a new season and new ball park.

The Nationals completed two trades that appear to have been in the works for a while. Milledge has some mild baggage from New York and Dukes has some serious baggage from Tampa Bay. Both could potentially be the middle of the line-up bats that the Nationals are looking to add to the team. The question is at what price.

My first thought. Who the F is Elijah Dukes, when I heard about him on Elliot in the Morning. Well they were trying to track him down because of his incidents in the past. It then reminded me who he was. I hear Dmitri Young had some doing in getting him so Young could bring the kid into the light and get him on a straight path. Very noble of him.

So it's interesting that the Nationals are "in the market" and made what I think is an excellent trade. ESPN reports that the Nationals acquired Lastings Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. My initial thoughts are that we won't miss Church. He was a touted prospect who ended being a good filler when we needed the help. Schneider however will be missed.