LATEST STORIES FROM THE NATIONALS INTEREST
When the Audacity of Hope Fades
2007 will go down as the year that the Lerner/Kasten Regime began its top-to-bottom review of what the organization has today and what it needs to be successful next year and beyond. With 40 games under its belt, we now know the Washington Nationals to be a .350 team, despite their admirable .500 pe...
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March 13, 2008
Discuss
Just how bad is the Nationals' offense?
Pretty bad.We've talked a lot about how this season has produced a few pleasant surprises on the Nationals' pitching staff. We haven't talked much about any pleasant surprises among Nationals hitters. There is a good reason for that--there aren't any.Think about it this way: only four Nationals hi...
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March 10, 2008
Further Adventures with Trivia
Last week's visit by the Dodgers has conspired with the previous post to create treacly feelings within regarding the career of Don Sutton. For those of you too young to remember Sutton was Tom Delay to Steve Garvey's Mitt Romney. Sutton's career was not without significance. However, with regards to...
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February 04, 2008
A star emerges? How about a good pitcher?
We said yesterday that we would learn a lot about Jason Bergmann in games like last night's game against the Braves. Bergmann has pitched well this season, but he needs to be consistently good against good teams before he can assume the mantle of a #4 or #3 starter.Well, we learned a lot about Bergm...
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January 28, 2008
Jekyll and Bowden
We just got finished saying that Jim Bowden made a great trade in getting Austin Kearns, Felipe LOpez, and Ryan Wagner from the Reds for Gary Majewski. Now that we've let that linger for a few hours, it's time to bring our views of Bowden back down to earth.On Saturday Darrell Rasner was the Yankees...
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January 26, 2008
What does Jimbo have up his sleeve?
From Bill Ladson's chat:Do the Nats regret not re-signing Alfonso Soriano? Soriano is a five-tool player. -- David M., Washington, D.C.I don't think they regret it at all. There was no way they were going to sign Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million deal. I agree with "The Plan." They have to addre...
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January 26, 2008
You can't stop us, you can only hope to contain us...
The Nationals did something they haven't done all season and may not do again: they swept a series, this time against the Florida Marlins. As amazing as it is to say, the Nationals' starting pitching is the best thing about this team right now, even though John Patterson and Chad Cordero have pitch...
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January 25, 2008
Nat's lose to Pirates 7-6
The nationals lost last night to the pirates 7-6. The nationals had help from Ryan Church who had 3 hits and 2 runs. Felipe Lopez drove in 2 runs and Mike Bacsik gave up 6 hits/6 runs in 6 innings. It's funny because Mike Bacsik woke up with a stomach ailment. This brings me back to think when they w...
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January 25, 2008
In appreciation of Ken Griffey Jr.
Here's what Manny Acta says in today's Post about Ken Griffey Jr.:"He's just amazing. He's a guy that, no contest, if he wouldn't have gotten hurt and lost all those games, he probably would be chasing 800 home runs now."Acta seems to be saying that had injuries not slowed him, Griffey would be neck...
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January 25, 2008
John Smoltz: Baseball Elder
You have to check out this interview with John Smoltz. The interview begins at the 9:28 mark. His comments about the Nationals, the Braves' transformation from a bad to a great team, and Ryan Zimmerman's development are remarkably interesting and insightful. Smoltz will make a great GM one day.
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January 25, 2008
You think?
The Post reports today that the Nationals fleeced the Reds in the Kearns/Majewski trade. That is the understatement of the century. Gary Majewski is mired in the minors and shoulder tendinitis may keep him and his now underperforming fastball there for a long time. So, in exchange for a guy the Re...
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January 25, 2008
A Fate Worse Than Death?
In a development overshadowed by last night's stunning episode of the Sopranos, we learn here that the sore elbow of the Nationals' leading All-Star candidate, Shawn Hill, will likely send him to the DL. Hill described his elbow as "tender" but "not too bad," which sounds slightly less painful than C...
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January 25, 2008
We know, we know--we're bad!
Two depressing facts from the Elias Sports Bureau:• Ryan Church's three-run double was the key hit in Washington's 6-4 victory over Atlanta. Entering the game, the Nationals were batting .135 with the bases loaded this season, the second-lowest average in the major leagues, ahead of only San Diego
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November 20, 2007
Whither Ryan Zimmerman?
Yes, we know, that it's only May, but it's time to start thinking about a sophomore slump for Ryan Zimmerman. His line has dropped 50 points. Last year, his line was .287/.351/.471. This year it has dropped to .250/.305/.417. Especially troubling is the 50 point drop in OBP; it suggests that rather than learning to be more patient, Zimmerman is taking the bait of pitchers...
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November 19, 2007
Is this all $28 million buys you?
The $28 million man isn't going to earn his keep at this pace.
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November 19, 2007
Expect an expectations problem...
The Nationals lost 8-7 to the Reds last night, blowing leads of 6-0, 6-2, and 7-5. There is a lot of criticism to be levied for that, and much of it has rightly been aimed at Jon Rauch. Rauch gave up the ghost in the eighth when Javier Valentin, a .239 hitter with 40 career home runs, hit a three-run home run. Today's Post article notes that many, including Rauch himself,...
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November 19, 2007
When billionaires go bad...
There probably isn't enough attention paid to the quality of an ownership group and its effect on a franchise. As we consider the quality of the Lerner group, we were struck yesterday by a public spat that hinted at what a disaster we would have if the ownership hunt had gone bad.For reasons we don't understand, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Donald Trump...
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November 19, 2007
Here's an idea...
If the Nationals had any marketing prowess, they would buy Walter Johnson's former house in Bethesda at the corner of Old Georgetown and Cedar Lane and turn it into a museum. We've said this before, but it's a shame that the Nationals don't do more to embrace the history of the Washington Senators. Johnson was the team's best player, and the Nats should wrap...
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June 06, 2007
Blockbuster Wizards Trade?
Ethan's post about a Wizards/Lakers trade got me to thinking about some moves the Wizards might want to make. How about this: Arenas, their first round pick, and maybe a guy like Haywood for the Blazers' first pick and some stiffs? Arenas is undoubtedly the Wizards best player, but the Wizards as currently configured are unlikely to get to a championship level. It'...
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June 06, 2007
Nat's new stadium
I was biking with my family once and we found out like the Anacostia River, I think. So, we got there and we couldn't find how to get to the bike path. (The bike path was on the other side of the river) So we were just biking around town when my dad and I found out that we were near the National's new stadium. We got there and there was a lot of traffic and noise. I just...
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June 05, 2007
But What Does He Know About Basketball?
Erik's recent musings have inspired me to play GM: would the fans of the Wizards be willing to trade Gilbert Arenas for Andrew Bynum? The salaries don't fit is an unacceptable response.I digress. Erik's appreciation for all things Lebron is echoed here on the Left Coast. However, these NBA Finals, like so many recent NBA Finals, will be boring. And that boredom evolves...
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June 04, 2007
A digression from baseball...
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 98-82 last night. Daniel Gibson had a great game, especially 19 points in the 4th quarter, 31 points on the night. I'm not really a fan of the Cavaliers; I like the Wizards and Lakers. I am rooting for the the Cavs after the Wizards got out because of Lebron James. He runs the team and is so fun to watch. Lebron doesn't get...
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June 03, 2007
Trivia Answer
Most Career Games Started by a Pitcher (at the end of last season):815 Cy Young773 Nolan Ryan756 Don Sutton716 Phil Niekro709 Steve Carlton700 Tommy John690 Gaylord Perry685 Bert Blyleven681 Jim Galvin673 Greg Maddux666 Walter Johnson665 Warren Spahn647 Tom Seaver635 Tom GlavineLeiv
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May 31, 2007
What Do Brad Penny and Andrew Bynum Have in Common?
Brad Penny shut down the Nats last night. No great revelation there. However, Penny's success this season mirrors that of another outstanding power pitcher in the NL West, Jake Peavy.Devoted readers of this blog will no doubt recall that Penny was acquired by the Dodgers to fulfill their aspirations of having a No. 1 starter in their rotation. Since that trade, Penny has taken...
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May 30, 2007
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