No Love for Ramon Ortiz? He is doing well.

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Jamey Carroll. Wasn't a superstar but did everything that was asked of him.
2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Chris Snelling
3. What deal would you most like to see undone? The idiotic DFA-ing of Darrell Rasner to make room for Matt LeCroy. When the Nationals ended up selling Carroll to the Rockies shortly after signing LeCroy.

What about Carlos Baerga is he still dropping double play balls at 2nd base?

See also charging of the mound after Pedro plunking.

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Jose Guillen, OF, Seattle - .220, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K, .320 slugging percentage (special merit award for on-field argument with Brendan Donnelly (bringing us our first "Oh, those were the days," moment))

Who was that Rule 5 guy on the Nats in 2005? Andreson? Marlon? A.M. Something? Last time I saw him he was with the P-Nats in the double header after the Nats v O's game last year. That is why I hate Rule 5 players. They take up space for a season then gone for good.

ChrisC - You mean me. I am currently on the disabled list with Harrisburg

I miss Livo, I loved watching the slow crazy way he pitched. And for all the innings he ate he was worth the money.

Count me as a big Dmitri Young fan, I love reclamation projects, and it looks like he is loving every moment of playing pressure free baseball

As much as I wish the best for Guzman, Aren't we still paying him over 10% of our payroll.

1. Nost missed Nat: Jamey Carroll for the reasons mentioned above.
2. Fave acquired Nat: For more recent deals, I'd go with Snelling.
3. Deal best left undone: I wasn't thrilled with D. Young at first but he's winning me over.

1) Livan
2) J. Lopez
3) Guzman

"That is why I hate Rule 5 players. They take up space for a season then gone for good"

What valuable space are Flores are Speigner taking up this year? Are the fans clamoring for Chris Booker or Chris Schroder?

1. Most missed Nat: Jamey Carroll for the reasons mentioned above.
2. Fave acquired Nat: For more recent deals, I'd go with Snelling.
3. Deal best left undone: I wasn't thrilled with D. Young at first (reaction, not base) but he's winning me over. (but Nicky, pleeze get well soon!!!!)

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Jamey Carroll (surprised I didn't say Bennett?!)

2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Ronnie Belliard

3. What deal would you most like to see undone? Cristian Guzman's contract and obviously selling Jamey Carroll

I'm surprised to see Marlon Byrd is in the minors. Can we have him back too? It's not a team without a Marlon around.

1. Still Jamey Carroll but honorable mention to Livo.
2. If we're counting last year, too, I like Lopez and Kearns.
3. If we're looking at longer-term deals, I'd go with Guzman. But I'd like to see what he can do if (when?) he comes back.

sort of a response to the questions ... man, did Bowden fleece the Reds or what on that Kearns/Lopez trade ??!!

Oh, yeah, I totally agree with selling off Carroll as being a bad move! So, exercising a woman's prerogative to change her mind, my FINAL answer is:

1. Most missed: Jamey Carroll
2. Fave acquisitions: Lopez and Kearns
3. Worst move: Selling Carroll (that one broke my heart)

Thanks for the updates, Barry. Will have to check into ESPN Deportes and see what Baerga's up to. I think we should bring him back as our mascot and lose Screech.

Most missed: Soriano. Even tho he's not doing spectacularly this year, he was always exciting to watch (and to wonder if the 1st pitch of the game was going out of the park)

Trade/Free agent liked: Lopez. much better than I anticipated.

Undo the deal: Bring back either Livan or Wilkerson ...not because they are/were better than what we've got, but because they were the original franchise and we need some "history"

1. Miss most: Livo
2. Acquired most liked: Nook & Felipe(Like Kearns's numbers but he's not connecting with fans)
3. Undo: Guzman
4. Happiest to see leave: Guillen

Anyone kind of miss Brendan Harris? Saw him on TV with the Rays, playing decent ball, good fundamental middle infielder who can hit for average, steal a base if needed, solid defense. Was he worth trading for Lopez/Kearns? Absolutely. But I wonder why we didn't try and resign him on the side in the offseason... Probably not a priority, but a solid utility infielder off the bench would be nice about now (this means NOT Jimenez).

Barry,

I REALLY appreciate your Nationals Journal, so I offer this as a suggestion, not a criticism. Unless this blog is only for experts, can you add in just a little perspective to the stats to help some of us out? I'm not asking for Baseball 101 help (you don't have to explain RBIs), but how do the stats from this year for these players compare to their time as Nats? Did we trade away a gem or a lemon?

I miss wilkie.... now a question

Why was Church benched on Sunday for not running hard but Fick received no visiable punishment for not running on a sacrifice bunt and ending up in an ugly double play in extra innings?

Was Fick fined by the kangaroo court?

Miss Livo the Most and then Carrol (dumb move)

Best move toget Alfonso last year

Tie between getting Guzman and letting Alfonso go for nothing (ya ya I know....draft picks for a 40 40 40 man)

Second that

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4. Happiest to see leave: Guillen

I dunno - Damian Jackson was another "happy to see leave"

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Split between Carroll and Stanton.
2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Kearns, who's already gunned down a couple baserunners.
3. What deal would you most like to see undone? GUUUUUUUZ (if not undone, at the very least restructured to put the bulk of his potential earnings based on performance).

I love the answers so far... I think there's an interesting subtext here... the player that people seem to miss the most is a player that was going to sit on the bench most of the time in Washington: Jamey Carroll. I have no argument with his credentials... his season with Washington was amazing, and his season last year was TOTALLY AMAZING... but he'd ride the pine here... Nobody is missing Soriano or Wilkerson... the only two starters of consequence... We miss Jamey Carroll... but we miss him for not more than 100 appearances a year... and only an AB or two, or a couple defensive innings per game... so how bad could we REALLY be missing him?

The point is... we're probably ahead of the game... and there's almost nobody in Barry's list of "Where are they nows" that would displace a current starter, or even a bullpen guy.

I think that speaks pretty highly of Bowden. Sure, there are trades and acquisitions that have not gone that well... but there are a ton more (most of them small trades for prospects) that have worked... and of course, there's the Kearns/Lopez et al trade... and the Vidro trade sure looks good now, too. I guess we won't know about losing Soriano for three or four years... but if you think about what he's making this year... that's about $8.50 for every TICKET sold (assuming 2 million attendance). I don't think Soriano made the Nats a better team, and he's certainly not going to do this year what he did last... so I think we're ahead there too.

I prefer to think of watching the Nats this year in the same way I watched the StadiumCam this past winter... looks like a lot of dirt and mud, but some order is rising out of it, and in a couple years, it should be pretty cool.

I guess that will be the real test for Bowden... whether some of the prospects pan out.

Rich in Reston: I'm curious about the Church benching too. Though I think Fick redeemed himself when he came into home just two steps behind Snelling the other day.

1. Frank Robinson. Not the best manager, but an icon and character and the Nat I truly miss the most. With the time he devoted to this franchise, he didn't deserve to be shuffled off so unceremoniously.

2. Jesus Flores.

3. And hindsight is 20/20, but every time we play the Mets, I wonder why we traded Endy Chavez for Marlon Byrd.

Miss Most: Livo, Carroll
Like now: Kearns, Lopez
Undo: Guzman

Undo part II: That Screech Bird has got to be the poorest choice for a mascot for a Major League Ballclub. Somebody came up with that (League Office) in haste without fully factoring in all that's unique about Washington,DC - and the former rivalry we enjoyed with our neighbors up in Birdland. Why not a Gnat? Why not Uncle Slam from Woodbridge? That stupid white bird suit really picks up the dirt so the darned thing looks all mangey when he walks by at the stadium. All of his gags are lifted directly from the Bird in B'more. He's as bad as the PA announcer. I say Stan - you must include 3 things in your plan!

1. Dump the bird.
2. Ditch those loser Red hats an go back to the blue caps the Washington Baseball club has worn since 1901.
3. Start playing a little Rare Essence between innings. DC music for a DC crowd.

Wigi --

you didn't read down far enough! Sori & Wilk...about 9 posts above ya

6th and D, you got my sincerest agreement. Bring Uncle Slam up to the bigs and send That Bird back down to double A.

"3. And hindsight is 20/20, but every time we play the Mets, I wonder why we traded Endy Chavez for Marlon Byrd."

Endy for some reason known only to him didn't seem to be able (or want?) to learn from the Nats staff that were trying to teach him how to improve his game. I think Barry wrote about this last year, especially when Endy started playing really well for the Mets, doing supposedly *exactly* what he refused or couldn't do as a Nat.

1) I miss Livo. Though Jose Guillen vs. Mike Scoscia was the non-Opening Day highlight of my 2005.

2) I like Felipe Lopez.

3) I wish we hadn't sold Tomo Ohka for scrap for no reason other than Frank Robinson's fit of pique.

Agree with the poster above requesting Rare Essence. It should be easy enough to get them to redo "Take Me Out to the Go-Go" with its original lyrics, for example.

Guillen v. Scoscia was 2006

Wigi,

What people are missing in Carroll is sound baseball fundamentals (please not I picked LIVO as most missed. This team is Soooooo bad at fundamentals and defense that after watching each game re think of Carroll because he was sound all around.

Jim Bowden has not done well at all if you ask me. Alfonso should have been traded for value now not some draft picks given by the league. Guzman is a hugh problem. Carroll enought said, Livo trade was one sided....Chico will be out of baseball and Livo will still be eating innings in 5 years. Ramon Ortiz will still be winning games when Patterson is on the DL for the 3 time in 3 years soon. Rule 5 guy Tony Blanco was a hugh waste of a roster spot in 2005 when they could have won the East with more arms in the bull pen. Spivey was a joke for a starting pitcher in Tomo. I could go on an on but you get the point JIM BOWDEN has been at best lucky with his moves and other than Cincy Trade just plan wrong on most of them. Best example......If someone really wanted Wilson like he bragged then he should be fired for not making any deal when he could.....who wants Wilson Now?

To Anonymous:

Guillen v Scoscia was in June 2005.

Guillen v Pedro was in April 2006.

Guillen v what's-his-name was in April 2007.

Guillen v (fill in the blank) will be, oh, heck, May 2008 and July 2009.

Most missed: Livo. C'mon people, Jamey Carroll? Loved the hustle, but Livo was the franchise before he got hurt. Now that he's healthy . . .

Favorite Acquisition: Kearns and Lopez. Bowden is a charlatan, but that deal was brilliant. Now if Jimbo would just start returning ESPN's calls for Cold Pizza . . .

Worst move: So many to choose from. The Vargas DFA, Preston Wilson as the stretch run pick-up in '05, Guzzy's deal worth more than Eckstein's. The list is endless.

For me the worst was the Ohka for Spivey deal. Not just because Ohka might have helped keep together the 1st half magic in '05 by actually being able to pitch (Get well Drese), but the real reason he was shipped off -- because he upstaged Frank. Chris at Capital Punishment, Basil at his old site, and the OMG boys had thoughtful pieces on this which will trounce my little comment here (St. Barry alluded to it as well in th $.35 version 2 years back), but this move epitomized the short-sightedness of everything that happened in '05.

Ohka was coming off a serious injury in '04, had pitched OK up to the trade, and had no tolerance for Frank's treatment of pitchers. His crime was displaying that disdain slightly when Frank took him out mid at-bat. It was not Spivey's fault that he broke his arm, but that injury proved that we didn't need him to replace Vidro (paging Brendan Harris) as much as we needed another legitimate starter to help carry the load.

Frank's ego and Bodes operating without adult supervision made that deal as ugly as it was. It's not that Ohka was a fan favorite, it's just that many of us wanted to see the team compete. Since July 4, 2005, the Nats have not competed. Ohka, back then and now (with say 5 of his real major leaguer friends), would help us compete.

Wow - we sure have gone through a lot of players...but I guess with Bowds at the helm, what else should I expect?

1. I am totally missing Wilkie (though Jamey Carroll is a close second - can't believe we dealt him for cash!). BW was the face of the team when they moved here (I still wear my #7 Nats t-shirt proudly) and he'd play and bat anywhere to help the team out. Sure he has declined a bit, but he was solid defensively, was a good OBP guy, and had a little pop and even some speed.

2. Love the Lopez/Kearns acquisitions.

3. I'd probably undo the Carroll for cash deal before going back on the Wilkerson/Sledge for Soriano deal. Though that Ohka for 28 games of Spivey kinda smarts too. Especially when you consider that we has Jamey sitting on the bench ready and willing (and able?) to be our everyday 2B.

1. JAMEY CARROLL
(One of the Rockies' broadcasters thought he should have won last year's Gold Glove at 2nd base. Ugh.)

2. Ryan Wagner

3. JAMEY CARROLL
(Pardon my French, but Trader Jim, I know where you can put your precious $300,000...)

1. Guillen (just for his fire and desire to win).

2. Snelling/Flores

3. Tony Blanco's Rule 5 selection (think of all the pitchers w/o options we lost because of him, i.e., Vargas and Kim).

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Sincerely: Jose Guillen. I know he has personality defects, but I liked watching him play. I enjoyed rooting for him to overcome his demons. (Second choice: Tom Paciorek)
2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Felix Lopez with Dimtri Young as honorable mention for the same reason I rooted for Guillen.
3. What deal would you most like to see undone?
Frankly, the worst loss over the first two years was releasing Vargas and that seemed very warranted at the time. Also, I'd like that Aramark vendor deal undone. Don't care who's responsible. Un do it.

TJ Tucker

Did you forget Darryl Rasner (Yankees)?

Thanks Barry. Enjoyed the updates. Hope you do it again, maybe even on a monthly basis.

On second thought, I really miss Livo.

6th and D:
I agree with you on Uncle Slam and the DC Music. Slam was brilliantly conceived. Screech was designed by a 12 year old (God bless her heart).

And enough with the "Sweet Caroline" and "Rocky's Theme." This ain't Boston or Philly.

Let's get some Rare Essence and Chuck Brown music. At least Denyce Graves, Marvin Gaye, or Mary Timony...

It's not that I miss Livo so much, but I miss the comfort. Each start, each inning, each pitch, I'm holding my breath, big knot in my stomach, fingers crossed, muttering, "please, please, please, please, please." It's exhausting.

1. Vinny Castilla (Yep, but Im glad we got Zimm)
2. Shairon Martis, but I like Snelling as of now. I know this isn't FA or a Trade (so to speak) but Jesus Flores (Rule V) seems like a great pickup.
3. Wilkerson-Soriano - it got my hopes up ;)

I think the thing that some of the critics of Bowden miss is that a lot of the players that were traded were NEVER going to be successful in Washington (for whatever reason, including that FR didn't like them) and so get the most for them. That said, very few former Nats have any stats to write home about at this point. Another thing to remember is that Bowden didn't have any clear organizational direction in 2005 and early 2006, except "don't spend money", and so a lot of his moves were purely reactionary, rather than as a part of a plan (as opposed to "The Plan").

To JayB, regarding Carroll... I totally agree about Carroll and fundamentals... and I would love to have him back... but having him back wouldn't make a difference in any meaningful way (except that we would have gotten a pinch hit or two those times that D'Angelo Jimenez wasted an AB). The thing about a baseball TEAM is that it is a TEAM. You can't really judge the Value of an individual player on individual statistics, because the point of the game isn't to win the batting title or hit the most home runs or win the Cy Young... but to win the World Series, and that is something the organization does. What matters is what that person does with the other 24 people on the team. If we had Carroll back, he would be languishing here, because we wouldn't be able to use him in the best possible ways. As for the other trades that you're criticizing, giving you the benefit of the doubt on whether they were good or bad, assuming they were bad, which of them would have made any significant difference in the season outcomes? The only ones that come close are Okha and Vargas in 2005, and even those probably would not have made any difference because they both were essentially personality issues with FR.

I miss Frank Robinson, too... but I think he would be a poor fit to manage the current team... Mainly because he was not the guy to build a TEAM. Frank is the guy to have when you have Guillen and Soriano on the team... strong personalities with some surrounding drama... but not the guy to have around kids.

Regarding Tony Blanco, you can't know what your pitching and roster situation is going to be at the time of the Rule 5 draft, but given the personnel on hand, you can assume that Bowden should have assumed that he would need some flexibility on the roster. Of course, you could always ask, given the ability of Bowden to find position players (and hindsight), would it have been so bad to lose Blanco?

I think that Flores was a Rule 5 steal, because the Nats needed a Catcher of the Future, and while Fick does a pretty good job, having a third catcher is not a bad idea.

Most importantly, Mike Wise should not be commenting on your wardrobe. Please - he could take a step up if he started shopping at thrift shops.

Miss Carroll
Like Kearns and Lopez
Undo the LeCroy purchase bring back Rasner

Who do I miss most?
Bill Bray - he might be injured, but that kid could throw. Everyone says he has the stuff to close, and we might be in the market for one soon given Cheif's struggles.

What acquisition do I dig?
If the draft counts: Zimmerman
If Free Agency from 3 years ago counts: Loiaza
If peoples still on the roster count: Kearnsy, once he finds his groove, I think he'll knock out 30+. Plus you have to love his cannon of an arm. And his goofy ears.

What deal do I wish I could undo?
If not signing Hector Carrasco can count, that. He loved it here and really performed well for us. Plus we needed pitching like whoa.
Otherwise, I'm going with Preston Wilson. How useless was he in every way? I hope the Rockies didn't get anything remotely approaching respectable in that regard.

Barry,

Thanks for the topic.....What is your thoughts on Jim B. and his overall performance here? How long can he last on one lucky deal from Cincy? When does the bill come due for our SS mess in 2007 and our cheap but horrible starting pitching mess he was bragging about all winter.

Hector Carrasco became Stephen Englund in the 2006 draft. I'll wait and see if he turns into anything

Miss the most: Gotta go with Endy, he needed a change of scenery but i always liked him.

Miss the least: Tie between stanton and Armas (never seen more inherited runners score then off stanton)

New Nat I like: Gotta love Lopez, also like nook

Deal undone: Endy

I think I'm going to have to second that missing Bill Bray thing, though I have to admit that the fact that he's smokin' might have something to do with that.

1. Miss Jamey Carroll something fierce.
2. Loving Kearns and Lopez
3. Shouldn't have sold Jamey Carroll.

Carroll's was the first name to pop into my head, but I'm going to go with Livo as my Final Answer. Presence, professionalism, and comes to work even if he can't get the job done, because somebody has to.

If he was just "Xavier" my answer might change, but I'm hopeful about Nook. In the alternative, I figure draft picks count as transactions, at which point Zimm is the obvious choice.

Carroll was a great guy to have on the team, and selling him for a ($350K) bag of balls was completely inexcusable unless he asked out (which I don't think he did). Watching Endy Chavez finally doing what the Expos/Nats begged him to do for *years* is annoying, but that's baseball. And pitching or no, Okha had to go after dissing Frank on the field. If you just bench him, and he still doesn't come around, you get nothing for him when you do trade him. Which makes getting nothing for Carroll all the more infuriating.

Keep the Rushmores, lose Screech. Lose Sweet Caroline and whatever other pap they play there now, and put in some actual DC music (even though 3/4 of the fans won't recognize it).

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Brad Wilkerson, hands down. The guy was clutch -- his stats never measured his true value.
2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Austin Kearns; I was a Reds fan before the Nats arrived and liked this guy from day one. He's only going to get better. Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner are a close second.
3. What deal would you most like to see undone? The Wilkerson for Soriano trade. Soriano put up great numbers for one season, but Wilkerson was the heart and soul of the '05 team, and I would have much rather have had Wilkerson for his career rather than Soriano for one season. I know Wilkerson has a bad knee now and is recovering still from that bad shoulder, but he would have won us a few ballgames had he been in left field this year.

mama wilkerson? is that you?

1) i miss soriano, not only for his all-star appeal and his hot bat, but for taking some of the "star" pressure away from zimm. think he's feeling it a little these days.

2) have to say i'm a fan of young, too, even though i miss nick. it's nice to have consistent doubles while nick's out, and i think he's a better defender than tonight's "error" call made him out to be.

3) i guess guz, too. seems like kind of a waste of resources to have around....still.

miss most = Ortiz. That guy had future and he is proving it now.

new fave = "Big D" Young. Belliard is a very close second.

wish undone = I had almost forgot about it, but it has to be the Ohka deal.

1) I miss Guillen crazy bad. He might have been actually crazy, and I'm sure he was hard to deal with as a teammate, but he always had something to say, and it was frequently hilarious. He kept things interesting.
2) Ryan Church. Wait. You mean he's not a new player? I suppose not technically, but Ryan 2.0 looks awful good right now. But to play fair, I think I'll go with Kearnsy. Now that the dazed, shocked look has faded, he's fun to watch.
3) Oh, Livo. I would bring him back in a heartbeat. Even on the days where he basically threw batting practice for the other team, he stuck it out and kept going back out to get shellacked. He was like a giant strike-throwing teddy bear! Also, he was kickin' on that episode of MTV's Cribs. Honorable mentions: Where have you gone, Hector Carrasco? A district turns its lonely eyes to you. (Woo woo woo.) He wasn't a starter, and then he was, but he never complained, even in those terrible days of August when the bullpen was collapsing. Also (last one, I swear), Bill Bray. I love Felipe and Austin, and I think Ryan will turn out okay, but I wish we hadn't sent Bray away. He was a good ole Virginia boy, and he was a hell of a lefty. Could've been the Close of the Future once the Chief gets shipped off to Boston.

from my husband, AKA natsfan1c:

1. Misses: Livo
2. Likes: Belliard
3. Deal wishes undone: Soriano (leaving of)

The one time I sat directly behind home plate in RFK was for a Livo start. Watching those 82-mph fastballs and 64-mph curveballs coming in there was an education in the old Warren Spahn quote: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing."

Jamey Carroll. Played the game hard. You can't have too many guys like that on the bench. It's the same reason I love Robert Fick...(his recent brain cramp aside).

Me, too, on both counts. Gooooo Bobby!!

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Jamey Carroll. Played the game hard. You can't have too many guys like that on the bench. It's the same reason I love Robert Fick...(his recent brain cramp aside).

miss most-Hernandez
Acquired players-Flores,Kearns,Lopez
Deal undone-Sorry to harp on this, but I'm sure we could have traded Soriano for something much better than 30 something draft picks. Also Rasner and Vargas.

Hard to believe nobody has mentioned missing Joey Eischen...for his "notable quoteables," at least, even if not for his work out of the 'pen.

1. Rick Short -- his debut game was one of my favorites ever, and I just liked the guy. Hope he's a happy Gaijin.

2. Austin Kearns

3. Preston Wilson for Zach Day. Sure, Day hasn't been performed, but it was a long September watching Wilson's charge to 90. And Day just simply deserved more of a chance than he got. He made the first local appearance for the Nationals (ESPNZone, with Termel Sledge!).

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Soriano. It might be 20 years before another Nat has a season as good as his 2006.

2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Kearns -- maybe not an All-Star but you can do worse than having a good field decent stick in RF

3. What deal would you most like to see undone? -- Okha for Spivey. Made no sense at the time and still doesn't.

I MISS FRANK ROBINSON

Like Lopez

Undo on not trading Soriano last year and letting him walk away with out getting anything for him. I miss his 40/40 skills, but we could have picked up a few prospects or picks for him.

1.Jamey Carroll-Robbed I tell ya
2.Livo-Clubhouse alone. But heart and sole too. (see above)
3.Endy-What happened to his brother? He was at Potomac.

I miss Livan - he's just a beast - totally solid.

The Lopez/Kearns signings were great - they are also solid players. Something the Nats need desperately to help get them through this rebuilding season (and beyond!).

I wish we could have gotten something for Sori.

Gotta agreed. Uncle Slam is a much better mascot than Screech. Why not have him in the park when the Pot-Nats are on the road?

I agree with Sam ... Rick Short is the one player I miss the most. A career .300 hitter in the minors, he finally got his chance to show what he could do in the majors and he showed he belonged (2 HR's, 2 doubles in 15 at-bats). While he didn't have a "true" position defensively, he could play just about every infield and outfield position. Just one of those guys (like Jamey Carroll) that each team needs. He went all out during his short stay in DC, and I was deeply saddened when he got hurt. I was more saddened when Bowden/Robinson decided to sell him to the Japanese League for nothing. Dang, I miss this guy!

Ditto

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I MISS FRANK ROBINSON

Great thread. I gotta concur and say that Jamey Carroll was the first name that popped into my mind as well for most missed. I think that largely stems from the fact that he knocked balls all over the park when he played against us here last year. That stung.

I dunno, JennX, I was lmao. At Bowden.

We seem to agree on Screech, and DC music. Who else hates the red hats?

1. Who is the former National you miss the most? Livo, definately. So much character and still a workhorse. When he had a bad outing all he would say is 'I played like crap'.

2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Kearns and Lopez. They count as one in that steal.

3. What deal would you most like to see undone? Never should have traded for Spivey. Toma Okha was a surly prick, but so what, he can pitch and he wanted to play here.

While I appreciate the enthusiasm of the discussion, please keep things civil and be mindful that what goes on other messageboards might not pass muster here. We want to keep the comments section open, not have to close them down because people use vulgarities.

Thanks folks.

1) Jose Guillen never gets the love he deserves. No wonder he has occasional bouts of crankiness. All the man ever wanted to do was win, beat the guys in the other uniform. He channeled Frank Robinson. Played hard in '06 with one arm.
2) Young showing some class by taking his lumps coming out and playing hard knowing it's an audition for DH in the AL.
3) Bring back Frank. His club respected the game, played hard.

Miss - Livo
Like - Snelling, Bergmann(was he acquired post Montreal?)
Regret - Preston Wilson - mediocre at best retread, an offensive and defensive downgrade. Double regret - deals not done to have acquired pitching instead of him for the 2005 stretch run.

1. No one else misses Gary Majewski? I always felt more comfortable with him in than Chad who still loves to get my heart-rate up over 150 when pitching.
2. Gotta love Dimitri Young's bat. Where did that come from... but how do we get Delmon instead?
3. What move would I like to see undone? How bout the one where we let Alfonso Soriano just leave the team in return for zippy? I think that counts as a terrible move on my part.

I miss Livan. What a complete player! Pitching, hitting, fielding, eating. They don't make them like that anymore.

I like Austin Kearns of the new guys.

Undo Guzman? Well, he owes us 16 million dollars of excitement this year and next. Can he deliver?

I like the D.C. music thread. Pearl Bailey. Roberta Flack. Rootboy Slim. And don't forget the most famous person ever born in D.C., Duke Ellington.

Screech?

Kill it and grill it.

Sorry 6th and D. Love the red hats.

I miss Carlos Baerga and his base running. I seriously have never laughed so hard as when he was hard charging it (with a 16 inch stride) around 2nd. And that head first slide at the plate...good times.

New guy I like would have to be Snelling.

Deal to undo? Jamey Carol without question.

I have to disagree about Baerga's base running. I think by far the most entertaining stretch was from home to first, when the ferocity of his running would make his head wobble from side to side, so much so that the notion of a Carlos Baerga bobble-head doll would be almost superfluous.

1. Who is the former National you miss the most: Without a doubt, Frank Robinson.

2. Who is the National acquired in a trade or free agency who you most like? Dmitri Young. Until the inevitable meltdown (hopefully Nick will be back before then).

3. What deal would you most like to see undone? Brad W. for Alfonsa S. Not because Wilkerson was a great player, but he was the only real trade bait we had at the time, and we essentially swapped him for a a rent-a-player who made no difference for the '06 team. (Who cares how much further back our last-place finish was?) If all of our moves last year and this are truly about '08 and beyond, the Soriano/Wilkerson trade was an unwise expenditure of human capital.

3) I may be in the minority, but I'd undo the Kearns/Lopez trade. All Bowden and Kasten ever do is talk about getting quality young pitchers, yet that trade was all about giving away three quality young pitchers - Bray and Majewski, who once healthy will both be great relievers again, and more importantly Daryl Thompson who is still only 21 and has an 0.87 ERA as a starter in High-A ball this year - for two highly overrated/replacable position players.

Ohka's numbers may not be great right now, but he'd be in the Nat's '07 rotation. Bowden admits that deal for Spivey was terrible, just because Robinson was miffed.
Sure, Carroll played hard but would he make this year's roster? I don't think so.
At the time I liked the Byrd-for-Chavez deal. Who wudda thunk? Expos/Nats gave Chavez every shot.

will you knock it off with the "letting Soriano go" nonsense awreddy? The Cubs overpaid him by about a factor of 3, he was NEVER going to stay here. Not ever. Although, considering the word around the league seems to be Bowden was asking too much for him, the Nats sure settled for not much: 2 PTBNL.

Barry, I agree with you about missing seeing Livan fielding a grounder. I also miss seeing him bat -- a guarantee to get the bunt down and a threat to hit one out --and looking relaxed in the on deck circle beforehand chatting with fans. The man has a presence and natural joy that would be most welcome now.

On new acquisitions-- ok you have to give Bowden credit for the Cincy deal that brought Kearns and Lopez, and I wouldn't give up on Wagner yet.

Finally, I'm no sure what I'd undo but gee, we had some decent starters -- Esteban L., Carrasco, Livan, even Ohka and Ortiz-- shouldn't we have kept at least one or two of them?

No doubt I miss Livan the most, but I think that might be the best trade they made. Then again, Daryle Ward and Marlon Anderson brought low level pitchers who might be good when we forget how we got them.

Who don't I miss? Endy Chavez- I am sorry, but one good catch, and a high average in almost no at-bats can't make him a worthy starting center fielder.

I just worry that Nook Logan might be Endy Chavez.

Miss the most - Jamie Carroll - class act on and off the field on a team that needs an identity in DC

Miss the Least - Jose Guillen - On July 5, 2005 put his ego above the team and it was all downhill from there.

Deal I like the best - seeing Soriano play for one cool year

Deal I want undone - MLB, then Kasten naming Bowden GM. don't see the team getting where it needs to be until he's gone - hope his massive ego hits him in the rear on the way out!

The guy I'd like back is Grady Sizemore, who Omar Minaya traded to Cleveland when he thought the Expos were going to be "contracted". I've often wondered if he'd have made that trade if he had known how things would really end up. If the Nationals had Sizemore in center, a whole lot of other things would fall into place.

Before CE (Current Era) I wish the franchise still had just 1 or 2 of these. But with the push on scouting we might have some good ones coming up.
1.Jason Bay
2.Grady Sizemore
3.Vladimir Guerrero
4.The Big Unit-Randy Johnson

No vote for Pedro?

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Before CE (Current Era) I wish the franchise still had just 1 or 2 of these. But with the push on scouting we might have some good ones coming up.
1.Jason Bay
2.Grady Sizemore
3.Vladimir Guerrero
4.The Big Unit-Randy Johnson

Pedro Martinez? Man, I'd take DENNIS Martinez back at this point.

Dunno if this means anything or whether it's even valid, but another reason to miss Jamey Carroll: most of the base stealers Schneider threw out in '05 were thrown to Carroll. I've seen at least two throws this season alone that either Lopez should have caught but didn't, and can't help but wonder whether Carroll coulda done it better.

Juan-John, that's really interesting. "Most" can't possibly be right, tho, can it? Guzman was at short most of that year, Vidro was out much of the first half, but mostly back after that, right?

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