I vote for re-signing Patterson for one year and see what happens. The money they are talking about giving him is worth the gamble. You aren't going to get even a decent starting pitcher for what it will take to re-sign Patterson.

Regardless of whether JP is brought back or not, this club needs an ace in the rotation and should IMO go out and get that guy, either in free agency or via trade no matter what it costs (other than trading Zimmerman, of course). Although Shawn Hill has that potential, his health is also a question mark.

Although I personally am just about done with waiting around for Patterson to get healthy, I tend to lean toward offering him a low-end contract (not much up front, but plenty of incentives for performance) and bringing him back next season. The dude's shown promise, but not much else. Still, I've got a soft spot for the guy.

'Course, that may be why I'm not a baseball exec. Probably the wise thing to do would be to cut him loose and use the money to bring in someone a little more proven.

Agreed on resigning Patterson at an affordable price. The Nats aren't in a position to be picky. Keeping options open is essential if they're to be competitive next year.

The only FA I wanted the team to sign was Zambrano. That way there would have been a certified ace.

Barry, can we have a "guess the 2008 major league camp pitchers" ?

Here's what I was saying about this in the last post:

Here's a quote:

"I really just have one comment," he said, "and the comment is basically that I feel good. I feel great. It's the best I felt in about two years, and the treatment was a success. I have a throwing program that I'm following, and that's the only comment I have."

He also made it sound as though he planned on pitching again this season. That was on August 2nd (I think this is what Barry was talking about in this post). Now, in today's notebook he says that he hasn't felt good since March 8th, and it's been "the worst pain you can imagine".

So, based just on that, not to mention all the other BS that has happened in the last 2 years, we know at least 2 things about John Patterson.

1- He's a liar.

2- He has no pain threshold.

Having said that, I've got no problem with the team bringing JP back next year. I don't think I've ever stated that they shouldn't (maybe I did in a fit of rage at some point, but I don't think I have). I just want to make sure we as fans don't get caught up in that "ace", "#1 starter", or "30 starts, 200 innings" nonsense EVER again. If he does any of that, great, I'll be the first one to congratulate him on a job well done. I just want to make sure that everyone sees what's going on here; that he's a liar and can't be believed when he talks about his health/arm, and that he's going to miss a start anytime he gets a hangnail.

I say bring him back if you can do an incentive-laden deal outside of arbitration. Low end of the gamble is $500K if he doesn't play at all, which is worth the risk in my book. If he's pitching and hitting his incentives, then he's well worth the $1.5 mil. In 2008, I think we should be giving the young pitchers, including the 2007 draft class, some more time to mature in the minors.

OMG! Do NOT throw good money after bad! I don't care if it's FREE, if it doesn't work, you paid too much.

That being said, offer JP the opportunity to EARN his place in the rotation next spring. The Nats FO holds the cards here. Do not offer more than the minimum but at the same time, load it up with incentives. If he makes it, great, if not, no great loss. I think that they will continue to bring in FA's for tryouts instead of trying to make the big splash off-season signing...this year anyway.

Barry - first beer after the game is on me at The Tune (doesn't seem quite right to capitalize that place).

I should be pretty easy to spot! LOL

Does it really matter what the Nats do with Patterson? He's done.

Whoa there! You want to give him more money so he can make 3 '08 starts and then declare his right arm dead again? If they bring JPat back, you can almost guarantee a long, painful winter rehab, then sunny optimism in March, followed by a few mediocre ML starts, then a mysterious arm injury, and finally done for the year by May 15. Take a look at the track record.

He'll be 30 next year. It's time to cut one's losses and move on. Save the money for a solid, proven no. 2 or 3 FA starter.

The only way I'd give him a chance if he wanted to dramatically change his pitching style. If the Nats are going to take a chance, make it interesting at least. Tell him to throw left-handed or experiment with the knuckleball. His arm is not a power pitching instrument any longer, and I'd hate to see the Nats flush more money down the proverbial toilet.

Re-sign him with incentives. When he was on, he was the only Nat pitcher who could throw lines like 8 3 1 1 1 13 (4/15/06) or 9 4 0 0 0 13 (8/4/05). Who else on the current 25 man roster (or at Columbus) is likely to do that? Bergmann--maybe; Hill- pretty good pitcher, but not dominant; Chico--can't throw over 90; Lannan--hasn't shown that kind of dominance; Hanrahan--a zero BB game? In my lifetime?; Ballester--hasn't been great at AAA. You get the idea--there isn't anyone else who is likely to have games like that once let alone several times a season. Worth taking a chance on for 2009. This assumes that Patterson isn't so egotistical to think that he'd get a better offer as a FA if the Nats non-tender him.

I meant take a chance for 2008, not 2009.

"I need a specialist for a special problem,"

Calling Dr. Phil...

I know, that was a cheap shot for a cheap laugh.

As much as I have a doubtful spot in my heart for JP, I'm leaning towards a one year contact with incentives for performance. The risk is on the low end with the potential for a nice surprise.

As for being a head-case...I think it's slowly becoming his MO, but if starts winning everyone will forget about JP flying around the country seeking doctor's advice. Going to Toronto. Needing special people for his special problem. (Geez, what a dumb quote to cough up.)

Do I believe he'll return to ace status...No, I do not. Maybe a fourth or fifth starter at best because if he gets healthy enough to start pitch again, he'll really need to earn Bowden and Acta's confidence.

Matt- "He's a liar."?????!!!! Just because he was trying to make the best of the Toronto tx and make it work? You can't get inside Patsy's head and say he's a liar. Here's to recuperation and flamethrowing next spring!

If Appalachian State can do it, so can you. Run the table and make the playoffs.

Is this not an awesome observation by Barry: "I am not one to freak out when athletes act like that. Passion like that is better than not caring." Could Barry give us some more examples of passion in addition to Patsy and also some examples of not caring?

Last post was me.

Come on, at least he's not Carl Pavano. I mean, at least he talks like he wants to pitch and isn't out crashing cars and not telling the team about it.
I also think its easy to discount how much pain he has, especially if you've never dealt with a long term injury. I have had some pain issues due to cycling, which while not crippling, certainly hurt continuously, would wake me up in the middle of the night, and prevented me from doing what I wanted to do at a the level I could do it. I suspect (for no solid reason) that this has caused him constant long term pain (with little improvement) and certainly could qualify as the worst pain imaginable. And to top it off, no one has been able to tell him exactly what will make it better. In some ways, I'd rather have my leg snapped like Joe Theisman's (were what to do is clear) rather than have something mysterious.

Besides, who has seen an injured pitcher throw well? If you have pain, you try to avoid it. So you subconsciously change your mechanics and you just can't be the same player. Remember a few years back when Jose Guillen had his shoulder problem? He was no where near the same hitter while playing through the pain as before the injury. Did he really help the team? And look at our pitchers this year. Would 200 innings of a 7.50 ERA John Patterson have been better for the team or worse? You need players to be healthy to perform.

Also, we don't we ask these questions about Nick Johnson? Is it because we know what happened? But we haven't questioned his willingness to play through pain.

Hopefully, he'll have the surgery and he will be pain free and be able to pitch. Give him an incentive laden contract. Keep helping him get healthy and if it looks like his recovery is going well, sign him. "The plan" is about potential after all. The man oozes it. And of our scrap heap pitcher experiences the past few years, perhaps Patterson is a good bet for next year.

I have no idea if the incentive contract is realistic, but if it is, let's take a look at it the risk/reward of it. Let's use a $650 K base as the price for bringing him back. The incentive numbers are irrelevant since, if he meets them, we will all agree it was a great move.

For $650 K, you can get:

1. A low first round or high 2nd round pick. This of course does not include the money you'll need to invest in developing him and paying him during the time it takes for him too maybe make the big leagues.

2. 65% of a low level FA pitcher at $1 million per year.

3. 16.25% of a middle level FA pitcher at $4 million per year.

4. 6.5% of a top drawer FA pitcher.

I would put JP's chances at being a #1 starter again - meaning 200 innings, 3.00 something ERA - at about 10%. He's done it. It's not potential we're talking about it here. He's shown when healthy that he's got the stuff.

Now look at the other possibilities listed. I would put the chances of that type of draft pick being a #1 at less than 10%. I'd put the chances of a low level FA at less than 10%, mid level at about 50%, and high level at about 85%. Any way you parse the numbers, a $650K contract is a good investment.

These numbers could be seriously flawed, so please feel free to fire away. The number I'm pretty confident about is JP's 10% chance. I think if one looks throughout baseball in the last 20 years, we could find 1 out of 10 situations where it works out.

Lastly the hidden story - which I wish Barry would write about - is that JimBo, JP and everyone else has NO confidence in the Nats' medical staff. It's one reason they (JP and JimBo) are looking around for doctors. Someone needs to show me one guy they (the doctors) have operated on who has come through it well.

In other news involving pitchers, we've had a lot of guys doing a whole lot worse than taking a no hitter into the fifth. I hate that it was broken by a home run, of course, but a pretty solid first few innings from Hanrahan.

And thank you, Jesus! Tie the game with one shot!

"Lastly the hidden story - which I wish Barry would write about - is that JimBo, JP and everyone else has NO confidence in the Nats' medical staff."

If this is true, that's one nasty story brewing.

1. Nats Win

2. O's get no hit by a rookie.

That's a pretty good evening.

Well, a no-hitter against the O's in the guy's 2nd MLB start.

Not to take anything away from Buckhoelz(sp?) but have the O's just totally given up or what???

Is it possible to sign a manager and fire him in the same month? Yikes.

I've been in football mode all day and will be from here on out, except for going to RFK tomorrow and Monday, and periodically going forward.

Re: Paddy cake - give him the low-ball with incentives. Everyone's hoping he'll earn every single one of the dollars he can get! I'm amazed there aren't more of these types of contracts in the league...

Nice win, Nats!

Two-hitter, pretty sweet work by Hanrahan and the 'pen. Gotta give Acta some credit for pinch-hitting for Hanrahan in the sixth despite how well he was pitching. That's what is possible when you trust your pen and know you have struggled to score runs.

Church comes in to get the sac fly, pushing it up to a 3-1 lead. Finally putting August and that lousy streak of one run losses behind!

On Aug 2nd he said: "I feel great. It's the best I felt in about two years"

On Aug 31st he said that the last time he felt good was March 8, when he faced a group of Nationals minor leaguers in a spring training tuneup.

What is that? Was he confused? Mistaken? Did he forget?

------------------------------------------
Matt- "He's a liar."?????!!!! Just because he was trying to make the best of the Toronto tx and make it work? You can't get inside Patsy's head and say he's a liar. Here's to recuperation and flamethrowing next spring!

Posted by: flynnie

Now that's more like it. I only wish I'd been there to see Flores launch one into the depths of RFK Canyon.

We celebrate nailing down the victory the way it should be, starting with the pitching half of the Jesus Battery:

Nattily-battily
Washington's Colome
Shuts down the seventh for
Hold number ten.

Big Jon and then the Chief
June-reminiscently
Finish the job.
Back to winning again!

Oh you Nats!

Sorry, that response to flynnie was me, of course.

Wow, been gone for a week at the beach, and not a good one in Natsdom. Seven straight. For the record I tuned in in (in in? is that OK with the gramatical experts on this blog?) the fifth tonight just in time to see our guys take the lead. I shall not leave again. Will attend in person tomorrow!

On JP, been a fan of his since he came up, rough luck. And I agree with the posters that argue that he might be past the point of no return.

But we are Nats fans here, which means, in my view, that if we can sign him to a reasonable incentive-laden contract, we should do so, since he might be the next of our castoffs-becum-stalwarts (even if we did not ourselves cast him off).

One other thing -- although I managed to prevent myself from logging onto NatsJ from the beach, I still read Barry and the Post, and think it's worth pointing out that at least two regular posters here may have made the print version, 506 and CEvans, if memory serves, kudos! And apologies if I missed any others.

Seven wins in a row to come.

My earlier skepticism about Patterson's return this season expressed more mystification than reason. And, given the relatively low proportion of news vs. speculation lately, I've remained mystified, and ambivalent.

Until I saw that little reminder from Barry: ". . . there are players in the clubhouse who are simply done with all the perceived drama."

One encouraging sign in the first year of the Acta skippership has been the relative lack of drama, at least compared to the F. Robby years. Do we need to risk going back to that again?

I suspect that Manny and JimBow will evaluate the situation not least weighing straight talk against misty fears and hopes. And in the end, I'll be surprised to see JP come back at all.

That saddens me, but it might well be for the best.

I meant grammatical. Do we have to do this? Natsfan1a et al, please advise. Sincerely, lawyer and English major.

Great game at RFK tonight. Couldn't ask for more perfect weather. A little disappointed in Kearnsy and Logan, AND TEDDY!! But Lopez sure redeemed himself with that sparkly dive and confident, I'm talking COCKY throw to first. You go Jesus with your dead-center-field homer! And as much as I hate to admit it because I'm starting to enjoy my anger at Cordero, the kid did okay tonight. I started griping as soon as they sounded that stupid alarm when he enters the game, predicted he'd walk the first two guys and then Bonds would get a three-run homer off him tying up the game. But the kid proved me all wrong. And I'm totally okay with that.
I have to go back and look but what happened when Jesus tried to gun down the runner at second? I had my eye on Felipe waiting to see the tag but the ball never got there. Next thing you know, trainers are coming out to check on Hanrahan.
And speaking of Hanrahan, nice one-hitter bubba!! (2nd hit was off Rauch)

Anyway, about the Patterson question. My beef is exactly what Matt said in the last thread and this one: He's completely inconsistent with his stories and it just makes him look all the more desperate, and like he would (maybe DID) risk future, permanent damage by not coming clean after March 8. At the very least, he should have told the truth about "the worst pain you can imagine." I don't trust him anymore. As for what the FO should do, go ahead and keep him as cheap as you can, with the incentives for innings pitched, etc., and give him another chance to try for his spot. I'd hate to see him fully recover and come back on someone else's team. Cuz heck, he may actually come back once and for all.

Obviously I think we should re-sign Patterson next year. An incentive - laden contract would be fine, though more for the team's benefit than his, for Patterson needs no incentive to play well - just a healthy arm! If he has that, he will be worth every cent - and probably more. Of course he has to find the right surgeon. The Nats doctor is an orthopedic surgeon and I don't think that would be the best choice for a specialized nerve problem like Patterson's.

Now as for Patterson being a lier because he said his arm was fine and he would pitch in September. He WANTED very badly to pitch in September and was going to try to do it even if his arm hurt, but it was just too much pain for him to be effective and he finally had to give in and be shut down for the rest of the season and have surgery again. Though strictly speaking, you could call it lying, I think it comes more in the category of him kidding himself. Also, Don Sutton says that ALL pitchers lie when they want to pitch, stay in a game, etc. That is why the pitching coach talks to the catcher first when he visits the mound. Suppose Patterson told Acta that his arm hurt, but he wants to pitch anyway - what is Acta going to say? His arm hurt and nobody seemed to do anything to help it and he wanted to pitch so he said it was fine. And he would go out and pitch and hope that he could pitch through it, but most of the time it didn't work out. All the treatment the team was giving him was massage and that only helped very marginally. No wonder he went around the country to visit 4 doctors and then went to Toronto for treatments. What would you do if your pitching arm - your livlihood - hurt almost constantly with "the worst pain you can imagine" and nobody could tell you what to do about it?
Matt, as for your statement that Patterson "has no pain threshold", neither you nor anyone else can make that judgement. The fact is that Patterson has played with pain on many occasions. Don't forget that he had Tommy John surgery in 2000. The rehab from that is very painful and requires a lot of pitching through pain until it finally goes away. In 2005 he had back spasms and on at least one outing, his back was so stiff he could hardly pick up the ball when he came out to pitch, but after a poor start, he battled through almost 7 innings. In 2004, after spending 2 1/2 months on the DL with a torn groin muscle, it still was not right when he came off the DL, but he pitched anyway because he did not want to go back on the DL. There are other instances also, so don't tell me that Patterson has no pain threshold because there is no way for you to know.
Also, Matt, Patterson did not name himself the Ace and the number 1 starter - that was done by Manny and the media. Did you expect him to say "Oh no, I'm not good enough." He just wanted to go out and pitch as well as he could to live up to those expectations. And as for "200 innings and 30 starts" that is the goal every good starting pitcher sets for himself and was not unrealistic for a healthy JP. He pitched 31 starts and 198+ innings in 2005.
And no, I am not John Patterson himself. If you knew me you would know how laughable that is!

Here's the thing... If Patterson was under contract with another team, and was not offered arbitration, this would be exactly the kind of guy that Bowden would go after. There's little downside of offering the appropriate contract, with the proper mix of incentives. The only thing that I can imagine being a problem is that if the issue is more attitude than physical (I've asked Barry about this in the chats before, and he indicates that it is truly frustration, and not a bad attitude), then you're facilitating something you should be avoiding... but I am of the mind to give Patterson the benefit of the doubt here. There is some downside to not offering a contract, and that is fostering the perception in the clubhouse that the team isn't going to stand behind you if you get injured. The Nats have had plenty of players that could be considered malingerers, and JP isn't even the worst case...

That was an awesome game, huh?

Sucks to be the O's, too...

Obviously just a guess, but I'd say that there's only a 1/3 chance, at best, that JP will return to form. But having said that, there seems little down side to signing him at a relatively low level, with incentives should he, in fact, pitch well. As Barry suggested, for all our prospects, we're still far from having 5 solid major league pitchers.

As for the "players in the clubhouse who are simply done with all the perceived drama," first, I think they're just wrong -- surely JP would be pitching if he could. And, second, even if one accepts their "blame the victim" mentality as a given, who cares? Are these other, unsympathetic players going to play worse because they think JP isn't playing through pain? I really doubt it. And any such downsides could be offset by the positive of showing loyalty to a player who's hurt for no fault of his own.

Three big question marks for an organization that is lean on ML talent to begin with: Patterson, Johnson and Guzman. I don't envy the front office in having to parse their options for next year for these guys. Could be lose, lose. Hard to see a win, win.

2008 could be ugly, very ugly.

Sign JP, absolutely. To me, it's not a close call. He'll be cheap and they're going to have $30-40m more to spend next year, right? The only possible negative is the clubhouse chemistry Barry referred to. But it's not like a pitcher being a head case - if he really is - is such an unusual baseball phenomenon. It's pretty much a stereotype. I think teammates should be able to handle it.

I know nothing about sports medicine, but I do have some experience with "alternative" forms of physical medicine, and JP's seeking of some expertise outside the mainstream doesn't seem so crazy to me. He had been cut on already, had been evaluated by a bunch of sports doctors, and he still hurt and couldn't play. So why not spend a few weeks trying something else before consenting to do more of the same, hoping for a better result? I wish him nothing but the best, the poor guy has been suffering physically and mentally.

I heard a MLB GM say once that the only position where a team can have a "jerk" is as their #1 starter. My guess is that's the case because that person is only on the field every 5th game and can bring such dominance making the game easier for every one else. Teammates are willing to put up with him. I don't think JP is a "jerk" but at least I think the team can whether any real or perceived attitude problems if he produces.

Observations from reading the .35 this morning:

1. On resigning JP, it's instructive to remember that it took 5 years and $55 million to get Gil Meche last off-season. It's not like there are a lot of good cheap options out there.

2. Johnny Damon? I hope the Nats don't trade for him. They don't need to spend prospects and money on a nearly washed up guy for a couple of years. He's still the target of my all time favorite stadium sign, seen at Fenway: "Looks like Jesus; acts like Judas; throws like Mary." Did anyone else notice Barry's answer a couple of days ago about international activity? He said it would come out of Asia. Does this mean the Nats will go after Fukudome?

3. I really hope Chico comes back well from Columbus today. I liked Barry's specific description of his mechanical flaw in the .35 today. I'm heading to RFK today hoping for an aggressive performance from him. The last few games have shown how important first pitch strikes are from the starters.

4. I wonder if professional baseball will begin to consider more protection in dead ball territory? Coolbaugh is killed in a AAA game. Encarnacion last night has his career ended potentially while standing in the on deck circle. I'd hate to see fences erected, blocking the view of the game for the fans, but at some point they need to be concerned about the safety of the participants

Listen, jpsmomandproudofit, you've made it very clear on this blog that you have about as much objectivity when it comes to JP as San Francisco fans do when it comes to Barry Bonds and steroids. We all know you love JP. As far as him being a liar and having no pain threshols; call it whatever you want but the bottom line is that moreso than any other player that comes to mind, he can't be trusted when he's talking about his health. As far as the pain theshold? I've witnessed first-hand people suffering through "the worst pain you can imagine", the kind of pain the sends you body into shock, so I kind of tend to think of him as a primadonna when he says crap like that. Does it mean he has no pain threshold? I dunno, but it at least serves as evidence to the other point I made, which is that he can't be believed.

Just read in the .35 edition that at last night's game Bonds got 3-1 cheers/boos. Maybe that's what you heard in the press box. In 520 where I was at, it was easily 5-1 boos. We were all stunned by his sliding catch, but the boos were easily the dominent sound when he was batting.

Ditto for 430.

-----------------------------------------
In 520 where I was at, it was easily 5-1 boos. We were all stunned by his sliding catch, but the boos were easily the dominent sound when he was batting.

Posted by: Bethesda

JP's mom may not be JP, but you surely have more detailed and specific memory of his play (and non-play) than anyone I can imagine! I'm quite impressed - what did he have for breakfast on 8/4/05? Can we make sure he has the same thing on his pitching days in the future (wherever that may be)?

At this point, he's been paid for two seasons where he hasn't earned more than 1/6 of a season. How can an arbitrator possibly think he deserves a raise? How can he and his agent possibly think he deserves a raise. Here's to hoping he and his agent do the right thing by acknowledging the difficult past two years, and demand an incentive-laden deal.

Whoever said it before: this is exactly the kind of guy Bowden would go for in the open market - a cast-off with great upside and a low-ish price tag. Problem is, he's got baggage in THIS org, not someone else's. Bring him back, without the hype and hoopla of an Ace, treat him like a Redding this year (gotta earn your spot, and fight to be here) and hope for the best.

I don't recall hearing any cheers at all for Bonds in the vicinity of 419. But according to Screech's Best Friend on the nats320 blog, Bonds got a standing O from a few thousand fans in the seats surrounding left field when he took the field in the bottom of the first, and Bonds even doffed his cap to them in response. I didn't catch this myself - my seat is pretty far away from left field, and I was probably too busy booing. Did anyone else see this?

Patterson? Sad to say, but say goodbye. I'd be hard-pressed to think of a pitcher with so many years of arm problems who suddenly gets it together and stays healthy. I think he's just going to be a guy who could never fulfill his potential.

As for O's bashing here, I'm a Baltimore native now down in NOVA who roots for both (but I'm putting the Nats first these days). You guys don't realize the O's are living up to their grand tradition of recent years of totally quitting down the stretch. But don't worry, just a couple of free agents and they'll be right there next year! Riiiight.

New post. New news.

ShawNatsFan - I can't tell you for sure what he ate for breakfast on 8/4/05, but I understand he usually eats pancakes.

I became interested in him early in 2005, researched him thoroughly and have a good memory.

My one question/comment is: if spending $1.8 a season for Ronnie Belliard is a questionable move, what do you call spending $1.5 million on John Patterson, as Mr. Svrluga suggests?

As the likely final post on this thread...put a fork in him...JP is D O N E...period. The End

Thanks for the shout out, Bob L. (if I may use the familiar form with you). Tuned in in the fifth sounded fine to me. I'm not sure what your "do we have to do this" referenced. Reposting to correct our own postings, perhaps? It would be very cool if the site allowed us to edit our postings to correct the originals, but it doesn't seem to have that capability. I'm just compulsive enough that I need to do it, but not everybody feels that way. (Hope I've not just had a very Latella moment here, but it wouldn't be the first one for me!)

---

Bob L. Head pondered:

Wow, been gone for a week at the beach, and not a good one in Natsdom. Seven straight. For the record I tuned in in (in in? is that OK with the gramatical experts on this blog?) the fifth tonight just in time to see our guys take the lead. I shall not leave again. Will attend in person tomorrow

AND

I meant grammatical. Do we have to do this? Natsfan1a et al, please advise.

Patterson is wondering if his career is over because there's a pretty good chance it is. These are weird, complicated injuries; it's difficult for teammates to sympathize with him (they have aches too, but they're playing anyway!).

That being said, I would like to resign him at the minimum. He's not in a position to demand money form the organization, and would almost certainly lose arbitration. An incentive laden deal would protect us and if he performs Patterson will get his due.

On the other hand, we seem to have a plethora of permanently injured guys like Escobar and Patterson. Maybe this offseason is the time to clean house. Two consecutive seasons with less than 10 starts seems like a sign. Is it too late to teach him to pitch left-handed?

Chiming in late (having played hooky with natsfans 1b and 1c since last Thursday) to say that I didn't hear many cheers in 444 either (just lots of boos, though there was one vocal Giants fan). I interpreted the doffing of the cap as sarcasm.

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I don't recall hearing any cheers at all for Bonds in the vicinity of 419. But according to Screech's Best Friend on the nats320 blog, Bonds got a standing O from a few thousand fans in the seats surrounding left field when he took the field in the bottom of the first, and Bonds even doffed his cap to them in response. I didn't catch this myself - my seat is pretty far away from left field, and I was probably too busy booing. Did anyone else see this?