woooohooooooooooooooooo!

I can't wait to catch some of those (cherry) bombs in my LF seats this season...

Wily Mo is going to hit 40 homers this year. Go Wily Mo! www.SluggerWily.com

Dave,

Can you estimate the total distance of Wily Mo's shots?

Also, I'm guessing that Wily Mo showed more power than Dukes? Some Tampa fans told me Dukes would hit even father than Wily Mo.

Easy there, Jimbo. While the upgrade in center field is pretty evident, there are those of us who aren't yet convinced that the Lo Duca-for-Schneider swap was a smart one, particularly given the leadership that Schneider provided in the clubhouse.

It would be even more impressive if Wily Mo was also riding the outside pitches to the opposite field and Dukes was also crushing the ball.

"Easy there, Jimbo. While the upgrade in center field is pretty evident, there are those of us who aren't yet convinced that the Lo Duca-for-Schneider swap was a smart one, particularly given the leadership that Schneider provided in the clubhouse."

While I tend to agree with your comments CapHill, I think JimmyBoy was strictly talking about the batting side of things.

Capitol,

Jimbo didn't say anyting about leadership from the catcher he just said there was a whole in the lineup (ie batting). I loved Schneider too but he was pretty ineffective at the dish.

"Yes, I'm talking about you Nook and Schneider"...says Jimbo

Anybody else envisioning Willy Mo as a Homerun Derby champ one day? I mean I can already here Chris Berman in my head as the 20?? All-Star/HR Derby comes to DC...Willy Mo, back back back back, that white dome out there beyond left may need some protection. Whoowee, I'm so pumped about this: putting him in a line-up with all that protection (Zims, DY/NJ, Lastings, AK, PLD) -- could be an exciting summer on S. Cap Street.

"Wily Mo Pena put on a jaw-dropping display of raw power, crushing a couple of homers"

Must of all been fastballs.

What? What? I kid...I kid.

*hole, not whole

As I recall last September, Willy Mo had incorporated the 'go with the pitch' attack, which did increase his BA. Hopefully, all this display of power won't end that, just enhance it. I suspect he's trying to be sure he hits it long eneough so as not to endanger the cherry blossoms, but to fly over and beyond them. : < )

Agree w/ Cap Hill, Lo Duca didn't have a much better season than Schneider.

PLD - 272/311/378 w/ 9 HR, 54 RBI
BS - 235/326/336 w/ 6 HR 54 RBI

Same power numbers, PLD w/ better slugging and BA but worse OBP. Both are pretty damn weak. Don't see that we really upgraded there offensively. And clearly we downgraded defensively. But we got Milledge out of it so there's that. JimBo is right that we upgraded w/ the bat in CF, no debate there.

Looking forward to some Wily Mo balls in my Sect 105 row D seats!

I want to see Wily Mo lead the lead in Walks. That would be good news.

Let's go, Wily Mo.....

Let's go, Wily Mo.....

I think with WMP, the key will be for him to work the pitch count. If he can learn to lay off a few of the curve balls and put pitchers in the position of having to pitch strikes (read: fast balls), then we will see a significant amount of home runs.

This will be an interesting year to say the least.

Can we get a Weapon of Mass Production headline from Barry again? It's been far too long!

... great, great, great Dave. Real live baseball talk - not tix, not salaries, not SegWays nor Flip the Hottie, not team predictions and enthusiasm, but Batting Practice - Yahoo! Let's Go Nats!!

... thanx to Google Earth, I can get some idea about just what a impression WiMo must have made with those shots.

... as for JimBow lamenting the loss of runs in the NL because the pitcher has to hit, I would remind him that it's the NL that offers the fan the very best in small ball, and he should be careful not to diss it.

natscan: How far does it look? Can you tell with the Google earth pics?

Hey Paul, I'm sure you're in better position to get 'em from WMP than I am - I'm in 105,B

Video spotlight coming on Nick Johnson - stay tuned. Should be posted by 3 p.m.

Now all we need is a bonafide leadoff hitter so someone will actually be on base when the power comes to the plate.

Corey, sounds like there are a few of us in 105 between A and F or so.

"natscan: How far does it look? Can you tell with the Google earth pics?"

... I don't know the dimensions of the stadium, but if I assume the bldgs I can see are the ones Dave mentioned (batting cages and parking lot), I'd say they were thirty or forty feet beyond the fence. But don't hold me to it; Google Earth lets me see the place but that's about all.

News Flash: MASN is incompetent. As best as I can tell, they have not published a broadcast schedule for spring training, let alone the regular season. (And don't get me started on the whold HD thing.) Do they intend to broadcast ST games? When? Surely they have figured it out by now. They can't release a programming guide? I can't find it on their website or the Nats website or by googling.

Could the Washington Post please task an appropriate resource to ask them about this? It would be much appreciated.

I'm in left field too. 106 row H. I expect to grab some Wily Mo shots for sure. What do you guys think about throwing back home runs from opposing teams? I would pledge to always do it if I was sure the security guards wouldn't take issue.

As far as cheers, I prefer
Hey!
Ho!
Wily Mo!

Love the BP reports, Mr. S

This is a Newsflash, that MASN is incompetent????

BTW, catch the comments on the Boz column. Talk about ignorant and not actually reading the stories. Maybe they should be forced to read some of these posts...wait, let's not. We need to keep the ignorant out of this group.

106 K is going to have the shots covered

Catcher50, about your post on the last thread. I read a lengthy profile on Boras in the New Yorker which said technically Boras isn't an agent. He is just a lawyer.

random post:

as far as finding a leadoff hitter. my friend brought up the fact that Willits in Ana is an odd man out, and they might need a SS.

Anyone have any remaining thoughts on trying to get one of their younger pitchers and Willits for a combo of our leftover MI and someone like Pena? I mean I like Pena, but if you could get leadoff hitter with great patience and good fielding in addition to a younger starter, I think thats a fair trade. Then again, I might be over-valuing WMP or under-valuing him depending on the situation.

Just a thought. The "need" for a leadoff and an easy trade target.

MASN...incompetent..who didn't know that. On the Cordero hat situation, I think those caps come pre-curved like that. He probably doesn't have is iron with him. Perhaps a Britannica with WMP, DY & RK standing on it would do the job.

This isn't Chicago, it's DC. We don't give our balls away without getting something back. :)

Some prodigious posting to accompany WMP's prodigious hitting today.

Catching up (so to speak), I thought catcher50 had a good point about the tone of this blog when he asked whether we could imagine posters on a Mets blog discussion punctuation.

Natscan, I'm not sure I would normally use a Segway, but I'm currently sporting a sprained ankle and one might come in handy for the next few days. And it strikes me that a former catcher might have some knee problems that would lead him to need one more than an average joe like me.

And I suspect the reason FLop was upset most of last year is that he wasn't on the cover of the 2007 Nationals Beefcake Calendar.

Boswell's column today was awful. I found this paragraph to be particularly uninformed and irresponsible:

"The Nationals, looking for a glistening start in their new digs, have been one of the game's more embarrassed teams, signing Lo Duca three days before the Mitchell report charged that he'd not only bought illegal performance-enhancing drugs for himself but referred former teammates to dealer Kirk J. Radomski."

Nonsense. There are lots of teams that have been much more embarrassed by the Mitchell Report than the Nats...including Tom's favorite team that plays up the Parkway.

No O's fan here, but you have to give them credit for getting rid of one of the roidsters just before the Mitchell Report. Houston is so stupid lately that I hope we can rip them off if we need to trade a first baseman.

Of course, they apparently have very little left, so it probably won't work.

BTW- if Bowden is making himself look silly on a Segway (and I thought he was just having fun, and chuckled), then maybe he is lulling the other GMs into thinking they can take advantage of him. Go Jimbo.

+.5St

Anybody know if Wily Mo worked with any of the Nats' hitting staff during the offseason to improve his patience at the plate? Because if he didn't -- and I don't wanna rain on this hopeful parade -- it's hard for me to see him doing any better this year than last.

This is despite the visions of his monster homers in our new park that keep horning in on those pessimistic thoughts... :-)

mlbtraderumors.com's "jim bowden trade profile" from his time with the nats...

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/02/jim-bowden-tr-1.html

Bob L.,

... not wanting to extend any argument beyond its silly point, and in the case of the SegWay seque, it has reached that point and beyond, I will just conclude (read: have the last word) that while I admit there are legitimate uses for the thing, I find them, overall, to be totally devoid of any socially redeeming value.

... I think Half St. probably had it right; Jim was just fooling around for the cameras.

... batter up!

Go Nats!

Segway? Heck yea! I'd love to be, ahem, tooling around in one. (pun intended John in Mpls)

Who needs a good reason? It just looks fun.

That was creepy. We were writing our posts at the same time, natscan.

Is there no end to this team's unwillingness to spend money?

From MLB.com:
Ryan Zimmerman has been the Nationals' best player the past two years because of his run production and defensive wizardry at third base. But as of now, he's not expected to get a multiyear deal any time soon.

According to Zimmerman's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, he expects his client's contract to be automatically renewed. Zimmerman has less than three years of service time and the Nationals can automatically renew his contract for 2008 before the March 11 deadline.

There is still time to get a deal done, but Van Wagenen didn't sound optimistic in a phone call on Thursday night.

"Most likely, [Zimmerman] will be renewed and it's [the team's] right," Van Wagenen said.

In 2007, Zimmerman hit .266 with 24 home runs and 91 RBIs. It marked the second consecutive season in which he drove in 90 or more runs.

When reached by phone Thursday night, general manager Jim Bowden would not comment about the negotiations with Zimmerman.

Last March, the Nationals renewed Zimmerman's contract for $400,000. Zimmerman is arbitration-eligible following the 2008 season and can file for free agency three years after that.

How do you mean, "it's hard for me to see him doing any better this year than last"? You mean the part where he was platooned with JD Drew and Hinske in right field for the Sox? Or, the part where he played every day and hit for .293 AVG with .504 SLG as a Nat? I suspect we'll see a different Wily Mo now that he's getting a full time role. Which role, I guess we'll find out!

www.SluggerWily.com Go Wily Mo!!

And, by the way, isn't the fact that the Nats' season ticket base is only 18,000 a major, major story? That's only about 2,000 more than last year in RFK.

Nick Johnson video out!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/02/22/VI2008022201998.html

Swanni:

Your car dealer just called... and says that since you haven't had any issues with your Jetta in the last year, that means that it was undervalued when they gave you the lease, so they want to double your payments. If you don't do it, you're cheap.

"We were writing our posts at the same time, natscan."

... except that I'm an hour later up here in the Atlantic time zone. ;)

Zim's only making $400k?!? What an absolute STEAL. Unbelievable. That kid's worth 10 times that.

If I win tomorrow's $115 million Powerball jackpot, I'm buying you all Nationals SegWays.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

I would suggest adding to the comments on mlbtraderumors. I just did (as NatsPlan- +.5St. would be untterly meaningless there). I feel that if we are talking baseball at the computer in our free time, it is good to spread it to other venues so folks realize better that there are Nats fans out there, and the team is not to be mocked if they don't deserve it.

John-

If you go tme a Segway, I promise I would trick it up, grow my hair out (it is straight, but really long becomes a white afro), and fly to Florida to race Bowden around Space Coast Stadium.

Natscan-

I so badly want to visit any part of Canada that is in the Atlantic time zone. Where are you, exactly? You know, for travel tips, not to show up at your door with my family.

Ah, we went from Coverage is Lacking, to "I Don't Agree". You forgot to change the moniker.

Personally, I found the column thoughtful and well written. It's an editorial column. We're not all going to agree.

Oooh, I'm gonna rig mine up with baseball cards that will make a cool sound as the wheels turn. Wheeeee! :-)

---

John-

If you go tme a Segway, I promise I would trick it up, grow my hair out (it is straight, but really long becomes a white afro), and fly to Florida to race Bowden around Space Coast Stadium.

Hey +.5St.,

... go to:

http://tiny.cc/wI8sz

... and you should get a map of where I live. And sure, you, she, the chillins, the dog, the parrot et al can show up at my door any time. You'd be most welcome, eh!

I'm not sure that "only" 18,000 full season equivalents is terrible. It ain't great, but it ain't too bad either -- remember, the Nats marketing has been poor or nonexistent. Boz was right about the economy and the steroids scandal did nothing to attract the casual fan. It shows their strategy to go whole hog for only season ticket plans and ignoring the little guy who might buy a 6-pack of games at an accessible ticket store or outlet or a fan fest was not good. There's still many, many untapped avenues out there, if only they will try.

On the other hand, it certainly gives fodder to people who criticize DC as a baseball town. 18K for a new stadium?!?

I'm torn, but it's beginning to look like the only way to get to 2005 RFK level of attendance is to have a winning, playoff competing team EVERY year -- not likely. Shoot! I thought DC would do better.

"Zim's only making $400k?!? What an absolute STEAL. Unbelievable. That kid's worth 10 times that."

That's what he made last year. This year's salary is still TBD, but surely he'll get a bump from the team. Last year he made the same as George W Bush, and following Babe Ruth's axiom Zimmerman will deserve more than the POTUS because he had a better year than Bush did. Which actually isn't saying much, when you think about it.

"Zim's only making $400k?!? What an absolute STEAL. Unbelievable. That kid's worth 10 times that."

That's what he made last year. This year's salary is still TBD, but surely he'll get a bump from the team. Last year he made the same as George W Bush, and following Babe Ruth's axiom Zimmerman will deserve more than the POTUS because he had a better year than Bush did. Which actually isn't saying much, when you think about it.

Ah, the fact that Boras (Borat?) is an attorney is not necessarily significant. Ron Shapiro is an attorney who acted as an agent for a number of sports figures. The question is what is his role. Is the relationship one of an agent and client, where he would be paid a percentage of the player's earnings or is he being paid as an attorney, where he would have specific tasks and be paid strictly by the hour (or 12 minutes which, I think, is the current breakdown).

I think that MLB has a system where an agent needs to register, pass some background checks, and have a formal, contractual relationship. If, OTOH, John Smith is my attorney, tasked with negotiating specifics of a contract and being paid by the hour I can simply fire him, if I don't like the job that he is doing, just like any other contractor. I think that major leaguers have tried to fire their agents and have not been able to do so easily because of the way that the contracts were written.

Oh, sweet.

3 years ago, we loaded into the van and did a 3000 mile trip from VA to Burlington Vt to Montreal, Quebec City, and as far as Tadoussac (sp?). We stopped at the Canadian bee museum, cheese museum, glass, etc. Had a grand time, and even our then 22-month-old enjoyed the whole tripwith his two big sisters.

Yes, we were nuts, but man, I sure love Canada (Banff and Jasper are excellent, too). In passing,we saw Olympic Stadium, forlorn and newly abandoned.

We have learned to find a central spot and see the environs from there. If the dollar were worth more than a Flordia Marlins ticket, I would renew passports for the five of us and see PEI or Fredericton or even be a Newfie for a week.

Instead, I will try to spend more of the money locally, taking my family on local vacations to Nationals Park. If Toronto comes, I will join in singing O Canada. I think I still know all the words.

Help! Are we sure that the new ballpark isn't a fake? Google earth does not show a ballpark where it is supposed to be.

Does HSA require all photos of DC to be a year old?

That MASN has an "Orioles Hot Stove" show and no Nationals equivalent is a clear example of the injustice being perpetrated on the Nationals. Surprise: Angelos is marketing the Orioles rather than the Nationals.

Catcher50, now that you mention it, I wonder if that was the distinction made in the article between Boras being a bona fide agent and just a contract negotiating lawyer.

After I posted that I realized it was kind of a lazy statement for me to make because I couldn't recall the words exactly, just the impression the article left me with. I'll see if I can find it again.

crickets and tumbleweeds around here tonight, but here's that Boras article from the New Yorker, if you're interested. It's called "The Extortionist"

http://tinyurl.com/34owqg

How far is it? GoogleEarth

If they're hitting in the stadium, the base of the light standard is about 384.25 feet from home in the GE picture, but the cages are right behind the LF wall, nowhere near 50 feet, so I'm not sure the pic is accurate vs. the current configuration -- I can't tell how old it is.
GE typically uses satellite pics up to several years old, except in unusual cases.

Its interesting...Rockies lock up Tulo long term, Rangers just extended Kinsler, SD gives Greene 2 years, TB extends Shields, Minnesota extends Morneau etc., but the Nats unwillingness to extend Zimmerman makes them cheap.

Realize the extensions buy out the arbitration years (with team options for what would be year 1 of free agency in some cases) thereby providing cost certainty for the length of the contract (team controlled years). In some cases, these arbitration bypassing extensions dont even payoff (Hank Blalock, Bobby Crosby, Eric Hinske, etc.).

Plus, the teams, in most cases, were paying projected arbitration numbers over the length of the contract.

Zimmerman is the face of the franchise. But he is also team controlled for at least 4 more seasons. Why enter into a long term contract now? The team roster surely will be much different in two years, moreso in four years. Why not offer Zimmerman an extension two years from now? At that point, the team will probably have a stronger grasp of the foundation of players on the roster and what types of free agents will be needed to supplement the team.

Or they could extend Zimmerman to avoid looking "cheap".

I just figured it out. If Brett Boone can still play he gets traded to either the Indians or Twins for the right to keep a Rule 5. Or some variation on that theme.

Across the majors teams are making a greater commitment to youth headed into spring training. But you have to believe that many of them are going to blink by mid May. Bowden has stockpiled some great bench players that will become attractive to other teams as they discover their young guys still can't hit the breaking pitches. Maybe he trades some, maybe he doesn't. Either way he has added a quantity of talent that was not here 12 months ago.

After looking at the pictures the Post put up on todays practice, the glove Zimmerman has on looks awfully strange for a third baseman. Looks more like, well, I don't really know...help?

Nu. Post.

Zim's glove looks like a pancake glove...used for infield practice

Los 12-8, that's called a pancake glove, for obvious reasons once you've seen one. It's flat inside with no pocket for the ball, to force you to use both hands and proper technique, as a practice tool.

Whoops, that should have been directed to SC Nats Fan. Sorry, LDO

Thanks for the info LDO and Mr. InBetween. I'd just never seen that before.

Positively Half St.
I appreciate your comments about Canada. (actually, I imagine so would the PEI Tourist Association). That's where I hail from.
That dollar value is killing all of us.

I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

---

It's just that anyone who hits in the same group as Wily Mo Pena is naturally going to come off looking wimpy.

I'd like to invite you to my house for a duck dinner.

To be sincere, I have never been here before, and as a new person I can say that this website looks amazing. I really enjoy it

There are many ways to express yourself in real word. I don't see the reason why all those websites are still popular