For Jason Bergmann - Do you get as aroused as St. Barry by idle thoughts about Shawn Hill's sinker?

... so Manny's a lurker too?? This blog just gets better and better every day!

Go Shawn Hill, eh! Go Nats!!

Thanks Barry, an early morning post just makes the coffee taste better. With Johnson getting the first crack at first base, are they just wanting to see where he is or is this a sign that he has (no pun intended) a leg up on the job?

Jason: Nats ticket holders read the Journal due to the lack of communication from the team, should I assume Nats players read the Journal for the same reason?

Jason Bergmann is in the house! Certainly one of my favorites. I have no questions, just keep on keepin' on brother. Applauding you the night after your amazing performance (near no-hitter) certainly goes in my top-5 moments on E. Capitol Street. I wish you all the health and success possible this season. Also, congrats on your marriage.

Barry,

I know that DY has played OF in the past and that we have sort of a log jam out there, but has Manny even considered the possibility about giving him some time again out there? Or is he so out of shape that it would be like playing with 8 on D?

Getting NJ and DY to bat 3/4 in the lineup would actually throw a little fear into the opposing pitchers.

Diz

Speaking of Joey Eischen sightings, is it true he used to drive a backhoe to RFK? There was one regularly parked in the player lot during his entire tenure with the Nats, which ceased to be around when he was gone. He struck me as the kind of guy who'd drive a backhoe -- which made me like him that much more.

I think that raises a question for our celebrity guest reader, Mr. Bergmann: what sort of wheels are you going to roll up to the new Nats park in? Is Stan asking the players to take Metro, too?

That makes me nervous thinking players and Manny might be reading us. I get all flustered and star-struck. Like the time I got to chat with Zimmerman once before a game? As he was walking away I said, "I hope you play as well tonight as you did tomorrow."

Sheesh.

Jason and Manny are with us,which proves the NJ as well as the Nats are on the Rise. Ask Jason who is going to call the game while he's pitching, Manny or the new catchers?

Has anyone commented yet on receiving their 2008 season tickets? I got them yesterday -- much to my amazement. Score one for The Plan.

Metro!! Players will still be parking at RFK and jogging to NatsPark, I here Clint will be leading the group.
As for DY in the OF just park him next to Ben's Chili Bowl or he could borrow JB's segway.

yup, it came up last week when they started arriving, swanni. i think mine got here last weds or thurs.

Thanks 231. I was out of town last week on biz so I must have missed it.

Goodness, it feels good to actually have the tickets in hand more than five days before the Opener.

You know, I've always thought it would be a cool thing for the players to ride to the games by metro, it would give the fans an extra chance to chat with them and get to know them...

Gosh, JB, isn't that perilous, reading these blogs. Sometimes they even make me feel diminished and I don't play baseball.
On the other hand, no problem from this end. I think you're a pitcher who has performed superbly on occasion, both in the bullpen(2005) and last year as a starting pitcher. All the best in 2008.
Count me a fan.

I wondered if the players ever go out in some of our interesting neighborhoods to get to know the city a little better, i.e. Capitol Hill, U Street, Adams Morgan, etc.

oh so true, swanni. oh so true. a huge improvement over the first three years and really something that should never have been an issue like it was, especially 3 years running.

Welcome back, Barry. Did Sheinin also mess with the settings for all of your favorite music stations? BTW, I love Manny but I don't agree with his call on NJ quality during your vacation. Dave did a great job, but better than the Blogfather? Eh. The proposed Sheinin coverage sound good to me.

Re. players and Manny reading the NJ, I can relate, NatsNut. One time 1b and I went to an offseason event and were going past the "receiving line" of Nats players. I can't remember the exact question that 1b asked of Brian Schneider, but afterwards 1b was channeling Chris Farley (i.e., slapping forehead and repeating "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!") regarding the relative lameness of the question he'd asked. :-)

and there is Acta limiting Zim's ABs like I suggested they do a few weeks back. Whether is it due to injury risks, assessing other players, a combo of the two, or something else entirely.

theraph, Manny read your post and now he's getting all the credit.

uh, I meant "sounds good"

How about telling us about the typical (starting) game day routine?

---

sound good

...or the time I told Kearns, (AT THE BALLPARK) "thanks for coming out"
________________
As he was walking away I said, "I hope you play as well tonight as you did tomorrow."

Sheesh.

Posted by: NatsNut | February 26, 2008 09:12 AM

Hey Barry, any idea when Ross Detwiler makes his Spring Training debut? I am interested to see how he does against ML hitters more than one time through the order, or for that matter, once through the order.

"You know, I've always thought it would be a cool thing for the players to ride to the games by metro, it would give the fans an extra chance to chat with them and get to know them..."

I believe I saw a quote from Manny Acta last year where he said he took the subway to get to Shea Stadium when he was a coach with the Mets. And didn't John Rocker ride the subway in NYC? That sure helped fans get to know him, didn't it?

heavens to betsy, whats going to happen to those that write books in this forum now that they know someone is actually reading it other than ourselves? should be interesting.

thanks Natsnut, you saw my sarcasm and trumped it.

Speaking of receiving season ticket packages, have any other 20 gamers received theirs and if so was the ticket for the exhibition game included? I got my tickets yesterday, but no exhibition game ticket.

"heavens to betsy, whats going to happen to those that write books in this forum now that they know someone is actually reading it other than ourselves? should be interesting."

I see swanni has toned down his act today, maybe for this reason. He doesn't seem to be posting from Bizarro World today. He's downright mellow.

For Jason Bergmann - keep the faith - you are the BOMB!!! i love watching you pitch and i think you are a stand-up guy on and off the field. i have met you 2X and found you to be a wonderful young man. go out there and smoke 'em this year! Congrats on your recent marriage. Best of all to you on & off the field. looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks at Spring Training!!

Section 419,
I'm fair and balanced -- when the Nats do something right, I will say it. When they don't, well, I think everyone knows what happens then. :)

Question to Bergmann:

What do you think made the difference last year? While you showed flashes in previous seasons it seemed that everything really clicked until the injury bug bit. Do you think you can repeat the performance now that you're healthy? What chances do you give yourself of making it into the starting 5 this year with the added competition?

I know that a lot of the questions are ones that he's been asked before a dozen times but they're things I wonder about. I am certainly rooting for the Berg man to make it back to his form from last year, it was a sight to watch.

Yup and nope, no exhibition game ticket either. Stan's minions, if you're reading this, could y'all let Barry know what the deal is?
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Speaking of receiving season ticket packages, have any other 20 gamers received theirs and if so was the ticket for the exhibition game included? I got my tickets yesterday, but no exhibition game ticket.

Posted by: Section 419+1 | February 26, 2008 09:43 AM

Will JimBow put his Segway in the bullpen to let pitchers ride it to the mound? Now, that would be cool.

419, I got my 20-game tix yesterday. On the very back page are three extra tickets, one being for an undetermined "special event". That could be the exhibition ticket.

Barry, it's good to have you back. Couldn't help but notice Hill's absence from the list(s) for the first few games...and his comments about "tightness" in the paper this morning has me feeling a little skittish. Cause for alarm here, or are they just really, really taking it slow with the guy who's supposed to be #1 this year?

natsnut, that "special event" ticket is in the back of all of the books, including the 41/82 game packages. the exhibition ticket was next to it in my 41 game package.

can't figure why they didn't give that to 20gamers. doesn't make much sense to me.

First day with Barry back, first game tomorrow, first post by a player. Heady days for the NJ.

Not to start trouble or accuse our boy Bergman of lying but I just looked through all the comments last night and didn't see anything that sounded like Bergman. He must be under deep cover, maybe posing as me! If so, you can do better!

Shocked that even Manny is a lurker! Something tells me more of the players are lurkers too. It's a hard thing to admit, I'm sure.

No questions for Bergman, happy to have him on NJ and on the 25 man and hope he throws 220 IP and 3.5 ERA.

Cue "Bergman's mom" posts....

By the way, I met a musician I like recently and had this whole cool conversation planned out, then got up to him and said, "uh CDs", took one and walked away. Complete loser. Well, what do you expect from a CPA approaching 40? Especially, given that I was a dork in HS too. Something never change.

au contraire, Avar:

Nice job Dave!

Maybe I could have these guys all send you questions for me to answer and then you could post the Q&A.

We appreciate all the Fan Support!

Posted by: Jason Bergmann | February 25, 2008 07:33 PM

419+1: If you spoke with your ticket rep. you would know that 20 game plan holders do not get the 3/29 game.

1a,
thats not there on my screen either. i see your evidence, though. but its not here. another conspiracy?

Dave, get on the road and let us know what is going on down there; it has got to be better than DC weather. There are lots of teams I am interested in, plus you get to see the ladies in something other than a winter coat.

Here's a question for Jason that shouldn't get him in any trouble with Stan:

When Ball Four first came out it made Jim Bouton a pariah in major league clubhouses. Today, though, it's one of the most popular sports books in history. Is it as popular with baseball players as it is with baseball fans? Do people see it as an influence or quote it, a la Bull Durham?

Will JimBow put his Segway in the bullpen to let pitchers ride it to the mound? Now, that would be cool.

Posted by: SC Nats Fan | February 26, 2008 09:58 AM

... that WOULD be cool, but even better might be if he let Teddy use it for the races.

Go Johnny Estrada! Go Nats!!

Wow, a lot going on this morning here.

Really, "Thanks for coming out" and "I hope you play as well today as you played yesterday" are priceless nerding out moments. Made my day.

theraph, I found it by searching for "Jason" in the "Waiting for Svrluga" thread.

506, I like it. Can I pile on by asking about favorite baseball books or films?

We should also get Bergmann's favorite restaurants, since The Amateur Dining Club is the subtitle of this blog.

natscan, Segways were involved in one of the races last year.

Nerdy moments, I think that 1b's Schneider question was something like, "Don't you get sore after crouching behind the plate for hours?" Schneider's reply was "I'm used to it" or some such...

Hey Dave, we were just getting Dave trained when you came back, two days now without a morning Manny video, what's with that? I'll cut you some slack first day back yesterday, but Dave was much more responsive to fan taunts. Jason did post on the old "Waiting for Svrluga" post. The Bergmann late post missed by most does raise the multiple post blog protocol question.

"the exhibition ticket was next to it in my 41 game package.

can't figure why they didn't give that to 20gamers. doesn't make much sense to me."

I'm sure the reason is because 20 gamers need to be given a different seat for the exhibition game than the one they will have for their 20 games, unlike full and half season plans who will sit in the same seat they do for the whole season. (For anyone who doesn't know why this is the case, it's because one half-season plan and the 20 game plans A and B will share a single seat for the season, and they are giving that seat to the 41-game plan for the exhibition game.)

I'm not overly concerned about not getting the exhibition game ticket, since it wouldn't really make sense to print a one-game ticket for a different seat in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan anyway. For all I care, they can mail it to me separately, leave it at will-call or whatever. Worst case, I can show up at the box office that day and give them a chance to dry-run their "I lost (or you never delivered) my ticket" procedures. With my MVP card in hand, I doubt they would turn me away, since the game won't be sold out per their plan anyway.

But I did send an e-mail to the STH comment line asking what the deal is with this ticket, and if I hear back I will report back here.

1a,

That's bizarre, I've looked twice now and can't find that! Must be a government plot!

I'll cut you some slack first day back yesterday, but Dave was much more responsive to fan taunts.

I heard from a ticket rep quite some time ago that 20 gamers will be getting the exhibition game in the mail along with their parking passes, if they opted for those. I guess that means mid-march.

It makes sense that they can't assign 20 game exhibition tickets until late -- the moment they give a 20 gamer that seat for the exhibition, they can no longer sell that seat on either an 81 or 41 game basis. Now that OD has gone on sale on a single game basis (for ST holders), I suspect they can do the assignment of 20 game holders to those seats for the exhibition game.

Dunno, I was able to locate it again the same way before making my posting. Maybe it's something to do with cookies or refresh buttons.

---

1a,

That's bizarre, I've looked twice now and can't find that! Must be a government plot!

If I had to ask Jason Bergmann one question, it would have to do with his turnaround last season.

I think even Jason would admit that his first appearance last April was awful (granted, there was a lot of awful going around last April). If I recall correctly, this performance led to a Bowden reprimand.

At the time, I was uncertain if Bowden had overstepped his boundaries as GM. But it seemed to work. Almost immediately, Bergmann became a guy you could get excited about, culminating in that gem of a near-no-hitter.

So, my question. How much of a part did Bowden play in your turnaround last season?

"419+1: If you spoke with your ticket rep. you would know that 20 game plan holders do not get the 3/29 game."

Wrong, PB. We get the game, but we will be given a different seat (as I said above) per the announcement made by Stan Kasten when he explained that the exhibition game would be free to STH. This is true for renewing 20-gamers, anyway, but may not be the case for someone who buys a 20-game plan for the first time in 2008.

311 - thanks for the BergmanN find and guess I've been misspelling his name. Sorry.

That's why using the first name often works better when searching.

A Segway update (I do know more than just HDTV issue, but not much more).

Apparently Jim's Segway has been a hit with other GMs in FL. The Cubs GM in particular asked where Jim got it and if one could be customized with Cub's logo.

Just so you know Jim's Segway was customized right here in DC, using a local company.

Folks can laugh all they want to about Segways (and yes walking is usually better), but until you've tried one you really just don't get the concept about what is so good about them. One thing often lost is that it makes you 6" taller and gives you a better view (this is why police are buying them in droves).

Also at the equilavent of 430mpg and substantially less green house gas emissions than a golf cart (takes a lot more electricty to charge a golf cart) Segway riders (including Jim) are doing their part for the environment.

Well, he didn't waste any time...

New Sheinin post up!

HD Nats Fan,

Thanks for the working in the comments about green house gases and the enviroment into the NJ. Next time, please mention that I invented the internet.

This from Florida Today (sorry no tiny url)

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080226/SPORTS/802260326/1002/SPORTS&GID=PY/dzOl0aIz+neyYburYboqK9e88Sj2YIQMfYNSSeJw%3D

Being a Sherwood HS alum I noticed Justin Maxwell's name listed in a post (one in a list of many other outfielders) for the first time this spring in NJ. Any way I can get a little bit more coverage on how Mr. I hit a grand slam in my third mlb at bat for my hometown team (even though he probably, like me, grew up as an Oriole fan). How's he look in the batting cages? Againced live pitching? What are his odds of cracking the roster with a good spring?

I don't have my tix yet for my 20 game pack, and I live in DC. Is it time to panic yet?

To team lurkers: as a former lurker, let me invite you to take the plung! The water's fine!

Whoa, there, Bisquit -- save our eyes!

http://tinyurl.com/2fxzem

It's a good article about Detwiler but, like Barry's post, has no mention of when he'll be making his spring debut in a game situation :(

Thanks for the original link and the tiny url, guys. Sounds like Detwiler's pitching is coming along, but he needs to work on his cliches. :)

419+1 says: "You know, I've always thought it would be a cool thing for the players to ride to the games by metro, it would give the fans an extra chance to chat with them and get to know them..."

Not exactly one of today's players, but I know several folks who have met Hondo on the Orange line en-route to RFK. He prefers to board at Vienna, reportedly.

For Jason: Was Schneider as good at calling games as they say he was? In what ways will the pitching staff miss him (or will they)?

Here's hoping for an injury free 30 GS and 200 IP year!!!!

Peace,
D