the B stands for Brown....as in Brown University

And the prize goes to ... dogger.

That would be the alma mater of Mrs. NJ.

Are the Nats trailing the Cards or vice-versa?

very impressive mr. NJ

Forgot an item, Barry:

* The Lerners are cheap because they didn't sign Livo, and the fans deserve better.

TIA

Toodles!

Oops, I thought it was for Barry's boyhood baseball team. Nice that you support the team of the missus.

And, "toodles"? Cute.

what do i win

I would ace the Nats background check.

Nats win 3-2. It takes Rivera 13 pitches to get through the last batter, but he induces a fly out to Langerhans for a perfect ninth.

Dukes also took a very nice walk after trailing in the count 1-2. That's two very patient at-bats I've seen (heard?) from him in this young spring.

I have a Sir Sidney bobblehead somewhere, I believe. I could have it repainted, but I really, really hope it doesn't come to that.

Sounded like a feisty at-bat by Rasmus for the Cards.

Sound as if Nick is back! Sidney as a Nat!? There once was a time (long long ago) when he could pitch. Steinman says he has lost weight. Intriguing.

Keep up the good work Barry. You are going to be sorely missed.

I didn't get to be a bazillionaire by throwing mad cash at washed up 49 year old Cuban pitchers.

Now get off my lawn

I would add "Aruban" to that statement.

OH PLEASE NO!!!!! Don't even mention SIDNEY POUNCE-ON!!!!!

Barry - Bates College? The B is more Bates than Bowdoin, but I thought Bates would have more maroon in it.

So, might the Nats look to trade for Jason Marquis? Seems he has been placed firmly on the trading block...

You mean, Pounce on the Buffet, right?
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OH PLEASE NO!!!!! Don't even mention SIDNEY POUNCE-ON!!!!!

that was me.... don't know why it went in anonymous.

what about a trade for Mike Mussina? He seems to have worn out his welcome in NY ...

NationalsPride.com has a great video of Ronnie Belliard grooving to LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" while taking fielding practice:

http://tinyurl.com/27m7na

Ronnie's got some decent moves.

Did anyone else hear that the Nats tix for opening day are now sold out and will no longer be available tomorrow morning through the website?

Awesome video, e. thanks for posting. Ronnie does have some decent moves. Doesn't know the words very well, though. ha ha ha.
It's funnier because there are no other players around.

svx -- where did you hear this?

Doh! missed the first post. But anything that makes you think of Lewiston in the winter . . . On second thought.

While Dukes's batting average in his short stay with TB last year was only .190 or so, he still had an OBP over .300. He has a reputation for a good batting eye through the minors.

On the topic of Redding and starting pitching, for all of our gnashing of teeth, we've heard Bowden, Acta, or the Blogfather pretty much say, "You have to figure Redding starts with a spot in the rotation," and "Chico goes into the Spring with a spot to lose," "Perez is likely to make the squad," and "Our top 3 are JP-Hill- Bergmann." Not to mention Lannan looking good, and magazines like Baseball America saying Balester is likely to be major league ready sometime this year. If Hill's injury is serious, that messes up the calculus, and I would not mind a Boomer Wells anyway, but this sounds close enough to adequate already, before we even get into marginal guys and AAAA replacements.

Back to my 900 innings - Would anyone be really surprised if the combination of Hill / JP / Bergmann / Perez ended up with about 400 - 500 innings? As is, they went nearly 400 last year (31.1 + 97.1 + 115.1 + 137.1 = 381.1). Last year we had 250 innings from Chico and Redding. We are also going to want to give opportunities, as appropriate, to Lannan, Balester, perhaps Mock or Detweiler, to see what they have going into next year. Maybe 150 innings or so?

There will be injuries, guys will bomb, a rubber arm #3 like Boomer Wells might be nice, but it does not look desparate for depth. Best case, good health, that top 4 (or 5 if you count Redding) might give you a heck of a lot more innings than I'm suggesting. Worst case, AAAA guys like Bascik, lesser prospects that are close to the major league like Clippard, and other marginal guys are called on for a max of 100 - 150 innings.

I love Lastings, I'm devoted to Dimitri, I'm fond of Felipe, I'm evaluating Elijah ....but I'm sick of Sidney. He has none of the upside that balances the bad side. I cannot think of a worse pitcher to sign. All bad attitude and behavior with multiple second chances already foresaken.

JP, Hill, Bergmann, Redding, Chico, Perez, Lannan, Hanarahan, Balester, Clippard, Mock, Detweiler. At last count you need 5 healthy arms to fill out a rotation. Take one or more out of the top 5 and there are plenty of arms that are "close to ready" enough to fill in or get their work in at the big league level. I say forget the Class 4A retreads. Don't overpay for any of the remaining leftovers in a shallow pitching pool. Let the kids play.

SVX,

A paragraph from the article by Daniel LeDuc from this weekend about the Stadium:

""We were able to place every season ticket holder that wanted a space," said Gregory McCarthy, a Nationals executive who has focused on parking issues. "We're looking at how many [spaces] are left and evaluating whether" they could be available for fans with tickets for single games. Those tickets go on sale Tuesday, including several thousand available for the official Opening Day."

I don't know where you heard about the OD tickets being sold out but, that would seem to contradict the statement in his article.

Speaking of random, either my eyes are going out on me, or the new video board doesn't work well on the webcam, because that sure doesn't look like Dmitri Young at 5:15

Is that even a Nat? I can't make it out too well after enlarging the pic but the logo on the cap seems wrong.

I'm guessing it's a mirror image of a Brave, getting ready for the opener perhaps. Also note the pitch speed reads at 100, think we'll be seeing that this year?

I think that's a screen shot of my tax return at 4:32 (and I don't give a rat's *** what the IRS thinks of it).

Belli also has very good spit-foot coordination as he seems to have missed his shoes entirely. Hope he didn't pull anything bringing it home at the end of the song. :-)

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Ronnie does have some decent moves.

Nice to see you representing soon to be NIT bound Brown University. Maybe they'll play the Terps? Also, Ponson is probably just checking out the jet ski market down in Jupiter.

Or looking for a judge to punch.

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Also, Ponson is probably just checking out the jet ski market down in Jupiter.

About a half hour ago, the AP reported that Phillies 1B coach Davey Lopes has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He's expected to make a full recovery.

I hate the Phillies, but I hate cancer more. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Mr. Lopes.

My dad called me on his way home from work and said he heard it on WTEM...here's hoping he misheard or they're wrong.

Thanks to those responding. It didn't sound right that all the OD tix would be sold out which is why I came on here to ask. Good luck to those getting tix tomorrow as I hope to be!

They mentioned Lopes on the radio broadcast today. It sounds like the prognosis is good.

Also, new post up.

Boston Braves

My only thought was Brown, but clearly that question was answered immediately. Good luck in the NIT, and do the Ivy League proud. It's great how low a bar that is to clear, honestly- lose a close one usually does the trick.

In any case, it was great that the Nats won a close one, meaningless though it is. The fun part about any kind of pitcher rumor is that with Bowden it is more likely to be true than not. I wonder if he has had much more sleep than he does around the trade deadline.

All good numbers to Davy.
On the video, is it me or does LMilz get to full speed in under 2 steps from a standstill at first? If he learns to read pitchers we'll need a new acronym for Weapons of Fast Production.

Ponson Mars Jupiter; Earth to Sid: "How's Uranus?"
"Sidney Ponson, however, is throwing for a variety of teams in Jupiter, Fla., tomorrow, and I'd be surprised if the Nats didn't drop by and see that session. Again, doesn't mean they'll sign him."

How about the new guy, this pitcher they aren't talking about? Throw him in, see if he floats here. WTH.

Lovely post. I like your pencraft and that's great that you've opened this subject. Only fool can disagree with this!

I think there's nothing wrong with people, who say whatever they want. It's just there way of communication, I think