Would like a WMP Q&A: compare and contrast the two environs.

The afternoon game is on MASN, the night game is on 3WT.

Dang, I wish that Fick was still a Nat. I have a feeling a Q&A with him would be a riot.

Maybe Young and/or Zimmerman would be up for a Q&A?

what about Lastings? Or is that too hot a topic?

new guys, let's hear from dukes and milledge. maybe luch... errr rauch.

how about something from one of the coaches?

espn article on grapefruit league position battles, w/ nj & meathook as the primary one.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/news/story?id=3274485

Oh, and it's impossible for OD tickets to sell out. The $5 walkups are reserved for game day.

I would love to ask Manny and Jimbo Questions.

What is being done to address last years troubles of calling Pop Ups and lazy flies in the outfield (note sounds like problem still exists this ST) question for Manny.

If money was not a factor, and 1-2 year contracts the goal which players could he have signed over the winter to give us the best starting 5 possible this year while we wait for the plan to pan out for Jimbo.

"What is being done to address last years troubles of calling Pop Ups and lazy flies in the outfield "

Yeah, the outfield collision (or unplayed popup) has been the Nats' signature play the last couple of seasons. But did you see the Mets game where Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson (ex-Nats, both) went splat the other day leaving Church with a concussion. Looks like the Nats stunk up "no man's land" so bad that it is catching.

alan

Go ahead, send the scouts to watch Sidney !!
The Rangers have proven over the years that hitting does not win games, pitching does.
The Nats have no pitchers, so what do they have to lose? Sign the guy...it'll be fun!

Barry:

A few questions for the question queue --

1) How's Esmailyn Gonzales doing in camp?? Is he a legitimate prospect, or the poster boy for the Nats presence in Latin America (or both)?

2) If Maekawa never reports because of visa problems, what, if anything, are the Nats on the hook for?

3) Other than lineups not being posted, is there anything else that indicates that Jim is looking for another pitcher (other than the fact that he's ALWAYS looking for another pitcher)?

4) Why is it (the collective) we don't think of Redding all that readily in the starter mix? Sounds like he's both off to a good start, and, when you look back at it, did pretty well last year. I am embarrassed to admit that my radar shot right over his head.

(OK, not all of those are for Barry...)

Nationals starter Odalis Perez was to pitch in an accelerated game Tuesday at the team's training complex. Perez is unable to compete in exhibition games until he obtains a work visa. Maybe he is Wednesday's pitcher if the work visa comes through.

So are there going to be $5 walk up tickets for opening night?

that sounds like what i remember reading, kgw.

I think the Nationals are resigned to the fact that Patterson and Hill won't make it the entire season, let alone the season opener. Hence the vibe for more arms. Fortunately, they have a lot of them right now and a stop-gap veteran for half the year may be all they need until one of the kids is ready.

i want to see (read?) a Q and A with bret boone, also zim of course.

yeah, let's hear from "the boone."

"Oh, and it's impossible for OD tickets to sell out. The $5 walkups are reserved for game day."
According to my ticket rep, OD will be an exception to the rule and the $5 walk-ups will be sold tomorrow morning.

Reminder: You must eat food and drink water to live.

Next Q & A? Anyone who can and wants to speak genuinely and openly. I don't need any more official-news-story cliches, thanks. (Not you Bergy, I mean in general).

Speaking of candidly speaking ballplayers. Did you all see these entries last year by Dirk Hayhurst, minor leaguer in the Padres system? There's an archive of similar "essays.' Here's one example.

http://tinyurl.com/2kvbfo

On a whim, I emailed him and asked a question about fans and players interacting and received a really great, frank answer. Wish we could get this kind of stuff out of all of them.

crickets chirping...

tough crowd.

This is not at all related to the discussion at hand, but I just wanted to share that I'm in Vegas for a work conference and I just did the only bit of gambling I'll do while I'm here-- I put down $5 on the Nats winning the World Series. GO NATS! :)

By the way, the odds were 175-1, but the Orioles, Rays, and Royals all had worse odds.

What discussion at hand, JennX? I've been talking to myself for an hour. LOL!

What a fun bet to place. Take us to lunch if you win.

Over / under on wins this year at the Las Vegas Hilton - just the bottom 5 (per SoSH):

San Francisco Giants 73
Oakland Athletic 73
Washington Nationals 72.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 70.5
Florida Marlins 69
Baltimore Orioles 64.5

That 72.5 looks attractive.

Well, I guess the lower case is that there are 5 different lines. The Upper Case is there are 6 teams.

yah, i'd bet the over on that.

a Dukes Q&A, or a Patterson one.

Maybe Rauch.

(or Lopez).

Manny Acta???

Thanks

Barry and Group,

In an earlier post on the NJ you mentioned that some in the org think Chico has sub-par stuff, while others think he can become a good control style lefty. He does wear #47 like one future hall of famer, but I fell in love with the kid last year after he through the ball over the dugout in Atlanta early last year. He had every player on both teams laughing at him, but picked himself up and carried on. His ERA wasn't THAT bad. He was a rook, playing for a last place (most of the year) team.

My question is, who in the clubhouse is "pro-chico". I have an idea based on quotes, and the fact the kid has guts.

I don't think "sell out" is counted quite so literally as the term might imply. I'm not sure what the actual number is, but there is definitely a "close enough" factor there. Anybody got the specifics?

************
Oh, and it's impossible for OD tickets to sell out. The $5 walkups are reserved for game day.

Posted by: SF Fan | March 3, 2008 06:37 PM

Good question, Daryl.

Like someone else said above, I'd enjoy hearing Q&A from anyone willing. Enjoyed the mix of game-related and personal questions (rookie outfits, personal habits) you selected to pass on. Would enjoy hearing from Austin Kearns; would like to hear what Ross Detwiler felt last year, being called up late in the season & being able to pitch relief to one -- or was it two? -- batters, and his experience in the Nats bullpen; would also like to hear what the players and/or coaches think about MASN's "Wireless Wednesday": they seem to sometimes have fun with it, but do they dread being asked to wear the mike or are they OK with it so long as it doesn't interfere with play.

New subject while fresh in my mind--trip to Viera. My boyfriend and I went this past weekend; this was our third year and we heartily recommend it. Several posts ago, someone asked where to go to see players, ask for autographs, etc. At 10:30 we were hanging out at the gate of the practice field closest to the stadium--when we turned around and looked up, we were looking right at the entrance. On the field the hopefuls were taking batting practice while the pitchers seemed to come and go from the stadium. We happened to glance back at the stadium and up walked Luis Ayala and Ray King. When we said "Hi" (for lack of anything wittier to say), Ayala shook hands and said, "I'm Luis Ayala, this is Ray King." We were flabbergasted at how friendly he was & really appreciated it. I managed to get autographs from several pitchers & I will report that John Patterson was also nice. On Saturday, Ross Detwiler was besieged by a bunch of us fans and was as friendly as could be, a total sweetheart. There were others who weren't as friendly but they signed so I can hardly complain.

We discovered too late that on Friday we could have gotten into the stadium early, I think 11:00. By Saturday no one could enter till 11:30, by which time our guys were done with BP and the Orioles were on the field.

We were watching the Nats warm up and stretch shortly before the game from the sections to the right of the dugout. A guy who was there had trained his kid to call out to the players. "Hi Wily Mo!" he or she yells in this nice little voice. Pena turns around and waves. "Hi Mr. Whitesell!" He does the same. Fans with kids, take note.

I only started really paying attention to baseball when we got the Nats so I don't have a lifetime of observation on which to draw, but I will venture that Nick Johnson looked five years younger. Brett Boone was really sharp and got hits both days, I believe. We were getting a little worried that Pena and Milledge didn't get hits, but that changed for the better on Sunday (after we left). Ryan Zimmerman was his usual wonderful self.

An earlier poster recommended lots of sunscreen and boy do I agree. You will find that virtually all the folks guiding cars into the parking area, taking tickets, and selling hotdogs are retirees--pretty cute. Everyone we met down there was way friendly--a nice change from Washington where people (me included, I guess) are more reserved.

A couple of residents (originally from up here) told us about a local treasure and we can't thank them enough. No more than 10 minutes from the stadium, at the west end of Wickham, is the Viera Wetland, supplied with reclaimed water from the waste treatment plant (I kid you not). You have to drive through the waste plant to get to it (bear left at the end of Wickham and you will come to the plant). Drive right up and around the wetland--they have a good dirt driving course, kinda like the towpath. My boyfriend guessed the wetland is about 50 acres. Lots of water, lots of beautiful palm trees and other foliage, and some of the most wonderful birds you'd ever want to see. If you have even the slightest interest in birds, you should visit this place. And oh yes, we saw two alligators in the water and one rather large one on the grass. A local person told me they sometimes come up on the "towpath" but that they're scared of people and sure, it would be safe to go running there. Well, I don't know about that. We ran elsewhere. There are of course much larger nature preserves in Florida, but we were in Viera for the baseball & didn't have time to do much of anything else, so this was our nature fix, and it was terrific. Waste treatment plants are good. In Viera, even better.

So the outfield today of WMP, Maxwell and Dukes may have been the most physically imposing outfield I have ever seen. Dukes homer to left was a shot against the brisk wind blowing left to right.

The only OF I can think of that compares would be the Bell/Barfield/Moseby triumverate of the Blue Jays during the late 80's/early 90's (None really had the height, however).

Just imagine a bench clearing brawl with WMP/Max/Dukes coming at you. Yikes.

Couple tips for those making the trip to Viera:

If you fly into Orlando and need to pee, you better do it there. No rest stops or gas stations on the 30 minute drive east (which is a toll road) to I-95.

There is almost no shade within the stadium seating. Bring sunscreen or you will turn into a lobster.

Dont sit in an "active adult's" seat or they will hit you with their cane.

One other thing.

Watching the grass unveiling at Nats Ballpark, timestamp by timestamp, was the best striptease I've ever seen.

Thats an exaggeration. But not by much.

could it be that boswell understands us?

"Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick." ~Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, 13 April 1990

Los 12-8-

No imagining Dukes in bench clearing brawls (or any other brawls), please!!

The grass at Natty P (just saying the park will end up with a nickname, although better than that one) looks great, but the Curly W which only lights on one side is a problem. The Grinch will have to "take it up there, and then bring it back here".

Wow. Great post, 109.

Thanks NatsNut. What a pleasure to write about having been at spring training.

Driving in today, signs for Nationals Park are up on the Beltway. (I think they just went up as I've not noticed them before this morning). Anyway, there is at least one on the top side of the beltway, informing you to get off at Exit 30 (south 29). Getting closer...

Our baseball watching/listening is not an obsession, but merely part of our "routine." :)

---

Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick." ~Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, 13 April 1990

I'll second NatsNut, 109, as I also enjoyed reading your post. I won't make it to ST this year but I'm putting the wetland info into my file (I'm a birder, too).

Good luck to anyone trying to get tickets, that website is screwy.

Nice post, 109. I'll have to remember to take a girlfriend or a kid with me so I can get some autographs. hrmm...

I, too, will be interested to check out the wetland you mentioned.

Los Doce Ocho: your striptease comment almost made coffee come out my nose!

Eighteen minutes in and I'm still in the Virtual Waiting Room ... anyone getting tickets this way?

Man, I'd never thought I'd say I miss Ticketmaster... Tickets.com sucks. At 9:27 AM I'm still in the "Washington Nationals Virtual Waiting Room!". Maybe this is good training for the upcoming concession lines.

Just have to say for anyone from the Nats front office reading this: You dropped the ball. We have had a group of 14 tickets for a 20-game pack since the first season. You only gave us the right to buy two tickets to opening game, which we had to have a raffle amongst everyone. Now it appears the others aren't going to make opening day because its 9:30 and tickets.com hasn't let any of us in. Nice work. Way to treat what you claim to be some of your important fans.

I waited in the virtual waiting room for over 30 minutes. Finally got in, submitted the request, and was told the system was too busy. Resubmitted and was bounced back to... the virtual waiting room.
Not great customer service. (And, yes, I'm a season ticket holder too.)

Yep - this sucked. I was in the virtual waiting room for over 30 minutes, and then I got a nice little message in red saying that OD tickets were no longer available. I was on the phone the whole time too, got nothing but a busy tone the entire time...

Okay, tried to buy opening day tickets...let's hope the jam up on the internet doesn't presage traffic problems around the statium

After nearly a half hour in the 'virtual waiting room,' I got to a page that asked me to select tickets. Each time I did that, either got another waiting room or went back to the ticket select page...until they were sold out!

very frustrating...and I have to wonder who was getting a shot at these tickets before I did (or didn't, actually)

Oh well...I guess I guess I held on to 60 bucks rather than giving it to the Lerners...

Perhaps we should coordinate a birding excursion with any interested ST participants at some point...

...

I'll second NatsNut, 109, as I also enjoyed reading your post. I won't make it to ST this year but I'm putting the wetland info into my file (I'm a birder, too).

...

Nice post, 109. I'll have to remember to take a girlfriend or a kid with me so I can get some autographs. hrmm...

I, too, will be interested to check out the wetland you mentioned.

didn't bother with tickets.
"Fool me once, shame on you ..."

Guaranty that scalpers were able to beat the Tickets.com system.

I was able to get a single in section 106, so I'm pretty happy about that!

Im down in Norfolk VA. I signed online to get tickets at 9 am exactly. I had a terrible time. Tickets evaporated in front of my eyes and I was closed out. Did anyone else have problems obtaining tickets via the internet? Dude, Im bummed.

I called the phone number at 8:58, stalled by asking the automated voice what dates they would face the Braves, entered the March 30th game after 9 am and had my tix by 9:10. Four seats, Section 104. The only thing I'm worried about was the voice recognizer figuring out how to pronounce my street name, but I'll call tomorrow to see if I can talk to an operator and make sure they come to the right place.