Thanks, 231, for the baseball knowledge. I appreciate the trouble you went to, and I would have loved to see pitching analyzed in the article on Zimm's slump. I don't know how he did against the Marlins - still haven't seen that. And does anyone honestly believe that it is irrelevant that one third of his plate appearances have been against unhittable pitching?

Posted by: flynnie | April 29, 2008 6:17 PM

Ken Rosenthal thinks that the nats might go after free agents like Rafael Furcal(30)also Ben Sheets(29),C.C. Sabathia (28),Mark Texeira(29)and Adam Dunn(29)he also said that he thinks Jordan Zimmerman and Colin Balester will de up in september.

I do think that MLB ought to make the Nats in DC a July 4th tradition -- not just in DC, but maybe a yearly event on ESPN, or FOX, or TBS, etc. Perhaps they fear that there are too many other things going on that day, in DC. I think they're missing a great marketing opportunity.
Posted by: Fisch Fry | April 29, 2008 6:11 PM

---------------------------

I've been wondering the same thing. Seems like a complete no-brainer. If they can make sure the Red Sox are in Boston for Patriots Day every year, it would only be fitting to have the Nats play at home on the 4th.

Also 506, Steven on CapHill, Nats del Negro - appreciate the stand against Jingoism, and confirming all suspicions about we WaPo readers. I don't mind singing a song written by a grateful Jewish guy in 1938 and performed on Ed Sullivan by Kate Smith a lot during my childhood, which confused me becasue I didn't get it. Asking God (if you're out there) to bless "my home sweet home" doesn't seem that bad. It inspired Woodie Guthrie to write "This Land is Your Land" as a response. And without it, I wouldn't have gotten to hear Ronan Tynan singing it, which is pretty amazing.

Steven on Capitol Hill - Do the pitchF/x speeds on MLB.com mesure speed at the plate or leaving the pitcher's hand or a combination thereof, and why are they higher than the radar gun, or whatever was being used to say that Chief was pitching 70 mph?

what i gave you wasn't really baseball knowledge, just a simple glance at the mlb statistics and marlins statistics pages on ESPN. all of what you were asking about is very easily available, you just need to take a moment to look.

as far as zimmerman against "unhittable" pitching, i don't buy that argument. and even if 1/3 of the pitchers were really that good, it still doesn't explain his overall stat line. but regardless, it's still his job to get hits off of smoltz, hudson, et al. good hitters get hits off of those guys, too. he has to be able to hit better than his 224 ba and 324 slugging (which includes facing the crappy pitchers) so far this year. those numbers would be unacceptable even if he'd only faced smoltz, hudson, zambrano, and santana and nobody else. and he knows it.

really, you need to stop making excuses for him. he doesn't need them. he knows his problems start with him, not with who he's facing on the mound. and it's ok for barry or anyone else to call him out on it. he's a big boy.

Link??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ken Rosenthal thinks that the nats might go after free agents like Rafael Furcal(30)also Ben Sheets(29),C.C. Sabathia (28),Mark Texeira(29)and Adam Dunn(29)he also said that he thinks Jordan Zimmerman and Colin Balester will de up in september.

Posted by: DJ 26 | April 29, 2008 6:25 PM

What is an "XBH" ESPN's ticker had info about Rick Ankiel and his 2 XBHs -- that he had only one XBH in previous 11 games. I think I have that right. Anyone have a clue what this is about?

Dr. RosenRosen can reliably be found here:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8086082/Trade-market-getting-ready-to-open-for-business

Thanks Mr. Head.

Of course, the answer to the July 4th thing may just be that MLB regards the Nats as ratings/attendance poison. The rest of the country isn't interested in them...at least, not until they establish a winning tradition. Like Karl Ravetch on ESPN always says, "The Nats? That's right. The Nats..." The country hasn't gotten used to the DC team. MLB would rather have bigger names on national TV that day. Perhaps, the July 4th tradition will come later....

For the curious and the curiously lazy here's the text:

"The Nationals believe that right-hander Shawn Hill and lefty John Lannan are keepers in their rotation, and they could add two more potential building blocks if Class AAA righty Collin Balester arrives at the All-Star break and Class A righty Jordan Zimmermann by September. After that, the Nats could bid for younger free agents who would fit their building program. Dunn, 28, Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia, 27, Brewers righty Ben Sheets, 29, and Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, 30, would qualify. ... "

Wow, I was just getting excited to report that I agreed with Steven on CH about something back in that last thread (uselessness of the stats about players facing teams when those teams no long consist of the same players) and then there was that thing about hating to sing God Bless America. We really are a house divided (and it must be a big house because I'm in the same half of it as Steven and yet his room is really, really far away from mine).

Xbh = extra base hit (in other words, any hit other than a single)

Ugh. NJ's rocking the Ron Burgandy 'stache again.

I'll second (or third or fourth) the notion that "God Bless America" doesn't need to be sung at the ballpark; we already sign the national anthem with all those bombs bursting and flags flying. If the team insists on some sort of patriotic/political song, how about Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land"? Or, even better, the Phil Ochs song "I Ain't a Marchin' Anymore"?

The problem with ditching "God Bless America" is that MLB started playing it as a show of solidarity post 9/11. It's gonna take a special kind of brave/stupid for an MLB Executive to come out and say "we think we've paid tribute enough to the fallen heroes of 9/11."

Tim Redding has a perfect game through one.

... or the active military considering we're still a nation at war.

I'm certainly not going to fall on my sword over this, but baseball is the national pastime after all, and when else exactly do we sing patriotic songs other than at sporting events? Patriotism isn't evil. It can be bent to evil purposes, but it's the benders that are the problem, not the patriotism in the first place.

231- Are you always this patronizing, or just with me? It is such a pleasure to prove you wrong, and you make it so easy! You just said it. Who Zimmerman faces is irrelevant. He's supposed to hit .300 against Zambrano, Smoltz, Santana, Main, Hudson, Hot Marlins Pitching that No Other Nat is Hitting, etc. That's just wrong. You got your barryblinders on. And if it's so "simple" and "easy" to access the stats, why aren't there any in the
EXTRA EXTRA ZIMMERMAN"S SLUMP! article? I did my share. Appreciate Barry mentioning Zimmerman's monthly splits and Troy Tulowitzki's .152 slump in his posting, because I sure did dig those up at 2 am when I first read his woeful piece. And I, an utter inferior to you, El Patron, should not be the first one to mention these stats in the paper. Stop making excuses for Barry. He's a big boy. He knows the problems with the article start with him. He can handle it.

Anyone else think Nick should have gone to home instead of 2nd for the force on the Braves' scoring play? If you aren't going to get 2 why concede the run?

Zim with the laser beam blast! Slump? What slump! That is so last week....

Ditto that for NJ! Slick goes yard!

That's officially the 1st back-to-back of the year... dang it... I hate getting scooped by the Carp.

How nice was it to see the outfielders just turn and STOP?

Too bad LMidge couldn't have produced that swing in the 1st... that would have been quite enough to drive in a run.

Oh, Yeaaaaahhhhh! Sweeeeeet! Does Barry know how to end a slump or what? Z-man, way to respond to being called out in the newspaper! To the center field seats! And Nick the Stick, sweet! Back to back!

I'm up. What's for breakfast? Two Dingers? Works for me.

Good to see ya RP. Pull up a chair and stay a while. What'll it be? How about Dry White Toast, Four Whole Fried Chickens and a Coke?

Because, if you don't get the out, you have another man in scoring position. Besides, I don't think that was hit hard enough.
-----------------------------------------------
Anyone else think Nick should have gone to home instead of 2nd for the force on the Braves' scoring play? If you aren't going to get 2 why concede the run?

Posted by: estuartj | April 29, 2008 7:53 PM

I'll have the toast, thanks.

From home it looked like he could have gone home.

Tough call though, do you risk 2 on 1 out and a run in vs 2 out 2 on with the score still tied? I'm not questioning Nick's judgement, but you hate to give up a run anyway, but double that with our recent offense and a hall-of-famer on the mound for the other guys...

From home it looked like he could have gone home.

Tough call though, do you risk 2 on 1 out and a run in vs 2 out 2 on with the score still tied? I'm not questioning Nick's judgement, but you hate to give up a run anyway, but double that with our recent offense and a hall-of-famer on the mound for the other guys...

Would you like some deep fried Screech with that, Elwood? Oh, and if the Nats win, Clint promises to go work in Darfur tonight!

I think it was the right call by NJ, given the fact that it was early in the game.

Vincent: Want some Screech?
Jules: No man, I don't eat strange bird.
Vincent: Are you a vegitarian?
Jules: Nah, I ain't no vegitarian, I just don't dig on fowl, that's all.
Vincent: Why not?
Jules: Screech is a filthy animal. I don't eat filthy animals.

crap.....

Damn! Should have know Redding was in trouble when Charlie and Dave started talking about his pitch count and saying he could push this into 8 innings.

Shut up already and stop cursing our players!

It was bound to happen... Redding had what 8 outs in a row yet how many of them were stung right at Nats defenders? He's had decent results but he's been getting tagged.

All Star game tix at Yankee Stadium: $150.00 to $725.00.
damn...

Francoeur was right on that 1st pitch... Manny is playing with fire.

Anyone have access to Redding's game log? Am I right in thinking almost all his runs have come in the 5th and 6th inning?

Manny leaving him out there a bit longer than he's capable of performing?

flynnie, i was merely pointing out that the stats you were asking us to produce were easy to get and had nothing to do with baseball knowledge.

and "prove me wrong?" you mean by saying zimmerman should hit higher than 222 against good pitchers i actually meant 300? that's nothing at all like what i said. my point was that he shouldn't suck against anyone any good. he's got to hit those guys some, too, and 222 doesn't cut it.

btw, i'm not defending barry, you're right, he's capable of doing that himself. what i tried to do from the beginning was tell you that you should relax and not go off the deep end when someone *legitimately* criticizes a player who's not producing. while you correctly pointed out other players on the team are playing poorly, they're not considered the face of the franchise. and who's to say barry won't write an article about chico's struggles tomorrow or next week? but chico's not as important to the team, nor is kearns or WMP.

i seriously doubt zimmerman was insulted by barry's article. he knows he's not playing well and i don't think he's thin-skinned about it.

Not a bad outing by Redding, too bad he won't get a shot at the win.

2ER 4H 6.0IP 2BB 2SO 3.55ERA

Have to see if the bullpen can step it up tonight and see if we can get some more offensive production.

Let's go nats!

I guess that's a NO on the bullpen...

Always better to be lucky than good, great play by Lopez to get the run at home!

ALRIGHT!! How good was that?! Let's get one and get Saul a curly W after that one. He deserves it!

Oops, sorry, dozed off there for a bit. Woke up just in time to see Chipper's slow roller. No worries folks, a Curly W is on the way tonight. We're on a mission from God.

Does Ray Knight have an "off" switch? Does Nick J have a razor?

If Ryan gets a slam here...can we then say the slup is over?

or slump...

Zimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! 1 game does not end a slump but I'm liking what he's doing tonight!

No slam...but....DAMN

Ride 'em in rawhide!

This could be that big inning that we have wanted since....oh, I don't know...GAME 2?

Did someone tell Zimm that All-Star voting began today?

LASTINGS!!!!! Making up for the rest of his evening...

Thrilledge! If he can ever become more of a student of the game, and I hope it will come with time, he's gonna be a player. Great bat speed.

Six outs to hit double-digit wins.

And I'll take that as a big YES for the offense. A little bit right or left from Kearns and that's a rbi double....

Nice catch by Lastings!

The one thing we've learned if they hold on to win tonight is that the Rally Possum is officially named Elwood!

Always a Thrill in center field

Hey Barry--Think you could write about Kearn's or Wily Mo's slump on Wednesday?

Don't forget, Chipper Jones is still out there...

The thing that annoys me about the patriotic singing is that:

1) Both songs are impossible to sing. I say this both humorously and seriously. Why can't Take Me Out to the Ballgame be our national song? I can sing that one. I have no idea how the tune for the Star-Spangled Banner could ever have been a drinking song, because it requires inhuman range.

2) I've always been raised in that suspicious American "Don't Tread on Me" tradition. I tend to be wary of any crowds doing things (I know, odd for a devout Roman Catholic, eh?). I don't see anything particularly sinister in our patriotic songs, I just feel a little skeeved out when we all stand up and make a little motion and sing along. My loyalty and love for my home is very personal to me and very important. I'm wary of anything that makes it seem too herd-ish or show-ish.

Good catch by Milledge. Here's how we'll know he's really progressed defensively -- when he catches that ball by making it look routine. He read it poorly, but his good jump and athleticism saved him.

A guy like Beltran catches that smoothly. That's when Milledge will show he's a solid defensive player.

Either way - great to see him make that catch...

Ohhhhhhh NO!

say it aint so cheif

Chief...meet the DL

Only Cordero could make us this nervous with a 4 run lead.

And there he goes, in come Rauch.

Anyone else think Bowden is checking flight to get Schroder to DC by 4pm tomorrow?

Hopefully, Manny's loyalty to The Chief won't come back to bite the team in the butt. Why are the nationals continuing this travishamockery by insisting that Cordero is okay to pitch when it's obvious he's pushing the ball to the plate?

What a spot for Rauch having to clean up Cordero's mess. Single, two runs score to cut the lead to 6-4. I would have never believed that Ray Knight could be so prescient asking what the hell Cordero was doing in the game in the first place.

Gameday had "injury delay" What was up with the Chief?

Rauch vs. Chipper....

Rauch...Hit the mascot

Re: God Bless America....

I said before weighing in that I knew I was in a .02% minority, but I don't think it's healthy for a democracy to be militarizing every public event. Actually, the Cubs were the first team to do God Bless America... during the Vietnam War.

BTW--only the Yankees and the Nationals do God Bless America every single game. Even the Mets only do it on Sundays.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bang Zoom, goodnight, see you all at the park tomorrow.

Mr. Cordero, meet the DL. I wonder how JimBow feels now holding on to a sore-armed closer who could have been traded? Oh, that's right. JimBow wanted a pound of sirloin for a pound of hamburger.

I have tix for Saturday in section 304. Anyone know what it will look like there?
PS> my loan for beer was approved by my bank....

Ok so the Nats are 10-17, last year when they won their 10th game they had lost 25 so the Nats are exactly 8 games better thus far. With 73 wins last year they are no "on pace" to win 81 games, right?

I nominate estuartj for the optimist award!!!

BANG ZOOM in your grillhole bravos!

The nats do not in fact sing God Bless America every game, I don't think. I seem to remember hearing 'time for the 7th inning stretch so get up to sing take me out to the ball game' thereby skipping it. Right? I like it as it is, on Sundays or other special occasions, such as military appreciation night.

I would also like to quietly point out that, if I'm right about when we do it, the Nats are undefeated on such occasions.

I would also like to quietly point out that, if I'm right about when we do it, the Nats are undefeated on such occasions.
--------------------------------
Geez... isn't that taking baseball superstition a little too far?

Way to hold, Wookie! Way to hit Zimm! Nick! Felipe! Lastings! Way to break a slump, Barry! 231, I accept your apology! 506, after the Nats win the Series, let's go to Rome and personally thank the Pope for breaking the dismal streak along with the Creative Croat, The Scribe of Scituate , Svrluga! Ah, time for a Festa Romana, in that Piazza with the statue of fountain of the rivers! And natsfan1a, did I ever tell you that you resemble the Madonna of Sancta Maria Magore?

And why do I forget the Great Christian Guzman! Still over .300! Shoot some lasers in MY eyeballs!

I hate how Nats media are constantly spinning positive on their record. Such as...

"They've won 4 of their last 5, and 5 of their last 7."--Charlie tonight

"The Nats were .500 after May XXX last year."--repeated ad nauseum the last year.

At some point, I think Barry should just start chirping cheerfully that the Nats are "undefeated in games they won!"

Post of the day:

BANG ZOOM in your grillhole bravos!

nattaboy

Re: God Bless America....

I said before weighing in that I knew I was in a .02% minority, but I don't think it's healthy for a democracy to be militarizing every public event. Actually, the Cubs were the first team to do God Bless America... during the Vietnam War.

BTW--only the Yankees and the Nationals do God Bless America every single game. Even the Mets only do it on Sundays.

Posted by: Steven on Capitol Hill | April 29, 2008 9:53 PM
----
I'm pretty sure the nats only do sing GBA on Sunday.

Ray Knight reminds me of many four-year-olds I have known. Once they have your attention, the talk endlessly. However, with toddlers, it's cute. Not so with color commentators. Please, Ray, take it down a notch.

I don't think the Nats do GBA every game either. I think MLB as a whole backed off of it some time in the past couple of years to only Sundays. They made an obvious exception this past Monday for "Military Opening Night".

Hah - the rally possum delivers again! BTW, 1c was out mowing during the game tonite and saw another possum (this one looked like mama or papa possum and it was alive and kicking).

I was saying the same thing to my radio during that inning...

---

Damn! Should have know Redding was in trouble when Charlie and Dave started talking about his pitch count and saying he could push this into 8 innings.

Shut up already and stop cursing our players!

Theraph, hope you're lurking. You were exactly right about The Chief. The clicking is swollen, inflamed tendons, which, if, ignored, tear the cuff. I hope and pray this last did not happen, but Theraph said shut it down, and s/he was right.

Nats don't do The Kate Smith Song every game - just Sundays. And I've been sober at every game.

That, by the way, is the most annoying music related thing to me at the ballpark. I hate being compelled to worship America.

________________

Hear hear! (Since I figure we're in the extreme like .02% minority here, I figured I'd back you up.)

The national anthem started during WW2 and God Bless America started after 9/11 in the run up to war in Afghanistan.

Whenever you are asked to stand and sing patriotic songs at a sporting event, make no mistake, the subtext is "Hooray for war! Let's go invade something!!!"

Posted by: Steven on Capitol Hill | April 29, 2008 5:56 PM

___________________________________________

These statements are about as offensive as anything I have ever seen on this blog.

People died for your right to say it, but in turn, I also have the right to say I Love God and This Country and will sing this song even louder now because of you all.

I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who once said "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." I think that applies very well to you all here.

steven,

were you oscar the grouch in a previous life? sheesh! lighten up.

Now Clint has to go to Darfur.

This may be too subtle for some, but SoCH gets my vote for satire of the day.

***************

I hate how Nats media are constantly spinning positive on their record. Such as...

"They've won 4 of their last 5, and 5 of their last 7."--Charlie tonight

"The Nats were .500 after May XXX last year."--repeated ad nauseum the last year.

At some point, I think Barry should just start chirping cheerfully that the Nats are "undefeated in games they won!"

Posted by: Steven on Capitol Hill | April 29, 2008 10:06 PM

Yes, estuartj. In fact, it was in the 6th inning when Dave was commenting on Redding's propensity to lose it in that frame that I was yelling at the radio re. announcer whammy issues.

---

Anyone have access to Redding's game log? Am I right in thinking almost all his runs have come in the 5th and 6th inning?

Manny leaving him out there a bit longer than he's capable of performing?

Posted by: estuartj | April 29, 2008 8:45 PM

In case you missed it - Nats stats for the PNats:

Game 1:

Dukes - 2/4 - GW RBI single in the 8th.
PLod - 0/3 (.000)

Game 2 (in progress):

Dukes - 0/2 - K
PLod (DNS)

Wookie looks aquatic. At my college, we had a basketball player with a face like that whom we called John "Fish Man" King. It's like he was brought from the Abyssal Plain by a bathescape. He stepped up tonight, didn't he?

"BTW--only the Yankees and the Nationals do God Bless America every single game."

Well, it is Washington, D.C....and a team called "Yankees."

That would be the Piazza Navona, I think. If you do, please have a cappuccino for me...or a gelato...your choice. I'm not sure about the perceived resemblance, flynnie, but thank you kindly.

---

506, after the Nats win the Series, let's go to Rome and personally thank the Pope for breaking the dismal streak along with the Creative Croat, The Scribe of Scituate, Svrluga! Ah, time for a Festa Romana, in that Piazza with the statue of fountain of the rivers! And natsfan1a, did I ever tell you that you resemble the Madonna of Sancta Maria Magore?

Steven, WTF? A winning streak is irrelevant because your team earlier had a losing streak? Get thee to a theraphist.

Oh, 1a Gelato Limone! or Figgi! (Lemon is better-and you can get it at Lia's in Friendship Heights.) Anyhow, what an inning - when the bases were loaded, I remembered the many times I'd seen the bases stay loaded, but such Beauty! And I loved the announcers - Bob and Ray were as good as the original Bob and Ray! (The kimodo dragon is from the island of Kimodo in the Indonesian Island Chain. Q- And where is the kimodo dragon from?) hey taught me baseball from Abner Doubleday to Branch Rickey!

I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but here are Ryan Langerhans numbers this year in Columbus;

.302/.436/.430/.867 2HR 5Doubles 21BB 20K

anyone else think that looks a lot better than what Mackowiak and Harris are doing as Lefty Bench outfielders?

And as long as were at it from AAA here is Jason Bergmann's numbers for tonight;

8.0IP 4H 1R 0ER 2BB 6K 5.06ERA

Hopefully he's starting to turn himself around...

Macowiak and Harris aren't (not) hitting AAA pitching. Wake me when he hits .350 down there.

***************
I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but here are Ryan Langerhans numbers this year in Columbus;

.302/.436/.430/.867 2HR 5 Doubles 21BB 20K

anyone else think that looks a lot better than what Mackowiak and Harris are doing as Lefty Bench outfielders?

Posted by: estuartj | April 29, 2008 10:44 PM

Bergman, OTOH, may yet be back...

To be fair... Mackowiak (.063) and Harris (.152) aren't hitting Major League pitching either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Macowiak and Harris aren't (not) hitting AAA pitching. Wake me when he hits .350 down there.

***************
I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but here are Ryan Langerhans numbers this year in Columbus;

.302/.436/.430/.867 2HR 5 Doubles 21BB 20K

anyone else think that looks a lot better than what Mackowiak and Harris are doing as Lefty Bench outfielders?

Posted by: estuartj | April 29, 2008 10:44 PM

Posted by: CE | April 29, 2008 10:54 PM

Here comes 58 minutes of NBA highlights otherwise known as SportsCenter. With the entertaining portion of the evening effectively finished I bid you good nite.

I know the gap between AAA and MLB is huge, but then again the gap between .302 and .063 (Mack) or .152 (Harris).

BTW just for fun, here is 23yo LHP Cory VanAllen's numbers from Potomac;
Tonight
7.0IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 4K 0.66ERA
Season
27.1IP 18H 6R 2ER 1HR 7BB 19K .186BAA

Oh what a beeeeeYOOOtifull game that was (minus the Chief's brief relief). And the fact that the Nats have officially won more games in the first 34 than they did last year fills my heart with little pitter-patters of hope.

I'm just ticked that the Z-man couldn't have hit for the cycle. Whatsamatta widdim?!? :-)

Good night, MKevin! Ah, to have a Natsography (like a Yankeeography) Channel! And Stan Kasten was Ted Turner's pick to preside over the Braves. How frustrating for him, and how disappointing for us! This is what I most resent about MLB. The Nats tv rights to Peter Angelos for a consolation prize. How contemptuous of NatsNation, which reaches all the way from Alaska to Budapest to Kenya! A NatsChannel would, under Kasten, be magnificent. Yes, the thirst for a replay or anything Nats is unslaked, and, for one who grew up on The Turner Network, that is a shame.

FWIW, I hate hearing GBA at the games as well. In fact, I refuse to stand for that song and have been yelled at for sitting. I am a veteran and was actually born on the 4th of July, so it isn't like I have no connection to my country or love for it. The whole standing up, en masse, and singing to some deity to bless our country really just rubs me completely wrong. Go ahead ans sing if you like, but don't expect me to stand and do likewise. My refusal to do so has nothing to do with my feelings about this land.

Just got back from the game. I haven't read the comments yet so maybe somebody else has already said this:

Barry, can you do an article on Kearns now? Looks like it worked for Zim.

Brewer, you are a Great American, and exercise your right to sit. We are not a theocracy yet.

Oh, perceptive and useful NatsNut! And it was so good to meet you on Sunday! What a game to attend!

NatsNut, did you wear your down jacket? I've got one that kept me warm in Stockholm in December that I wished I'd worn on Sunday, and would've worn tonight if work hadn't called.

Good night all, and God (or The Force) bless us every one!

did anyone else notice at the game tonight that zim's "song," at least for the first at bat, was something about believing you're a superstar? i'm not that up on my pop culture, so it could be that this is a really popular song, but i thought it was an interesting choice -- like he was willing himself into the role. and look how he did!

505, what's the point of fighting for someone's right to say something and then telling them to shut-up?

Perhaps spending our time debating policies worthy of the sacrifices that made them possible is more valuable than singing songs. Singing songs can be nice, but let's not confuse it with the real deal. Maybe we could honor people a lot better if we put up a picture of someone making sacrifices on that beautiful HD scoreboard where they talk about the things THEY care about.

Watched the Nats on the Braves network down here in SC, and the broadcast team was lamenting how although Zimmermans BA was down, he has always been a Braves killer. I just loved that. Also, they were making fun of the position they had in the press box, that it was the only stadium that had drop down air masks. I hope they get beat by the Nats again tomorrow, maybe that'll bring em back down to earth. GO NATS...STAY HOT

I am lurking and this Chief situation bugs me.

How many times have you ever heard of a player going to Dr. Andrews and have him suggest strengthening the tendons while pitching in games? That just doesn't make sense. Its counter to rehabilitation.

I can imagine a scenario where "get him out on the field at all costs" decree from the management happens. Who wants to start the conspiracy log flume? I'm on that ride. I just hope it isn't that evil, cause we are talking about a person's health and their livelihood.

Glad to see Zim go yard. But even happier to see Nick go yard. With one goes the other, I believe.

How about:
>Place Chief on DL, re-call Chris Schroder

>DFA Rob Macowiak or Willie Harris and activate Elijah Dukes

...and if Chico fails on Friday, option him to AAA-Columbus and call up Collin Balester

Songs? We don't need no stinking songs. I define true patriotism.

He did...and Wily Mo had a Linkin Park song for his second or third at bat...and Redding rolled out to some Metallica.

Nick's porn moustache is good luck. Please don't shave it Nick.

FWIW, Chief had 1 pitch at 85 - everything else was 81 or less on the scoreboard. Seeing him call out the trainer was depressing. I hope the issue isnt season ending serious.

Yes, I'm sorry, this is all my fault. As penance, I challenge you to come up with the funniest acrostic poem you can to describe what a moron I am for dragging us down this path.

I really did want to know if they sing it in Canada on Sunday, though.

Why would Manny or anyone in management be to blame for keeping or rushing Cordero? First off, they questioned him for 15 minutes behind closed doors and he kept insisting he was fine. Boom, next thing you know he's in Dr. Andrews office, waiting for two hours and watching his career flash before his eyes.

The doc may have said he was okay, but I still think Cordero's not been honest about his pain.

And they *don't* play GBA every game. They played it Friday because it was some military appreciation night and I think they played it Sunday. But it's definitely not every night. At any rate, I'm with the hate-it ilk. It's the religious presumptiousness that burns my butt.

And I meant to say, secondly, until recently we hadn't been winning enough to justify urgency for Cordero to get out there. I think a lot of it is on him.
_____________
First off, they questioned him for 15 minutes behind closed doors and he kept insisting he was fine. Boom, next thing you know he's in Dr. Andrews office, waiting for two hours and watching his career flash before his eyes.

Posted by: NatsNut | April 30, 2008 12:09 AM

And yes, MKevin, we noticed Johnson's porn 'stache right away. That thing is AWFUL!!

Flynnie, you're very astute. Indeed I did wear my down jacket tonight. I FROZE on Sunday and I was not going to let that happen again.

presumptiousness? I need to pull out the dictionary to confirm that as a scrabble word.

I didnt realize there was a GBA ilk either. I need to determine which ilk I want to join.

Johnson's 'stache may be awful, NatsNut, but if if helps him hit like he did tonight, I think I can tolerate it. :-)

it's a typo. presumptuousness. not a good scrabble word, too many letters.

Ha ha ha! I almost said "presumption". None of them sounded right so I just closed my eyes and hit submit.

Juan-John: where were you Sunday? I'll concede to Nick keeping that awful thing on his lip IF he keeps hitting. But I reserve the right to openly hate it. :)

@NatsNut:

Section 405, Row F, Seat 28.

While we're talking about facial hair, is it just me, or does it seem like the goatee (if you can call it that) on the photo of Johnny Estrada that flashes on the scoreboard during his at-bats has a slightly-drawn-with-a-sharpie look to it?

And oh yeah, looks like the Nats premiered a new "Nuts About the Nats" song this week:

http://eitmfans.blogspot.com/2008/04/nuts-about-nats.html

NatsNut, shouldn't this be your theme song? :-)

Actually, correction: Sunday I was in the outfield Scoreboard Pavilion seats or whatever they're called. Got a ticket via the Japan-America Society, many of whose female members were swooning over Kosuke Fukudome every time he acknowledged their signs professing undying love for him (I think, since I don't read Japanese).

My regular 20-game-plan seat is in Section 405.

Oh, what a beautiful morning! And get well, Chief, if it takes to the All-Star break! Let things cool down. Theraph is wise. He said you needed patience and time, and, as Boswell said, you are pure gold.

Good one!

I have tix for Saturday in section 304. Anyone know what it will look like there?
PS> my loan for beer was approved by my bank....

Posted by: TimDz | April 29, 2008 9:56 PM

When drinking beer at NatsPark, you are not just drinking Miller Lite, but investing in the future of the Nationals! A certified, pre-owned team, each $7.50 you spend will make your Miller Lite taste luxurious, giving you the pampering you deserve. At $7.50 a beer, it's not just the corner liquor store across East Capitol Street, it's an experience!

Concerning Barry's gamer, if he had composed the New Testament, he'd still be talking about the Agony in the Garden on Easter Sunday.

John(not)in Mpls, a nice sunny afternoon game today, forecast: 62° / 48°. Start time 4:30. That means getting to the game at 2:30 to enjoy the sun and a late lunch of fish tacos. Maybe get a table at the Red Loft. Thank you, baseball! Thank you, Nats! I was amazed at how Rivera pitched out of issuing Diaz his 2d walk in 100 plate appearances, and then men on 2d and third with no outs. Lannan got out of similar, though not self-inflicted, pickles twice on Sunday. Flow's throw to The Human Backstop was great head-in-the-game fielding, and Diaz would have bounced off Johnny if he'd hit him harder.

If it wasn't for the seating sections you've been quoting I'd swear I had just identified you as "that guy who works with my boss's wife". I swear we had the exact same conversation at Friday's game. I compared that picture to a face you'd create playing with the old "Wooly Willy" game.

http://www.officeplayground.com/woolywilly.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While we're talking about facial hair, is it just me, or does it seem like the goatee (if you can call it that) on the photo of Johnny Estrada that flashes on the scoreboard during his at-bats has a slightly-drawn-with-a-sharpie look to it?

Posted by: Juan-John | April 30, 2008 1:08 AM

I honestly don't know which part of today's Notebook I find more concerning: the amount of pain SHill is still in and how it's affecting his preparation during the week, or Larkin's direct involvement with China's National Baseball Team considering the amount of political pressure they are under due to their continued human rights violations in Tibet leading up to the Olympics. I'm not one to say that by helping kids play baseball Barry is somehow condoning China's actions in Tibet, nor am I one to suggest these kids on the baseball team had anything to do with/or should be punished by proxy for their Government's actions. It just seems like a snake's nest that the Nationals as an organization would want to steer clear of, especially considering the city they represent whenever they make an appearance or put on the uniform.

Just saw the front page of the .50 edition. Oh, Dear God. That poor family. I'd never forgive anyone who did that to me. Thank God there's baseball to turn to when life gets unbearably painful.

M.Kevin - In a population of 1,329,349,388 there's got to be a 5-tol player somewhere.

And did you see the NJ "Post of the Day"? The lame question about why the games were moved from 7 to 7:10 ending with "baseball doesn't need to be any longer."!!!!!!@##%!!

What is the WaPo thinking? It doesn't represent the sentiment of the many fans who post here, it ignores the wit of many of the posters, and picks the worst post as the best.

In homage to nattaboy, BANG! ZOOM in your piehole, whoever picked that post and printed it for all to see.

Gretchen,

I noticed the change in song for the game as well. I think it is very appropriate considering the lyrics.

"If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the crowd is here
And the lights are on
And they wanna show oh oh oh oh, yeah"

I officially nominate that as "Worst NJ Post of the Day EVER!!!"

I second. Somebody's burned out on the staff, or vengeful for yesterday's criticism.

Please, Ryan, do not let this be a one game hititng streak. I loved seeing you break out of your slump. Now stay hot for about every month that does not have an R in its name. The home runs were nice but I loved the bases loaded double and Milledge's rbi's as well.

Chad's on-the-field injury has the effect of negating any denials on his part. This is perhaps the best that could happen because it leaves the organization no choice but to keep him on DL until he is truly recovered and hopefully throwing in the low 90's again. Rauch is looking better and better in the closing role. That high tight fastball strikeout was a thing of beauty.

Juan-John,
I meant where were you for the NJ gathering on Sunday? I know you didn't miss the 417 postings natsfan1a put up here about it! :)

And yes, I do love the Nuts about Nats song. I was saying here earlier that I hated it at first, but it's growing on me.

It's very old fashioned and kid-like. I've been hearing it since the first game or two. Last night it was an earworm--couldn't get it out of my head all the way home. "We're crazy 'bout the Nationals, we're nuts about the nats!"

It's so cute!

Speaking of Milledge, we were cracking up at him yesterday. The boy REALLY likes to see himself on the jumbotron. One time he was coming up to bat and was taking a couple practice swings. The camera was right on him and you could see his eyes shifted to the side watching himself on the screen. It was hilarious.

Shortly after he made that good catch and we were just waiting for it. Sure enough,e came through for us. He looked up at the screen for the whole replay.

I know the guys often watch the scoreboard for the replays, that's totally cool. But Milledge seems to enjoy seeing himself just a little more.

I didn't understand the "post of the day" when it was posted yesterday. 305's statement that the later start time slows down the game is a non sequitar.

Here's a question from the clubhouse that probably stands no chance of getting answered here -- who invented liquid soap and why? (Posted in hopes of getting published!)

Ladies and gentlemen, your NJ Post of the Day for Thursday, May 1, 2008:

"who invented liquid soap and why?"

Posted by: Baseball Fanatic | April 30, 2008 9:04 AM

non sequitur
and maybe that's why they thought it was funny -- like saying Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time because they already have too much sun.

Milledge sure is generous with giving Barry quotations. He's like the new Dmitri Young. There's no gamer without him in it. He doesn't have Young's flair for winking at the absurd, but he is pretty nice about his teammates.

Also noticed two other things last night at the game..
Nick went back to the socks.
Zim went to the long pants.
Kearns was rocking the socks.

Actually, that's a good question. Liquid soap was invented by Gaylord Perry, since it was undetectable (at the time) by tests used by MLB for foreign substances on pitchers.

Now go away, kid, you're bothering me.
**********************
"who invented liquid soap and why?"
Posted by: Baseball Fanatic | April 30, 2008 9:04 AM

I thought Zim only did socks on Sundays?

good eye, though. Nick's socks got by me, probably because his porn mustache was so awful--I couldn't look at the guy.

Mr. Dubious: Doctor, it hurts when I do *this.*
Dr. Krankheit: So DON'T DO THAT!

(thanks Smith & Dale)

******
By Barry Svrluga
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Washington Nationals right-hander Shawn Hill is pitching through a persistent ache in his right forearm, and the condition has fundamentally altered the way Hill prepares himself between starts.

William Shepphard first patented liquid soap on August 22, 1865. In 1980, the Minnetonka Corporation introduced the first modern liquid soap called SOFT SOAP brand liquid soap. Minnetonka cornered the liquid soap market by buying up the entire supply of the plastic pumps needed for the liquid soap dispensers. In 1987, the Colgate Company acquired the liquid soap business from Minnetonka.

non sequitur
and maybe that's why they thought it was funny -- like saying Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time because they already have too much sun.

Posted by: CE | April 30, 2008 9:13 AM
----
I was so close to picking up the word book before posting to check the spelling. argh...

I thought Zim only did socks on Sundays?

good eye, though. Nick's socks got by me, probably because his porn mustache was so awful--I couldn't look at the guy.

Posted by: NatsNut | April 30, 2008 9:17 AM
----
my daughter, who is a huge Nick fan, nearly fainted when she saw the Ron Jeremy moustache last night. and she noticed the sox were back. No matter how bad it looks, don't mess with a winner!

it only took 18 minutes to figure out the "rest of the story" behind liquid soap. Now, how about the nagging mystery of why weeknight games start at 7:10pm?
The World wonders...

maybe they're just moving it back 5 minutes every year just to see how long it takes 305 to snap?

There were a lot of doubts floating around about Ryan Zimmerman being a star yesterday, so I took a few moments this morning to compare him to the man he's most often compared with: Brooks Robinson. I suspected there would be similarities, but I was surprised by what I found.

Zimmerman (3+ Seasons)
.11 errors per game (40 at third base in his career
Career: .278/.338/.462
Best: .287 ('06)/.351 ('06)/.471 ('06)

Robinson (23 Seasons)
.22 errors per game (263 at third base in his career)
Career: .267/.322/.401
Best: .317 ('64)/.368 ('64)/.521 ('64)

More notes on Brooks:
*Batted over .300 only twice
*Cup of coffee at 18. First significant stretches at 20 (50 games). First full season at 21 (145 games)
*First of 15 All-Stars at 23
*Only MVP at 27 (1964)

QUESTION FOR ALL YOU GEEKS: if rauch comes into the game with the count 3-2 and walks the batter, who is the walk attributed to, cordero or rauch?

320 says they're going to expand the Red Loft.

Ladson says Lofton is in town to talk to hitters:

With Zimmerman, Larkin talked to him about the mental approach of hitting.

"He is so positive," Zimmerman said of Larkin. "He was a leader in the clubhouse and things like that. He knows how to handle all types of situations. It's a calming presence. He is so easy to talk to. He understands what you are going through."

Remember what Lenny Harris said about the lack of veteran leadership in the clubhouse? Maybe Dmitri had a way of keeping everybody loose.

506,

Mike Schmidt made a comment on some radio show a few weeks ago talking about himself, Brooks, and Brett. He mentioned that todays ballplayers are much better than yesterday - even going so far to say that modern players get to more balls and make plays no one would have made. He was talking primarily about third, but I think the feeling was for all positions.

I love Brooks Robinson. He revolutionized the position. But the plays that he made, while spectacular, are *almost* commonplace for todays top tiered third basemen. Most notably Scott Rolen, and to some extent Zimmerman. If Zim can perfect the throw 'in the hole' while moving to his right, then we might have something here.

And its worth noting that the parks are in much, much, better condition today than before. That should be studied in my mind. The affect of infield grass/dirt on errors.

QUESTION FOR ALL YOU GEEKS: if rauch comes into the game with the count 3-2 and walks the batter, who is the walk attributed to, cordero or rauch?

Posted by: dk | April 30, 2008 10:04 AM
------------------------------
if Rauch walks the batter, Cordero gets "credited" with the walk.

if Rauch strikesout the batter, Rauch gets credtied with the strikeout.

Heck, why have Barry do an article on Kearns hitting? Why not shoot bigger? Do an article on why gas prices are high! Why haven't we found Bin Laden? Why doesn't that gorgeous blond give me her phone number?

BTW ... Zim's song is "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco. It was a Top 10 song a few weeks ago.

From the rule book (10.18(h)):

"A relief pitcher shall not be held accountable when the first batter to whom he pitches reaches first base on four called balls if such a batter has a decided advantage in the ball and strike count when pitchers are changed.
10.18(h)1:
If, when pitchers are changed, the count is:
.........3 balls, 2 strikes,
and the batter gets a base on balls, charge that batter and the base on balls to the preceeding pitcher, not to the relief pitcher"

Long story short: Cordero gets the Walk
---------------------------------------
QUESTION FOR ALL YOU GEEKS: if rauch comes into the game with the count 3-2 and walks the batter, who is the walk attributed to, cordero or rauch?

Posted by: dk | April 30, 2008 10:04 AM

For specifics, see 10.16 Earned Runs and Runs Allowed, sections (h) and (i):

http://tinyurl.com/22xd9x

---

QUESTION FOR ALL YOU GEEKS: if rauch comes into the game with the count 3-2 and walks the batter, who is the walk attributed to, cordero or rauch?

Posted by: dk | April 30, 2008 10:04 AM
------------------------------
if Rauch walks the batter, Cordero gets "credited" with the walk.

if Rauch strikesout the batter, Rauch gets credtied with the strikeout.

Posted by: e | April 30, 2008 10:09 AM

D'oh! Sect. 138 beat me to it.

and e beat me to it. Why do I actually always feel the need to quote the rules? Me needs to just give the damn answer.

Speaking only for myself, I find that it's useful to know the "why" as well as the "what," so quote on. :)

From the rule book (10.18(h)):

"A relief pitcher shall not be held accountable when the first batter to whom he pitches reaches first base on four called balls if such a batter has a decided advantage in the ball and strike count when pitchers are changed.
10.18(h)1:
If, when pitchers are changed, the count is:
.........3 balls, 2 strikes,
and the batter gets a base on balls, charge that batter and the base on balls to the preceeding pitcher, not to the relief pitcher"
Long story short: Cordero gets the Walk
Posted by: Section 138 | April 30, 2008 10:18 AM

but the reliever gets the k if he throws one strike and strikes the batter out?

quick poll:

how many had Baltimore, ChiSox, Oakland, Florida and St. Louis in first (or tied for first) in their respective divisions heading into the last day of April?

What the heck is going on in baseball? Is this one of the signs of the apocolypse? I know it's only one month, but still ...

but the reliever gets the k if he throws one strike and strikes the batter out?

Posted by: dk | April 30, 2008 10:30 AM

-----

Yep. The idea is not to penalize the new pitcher for failing to deliver on a hitter's count, but reward him if he does something unexpected.

just so you don't get too carried away, baltimore was in first place this time in 2005, too. and they ended up in their traditional 4th place role before the season ended. i don't see any of those teams in a similar position at the all-star break.

...and how about those Royals?

---

What the heck is going on in baseball? Is this one of the signs of the apocolypse? I know it's only one month, but still ...

Yep. The idea is not to penalize the new pitcher for failing to deliver on a hitter's count, but reward him if he does something unexpected.
Posted by: Section 506 (Before moving)

ok. thanks guys. didnt know that. talk about learnin somethin new after all these years!
btw 506, howd you know that? are you a coach?

I may be wrong, but I thought that was the point of the posting (the apocalypse reference being a possible indicator)

---
just so you don't get too carried away, baltimore was in first place this time in 2005, too. and they ended up in their traditional 4th place role before the season ended. i don't see any of those teams in a similar position at the all-star break.

one last mornin question for every1 who watched the game on tv last night......who do you like listenin to more, carpenter/sutton or carpenter/knight and why.

my vote goes to knight. i think hes more interesting and gives more all around info than just stuff on the pitchers.

Last night's paid attendence
Nationals Park -- 25,285
Camden Yards -- 11,588

I heard calls to Angelos for comments went unreturned, well that's what I heard, anyway...

"ok. thanks guys. didnt know that. talk about learnin somethin new after all these years!
btw 506, howd you know that? are you a coach?"

Alas, I hate to admit this, but I heard Bob Carpenter say it last year at some point.

Regardless of the weird baseball standings, all is still right in the world...the Angels are in 1st

did anybody catch the comments on cordero's new "workout regimen"? He's running a mile (one) (1) mile, and doing some stretching and abdomen work. Lemme get this straight - he runs a mere mile a day and does some sit-ups? No wonder he gets hurt as he's so out of shape. An obvious alum of the Jon Kruk School of Conditioning.

New post.

On the other hand, N@sfan, the Os were playing the Rays - there are a lot of Braves fans in this area.

Are there any times that the Marlins are here, and the Rays are there, at the same time? That would really be a better comparison.