Gotta go with LoDuca. Acta and Zimmerman are young and know their jobs are secure win or lose, so it's real easy to chill.

Calm. Baseball isn't football. It's a 6 month grind. Do they need to mentally be stronger per Capt RA, or just pitch better. So PLD, just shut up and play without pointing fingers at teammates you consider mentally weak. At gametime last night they were 5th in the league in runs scored according to Bob and Don. Way better than last year.

Acta and Zim so far. It is a long, long grind. Eventually, however...

i don't necessarily think it's bad to have both perspectives. people are different, players are different. it only becomes a problem when one side of the equation starts getting on the other side of the equation and friction builds. will that happen? hard to say. but some players will respond to the lo duca ideology of "kick in the pants" and some will respond to the manny/zim ideology of "be patient."

i'll bet lo duca would have loved playing for frank.

What is wrong with acknowledging the pink elephant in the room? If LoDuca was making judgements on individuals, that would be different. He is basically saying "We screwed the pooch," and is spot on in his assessment.
The fact is that the Nats have played sucky these last six games and have found new and exciting ways of losing (blow a big lead, blow a small lead, give up runs over the course of a game, blow up in one inning...) and LoDuca is right, there is no sugar-coating it.

Attendance for Wednesday's game: 23,340

Must have been A LOT of Nats fans that decided to go to the United and Wizard games huh?

So, what's the excuse going to be for tonights game when Nats Park is 1/2 full?

that said, i'm kind of in between. i don't think anyone should be panicking, but i also don't think the team should just chill. nothing wrong with a sense of urgency to fix the stupid stuff (BBs, errors, WPs, baserunning gaffes), but no need to panic and throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I posted this a second ago on the last thread, but it's on point on here so here it is again:

TimDz--I dunno. I'm obviously not in the clubhouse, but I think if he calmly said, "I should have done better and I take responsibility," that's a positive, like you say. If on the other hand he was throwing his mitt and stomping around the clubhouse having basically a big emotional fit about it, that's seems like it's dwelling on the negative in an unhelpful way. That's just my sense of what helps and what doesn't in a team dynamic. Hard to tell from the coverage which it was, but it seemed more like the latter.

Then this quote from Loduca in today's Post was troubling to me: "I know it's early, but we need to turn it around quick because this is getting ridiculous."

Funny you mention Zimmy, because I thought his quote was much more what I'd want from a team leader (on a team like this at least): "The team that's supposed to win 200 games hasn't won a game yet... we've played good baseball."

This team is going to win more than it loses, but it won't be historically bad unless players lose their composure. We need Manny's long-view optimism to stay in it. Zimmerman seems to have drunk that kool-aid, whereas Loduca seems like he's losing his cool at the first sign of inevitable adversity.

That's my concern, but again I'm not in the room so I obviously don't really know what the dynamic is like.

Bergmann should listen to Zimmy. You can't pitch mad.

Vote for 'chill' here. Memo to PLD: Less talky-talky, more hitty-hitty. Your late-inning double last night kept you from sidling up to Mr. Mendoza.

A question for the Constituency: Guzman's batting average is higher than his OBP (.326 to .318). I know I was a history major and math makes my head hurt, but could someone help a guy out and tell me how that could happen? Many thanks. (Or Manny Thanks).

231 is spot on. You need both types in a locker room--the Lo Ducas and the Captain Zims. Key is that they should balance and complement each other.

"throwing his mitt and stomping around the clubhouse having basically a big emotional fit about it"

see... i didn't get that vibe at all from the coverage. i didn't get any sense of immaturity at all from the coverage.

Chill. Haven't yet played two weeks of the season. As the Mets showed last year, sometinmes it's not how you start but how you finish. Nats fnished pretty well last season.

23k for Florida on a wednesday is fine with me. that's 6k walkups and a 17k season ticket base. No its not 30k, but i don't think you're going to see 30k in this stadium until we're in first place (ala 2005).

Its the same way, by the way, with the Wizards and Capitals. When they're struggling, there are always empty seats. When they're hot, the place is a sellout. This is not a hockey town, not a basketball town and not a baseball town. The Nats will have to put a good product on the field and compete to draw. Only the Redskins will always sell out b/c they're the heart-and-soul franchise of Washington. Its ok, its not the end of the world, but its important to realize this right now.

The comparisons to Camden Yards opening season attendance figures are not quite right; Baltimore is a pure baseball town. No hockey, no basketball teams, and a football team that left in the middle of the night breaking a lot of hearts. The Orioles at the time of the stadium were the best game in town, with 2 future hall of famers on the field and a gung ho owner.

To answer the question at whit; Lo Duca is shaping up to be a great clubhouse presence. Veteran, productive a leader in a natural leadership position as a catcher. He could be a catalyst to whip guys into shape and do the rah-rah stuff for the team. There really isn't anyone else on the team that can do that, and you NEED that on a baseball team.

consistent winners have the luxury of calmly assessing a situation - they know they are good and that they will win the majority of games.

with that said, this team is not a winner. and to compare this year to last year while quoting success, seems to me, a losers mindset. a mindset that accepts their failures and their overall position in the division as 'non-contenders'.

i like lo ducas fire but not his game.

there needs to be both. but one is not right, and one is not wrong. i just tend to agree with the aggressive attitude more often than not.

-Then this quote from Loduca in today's Post was troubling to me: "I know it's early, but we need to turn it around quick because this is getting ridiculous."

I don't think that is overly harsh or passing judgement on any one individual. And, by yhe way, it IS getting ridiculous.

These are grown men and are paid handsomely for playing a boys game. Even Zimm's 'paltry" 450K salary is a whole lot more than I will see this year. In all of our jobs, we have to submit to pressure.

I mean, if O's Exec/Poopy McPoop keeps burning the fries at his McJob, he is gonna get yelled at by the 18 year old shift manager, isn't he?

The bottom line is, there will be many different personalities in the clubhouse. I don't see LoDuca's comments as being any more or less concerning than anyone elses comments.

There's no right way to deal with it. You need both types of guys in the clubhouse. If they are all like Acta and Zimm, then you'd have the 2007 down-the-stretch Mets. If you have all LoDucas, then you'd exhaust yourself to death when things don't turn around immediately.

The problem is the starting pitching, which many people here noted after last season.

The Nats have a bunch of average, 5-6 inning starters -- Bergman (a relief pitcher really), Redding, Perez, even Hill when healthy. There isn't one guy on the team capable of going seven innings consistently. Eventually, that means they will crumble in the fifth or sixth and the bullpen will weaken as the season progresses.

So, whose fault is that?

The Lerners -- because they wouldn't put out the money for a modest, $4-5M one-year contract for Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse. Or anyone else for that matter.

Because of their cheapness, we're stuck with a team that has some real offensive talent (particularly when Pena returns)but will constantly be trying to come back from early or mid-game deficits.

This team could have been a playoff contender if the Lerners had bumped the payroll up just $10 million.

But instead, I think Barry's forecast of 76 wins is about right -- and the attendance will suffer as a result.

Good job, Ted and Mark.

If people want to root for a team that panics constantly and throws money at whatever FAs are out there with no long-term plan whatsoever, well all I can tell you is that the Redskins don't play till September.

"So, what's the excuse going to be for tonights game when Nats Park is 1/2 full?"

Master's highlights on ESPN.

Capitol Hill:
Guzman has 14 hits in 43 at bats and zero walks. But he did hit a sac fly which counts as a plate appearance so he's reached base 14 times in 44 plate appearances. Which is how his OBP is lower than his AVG.

Chill. We'll still finish 3rd in the division.

But we need Bergmann in the rotation, as well as Hill. And Lannan. Keep Chico, too. Trade Perez.

Bergy will return to form and be the dominant pitcher we all know he is, and when Hill comes back healthy...and Cordero, and Pena...

Panic! PANIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!! panicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanic!

How can we sell [snake oil] if we don't get people to panic?!?!

Oh wait, this is baseball and not homeland security. Hrmmm. I guess that there's nothing to do. So I'll chill.

Barry: can you socially engineer your way into sales records with timestamps for build-a-screech? I'm thinking we can probably show a jump in plush sales every time the opposing team scores seven runs in one inning. When that story breaks we might be able to take part in the long-standing DC tradition of calling for someone's head.

If anyone else has better conspiracy theories, I'd love to hear them.

As for free agents, hindsight is always 20/20. There's no guarantee that Lohse or Livo would be any better here because of the inconsistant bullpen and lack of clutch hitting. All pitching staffs look better when their teammates score runs and catch the ball.

bignatsfan,
Bergy doesn't have any form. He's only had about five quality starts in his career. Nats Nation are giving him too much credit for a few memorable performances.

"...still we would've been 3-6. So we have to look at the glass half full right now."

I'm no mathlete but those are numbers for a glass that is 1/3 full. Break out the .500 Nats and the glass will be half full

...of very cold [Yuengling|Absolut+Sprite].

I like the calmness of Zim... but I also have to say I like the added ingredient of a swift kick in the $&% that Paulie brings to the table. This team needs some fire in their eyes to start competing with Philly, NY, and Atlanta (and I guess the Fish too).

Also: Very kind of you. Thanks!

I'm thinking more along the lines of Paulie Walnuts, I don't know if its his intensity or his ability but either way sometimes a good "kick-in-the a***" will get things jump started. For a guy like Zimmerman at 23 life for him in the bigs has been pretty much "gravy".

Other then that, its been awful to watch this slide, but with lack-luster pitching performances how many times can the offense score enough runs to make up for that deficit. Pretty simple folks; "it is what it is"

While I moderately agree most with the Acta/Zims approach, and would even group my personality into that category, you still gotta love PLD's approach to the game. It's good that we have a guy in the clubhouse, for better or worse, who only knows how to win - that's got to be contagious.....this guy has played at the top of the division and in the post-season. I just wish that he'd been performing better so that he has a little legitimacy to rah-rah these guys up a bit.

Conclusion: I'm on the fence - I'm not a rah-rah guy and realize it's a long grind, but I still loving having a strong personality in the clubhouse who only accepts W's (curly ones at that)

It could be worse - the O's last home game (Mon) had 10,774 lost souls present. Double it and you're just a few thousand short of last nights # for the Nats.

the lerners are cheap! where's fred malek?

The question posed in this blog is like asking what color should you paint the living room while the house burns down. If the plan is to go with youth, then go with it. I can live with losing if there is hope (i.e. Marlins). You can not excuse Bowden for the "six" gaming losing streak. He is responsible for assembling this collection of "what I don't know". If i see Mackowiak pinch hitting another time I will scream. I do not think this guy has had hit since he joined us.

Frankly I do not care if one person rages while the other advocates calm. The team is going south. Bowden is trying bridge this period with "crap' players hoping there are a few more Youngs' in the mix. If we are going to lose then play the youth. Meanwhile LoDuca can rant all he wants in the bullpen and Zim and Acta can have their "fell good" sessions as the team loses and gets worse and Bowden tries find and sign another Reds retread. This team is bad and getting worse!!

Lo Duca is a New Yorker coming directly from a New York environment (and the last time he was in that playing environment, his team endured the collapse of all collapses). So his comments are not yet tempered with the expectations that have been laid-out in front of us: learn and grow.

Paul's clock is ticking, and eventually he'll be traded to a playoff contender where his expectations will be aligned with the team's expectations. Just not here, not now.

Chill, and watch the starting rotation improve with time.

It could be worse - the O's last home game (Mon) had 10,774 lost souls present. Double it and you're just a few thousand short of last nights # for the Nats.

Posted by: JAB | April 10, 2008 11:53 AM
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Is that the best you can come up with Jabby? Comparing a team that has had 10-straight losing seasons and it's attendance to a team that is still new to town, still the flavor-of-the-month, and has a BRAND NEW STADIUM? Boy, things in Natsville must be worse than I imagine.

I remember the first few years Camden Yards were open it was very hard to find a ticket.

Still, what will be the excuse for tonights game and minimal attendance figures?

"A question for the Constituency: Guzman's batting average is higher than his OBP (.326 to .318). I know I was a history major and math makes my head hurt, but could someone help a guy out and tell me how that could happen? Many thanks."

I wondered about this too the other day, but I think I've figured out how that can happen. It's an early-in-the-season phenomenon. To get BA, you divide hits by at-bats. To get OBP, you add walks and HBP (and maybe something else I'm not thinking of now) to both the numerator and denominator of that BA fraction. When a relatively small number is added to both the numerator and denominator of a fraction, it is mathematically possible for the decimal value of that fraction to actually go down.

I guess the real question is whether those who accept losing now will know how to win later (~ 2010).

Hmmm... bring up Lannan or sign Lohse and Livo? Oy vey. If those are my choices, I choose Masters highlights.

But why are these our only options? Why isn't there ANY real, above replacement level major league talent in this franchise?

Remember people, we're just 18 months and one draft removed from the end of the conspiracy of 29, 5 years of being owned by the competition, the only team operating on a shoe-string salary cap imposed by our opponents. It takes time to build from nothing. That's why we are left to psycho-babble on replacement level cast-offs, suspects, has-been, and never-weres.

The football coach in me wants Acta to blow up the locker room but, baseball is different. I like the Capt Red Ass appproach better, as long as it doesn't start to wear thin. Zim and Manny are more level headed. If the ship keeps sinking though Manny may have to go Lou Pinella on these guys.

sorry, swanni, i'm not buying for a second that $10m in additional payroll turns this team into a contender. that's just not a rational thought.

oh, and only an idiot would forgo $10m in payroll if it would make them playoff contenders, because that would increase revenue more than $10m, and cheap people wouldn't do that.

I think you have to take the middle road. It was interesting to say the lost in Philly had an affect on them. However, they haven't been playing well. They have been making miscues and it has cost them. They can't seem to get the big hit. Guys are hitting the ball hard and guys are making good plays against us. I think they just need that one win and things will fall back into place. It is a long season and you can't get too high or too low.

Just win, baby.

joemktg:

I could agree with your post if the starting rotation had some growth potential. We have Redding, Perez and now Bergman. i am sorry but these are not the guys that are going to lead us to even respectability.

Zim, let's get to the nitty-gritty. I picked you on my fantasy baseball team. I need you!

Ok, more seriously this time:

I keep repeating this and people keep telling me to chill, but ... games lost are lost forever and tonight's game will count in the standings just as much as when we play the Marlins at the end of September. At least tonight's game we know will matter. For September we can only hope.

Last season Charlie Manuel took his Phillies into the playoffs by "win[ing] every day", to use Acta's words. I'm not sure if you guys who are saying this team is being roster-managed instead of game-managed are right, but we've got to do what it takes to win tonight, tonight. (cue Phil Collins)

I'm not saying panic and do something stupid and un-sabermetric or lose a good pitcher to waivers, but one swift kick to the LoDuca side of the clubhouse and a gentle reminder to the other side that 3-6 projects to 54-108 and "we got to do better than that." And to the whole team: "we got to turn it around real quick."

Bob. L. Head,

I see Bergmann as having sudden lapses of memory just like some of us older folks do. He cruises magnificently through several innings and then he will hit one in which he does not even throw his "out" pitch. Bam! He gets tagged and he never goes back to the fastball that got the hitters out previously. It's like he forgot that he CAN throw a fastball so it's all soft stuff that the hitters just poke where they want it. The other side of the coin is the question "Is Lo Duca even calling for a fast ball in the fifth inning?" It did not look like it. Long term I have a lot of faith in Bergmann.

Panic or Chill?
Errrr....
We need Zim, Kearns, or Johnson to start knocking in some frigging runs. I am not that happy with the "chill" talk coming from our RBI section of the lineup. One of them has to show some consistent clutch hitting in the near future or this skid is going to keep on happening. Lo Duca trying to be the red hot chili pepper is coming across a little tinny because he is: A) the new player, B) has not been Mr.Clutch himself. I am afraid that his noise making is going to piss off people so that it becomes a personality issue in the clubhouse. For the moment, Acta's hands are tied because Pena, Dukes and Young are not here. If they were I would sit Kearns, Lopez and Johnson for a game. However, subbing in Mackowiak, Harris and Boone is not going to help anything (as exhibited by their collective BA.)

Here's how $10 million could have done it:

Non-tender Lopez instead of going to arbitration -- save $4.9 million

Trade Dimitri or Cordero during off-season -- save $5-6 million

So, now we have $20-21 million to play with:

Sigh Kyle Lohse -- $4.5 million

Sign Tori Hunter -- $15 million

That's it.

Look at it like Christmas morning. You see this nice big $611M box (aka the Stadium) that you wanted for years. However, the gift inside the box is old used socks with lots of holes (aka the Nationals). The person giving the gift is your cheep uncle (aka owners and team president).
We are looking at our fourth year of bad baseball with at least one year to go. The fans are tired of losing and paying good money to see them lose.

Carrying this over from the last post:

Thanks, IHW, for mentioning the picnic table possibility for our April 27 gathering. I missed the first posting about the tables, if there was one (traffic by both Constituency and trolls has been high and I've been scrolling past lots of posts rather than reading them). At any rate, the Nats Park picnic table idea sounds like a good one for this initial gathering rather than trying to coordinate a full-up RFK tailgate.

---

The picnic tables behind section 142 will be a great spot for the NJ Constituency meet-up on Sunday the 27th. Props to whomever suggested it.

First off: I LOVE THIS POST. These quotes say so much about the guys and the clubhouse.

Second: You posters still crack me up. Capitol Hill: "less talky-talky, more hitty-hitty" was my vote for post of the day.

i hate walks's panic button cracked me up.

And two more made points I agree with, Ashburn and 231. I don't need them to panic or get a clubhouse storming a**-kicking, but I want Manny to balance his supportive calm with sounding more like losing *in these ways* is unacceptable. (Our losses at the end of 07 were EXCELLENT losses compared to these now, if you know what I mean).

And 231 said it nicely too: There needs to be a sense of urgency to fix the crap.

I don't argue so much with LoDuca's own sense of urgency and kick a** attitude, just that they shouldn't come from HIM. I don't think it's his place to fire up the team in that way.

Finally, I LOVE Zim's very mature vote of confidence in Bergmann. If I were Bergmann, or any of our pitchers, that's what I would need most after last night--the continued confidence from my teammates.

Chill. It's April. The Marlins and the Orioles are in first place, the Tigers have the worst record in the majors. Nine games is not an indication of anything.

We have the same record as the Braves, and are 2.5 games out of first place. All we need is a win to break the streak. And to get all of our guys healthy.

On the other hand, if we don't get a win soon, we might need Crash to provide us with a fricken' natural disaster.

Loosen up everybody. This is supposed to be fun.

Sorry swanni but Tori Hunter wouldn't even help this team.

Now if the Nats had Adam Jones, like the O's do, well than.......

BTW--Barry shouldn't be excused for ignoring the far and away most dominant reason why the Nationals suck eggs. To cover the Nats and ignore Bud Selig's role in the state of the team when it arrived (and to this day) is really not excusable.

Covering the team for 3 years, he's barely acknowledged the fact that we were owned by our competitors for the majority of that time, the wreckage that preceded the team's arrival in DC, the fact that Bowden operated with a shoe-string salary cap (the only team in baseball to have such a cap)... Reading the Post you'd have the impression that we were just like any other newish, struggling expansion franchise, and that just ain't so. We've been competing with 2 arms tied behind our backs. Only about a year ago did that change.

Sorry, I think Barry does a lot of good things, but I tend to think that this is just kind of lazy reporting on his part. There are more complicated macro factors at issue here, and it's just easier as a reporter to talk about Loduca's emotional outbursts.

Bud Selig approved a higher payroll for the Nats than the 2008 Ted Lerner payroll.

Don't blame Bud (as much as I don't like him.)

As for the question, on the one hand, I think that it can be helpful for an organization to have different personality types/attitudes; on the other hand, I take Mr. LoDuca's point (and I loved the Paulie Walnuts' reference).

The fans are tired of losing and paying good money to see them lose.

Posted by: ChrisC | April 10, 2008 12:23 PM

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Yet for some reason people on here want to make fun of the O's attendance.

Seems like a double standard now, does it not?

Oh yeah, ownage is complete.

Forgot to mention IHW's runs-scored-against vs. build-a-bear sales ratio. Still cracking me up.

Some comment threads can be pretty annoying sometimes, but mostly you all are freakin' funny.

Then again, I did only get 2.5 hours of sleep last night, so everything's funny.

From Barry's article in Sept. 2005:

"At the beginning of the year (2005), baseball allotted the Nationals $50 million for salaries. But they added players such as outfielder Preston Wilson and infielder Deivi Cruz, and because 20 players have landed on the disabled list, the Nats' payroll is approaching $54 million, Tavares said. He added that much of that new payroll will be offset by revenues that will be higher than projected."

2008 Lerners -- $39 million payroll.

Get the idea?

Chill, with a sense of urgency, if that makes sense. At times I think many of the posters on this site or too quick to jump the gun and seek the negative in every situation from the stadium, the team, or attendance.

But then I find myself getting increasingly frustrated with the product on the field, and losing the way they have been. Giving up 10 runs back to back to the Florida Marlins? And blowing leads. And shrugging your shoulders and responding with "at least we're not 1-8"??

I have been disappointed with the direction of some of our fan base and the win or I'm outa here attitude, but as someone who has eagerly awaited any Nats news and gone the the stadium cam multiple times daily; it's frustrating to say the least. It proves that whatever money making amenities you have at the ballpark, fans come to watch baseball. I understand and support "the plan", for now. But it has been no secret that the problem with the ball club has been starting pitching. I know prospects don't become stars overnight, but we can't wait on them right now to be a moderately competitive team. Livo is certainly not the answer, but I don't understand why a Kyle Lohse for $4M isn't a bad pick up. Certainly more to look forward to than Odalis Perez. A trade was made for a top prospect-major league ready Centerfielder. You can't tell me the same can't be done for at least one promising starting pitcher. But I suppose I need to chill, it is a long season and I'm not going to give up on the current product on the field considering we haven't seen WMP or Dukes in Left. But the John Patterson movement needs to continue if we can't get decent value back in a Felipe Lopez trade or Shawn Hill cannot stay healthy. For belief in "the plan" we need to see some progression. Especially in the swagger of a Winning Attitude.

I just gotta say I love all the excuses being thrown around here, whether it be in regards to the team, their payroll, their record, or even the attendance.

Meanwhile the O's are flying high, 1st place in the AL East and the Nats are in dead last in the NL East.

I'm not saying anything, but...

Record with out FLop starting 3-0
Record with FLop starting 0-6

Coincidence? You tell me.

Speaking of "natural disasters" (meaning, (over)watering infields), the NatsCast folks have a feature on the guy responsible for Terra Natsa:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/

O's Exec, how many times are you going to tell us about your ten consecutive losing seasons? We get it, you have a third rate franchise that has been a glorified AA team full of steroid using malcontents for a full decade. OK, we believe you. Please stop pushing your anti-Baltimore rants and support your team.

LoDuca should chill. The guy has zero standing in the Nats' clubhouse. He barely knows the other guys on the team; he missed most of Spring Training, and now they're 10 days in to the season. Plus, he is one of the main culprits of the poor play that he says is "getting ridiculous."

It would be one thing if the comments LoDuca is making were coming from someone who has earned the right to make them (like Zimm) or who is empowered to make them (like Manny). But LoDuca doesn't have that right, yet. If he wants to humbly comment that he personally should be doing better, fine. Other than that, he should zip it. He earned the nickname Captain Red Ass for a reason, and he sure isn't living it down.

With Kyle Lohse and Tori Hunter -- and Milledge in left field instead of center -- this team would be in the 85-87 win category. That would make for a playoff contender.

And right field could have been a spring training competition between Kearns and Pena with the best man playing.

And...with Tori Hunter -- a true star -- attendance would rise.

But then again, why do all of that when you have a "Plan."

A plan to be cheap, that is.

I think Twinbrook just accidentally minted a new nickname for Felipe:

"out FLop."

And I, too, loved IHW's build-a-screech conspiracy. Although part of me thinks it has more than one grain of truth to it, as in, "if we build a mall inside the park, fans (and non-true BB fans in attendance, and kids) will have something to do (spend money on) even when the game sucks."

Steven, he wrote a book about it - literally. In National Pastime (Barry has copies if you're having trouble finding one), he talks about how contraction and MLB ownership affected this franchise.

I get what you're saying. It's one of the reasons I feel like we need to embrace our Montreal connection. The Lerners didn't close the book on the debacle because Kasten and Bowden are still trying to plug holes punched in this team by the 29 MLB owners. What baseball did to the Expos was unconscionable.

But really, it's a fallacy to state that, without MLB ownership, this team would have guys like Sizemore, Vlad, and Pedro. Even well-organized, well-funded teams lose players like that by trade or free agency. To assume they would have stayed is like saying a hit in the fourth inning would have won the game for a team. The introduction of that new variable changes the entire equation.

Yes, MLB ownership gutted this franchise. And yes, the growing pains felt by Nationals fans are in effect caused by the fresh sutures that closed up this wound.

But right now, there's a team on the field, and it has lost six straight games. It's not Bud's fault. It's not Omar's fault. It's not Jeffrey's fault.

When Selig is wearing a curly W helmet standing in the batter's box with a runner on third and two out, well, then...

-----

Sorry, I think Barry does a lot of good things, but I tend to think that this is just kind of lazy reporting on his part. There are more complicated macro factors at issue here, and it's just easier as a reporter to talk about Loduca's emotional outbursts.

actually CiL, I'm pretty sure they brought Lo Duca to the team to do exactly what he is doing. Can you imagine Bowden sitting down and suggesting that he place nice with others and be quiet in the clubhouse? Not too mention be exactly the opposite type of player he has been in entire career. I don't see that situation playing out that way. I see it falling somewhere between, "Bring Energy" and "Veteran Leadership". And by signing his contract, he has the right to do that.

Also, whats with the lights on the scoreboard? There are at least 5 lights burnt out. Can they fix them at least? How hard is that?

"I remember the first few years Camden Yards were open it was very hard to find a ticket."

Might your difficulties in finding a ticket back then have possibly stemmed from you having your head stuck up the same body orifice you do now? I mean, it's awfully dark in there (or at least I presume so, anyway, as I don't have personal experience of it like you do) which would make it pretty hard to see the tickets you're trying to find. Are you still looking, though? I bet if you pulled your head out now you could find lots of O's tickets.

Yesterday, I said that a day off was the most destructive thing you can give to a baseball fan.

I take that back. A 10-4 score is much worse.

10-4 isn't a score, it's a CB response. For example:

Texas Pete: Boy, I heard those Nationals stunk it up last night.

Lone Star Lonesome: That's a 10-4, Texas Pete. I could smell it all the way in Amarillo.

What was ridiculous was all the empty seats behind the plate last night. Section 320 was packed (as well as the comparable sections) because that is where all the real fans are. It was great to run into some old friends from Section 420 (RFK) that were moved here as well. However, the Lerner's and Kasten need to rectify this embarrassment and with alacrity!

Paul LoDuca: Surprising voice of reason.

If the Nationals want to be serious competitors, they can't have stretches like this. And it's worth noting that the losses are getting worse, not better.

If the Nats just want to be plucky and occasionally give the big boys headaches but aren't serious threats, than they can go ahead and keep on keepin' on.

One of the issues with "The Plan" is that it has built in to it gradually rising expectations. To have one of the Nats say "at least we aren't 1-8" after the sixth loss in a row does not exhibit the idea of rising expectations. If the players and managers themselves are fine with duplicating last year then there is a much bigger issue looming.

Ray Knight & Don Sutton seemed to agree last night that Bergmann had changed his pitching in the fifth inning, with bad results. Do we know whether Lo Duca or Saint or Manny had anything to do with the change? Bergmann thought he deserved all the blame, but perhaps some other folks contributed to the bad move?

And do we know whether Lo Duca is a good or bad influence in the clubhouse? I guess at this particular juncture it wd be hard to tell. I'll wonder again when the wins and losses even out. I'm assuming they will, so I say chill, though I get depressed whenever we're in a losing streak.

I don't think so theraph. I think they brought in LoDuca because they traded away their starting catcher and needed someone to fill the void until Flores is ready, and LoDuca was available. I really don't see that bringing in LoDuca was part of some sort of "winning attitude" master plan by Bowden. The guy was disliked in NY by the organization, his teammates, and, utlitametely, the fans. Unfortunately, it looks like the same thing is going to happen with him here in DC.

To be clear, I don't have a hunky-dorey, everything is fine, no need to worry attitude. I think a bit of ramped-intensity would indeed be a good thing for this team. But I don't believe that LoDuca's constant griping and ranting to the media is the way to do it.

No worries, I do support my FIRST PLACE Baltimore Orioles.

I support them more so than Nats fans do, or atleast judging by the attendance and all the empty seats so far at the brand new stadium.

hahahahahahahaha, enjoy 5th place in the NL East. You guys ain't getting out of the basement.

mjames,

Total agreement: not this particular starting rotation, but the team's rotation as it morphs and grows.

Last night was my second game at the new park first in my season ticket plan. After the horrible 7 run inning i decided to check out the other sections in the Lower Right Field Terrace much to my dismay just a few sections over in 222 you can actually see the whole field unlike my seats in 232 where you can see almost none of right field due to the overhang of the section. When I purchased my tickets I was told these were the best available. Also in 222 you actually feel closer to the action. The rest of the park is great and my season tickets are better then the score board pavilion seats that I sat in on opening night.

I'm glad Acta is still being encouraging, but it's also good to have at least one voice trying to get people fired up on the team.

I don't think it's time to panic, but maybe it IS about time for JimBow to go down and have a little talk with some of the guys and put a little job urgency in them. As in "We love you, we're really glad to have you, but there are 5 guys behind you who we also love and are also really glad to have, and if you don't do more with this opportunity, they are going to get theirs".

Kind, friendly, to the point and HONEST. If guys like Kearns, Bergmann, Redding, Perez, Belliard and Lopez don't get that message then your going to see Maxwell, Balester, Mock, O'Connor, Desmond and Orr in short order.

chill. after they bench austin kearns.

With Kyle Lohse and Tori Hunter -- and Milledge in left field instead of center -- this team would be in the 85-87 win category. That would make for a playoff contender.

And right field could have been a spring training competition between Kearns and Pena with the best man playing.

And...with Tori Hunter -- a true star -- attendance would rise.

But then again, why do all of that when you have a "Plan."

A plan to be cheap, that is.

Posted by: swanni | April 10, 2008 12:42 PM
-------------------------------------------

I hear what you're say swanni, but Hunter and Lohse don't make that much of an improvement for this team.

Lohse is not an Ace pitcher, which is what we need. We need Hill to come back healthy, and to last all season. With Bergmann following up behind him as the number 2, then Redding, Lannan, and Chico.

As for Hunter, he hasn't exactly been doing wonderfully for the Angels this season if you hadn't noticed, and he would never have been a difference maker for the Nats. Just another over-priced FA signing that would have eaten up roster space and payroll on this team for years.

O's Exec, how do you call inflating the number of messages for a Nationals blog supporting the Orioles? The more you post, the more we dislike the O's. And I wasn't aware that your team has not had a winning season over the past ten years. How many other professional teams can boast that? So thanks for bringing that up every new post.

Just a suggestion but why not have the Potomac Nats, Hagerstown and Harrisburg teams play in DC on a rotation basis. We scrap the Nats until the youngsters are ready. Lerners save bundle and we get to see some good baseball. We can scrap the Clippers as they seem like a bunch of retreads save the the starting pitching. We can disperse the Clippers starting pitching amongst the three teams.

Other benefits of this Plan -
(i)Paulie can rant all he wants,
(ii) Acta and Zimm can sit and talk about how good everything is or at least no worse that the Tigers,
(iii) Bowden can spend more time trying to find and sign Reds retreads (IE there have to be more Kearns' and Lopez's around)
(iv) Kasten can get his scoreboard to work and maybe bring in a water-slide as I am sure the baseball fans want that.
(v) Have the "NATIO_ALS" sign fully working or maybe it looks better as is "NATIO_ALS". Kind of symbolizes how this operation is run.

CiL, I agree with the reasons 'why' they got Lo Duca. But I doubt that is what they 'sold' him on signing a contract. Obviously, the money. Remember the news conference introducing both players?? If I recall, I heard the phrase "Winning Attitude", "Intensity" and others of similar vain to describe the 'reasons' why he is here. And if I recall correctly, and I might not, Acta himself said those very things. And if Acta said it, then it flowed down the chain of command.

That doesn't mean I buy it specifically, but I think that his role on the team was outlined in the beginning. He is who he is, afterall.

Mouthing off to the media? eh, at least hes not calling specific people out. Hes probably just as upset with himself as he is with the rest of the team.

I really dont like the guy, but I do respect him and what he brings to the team.

Look, I don't want to sound like the color man here, but some of these meltdowns really don't add up. I mean, that big inning in the first loss to Philly was 5 consecutive ground balls that found holes in the infield. Not a clean single in the bunch. Whaddyagonnado. You can't really blame Bergmann for that, can you? (And if so, how? What should he have done differently?)
As for last night, the one that really got him was Uggla's double. But he threw it low & away on 1-2, the pitch that struck him out twice before. It sucks, but again, he made his pitch.

I mean, had he lost velocity in that inning? Was his placement failing? Pitch selection? I'm not saying everyone deserves a trophy, but I can't really see what he could have done differently to produce a different result.

It kinda leads me to agree with that maxim about not being as bad as you look when you're losing and not as good as you look when you're winning. A lot of the game is luck.

What I'm much more concerned with is the bench. In the NL, you're going to get in a lot more situations where the 8 or 9 hitter is up with 2 out and men in scoring position. At times like that, you don't want to look to Willie Harris or Rob Mackowiak. I was pretty excited, really, to think of a bench of Young, Dukes & Belliard. Those are real threats to an opposing manager. By refusing to put guys on the DL, they're really tying Manny's hands.

(v) Have the "NATIO_ALS" sign fully working or maybe it looks better as is "NATIO_ALS". Kind of symbolizes how this operation is run.

Posted by: mjames | April 10, 2008 1:31 PM
******************************************

Hahaha, the park's barely been open a week and already things are broken. Shows how much the owners/gm of the Nats think of their fans and quality of product they want to put on the field and in the stadium.

O's Exec, what does 10 straight losing seasons under Angelos say about how the Orioles think of their fans? We already know what Huff thinks about Baltimore.

for this team to suceed youve got to upgrade 3 positions- 33% of the team--left field, right field and catcher.
put in flores, pena in left and dukes/maxwell when they are healthy in right and you will see a marked improvement.
bergmann looks like a great 4-inning thrower so make him a long reliever.

Swanni,

You're making a very big assumption that Torii Hunter would have wanted to come here. I don't think any of us really know but, I would not be suprised if Jimbo made some contact with his agent and he said "Thanks, but No Thanks." He's 32-33 and still has a few good years left, he is going to want to go somewhere where he has a chance to win, now. Hence, him siging with the Angels and not the Nats or the Rangers or the like.

I respect your opinions on this, believe me, but it is easy to play GM and say "why don't they sign this guy or that." The interest has to be from both sides.

Personally, I'm not happy with the losing streak but, not having a HR bat like WMP or Dukes is killing this lineup right now. I mean, Kearns as our big bat right now? Please.

It's getting hard to tell the trolls from the proles.

I think A. Jones would have played here, without doubt.

Hunter would have considered it if the Nats made a compelling pitch that they were a serious franchise ready to win now.

We already know what Huff thinks about Baltimore.

Posted by: | April 10, 2008 1:35 PM

in that same interview huff said hed rather drink, watch porn and, well you know, than study any pitchers or hitting. what a charm city guy.

Posted by:
"As for Hunter, he hasn't exactly been doing wonderfully for the Angels this season if you hadn't noticed, and he would never have been a difference maker for the Nats. Just another over-priced FA signing that would have eaten up roster space and payroll on this team for years."

He's hitting.308 with four home runs -- and playing his usual spectacular defense. That would be good enough for me.

So, what's the excuse going to be for tonights game when Nats Park is 1/2 full?

Posted by: O's Exec | April 10, 2008 11:22 AM
---------------------------------------
Comparing a team that has had 10-straight losing seasons ...
---------------------------------------
Posted by: O's Exec | April 10, 2008 12:02 PM
---------------------------------------
excuse: 1. An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgement.
----------------------------------------
Hmmm... Who is making excuses?

I know you are just some pathetic troll who posts here because of your sad life, but you might want to just go and root for your team instead of posting here all the time. Seriously, talking about the standings in baseball on April 10?? Wow!

Last year on April 10 Philadelphia was 1-6 and Atlanta was flying high at 6-1. But then I guess April is when the Baltimore Team (who hate their own city so much they don't list it anywhere) is at their best.

Enjoy the playoffs.

hunter *did* list washington as one of the cities he potentially wanted to come to. he said he wanted to make a difference in the african american community and get them more involved in baseball and cited washington as a place he'd be interested in doing that.

still, that said, i don't see any way lohse and hunter = 10+ games in the standings. neither of those guys is a 5 game difference maker on their own. maybe hunter's close. but it just ain't happening. and while those guys would be $20m this year, it would have cost more than that, as the nats would have to have signed another SS as well, if you're getting rid of flopez, eating up at least a couple of mill of your savings by non-tendering him.

Huff is also leading the league with 11 rbi's. Take that to the bank and cash it!!! Boo-Yah!!!

Plus say what you want about Angelos, he's finally hired a baseball man and we're already seeing the rewards of that.

O's 6-1 in 1st place. Oh yeah.

What's the Nats record again?

and yes, hunter's 8-9 game OPS is about 1000. about 150 pts higher than his numbers the past few years. still, as i've pointed out before, 6% of the season is a very small sample. this isn't a knock on your comments, swanni, i know you were just responding to someone else, just on the whole idea of judging any player on 10 games.

231,
Utility infielders are cheaper than $2 million. If you dropped Lopez, that's what you would need. A DeAngelo Jiminez type.

dk

Given the options available to the team, your suggestion, in my opinion, seems well founded. Unfortunately I do not think management has your baseball acumen.

Hunter or no Hunter, Lohse or no Lohse, the bottom line is that the Lerners will not spend what it takes to win. They are sticking to the "build it (the stadium) and they will come" theory. But that doesn't work in DC. Unless you're the Skins, you better win.

Dear O's Exec,

Baltimore is a Horse Sh** Town

Signed,

Adam Jones (currently hitting .217)

I am a man for what I said last night.

-"Oh, it's a horse-(expletive) town."
Enjoy rooting for an 11 RBI guy who hates your town.

"in that same interview huff said hed rather drink, watch porn and, well you know, than study any pitchers or hitting."

Hell, you've just described Babe Ruth, back in the day.

Actually, O's Exec would rather do those things too, but his mom won't let him drink down in the basement where he lives, they won't let him watch porn on the computer down at the public library where he posts, and well you know, no woman other than his mom will come within 50 feet of him.

Please stop feeding the O Troll, folks! We were doing so well ignoring him.

I know this is a bit late at this point -- but the real reason Guzman's OBP can be lower than his BA is because of sacrifice flies.

As far as Batting Average and On Base Percentage (OBP) are concernend, sac flies don't count as an AB, just like BB and HBP. But Sac Flies do get added to the bottom half of the OBP equation, thus if you had a couple of sac flies and no walks, you would have a higher average than OBP.

Hell, you've just described Babe Ruth, back in the day.

Posted by: | April 10, 2008 1:56 PM

true. but 1 could play and 1 couldnt. when you cant, it kinda helps to study a little bit. dontcha think?

no woman other than his mom will come within 50 feet of him.

Posted by: | April 10, 2008 1:56 PM

That's only because of the various restraining orders, ok pal!

BTW, Ryan Zimmerman is hiting a robust .231.

Check yo-self before you wreck yo-self.

Even when you point to the Tigers as an example of building from within and succeeding, like they did 2 years ago, you have to recognize that they still signed free-agent talent to augment their home-grown talent. They got that free-agent talent 1 to 2 years before they made the WS.

I don't think anyone here envisions a scenario where the Nats will take it to the next level with purely home-grown talent. But we also can't wait for that talent to develop and then go get those integral parts in one off-season. Like the Tigers, we're going to have to acquire and develop at the same time. And if we're 2 years away from competing, then we better start acquiring some of those pieces now. If we're 3 years away, then we better acquire some next off-season.

Cut the crap, fake Jason Bergmann.

Heck, TIM REDDING is hitting .250. That's 19 points higher than Mr. Franchise, Zimmerman.

Hahahahahahaha. Talk about pathetic.

*shrug*

we'll have to agree to disagree, swanni. i don't think this past offseason was the time to make a big splash. i don't think that even w/a splash, they'd have been in contention, so the splash would have been purely for splash sake. if they don't pony up over the next couple of offseasons, as the young players come up, then i'll agree with you. but i was never in favor of signing hunter (who'd likely be in real decline by 2010, when we should be contending, and sucking up 15+M/yr we could spend on FAs then) or any of the big FAs this offseason. it wouldn't have made *enough* difference.

As always 231 your are the voice of reason

FWIW, Balester had a nice outing today for Columbus. 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 ER. I'd take those numbers from Perez tonight!

The original question is a tough juxaposition:

You don't want to panic as it is extremely early in the season. At the same time, this team (and organization) needs to learn how to win. And generally that usually starts with "not accepting losing."

Most of the younger kids have never been on a major league winner. Thus from the sense that LoDucca is interjecting the philosophy that it's not OK to lose (and certainly not to get pounded as they were last night), then I think that is a good thing.

Of course the Nats are still in the "it's OK, we'll right the ship" mindset, which is alright for now, but the very real danger exists of breeding acceptance towards losing.

The biggest winners in sport usually hate losing with such a deep-seeded passion and disdain that losing consumes them. Those are the players you want in your clubhouse.

I think I am detecting an awful lot of panic here. It's only the 2nd week of the season, folks. That said, I think it is good to have both perspectives in the clubhouse. They've had some exciting moments starting with the very first game of the season. I think they just need to calm down a little and settle into a groove. Make sure they play solid defense, get on base, and let the pitching staff do their jobs. Let's get a little perspective. They are building up from sub-zero - they aren't going to be winning the series anytime soon. And do you think we could all agree to not talk about attendance anymore? It's old news. It's not like the Nats are here on lease. Um, looks like I'm in the "chill" camp - sorry for the mini rant.

spending money, the tigers *DID* wait until some of their young talent was blossoming (both fully home grown and prospects traded for) before luring their FAs. they didn't sign irod until 2004, magglio in 2005, traded for polanco in 2005. much of the core players on that team were already there (young, bonderman, robertson) or came up in 04 (guillen, thames from the rangers) and 05 (verlander, granderson).

they made 3 big signings for them in 04 (irod), 05 (magglio, considered a risky move then), and 06 (rogers).

i expect the nats to start doing that next offseason. especially after they've seen what they have in dukes/milledge/wmp for a season.

FWIW, Balester had a nice outing today for Columbus. 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 ER. I'd take those numbers from Perez tonight!

Posted by: Brewer | April 10, 2008 2:11 PM

---------------------------------------
Hehe - you won't be gettin' them from Perez.

The problem 231 is that more and more players are signing long-term deals which postpone their free-agency by 1-2+ years. So the free agents who will become available are 1-2+ years older. So the Tori Hunters will become Tori Hunter's already declining. To make matters worse, those who don't sign such deals are most likely sub-standard or are Boris clients.

At some point, we will either have to sign a free-agent for $15/year or will have to sign one of our own for $15/yr (e.g. Zimmerman). If we don't do either, then the franchise will continue to be poor for both fans and players. Unfortunately, our stingy owners will be the only rich ones.

Just read your last comment 231 and agree. Getting 1 or 2 FAs next off-season seems reasonable. But if they don't and trot out another team like this...

"Please stop feeding the O Troll, folks! We were doing so well ignoring him."

I agree, NatsFly.

People, please stop encouraging the LO'ser.

my point isn't you never sign a tori hunter. my point is that you only sign a tori hunter when he makes a difference in whether you contend or how well you contend. since he woudln't have done that this year, it makes no sense to saddle yourself with his contract in the later years when he has declined and you're ready to contend.

and if we don't sign zimmerman or that $15m/yr guy when it's time, *THEN* i'll rail against the owners for being cheap. for now, i think they're being smart.

"I respect your opinions on this, believe me, but it is easy to play GM and say "why don't they sign this guy or that."

I don't respect swanni's opinions on this or anything else he says here, because every comment he's ever made here comes from the one-note perspective of "the Lerners are cheap". He's unable or unwilling to consider any other perspective than that on any issue, which cheapens his arguments and drives them to irrelevance. Although I do have to commend him for not spewing forth a "the Lerners are too cheap to even light the streets and provide security for the walk back to their overpriced parking lots" rant on Monday night. That little hike must have really put the fear of God into him, but it appears that didn't last.

Brewer - can we take those numbers from Balester on the 15th at the Mets instead of Bergmann?

Actually, I still have faith in JB, I think he'll settle down over the coming weeks and if he can just take that success he's had in inning 1-4 and extended that to inning 5-6 he'll be a solid starter.

I don't have the same faith in Perez. Redding could go either way in his next few starts. I wouldn't mind seeing Balester and Mock in their places (or maybe O'Connor?) in the coming weeks.

@ O's Exec,

Poopy McPoop is a very funny name.

"they wouldn't put out the money for a modest, $4-5M one-year contract for Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse."

You really think KYLE LOHSE?? would be that one piece to take us to the promise land? He has pitched two great games for the cards, but he has a career ERA of 4.78. I guarantee you, on precedent, that he sucks.

While Livan is a mediocre pitcher who is off to a solid start. Though Livan is better than Odalis, he was looking for a longer deal than the the Nats were willing to offer.

We dont want to stunt the growth of our young pitchers by signing a long term deal with a average/declining pitchers.

To sum it up, its still April and we have 153 games left to play. So stop your griping. Baseball is a marathon.

GO NATS! GO CAPS! GO ZARDS!

My point is that the top-tier FAs are getting longer and richer deals. No matter who you're talking about, whether it be Hunter, Soriano, Zito, etc., you're going to have to pony up and get a player knowing that they're going to decline the past couple years of their contract (unless they're on the clear, thank you Boras). That's just the leverage that the players have right now. But I want to throw it out there that if we do sign a FA, I would rather have a Hunter or Soriano over a 1-2 year Colon or Livan.

Sometime next offseason or maybe even the next, they're going to have to commit to winning (including locking up guys like Zimm).

My fear: Nats were projected to be historically bad last year but overachieved. This year, no real improvement in the team other than younger players. Could we be in for the historically bad season everyone said, just one year later? Not saying it is going to happen, but something that worries me.

yup. the next couple of offseasons are crucial. this past offseason may turn out to be more productive than many are giving it credit for, depending on how milledge and dukes turn out. if either or both turn into good to very good players, their lower salaries for few more years will allow the FO to spend bigger money on other places in the lineup, like MI or 1B or pitching, if necessary.

"Sometime next offseason or maybe even the next, they're going to have to commit to winning (including locking up guys like Zimm)."

Im pretty sure thats the their plan. Develop our own studs, then Sign a Free Agent that they think would put us over the top.

I wonder where all these newfound Lohse fans are going to be when he and Barry Zito are comparing unearned dollars in the MLB old folks home? That will probably be within 2 years BTW.

THAT SAID I wonder if we will try to make a splash this off-season or before the trade deadline?

I mentioned on an earlier post trying to get Lincecum or Cain from the SFG in exchange for some top prospects like Marrero & J. Zimmermann for Cain or Detwiler and Maxwell for Lincecum.

What do you think we'd have to give up on obtain C.C. Sabathia from Cleveland?

Note: The Indians just signed Carmona to a 4 year deal with club option to keep him with the team through 2014 so I think it's more likely they'll try to re-sign him than trade him ala Johan Santana.

I bet we take it tonight.

why trade for CC? he'll be a FA this offseason. if we really want him (i'm not sure we do), wait to sign him in free agency instead of giving up prospects to get him for a couple of months and risk losing him.

I would love to play for the Nats. Please sign me.

I'm not Swanni, whoever that is. I don't know if you've named me or if my responses resemble his. I do think the Lerner's are cheap. (1) parking garages. (2) saying they're going to spend money when they don't. I think spending money on guys like Mackowiak and Boone bros is a waste (thou that's Bowden really). I disagree with the philosophy of trotting out pitchers who should still be developing in the minors. I think we have some major-league talent in the OF corps but I don't think they're all ready now.

I think that's a fair assessment. But you are wrong if you think I completely disagree with you. I don't. At some point, if ownership wants to respect the city, it needs to spend on players and quit worrying about the build-a-screech stand.

Regarding Dukes: In his chat today, Dave Sheinin predicted Dukes wouldn't be around next year. Dukes' name was one of several names and he was asked to say yes or no regarding each player.
I asked him to give me a basis for this and he said "just a hunch."
Way to give the guy a fighting chance...

Capt. Red Ass. That's what Barry called him. I took from that description, and the grandiose statements as to what the team is thinking, that we have another Jose Guillen in the clubhouse. Jose was in two fights in the Seattle Clubhouse, and now plays for the Royals, right? I know that I don't want angry people around me at work, and work becomes trying the more angry people you have to deal with. I like Preston Wilson's (Mookie's step-son) answer when he was asked in a post-game about coming out of slump. "That's just baseball. I can't explain it. You don't do better by trying harder." It was a joy to see Preston help the Cards win the World Series against the Tigers and Jim Leyland, who had just finished cutting and then demeaning Dmitry Young.

"Way to give the guy a fighting chance..."

I thought that was his baby mama's job?

You guys are right, Kyle Lohse is the next Sandy Koufax. That's why he didn't have a job until the pitching-strapped Cards gave him a ring two weeks before the season, the other teams were just too intimidated by the second coming. My god.

And this -- You're Tori Hunter, you're in your mid-thirties, you care about winning games, there's no chance in heck that you'd sign witht he Nats instead of the Angels. To even consider that we could have gotten him is truly moronic.

estuartj - You remind me of when bloggers asked Barry a couple years ago what the Nats would have to give up to get ARod - his response: "The National Mall."

this makes for an interesting read. Who will be available next year and beyond.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/04/08/verducci.weekone/index.html

And from Tuesday with Barry:
McLean, VA: Well, until they sell long-term naming rights...how about:

"There is no place to" Park

Brought to you by Metro.

Barry Svrluga: I love it.

"You are looking live at There's No Place To Park, where tonight the Nationals host the Braves. This will be one of the most anticipated matchups in There's No Place To Park history, and it seems like there's no place to park outside There's No Place To Park right now. Your lineups ..."

When Stan Katsen fired F.Robby that set the wheels in motion for mediocrity,what pray tell can Manny Acta say to any player about the "game." He was not a star or even a credible reserve, yes Frank was a bit of a hard nose and demanding but guess what he had credentials to back it up he held players accountable, are we all forgetting what he did in 2005 with a team that nobody expected to win,yet he was sent packing,Frank Robinson has forgotten more about baseball than Jimbo or Stan will ever know, but as fans were we outraged? we should have been, the Lerners may know a lot about real estate but allowing F.Robby to get away and not retaining him as an executive in the front office may prove to be detremental to this franchise in the long run.

Flynnie - that probably WAS me. I love playing hotstove. I'm not saying we would get CC, but it's interesting to think what his market value is and where our assets my match.

What is a CC Sabithinisiisnsia worth? More than the Mets gave up for Santana? And what kind of an extension would you have to sign him to?

But really, it's a fallacy to state that, without MLB ownership, this team would have guys like Sizemore, Vlad, and Pedro. Even well-organized, well-funded teams lose players like that by trade or free agency. To assume they would have stayed is like saying a hit in the fourth inning would have won the game for a team. The introduction of that new variable changes the entire equation.
_________

I understand that it's a false hypothetical to say every good Expos player could still be on the Nationals, that all teams lose some guys to FA and bad decisions (I've acknowledged that several times). The point is that our franchise didn't lose all its good players as a result of simple bad decisions. The 29 owners colluded to destroy the franchise. They bought off Loria to get him to sell to MLB and installed Omar with instructions to destroy the team. It's not "normal" for Selig to refuse to allow the Expos to offer Vladdy arbitration so that they wouldn't even get the compensatory picks. It isn't normal to have the commissioner veto the expansion of your team's roster in the middle of a playoff hunt, and for players to leave because it's obvious that the team is about to be contracted. We're not just like any other bad team. We're just not.

And people need to understand that when Kasten came in--just over one year ago--we had NOTHING. The worst talent top-to-bottom in all of baseball. Don't take my word for it--BA ranked us 30 out of 30 for our minor league talent, and I don't have to tell you about the major league roster.

There is no way--zero--that Kasten and the Lerners could have made the wreck of a franchise they inherited into a winner by now. No sequence of trades, signings or draft picks could have made us a contender.

Kyle Lohse? Yikes. The guy's never had an ERA better than 4.18 ever. He's a 4th starter at best, and on a WS-winning team? Probably he'd be a bullpen guy and spot starter.

We stink because the other owners colluded to make us terrible. I believe that we will get our revenge, and when we do, it'll be sweet. But like Sinead O'Connor once said, "fight the real enemy."

Chill. If you're this panicked in April, you'll be dead by May. No heart attacks at the NJ please.

The Indians aren't going to trade CC this year, they're going to try and make a run in the post season and even if he is huge he's still a play-off caliber pitcher.

chill, spread the me around

Big C from DC,
Livo signed a one year deal with the Twins.

You want the Nats to fight the Pope? I mean, we ARE letting him use the ball park next week.
-------------------------------------------
We stink because the other owners colluded to make us terrible. I believe that we will get our revenge, and when we do, it'll be sweet. But like Sinead O'Connor once said, "fight the real enemy."

Posted by: Steven on Capitol Hill | April 10, 2008 3:06 PM

Posted by:
"I don't respect swanni's opinions on this or anything else he says here, because every comment he's ever made here comes from the one-note perspective of "the Lerners are cheap".

So being consistent is not worthy of respect?

I'll stop singing that one note when I see evidence of the contrary.

Revisionist history, much? Frank Robinson, while a great player and an accomplished man, was not a great manager. Geez, he used to fall asleep in the dugout. And his players hated him, which you may be able to get away with with a veteran club, but not a club like the Nats are now. If you were to poll baseball execs about who they'd rather have manage their team, Manny or Frank, all of them would pick Manny.

This forum makes the Redskins one look like It's Academic.

"I do think the Lerner's are cheap. (1) parking garages."

parking garages? you mean the ones beyond the OF? the ones the city wanted above ground and the lerners/kasten wanted to build underground, but were told by the city it was too expensive and wouldn't be done on time? those garages? i don't think that blame falls on the lerners. DC govt is the culprit there.

too many people seem to forget that, as far as the stadium goes, a lot of decisions were made before the lerners bought the team and many couldn't be undone by them.

Guys, I'm coming to play LF. I can't hit any worse than FLop.

Never One to panic, just reflect. Here is the hard question for me. Say for argument sake Jason needed a short DL or Rehap about the time Shawn is ready.

Could the Nats really carry four starting lefties with only Redding as the token righty.

Pehaps only because FL hit the righties so hard, I go on faith that Perez can stop the madness; because if asked to choose, he would be my last choice to Ace up and get the job done.

Someone should tell LoDuca to shaddup and focus on himself. Last time I checked the box score he hasn't been lighting it up at the plate.

Swanni, How about committing enough money to McGeary to get him to skip Stanford? How about signing basically 3 first round pitchers from the last draft? How about rewarding Dmitri Young with a two-year deal. How about rewarding Ronnie Belliard for his contributions at 2nd last year?

Just because the team doesn't go out and sign the free agents that you want doesn't mean they're not spending money.

You must not be Catholic, then. This particular Pope is right field all the way. He makes the Spanish Inquisition look like a liberal initiative!

@ estuartj: Actually O'Connor is an interesting piece: up until he injured his arm in '06, he was doing a pretty decent job in the bigs. It will be interesting - and very nice - to see him make a come-back this year. he's still fairly young too...

@ everyone else: I Still think we need to trade away Perez. Keep Hill, Bergmann, Redding, Lannan in the rotation - Chico too if he continues to improve. If not, then we have plenty of other guys at AAA who could get the job done, and are aching for the opportunity.

Alot of people on here are railing against the team for their poor performance lately when in truth, alot of this 6 game skid has been due to poor luck. Only last night did we get truly pounded on.

And as for the Lerner's being cheap? How so? What free agents really would have been worth a big contract during the offseason? Torii Hunter MAYBE - but we don't need him, we have plenty of other good, young(er), and MUCH more long-term options than him. So who else? There were no Santanas, no Bedards, no Sabathias. There were absolutely NO ace pitchers available on the free agent market. Lohse, Livo, Silva - whatever you think of these guys, they are NOT ace pitchers and would only be more expensive versions of what we already have, only with less up-side.

Meanwhile, the Lerners HAVE dumped sh*tloads of money into the draft and farm system, have already begun contract negotiations with Zimm (which they don't have to do by any means until near the end of his arbitration years), pumped loads of extra $$'s into the stadium as it was being built, and have tried very hard to reach out to fan base.

And may I point out that while there may be glitches with the way things are working at the new stadium, it WAS built in RECORD-BREAKING time. Just surprised and grateful it as completed in time, or at all!

And rather than complaining about a six-game skid in a 161 game season, try checking out what we've got going on in the minors and getting a little bit excited about that! Desmond is hitting over .300 at AA, for example...whereas he'd struggled the last time he was there.

So what if we don't have a winning season this year? the team will still be there next year, and we'll have even better talent coming out of the minors then...in the meantime why not enjoy the little things, like the sound of the bat, or the cherry blossoms blooming behind the outfield? In other words - just enjoy being AT the game rather than caring so much about being able to brag about our record...

besides, who really cares what a Troll has to say?

Chill.

Jimbo gambled on Hill and Patterson (with some kids and some journey men). We lost. If both Hill and Patterson were pitching to their potential, we would all be singing the man's praises. But they're not and we're scrambling.

Dmitri let the team down. If he was healthy, we'd have a bench and more of those bases loaded situations would have generated runs.

Three key pieces start the season on the DL. Nobody's fault. But it hurts.

Schneider not being here probably hurts.

But the hitting ain't that bad.

We need to tighten up. Some more performances like Reddings and Lannans.

Chill. WMP's comin'.

Is Cleveland really willing to go the distance with CC and risk losing him to FA? If they think this is their year to win the WS, then maybe - but something tells me their not willing to settle for a first rounder and sandwich (and maybe just 2 sandwich picks if the FA winner has their pick protected like the Cubs when they got Soriano).

If I'm Cleveland's GM I thinking it's better to make the trade and fight like hell to make it just as far instead of pushing for one all-or-nothing year.

Chill.

Jimbo gambled on Hill and Patterson (with some kids and some journey men). We lost. If both Hill and Patterson were pitching to their potential, we would all be singing the man's praises. But they're not and we're scrambling.

Dmitri let the team down. If he was healthy, we'd have a bench and more of those bases loaded situations would have generated runs.

Three key pieces start the season on the DL. Nobody's fault. But it hurts.

Schneider not being here probably hurts.

But the hitting ain't that bad.

We need to tighten up. Some more performances like Reddings and Lannans.

Chill. WMP's comin'.

If I'm Cleveland's GM, I decide that after beating the Yankees in the playoffs, I want to see what my guys can do to follow up on that experience. I'm not going to break up the group in the middle of the run by trading off a guy who should win 15-18 games.

I posted my thoughts earlier, but after browsing and upon further reflection I think this conversation is fantastic.

The fact that we're even talking about possibly panic'ing after a 3-6 start is a sign of progress. This team is only 365 days removed from being considered one of the worst in all of history, and we're stressing over a 3-6 start.

1. We cut loose J-Pat
2. Showed Nook the door
3. Made a strong trade for a potential star in CF
4. A sparklin' park
5. Stress over a 3-6 start

No longer are we a joke, a doormat, or the organization people can push around. No more thinking of ourselves as a AAA club in the Big's: we're here to stay.

Washington baseball is on the rise and ain't waiting on nobody, jump on or get left behind.

i'm with novanat on CC. no way shapiro trades him unless they're out of it. this will be their last chance to go the distance with a 1-2 punch like CC/fausto for a while, so i'm thinking it's WS or bust for them.

now if they're 15 games back in july (which i don't expect), maybe he looks at trading CC.

Cleveland is not trading Sabathia. The Giants are not trading Cain or Lincecum. And suggesting that we should trade Perez, at least at this stage, is equivalent to suggesting that we buy a used car off the lot and then park it next to that same lot with a for sale sign on it.

231 and novanat - you are probably right about CC (can ANYONE spell his name right without looking?), they probably have to pin their hopes on making another run at the WS or even winning it generating enough interest and thus revenue to re-sign him. I think his agent said they won't negotiate until after the season so that is not a good sign for the tribe.

Why would anyone trade for Odalis Perez? He was a free man, and anybody could have had him; he had one decent game, one lousy one. He's no Kyle Lohse.

"Why would anyone trade for O. Perez?"

Well, it's a long shot, but say the Red Sox have a few injuries in their rotation. They're a heck of a team, but if 2 starters go down for the stretch and they just need someone halfway decent to give them some innings, they might part with a minor prospect. Figure by that time one of the Nats' younger pitchers might be able to step in and take his lumps w/o embarrassing himself, and everybody's happy.

Same goes with Meat -- he's not a world-beater, but he'd make someone a pretty spiffy DH if they lost their starter.

Shrewd use of spare parts that you don't desperately need can be good for the organization. (To wit, the Livo trade in '06, both trades of Mike Stanton, etc..)

Bob - very true (and funny) on Perez, I think he is a make or break player. Either he produces or is released, and probably by mid-may if he doesn't....sad to see a guy go from opening day starter to the unemployment line in less than two months, but that's baseball...

I also agree that Cain and Lincecum aren't going anywhere, that was more of an outgrowth of the NJ to SFG rumor.

As for guys of ours that are likely to find themselves on the trading block...Guzman has to be at the top of the list, but I think Belliard is as well and Tim Redding is a possibility if he has a few more quality starts.

I saw a rumor floating that the Mariners might need a DH and if/when DY is healthy and productive that could be a decent match. We did pretty well sending Vidro out there, eventually getting WMP if I recall correctly...

Blah, Blah, Blah just say it, the Nats suck. As far as the attendance goes its a screaming embarassment for MLB that a brand spanking new stadium can't draw enough to fill half the seats. This team should have gone to Vegas or Charlotte. Maybe Boz needs to write another article about the virtues of the new parking garages..er stadium.

Since I was a Senators fan in the '60s, and only an occasional lurker in Balmer during the Ripken years, can someone tell me why it is bad for our young pitching prospects to get their feet wet, and take their lumps at the major-league level? Seems to me, that if you train like you fight, then you will fight like you train. Or, so I've been told.

@ KAMAU,

"Dmitri let the team down. If he was healthy, we'd have a bench and more of those bases loaded situations would have generated runs.

Three key pieces start the season on the DL. Nobody's fault. But it hurts.

Schneider not being here probably hurts."

========================

Dude, that is the smartest thing I have read today.

6th and D,

There's nothing wrong with them getting their feet wet. But dropping them in to start the season when most of our young guys haven't pitched above AA is just to risky. ANd it can be detrimental to their development.

I bet we see Balester and (hopefully) Detweiler up here before the year is over.

DY sure did let the team down. How DARE he get diabetes...

Does that STILL sound smart?

-------------------------------------------
KAMAU,

"Dmitri let the team down. If he was healthy, we'd have a bench and more of those bases loaded situations would have generated runs.

Three key pieces start the season on the DL. Nobody's fault. But it hurts.

Schneider not being here probably hurts."

========================

Dude, that is the smartest thing I have read today.

Posted by: 6th and D | April 10, 2008 4:26 PM

Here's a hot stove rumor for you;

How about Christian Guzman to the Angeles for Maicer Izturis? He's young and a good defensive SS and will hopefully develop into a better hitter and the Angels could certainly use some better offensive production from SS. If Guz can continue to play like he is it might be a great move for both teams. We'd probably want another player in return, say a AA position prospect or a A pitching prospect...

On second thought...forget Izturis - i miss read his age...28! Where does the time go...

Still, the Angels need to upgrade at SS - Guz is hitting like crazy and their system is full of talent to trade for a win now scenario...

Hey Mike 8 not revisionist history just the facts, Manny isn't the answer they wanted Joe Giraldi but he wasn't comming here.F.Robby was not interested in being their buddy most of todays players are spoiled,overpaid,steroid using, fundamentally lacking brats I'll tell you what if this team wins 70 games this year I'll buy you dinner at your favorite place my treat E mail me !!!.

Estuartj: How about Juan Rivera and Macier Izturis for Jose Guillen? JimBow already did that one!

Funny, John!

---

10-4 isn't a score, it's a CB response. For example:

Texas Pete: Boy, I heard those Nationals stunk it up last night.

Lone Star Lonesome: That's a 10-4, Texas Pete. I could smell it all the way in Amarillo.

@ TimDZ

Tim, diabetes doesn't make you fat and slow and out of shape. Not taking care of yourself if you are afflicted with it can. Calling DY's shape and condition at the start of ST a direct result of his illness is just plain hogwash.

6th and D: I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one (which is cool). Diabetes is something that is treated with Medication and is requires a HUGE ajustment from the system. It can and does cause weight fluctuations amongst other things.
This does not even take into account the psychological side (I work in the field on this one, so it really isn't conjecture). I have worked with diabetics that struggle with depression as a result of the loss of control they feel. The depression is often manifest through weight gain. WHen you gain weight, you are going to be at risk to pull muscles etc. and much worse.
As for being fat and slow, lets be real here: He IS fat and slow and HAS been. I love DY's passion and love of the game, but come on...you can time him with a sundial.

Swanni - You think I would have taken a pay cut to pay for the Nats? I am with a real contender. Me and Lohse make a difference? Just keep the stuff you are smoking away from the kids.

From Cots Baseball Contracts:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3f76s5

Torii Hunter of
5 years/$90M (2008-12)

signed as a free agent 11/07
$2.5M signing bonus
08:$16M, 09:$17.5M, 10:$18M, 11:$18M, 12:$18M

This is from Jason La Canfora's Redskins Insider blog (by far and away the most popular blog on the Posts website):

"Randoms: A lot of Nats fans have jumped all over me for remarks I made on Comcast about the empty seats at the first game at the new ballpark and my concerns over the attendance there. Well, since then they've failed to draw to draw 25,000 to a game, with entire sections of the park appearing vacant on TV the other night. And the weather yesterday was as good as