Now with "Somewhat Less Awful" Offense: 2009 Washington Nationals

http://collinbalester.mlblogs.com/collin%20burried.jpg

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3901880&name=law_keith

In 2008, the team's cleanup position posted .255/.355/.288 and 16 HR/73 RBI. Perhaps the organization would like to put a few more fans in the seats.

Perez regrets giving approval to deal

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3911660&type=story

"I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work."

this'll be another fun season

Well, this doesn't help:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/17/nats.gonzalez/index.html

Charlie (Bethesda, MD): if you were Manny Acta, how would you play those guys in the 1b/lf crew assuming health. And would you give Kearns a towel or powedered gatorade packets to be useful during games?

SportsNation Keith Law: Dukes, Milledge, Dunn in the OF, Willingham at first, Johnson on the bench or DL, Kearns told that home games are at RFK.

Wow, he thinks Dunn is a better outfielder than Willingham? That's a low blow for Willingham. Is it deserved?

it may have more to do with dunn being unable to play first at all.

that's my suspicion

Meat Hook all-time PH?

And didn't H Reynolds Wrap say something about this "strategy" being the genius of Jim Bowden: stockpile, let ST sort it out?

If Dunn isn't playing first, why not let Meat Hook and Nick share first base and leave Willingham in the outfield? Not sold on Dukes/Milledge as full-timers just yet.

Wow, he thinks Dunn is a better outfielder than Willingham? That's a low blow for Willingham. Is it deserved?

― Your heartbeat soun like sasquatch feet (polyphonic), Thursday, February 19, 2009 8:49 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

maybe he thinks 1B will prevent Willingham from his usual back injury DL trip

At least what I was reading on one of the Reds sites stated that Adam Dunn did agree to play some 1b with the Nationals. Dunn had kind of fought the Reds to not play the position, but he did a bit when he first came up.

"Not sold on Dukes/Milledge as full-timers just yet."

I think Law's point is that you should find out if Dukes/Milledge are full-timers. If they aren't well that's that. It's not like the Nationals are competing for a playoff spot.

the gonzalez thing is bad. if chris marrero doesn't step it up this year, maybe that it's for bowden and his retRED front office. the crow debacle was, well, a debacle.

“There were no negotiations. He basically gave it to me,” Dunn said. “He didn’t have to do that. It didn’t matter to me. It’s very cool. I appreciate it.”

Milledge said he gave the number to Dunn because the veteran slugger has 278 home runs during his career.

“Whatever he needs to perform. It’s just the right thing to do,” Milledge said. “He has (233) home runs the last six years. How can I wear No. 44 and let him wear another number? No way. It’s the proper thing to do. It happens all the time. If Barry Bonds came in and I wore 25, I would have to give it up.”

our long nationals nightmare may be coming to an end. bowden is under investigation by mlb for sketchy business in latin america dating back to his days as reds g.m.

didn't think i'd say this, but C'MON, BUD!

link, etc

the hammer won't get dropped because if it does bowden will tee off and take bud down with him i.e. crooked shit in florida/loria deal and crooked shit to get Expos into DC

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/22/segura.feds.investigate.nationals/index.html

The Nationals, according to multiple industry sources, are strongly considering firing general manager Jim Bowden and replacing him with Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava.

Bowden out.

Jose Rijo is in the upcoming (and rather good) film Sugar, playing the head of a MLB team's Dominican academy!

bowden's statement...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2009/03/bowden_statement.html?wprss=nationalsjournal

This has probably been posted before, but RIP

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_drUMJ9HF-tQ/SHgQNZmb9II/AAAAAAAACyo/KwMAewOU0Kc/s320/jim-bowden-segway.jpg

No mention of Shairon Martis in the MLB Network's Nats preview. Weird.

"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavárez said on Sunday. "When you go to a club at 4 in the morning, and you're just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And to me this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It's 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/15/AR2009031501580.html

haw

truth bomb

i'm sure the nationals feel the same way about him tho right?

I guarantee you the Nationals knew they weren't they getting J-Lo.

"The other half have got T.B. Make sure you only fuck the ones that cough."

"Josh... uhhhh........ Willingham"

Dibble, ugh.

elijah dukes, who is probably the team's 2nd best hitter after dunn, is riding the bench to start the year apparently

ARGHH

manny acta ~*boy wonder genius manager*~

They wouldn't want Dukes to hit a home run and show up the opposing team or something.

These fan commercials are so very horrible.

Milledge to AAA

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4068188

That'll fix it.

haha, not that I didn't have enough reason to ditch him from the fantasy team

:(

i just want to say that i got to sit down by the nats dugout for the phils game on monday and adam dunn is ridiculously large...and was most upset when he k'd in the bottom of the 9th.

Oh man, I missed that Tavarez quote. The man is unpredictable and entertaining. Great qualities for an interviewee. Not so much for a relief pitcher.

i always saw milledge as a bust and i was pissed the mets didn't trade him when the hype was at its peak.

feel bad for these guys

"and was most upset when he k'd in the bottom of the 9th."

That's just an act dude is putting on. He doesn't really even like baseball.

FIRE MANNY ACTA. NOW.

WASHINGTON -- Nationals right fielder Elijah Dukes was scratched from Saturday's starting lineup against the Marlins and fined $500 for being five minutes late for work.

Dukes was late because he was signing autographs at a Little League function that was not sponsored by the Nationals.

Both acting general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Manny Acta made the decision to let Dukes sit out the game, and the outfielder was warned that if he was late again, he would be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Dukes did enter the game in the eighth inning after Roger Bernadina fractured his right leg. Dukes ended up going 0-for-2 in the game, dropping his batting average to .323.

"We are going to change the culture here, regardless of how well a guy is playing," Acta said. "It was a bizarre situation, because he was doing something that we encourage our players to do. He was out in the community doing something for some Little League program and he just showed up late for work.

"He was very remorseful about it. He felt bad, but we have to lay down the law. Regardless of who is out there, we are still losing ballgames. We have to change the culture somehow."

This is the second time Dukes was late for work since he joined the Nationals, the first coming on Aug. 2, 2008. Although he was scratched from the lineup that day, Dukes was able to get into the game in the sixth inning against the Reds, but he left after the eighth, hampered by a cramp in his right calf.

Is Dukes operating a fucking Ticketmaster or something?

"You on the mezzanine, dog -- sorry, I was signing autographs for some little dudes and shit.'

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/washingtonnatinals.jpg

Have fun with your new bullpen, Manny, but maybe you've noticed your starting rotation's ERA is only .17 lower?

chris *yorktown NY): Is Ryan Zimmerman finally living up his hype or is this just a really hot streak?

Keith Law: It's just a really hot streak.

Hey -- time for a new bullpen!

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/rossevelt.jpg

Names have been spelled wrong on uniforms. Names have been spelled wrong on bats. So yeah, as an ironic nod to the past, the Nats will naturally stuff a few Rossevelt bobbleheads into their official merchandise emporiums, daring the world to think they're serious. They're not serious, world. They're just messing with you now.

Anyhow, everyone in NatsTown remembers the friendly little hint for how to spell Roosevelt. It's just like the crowd at most D.C. sporting events--twice as many O's as you think there should be.

My source on this one was loyal Post reader Joanne Richcreek, whose eyes were sharpened while working as a newspaper copy editor--"sort of a curse and a blessing," she said.. She had no intentions of buying a $30, extra-large Teddy bobblehead at the store behind section 131 this weekend, but the Rossevelt thing made it irresistible. And, she notes, she purchased this on the day of Ross Detwiler's second start. Get it?

So maybe there was some sort of sly winking going on, like if the Nats started selling Bratworst, Done jerseys and New Error hats.

The actual bobblehead itself says, simply, "Teddy," but the large sticker on the box was hard to miss, and all the extra-large Teddy bobbleheads were similarly mis-adorned. I would say that, unopened, this is an instant collector's item, except at this point the only collector's items are the things spelled correctly.

i can relocate to DC if i can be team proofreader.

Going to Mets-Nats tonight, looking fwd to seeing this new CF who can reportedly catch the ball.

daniel cabrera doesn't seem to have changed much

"Adam fooled by the carry of that ball."

Also fooled by the bounce from the ground and the gripping/throwing part.

http://www.federalbaseball.com/2009/6/8/902174/rob-dibble-and-rob-neyer-twitter

ha, was just gonna post that

http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/?p=17428

Also:

"That's happened before. There have been uniform mistakes before. I think it was piling on on when everything for us was going bad. It was clearly a manufacturer's error. It was corrected after three innings. End of story."

Remember when it was going bad for the Nationals?

Excuse me -- that was when everything was going bad. Something has started to go well since then.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9677990/Sources:-Acta-out-as-Nats%27-skip-soon,-Riggleman-in

Manny Acta's time as manager of the Washington Nationals is just about over, according to major-league sources.

Acta will be by replaced bench coach Jim Riggleman, as originally reported on FOX Saturday Baseball. The only question is when. It could be a matter of days.

The Nats have an off-day on Monday before starting a series at the Yankees on Tuesday. They return home on Friday to face the Blue Jays.

Acta, who at 40 is the youngest active manager in the majors, was hired by the Nats in November of 2006. He's gone 147-231 in two and a half seasons. The Nats have the league's worst record this season at 15-42.

Riggleman has managed for the Padres, Cubs and Mariners. The Nats added him as bench coach this past offseason. He went from bench coach to interim manager last season for the Mariners after John McLaren's firing last June.

Riggleman's record as a manager is 522-652.

phew our troubles are almost over

get that win pct up to .300

awz catch willie harris 2 rob arod

KEEP IT UP GUYS

Willie Harris' CLORP5 rising by the at-bat.

is it worth $60 for tix to sox @ nats? i'd almost rather just wait for them to come to camden yards but i'm interested in seeing dc's stadium

DC's park is pretty anonymous. but i don't go to $60 (and beyond) unless it's postseason.

good point. i'm gonna skip it if i can't get cheaper seats

nats are gettin crushed right about now

Adam Dunn is the fifth-fastest to 300 home runs in MLB history

that is fairly cool >> Hanrahan gets Nats' win while on Pirates' roster

would i get police escorted out of the stadium if i rocked a giant NYJER, PLEASE sign? love that dude.

I would not rule it out.

shame on a nyjer

Manny being unemployed

LOL around 1:30

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5567879

GTFOHWTBS

http://dc-baltimore-sportsfans.com/2009/07/13/a-letter-to-nationals-fans/

07/13/09 11:54 AM ET

Fans of the Washington Nationals,

No one is more dissatisfied in the first half of the 2009 Washington Nationals season than we are. Like you, we had hoped that some of our younger players would have matured faster, and that the addition of some of our new veterans would have significantly improved our record from a season ago. Our hope was that a solid club leadership would emerge on and off the field, and that some intangible combinations would begin to click, resulting in many winning streaks.

We definitely do see significant pieces materializing for the future, and there have been many close, exciting games and optimistic bright spots: Strong outings by John Lannan, the home run and RBI production of Adam Dunn, the All-Star selection and 30-game hitting streak of Ryan Zimmerman and the recent addition of speedster Nyjer Morgan. Much of the season, however, has been defined by weak relief pitching, poor defense, and youthful inconsistency. We have tried to work through this period with patience and focus, but now we are faced with mounting losses which are beginning to take a toll on our entire roster. Clearly, some changes are required as we prepare for the second half of the 2009 season and, more importantly, build for a competitive future.

Today, we announced that manager Manny Acta is being replaced on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman, veteran manager, and currently the Nats bench coach. Both the Ownership and the entire Washington Nationals organization have the highest respect for Manny Acta and the role he has played in the short history of the Nationals. However, it is our belief that a fresh attitude and approach is necessary as we set out to improve our performance for the remainder of the year. We want to send a strong message to our clubhouse and our fans that the status quo is unacceptable. We believe that more is expected of everyone in the organization.

Baseball operations will be reevaluating all our players and our options for improvement over the next several months. We hope to sign our 2009 Draft choices by the August deadline. We hope these new additions will join an already exciting Nationals youth movement headed by the likes of Lannan, Jesus Flores, Alberto Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Craig Stammen on our current roster, and the likes of promising Minor League stars like Chris Marrero, Michael Burgess, Danny Espinosa, Derek Norris and Drew Storen, among many others. But, we also will be determining the viability of trades or roster upgrades that can be made without doing damage to the farm system or the developing talent we expect to blossom within the next two years.

When we bought the Washington Nationals in the middle of the 2006 season -- just under three years ago -- we committed to a patient, long-term approach, building a strong farm system and core foundation that would deliver a perennial and consistent contender; to provide a second-to-none family entertainment value at Nationals Park; and to investment and involvement in the metropolitan Washington D.C. community. Today, we remain steadfastly committed to each component of that mission. We are proud to represent the National Pastime in the Nation's Capital, and we are proud to call the Capital area home.

We know we have a way to go, but the end result will be all the richer for the early days we've spent together at Nationals Park. We are getting better. We want you to be with us as the pieces of the puzzle come together. Your support is powerful to the Nationals and baseball in Washington. Thank you for your continuing patience and your commitment to a shared dream.

Sincerely,

Washington Nationals Baseball Club

rip

missing u epxos

willingham w/ grand slams in consecutive innings

That doesn't happen very often!

On July 27, 2009 Willingham hit two grand slams in the same game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He became the 13th player in major league history to accomplish this feat, and only the 3rd in National League history. Willingham was the 7th player to hit the home runs in consecutive innings.

6 game win streak wha?

siete

OCHO

last 14: 11-3

only 3 games in back of KC for worst record in baseball which is crazzzy considering they were in the ALC pennant race at some point recently (?).

How long until they call SS up. September '10? Earlier? Later? Best guesses.

playing with a lot of <3 2nite

they lost by one, but getting 3 singles off Huston Street showed a lot of *guts*.

i'm not saying riggleman is an answer, but at this point, has he locked up another year? i loved manny, but i feel like the team has played well enough beyond the standard two week manager switch honeymoon...yea? nay?

Nyjer breaks hand sliding head-first into third, out for season.

Ugh.

Fractured hand, 15-day DL, that is.

Yeah?

reports are it's a season ender..FUUUUCCKK
love that guy

altho i guess he could just swing one handed and produce like Willy Taveras

http://masnsports.com/2009/09/answering-to-natstown.html

NatMeg asked why you chose "In the air tonight" by Phil Collins when you come to bat?
I don't know. I have always liked it, but I don't know.

Are you a Phil Collins fan?
Yeah, but I'm not like over the top Phil Collins fan. I think probably the main reason was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life was when Jermain Taylor fought Bernard Hopkins and beat him. That's the song Jermaine came out to and I get goosebumps every time I hear it. It was unbelievable. It was great, so that's probably why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyjer_Morgan

Personal life

Morgan occasionally refers to himself as "Tony Plush", which he says is his "gentleman's name".

September call-up SS Ian Desmond has 10 hits in his first 4 games:

.588/.611/1.000

SIX IN A ROW, HATERS

next year we try for 70 wins!

http://twitter.com/Neil_Hamburger/status/5599569914