Now With Cherry Blossoms: The 2008 Washington Nationals Thread

Anybody want to go in on a pool re: the date of Nick Johnson's season-ending injury?

that just makes me sad...i'll go in on a poole about what date they field an all-boone relations lineup, though.

did they sell out Opening Day yet?

no, but single game tix don't go on sale until 3/4.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0303/fantasy_a_young_johnson_412.jpg

nick johnson lookin good!

When are open tryouts?

Fucking hell

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/images/2008/03/04/5wpY6ff5.jpg

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2008/03/felipe_lopez_bench_no_hell_no.html

"No. Bench?," Lopez said when asked if he would accept a role behind Belliard. "No. I already said that. No. Hell, no. I feel good. The numbers are not showing, but I'm hitting the ball hard, playing great defense. I feel [freakin'] good."

He was asked if he thought it would be a tough choice: "Yeah I think so. It's really tough. You got Guzzy and Belly, their numbers are there. I don't have the average, but I'm hitting the ball and having good at-bats. So whatever happens, I would like to stay here, but I'm not going to be happy on the bench. Hell no."

Belliard's take: "It don't matter to me. Whatever they decide."

dude, get this clown out of my yard!

btw, did the braves not get the memo that this is opening day? what's w/ them jerseys?

What's w/ the Nats letting Hudson off the hook?

Pitch count after 1: 29
Pitch count after 5: 59

This has been a nice little game. Bush was even kinda pleasant.

Nice chorus of boos when he strolled out to the mound.

i liked his urban achiever little league platform -- guranteed contracts over here boys! plus you wont be cracked in the dome nearly as often as in the nfl

another walk-off for zim. sweet. too bad i was halfway down a ramp when he hit it! living on green line = convenient

why didn't either team use their closer??

rauch will be the man sooner rather than later...b'leedat!

thx to Metro-North family visit mishigas, I got home 3 mins before the Zimminator.

thanks for getting my back, uniwatch:

It’s pretty simple, or at least it should be: You don’t wear an alternate uniform for the first game of the season. And that goes double when you’re playing the very first game at a brand-new ballpark.

But the Braves were more interested in selling a few shirts and caps than in having any respect for the game or for their hosts, so they chose Opening Night to unveil their new blue alternate road jerseys and solid blue caps. Nice going, John Schuerholz. Maybe at your home opener you can announce that you’ve sold the stadium’s naming rights to Coca-Cola.

Braves Stadium at Chik-Fil-A Pavilion?

mattymatty2000 (Philly): Steve - did you hear last night in the ESPN booth President Bush intimated that if he had been able to buy the Rangers he would have offered the GM job to Joe Morgan? Theres so many jokes to make here my head is spinning.

Steven Goldman: I'm trying to imagine Joe wearing a Century 21 jacket. When Bush "owned" the Rangers (in quotes, 'cause he was just the front man), they were more about the real estate than the baseball - see our Rangers essay in this year's annual for more.

fukkin zimmerman~

uni watch dont know shit about shit, the new unis were TYTE and it was wholly appropriate to wear them imo.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080328/capt.e880695d48be4e8880793559b85afcc5.nationals_monument_baseball_dcpm113.jpg

reservoir doggs

i just watched the youtube clip and Bush was not boo'd nearly enough (if that's at all possible).

well, they probably packed the place out w/ loyalists!

aw, shucks: natties explosion.

milledge two run taco!

maybe I should become a Nats fan

...or not. yeesh.

Try again!

3-0!!!

break 'em up.

i'm guessing that by the time wily mo pena and elijah dukes return from the dl that nick the stick will be ready for his season ending injury.

btw, Manny Acta apparently cites the Prospectus Mind Game book on the Epstein Red Sox as an influence on his strategery.

Tim Redding outdueled Cole Hamels.

What the shit?

btw, Manny Acta apparently cites the Prospectus Mind Game book on the Epstein Red Sox as an influence on his strategery.

-yeah, he was pretty effusive in his praise of it in the post's big preseason article on acta. it's nice to see that he's getting plaudits for being a good manager AND his embrace of data analysis.

dios mio!

nats up 5-0 on the phils in the 2nd. moyer=fin?

wow. jesus flores and cristian guzman w/ 2 doubles a piece. nats tack on another run. moyer out after allowing 9 hits and a walk in 3.2ip

oh boy...rivera/king 1-2 combo

insanity! knotted up @ 7.

didn't notice that they put flippy in left.

everybody plays today. like 11 pitchers and 5 PHs between the two teams so far?

it ain't over until rob mackowiak plays every position int he infield.

btw, philly's going for the cycle in infield errors.

OOPS

goddammit

actually

sweet.

bleh

Intentionally walked one guy too many there.

No "I don't think that was in Mind Game" cracks, plz

bummer of a slugfest tonight. try leaving fewer than 11 men on base next time, dudes.

favorite nats blogs anyone?

do you read federal baseball? pretty sharp, if not terribly exciting.

i don't read any except occasionally svrluga's, am looking for a good one.

www.federalbaseball.com

check it out and let me know what you think.

liking the recap of last night.

that 3-0 cloud of joy really scooted away quickly.

quite. rough times, though, when your "ace" is released and flippy lopez is your starting outfielder.

and jim bowden's your manager.

rough times.

Bowden's the GM, dude! & while he started off on the wrong foot (long term deal to Christian Guzman wtf), he's actually been pretty shrewd of late (snagging Kearns w/ F-Lo from the Reds, yoinking Milledge from the Mets).

Screech is cute!

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/images/community/mascot.jpg

Has anyone been to the new Nationals Park? It is green.

has Teddy Roosevelt won the race yet?

nope.

flippy with the grand slam!!

digging federal baseball's recaps, tight but comprehensive, and with just enough editorializing.

dmitri young bobbleheads tomorrow night. wish i could go

http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/ed/55/79e5_1.JPG

don't make it worse

Dude Nick Johnson regrew THE STACHE!!!

Please add "s" to "Dude" thx

Will, you can get a Dmitri bobblehead off eBay right now.

Braves guys were saying "oh it's the 2nd coming of Keith Hernandez" yesterday, but I think he's going for R. Palmeiro.

for the price of three nosebleeds? pffft

Theme song complaint:

http://jordanbaker.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-fuck-nationals.html

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nationals_book_it_after_foul_ball

Apart from being Ugueth Urbina's first MLB win, does anyone know the significance of this game: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199505140.shtml? More specifically, why ESPN Classic would choose to replay it right now?

Forgot a spoiler tag.

i just turned it on to two expos players dancing in the dugout in the bottom of the 13th

Gittem!

May 23 : Dukes will take over as the everyday right fielder with Austin Kearns (elbow) out for the next month, reports the Washington Post.

Status alert: Dukes left Friday's game against the Brewers in the sixth inning with a bruised left ankle. (May 23)

The Nationals have five-eighths of their Opening Day lineup on the disabled list, including their 3-4-5 hitters, plus their closer. Another top hitter missed three of the past four games with an illness. An injury and a doubleheader forced them to call up Triple-A starters for consecutive games.

went last night after some training in dc. park generally & $5 seats are pretty boss esp cuz you can just go sit in the bar/restaurant (red zone or something?) and have a good view & seat on its deck

also nats are 14-3 when tim redding start

Sometimes it pays to take strike three.

Just found out a friend of mine is dating the new closer... Hanrahan I think?

joel hanrahan's closing now? where have i been?

wapo reports that flippy lopex, johnny estrada and the duke have all been released.

Ha -- I almost thought you meant DUKES, not the Long Island Sexpressway.

I guess that means former Met farmhand Jesus Flores (plucked from their system via the Rule 5 draft -- go Omar!) will take over full-time catching?

he's basically been there for a while. he's sporting a nifty OPS+ this year. i went to a game the other night and the duke was playing first. i almost threw up.

actually, the duke's release was forced by dukes' return from the dl.

"You released, dawg."

I do remember seeing Curd LoDuca in left a while back -- always an odd sight.

he's a decidly unathletic looking guy. that says something on a team that already has dmitri young.

4 in a row!

see? all they had to was lose the duke!

HR » WAS: W. Harris (11)

!!!

Seven career HRs prior to this season.

swept the dodgers and now the braves

next up: phillies

Martis is looking pretty good.

http://bizofbaseball.com/images/08-09NatsJerseys.jpg

Never mind the Nationals' 59-102 record last season, the worst in the majors. Club officials believe that the team is reasonably close to a breakthrough, which is why they are pursuing sluggers such as Holliday and free agents Mark Teixeira and Adam Dunn.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- MASN has named Rob Dibble as the new color commentator for the Washington Nationals. He will join play-by-play man Bob Carpenter in the booth beginning with the 2009 season under a multi-year contract with MASN.