|
 |
| Wednesday, April 18, 2007 |
The Washington Nationals wore Virginia Tech baseball caps last night in a show of support for the nearby university.
 The Washington Nationals fell behind against a pitcher bound for the Hall of Fame and predictably ended up losing to the Atlanta Braves last night, 6-4. But what otherwise would have gone down as a routine April defeat by a young team trying to find its way was given greater meaning when the Nationals came out of the dugout wearing Virginia Tech baseball caps.
At that moment, playing baseball took a back seat to remembering the victims of the shootings in Blacksburg, Va., as the 17,791 at RFK Stadium responded with a loud ovation.
[...]
[Nats 3rd baseman Ryan] Zimmerman attended the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech’s arch rival. But when team officials approached the players during batting practice to ask them about wearing Virginia Tech hats, Zimmerman didn’t hesitate. “I was honored to wear it,” he said.
The idea sprang from an e-mail that Nationals fan Dave Lanham sent to team president Stan Kasten. Lanham, a resident of Calvert County, suggested that the team don the hats in tribute. Kasten liked the thought but didn’t see the e-mail until after his afternoon meetings.
With about 90 minutes before first pitch, Harolyn Cardozo, executive assistant to General Manager Jim Bowden, was on the phone calling sporting goods stores. She dialed the number to the Sports Authority’s store in Alexandria, and when she heard a voice, she had one simple demand: “Give me the smartest guy in the store who can get something done fast.”
Paul Schneider, a department manager, soon was scouring the store for Hokies hats. Cardozo asked for 40 of them and they needed to be at the stadium before the Nats took the field. Schneider found about 20 on the rack and discovered a box full in a storeroom. He talked his managers into donating the 38 hats of various styles, then jumped in his car to cross the Wilson Bridge and weave through rush-hour traffic to get to RFK.
Fifteen minutes before the first pitch, Major League Baseball gave the team approval. Schneider arrived at the stadium during the first inning, and the caps made it to the Nationals’ dugout in time for the team to take the field with them for the second inning.
A nice gesture. Interestingly, Kasten was president of the Braves for many years.
I know these are late. I had these donw before the season the started but didn’t have the time to transfer them from paper to the CPU before the season started. But due to popular demand I will post the NL stat predictions I made prior to the season starting. To make it easier on myself I will just post the most notable players and not do it by team and lineup spot.
Here are the NL East hitters:
Moises Alou .293-17-68-2-60
Alfredo Amezaga .254-3-20-23-49
Willy Aybar .282-6-33-3-37
Rod Barajas .249-15-47-0-41
Carlos Beltran .282-36-114-21-129
Aaron Boone .253-8-40-6-37
Joe Borchard .238-9-26-2-31
Pat Burrell .262-30-98-0-84
Miguel Cabrera .319-35-114-6-108
Ryan Church .279-14-62-12-67
Matt Diaz .287-8-36-4-41
Carlos Delgado .278-34-118-0-92
Damion Easly .248-7-33-2-33
Rob Fick .271-7-33-1-29
Jeff Francoeur .276-32-106-4-88
Shawn Green .280-19-71-6-73
Christian Guzman .244-3-38-14-51
Wes Helms .280-21-72-0-60
Ryan Howard .307-49-131-0-108
Mike Jacobs .271-28-86-1-67
Andruw Jones .276-45-126-6-109
Chipper Jones .310-28-93-6-95
Kelly Johnson .273-14-59-8-79
Nick Johnson .288-13-45-3-51 (DL)
Austin Kearns .273-23-83-8-78
Paul LoDuca .297-7-56-3-78
Felipe Lopez .279-12-58-43-92
Brian McCann .291-25-86-2-63
Lastings Milledge .256-6-29-5-33
David Newhan .266-4-26-5-29
Miguel Olivo .256-14-50-3-47
Hanley Ramirez .284-16-56-54-105
Edgar Renteria .289-15-67-16-98
Jose Reyes .304-16-79-60-124
Jimmy Rollins .279-20-72-41-124
Aaron Rowand .278-16-71-18-92
Scott Thorman .269-19-71-1-60
Dan Uggla .272-20-78-5-86
Chase Utley .306-34-109-13-120
Jose Valentin .247-15-52-4-59
Shane Victorino .282-11-59-17-77
Jayson Werth .265-12-39-8-44
Josh Willingham .279-28-81-1-70
Craig Wilson .259-14-46-1-45
David Wright .308-27-114-19-108
Dimitri Young .248-8-38-2-32
Ryan Zimmerman .296-22-98-10-83
*Key players in bold
You already got a look at my American League Fantasy Sleepers with my last blog, now it’s time to move onto the National League Sleepers.
Nation League
Catcher – Chris Iannetta: Iannetta should easily win the starting catcher job in Colorado this spring. His best competition is aging veteran Javy Lopez. Iannetta has the ability to hit for a good average (.303 career in the minors) and produce double digit homers. He is well worth a late round pick and should be a top 10 overall catcher very soon. Plus he hits in humidor-less Colorado this year.
First Base – Conor Jackson: With the perfect combination of discipline and strike-zone judgment Conor Jackson could put up huge numbers in the middle of Arizona’s lineup. He makes consistent, hard contact. His gap power could produce 25 homers and he could easily drive in 100 runs while batting over .310. Jackson goes in the last 3 rounds and sometimes undrafted. Grab him, especially if your league has CIF in addition to 1B and UTIL.
Second Base – Chris Burke, Kaz Matsui: While Burke is currently blocked at 2B by future Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio the Astros are going to find him playing time in CF. He could bat at the top of this order and produce 100 runs and 12-15 homers with 20+ steals. Kaz Matsui is more of a longshot. He has to first win the 2B job in Colorado. Then he has to hold onto it if he wins it. In 113 at-bats in Coloroado, Matsui hit .345 with 2 homers, 22 runs, 19 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. Incredible numbers! Monitor him closely and if he wins the job grab him out of the free agent pool.
Shortstop –Stephen Drew, Felipe Lopez: Stephen Drew came out of the gates swinging last year. He hit .316 in 209 at-bats with 5 homers, 13 doubles, and 7 triples. Drew is going to be the Diamondbacks’ starting SS this year and should get 550+ at-bats. He could provide great punch with a stat line around .285-15-80-10-90. Felipe Lopez is playing on a team that is going to try and get wins by using grit and letting players use their God-given talent. This is good news for Felipe Lopez. Lopez stole 44 bases last year. More importantly he learned how to take walks, 81 of them to be exact. He will be on 1B a lot this season and the Nats will need to find any way they can to score. Lopez is a sleeper to get 50 steals. He should also improve on his .274 AVG a bit. Don’t expect him to top 20 homers again though, look for 15-17 tops.
Third Base – Morgan Ensberg, Wes Helms: Get past Ensberg’s .235 AVG and 387 at-bats from last year. Look at his other numbers: 23 homers in 387 at-bats and 101 walks. Ensberg has improved his eye and has the protection of Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman in front of him now. Ensberg could put up huge numbers this year. Wait and grab him late. You’re probably thinking to yourself right now “Wes Helms? Why in the world would I want this guy?†I’ll tell you why. He’s the starting 3B for the Phillies (meaning he gets to hit in one of the 5 best hitters parks in the league, not to mention in a lineup with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins), he hits lefties with the best of ‘em (.336 in 107 at-bats), and has hit .316 over the last two years. Put him on your watch list because he most likely won’t go in any draft. Grab him out off of the free agent bin once you get a roster spot open. Oh yeah, he’s eligible at 3B and 1B too.
Outfield – Brad Hawpe, Luke Scott, Chris B. Young, Barry Bonds: Brad Hawpe put up good numbers last year (.293-22-84) and was available in the free agent pool. He won’t be available via free agency this year. He is going somewhere in the 14-18 round range and I’ve even gotten him in the last round in one draft. He is quite the uncommon by posting better numbers away (.303-16-48) than at Coors (.282-6-36). Don’t look for that to happen again. The humidor is gone and Hawpe proved that he can hit away from Coors. He could easily approach .310-30-100 this season. Luke Scott put up huge numbers in his major league stinit last season (.336-10-37 in 214 at-bats). He should win the starting job but will sit against lefties. If you are a competitive fantasy leaguer I would grab him in the last two rounds and sit him when the Astros face lefties. He’ll produce against righties. Chris B. Young is gonna be in the rookie of the year running all season long. He has 20-20, even 25-25 potential right away. Be careful though, his average will be in the .260-.270 range but if you can make up for it then grab young in the last 2 rounds, he seems to be going undrafted in almost every mixed-league. Bonds is Bonds. You know he can hit if healthy. Grab him, but don’t reach for him.
Starting Pitchers – Dave Bush, John Patterson, Tim Hudson: Dave Bush, if you haven’t read any other fantasy blogs, is the talk of the fantasy sleeper world. Everyone, including me, expect him to break out in a big way this year. Sure his ERA was 4.41 last year and he went 12-11. He’s 27 now and his secondary numbers suggest he is ready to bust out. He only gave up 18 homers and more importantly posted a WHIP of 1.13. His “converted†ERA, according to Bill James Handbook, was 3.47. The youngsters in that Brewers team are going to hit and they are going to field. Bush should put up 14-16 wins, an ERA below 4.00, and 160+ strikeouts. John Patterson has ace stuff. John Patterson also needs ace bandages everywhere. Grab him in the mid-late teen rounds and watch his progress. If healthy he can be amongst the league leaders in ERA, SO, and WHIP. Tim Hudson has worked out like a horse this offseason. He said he is putting his “horrible season†of last year behind him and working hard to get back to where he was when he was in Oakland. Look for Hudson to be somewhere in the middle of where he was in Oakland and where he was last year in Atlanta, which means great numbers! Grab him in the mid teen rounds.
Relief Pitchers – Jonathan Broxton, Tony Pena, Bill Bray: I don’t care if Saito is the closer in Los Angeles, Jonathan Broxton will likely get double digit saves and record over 100 strikeouts while posting an ERA below 3.00. Grab him late and laugh at everybody who missed out on him. For keeper leagues this guy is the closer of the future for the Dodgers. Tony Pena is someone to simply keep an eye on. Watch Arizona closer Jose Valverde and see if he struggles. If Valverde struggles and so does the team look for Arizona to trade Jorge Julio and put Tony Pena in at closer for good. Same can be said for Bill Bray in Cincinnati. Mike Stanton and Dave Weathers are supposed to split all the saves but young Bill Bray is the future closer. Watch the closer situation in Cincinnati and grab Bray if he gets the job midseason.
That’s all for now (fantasy-wise), I hope you enjoy the Fantasy Sleepers and good luck in your leagues!
On Valentine’s Day, the love comes out for the greatest game in the world -
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter: “I think because everybody can relate. You don’t have to be seven feet tall; you don’t have to be a certain size to play. Baseball is up and down. I think life’s like that sometimes, you know. Back and forth, up and down, you’re going through this grind. I think people like watching it. Baseball’s like a soap opera every day.”
Ernie Banks, Cubs legend and Hall of Famer: “It’s just life. When I think about baseball, it’s just life. It’s really the way life is. It requires a lot of mental capacity to be involved in it. It creates a lot of joy for people and memories for people who follow it. It’s a family. You like it because it’s a family. You started with it and know all these people — it’s family, it’s friends, it’s fun, it’s a beautiful game. All in all, baseball is amazing.
Joel Kweskin, 56, White Sox fan based in Charlotte, N.C.: “It’s unique unto itself. Football, basketball and hockey are variations of the same concept — back and forth in a linear progression to score a goal. Baseball, however, is mapped out on the field unlike any other sport. A running back or return specialist can run 100 yards, tops; a baserunner legging out an inside-the-park homer runs 20 yards farther. Baseball is the most democratic of sports — any size can play, and because the ball is not controlled by the offense but rather the defense, every player at any given time is involved in a play. Along with the anecdotally accepted premise that hitting a pitched baseball is the single most difficult thing to do in sports, so might be fielding a 175-mph line drive or grounder down the line. I love baseball because it is the greatest game ever invented.”
Former Royals star Willie Wilson: “The first thing is, I don’t think there’s any criteria for size, so anybody can play. I think people can relate. A lot of people never played football; basketball, you’ve gotta be tall and be able to jump. But baseball is a game where you pick up a bat and a ball, and you catch it, you swing the bat and you hit the ball. Most people have played softball or some kind of baseball, so they can relate to the sport. For me, that’s why I think America just embraces baseball, man.”
Baseball Blogger Travis G.: Where to start? I think better when I make a list.
1. Players. The requirements to be a good baseball player are very undefined. You can be short, tall, thin, chunky, anything really. You name the greats and you get tall and chunky (Ruth, Ortiz), short and chunky (Yogi, Gwynn), tall and thin (Sizemore, Jeter), short and thin (Reyes, Ichiro). They may not be the best athletes (e.g. David Wells), but when they’re playing the best game in the world, who cares?
2. The Mentality. Baseball requires more intelligence than any other sport (save for NFL QB). Simply put, every hitter that steps to the plate is trying to out-think the pitcher, and vice versa. 4-5 times a game, focus has to be completely on the man in front of him. Will he throw a fastball, curve, change? If you take an at-bat (or even a pitch) off, you’re toast. Same thing with the pitcher. The only other sport that comes close is football, but mainly just for the QB. Baseball requires every single player to have good mental capacity.
3. The Field. Football, hockey, basketball and soccer all use essentially the same type of field/playing surface: a rectangle. Baseball uses a diamond. It’s not only unique in that aspect, but every single ballpark is unique amongst the sport. Each park has its own quirks and intricacies that make it special. Not a single other sport can say that. Yankee Stadium has Death Valley, the short RF porch, and the facade. Fenway has the Monster. Shea has the apple. Wrigley has the ivy-covered brick. Pac Bell (or whatever it’s called now) has the bay in RF. Houston has the hill in center. Imagine if the RCA Dome’s field was only 95 yards; that’s the equivalent of Death Valley or the Green Monster.
4. One on One. Basically the speech DeNiro makes in The Untouchables. Baseball is a team game: 25 men. But each of them takes one turn – by themself – to help the whole team. Then the next batter gets a chance. Because of the batting order, a team can’t simply send its best hitter up every at-bat. You can’t just give the ball to Jordan or Shaq (Pujols or Ortiz) every time. A team’s best hitter will get 4-5 chances a game to help his team. That’s it. You need a complete team to win.
5. Substitutions. Once a player is removed, he’s done. You can’t just sub in the best defenders when you have a lead. You can’t take out Santana for an inning because he’s tired, then re-insert him. Could you imagine the way baseball would be played if there were no substitution restrictions? It would be bedlam. Players don’t get any breaks (outside of the DH) during the game. Even late inning defensive replacements are a gamble if the trailing team comes back. And substitutions play an ever bigger role in the NL.
6. No Clock. No running out the clock. It doesn’t matter what inning and what score it is, you still need 27 outs to complete the game. There’s no easy way to ‘seal’ a win. You still have to face every batter, and record every out.
7. History. When Japanese kamikaze pilots flew their planes into American ships, they would often yell ‘Fuck Babe Ruth!’ No other American sport has the history baseball does. Some of the most iconic figures in our culture are Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Ripken, McGwire, Bonds, Aaron, Clemens, Jeter. It’s goes all the way back to the 1830′s. The ‘Junior Circuit’ (AL) had been going strong for over 45 years before the NBA ever started. The Yankees had already won 20 World Series before the first Super Bowl was ever played. I just love that feeling of history when I watch a game.
8. Summer. What better sport to exemplify the feeling of summer than baseball. The only summer sport we have. Warm weather, kids are out of school; remember the day games with your dad, drinking a soda, eating a hot dog? No other sport lets you enjoy the weather. Hockey and basketball are indoors. And the football season lasts from September to February, nuff said.
9. Connection. This ain’t football where the most ardent fans get to see a maximum of just 24 games (including the pre and post-season). Baseball is 3 hours a day, 6 days a week for 6 months. You get a minimum of 162 games. That’s double basketball and hockey, and 10 times that of football. Not only do you get to see your ‘guys’ 162 times a season, but you actually feel close to them. They’re not wearing masks to cover their faces (football, hockey), so you see (and often share) their reactions and emotions. You don’t get that feeling of ‘closeness’ from other sports. And then when you add the fact that baseball plays 162 games, it’s easy to understand where the connection comes from. When the season is over, it’s like you not seeing your family for 5 months.
10. Home-field Advantage. Having the home team hit in the bottom of each inning assures that every team, every season (even Kansas City) will have its share of thrilling, bottom of the whatever, walk-off wins. It’s nothing like football where you squib kick it or have the QB kneel down, or in basketball where you dribble out the clock or foul the opponent 10 times.
Your thoughts?
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Right fielder Austin Kearns and the Washington Nationals agreed Thursday to a three-year contract that guarantees him $17.5 million, adding a long-term piece to the team’s rebuilding effort.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a better place to be very soon,” Kearns said. “I feel comfortable here and I feel good about where it’s going.”
Kearns will get $3.5 million this year, $5 million in 2008, and $8 million in 2009, and the Nationals hold a $10 million club option for 2010, with a $1 million buyout. The contract does not include bonus clauses.
“Certainly we think Austin’s going to be a cornerstone of this franchise,” general manager Jim Bowden said. “His best years are ahead of him. His prime just starts now.”
Kearns had filed for arbitration, asking for $4.25 million in 2007, while the Nationals offered $3.65 million. He made $1.85 million last season, when he hit .264 with 24 homers, 33 doubles and 86 RBIs for the Nationals and Reds.
Washington acquired Kearns, infielder Felipe Lopez and reliever Ryan Wagner in July in an eight-player trade with Cincinnati.
In five major league seasons, the 26-year-old Kearns has batted .265 with 79 homers, 104 doubles and 299 RBIs.
He’s expected to be a middle-of-the-lineup fixture for Washington, which is revamping its player development system after three consecutive last-place finishes in the NL East.
Kearns joins third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year in 2006), first baseman Nick Johnson and catcher Brian Schneider as the team’s building blocks. Johnson and Schneider both signed deals through 2009 last offseason.
“We have a good core group,” Kearns said. “I don’t think people actually realize the talent that already is here and how close this thing can get to where we want it.”
It’s about time the Nationals locked up a young player with huge upside. This is a great move for them and the fans. Kearns is still very young, has huge power potential, and is a good defensive rightfielder. The Nationals need to build that team arounf Kearns, Ryan Zimmerman (who is a STAR in the making), Felipe Lopez, and John Patterson (if he can stay healthy). They need to rebuild their farm system and use all the money they get and the money they have saved by dumping aging vets and invest in some pitching. The Nationals will probably finish last in the NL East and in the bottom 5 in all of baseball this year but they have a great chance to turn things around by 2008. It’s gonna be a wait and see season for fans, let’s hope they don;t get too disgruntled by 2007 though.
|
| Tuesday, January 2, 2007 |
The solid middle of the order will not hide all the gambles everywhere else. The prognosis is another lost season for a franchise that has shown more wanderlust than title success in its history. Outside the Beltway’s review of Major League Baseball’s Hot Stove League continues with the only team located inside the Beltway, the Washington Nationals. Manny Acta, Washington’s new manager, is optimistic, hoping to duplicate the success of last year’s Florida Marlins, who contended for much of the summer before fading come fall. He has a lot of work cut out for him, but the wandering in the wilderness may soon be over for the Nationals.
Losing their best player from 2006 is forcing more of the youth movement in Washington, as the Nats will replace Alfonso Soriano with some combination of Alex Escobar, Chris Snelling or Kory Casto. Casto had been switched to third base two seasons ago, but with Ryan Zimmerman entrenched at the hot corner, a move back to the outfield will get Casto’s live bat into the lineup. He should join young mashers Nick Johnson, Zimmerman and Kearns to form a solid foursome behind leadoff hitter Felipe Lopez. If Lopez maintains his OBP gains from last season he will score lots of runs. Lopez moves from shortstop where his defense was to say the least an adventure. His move was facilitated by the trade that sent franchise cornerstone Jose Vidro to Seattle for Snelling and Emiliano Fruto, a 23 year-old reliever with severe control problems. Even without Vidro and Soriano the lineup can be potent. Lopez will put up good hitting numbers and will not be too terrible defensively at second. But Escobar and Nook Logan do not strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers, nor does catcher Brian Schneider. Worse still, 2005′s worst major league hitter returns to the lineup. Yes Nationals fans, Christian Guzman is back, and as he hits in front of the pitcher, expect Felipe Lopez to hit with two outs, a lot. One ray of hope for a down in the order hitter is Ryan Church, who posted a .896 OPS in 222 plate appearances. If Acta is serious about giving him a chance, Washington could have a nice lineup. But it’s always about pitching and what do the Nat’s have there?
The starting staff is anchored by John Patterson, coming off of a right forearm injury in 2006, that limited him to eight starts. Patterson if healthy is ace caliber. But who pitches after him? Shawn Hill? Beltran Perez? Matt Chico? All these young starters will get a chance this spring, and given the pitcher friendly environment that is RFK Stadium, any or all of them could provide league average of better innings. In the pen, young hard throwing closer Chad Cordero is supported by Ryan Wagner, Jon Rauch and Fruto, as well as whatever arms look good in spring. Not terrible in RFK, but apart from Cordero and maybe Rauch, not world beaters either.
The Nationals youth movement is well timed. They have a full season for their young pitchers to develop their new ballpark (slated to open in 2008) is built. Amazingly enough, that could lead to excitement in ’08 and ’09. And by then the Marlins will still be on the rise, but the Mets and Phillies recent runs will be at their end. The lineup is solid and has good pop. They need to nail down left and center field and may have good internal candidates with Casto, Snelling, and Church. They need National-league average shortstop production from Guzman. The Nationals won’t contend in 2007. But they are following the blueprint of the Cleveland Indians by focusing on development and then as the players come of age, opening up a new ballpark. The talent is right for a good short run as the decade closes. And wouldn’t it be a strange event a pennant race in DC during an Presidential election year.
The Royals added veteran set-up man David Riske to their bullpen today.
From the Kansas City Star:
Riske, 30, has made a name for himself as one of the better setup men in baseball. He is 18-14 with a 3.59 ERA in 328 appearances in a seven-year career with Cleveland, Boston, and the White Sox.
…
Riske appeared in a total of 140 games in 2003 and 2004, and since has seen his strikeout totals diminish. He struck out 76 batters in a combined 116 2/3 innings the last two seasons.
This makes six pitchers General Manager Dayton Moore has signed this off season who will likely make the opening day roster, completely overhauling what was the worst pitching staff in 2006, a season in which the Royals allowed seventy-two more runs than the second-worst team in the majors.
The Royals also signed Zach Day to a minor-league contract. Day fell of a cliff the last two seasons after showing promise early in his career, though part of that may have been due to a shoulder problem.
Day is 28 and missed the last half of 2006 after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff. He went 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA in eight starts for Washington and Colorado and made $600,000. He is 21-27 with a 4.66 ERA in his career. His 2.25-to-1 ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio is baseball’s seventh highest since 2002.
Groundball pitchers tend to do well when they have good defenders playing behind them. Mark Grudzielanek may have won the Gold Glove last year, but Angel Berroa did not, so we’ll have to wait and see if this proves to be a steal for the Royals.
Of course, if Day’s shoulder is healed, then it certainly can’t hurt to have another pitcher with actual major-league experience on the team.
|
| Thursday, May 4, 2006 |
The Nats finally have an owner, or, technically, a group of them, led by Ted Lerner.
A group of area businessmen led by developer Theodore N. Lerner was awarded ownership of the Washington Nationals yesterday and pledged to build a first-class baseball organization by investing heavily in player development and working closely with the city on construction of the team’s new stadium on the Anacostia waterfront. Lerner, who has made a fortune in real estate across the Washington region over the last five decades, was informed of the decision by Major League Baseball in a telephone call from Bud Selig, the league’s commissioner. It brought to a close a 17-month ownership search for the franchise that was moved to Washington from Montreal before the 2005 season.
[...]
Lerner, 80, was selected over seven other bidders who each had agreed to pay the $450 million sale price set by Major League Baseball, whose 29 other owners bought the struggling Montreal Expos for $120 million in February 2002.
Selig told reporters that it was the “family model” of the Lerner group and Lerner’s strong roots in the Washington area that persuaded him to award them the team. Lerner will oversee a Nationals ownership group of 14 investors that includes his son Mark D. Lerner, who will run the franchise, and his sons-in-law, Edward L. Cohen and Robert K. Tanenbaum. “The family model meant a lot to me,” Selig said. “I’ve seen the family model work and it works well. There’s continuity. There’s stability. If you look back in our history, the family model works well. The family ownership was very important and the depth of their commitment to philanthropy was most impressive.”
Selig also said the Lerners’ recent addition of former Atlanta Braves president Stan Kasten, who is well respected in baseball circles and enjoys Selig’s confidence, helped tip the balance. And the commissioner offered the reclusive Lerner some advice. “I said to him this morning, ‘Whether you know it or not, your life took a very dramatic turn in the public,’ ” Selig said. “I’m not sure he really knows it, but he’ll surround himself with good people like his son and Stan Kasten.”
That the Expos/Nats were allowed to compete for three years while being wholly owned by the other franchises was a scandal. It is hard to conceive of a more obvious conflict of interest than having competitors control a team’s finances and personnel decisions.
|
| Tuesday, April 11, 2006 |
Vice President Dick Cheney got booed after a weak first pitch at the Nats’ home opener.
 The first pitch of the Washington Nationals’ second season at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium was low and away, bouncing in the dirt before being scooped up by catcher Brian Schneider.
For that, Vice President Cheney received a round of boos from the home crowd this afternoon. But the catcalls didn’t last long before the fans cheered for the Nationals, who took the field in their white uniforms with red trim against the New York Mets.
My guess is someone is getting fired over this. I nominate this woman:
“This is our team,” declared Lynette Jackson, 50, of D.C., who called in sick to her job with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so she could attend the game with her family. “I called in to ask for leave and didn’t tell them why.”
Hint: If you’re going to play hookey from work, don’t announce it in the town’s biggest newspaper.
|
| Tuesday, April 11, 2006 |
This hearing strikes me as an enormous waste of everyone’s time.
Congress is asking why more Nationals games aren’t being televised in the Washington area.
A committee hearing Friday led to both sides agreeing to at least talk about the conflict that has kept most cable viewers from seeing the new major league team.
Virginia Congressman Tom Davis held a hearing to examine the dispute between Comcast cable and baseball officials that is keeping the Nats off TV.
Yes, because it is a Virginia Congressman’s DUTY to make sure the DC baseball team gets their games on TV. We’re fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran is about to get nuclear weapons . . . and Congress spends time on this. There is already a court case about this, because Peter Angelos, the Orioles owner, prematurely ended his contract with Comcast, and Comcast insists he had no right to do so.
Angelos called on Congress to pressure Comcast to air [Mid-Atlantic Sports Network] broadcasts this season.
“Comcast should not be permitted to use its dominant position in distribution in the Washington market to bleed MASN into bankruptcy,” Angelos said.
This whole thing is a mess. Its going to be interesting to see how this sports network gets hammered out. Once MASN gets approval to air, I have a feeling its going to rake in the dough for both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles.
|
|
