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In case you missed it, pitcher A.J. Burnett - recently traded from the Yankees to the Prates - injured himself in batting practice this past week. Burnett was practicing bunting - a skill required of National Lague pitchers - and fouled a ball into his face, fracturing the orbital bone around his right eye. Surgery was necessary, and Burnett will be out for 8-10 weeks. ... read more
Amazingly, the Nationals are catching some criticism for signing franchise cornerstone Ryan Zimmerman to a six-year contract extension over the weekend. It's being suggested by some that the club should have offered Zimmerman a much shorter pact, since they have Anthony Rendon waiting in the wings. Really? Hey, I'm as optimistic about Rendon's future as anyone, but I'm pretty sure his professional resume is essentially ... read more
I would hope that baseball fans in general, and Nationals fans in particular, will cut Ryan Braun some slack when the Brewers come to town this year. Braun's 50-game suspension was overturned through arbitration, and the story of why that happened is still not crystal clear. What is clear, though, is that the confidentiality of baseball's drug testing program has some obvious holes. Braun had ... read more
Some of you are aware that back in the '90s, I was an official scorer for the American League for games played in Baltimore. I was one of a handful of guys who did the job. You were appointed by the league on the recommendation of the home team. Every so often, there would be a scoring decision that was questioned by either the player ... read more
While perusing the web the other day I came across an item in Nick Piecoro's blog on azcentral.com. Piecoro covers the Diamondbacks for the Arizona Republic, and was present for manager Kirk Gibson's introductory remarks at spring training. In the course of Gibson's dialogue, the subject of the Snakes' signing of free agent Jason Kubel came up, in regards to Kubel assuming the everyday left ... read more
Veteran Mike Cameron's abrupt decision to retire on the cusp of spring training will have some impact on the Nationals' 2012 roster. Cameron, 39, had signed a minor league deal with Washington in December, and one popular theory had him platooning with Rick Ankiel in center field this year, allowing the ballclub to send Bryce Harper back to the minors for further seasoning. His departure ... read more
The news that Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes has cast his lot with the Oakland Athletics arrived with some degree of surprise. Like many other observers, I figured Cespedes (spell check wants to call him "Centipedes") would sign with Miami, where he would ostensibly find a comfort level among other Cuban transplants. Money talks, however, and Oakland's four-year, $36 million offer apparently kept the Marlins on ... read more
One free agent signing by the Nationals that you may have overlooked occurred right after the Winter Meetings in December when Washington signed veteran infielder Andres Blanco to a minor league contract. Blanco, an Anderson Hernandez/Alberto Gonzalez type, has played 235 big league games over six seasons with the Royals, Cubs and Rangers, with a lifetime batting average of .255. He's a switch-batter and has ... read more
