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My friend Bill Ladson at mlb.com has reported that there's been no trade talks between Nats' GM Mike Rizzo and his White Sox counterpart Kenny Williams regarding Adam Dunn. There had been earlier reports that something was going on between the two clubs regarding Washington's first baseman. Dunn's not a great first first baseman; we all get that. He's not a great hitter either -
I can't help but be reminded of that commercial from years past for a device you can wear around your neck and call for help; do they offer team discounts? This recent stumble by the Nationals is also reminiscent of last year's horrendous first half. They get a solid start and no offense to back it up. They score some runs, take a lead, and
It stinks to lose back-to-back games in which you had leads of 6 and 5 runs, respectively. When the offense finally puts something on the board, it would be nice if the pitching staff got the job done. Now the Nats need another strong effort from Luis Atilano to avoid a sweep at Camden Yards. The only sweep in the series - dating back to
Today reminds me of one of my daughter's favorite bands: Hot Hot Heat. Really sticky out here today, and the conditions likely played some role in keeping the crowd down to just 31,913. Stephen Strasburg scattered 9 hits in surrendering just a single run to the Royals. The hits, all singles, weren't well hit. Most were of the flare variety, some were to the opposite
Last night, after the Nats' 2-1 win over KC, a caller to "Nationals Talk Live" asked for my take on the issue of the Nats' doing more to honor the legacy of the Montreal Expos. I replied as I have many times: I don't see much reason to do it. When the franchise moved to Washington in 2005 and left the name "Expos" in Montreal,
Sunday postgame, Jim Riggleman said, "I believe in John [Lannan}." Sometimes, your beliefs change overnight. Jim Riggleman - and Mike Rizzo and Steve McCatty - slept on it, and decided to option left-hander John Lannan to Harrisburg. They don't need a fifth starter for another week, Lannan had options left, so they sent him down to work with one of his former minor league coaches,
"I believe in John." That pronouncement by manager Jim Riggleman after today's 6-3 loss to the White Sox should, temporarily anyway, put to rest any talk that Lannan would be shifted to the bullpen after his third consecutive short outing. Facing 22 hitters and allowing 11 hits isn't what we're used to seeing from the Long Beach lefty.. Make no mistake about it: John Lannan
The first two letters in the names "Stephen" and "Strasburg" are "S' and "T." So are the first two letters in the word "stopper." Tonight at Nationals Park, that's exactly what Stephen Strasburg is expected to be for the home team - a stopper. As in "stop this three-game losing streak, reverse the fortunes of your ballclub after a dreadful 1-5 road trip, and pump
Bert Blyleven, the most deserving Hall of Fame candidate still on the outside looking in, has been voted the "Greatest Dutch Sportsman" in a media ballot conducted by New York City's historic Grand Central Oyster Bar. Blyleven, a native of Zeist, The Netherlands, outpolled his two nearest competitors by a 2-1 margin in a survey of national sports media. Jim Kaat and MMA performer Bas
With three rookies performing above expectation on the Nationals, it's safe to say that there are three potential Rookie of the Year candidates on the ballclub. Stephen Strasburg, Ian Desmond and Drew Storen all have a legitimate shot to bring home the award, an award no Nat has come close to since Ryan Zimmerman missed out to Hanley Ramirez by four votes in 2006.
Can it be that we were oh so different then? Or has time rewritten every line? Actually, it was only a year ago when we thought of John Lannan as the Nationals' ace. It was a team with a very uncertain rotation; only Lannan had more than 20 starts in 2009. Forget the won-lost record. Those numbers are a terrible way to judge a starting
Charlie Wood loved country music. My dad grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, and always clung to those musical roots, despite moving to the District in 1946. Jimmy Dean, who passed away this week at the age of 81, got his start in broadcasting in Washington in the 1950's. He had a show on the old WARL-AM (now WAVA-AM) when we lived in Falls Church,
The 1920-style uniforms worn by the Nats on Saturday night were, to be blunt, done with a blind eye to accuracy. The "W" logo on the sleeves and caps were cartoonishly big. In 1920, the "W" was relatively tiny on the cap, and only slightly bigger on the jersey. Of course, they didn't wear numbers then, either, but fans are so conditioned to numbers identifying
Listening to a debate on a sports talk show yesterday between a caller and host, with the caller insisting that with the growing Hispanic population of the United States, in "10-20 years" soccer will pass big league baseball in popularity. I've heard this before. In the 1960's, the 1970's and the 1980's. I stopped listening after that. This time, the upcoming World Cup seems to
I was a Senators' fan growing up, but my favorite non-Washington player was Rocky Colavito. Rocky, a genuine slugger who was frequently overshadowed by better hitters like Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams in the American League, enjoyed his career night on this date 51 years ago in Baltimore's old Memorial Stadium. On a Wednesday night, June 10, 1059, Rocky connected for four home runs off
I won't pretend that i've got anything particularly enlightening to say about last night's game that hasn't already been said. What can be said, however, is this: If you're a committed fan of this franchise, you saw exactly why those of us in the media who have sung the praises of Mike Rizzo since he arrived in town feel that way. Rizzo's plan - irrespective
Seven innings, two earned runs, no walks and fourteen - count 'em - fourteen strilkeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 65 for strikes, and struck out the side three times. He K'ed the last 7 he faced. Every hitter in the Pirates' starting lineup struck out at least one time.He only struggled in the fourth inning when he allowed 3 hits, including a 2-run home run
I knew it was going to be interesting when at 3:10 p.m., the media parking lot was at capacity. A much larger contingent than Opening Day. I walked out to Half Street around 4:15 p.m. and chatted with several dozen fans in line for the $5 seats, including one gentleman in a wheelchair who, at 90, recalled the atmosphere at the 1933 World Series when
Anybody got a fresh take on the Strasburg scenario? I sure don't. Just when I think I do, I read another columnist's work, and there goes my thought. How's this? Just to give the evening an edge, Strasburg takes the field wearing number 29, instead of his familiar 37. Sort of a Michael Jordan redux, when his airness returned to the Bulls after a stint
Twice in the past week the Nationals have come out on the wrong end of an opponent's checked swing. In Houston, and against the Reds this past weekend, checked swings that were ruled no swings by base umpires opened the door to eventual losses. To his everlasting credit, closer Matt Capps took the blame for defeat in both cases. But it didn't have to be
Three- count 'em - three perfect games in the same season. Incredible. And make no mistake about it, Armando Galarraga's start Wednesday night against Cleveland was a perfect game. I believe it will - eventually - be given that distinction by MLB. Look, Jim Joyce blew the call. He admitted it, and even Jason Donald, who hit the ball, says he was out. The game
So, the Nationals hit the one-third down, two-thirds to go mark at 26-28 - Two under .500. And you're disappointed. Had someone told you April 1 that they'd be 26-28 in early June, chances are you would've scoffed at the very notion. "Oh, they might win 20 by then," you would've said, "but no way they'll be that close to .500." Now, you're disappointed because
A side benefit to seeing some of Stephen Strasburg's Triple-A starts on MASN is seeing some of the Nationals' other minor league arms, including some familiar names. If you saw Strasburg's start against Toledo last week, you also saw Jason Bergmann enter the game and actually get the victory for the Chiefs. Since his outright assignment, Bergmann's pitched extremely well, allowing just 3 earned runs
