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Laynce Nix went 4-for-4 last night to raise his average to .286. With 12 home runs and 30 RBIs, he's third on the club in both categories. Oh yeah, he's done all that in 189 at-bats. The Nix signing occurred Feb. 3 of this year, not long before the start of spring training. What other clubs may have been interested prior to that must be
When last seen in the press box at Nationals Park - roughly six to seven weeks ago I reckon - Davey Johnson sat down and talked about how much Jim Riggleman's style of managing reflected his own. That's a good thing, since it will make the transition all the more seamless. Johnson hasn't managed a big league club since the Dodgers in 2000, but that's
Went to the Orioles-Reds game at Camden Yards tonight, and had an interesting exchange with a fan outside while walking to the entrance. Guy jogs over to me and asks "Is it true that Davey Johnson is going to manage the Nationals?" I replied that, yes, that seemed to be the case. "Then count me in as a Nats' fan. How do I get to
Perhaps you've read that some teams, including the Texas Rangers, have inquired about the availability of Nationals reliever Todd Coffey. As we inch closer to the trading deadline next month, the big right-hander appears more and more likely to be a man on the move. Not that the Nats don't like Coffey; on the contrary, they like him very much. However, at 30 (31 in
There's a cadre of baseball writers who apparently believe that, unless your team is even money to make the playoffs, you should just keep trading veterans for prospects, year after year. I don't get it, other than the fact that many of these younger scribes grew up during the meteoric rise of fantasy baseball, and maybe think the real thing should work the same way.
Heading into the final three games of the current homestand - with the Mariners in town - the Nationals are averaging 23,103 fans per home date, which ranks them 21st overall in Major League Baseball. It's not earth-shattering, but among the nine teams they're ranked ahead of are some contenders, and they're not far behind the 15th-ranked Detroit Tigers, who are one of the game's
Remember the 2,000 year old man? It's a sketch that's been done for years by Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. In one memorable bit Reiner asks Brooks what, in 2,000 years, was the great mystery of life. "Liquid Prell," he replied. (For those readers too young to know, Prell was a popular brand of shampoo.) The great mystery of the newly rejuvenated Nationals isn't that
Six in a row. All alone in fourth place. Pretty heady stuff, right? The recent successes of Washington's National League entry can be summed up in something manager Jim Riggleman said following his club's come-from-behind win over the Cardinals in the first game of their recently completed sweep of the Redbirds. "We just kept playing," Riggleman said. Seems pretty simple, right? But most of you
Nationals manager Jim Riggleman's foray into batting the pitcher eighth in the lineup was really nothing new. Tony LaRussa of the Cardinals has done it on several occasions, and some local fans of a certain age have seen it done in Washington. Remember Wayne Terwilliger, the classic good-field, no-hit second baseman for several teams from 1949-60, including the Senators in 1953-54? Bucky Harris managed the
I just heard that Reno Bertoia passed away in April. Unless you're 50 or older, the name may not mean much. Reno was a big league infielder for all or parts of 10 seasons, including two - 1959-60 - with the Senators. He'd been a bonus baby with the Tigers in 1953, which meant, under the rules in effect at the time, that he had
About 25 years ago, before sabermetrics and the Internet turned so many individuals from baseball disinterest to instant seamhead, my wife and I went out to dinner with several other couples who had some connection with my wife's workplace. I ended up sitting across from a guy we'll call "Bob," since that actually was his name. I was working at WCBM Radio in Baltimore at
That Anthony Rendon should fall to the Nationals with the sixth overall pick yesterday was likely a result of collective fear by the teams with the top five picks. A year ago, Rendon was being mentioned in the same breath as Bryce Harper - along the lines of, if Rendon were available last year, it was a pick 'em in many scouts' minds which one
Yesterday's 9-4 win in 11 innings over Arizona is certainly one to remember for awhile. Between the hit batters, the ejections, the blown lead and the Michael Morse grand slam, there was plenty of fodder for the talk shows and the chat boards. As for the ejections, I can only surmise that home plate umpire Rob Drake was so focused on balls and strikes that
On July 12, 2009, Manny Acta managed his final game for the Washington Nationals, a 5-0 loss to the Astros in Houston. He was informed after the game that he was being let go, and that coach Jim Riggleman would manage the club for the rest of the season. It was a move applauded by many fans who felt that Acta was the culprit behind
