Phil Wood

Phil Wood: Expect the Nationals to improve, not perform miracles, in 2010

The Nationals have a small checklist for 2010: 1. Beef up front office staff. Check. 2. Remove "interim" tag from manager. Check. 3. Upgrade roster: catcher, middle infield and pitching staff. Now comes the hard part. Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo has his work cut out for him between now and mid-February when pitchers and catchers report to Viera, Fla., for the start of spring training. The task should be a lot easier than it was when he took over as GM last March; now, at least, he has his own support people in place. He made it clear in October that he'd do what he could to strengthen -- or fix -- the club's most glaring weaknesses. It's not going to be as simple...

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Phil Wood: It's time for the Nationals to take the interim tag off Riggleman

OK, OK. The Nationals' new front office brain trust seems to be in place. Mike Rizzo has his own team of faces ready to create a championship-caliber roster. Why waste any more time before removing the interim tag from Jim Riggleman? C'mon now, the winter meetings get underway in Indianapolis on Dec. 7. It makes no sense to fritter any more time away on what ifs and howzabouts. Do the right thing. Manny Acta finished 35 games under .500 during his time as Nats' skipper is 2009 -- and could've had either of the other two open jobs, opting to accept a 3-year deal with Cleveland, one more than he got when he took the job here. Riggleman finished 9 games under after he got the gig...

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Phil Wood: Late postseason broadcasts alienate younger fans

Postseason baseball, as it is presently constituted, does absolutely nothing to create new fans for the game that was, once upon a time, our national pastime. This isn’t an original thought, but when most games don’t conclude until sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight, it’s difficult to imagine there are many pre-teens tuned in, especially on a weeknight. Agnes Yeager was the principal at Belvedere Elementary School in Annandale when I was a student there some years back. Miss Yeager was a no-nonsense type — I seem to recall she was ex-military, but that may have just been a rumor — who roamed the halls with a demeanor that was all business. When she...

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Phil Wood: A postseason full of mistakes screams for baseball to expand replay

Ideally, Major League baseball would love for every postseason to have a "moment," a play or a key hit or home run that will be replayed endlessly for years to come. This year's postseason highlight film is, so far anyway, dominated by some of the worst umpiring decisions -- all over the field -- that we've ever seen. From Phil Cuzzi's dyslexic look at the left-field line in the Yankees-Twins series, to Tim McClelland and Dale Scott's multiple mistakes in the Yankees-Angels tilt Admittedly, I'm a little late to the party on this topic, but my spin is a little different. Baseball adopted instant replay this decade as a way to decide boundary calls on home runs. Did the ball...

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Phil Wood » Nats GM Mike Rizzo determined to put his own stamp on the team

Last week's hires by the Nationals seem to reinforce the welcome reality that Mike Rizzo is determined to put his own stamp on the franchise. Roy Clark, a Virginia native who's worked for the Atlanta Braves for the past 20 years, joins the Nats as vice president of player personnel -- essentially Rizzo's right hand man. Also coming aboard are ex-Red Sox executive Johnny DiPuglia as director of Latin American operations; ex-Cleveland & Texas scout Doug Harris as director of player development; and Kris Kline moves up from assistant to director of scouting, replacing the departing Dana Brown. The only drama left is who the field manager will be, and late last week Mike Rizzo called...

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Phil Wood » MLB commissioner Selig has made some good changes ... but more can be done

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig would be the first to tell you that his game is quite healthy, thank you, and that the changes that have taken place during his reign have all worked out splendidly. He'd be partially right. The big picture, however, reveals a few rips in the polyester. Splitting each league into three divisions and adding a wild card team to the postseason has been a good thing. It's increased fan interest in many markets, and the necessity of play-in games the past 3 years has brought additional attention nationally. The downside? By going to an unbalanced scheduled -- teams play opponents in their own division a lot more than teams outside of it -- has essentially...

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Nats' decision on Riggleman looms

This may be the beginning of Jim Riggleman's final week as Nats' manager. Or maybe not. I hope it's not. Riggleman has the clear support of his players and as a longtime big league scout told me recently, "Riggs is really the total package for a baseball man. He's got the smarts, the drive, and the make-up to be successful if he's given some guys who can play the game." If a change is made, I'd expect it to come by the end of the World Series. A new guy would need a little time to assemble a coaching staff and acquaint himself with the personnel before the winter meetings (December 7-10 in Indianapolis). Some of the rumored candidates sound interesting, but not without flaws....

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Phil Wood » For their record, Nats’ attendance isn’t bad

Of all of the brickbats their critics love to throw at the Nationals, the phoniest of all is the rap on attendance. As the ballclub prepares to begin their final 2009 homestand on Tuesday, it finds itself 24th overall in attendance, with a per game average of 22,681, roughly 54 percent of capacity. Given their won-lost record, it’s a pretty impressive figure. The Nationals are outdrawing the Royals, Reds, Indians, Pirates, Marlins and A’s, in that order. All have better records than the Nationals, with the Marlins still technically in the wild card race in the National League. In a society where perception becomes reality, regardless of fact, the perception is that if you...

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Richards' influence on baseball philosophy still resonates today

"Baseball's simplicity personifies its complexity. Translated, that means that every fan feels he knows more baseball than the manager." Those are the words of the late Paul Richards, taken from a piece he wrote in a 1972 Atlanta Braves program. Richards, who died in May 1986 after completing a round of golf in his native Waxahachie, Texas, is the subject of a new book by veteran reporter Warren Corbett, "The Wizard of Waxahachie: Paul Richards and the End of Baseball as We Knew It." Richards, remembered in these parts for his tenure as manager -- and general manager -- of the Orioles from 1955 until the fall of 1961, was an innovator on a number of levels. He...

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Turning vets into prospects

Based on his recent trades of aging veterans for prospects, it's apparent that Nats GM Mike Rizzo subscribes to the belief that you can never have enough pitching in your farm system. Last week's swap of Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers for a pair of minor league relievers was an impressive return for a 34-year-old soon-to-be free agent who did not factor into the club's long term plans. Yes, Belliard contributed some key hits along the way in his three seasons in D.C., but his return to the club next year was iffy at best. Situational lefty Victor Garate, a 24-year-old from Maracay, Venezuela, had 56 strikeouts in 53 innings at AA Chattanooga, a minor league town with historic ties to...

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Broken bats becoming common

The last couple of seasons we've heard a lot about baseball bats made of maple, and their propensity to shatter. When the maple bats break, they essentially explode, with chunks flying hither and yon, many with sharp ends or jagged edges. There have been a few injuries to uniformed personnel, and many other near misses. MLB is concerned about the problem, to the extent that any bats that come apart this season are saved and bundled off to an office somewhere where, presumably, men of science are studying the remains. By now they must have a warehouse full of them. In roughly 50 years of watching this game, I have never seen as many bats disintegrate as I have this season. And it's not...

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It's time to change the amateur draft system

Now that the local drama of drafting and signing first overall pick Stephen Strasburg is over -- as well as the future of Mike Rizzo in the Nationals' front office -- is it finally time for the game to tweak the amateur draft system as we've known it? It was time to do that some years back. Unlike other team sports that hold amateur drafts, only baseball doesn't allow teams to trade picks. They've never really come up with a solid reason why, other than to flaunt some kind of moral superiority. The closest they ever came was back in 1985 when the Expos drafted Oklahoma State slugger Pete Incaviglia with the 8th overall pick on June 3, signed him on Nov. 2 -- and immediately traded him to...

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Nats rookie pitcher Zimmermann has history on his side

You may have missed it, but this past Thursday Cesar Carrillo made his major league debut for the Padres. Carrillo was San Diego's first round pick in the 2005 draft, the 18th player selected. Carrillo's debut was inauspicious: 2.1 innings of work, 8 earned runs, 3 homers allowed. The key, however, was that Carrillo had Tommy John surgery in 2007 and missed most of last season. Despite the lack of movement on his fastball, he threw consistently in the low-to-mid 90's. I doubt the Padres will write him off after one start. I use Carrillo as an example in light of the recent news that Washington rookie righthander Jordan Zimmermann is likely headed under the knife for his own TJ procedure....

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Looking beyond the W-L column

Measuring the progress of a major league team should be simple, right? Just look at the win-loss record. Technically, that's true, but inside the game they see things a little differently. A couple of weeks back, Orioles President Andy MacPhail referenced the progress of his ball club this year, saying that the eventual win-loss record for the year was of less importance than the development of the organization's top prospects. Inasmuch as the Orioles have had a mostly-rookie starting rotation for several weeks, and have promoted rookies Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold to the starting lineup, it's hard to argue MacPhail's point. I'm using the Orioles as a starting point for this...

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Time will tell on Nats trades

Friday’s trades of Nick Johnson and Joe Beimel to the Marlins and Rockies respectively give another glimpse into the complicated life of a general manager. Both men will be free agents at year’s end, and neither one would bring the Nationals any compensatory draft picks. So, that Mike Rizzo got what may be, the emphasis on may, a fairly decent return for both players speaks well to his creativity. For Nick, the Marlins sent lefty Aaron Thompson to Washington. Thompson, Florida’s first round pick in 2005 (the 22nd player chosen) out of a private high school in Houston, has pretty unremarkable minor league numbers: 5-9 with a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts at Double A...

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Unless they're getting the farm, Nats should hold onto Willingham

An item in Thursday's San Francisco Chronicle caught my eye: "... rumors are swirling about the Cardinals' interest in the A's Matt Holliday. One NL source said Wednesday that St. Louis might be edging closer to Oakland's asking price, minor-league third baseman Brett Wallace, because the Cardinals need a left fielder and their other option essentially would be Washington's Josh Willingham." As you now know, Holliday did land in St. Louis. But the alternative was Josh Willingham? Really? Now, I get it that Willingham is 30 years old, and that the Nationals are -- at least -- a couple of years away from being taken seriously. I also get it that he's not Roberto Clemente in...

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More of the same from Riggleman may not be bad thing for Nats

The departure of Manny Acta as Nationals manager at the All-Star Break was not a huge surprise. I thought he might survive after Stan Kasten's remarks a couple of weeks earlier at the National Press Club but in retrospect, I'm sure the die was already cast. It's been interesting to read some of the comments I've received from fans who either love the move or hate it. It's apparent that many people aren't sure what a major league manager really does. "Manny wasn't a good teacher. The players made too many errors and baserunning mistakes. He should've taught them better ... " Here's a surprise: On the big league level, a manager is not expected to teach. That's what the minor...

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If Johnson goes, look to Eldred

Is Nick Johnson's departure via trade at month's end a foregone conclusion? The answer to that is ... a qualified maybe. The Nats' first baseman, in the final year of a 3-year contract, would seem to be their most likely trade chit. He's stayed healthy, defying most observers, and has managed to stay around the .300 level with the bat all year. He's got an on-base percentage over .400, thanks to his propensity for drawing walks, but has hit just five home runs at a position that traditionally demands more pop. Nonetheless, he's produced runs at about same pace as he did in 2006, his best year at the plate. If Nick goes, who takes over at first? The immediate assumption is that Adam...

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The Nats won't touch the Mets' record-breaking losing season

The 1962 New York Mets are safe. Their record 40-win, 120-loss season won't be threatened by the Nationals this year. I know, I know, some of you are going to be horribly disappointed, as ripping on the Nats has become such a fun thing for many casual fans for whom the word "research" reminds them of a class they tanked in high school. But, barring a clubhouse-wide outbreak of the green apple quickstep, this year's Washington squad will finish north of the dreaded .250 winning percentage. Don't get me wrong, here, the Nationals are far from "turning the corner," but a number of kinks have been, at least, partially smoothed out. Starting pitching looks extremely...

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Fearless forecast: 6/28/09

Events to Watch Confederations Cup Final » U.S. vs. Brazil, Sunday, 2 p.m., ESPN The reward for the U.S. ending Spain's 35-game unbeaten streak? Playing Brazil, a team the Americans are 1-13 against all time, in the Confederations Cup final. The Americans have looked like a completely different team since losing to Brazil 3-0 earlier in the tournament. U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra returned to solidify the defense in the shutout of Spain. But the Americans will have their hands full with an explosive Brazil team featuring Kaka and Luis Fabiano. MLB » Mets at Phillies, Friday-Sunday The Mets have more money on their DL than on their 25-man roster. But thanks to...

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Breaking down the Nats' draft

The 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft has come and gone, but beyond first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, what do we really know about the other 50 players selected by the Nationals? Here are a few thumbnail factoids about some of them: Washington's second first rounder, closer Drew Storen, became the first first-rounder to sign, and has already reported to Hagerstown. Storen is kin to Mike Storen, the former commissioner of the American Basketball Association (and a former Baltimore Bullets PR man), as well as ESPN sportscaster Hannah Storm, so it's a good bet he can already handle himself in an interview. Georgia right-handed pitcher Trevor Holder was the Nats' third round pick....

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Let the contract talks begin

Can’t miss. A no brainer. The adjectives that have surrounded San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg over the past 12 months are plentiful — cliched, of course — but based on his collegiate career, seem to be well deserved. The Nationals selecting him with the first pick overall has been a foregone conclusion for months. Signing him quickly may be another story, though. One has to wonder how much dialogue has already taken place. When you’ve got the first pick overall — and you can’t trade picks in baseball like you can in the other sports, something that would make draft day a lot more interesting — what’s to prevent you from...

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Acta knows what works

This week we're going to endeavor to answer some reader mail. I've edited most questions for length and I've corrected your spelling in some cases. Sheesh, there's a skill that's gone south ... I wish Manny Acta would show some emotion. It looks like he doesn't care whether his team wins or loses. He's too accepting of mistakes. I spoke with Manny about this a couple of weeks ago, and he feels -- and I agree with him -- that the current generation of players aren't motivated by theatrics. "I used to scream and yell at players in the minor leagues, throw tantrums on the field," he said. "It didn't work then, and it doesn't work here. It doesn't help you win. Look at the...

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How this year's Nats compare to '88 Orioles

With the Orioles in town this weekend -- and the Nationals' seemingly unending struggles continuing -- I've been asked by a few people to draw some parallels between the 2009 Nats and the 1988 Orioles. You remember that club, don't you? They started the year 0-6 before firing manager Cal Ripken Sr., made Frank Robinson the skipper, and promptly lost the next 15 games. Oh-and-21 before the first "W" arrived via a victory over the White Sox in Chicago. The '88 Birds went 54-86 after that horrendous start, and finished last in the AL East. It was a season the players would've just as soon forgotten about if not for its historic implications. The Nationals this year have done...

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Phil Wood » Don't hold your breath ... yet

Don't hold your breath É...

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Phil Wood » Just how important is a manager to team success?

When the 1958 Yankees came back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to beat the Braves in the 1958 World Series, New York manager Casey Stengel famously said “I couldn’t have done it without my players.” When Mike Hinckley issued back-to-back walks to Atlanta in the ninth inning Wednesday night, forcing in the game’s lone run, someone sitting just below the pressbox, yelled loudly “Acta, you suck!” Manny didn’t throw any of those pitches; however, it was his decision to bring Hinckley into the game at that juncture, and Hinckley had pitched a hitless inning the previous night. Still, that fan left convinced that Acta’s decision had cost the Nats a...

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Phil Wood » Will demotion help Milledge?

On July 30, 1959, rookie first baseman Willie McCovey made his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants. The 21-year-old lefty slugger played the remainder of the season — just 52 games — and batted .354 with 13 homers and 38 RBI. For this impressive production in roughly the final third of the season, he was awarded the National League Rookie of the Year award. A year later, he was back in the minor leagues. McCovey got off to a slow start in 1960, and after the second All-Star Game (baseball played a pair of midsummer classics 1958-62), the Giants sent him to Tacoma of the PCL. Seventeen games later he was back in San Francisco and the majors for keeps, but likely...

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Phil Wood » Curse of the Bambino lives

Blame it on Harry Frazee. The Red Sox owner who sold Babe Ruth to New York in 1920 is the guy who’s responsible for planting the seed of the Yankee juggernaut, the pinstripe mystique that sucked in Mark Teixeira this week. Oh, sure, there’s no shortage of Nationals “fans” who want to claim that their bid for the free agent first baseman was a sham, a fake, and some kind of pre-arranged deal with agent Scott Boras to drive up the price for Tex. I read one guy’s theory that Boras approached the Lerners with a deal: help me ratchet up the dollars for Teixeira and I’ll get you a discount on (San Diego State pitcher) Steven Strasburg next...

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Phil Wood » Bud dims MLB's shining moment

Bud Selig may be commissioner of baseball, but after this week, it’s pretty clear he answers to a higher power. That’s right — FOX. The decision to even start Game 5 of the World Series was a bad one, but it’s perfectly clear that it was out of Selig’s hands. With many forecasters putting the chance of rain at 90 percent, cueing up the anthem was a crapshoot. We now know that the commissioner met with skippers Charlie Manuel and Joe Maddon beforehand and assured them that a full nine innings would be played. I strongly suspect if the game had been scoreless after two or three innings, it would have been bagged then. Once the Phils scored a pair in the first...

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Phil Wood » Nats have a better prospectus than most people think

From worst to first: the improbable rise of the Tampa Bay Rays is the game’s best story this season. It gives local fans hope that almost anything is possible, even overnight, right? Not so fast. Baseball Prospectus, the highly respected baseball think tank whose publications are a must-read for seamheads of every stripe, doesn’t think so. In a postseason report, BP says that Washington “is a bad team with a bad minor league system, and little room for optimism.” Ouch. BP’s biggest fans say they’re remarkably prescient about things like this. After all, they called Tampa Bay’s 2008 success some 3 years ago, in their big preseason annual:...

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Phil Wood » Who’s on first for Nats?

I’ve had first base on my mind as of late, due mainly to the recent passing of Mickey Vernon, the best first baseman this town’s ever seen. Mickey died last month at the age of 90, and up until the final week of his life, was as vital and robust as anyone 30 or more years younger. He set the bar very high for the first basemen that followed him in Washington, and if there’s any justice in the world, he’ll get the nod this December when the Veteran’s Committee of the Hall of Fame announces their vote. Flashing back to last winter, we were all encouraged by the reports of Nick Johnson’s recovery from the broken leg he suffered in a collision with Austin...

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Phil Wood » Calvin’s Curse: how to create a hex on Washington baseball clubs

The Tampa Bay Rays — this year’s best baseball story by far — are the 30th, and final major league franchise to make it to postseason play. Every other club has appeared in the postseason, though not necessarily in the World Series. Should the Rays prevail and make it to the Series, they will be the 27th club to play in the Fall Classic. The three clubs yet unseen in the Series? The Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and, yes, the Washington Nationals. Now, think about those three franchises for a second. Do you see a common thread? No? Well, consider this: Texas used to be the Washington Senators. The old Montreal Expos are the Washington Nationals. And the Seattle Mariners...

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Phil Wood: A closer look at the Nats’ staff shakedown

The Nationals’ decision to jettison Manny Acta’s coaching staff – save pitching coach Randy St. Claire – along with the strength/conditioning coach and video coordinator, didn’t come as much of a surprise. You lose 102 games and certain changes are going to be made, though again, the Nationals were rarely playing with a full deck. It’s safe to assume that Rick Eckstein will be the new hitting coach. His success at Columbus this year opened some eyes in the organization, and it was apparent that Lenny Harris only had limited success with a handful of hitters. Eckstein has been with the club since the AAA season ended, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to...

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Phil Wood: Bad finish could bring positive return

Stephen Strasburg. That’s Stephen with a “ph” and Strasburg with a “u.” Get used to spelling it correctly right now. Because, if the Nationals’ last 6 games of the season go anything like the previous 5, you can count on Strasburg’s name being bandied about at length between now and the amateur draft in June of next year. Strasburg, a right-handed pitcher with a mid-90’s-and-up fastball and a drop-dead slider, is just beginning his junior year at San Diego State University. He’s big — 6 feet-4 inches, 220 pounds — and smart, a business major. He’s also a San Diego native, whose college coach is Mr. Padre himself, Tony...

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Phil Wood: Winds of front-office change?

An article by baseball writer Joe Strauss in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch a week-and-a-half ago indicates that Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa isn’t backing away from speculation that he could eventually leave the dugout and go elsewhere as a general manager. Strauss posits that there will be a number of GM jobs available this coming winter, “including in Seattle, Toronto, and potentially Washington and San Francisco.” The speculation that the Nationals may be ready to make a change in that department has been rampant throughout baseball all season. Ask any scout for any team, or any beat writer in either league. There are a number of dynamics in play, the least of...

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Phil Wood: The hand of change

Former major league pitcher Jim Abbott was in town recently. Remember him? Born without a right hand, he went on to star at the University of Michigan, play for the U.S. Olympic team, and be a first-round draft pick of the Angels in 1988. He began his pro career in the major leagues, and over a 10-year career won 87 games, including a no-hitter in 1993 when he was with the Yankees. The Department of Labor brought Abbott to town to work with their Office of Disability Employment Program, and specifically on the PITCH campaign — Proving Individuals with Talent Can Help. I caught up with him at Camden Yards last Friday where he threw out the first pitch. “There are thousands of...

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Phil Wood: It’s Vernon’s time to shine

It’s been quite some time since the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted anyone that fans would automatically associate with Washington. Oh, sure, in 1995 longtime Senators’ broadcaster Bob Wolff was honored with the Ford Frick Award, but that’s not the same as being inducted, to have a plaque with your likeness hanging in the Hall of Immortals. Homestead Grays executive Cum Posey went in as part of a large group of Negro Leaguers in 2006, but the Grays were also a Pittsburgh-area franchise. In 1984, catcher Rick Ferrell and slugger Harmon Killebrew were inducted, but Ferrell played for several teams and Harmon is more identified with the Twins on a national basis. No, I think...

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Phil Wood: Pitch count — it’s an economic thing

I’m re-thinking the whole pitch-count thing. For the longest time I sided with the argument that major league baseball had become too reliant on pitch counts to determine when a starting pitcher should come out of a game. Having watched numerous pitchers start looking toward the bullpen when their pitch count hit 90, it seemed the game had devolved at the position. Admittedly, I tended to use the pitchers I watched throw in my youth as points of comparison. Between 1975-78, Jim Palmer averaged 22 complete games a year, and more than 300 innings pitched. Orioles’ manager Earl Weaver wasn’t a big fan of counting pitches; the ballclub did it as a matter of routine, but...

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Don't blame the Nats for this one

A week ago in this space I said I'd be amazed if first-round pick Aaron Crow didn't sign with the Nationals by the Friday midnight deadline. Well, I'm amazed. That Crow's advisors, the Hendricks brothers, would take the route they took — with the approval of Crow's parents and the young man himself — displays a level of arrogance that's off the charts. Sure, Crow was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and his fastball was ranked at or near the top of all draft-eligible hurlers, but to start the negotiating process at nearly $9 million, and not cut it significantly until there was less than a half-hour to go? Sorry, folks, I can't really blame the ballclub for this not getting...

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Crow will sign … in time

How does one define the word “cheap?” The textbook definition is pretty inclusive: “Costing very little; inexpensive;” or “stingy, miserly.” Some Nats fans seem to be applying that latter definition to club ownership recently, and for one specific reason. They haven’t yet signed their number one pick in this year’s amateur draft. The Nationals drafted University of Missouri righthander Aaron Crow with the ninth overall pick in the first round, but with just days to go before the deadline on Friday, he’s not under contract. Should he not sign by then, he goes back into the pool of players for next year, and the ballclub gets a...

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Time to take a closer look

Perception is reality That’s no revelation; it’s just cold, hard fact. One needs only listen to talk radio or peruse Internet message boards to know that most people know what they know, and aren’t really interested in digging any deeper for facts. What they perceive to be true is true, so please don’t confuse them with logic. Nowhere is this any more evident than in sports, and the Nationals’ situation provides a perfect backdrop. A team that won 73 games a year ago — following pre-season prognostications of “historical” ineptitude — is now seemingly heading toward a 100-loss season. Even with a completely healthy roster this year,...

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Bacsik playing, Bonds not

The last time the Nationals were in San Francisco, they split a four game series against the Giants. They also ended up on the front page of every newspaper in North America.You might recall that evening last Aug. 7 when Giants’ left fielder Barry Bonds hit a fifth inning home run against Continued...

 

Will Guzman get a chance to twinkle?

Published: Jul 15, 2008

Nationals’ fans can only hope that NL All-Star skipper Clint Hurdle finds a way to get shortstop Cristian Guzman into tonight’s game at Yankee Stadium in some meaningful way. Guzman leads the league in hits with 126, and is second overall in Major League Baseball. Plus, he was originally a Yankee product, traded......

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Nats, please keep this six pack

Published: Jul 08, 2008

When the Nationals came out of spring training I looked at their roster and figured if they stayed healthy they’d win 75-76 games.Well, that didn’t happen.Saturday’s injury to outfielder Elijah Dukes was the final shove down the stairs of the National League. The injuries to key personnel have prevented any semblance of lineup continuity, and you can’t blame Manny Acta for losing......

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Interleague play in need of fixing

Published: Jul 01, 2008

Interleague play — save for a Pirates-Yankees makeup game — has concluded for the 2008 season. You’ll pardon my lack of grief over this situation.Maybe it’s me, but I just can’t get too jazzed up about American League and National League teams meeting during the regular season. I didn’t care much for it when it began in 1997. I considered it pure pandering on the part of the game’s executives,......

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Please disturb this lack of groove

Published: Jun 24, 2008

When the Nationals acquired Wily Mo Pena from the Red Sox last August, there was an assumption that he’d provide the additional power that was missing from the everyday lineup. Sure, he was less than Gold Glove caliber in the outfield, but he usually caught whatever he could get to, and it was hard to overlook his 2004 season with Cincinnati,......

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Nats need to bring back Guzman

Published: Jun 17, 2008

On the heels of the Nats’ three-game sweep of the Mariners in Seattle, it’s time to discuss one inevitable conclusion:This club really needs to re-sign shortstop Cristian Guzman.Washington’s presumptive All-Star representative this year is the rock of the ‘08 starting lineup. In a season where injury has claimed so many of his teammates, Guzman’s play has been nothing short of stellar. Going into......

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An attendance issue? Not so fast my friend

Published: Jun 10, 2008

As dreadfully as the Nationals have played as of late — and there’s no way to sugarcoat it, the offense has been nearly invisible — it seems that criticism of Washington’s attendance is as prevalent as their play on the field.The point of reference in these parts is Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a groundbreaking edifice that essentially sold out its......

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All is sunny on Mike Rizzo’s farm

Published: Jun 03, 2008

A 2-4 road trip isn’t what the Nationals had in mind when they headed west last week. At this point their record is only a game better than a year ago at this time, a shade past the one-third point of the season. Last year they were 16 games under .500 at the end of June, and played .500 baseball from that point on. This year they started 5-15, and have played .500 since, with a shocking lack of offense, much better starting pitching than expected and an extensive disabled......

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Acta to replace Mets’ Randolph? Don’t bet on it

Published: May 27, 2008

The vultures have started circling over New York Mets manager Willie Randolph.Randolph presided over one of the great collapses in big league history last fall when the presumptive favorite Mets went 7-13 over the last three weeks of the season (including 1-5 vs. the Nats) and handed the NL East title to the Continued...

 

Is Milledge the next Devo?

Published: May 20, 2008

I hesitate only slightly in saying this, but every time I look at Lastings Milledge, I see Mike Devereaux.Remember Mike Devereaux? A 5th round draft pick of the Dodgers out of Arizona State in the June 1985 amateur draft, he was traded to Baltimore for journeyman Continued...

 

When the strike zone is not the strike zone

Published: May 13, 2008

About 20 years ago during a rain delay at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, AL umpire Ken Kaiser consented to don a headset and take some listener phone calls on the Orioles’ flagship radio station. Kaiser, whose big league career spanned 23 years, was never timid when a microphone was around. He loved the attention, good or bad, which may have stemmed from his earlier career as a "heel" in pro wrestling.Anyway, a......

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Not-so-bad Nats

Published: May 06, 2008

Thirty-two games. Twenty percent of the season, give or take. Fourteen wins and eighteen losses. A winning percentage of .438. A better record than six other teams — including the reigning NL champions. Not great. Not good. Not horrible. And objectively, about where I thought the Nationals would be at this point (other than having a better record than Colorado).They’re still not hitting much,but have picked up the team batting average by 20......

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Nieves has the Wil to win

Published: Apr 29, 2008

Remember Jim Hegan? Chances are you probably don’t, since Hegan last played in 1960. Regardless, Hegan was a catcher in the big leagues for 17 seasons, mostly with the Cleveland Indians. For 10 of those seasons he was the regular catcher for the Tribe, handling a staff that featured a trio of Hall of Famers in its rotation: Bob Feller, Continued...

 

Don’t panic yet

Published: Apr 22, 2008

I should probably know better, but every so often I fire up the computer and check out the Nationals-related message boards. I’m painfully aware that most Internet message boards, regardless of the topic, are largely populated by folks who know what they know, so please don’t confuse them with facts or logic. It’s as funny as it is frustrating most of the time, but particularly now, with the ballclub off to such a horrendous start.It appears that many fans are ready to fire skipper Continued...

 

Is it the Park?

Published: Apr 15, 2008

So, after seven home games at new Nationals Park, can we tell whether the place is playing any smaller than RFK?It’s not been particularly kind to the home team so far, with just a pair of victories over Atlanta to display at the moment, but that’s not really the ballpark’s fault. There have been 15 home runs hit there thus far — a dozen by the visitors — for an average of a......

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Strong silent type

Published: Apr 08, 2008

Last week the Tampa Bay Rays signed pitcher Dan Wheeler to a contract extension, a 3-year deal through 2010 worth$10.5 million. There’s also an option for a fourth year worth $4 million, with a $1 million buyout. Set for life? You tell me.That’s a pretty big chunk of change for a right-handed middle inning, situational and occasional set-up guy. He must be good at what he does, though his......

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‘The 21st Century Ripken’

Published: Apr 01, 2008

In the 2006 motion picture "Stranger Than Fiction," Will Ferrell’s character begins to hear someone narrating his life. He is the only one who can hear the voice, which belongs to an author writing a book in which Ferrell’s role is the main character, whose words seem to foreshadow exactly how his daily life will occur.Shortly after 10:30 on Sunday night at Nationals Park, fans started narrating Continued...

 

Not a brick to be found, but that’s not a bad thing

Published: Mar 28, 2008

It’s not Camden Yards.Just a reminder for those of you heading out to Nationals Park this weekend for either the exhibition game against Baltimore or the inaugural opening Sunday night against the Braves.It’s going to be easy for many fans to find things to grouse about, as long as they cling to the thought that this will be comparable to the Orioles’ home ballpark, which will host its 17th opening day this season. New baseball-only stadiums were a revelation in 1992. Asymmetrical dimensions and immovable stands were these things had......

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New park feels like home already

Published: Dec 13, 2007

It’s funny how tastes change. When RFK Stadium — then called District of Columbia Stadium — opened in 1961, I was blown away. Of course, I was 10 years old, but America was a contender in the space race, and this structure looked every bit like something out of Buck......

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Welcome to the offseason, Nats fans

Published: Nov 01, 2007

If the World Series ended a lot sooner than you anticipated, perhaps it’s time to throw a few more pellets into your wood-burning stove and prop up your feet.The offseason is underway.For the Nationals, hot stove league conversation revolves around the new ballpark and revving up the offense. How will Nationals Park play? A hitter’s haven? A pitcher’s preference? Fair for everybody? We won’t know the answer to those questions until the All-Star Break, most likely. At first glance it figures to be far less intimidating to hitters than its......

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It will be the Sox, not the Rocks

Published: Oct 24, 2007

Any way you slice it, Boston figures to win their second World Series title in four years.Hey, I’m a firm believer in the whole "team of destiny" label that seems to have attached itself to the Colorado Rockies. But winning 21 out of 22 games and then having to wait more than week before playing again? I’m sorry; I can’t imagine that not having a negative impact on Clint Hurdle’s club.The Rockies have tried to stay sharp by playing intrasquad games at Coors Field: us versus us. There’s not much......

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NLCS a good sign for the Nats

Published: Oct 11, 2007

Consider the National League Championship Series a preview of things to come for the Nationals.The Colorado Rockies, with baseball’s 25thhighest payroll (or 6th lowest) of $54 million, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, right behind at $52 million. Both teams are rife with their own products. The Rockies’ lineup features homegrown draft picks Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins, Troy Tulowitzki, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe (and sometimes Ryan Spilborghs), along with starting pitchers Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook. The D-backs strike back with Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin, Mark Reynolds, Chris Snyder,......

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Expect Bowden, Nats to make significant noise in the offseason

Published: Oct 02, 2007

Out of 30 big league clubs, the Washington Nationals ranked 28th overall in player salaries with a figure of $37.3 million. Only the two Florida teams, the Marlins and Rays, finished behind them in that department. On the other side of the ledger, the Nats finished tied with Houston for 21st overall in winning percentage. The Astros, however, spent an additional $50 million for their 73 wins.If not for the Mets’ historic collapse in September, the NL East would have finished in order of their payrolls: New York $115.2M, Philadelphia......

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The new park will be welcomed, but RFK will live on in fan’s hearts

Published: Sep 24, 2007

At Sunday’s RFK Stadium baseball finale, some fans unfurled a long sign in the outfield that read vertically in three sections, "SHORT STILL STINKS." Those of us who were around when the expansion Senators played their final game Sept. 30, 1971 recall a similar sign that night that read simply "SHORT STINKS." There were other signs that night to be sure, but their messages can’t be repeated in a family newspaper.The late, unlamented Senators’ owner Bob Short had insisted all during his tenure that in order to be a major......

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Mix-and-match staff has pitched with respectable results

Published: Sep 18, 2007

With a dozen games to play, one thing we know for certain about the 2007 Nationals is that they won’t lose 100 games. Oh, they’ll lose 90-plus, just as they did in 2006, but once they reached the 63 win level, the century mark for defeats was off the table.The woeful expansion Washington Senators managed to lose 90 or more games in 8 of their 11 seasons. The worst of that bunch was the 1963 club that finished 56-106. Of more recent memory, the 1988 Orioles— who dropped their first......

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Baseball players skate around the big question regarding PED’s

Published: Sep 11, 2007

Whether or not you believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, chances are you’ve seen the video of Oswald in the hallway of the Dallas Police Department. A reporter calls out "Did you shoot the president?" Oswald: "I have not been charged with that…"A question and an answer, though not a precise match. He wasn’t asked what he was charged with, but that’s the question he answered. It’s a tact being used these days by major league baseball players charged with......

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Team has plenty left to accomplish in ’07

Published: Sep 04, 2007

With less than a month to play, you may be thinking the Nationals are just playing out the string, since post-season participation is not especially likely.Think again. There are at least three reasons why the ballclub is bearing down extra hard with just a couple of dozen games left on the schedule.Reason Number One: Avoid losing 100 games. When so many notable baseball writers predicted "historical" badness in March, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Nats would lose in excess of 100 games. Once they hit 63......

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Not looking so great for '08

Published: Aug 28, 2007

Part of the Nationals’ "Plan" was to pare the payroll in 2007, and ratchet the dollars upward in the seasons to come. Their $63 million payroll of 2006 was cut to $37 million this season, and the results have been pretty much the same, if not a couple of wins better after 130 games.It stands to reason that the payroll will increase next year if only by the raises due the players who will return. The Nats also intimated they would be players in the free agent market this fall......

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Can the Nats temper Pena’s power?

Published: Aug 21, 2007

Wily Mo Pena. One "L," no "E." "Mo" is short for Modesto. Get it right. In the vein of Joe Hardy, who led the Nats to the World Series in the 1950’s over those damn Yankees — at least on stage and screen — Pena brings an almost mythical ability to hit home runs to Washington. His actual big league stats display some long ball aptitude, but his average of 24 home runs every 162 games is somewhat less than legendary.General manager Jim Bowden has openly coveted Wily Mo since......

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Acta should get his due

Published: Aug 14, 2007

During spring training 2006, many national baseball writers and commentators reached the conclusion that the Florida Marlins had no chance to compete, and, would likely have a dismal, "historically" bad season under freshman manager Joe Girardi. Two of their better pitchers, Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett, had gone elsewhere, leaving 22-game winner Dontrelle Willis as the only proven commodity in their starting rotation.Their prediction seemed spot on by May 21 when the Fish found themselves 20 games under .500, at 11-31. From that point on, however, the Marlins went 67-53......

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Deadline passes in silence, but August could be hot

Published: Aug 01, 2007

Meet the new Nats. Same as the old Nats. That the non-waiver trading deadline came and went without the Nationals’ participation should have been no surprise. There was considerable interest in closer Chad Cordero from several clubs, including Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, and towards the end, Arizona and the Dodgers, but GM Jim Bowden’s asking price was typically inflated. One National League executive I spoke with called dealing with Bowden "about as much fun as a root canal."Set-up man Jon Rauch was also highly sought after by contenders. His durability and......

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Who might be out the door?

Published: Jul 24, 2007

Next week’s trading deadline could result in a decidedly different look to the Nationals’ bullpen. Closer Chad Cordero is a target of several teams looking to bolster their relief corps and set-up man Jon Rauch isn’t too far behind.Cordero, at 25, already has 110 big-league saves. He can’t be a free agent until after the 2009 season, but is arbitration-eligible, and figures to see his annual salary increase to the $5-6 million range pretty quickly. Several AL teams, including the Tigers, Indians and Red Sox, have shown specific interest, with......

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This E.P. doesn’t stand for Elvis Presley

Published: Jul 17, 2007

If super-agent Scott Boras gets his way, there will soon be another statistical column on the back of your baseball cards.It’s the "E.P." It has nothing to do with how many Elvis Presley records the player owns, or with Eating Pizza. Rather, it means "Exceptional Play." According to Boras, the fans need a specific number with which to identify defensive brilliance.Fielding percentage has been around forever, but it doesn’t really separate the great fielders from the merely average. In fact, many below average defenders have high fielding percentages because they......

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Perhaps it’d be better to keep Young around

Published: Jul 10, 2007

Last year at this time we tuned in the All-Star Game to check out Nationals’ representative Alfonso Soriano, wondering all the while whose uniform he’d be wearing after the trading deadline. It turned out he’d stay in a Washington uniform all year, en route to a memorable 40-40 season.Soriano was never not available in a mid-season trade, but GM Jim Bowden wasn’t goingto give him away, either. But think back: Did you ever hear any specific player’s names that would’ve ended up here in exchange for the Fonz? None......

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Decent first half, but don’t expect a repeat

Published: Jul 03, 2007

At the midway pole of the 2007 season, the Nationals featured the exact same won-lost record as they had in 2006, 33-48. It projects to a 66-96 seasonal mark: bad, but not historically bad. In 2006 they finished 71-91, but that team featured the bat of Alfonso Soriano, currently on display at RFK in the road threads of the Chicago Cubs.Do the Nats miss Soriano? Of course they do, but given the All-Star-worthy performance of Dmitri Young, and the pre-injury career-best numbers posted by Cristian Guzman, the club has been......

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Nats loss, like a bad song, sticks in head

Published: Jun 26, 2007

You know how sometimes you’ll be out and about and you’ll hear some snippet of an old song playing over a store’s sound system or in an elevator and for the next few hours — or days — you can’t get that song out of your head. The worst part about it is, invariably, some Barry Manilow song that you couldn’t stand in the first place. Yet, that tune will not go away, and you’re still awake at 2 a.m. with that voice in your head going, "I write the......

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Time runs out for Orioles’ Perlozzo

Published: Jun 19, 2007

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.The opening sentence of Charles Dickens’ "A Tale of Two Cities" referred to the time of the French Revolution, but it can easily be applied to last week’s Orioles-Nationals series at Camden Yards. Washington’s three-game sweep meant the Nats won the season series 4-2. Orioles’ skipper Sam Perlozzo surely saw his job security slipping away as Washington left town. That the Orioles would drop three more over the weekend to Arizona only sealed Sam’s fate.In a weird scenario, the......

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Will Young finish the year as a Nat?

Published: Jun 12, 2007

If only one Washington National is named to the 2007 National League All-Star team, it will be no great surprise if the player selected is third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. An All-Star selection is a nice honor, and coming on the heels of Ryan’s impressive rookie season,would not be undeserved.Ask most players, though, whether they’d rather play in an All-Star game or a pennant race, and the overwhelming preference would be the latter. And the National most likely to find himself in a pennant race this year has got to be......

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Gibson is more than a memory

Published: Jun 07, 2007

Josh Gibson died following a stroke on Jan. 20, 1947. He was 35 years old. He had suffered with massive headaches brought about by a brain tumor that was diagnosed in 1943, but left untreated. Less than 3 months later, Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.Sometimes, life’s just not fair.Gibson is the subject of an exhibit that opened this week on the mezzanine level of the Mayflower Hotel. At Wednesday’s press preview, Josh’s great-grandson, Sean, participated in the unveiling of the display cases. Sean Gibson, who clearly......

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Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

Published: May 29, 2007

In their 51st game last year, the Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4, Ramon Ortiz over Jae Seo. The Nats hit four home runs in the game, two by Nick Johnson, and their record was 21-30. They finished 71-91, about a game better than most of the preseason prognostications. Those same preseason predictors labeled the Florida Marlins as hopelessly inept after another salary dump, and new manager Joe Girardi would be lucky to avoid losing 110 games. Instead, the Marlins won 78 games, and were actually in the playoff......

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Zimmerman has a fan in Brooks

Published: May 22, 2007

It seemed somewhat appropriate that last weekend’s Nationals-Orioles series should have opened on Baltimore legend Brooks Robinson’s 70th birthday. Brooks notched both his first big league hit and first home run against Washington more than 50 years ago. He played for the Orioles in the final game the original Senators played in D.C. in 1960, and frequently killed the expansion club with both his bat and glove.Last week Baltimore County held a small ceremony renaming a street in Pikesville "Brooks Robinson Drive." It’s a fitting honor for Brooks, who’s maintained......

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Will RFK Stadium ever get to see a no-hitter?

Published: May 15, 2007

The history of RFK Stadium as a venue for major league baseball comes to an end this year. By my count, a total of 1,045 big league contests that counted will have been played there by Sept. 23, the day it’s scheduled to close — not counting those old timer’s games of the 1980s or various preseason exhibitions. Despite all of those opportunities — that’s 2,090 starting pitchers — it’s a good bet we’ll never see a no-hitter. For reasons known only to whatever entity is pulling the strings, and......

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Making sense of ‘historically bad’

Published: May 08, 2007

By the time the Nationals reported to spring training this year, virtually every significant baseball writer in the country had them pegged for 100 losses. Many others used the term "historically bad" when talking about the club. But really, what is "historically" bad?When I hear the term I think of the 1962 Mets, who finished 40-120, a winning percentage of .250. Exquisitely bad baseball. After 32 games — one-fifth of the season — the ’62 Metropolitans were 12-20, or slightly better than the Nationals.The 2003 Detroit Tigers were historically bad,......

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Acta’s patience in Church pays dividends, but will he stickaround?

Published: May 01, 2007

For some reason, Frank Robinson never quite "got" Ryan Church. Nothing against Frank as a manager in Washington; his two years at the helm didn’t produce post-season appearances, but I can’t imagine many fans had those expectations to begin with. Frank saw Ryan as a young man with appreciable talent, but as a player who lacked the focus and intensity required to achieve everyday big league status.For those of us old enough to remember, the relationship between Robinson and Church seemed like déjà vu. More than 35 years ago, the......

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Phil Wood: 1,000 reasons to honor East Capitol

Published: Oct 31, 2006

The World Series is over and likely to be remembered in few places beyond St. Louis and Detroit. While many now concentrate on the game’s second season — the Hot Stove League — I’m contemplating an approaching milestone at RFK Stadium.RFK — then called District of Columbia Stadium — opened for baseball on Monday, April 9, 1962. The second-year expansion Senators hosted the Detroit Tigers in the Presidential opener, with President John F. Kennedy on hand to throw out the first ball. The Nats won that day, 4-1, behind the......

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Phil Wood: New Nats manager needs to know flow

Published: Oct 24, 2006

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Joe Girardi will not — repeat, not — be the next manager of the Washington Nationals.No obvious reason, really, other than the one Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest used when he recently fired Girardi: He’s not a "good fit." Girardi’s inability — or outright refusal — to make nice with his owner and GM in Miami may end up delaying his return to a big league dugout.Despite what many fans believe — and you can read it every day on......

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Phil Wood: Will Nats be Joe’s Co.?

Published: Oct 17, 2006

The hot rumor locally is Joe Girardi will be the Nationals’ next manager.The recently deposed Marlins skipper was the early favorite to take over for Dusty Baker in Chicago. But Lou Pinella is expected to be announced today as the Cubs manager, Girardi is still on the market.Girardi’s stock rose precipitously this season when he kept Florida — with a $15 million payroll — in the National League playoff race for much of the season. The Marlins finished with 78 victories when most predicted they’d be lucky to win 60.......

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Phil Wood: Soriano was one for the ages

Published: Oct 10, 2006

Whether or not Alfonso Soriano ever plays another game in a Washington uniform, it’s safe to say his 2006 numbers rank among the top seasons ever seen in our town.His 46 home runs are the second highest total ever by a Washington player — Frank Howard’s 48 dingers in 1969 top the list — and the combination of 40-40-40-20 (homers-doubles-stolen bases-outfield assists) likely won’t happen again for a while.Trying to rank Soriano’s season in a purely local context, I opted to use the relatively recent statistic of on-base-plus-slugging-percentage, or OPS.......

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Phil Wood: Hopefully, Frank’s exit is temporary

Published: Oct 03, 2006

Frank Robinson’s pre-game farewell address on Sunday surely ranks as one of the top five most emotional moments in RFK Stadium’s baseball history. In my book the other four would be, in no particular order, the return of baseball a year ago April; the final Senators’ game Sept. 30, 1971; Frank Howard’s home run in the 1969 All-Star Game; and Luke Appling’s homer off Warren Spahn in the 1982 Cracker Jack Old-Timer’s Game. Frank’s speech might not be first, but it’s clearly top three. Please note I said most emotional......

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Phil Wood: Bowden-Kasten combo may not last

Published: Sep 26, 2006

Let me preface this by stating that if asked to grade Jim Bowden’s two-year performance as general manager of the Washington Nationals, I’d likely give him a "B."The bulk of the blame for this season’s abysmal won-lost record lies with Major League Baseball, which effectively sandbagged the franchise by dragging its feet on naming an ownership group. Not to imply Bowden has been flawless. No GM bats 1.000. It’s impossible. But weighing the deals he made against what he had to work with, it’s hard to believe anyone could have......

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Phil Wood: Who will rotate in ’07?

Published: Sep 21, 2006

Onething’s for sure: Somebody has to pitch next season.As the 2006 campaign winds to a close, 60 percent of the Nationals’ current starting rotation is staring free agency in the face: Ramon Ortiz, Tony Armas and Pedro Astacio. Should all three depart, the Nats may receive compensatory lower round sandwich draft picks — or maybe just sandwiches, depending upon the outcome of a new collective bargaining agreement.In the absence of adequate replacements for all three, it may behoove management to consider bringing at least one of that trio back for......

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Phil Wood: Nats’ defense has been offensive

Published: Sep 12, 2006

Hall-of-Fame manager Earl Weaver was fond of saying championships were won with pitching, defense and three-run homers.There’s no doubt Frank Robinson knows Weaver’s mantra all too well. But one out of three is not going to cut it. Pitching woes aside, the Nationals have a real tough time holding on to the baseball.Defensively, this season has been a disaster. The Nats are dead last in the National League in fielding percentage and have committed the most errors. Yet, when you take a look at their everyday players, most don’t immediately......

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Phil Wood: Zimmerman is Nats’ hot corner-stone

Published: Sep 05, 2006

As impressive as Ryan Zimmerman has been in his rookie season, you wonder just how good he will be. While you’re pondering that, consider this: There’s a very good chance, based on reasonable expectations, he could have a Hall-of-Fame-caliber career and never start an All-Star Game at third base.How could that happen? Thanks to fan voting and things like market size, club payroll and national publicity, there’s a good chance that the Mets’ David Wright will routinely enjoy the mid-season honors with Zim as his backup.Zimmerman and Wright know each......

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Phil Wood: Patience is Nats’ needed virtue

Published: Aug 29, 2006

At 55-75, the Nationals have to play .500 ball the rest of the season in order to finish 71-91 and fulfill my preseason prediction.Unless the National League opts to let them play all of those games at home — where they’re an even 30-30 thus far — I’m not going to hold my breath.Any truly objective observer — which excludes most Nationals fans, particularly those who post messages about the team online — concluded in late March this team was not a contender, MLB’s foot-dragging on the ownership issue notwithstanding.......

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Phil Wood: Zimmerman is the cream of the NL’s rookie crop

Published: Aug 22, 2006

It’s a crowded field, but you’ve got to like Ryan Zimmerman’s chances to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.This year’s crop of senior circuit freshmen is impressive. If I have to name a top five, I’m comfortable with the following quintet, in alphabetical order:» Andre Ethier, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers — He’s the player the Dodgers received from Oakland in exchange for Milton Bradley, who wore out his welcome in L.A. Ethier bats left-handed and spent the first month of the season in the minors. He’s batting......

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Phil Wood: Still a fab moment at RFK Stadium

Published: Aug 15, 2006

It was 40 years ago today, that the Beatles played at RFK.Of course, then it was still D.C. Stadium, and only in its sixth year of existence, having opened in the fall of 1961 for the Redskins. But on Aug. 15, 1966, the band that changed everything made its final appearance in the Washington area.Tickets were $3, $4 and $5, which by today’s standards seem incredibly cheap. When The Beatles last played Washington — their first-ever American concert — on Feb. 11, 1964, tickets at the Coliseum were $2, $3......

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Phil Wood: D.C. baseball history more perception than reality

Published: Aug 08, 2006

I recently read an online Q & A with Nationals’ principal owner Mark Lerner. The questions were basically boilerplate and Mr. Lerner’s responses were forthright.I had to pause, though, when I reached a question towards the end of the interview: "Washington baseball hasn’t been successful since the 1920s — what will you do differently than your predecessors?"To Lerner’s credit, he gave a thoughtful response, repeating much of what was said the day MLB awarded the team to his family. He resisted the urge to smack his inquisitor on the back......

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Phil Wood: Heeeeeeey — Fonzie stays ... but how long will he hang around?

Published: Aug 01, 2006

The Fonz is still a Nat.Monday’s trade deadline passed with no announcement that Alfonso Soriano had gone to the Twins, Tigers, A’s, Angels, Yankees, Dodgers, or any other team that cropped up in rumors over the past 72 hours.So what happened?It appears that Nationals General Manager — and fellow Examiner columnist — Jim Bowden misjudged the market. Perhaps emboldened by the return on his deal with the Reds two weeks ago, Bowden thought he could do the same thing with Soriano and pillage another club’s minor league system for prospects.......

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Phil Wood: D.C.’s "Hometown" disadvantage

Published: Jul 25, 2006

Now that all the i’s are dotted, the t’s crossed, and check is in the mail, the Nationals have at long last been rescued from the clutches of Major League Baseball.So you’re thinking there’s nothing else MLB can do to foul up the situation in our nation’s capital. Guess again.The game’s newest promotion, "Hometown Heroes," was recently unveiled, to, in its own press release, "recognize those players who most embody the legacy of Major League Baseball and each respective franchise’s history." The shipping company DHL is underwriting the promotion, with......

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Phil Wood: Nats’ new regime understands price of doing business

Published: Jul 18, 2006

Remember when candy bars were a nickel?I do. An area kid in the late 1950s could get a candy bar for a nickel, a soda for a dime, a comic book for another dime, and see the Nats from the Griffith Stadium bleachers for 75 cents.Well, the cost of a candy bar has risen more than 10 fold, ditto the soda and comic book. But when the local nine returns to RFK this weekend, you can watch ’em play for less than the 2006 equivalent of 75 cents: a mere......

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Phil Wood: One of our own to pull for

Published: Jul 11, 2006

There’s something very satisfying about seeing one of your guys in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game.Nats fans know there’s a reason to tune in for tonight’s game in Pittsburgh: A Washington player — Alfonso Soriano — will be in left field for the National League when the game starts. While the game may represent the local highlight of his career — particularly if he finishes the season in someone else’s uniform — the All-Star Game highlight film will be seen for years to come.Washington, by the way, will......

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Phil Wood: Senators early steroid setup is highly unlikely

Published: Jul 04, 2006

Shelby Whitfield was the radio voice of the Washington Senators for the 1969 and 1970 seasons, working with Ron Menchine on WWDC Radio. Whitfield was replaced by Tony Roberts in 1971, but stayed in town and hosted a sports talk show on WWDC. In 1973, Shelby’s book, "Kiss It Goodbye," was published. It purported to tell the inside story of the last three years of Senators’ baseball and how owner Bob Short maneuvered them out of town. I read the book then, but never read it again until this week,......

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Phil Wood: Nats, O’s match ups fail to produce winner

Published: Jun 27, 2006

I’d call it a draw on a number of fronts.The Nats took two of three from the Orioles at RFK and the Birds took two of three from D.C. at Camden Yards. Three wins, three losses apiece.At RFK, the teams attracted about 94,000 fans for a three-game set. Nationals’ management opts to charge fans a premium for the Orioles’ games, so the actual financial grosses are more comparable to a run-of-the-mill series that would draw over 100,000.They attracted about 112,000 fans in Baltimore. But management sold 14,000 seats to union......

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Phil Wood: Nats rallies sound sweet on radio

Published: Jun 20, 2006

If the folks in charge of marketing the Washington Nationals radio broadcasts are smart, they’ll put the play-by-play of Saturday’s bottom of the eighth inning and Sunday’s bottom of the ninth on a CD and distribute them to every household in the greater Washington area.The dramatic come-from-behind victories over the Yankees gave Nats’ announcer Charlie Slowes his Russ Hodges moment on WTWP.For those of you unsure what I mean, Hodges was the New York Giants announcer for many years and behind the microphone on Oct. 3, 1951 when Bobby Thomson......

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Phil Wood: When winning gets in the way of the future

Published: Jun 13, 2006

Nearly 50 years ago Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing." While somewhat redundant on its face, he likely meant making the effort to win is the only thing that matters.Recently, the Nationals are not only making the effort to win, they’re actually winning most of the time, creating this conundrum: When does winning lead to overall fan disappointment?Answer: When ownership has already decided to break up the team and build for the future.We’ve all known for quite some time that, once real ownership arrived on the......

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Phil Wood: No matter the era, Big Train out of reach

Published: Jun 06, 2006

Amid the hubbub of Roger Clemens returning to the Houston Astros last week was a remark on ESPN by Harold Reynolds that the Rocket now had a chance to break the "modern" record for pitching victories of 363 held by Warren Spahn. Spahnie’s win total is correct and he is the all-time leader for victories by a left-hander. But "modern" record? Pardon me, Harold, but what book did you find that in?Most baseball historians will tell you the so-called "modern" era began with the advent of the American League in......

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Phil Wood: A matter of historical significance

Published: May 30, 2006

Without so much as a press release, the Washington Nationals acknowledged this year that they really haven’t been around for 100 years.What are you’re saying? Last year wasn’t their centennial season? But ... but ... that sleeve patch they wore at home last year clearly said "Established 1905."Indeed it did. But now it’s gone, in favor of a classy "DC" surrounded by a circle of stars.I can’t pretend to know what those marketing geniuses at Major League Baseball were thinking when they set out to design the Nationals’ uniforms. It’s......

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Phil Wood: O’s series much ado about …

Published: May 23, 2006

Let’s not get too worked up about the Nats taking two of three from the Orioles.Oh, it’s great to win, but it’s not like that series had the same cache as a Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox or even a Giants-Athletics interleague matchup. I have every confidence it will in time. But when both clubs are second division caliber, it’s more of a curiosity than anything else.And hey, what’s with this "Battle of the Beltway" label that someone slapped on it? "Battle of the Parkway," maybe, but at least make it plural......

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Phil Wood: The nucleus of things to come

Published: May 16, 2006

If your kids have been clamoring for one of those real nice replica Nationals’ jerseys, tell ‘em to hold their horses for a few more weeks. The prices for several with specific names on the back may be marked down considerably by then.It’s safe to say the Nats will be open for business between now and the trading deadline, and outside of a few names - very few - there will likely be a revolving door in the home clubhouse at RFK.This team, as presently constituted, is going nowhere this......

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Phil Wood: Foggy Bottom’s second coming

Published: May 09, 2006

It’s never a bad thing to have a local product on the roster.It doesn’t have to be an actual city native. That’s great, if you can get it. But as long as there’s a strong local connection, that’s enough.Nationals lefty Mike O’Connor is a Texas native, but having attended high school in the Baltimore area and college at George Washington University, he is sufficiently local for my taste.His rise to the major leagues was rapid and somewhat unscheduled. He’s up with the big club due to pitching staff injuries and......

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Phil Wood: Look at the big picture

Published: May 02, 2006

With no owner, a major league baseball team can have no real discernable "plan." That’s clearly the case with the Nationals, who struggle to display any real consistency this season. The ownership situation should be settled within days — I actually believe them this time — but I suspect the remainder of the 2006 campaign will offer more of what we’ve seen thus far.Frank Robinson knows bad baseball when he sees it. He certainly recalls the 1988 season when he replaced Cal Ripken Sr. as Orioles’ skipper when the club......

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Phil Wood: Local is nice, not mandatory

Published: Apr 25, 2006

Y’know, I really thought by this time we’d be talking about the winners in the Nationals ownership sweepstakes. But hey, saying what he means has never been MLB Commissioner Bud Selig’s forte. I found Sunday night’s ESPN telecast of the Braves-Nats contest fascinating on a number of fronts, not the least of which was a debate between ESPN baseball expert Peter Gammons and a guest in the booth, print-radio-TV personality Tony Kornheiser, as to who the front runner might be in our local version of "Deal or No Deal." On......

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Phil Wood: ‘Twinkletoes’ Selkirk and Hodges have to go from Hall of Stars

Published: Apr 18, 2006

When the Nationals finally bring the curtain down on RFK Stadium, let’s hope we’ve seen the last of the Washington Hall of Stars.The Washington Hall of Stars — or, if you prefer, the WHOS — was a good idea, once upon a time. It is a way to pay tribute to those outstanding D.C. area athletes of days gone by. A ceremony at midfield during halftime of a Redskins’ game, culminated by mounting a 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood featuring the honoree’s name on the front of a mezzanine box.And, to......

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Phil Wood: The Fonz could be cool in RFK

Published: Apr 12, 2006

One thing is certain in the wake of yesterday’s Nationals lid-lifter at RFK. Despite the March theatrics of Alfonso Soriano’s reluctance to play left field, he’s still far more popular in Washington than Dick Cheney.The vice president -- the first Cheney to throw a pitch at DC/RFK Stadium since Tom Cheney relieved Dick Lines in a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on April 26, 1966 (my dad’s 50th birthday) -- received a mixed response from the crowd of 40,530, but the boos overshadowed the applause. The only other......

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Phil Wood: Opening Day still the main event?

Published: Apr 11, 2006

To borrow an old cliché, good seats are still available.A year ago, seats to the Nationals’ first-ever home opener were scarce. Better seats on eBay were selling for hundreds of dollars. It was a star-studded event.Year two? Ho hum, but easily explainable.Where’s the marketing effort for this club? I know for a fact some off-season events were planned for and then canceled. A full-blown baseball festival or winter carnival — players signing autographs, conducting clinics, media roundtables, trivia contests, the whole nine yards — was scuttled at the last minute......

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