“One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.”

-Nolan Ryan

Congrats to Guz on hitting the cycle.  Congrats to Dukes on a big two homer night.  Congrats to the Nats on an unpredictable sweep of the Dodgers.  These are the games you just can’t miss because we’ll remember them and talk about them forever.  I can’t believe I wasn’t there.  When this season is finally over, very few moments will be worth remembering.  But August 28 will be one of those special moments, a spectacular night where one of the worst teams in baseball said, “Enough. We’re better than this” and went on to cruise to a 11-2 lead to earn the sweep over a great ballclub with contributions from just about everyone.

Tonight, they go for four in a row against the struggling Atlanta Braves.  Odalis Perez (5-10) faces Jorge Campillo (7-6).  The Nats lead with 7 wins in 11 games against the Braves this season.

Reading for today:  Thom Loverro on Kasten

The Nats have informed season ticket holders of a special Picnic in the Park appreciation event set for Saturday, September 20 from noon to 3 pm.

Season ticket holders will enjoy an afternoon of player autographs, player photos, balloon artists, Q&A’s with players and coaches and a bounce house.  Fans will have the opportunity to run the bases, throw a pitch in the bullpen and walk through the dugout.  In addition, all fans will be treated to a complimentary hot dog, chips and a soda.

On field activities are weather permitting.  Parking will be available first-come, first-serve at the park and Nats Express shuttles will run from RFK Stadium.

The deadline to RSVP is Friday, September 12 at 5 p.m. 

TO RSVP, click here.  To read more about the Picnic in the Park, click here.

It comes as no surprise that Shawn Hill has suffered another setback and will not be returning to action this season.  Hill will be examined by James Andrews on Friday.  Hill is still suffering from swelling in his right elbow.

The team has also announced that the Gulf Coast League Nats will be playing in a best of three championship series with the Phillies beginning tomorrow.  It’s the first GCL championship appearance since 1996.  The Potomac Nationals will also be competing in post-season action.

It was pretty nice to finally see a win again.  The park was dead but that’s to be expected on a rainy, cold night late in August when kids are back in school and Democrats have all took off for Denver.

There was a lot of good things to take away from that game and the win on Tuesday as well.  Holding a one run lead is always a challenge.  Twice, the bullpen performed quite well.  Joel is really stepping up in the closer’s role and showing that he can get out of high pressure jams.

Zimmerman certainly seems ready to bring this team back strong over the final weeks.  Sparkling defense on Tuesday and his first homer since May on Wednesday have provided a nice boost for this team.  And, the young girl who picked Zimmerman in the Home Run ball give-away actually won the ball.  Has anyone won this season yet?  Congrats to her!

Redding took the win, his 9th for the season and surprisingly enough Maddux took the loss (his 11th).  It was of course great to have the opportunity to see him and Manny Ramirez play.  Manny managed to squeeze out a base hit off Hanrahan in the 9th to bring the winning run to the plate, but Hanrahan worked out of it.

Milledge too provided some drama.  After getting nailed by Maddux, Milledge fell over dramatically and slowly took first base.  A moment later, he tried to steal second, but the ball went foul.  Belliard grounded out to send Milledge to third base.  Flores hit the ball at Maddux who turned to third for what would become an intense rundown with Milledge.  Gameday lists the play as: P Greg Maddux to 3B Casey Blake to C Russell Martin to SS Nomar Garciaparra to 3B Casey Blake.  All the while, Milledge was waving Flores on to second base.  Despite the out, it was pretty entertaining.  Milledge would not give up.

So all in all, last night was actually fun (for a change). While we were beating the Dodgers unexpectedly, the NL East Showdown continued in Philadelphia with the Mets edging the Phillies to reclaim the lead in the division.  Former Nat Ayala earned his second save.  Fire Jim Bowden has a nice tribute to Ayala today.  You should definately check it out.  What we may not be able to explain in stats and numbers, we know anecdotally.

Just a few complaints and I’ll try to keep them brief.

As an FYI to season ticket holders:

Your season ticket holder package explains that you can exchange unused season tickets for three selected games, two of which are in September — the 3rd and the 24th.  Apparently, this is not the case.  They are only allowing you to exchange unused tickets for the 23rd now, which doesn’t help much if your package already includes tickets for that day.

And another thing…

It’s one thing for Mark Lerner to shag balls during batting practice once a series.  It’s goofy and silly but it is what it is.  It’s another thing for the GM to show up in a Manny Ramirez wig.  If we were racing for a division title and he was the best GM in the league, then maybe he could have some fun.  But his showboat flashy tactics are just too much right now for angry fans.  He needs to grow up and show some respect to this franchise.

And with that, the Nats try for the sweep tonight.  John Lannan (3.95, 7-12) takes on Clayton Kershaw (4.11, 2-4).

Oh and Congrats to Smiley on winning the GCL’s batting title!

 Baseball just goes on and on and on and on, grinding you to nothingness. - Stephen Hunter

Dave forwarded along this essay by Stephen Hunter today and then offered his own commentary as well.  It’s beautifully written and every word had me nodding along.  It’s been a tough season for Nats fans.  For days, I’ve been wondering around (not blogging), thinking “it’s just a game.  Why does it hurt so bad?”

Hunter’s essay reminded me, as sometimes we need reminded, that baseball can and will break your heart.  It’s almost designed to.  And though there may not be a lot of us watching and listening here in DC, baseball has broken a lot of hearts throughout history.

Some came so close, only to often see their victory slip away.  Others have spent years waiting for something or someone to get their franchise back on track.  Some teams transform quickly, making all the right moves.  Others sit back and watch their GM spoil a promising inaugural season in a new park.

I don’t know how much more time, energy and money I can give the Washington Nationals if he stays on board.  I found a lot of comfort in SBF’s recent interviews with Stan Kasten because I really want to trust him.  I want to believe he’s miserable after each loss instead of counting that evening’s profits.  He’s kind of my Colin Powell aboard a sinking ship.  When things are so outrageously out of hand, you want to be able to look somewhere and say - see competence.  Stan has always been very kind the few times we’ve met him.  He seems bright and his accomplishments in Atlanta give me great faith in his abilities.  I only wish he seemed more involved in baseball decision making.  Alright, and to be fair, Powell misled me last time I trusted him.

I want to trust that Stan can fix this disaster if given the opportunity and the resources.  Because of that I believe that I can still find the time, energy, money and place in my heart to support this mess of a franchise, but I can’t do it with you know who at the helm.

Last year, baseball was fun.  That team was fun to watch and it’s good when baseball provides happy moments, not depressing ones.  They were scrappy, in a crappy old stadium.  They played hard; they had fun.   It was improbable for them to win as many games as they did, but whether it was Manny’s attitude, the character of the clubhouse, or something else, they provided a summer’s worth of enjoyable baseball.  For every good story in 2007 (Dmitri’s Comeback Award, for example), there’s been something equally disappointing in 2008.  From the FBI investigation, to negotiations with Aaron Crow, to tv and radio ratings, to offending and potentially losing Chad Cordero this team has been a fountain of painfully bad news.

Hunter’s essay asks us to channel our collective anger toward something.  I’m sure we can all quickly think of an appropriate target, but instead Hunter suggests the President’s Race, for some very good reasons.  It’s not nearly enough, but maybe it’s a start.  (Don’t hate me, but I’ve never been a fan of it - I’m just not a gimmicks girl).

As I type this, breaking news pops into my inbox.  Austin Kearns is going on the Disabled List, for the second time this season, this time with a stress fracture in his foot.  He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, which means he probably won’t play again in 2008.  So ends a miserable .217 season for Kearns.  He sustained the injury on August 3 and apparently has been playing hurt for three weeks.

More of the same.

With those thoughts and the Kearns news, I break my baseball break, sort of.  I haven’t been watching or listening since last Sunday.  I’m trying desperately to sell many of my remaining tickets (you can barely give these away) and thinking hard about whether I’ll be back next year or not, at least as a season ticket holder.  Meanwhile, checking the boxscore for the NY Nats has been fulfilling the baseball fix.  If only fans could be traded to contending teams too.

Baseball is just a toothache. It’s a headache that won’t dance to the music of Tylenol. It hurts and hurts and hurts. — Stephen Hunter

Something quick for you despite my break from baseball:

Eric at Baseball Digest Daily Live, a podcast that airs from 12-1 EST  on Saturdays, informed us that his guest this week is Aaron Crow.  Crow will join in at 12:30.  Check it out to get his side on the failed negotiations.

The link is BlogTalkRadio.com/BaseballDigestDaily.

I got stuck at work last night after a pretty awful day and ended up listening to the game on the radio from my computer.  The game itself was a yawn, and we left even more runners on base.  The Phillies even managed to score a run without getting a hit…impressive.  The Nats got shut out again and it marked their 12th loss in a row. 

Despite the game mess, Charlie and Dave had me cracking up.  Their back and forth friendly banter really made my day.  Being able to still call a game with a little humor at this stage in the season is what makes them professionals I guess. 

Nats face veteran Jamie Moyer for the last game in the series tonight.

I would like to apologize for my absence here lately. I have been pretty busy with my day job and haven’t had much free time to write here. I am hopeful that things are calming down though and I will be able to come back strong. After a ten game losing streak, lets hope thats the case for the Nats too! I missed the Rockies series last weekend, because I went north to visit family. I was able to get my baseball fill there and attended a double A Erie Seawolves game. They are affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. We had some great seats and saw some promising prospects. Sadly, the Seawolves suffered a 6-3 loss stranding lots of runners on base. The whole sense was oddly familiar. I took a few photos just because we had such a good view.

It seems like weeks since I have really watched a Nats game, so I happily tuned in tonight. The Nats scored early off of another Willie Harris home run. They took the lead in the 4th inning when RBI guru Jesus Flores hit Lastings Milledge home with a single. It’s good to see Flores behind the plate. I was dreading the day to day label after he strained his calf this weekend. Ryan Howard had a heck of a play at first base to limit the Nats to just one run in the 4h.

Zimmerman hit his first triple of the year in the 5th inning. Willie Harris flew around the bases and put the Nats up by two. Ronnie Belliard followed with an RBI single. The Phillies scored twice in the 5th inning after Willie Harris dropped a routine fly ball. Bergmann got the double play ball needed to end the inning and keep the Nats up by one.

The Nats led off the 6th inning with consecutive base hits from Kearns and Casto. I really don’t think Bergmann can bunt to save his life poor guy, Kearns was out at third on the play. The boys ended up leaving another two runners on base.

Ronnie Belliard hit another single in the 7th making him 4 for 4, but he was caught stealing second for the thrid out while Jesus Flores was at bat. In the bottom of the 7th, Jesus Flores threw the ball high to first base, and Victorino advanced to third, but the umpire immediately called off the play due to umpire’s interference and Shane trotted back to first. Steven Shell entered the game with one out in the 7th to replace Bergmann. The Phillies then tied the game on a fly ball to right field.

The Phillies broke the tie in the 8th when Jayson Werth hit a solo home run off of Shell. Manning came in as a lefty, but was taken out in favor of Rivera who go the one pitch third out to end the 8th.

The Nats couldn’t mount a rally against Lidge in the 9th and lost 5-4.  Tonight’s loss to the Phillies marks their 11th in a row.  Tough times to be a Nats fan for sure.

While the team takes one, I’m planning on taking a few more.  Perhaps Steph will be here to keep things up to date, perhaps not.  But I need some time for myself.  This season has taken a toll on all of us.  I sat through every single one of those six losses this homestand.  Combine that with the draft debacle and the trade of Luis Ayala, and I just really need some time before I can care about this team again.

Luis Ayala struggled this year, no doubt, but he’s been strong in seasons past.  We try here to be unemotional and unbiased - to see the big picture.  From a baseball perspective, I’m sure it makes sense.  Check all the wonderful Nats blogs out there for reasons why.  But I’m still a fan and as a fan, I still have favorites.  For me, it’s really hard to see him go.  He was the longest tenured player with the organization, and though he requested the trade and will probably prosper in a fresh environment, his exit interview was emotional.  He’s a good guy - always laughing, smiling and teasing his teammates in the bullpen.  We’re going to miss him, but we wish him the best in New York.

For a brief moment, I have some internet access, so here goes.

It’s been reported that Crow and the Nats were between 700,000 and 900,000 apart in the final minutes and that the Nats offered Crow a major league contract.  To not sign your number one draft pick over less than a million seems pretty ridiculous.

It gets even crazier when you wasted 5 million on Lo Duca and another couple million on Estrada, Mackowiak and King.  Bowden was allowed to waste a lot of money this year but when it came down to the critical deadline, he couldn’t get the organization to offer up 4 million for a top pitcher.

I can see some of the blame being placed on Crow and his agents, but if they made those demands pretty clear from the beginning, you have to ask yourself why Jim Bowden drafted him to begin with.  We had other choices.  We picked Crow, a reflection of the GM’s arrogance that he is invincible.  He can sign a McGeary at the last minute.  He can give a second chance to an overweight Comeback Player of the Year and even turn a troubled outfielder’s life around.  He can make the impossible happen, or so he thinks.  But not this time.

So we get the two picks in the top ten next year.  I’m sure Steven Strasburg will come cheap and all since he’s part of the Boras team.  I just see no guarantee that we’ll lock up one or both of the guys we get next year if money held us back right now.  Surely money will hold us back again.  A year of development wasted.  Twenty eight other teams got their top guy.   We didn’t.

For a team that talks only about investing in a farm system and ignoring top dollar free agents, this screams of hypocrisy.  It’s a frustrating blow to Nats fans who want so badly to think about a brighter future.

Maybe I’m overreacting, but knowing how close the two sides came within an agreement really upsets me.   With all the time and effort spent in researching and preparing for the draft, one would hope and expect that Bowden knew what kind of demands Crow would make.  How could we get this so wrong?