The Nationals filled weekend really was a good time. I enjoyed the events I attended at this years caravan very much. The highlights of the weekend for me were probably the Nats Hot Stove lunch and the ESPN Zone cook off on Friday. I was impressed with the lunch the Nats put on. The tables were intermixed with season ticket holders so it was really nice to meet new folks. I also thought it was really neat that the players in attendance sat at the different tables for the lunch. David Gregory was a great moderator, it was clear he is a true Nats fan. As expected, Jim Bowden dodged a lot of questions at the lunch about free agents and Zimmerman’s contract. I wasn’t impressed with his answers, or lack there of, but I was impressed with how he was able to say the same thing ten different ways. Manny Acta spoke candidly about what it takes to win baseball games. He isn’t a fan of “small ball.” It was really nice to have Frank Howard in attendance, he received a standing ovation and then told a great story about striking out a bunch of times against the Red Sox. Stan hinted that Frank would have a bigger role with the Nationals in ‘09 which I think fans would really like.

After the lunch that evening, the players participated in a cook off at the ESPN Zone. This was a really fun event. Charlie Slowes was there as a host. Hanrahan and Lannan worked as a team, as did Terrell Young and Steven Shell. Willie Harris and Garrett Mock cooked solo. Each team made a different dish with help from the restaurant chefs. Manny Acta, Chico Harlan and Miss Chatter served as the judges. While the guys cooked, ESPN Zone had the TV’s on the Licey Tigres game. It was really cool to watch Ronnie Belliard, Jesus Flores, Anderson Hernandez and others play. Willie Harris won the challenge by making a maple glazed salmon which smelled really good. I think the bacon he added to it sealed the win for him. Hanrahan and Lannan came in second with an Asian sea bass that also looked really yummy.

The first ever NatsFest was held at the park on Sunday. I was very surprised by the turn out. People really seemed excited about baseball! Kristen and I first went to listen to George Will speak in the Diamond Club. It was a great way to kick off the day. His knowledge of the game is incredible. We ventured into the clubhouse next. I think I enjoyed seeing that the most. We heard so much about it last year, so it was cool to actually go in and check it out. We then headed up to the club level to check out the festivities there. The lines for photographs and autographs were already really long, which is good I guess! Everyone seemed to have a great time.

We left Nats Park a little early and drove out to Fairfax to attend the Potomac Nationals Hot Stove event. The P-Nats hold the dinner annually. This year Frank Howard was the guest speaker and P-Nats Player of the Year Josh Wilkie received his award. We had a chance to catch up with Josh during the cocktail hour and asked him what getting the award meant to him.

“This award means so much to me. The way I started, it was a really unorthodox signing. I signed as a free agent. I didn’t get drafted. To me, I felt like all I needed was a chance. Give me an opportunity. And that happened, thankfully, miraculously. Being honored as Player of the Year, especially with the team we had and winning the national championship. It’s been one of the best things that has happened to me, the highlight of my career so far.”

The event was really nice, it included dinner and silent auction. The atmosphere in the room was encouraging, fans are clearly enjoying a happy off-season after their team won a championship! I was really impressed with the entire event.

The whole weekend was a great time. For a couple of days it felt like baseball season again. It’s a good thing too, since spring training is just two weeks away! The ‘09 season will be here before we know it.

Some more photos from the weekend events are here.

Is it still January? So, first of all, the good news is that we’re 16 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting.  Just look outside.  Before you know it, you (I) will be complaining about the heat and humidity at Sunday afternoon games.  Hard to believe,  but we’re almost there.

I assume Steph will have some re-cap of her thoughts about Nats Fest and the Caravan.  I know she’s also working on something about the Potomac Nationals Hot Stove event.  I wanted to share links to my stories about all of the Nats Caravan events.  What a busy week:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
NatsFest
Day Five
And…
This interview with Terrell Young

As well as all the photos I took along the way:
WV and Rockville
DC and Annapolis
Woodbridge and Charlottesville
NatsFest
School Assembly
Children’s Hospital

Now for all the news we may have missed…

LICEY WON!
The Tigres won the finals in 5 games to be the Dominican Champs this winter. Since they won’t be celebrating like this in DC anytime soon, it’s fun to watch this video (bottom right corner) of them celebrating after their big win.

Grand Slam E-Z Payment Plan:
Beginning on Friday, January 23, 2009, fans may renew or purchase season ticket plans (full, half or partial) and make monthly payments through over the next 6 months.  Fans opting to purchase tickets through this payment plan will receive all of their tickets at the start of the season, allowing them to enjoy every game while they pay off their balance each month. Fans simply attach their credit cards to their account to allow for convenient, automatic payments when due.

Keith Law’s Rankings came out and well…Nationals #29 out of #30, with 1 in the top 100 (#42 Jordan Zimmermann)…Yikes, that’s bad.

MASN adds Rob Dibble
Kasten: “We are thrilled to have a talent like Rob Dibble join our broadcast crew. His enthusiasm and knowledge will quickly make him very popular among Nationals viewers. Rob and I talked today about the three things we know he will be: honest, informative and fun.”  And - Don Sutton joins the Braves Radio Team

And on a completely unrelated note, HERE WE GO!

I received a text this morning from a friend informing me that Ryan Zimmerman was chatting with Elliot in the Morning on DC 101.  I love Elliot’s interviews, he regularly talks with Redskin’s Chris Cooley and numerous Capitals players, it was a real treat to hear Zim this morning. 

They chatted for about 15 minutes and Elliot asked all the right questions. 

Turns out Ryan has held a New Years Eve party with his buddies for the past couple of years.  He said New Years is a great time for all of his friends to get together.  Chris Cooley attended this year and reportedly liked the ice luge.

Then they talked about the baseball stuff, starting with arbitration.  Zimmerman was hopeful that he and the Nats would reach an agreement before the deadline.  He claimed they were a little over a million dollars apart in their offers, and was confident something could be worked out.  He said he wants to be in Washington, and would like a deal to make that official.  Zim said he has played here through some of the worst times and would like to stay and see the team win a World Series.  He said it would almost be like going full circle. 

Elliot asked how Zimmerman thought the team would play in 2009 and Ryan candidly replied that things couldn’t get any worse than last year.  Ryan was excited about the Willingham and Olsen trade, and said he thinks Kasten and Bowden are doing things to make the team better.  Ryan predicted that maybe next year they would get a big name free agent and kind of complete the lineup.  He said “it doesn’t take much to get from the bottom to the top.”  Zim also said the guys are all healthy and ready to go. 

They talked about Elijah Dukes for a while.  Elliot wanted to know what he was like in the clubhouse.  Ryan gave a very mature and honest answer.  He said that Dukes deep down wasn’t a bad guy, he’s just gone through some difficult things and can’t seem to escape a weight he’s put on his own shoulders.  Ryan said Dukes was a good teammate, that he wants to win and would do anything for any of the guys.  It’s the little things like being on time or getting his act together, that have made it difficult.  Zim said he just needs to get it all together and realize what a great player he can be. 

Zimmerman is in Tampa right now working out and preparing for Spring Training, but he is coming up for the Winter Caravan and Nats Fest.  Ryan said he’s excited for the events.  “It’s important for us to relate to the fans, they buy the tickets that pay our salaries, and a lot of times they don’t get to do this fun stuff” he said.  Ryan said he personally enjoys relating to the fans and hearing their stories.

Lastly, Elliot asked if Zim thought Obama would throw out the first pitch at the home opener this year.  Ryan said he definitely should and that having the president there for the first game should become a tradition every year at Nats Park.

We really enjoyed listening to Zim this morning.  They should let Ryan speak about the franchise more often.  We haven’t felt this good about being a Nationals fan in while.  Ryan’s enthusiasm was evident and that’s the stuff the fans need to see. 

Also, everyone wish Kristen a very happy birthday today!!

Talking to ESPN Deportes, Nieves recently said, “After I saw what happened with Tampa Bay this year, anything can happen and if a team like that - that has tremendous players - could do it, that gives hope and we wish to do so.” (Translated)

It’s no wonder he’s the favorite player of our optimistic friend Cheryl.

He also commented on his increased confidence this season:

“This year was crucial for me because they thought I could be hitting ‘backup’ (alternate). I said it was impossible, but changed my mind and I told myself that if I want to settle in Major League I have to learn to bat every five days and so I did. I started to believe in me and think positive.” (Translated)

To read the rest, click here.

After you’re done, go read DC Sports Bog for some good commentary.

From the Red Sox South…ergh, I mean the Nationals:

The Washington Nationals today announced the individual ticket prices for the 2009 season at Nationals Park. Individual ticket prices range from $5 - $325 ($5 tickets are available on the day of game only at the Nationals Park Box Office), and will be available beginning in early March. The organization has decreased ticket prices in a considerable number of sections for both season ticket holders and individual ticket buyers.

Season ticket plans for the 2009 season are currently on sale. Season ticket packages start as low as $10 per seat in the Upper Outfield Gallery. A partial-plan can be purchased for $210.00, while a half-season package begins at $420.00. Fans may purchase a full-season ticket package for $840.00. The Nationals decreased season ticket prices for 7,500 seats at the ballpark, including 3,400 seats in the lower seating bowl; the average season ticket price for a non-premium ticket will be just under $29.00

Tickets for the Nationals interleague series vs. the Boston Red Sox on June 23, 24 and 25 are currently available exclusively as part of Nationals season ticket plans. Individual tickets for this highly anticipated series may be made available to the public via an online purchase opportunity in March and information regarding this opportunity will be released at a later date. Nationals Season Ticket Holders (full, half or partial planholders) will also be afforded the chance to purchase additional tickets to the Boston series in advance of any public online sale, with a limit of 4 tickets per account. An e-mail notification will be sent to all Season Ticket Holders with details regarding their private pre-sale opportunities at a later date.

“Nationals season ticket packages are the best way to make sure you catch all the important 2009 games. Only season ticket holders are guaranteed first chance at tickets for the exciting inter-league series against the Boston Red Sox,” said team President Stan Kasten. “We’ve got the best ballpark experience and the least expensive sports ticket in the Washington area. The National Pastime in the Nation’s Capital offers all the sights and smells that make baseball a singular American tradition: Sharp young talent on the field, ballpark hot dogs, and the Racing Presidents – all within a mile of the Capitol Dome.”

The Nationals will also offer premium-priced games for 18 contests during the season, including Opening Day against the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, April 13. The premium games include dates against the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. For a full list of 2009 premium games, please visit nationals.com.

The ballclub decreased individual ticket prices by $10 or more in over 4,500 seats including 3,000 in the lower seating bowl. Fans may purchase tickets at a lower rate in 14 sections of the park, including the Centerfield (CF) Reserved and Lounge (Section 100) and the Scoreboard Pavilion (Sections 237 through 243). A complete list of individual game ticket prices and changes can be found below.

A limited number of excellent season tickets are still available throughout the ballpark. Fans interested in season ticket plans may call a Nationals Sales Representative at 202-675-NATS (6287) – Option #1 Monday through Friday during the regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., or visit nationals.com.

On a serious note, it’s good that they are keeping the $5 seats.  Ted Turner would be proud.  Baseball should always be accessible to everyone.  Now, if you want to spend $300 to watch a last place team, that’s your problem.

Have you guys heard about this new game?  It’s coming out on January 26th.  It’s designed for Xbox and PlayStation3, but there will also be a Windows version of the game available.

MLB Front Office Manager lets users take the role of front office executive over the course of 30 years.  Get this, you get to design your own GM, which may help get some of your anger out before the season starts.  Your GM will be ranked on domestic and international scouting, pro-league scouting, player development, trades, contract negotiations, owner confidence and leadership.  I know….if only those things mattered in real life.

In addition to overseeing the business aspects, you can issue intentional walks, make calls to the bullpen, call for steals and bunts and change defensive alignments.

Everyone’s favorite general manager Billy Beane served as the expert consultant on the project.  He’ll also appear in the game to advise you and make suggestions.

To pre-order, click here.

I think the real question is, can you do any worse? 

Forget about Dukes for a minute (actually, forget about him until after Tuesday’s historic inauguration) and tune in tonight to MLB Network’s Pride and Perseverance special on the Negro Leagues.   It starts at 9 p.m.

First, go read Mark Zuckerman’s piece about the Nationals unfulfilled promises this off-season.

Second, we’re kind of glad to see Colome get another shot with Washington.  Don Sutton once said something about the power of standing on the mound, knowing nobody can do anything until you throw the ball.  That’s Colome.  But he has shown some promise, and with a bullpen full of question marks and no potential free agent signings on the horizon, this move makes sense to us.

Also, Zimmerman, Willingham, Olsen and Hill officially filed for arbitration yesterday.  For as long as I can remember, we’ve been hoping for Zimmerman to get a long term contract worked out.  But I’m starting to run out of reasons why Zimmerman should sign something long term.  What exactly are his incentives? Is this team going to get better?  While I’d love nothing more than keeping him in a Nationals uniform for his career, you can’t blame him for waiting it out since they haven’t exactly blown him away with a huge offer.  What do you think?

Spring training tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Season ticket payments and parking payments are due today.

Here’s your choices:

Joel Hanrahan
John Lannan
Willie Harris
Terrell Young

Manny Acta will play Tom Colicchio (fitting huh?) and judge the masterpieces.  Charlie Slowes will moderate. The cook-off begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 23.

The first 30 fans to arrive for the cook-off will receive authentic line-up cards from past Nationals games.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Plus, bring canned food to be donated to a D.C.-area food bank, and you’ll receive a free $5 game card for ESPN Zone’s Sports Arena!

(Player appearances are, of course, always subject to change).