I was sitting here wondering how the Nats conference call this afternoon might go.  I think I have a pretty good idea…

Stan - It’s going to be a great season, no news on the new GM, but we do have new food plans at the park so you can still spend all your money NOT watching what’s on the field.

Manny - We are ready to go!! All the guys are healthy and ready to start the season…this year going to be an improvement.

Dunn - I’m happy to be playing for the Nats and I’m excited to start the season, I wouldn’t be here if i didn’t think the team could win.

Zim - You know we are all healthy and this is a young team.  We are ready to prove that we can compete.  I would love to stay in Washington, and we are still working on that long term deal, I don’t know much about it though…

END

More later.

I apologize again for the lack of updates and promise that after this one last week of peace, we’ll be back at this more regularly.

During our spring training trip, we noticed that the Team Store at Roger Dean Stadium had a ton of great items for all teams, not just the two that call it home.  One of those items was a woven game-day purse for Nationals fans.

Last week, we received a link to purchase these bags, as well as other cool woven MLB products from Tessuta.  They are made of woven ribbon fabric, durable, small, easy to get through security, and hold all essentials in 3 pockets, with an adjustable strap.  It can be worn on the shoulder hands free, “ideal for cheering.”

“I created my Game Day Bag, which you can wear hands free, because I needed a bag I could sling over my shoulder while cheering and carrying drinks and hot dogs to my family. I needed a purse that was practical, fashionable and told everyone who I was rooting for, ” said Andrea Greenspan, creator of TESSUTA and mom of two.

The product is available online and at the Nationals team shop in the stadium for $24.95.  Other products (pillows and memory boards) are also available.

Also, I finished Alyssa Milano’s Safe at Home over the weekend.  Actually, Steph and I each read it in just one sitting.  I highly recommend it for female fans, and guys, there’s a chapter about Bill James in there.  Seriously.  You might learn something from looking at the game we all love from a female fan’s perspective.  Hopefully we’ll be able to do a review here soon.  Have a good week!  Go Nats!

2009 Washington Nationals Ladies Nights will be on June 4th and August 20th.  Tickets are $30 for the Happy Hour/Game Package and $20 for the game only. Ladies Night features massages, manicures, shopping, food and drinks, giveaways and more! Also, new this year, the Nationals plan to post the event on Facebook with photos from past Ladies Nights.

In past years, these events have been so much fun and very well attended.

On a similar note, Alyssa Milano’s new baseball memoir came out yesterday.  Check out Safe At Home at your local bookstore.

Alyssa Milano is in love; she has been for some time. But the object of her affection isn’t the subject of tabloid gossip or an actor; in fact, it isn’t even a guy. It’s a game, a game of nine innings that uses a ball made of leather and cork. A game called baseball.

Now in Safe at Home, Alyssa Milano, the mind behind the bestselling sports-clothing line Touch, tells the story about her lifelong obsession with baseball, revealing what the game has meant to her and why everyone should take a chance on nine innings. Like it does for so many of us, Alyssa’s baseball story begins with a father. A native Brooklynite who scorned the Dodgers for abandoning the city he loved, her father was reunited with the team when he and his young daughter moved out west for a fledging TV show called Who’s the Boss. It was then that Alyssa learned one of the fundamental truths of the game: No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, baseball connects you to your past.

As it turned out, the Dodgers were just the beginning. More than simply a book about the Dodgers, Safe at Home offers a view from the bleachers unlike any other, as Alyssa gives a fan’s perspective on the heart-ache, headache, and joy that make every baseball season worth following. From arguing about the importance of baseball history to appreciating the quiet months of the off-season to criticizing Major League Baseball’s response to the steroid scandal, Alyssa intertwines her thoughts about the game with stories from her life, bringing an intelligent, wry, and entertaining female voice to the world of baseball writing.

Throughout all the shifts in Alyssa’s life—the madness of growing up a child star, having to navigate life’s most awkward phases in front of the cameras—baseball has been her one constant, a distraction that was always welcome. Whether you’re already a fan or you need some convincing, Safe at Home makes a compelling case for why baseball is and always will be America’s game. The end result is a unique and unexpected book that is equal parts memoir, manifesto, and love letter to our national pastime.

As I sorted through all the mail that came in while I was on vacation last week, I found my new Washingtonian magazine.  I skimmed the first few pages, surprised to see a photograph of Nats beat writer Chico Harlan on page 13 with the headline “Harlan Would Rather Write About the Real Hot Dogs.”  I’ll warn you now — the story is kind of soul crushing, especially for those of us that can’t dream of a more fulfilling job than covering baseball for the Post.

Here are some choice quotes:

“I don’t like sports — I am embarrased that I cover them.”
“I can’t wait to stop.  It is a means to an end and a paycheck.”

Ouch.

Harlan goes on to describe the Lerners as “a mystery,” Stan Kasten as a “control freak,” and Adam Dunn as “Will Ferrell-ish.”  The story, written by Harry Jaffe, also describes Harlan’s journey to the Post and his reunion with his college roommate and best friend, Eli Saslow.

I can’t imagine how anyone could do a job like that without loving it.  The long hours, the travel, 102 losses…I’m sure the whole thing can be thankless.  And it’s certainly not strange to lose your passion for something along the way.  I lost my passion for politics about a month after finishing my MA…but still?

The article doesn’t appear to be available online, so pick up the April edition of the magazine to read it.

UPDATE:

Chico Harlan, in his own words

The full text article from the Washingtonian

Baseball is a universal language. No matter what country you are from or what language you speak, the language of baseball is unifying.  Attending the Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico World Baseball Classic game was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced.  I’m not sure how to even begin to describe the atmosphere in Dolphin Stadium, it was electric upon entering and only got more intense as the game started. Players like Jesus Flores, Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera and K-Rod are some of my favorites, so I decided to root for Venezuela. I even wore my new Venezuela hat. Kristen decided to cheer for Puerto Rico specifically for Saul Rivera and Felipe Lopez. It was fun to just be there, we wanted each team to do well.

As I walked into the stadium I was engulfed in a cheering mob of Venezuela fans, beating drums, yelling and waving flags. In the first few minutes I was welcomed as a fellow fan and learned my first baseball chant…Ven-ez-uela…WOO!! After watching a few other WBC games I wasn’t expecting the stadium to be as full as it was. People were everywhere, the excitement and anticipation was unbelievable. I really have never experienced anything like it. The game was great baseball, the Venezuelan’s got off to an early lead and Puerto Rico just couldn’t mount the offense for a comeback. Saul Rivera pitched a scoreless inning though and it was really cool to see him there.

After the final out the stadium went nuts, people were cheering, yelling, and chanting. It took a good 30 minutes for us to get from our seats to the parking lot. I was engulfed by numerous Venezuelan fans celebrating along the way. People were literally dancing in the streets after the game. It really was incredible and I think we are both really lucky to have been able to make the game a part of our spring training trip.

Here are some photos from the game. MetsGrrl has a really great post about the same game here.

We apologize for the lack of updates since Thursday. We have been traveling all over Central Florida watching baseball. After our double header on Thursday, we spent Friday morning and afternoon at Disney World. Friday night we caught the Nats/Astro’s game in Kissimmee. I’m a big fan of the Astros spring training stadium, it feels pretty intimate. Scott Olsen started, and allowed two runs over four innings, with two walks and two strikeouts. Brad Eldred hit another solo home run to put the Nats on the board, then Roger Bernadina doubled to lead off the 7th and later scored on an Alex Cintron base hit. The game went into a few extra innings but was called a tie in the end. We stayed to watch the stadium fireworks, which were really spectacular, much better than I’ve even seen at Nats Park.

On Saturday we headed back down to Port St. Lucie to see the Nats take on the Mets. Due to the traffic we encountered on Thursday for Johan Santana’s first start, we allowed plenty of time to get to the stadium. Turns out we didn’t really need that much time, it seems Johan was the sole cause for all of the traffic we had on Thursday. Mike Pelfrey was on the mound for the Mets and threw four scoreless innings. Shairon Martis also pitched four innings and gave up one run. Reliever Terrell Young gave up a run in his inning of work. The score remained 2-0 until the 9th inning, when a late rally put the Nationals up 6-2. Catcher Molina knocked in the go-ahead run and Freddy Bynum hit an RBI triple. Justin Maxwell followed with a two run homer. It was an exciting 9th inning to say the least.

Today we headed over to Space Coast Stadium for our only home game of the trip. We got to watch most of the major-leaguers practice this morning. We noticed right away that the coaches this year don’t tolerate much goofing around. We were pretty lucky and got watching groups of the guys practice bunting. It was a really entertaining drill to watch. The guys broke up into two teams of three and took turns trying to lay down a bunt in an outlined square. The guys were getting pretty competitive, which really entertained those fans watching. We headed into the stadium to watch the Nats take on the Tigers. Collin Balester pitched around trouble a number of times, especially in the third inning when he got one quick out but then walked the next three batters. Despite the walks, Balester ended up throwing three scoreless innings. Anderson Hernandez had two base hits this afternoon. We did take notice of his funny batting stance, it seems to work for him, but it had us cracking up! However, the Nationals couldn’t generate much offense and lost the game 3-0.

After the game we headed to the beach to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery launch. We were bummed before our trip thinking the shuttled would launch on March 11th and that’d we’d miss it by just a day. Lucky for us though, the launch was delayed until this evening and we were able to hang out on the beach and see the whole launch. It was a really amazing site, thousands of spectators lined the beach to get a glimpse. We were so happy to have been able to witness the spectacular feat while on vacation!

Tomorrow we are headed to Jupiter to watch the Marlins and the Nats in the afternoon. Then tomorrow evening we are headed to Miami to watch our first World Baseball Classic game. We’ll keep you updated!!

Here are some photos from the game and the launch today.

Yesterday was sort of a whirlwind.  We arrived in Orlando around 11 am and drove right the Braves vs. Nats game at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.  We had never been before and the complex was beautiful.  We were presently surprised by the starting lineup.  We never thought we would get to see so many starters on an away trip and with so many away trips on our itinerary we had prepared ourselves to watch a lot of prospects.  I know everyone has said it, but Ryan Zimmerman looks great this season, seriously we almost didn’t recognize him at the plate.  His RBI double gave the Nats a lead.  Daniel Cabrera looked pretty sharp, he even had a base hit.  It was pretty entertaining watching him run to first base.  Lastings up to bat after him, had a base hit himself and when Zim hit the double, Cabrera headed for home with Lastings almost passing him on the base path.  Cabrera really looked like he had never run the bases before.  It’s also always fun to watch Atlanta’s Mike Gonzalez’ snake-like delivery.  He looked sharp.

After the Braves game we jumped back in the rental and headed to Port St. Lucie to see the Mets and watch Johan Santana’s first start of the Spring.  Tradition Field looked like a miniature replica of Shea.  Same music, same, colors same food, same fans…it was fun to be there.  The Mets got hammered by the Marlins, Dan Uggla hit two homers.  Johan looked good but he threw more balls than we’d ever seen before and he even hit a batter.  With Tomas Armas Jr. pitching in relief, with Church in right field and Schneider behind the plate, it was almost like we were watching a past Nats game.  It was a perfect night for a Spring baseball game.  We headed back up I-95 to Melbourne and crashed for the night.

We’re  off again this morning, and will have some more updates this afternoon!

Day One Photos

In just 24 hours, we’ll be watching Daniel Cabrera take on the Braves at their Walt Disney complex.  I can’t wait.  I’ve been busy packing and getting ready, so I apologize for being out of touch.  We added Twitter (on the left sidebar), so hopefully that will help to keep you updated while we’re in Florida too.  We’ll post as often as we can here on WGH, but Twitter will be helpful for quick updates.

We’re flying out tomorrow morning; here’s the plan:

Thursday 1 p.m. - Nats @ Braves
Thursday 7 p.m. - Marlins @ Mets (Johan Santana’s first start)
Friday 7 p.m. - Nats @ Astros
Saturday 1 p.m. - Nats @ Mets
Sunday 1 p.m. - Tigers @ Nats
Monday 1 p.m. - Nats @ Marlins
Monday 8 p.m. - World Baseball Classic in Miami
Tueday 7 p.m. - World Baseball Classic in Miami

Two self-made double-headers! This is not going to be a “relaxing” vacation - but there’s no place I’d rather be.

Check over at Nationals Buzz on MASN for updates too.  Tomorrow can’t come soon enough!

I want to take a break from Nationals news for just a moment to tell you a quick story about a young lady from back home.

In October of last year, ten year old Heather Miller was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma after tumors were found in her second rib and tissue on her lung.  Their family has spent the last few months in and out of Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for Heather’s treatments.  My mother sends me occasional updates on her condition.  In small towns, everyone is a friend of a friend of a friend.  Heather’s brilliant, beaming smile always gets my attention.

Like us, Heather is also a proud member of Steelers Nation.  During her time at Children’s Hospital, she has become a close companion of Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Troy Polamalu.

From the Altoona Mirror:

On their first meeting, the two exchanged bracelets: a Greek Orthodox yarn bracelet made up of 43 knots with 7 crosses each from him and a green rubber bracelet from Heather with her motto on it - F.R.O.G., or Fully Rely on God.

On Jan. 26, as Polamalu geared up for the Super Bowl in Florida, Heather was facing surgery. Polamalu sent her a text message a couple of days before and then again twice the day of her surgery - his Media Day in Florida.

One message read, ”I am so proud of you. You’re so tough.”

Polamalu describes Heather as, “my No. 1 fan, without a doubt,” while her family describes him as “a true angel for us.”

I am always inspired to see athletes getting involved in helping others, especially lifting up kids like Heather.  We don’t make requests like this often, but her story hits really close to home.

If you would like to send a monetary donation (no matter how small), your donations would help her family with food, transportation and lodging for the numerous trips they make to Pittsburgh, as well as the increasing costs for Heather’s care.

Heather Miller Medical Fund
PO Box 229
Osterburg, PA  16667

…or just keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  To learn more about Heather, you can visit the website her family has set up.

I only have a minute, so this is going to be real quick:

One - Don’t forget Adam Dunn will be on Dave Letterman tonight to pump people up for the WBC.  He’s part of a group of Team USA players introducing the Top 10 Reasons to watch the World Baseball Classic.

Two - My Q&A with prospect Destin Hood is up at MASN.

Three - Our thoughts and prayers are with Stan Kasten, a man we greatly admire, as he grieves the loss of his mother.

Lastly, I’m pretty sure Keith Law is chatting at ESPN at 1 p.m.   It’s the first post-Bowden chat and thus a good one to try to catch.