In addition to being able to see two of the Nationals most promising young pitchers, ESPN baseball anaylist, Tim Kurkjian will also be at the event. There are also some great Nationals Auction items, like a Ryan Zimmerman autographed baseball and a 2009 team signed ball.

The Auction is this Sunday, November 8th from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Pooks Hill Marriot. You can find out more about The Big Train and order tickets at their website (www.bigtrain.org) or buy tickets at the door for $50 (adults) or $25 (kids 5-12, under 5 is free).
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Here are our pumpkins from last year!

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All of the participating blogs had the opportunity to vote for end of year awards which were named after successful Washington baseball players, similar to the end of season awards given to players as voted on by sports writers.

Here are the results…

Goose Goslin Most Valuable Player
Player most valuable to the success of the Washington Nationals
Ryan Zimmerman

Walter Johnson Starting Pitcher of the Year
Excellent performance as a starting pitcher
John Lannan

Frederick “Firpo” Marberry Relief Pitcher of the Year
Excellent performance as a relief pitcher
Tyler Clippard

Sam Rice Hitter of the Year
Excellence in all-around hitting, situational hitting and baserunning
Ryan Zimmerman

Frank Howard Slugger of the Year
Excellence in power hitting
Adam Dunn

Joe Judge Defensive Player of the Year
Excellence in fielding
Ryan Zimmerman

Mickey Vernon Comeback Player of the Year
Player who overcame biggest obstacle in the preceding season to contribute on the field
Nick Johnson

Josh Gibson Humanitarian Player of the Year
Player who meritoriously gave of himself to the community
John Lannan

Minor League Player of the Year
Minor league player most destined for big league success
Derek Norris

Having just returned from Pittsburgh, I have discovered that I only root for Nationals, but with a few caveats. If a player I happen to be a of fan is playing for the other team, they must succeed in their play but the rest of the team has to crumble. With the Pirates, for example, Joel Hanrahan need to dominate, (that didn’t really work out on Friday night, but I did let out a sigh of relief when he was pulled before they could put on enough runners to get the loss), and Ryan Doumit also needed to go at least 2-4 (again, didn’t happen, but my fantasy team needs help so I had to root for him). Other than those two exceptions I really did want that Nationals to be perfect… for the two games I did see (Fri and Sat) they were not perfect.

By the way, if you have never been to Pittsburgh, I highly suggest visiting. PNC Park may be my new favorite away ballpark. It is so intimate and pleasant, and easy to get around and not too expensive.

My friend Dave from Nats News Network also informed me that as of the Aug. 2nd win we only need 8 more wins to not have the most losses in the modern era, which begs the question, were the ‘62 Mets really THAT bad?

Also a moment of silence for all of the good Nats that have left us over the years. The recent trade deadline has led me to remember past Nats, and after seeing the sea of McLouth, Sanchez, and Wilson jerseys and t-shirts in Pittsburgh I really do feel for Pirates fans. Not all of the former Nats were perfect, or even good, but I can find something good to say about all of them and I truly do miss them. Some have moved on to bigger and better things and some never made it, but baseball is a business and stuff happens. I have tried to update what they are doing for you all. This list is not complete but they are the guys that I miss the most.

Robert Fick- now kicking independent league butt for the Orange County Flyers.

Tim Redding- Not doing too hot for the New York Mets

Joel Hanrahan- the veteran on the Pirates

Brian Schneider- NYM catcher

Ryan Church- A member of the Braves

Jonathan Albaladejo- not doing great for the Yankees, but has the most big league IP of his career

Ray King- as far as i know, out of baseball

Jon Rauch- we will see the big man in a few days on the D-backs

Chris Snelling- After leaving the Nats on May 2nd, 2007 he had major league moments on the A’s, Devil Rays, Phillies and minor league moments with the Padres and Pirates and is now a free agent, he did do well in the WBC for Australia.

Bill Bray- out for the season with a tear in left elbow, on the Reds

Brad Wilkerson- retired after getting minor league deal with the Red Sox this year

Brendan Harris- fair enough for the twins

Rick Short- as far as i know, after 2 seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, he is out of baseball

Vinny Castilla- coached for Mexico in WBC

Luis Ayala- doing the same thing for the Marlins

Johnny Estrada- not in baseball

Josh Wilson- spent time in Arizona and Seattle’s AAA this year along with big league action with the Dbacks, padres, and Mariners

Felipe Lopez- traded to the brewers, we saw him a little while ago

Charlie Manning- not really that great in St. Louis AAA

Ryan Wagner- retired because of injury

Jesus Colome- signed a minor league deal with Brewers

And a few coaches…

Manny Acta- in FLA, with the family

Tim Tolman- signed as an instructor with the Mariners in Jan 2009

Here is the transcript of the entire call from Nats320.

With the starters part of the call, I found the differences between Randy St. Claire and Steve McCatty really interesting. I think that St. Claire’s approach with video and analyzing the motion is good for younger pitchers still trying to get consistent arm movement but McCatty’s approach looking at what feels right and how hitters react is different but still successful.

Personally, I am a fan of the more technical analyzing; there is something I don’t like about the guess and check method. Needless to say, I am not a Nationals pitcher so the method is not as important to me as the final product, which would be a win.

I really liked Craig Stammen’s advice to Stephen Strasburg about being humble and working hard. The worst way, I think, is to come into the clubhouse this September or in Spring Training or whenever and think you are the greatest pitcher that ever walked the earth and not give respect to the veterans that are already there. That is partly what got Lastings Milledge on the Mets bad side.

John Lannan also touched upon the lack of a veteran in the starting rotation. Now with all of this talk of tearing the team apart and trading away the veterans, I think this could really hurt the team in a more general sense. It’s almost always easier to adjust to a new situation with the guidance of someone who has done the same thing a few years earlier, like an older sibling helping a younger one in the first weeks of high school. It is also something very similar to what the Marlins would do and have done.

I also thought the last question was a great way to end that part of the call, asking how the media affects the team because when I watch MLB TV or ESPN or read anything, really there are always remarks about how terrible our performance is. I don’t think it is fair to anyone but I am glad the team tries to not let the media and opinions bother them but I don’t know if that is always true.

After the starting pitchers (minus Martis), Drew Storen, #10 overall (in case anyone forgot), came on the call. His father worked in Washington and he went to Nationals games at RFK so he has a few ties to the area and the team. He also was a fan of the Expos and Chad Cordero — and Jack McGeary and Storen were friends at Stanford. I really like that he has a mental toughness suited for late innings. Storen also really likes and wants pressure (I just hope it is not in the same way Chad Cordero put himself in pressure situations at RFK, that got too scary sometimes!).

I like the term “critical relief” that they use at Stanford; I think that the Nationals should adopt that instead of naming a new closer every few weeks.

and one last note… Storen and Strasburg are already Facebook friends.

It’s nice to get a glimpse of the future during these tough times in NatsTown.

I am so very happy right now, except for the fact that I am sick (in both the head and the one that involves antibiotics) and Robert Fick plays games on the west coast so they end between 1 and 2 AM on days where I have to wake up between 5:50 and 6:30 AM. But I will sacrifice if he keeps on doing well.

First of all, Robert is starting at third base for the Orange County Flyers. I was surprised by this since he had only played 2 major league innings there ever before (that would be in 2005 with the Padres). Don’t take this the wrong way, but I would take Robert Fick at third over Ryan Zimmerman any day; but he wouldn’t be a bad option.

Listening to the games on the radio I have heard that he made a really great catch diving to this left the other day and has made a few good saves. I did wonder why the sudden change is position and after emailing in to the team’s radio broadcaster apparently Robert wanted to learn to play third and Phil Nevin wanted him as a third baseman so it all worked out. He will also fill in at first and be the emergency catcher.

He has been batting well too, in twelve at bats he is batting .417, with two walks, an RBI and two runs. I do know this is independent league ball, but those are still pretty good numbers, and Ricky Henderson played in the same league and he is a Hall of Famer. (Although, Robert Fick is in the West Michigan White Caps Hall of Fame).

I honestly could not be happier for Robert and continue to wish him the best of luck. But his team is 0-3, and the bullpen has blown up in 2 of the three games, so I am building up a resistance to those types of loses.

Let’s hope the Nationals win tomorrow!!!!

But I don’t dislike the Pirates at all, in fact I love Nyjer Morgan’s old school stirrup socks.  They remind me of Robert Fick. And Nate McLouth is on my fantasy team. But I didn’t want the series to go the way it did. I was hoping the Nats could as least split the series and my favorite Nationals holiday, Austin Kearns’ Birthday, gave me some hope for this series. Unfortunately, May 20th was not a win, so it was left to the pitcher from UD to salvage the series and prevent the sweep.

I really enjoyed the win. I can say that the Nationals are winners today. Winners. It feels good. I also got to leave the comforts of right field and sit with some friends by the Pirates bullpen; don’t worry we were all rooting for the Nats.

Also, Robert Fick’s new team has its opening day on the 25th versus the Chico Outlaws. I am pretty excited to see him play again.

Yes, he may have blown 3 out of 5 save opportunities but I don’t think it is time to fire him yet. Granted, part of my love for him comes from the fact that he is such a nice person, but I still believe he can be an effective pitcher.

He is not a closer and he won’t be until he gains confidence in himself. To be a closer you have to go out there and think you are the best thing since sliced bread and Joel thinks too much about who he is pitching to, what the score is and the fact that he had to close out the game.

In Spring Training 2008, Joel had a 0.00 ERA; he had nothing to lose and he just went out there and pitched. That’s how he won a spot in the bullpen last year.

I am not giving up on Joel yet and I certainly do not think he should be in the minors; he just needs more confidence in himself and in his pitches. That is not something he will get overnight. It’s a good thing that he doesn’t have the title of closer anymore; it takes the pressure off of him and he can just go out and pitch without feeling like the game rests on his shoulders.

I don’t think confidence in him from the fans would hurt either. So you will continue to see me wear my Hanrahan jersey loud and proud because I am still a HanraFAN.

The Golden Baseball League is presented by Safeway and its goal is to promote the growth of independent leagues in western North America.

Former Nationals Jerome Williams and Wiki Gonzalez also have played in the GBL.

This was a bittersweet win for the Phillies though. At around 12:30 today, their Hall of Fame broadcaster was found slumped over in his booth. He was taken to George Washington University’s Medical Center and pronounced dead at 1:20 PM, he was 73 years old. Today, Tigers fan favorite Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was also found dead on his farm in Massachusetts.  The 1976 AL rookie of the year played in the majors until 1980, but was well known for talking to himself, the baseball, and his glove while on the mound and his amazing performance in 1976. Both f these men will greatly be missed in the baseball community.