Nobody wants - you don’t want to be in the situation where you wake up one morning and Johan Santana has won eight games all season and you owe him $150 million. That’s the thing. You see a lot of guys for $150 million, but we’re going to stick with what we’re doing. We’re going to take a lot of heat from you and everybody else, but I think you’re starting to see it.”  - Mark Lerner, July 13, 2008 via Nationals Journal

Don’t worry Nats fans.  Johan is a waste of money.

Oh, he just kept the Mets playoff hopes alive?  He demanded the ball on three days rest because he’s a gamer and understands his responsibility as an ace?  Say what?

Santana is one of the game’s best and everytime I see him step up to a new level, I wonder how anyone could think what Mark Lerner thought in July. 

After pitching a career high 125 pitches on Tuesday night, Santana approached his manager and demanded a start on short rest, knowing his team needs wins right now.  And how did it go?  Phenomenal, a complete game shutout where the Marlins managed to get only three hits and collect three walks.  He struck out nine.   It took him 117 pitches; 74 of them were strikes.

Yeah, I sure hope Mark Lerner never has to worry about “problems” like paying someone like Johan Santana too much money.

Washingtonian’s Blogger Beat talks to Dan Steinberg about local sports, blogs, stadiums and fans.  It’s a fun read.

Favorite Excerpt:

Pro sport you most wish would come to DC:
“Major League Baseball. (I love you too, Nats fans.)”

Go check it out.

Dave at Bottom Feeder Baseball has a hilarious take on next Friday’s showdown between GM Jim Bowden, (future) GM Mike Rizzo and angry Nats fans and bloggers.

Enjoy!

And another thing…Does anyone know why the organization turned on Frank Sinatra’s “Let it Snow” after the last out last night? We’re not sure either.

In any case, Christmas is 112 days away. Pitchers and catchers report to Viera in 162 days.

 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

Gabe Oppenheim’s piece for the Washington Post on the John Lannan Q&A yesterday is quite the kick in the face to Nats fans.  We’re already having a tough season, so Oppenheim takes aim - not at the Front Office, but at fans for being naive and pathetic, illogically supporting a last place team and hoping for brighter days. 

He suggests throughout the piece that Nats fans only consist of middle-aged men that lost the Senators in their youth, waited patiently for baseball to return, and cherish having the national pastime in the nation’s capitol regardless of wins and losses.  Nevermind us girls and regional transplants.   I may be bitter, but I believe and hope that Lannan, Zimmerman, Flores and Dukes are the foundation for something better here in Washington.

Oppenheim ignored the fact that several knowledgeable female fans were in attendance at yesterday’s event, including ladies that attend close to 80 home games every year.   Several answered trivia questions correctly.

Oppenheim continues the piece by taking a shot at Boone, followed by a shot at pitcher John Lannan.  He forgets to mention Lannan’s stellar ERA, his composure under pressure or his long shot run for Rookie of the Year.  Instead, he reminds readers that Lannan got ejected from his debut.

So Aaron Boone wound up with the Nationals, scheduled to appear in the ESPN Zone. But then he injured himself again, and had a rehab game Tuesday, and now here is Lannan, 23 (yes, the Nats have to use backups even for PR appearances). Lannan was ejected from his Major League debut, in pure Nationals style, for hitting two batters in a row.

There’s no need for the Post to kick us while we’re down.  There’s certainly other more worthy targets than Boone, Lannan and the small base of fans that support this team.  Thanks to Cheryl, Denise, Danielle and the crew for passing along the story and filling us in on the event.

Zimmerman’s got an answer.  The face of the franchise wants to take your questions for his next blog entry.  Click here to read his blog and find out how to ask him a question.

There’s also a Q&A at ESPN Zone scheduled for this Wednesday at noon.  The guest is supposed to be Aaron Boone, but if he’s rehabbing in Columbus, it will likely be someone else.

Know any Nationals fans who are 12 years old or younger and have dreams of working in big-league broadcasting?  It’s time to enter them in ESPN Zone’s Junior Broadcaster contest on Tuesday, August 19th at 6 p.m. To enter, stop by ESPN Zone’s SportsCenter Studio Store and complete a sign-up form.

COMPETE: In Round One, each contestant will sit behind a microphone on set at ESPN Zone and present the play-by-play for one Nationals highlight. Contestants may either recite the original broadcaster’s play-by-play (a transcript of which will be provided) or present their own original play-by-play.  Judges will then select five finalists, who will each call a second, different play.  Judges will provide feedback and vote, which counts for half of the final results. The other half will come from fans in attendance, so come out and support your favorite Junior Broadcaster!

WIN: Two winners will be selected to spend a day in the TV broadcast booth at an upcoming Nationals game, and two winners will be selected to work in the radio booth. The four winners will also receive game tickets and an ESPN Zone prize pack.

While flipping through baseball games this weekend, I caught a glimpse of rapper Ice Cube sporting a curly W hat.  You guys know Ice Cube right, the guy from the Friday and Are We There Yet movies.  Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.  It seems the Nationals have fans in high places.  I did a little digging and found that Ice Cube not only loves his Nats hat, but he wears it a lot.  He even wore it for an album covershot! He seems to have a jersey also, which he wore during a performance here.  Check out more evidence here, here and here.  Rumor has it that Ice Cube’s favorite player is Dmitri Young.  Hmm maybe we will see Ice Cube at Nats Park sometime soon…

A must read:  Zuckerman’s piece on Bowden’s financial investments this season.

Zimmerman also updated his blog.  He tried to upload pictures of his dog, Miley, but it didn’t seem to work.  Still, he says the trade deadline was crazy!!!  Enjoy!