The line-up remains the same for today’s afternoon game. It starts at 1:10.

Tickets from last night may be used for today’s make-up game or exchanged for the same priced seat to a future Nationals home game during the 2008 regular season.  All rain check exchanges are subject to availablilty.

Ladies Night will go on as scheduled, though the location has changed to the Grand Plaza, located at 1st Street & Potomac Avenue, SE.  Player appearances will include John Lannan, Luis Ayala and Jesus Flores.  You can still get tickets here.

Today is pretty busy with two games, Ladies Night, the draft - and normal life.  Please visit Nats Farm Authority for draft related news.

Jerry Crasnick from ESPN is reporting that Bret Boone has retired for good. 

“When I walked away the first time, I had a lot of issues going on and I wasn’t in a good place. I came back with a clear mind and a clear head, and I know where I was as a player at this stage of my life. I’m glad I made the decision.”

Boone, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, played for 14 seasons.  Boone first retired from the Mets in 2006, but came back this spring to play with his brother Aaron and for his father Bob Boone, Assistant GM to Jim Bowden.  Boone hit .261 in 13 International League games in April with the Columbus Clippers.  Boone cited the long bus trips for minor league teams and the difficulty of staying in shape at 39 as the primary reasons for his departure.

It was enlightening, it was educational, and I found out where I was as a player,” Boone said of his minor league stint. “I can still play. But I’m definitely not where I was five or six years ago, and it helps me mentally to know that. I’ve come to grips with it and I’m fine with it.

We wish Bret all the best.

Here’s a nice feature story on Jack McGeary’s ability to juggle college and pro baseball.  Bob Boone and Mike Rizzo recently traveled to Stanford to watch McGeary throw a simulated game.  McGeary has a full class load and a 3.5 gpa, but also tries to keep the “same schedule of a pitcher on a five-day rotation.” 

…he did his running in the outfield, went through his stretching exercises, threw pitches against a small netted backstop he put up, then threw in the bullpen for a while, gathering the balls and putting them back in his bag as needed during a two-hour workout. No coach. No teammates. No uniform. No batters. And, often, no catcher.

The author, Jake Curtis, and Stanford’s baseball coach, Mark Marquess question whether Jim Bowden’s experiment will work but McGeary certainly seems disciplined and dedicated.

Oh, and in case you’re curious — his freshman class schedule:
Exploring the Death Penalty
American Literature and Culture to 1855
Management of Sustainable Building Projects
Epic Journeys, Modern Quests
Sports Nutrition
History of Medicine
Anthropology of Medicine

Here’s a great ESPN story about Mike Bacsik.
And Zimmerman has a new blog entry up - about his new dog Miley.

SNY TV interviewed Jesus Flores after last night’s game.  Flores talks about his call-up, what he learned from his year in the majors and his big 2 RBI double.  It’s definately worth your time.

As just a heads up, game notes for tonight’s game indicate that Chico was moved to the bullpen for Mike O’Connor to start on Saturday.  Probable pitchers on the Nats website still say Chico against the Marlins this weekend, so we’ll see what the professionals tell us a bit later.  Chico has never appeared as a reliever.  It’s unclear whether he will actually work out of that role or be moved to Columbus for some polishing.  He is 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Nationals have optioned lefty Ray King to Columbus and called up Mike O’Connor.  King’s had a tough time this season finding his groove.  Again, better defense behind him and some offense would have helped.  King had a 5.68 ERA in 12 appearances this season.  Ben Goessling says that it’s up in the air whether King will accept the assignment.  O’Connor went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA so far in Columbus and will come out of the bullpen.

Tonight, Wil Nieves gets the start again (interesting, no?) and Johnson and Milledge get the night off.  Boone and Harris will start instead. Shawn Hill (0-0, 7.20) makes his second start of the season against Oliver Perez (2-2, 2.49).  Former Nats catcher Brian Schneider also has the day off.

And if you missed it, Tampa Bay Online has an update on Elijah Dukes.

Given the past week, it’s been all too easy to focus on problems and concerns, but there are some positive things worthy of mention about the organization and the new ballpark.

First of all, the Nationals announced partnerships with the Earth Conservation Corps and the Hopkins Branch of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington today. The goal of the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation’s Neighborhood Initiate is to support local non-profits with grants, donations and resources.

The Earth Conservation Corps received a grant of $40,000 for three years to assist with revitalization of the Anacostia River and the development of area youth. The Boys & Girls Club received $50,000. The organization supports area youth and teens, providing enrichment activities, computer labs, sports clubs, homework help and mentoring.

 Upon announcing the partnerships, Elijah Dukes and Joel Hanrahan unveiled the “Wall of Dreams,” located in the Center Field Plaza. Baseballs on the dream wall can be purchased from $250 to $5,000. Here’s our photos from the event.

We applaud the organization’s dedication to enriching the lives of area youth and taking pro-active steps toward cleaning up the environment.

Second, last night after the 3-0 loss to the Braves, the organization launched a massive fireworks display. It sure would have been better had it followed a win, but it was certainly a nice touch. We watched the fireworks from the President’s Club seats directly behind home plate. Upon leaving, we got a little disoriented and accidentally tried to exit through the President’s Club area. Crowds had died down, so it was fairly easy to tour the area quickly before finding a real exit. Here’s the photos from that experience.

Third, being a big PB&J fan, I was really looking forward to checking out the PB&J bar in the Strike Zone area for kids. I wasn’t sure if they’d let me order there, but there seemed to be no problem. For $5.00, you can choose your bread (wheat or white), your peanut butter (chunky or smooth) and your toppings (grape jelly, strawberry jelly, honey, bananas and/or chocolate chips). I’m a little too excited about this. We all have our things.

Fourth, Wily Mo Pena is coming back tomorrow! Pena should add some serious pop in the lineup and help the other guys see better pitches. We noticed at spring training that Pena is a natural leader as well. He’s always jumping around, talking to everyone, laughing and getting his teamates pumped. I think we’ve been missing more than his bat. We hope his leadership, personality and bat help crack this 9 game skid.

Fifth, attendance was great today, even through the rain delay! 32,532 was the announced attendance. Misery loves company. Thanks for coming out today. Please keep it up.

Sixth, Jon Rauch and his wife Erica welcomed into their family a new baby girl on Friday. Congratulations Jon!

Paul Lo Duca really talks a big game. He seems to have something to say about everything, yet he hasn’t delivered much in the way of offense or defense since arriving in DC. In fact all he’s done is run his mouth. Before last night’s defeat, Lo Duca was quoted with this gem: 

“We need to realize [we can win], we need to show and play with that cockiness and play with that edge. That’s how we are going to win ballgames.” 

Paul went on to say that he doesn’t think the Nats have that edge yet: 

“We need to go out there with a little attitude and play with attitude and keep fighting – run balls out. Even when you are getting beat, those are the times you need to hustle even more. That’s what we need to do.” 

Hmm I don’t know Paulie but, I think that maybe trying to actually throw a runner out at second, or trying to catch a ball at the plate that might save a run, or maybe even running through first base, would help the team a little bit.  Lo Duca can point fingers and talk all he wants, but the reality is, he hasn’t done much at all, and he seems to be the only one freaking out about the team’s performance. 
 
If the theme for the team is patience and learning, then why not let a young catcher – who at this point is just as good offensively, if not better than Lo Duca or Estrada – learn in the big leagues.  Our centerfielder is still learning, our pitchers are still learning, heck our third baseman is still learning. What is the harm with letting Flores get experience in the majors? Sure he isn’t major league polished yet, but his power is already better than Lo Duca’s. He can catch, hit, and run unlike Estrada currently, and he tries with success to throw out the runners, something Lo Duca hasn’t even attempted yet. At this point, a platoon with Flores and one of the vets has got to provide more offense (and defense) at the plate than we are getting right now.
 
I guess the only problem with keeping Flores in the majors is the type of mentor he would have in Paulie. I’m not sure what advice Lo Duca would have to offer the young guys. He isn’t catching well, can’t throw, can’t run, can’t stop gambling, and can’t stay faithful to his wife, sounds like a great role model. The team is young; they need patience, support, and time to be successful. Things will click, sooner rather than later, but Lo Duca’s constant yapping isn’t going to make it happen any faster.

On top of all this, what’s up with Manny lately? I realize he is dealing with a short supply of players, but a couple of his decisions in the last few games have left us with a bad taste in our mouths. He left Bergmann in way too long on Wednesday. He’s taking Felipe out of left field in the 7th, which wastes our bench. He put Tim Redding (a top starting pitcher) in to run for Estrada last night.  What kind of decision is that?  Last season we lost Bergmann and Hill to injuries on the base paths.  I can’t believe Manny needlessly exposed Redding to that last night.

I’m not so quick to blame the pitching (GM Jim) or the lack of offense on our team’s struggles as of late.  The bullpen has certainly had its fair share of problems too. It seems like a lot of things are out of place and that starts at the top and trickles the whole way down.  

It’s going to be a fun series against the Braves isn’t it? Hudson, Smoltz and Glavine, aren’t we lucky.
 
Lastly, on a positive note, we have attended now five games at Nationals Park. At each game, I have been nothing but impressed with the services and the people. I am greeted like a friend every time I enter. My food has been served in an efficient and pleasant manner. Everything from the amenities offered, to the employees and services are a huge upgrade from RFK and I couldn’t be happier.

A couple more things from morning stories and last night’s miserable defeat:

Lo Duca v. Zimmerman in Nationals Journal:

Barry pits the veteran hot head catcher against the young, even-keeled star third baseman.  Apparantly, Zimmerman is calm about the six game skid.  He pointed to the Tigers 1-7 record to say, essentially, the season’s still very young.  Relax.  Lo Duca, on the other hand, had a tantrum because he doesn’t really know how to lose.  Welcome to Washington, Paul.

Zimmerman’s attitude is the right one, for now.  For starters, the season is indeed quite young.  Last night was awful, but we’re Nats fans.  Last year was worse and despite the off-season changes, reality says we’re still on our way to building the team we’ll be in a few years. 

It’s actually an exciting time for us.  We have a new ballpark and lots of young talent.  I know I’m guilty of over-selling myself on this 2008 team, but I’m trying now to re-adjust my expectations.  I’m going to take comfort in watching these young guys learn the game.  Zimmerman said of Bergmann last night:

“He’s a good pitcher…He’s got good stuff. He’s young, like a lot of us are. He’s going to learn from his mistakes. He doesn’t want to go out and do that. We all think that he’s one of the best guys we have, and we still trust him. The next time he goes up on the hill and it’s his turn to throw, we’re going to go in there thinking he’s going to dominate like he did for four innings this time but learn from his mistakes.”

So?  Patience.  Let them learn.  The problem: mixed signals of the off-season and high ticket prices.  When you bring in old veteran guys “to teach” the young guys, don’t expect to have a winning season on their backs (and paychecks).  Lo Duca, Perez, Belliard, Young and Estrada are pieces that don’t fit long term, but were to serve as mentors to guide the young team or stopgaps to fill positions temporarily until prospects mature.  They aren’t a recipe for .500 ball and Lo Duca needs to come to terms with that.  Know your place, vet.  This is a re-building team.  Maybe we’re not here to win.  Maybe we’re here to learn.  Winning is nice.  If Milledge, Bergmann, Chico, Lannan and Dukes are learning in the majors, you’d think maybe our young catcher would be too.  Alas, the mixed singles.  A half-plan for the future and a half-plan for today.

As far as ticket prices, how much can you ask your fans to spend to see a re-building team?  How much do you spend to watch your team collapse 10-4?  When do you start to ask questions about why entire sections are empty on weeknights?  You’re asking a lot of fans while trying to build a stable fan base and that part is perhaps of more concern than the wins. 

Now, a second thought.  Within one day, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson and Washington Times reporter Dick Heller wrote dramatically different pieces on their expectations for Austin Kearns.  I want to see Kearns succeed as much as anybody and sometimes it seems I’m the only person complaining, but when (if ever) are we going to see the numbers that the organization predicted?  Heller writes, “Kearns is not a bad hitter, you understand, just depressingly average.”

“Part of the problem, his remaining advocates say, is that cavernous RFK Stadium turned many of his better belts into loud outs (Kearns batted .228 there in 2007). The club’s more intimate digs at Nationals Park are supposed to help increase his power numbers significantly, but the start of a new season has brought no dramatic upswing, if you’ll pardon the pun. Over the Nats’ first nine games, Kearns has batted .230 with no home runs and four RBI.”

Granted, the season is young.  But waiting for Austin to show up is getting old.  And his seemingly free pass by the media and the organization is getting old too.

Maybe it brings us to one more thought.  The super blockbuster trade for the Nats in July of 2006 that brought Kearns, Lopez and Wagner to the team has yet to really pay off in a monumental way.  Lopez’s struggles are evident and well documented.  The thinking with Kearns was — wait till you see his numbers at our new hitter friendly park.  We’re waiting. And Wagner — where is Wagner?  He had shoulder surgery last May after a rough couple of outings.  If anyone has read a single update on his injury, by all means, please send it our way.