April 7th was the Meet the Players Banquet for the Potomac Nationals, 2008 Carolina League Champions. This was a booster club member only event but well worth the membership dues ($10 for individuals or $15 for families).

The dinner itself was very nice, with a chicken pasta salad, green beans, wings, and a large slab of beef along with assorted desserts. After dinner, the president, Lamar Boone, gave introductions of all of the players and coaching staff, including new manager Trent Jewett, who said a few words of welcome to both the players and booster club members.

There was a 50-50 raffle and half of the money went to a member and the other half went to a player; in this case 5 year Potomac Nationals veteran, Clint Everts, was the big winner. Then $25 givaways were raffled to the players, where the children at the event pulled the tickets (my brother won Brian Peacock $25). The Mills Cup that the team won was also displayed at the event.

It may seem odd that people are giving money to baseball players but these A ball players only make around $1,000 a month and it can be hard to make it by. This is why the booster club has host familes and hosts Saturday Night dinners and breakfasts before road trips. The minors are certainly not as luxurious as the majors, with pre- and post-game spreads and chartered plane rides. It is fast food and long bus rides. Someone once told me that only about 3% of players in A-ball ever make it to the majors, so with such slim chances it is really a tough way to live.

For anyone who lives in the Woodbridge area, the Booster Club needs more host families. It is really a great oppotunity to form a bond with one of the Nationals future players.

Here is the link to the Booster Club Website.

They shut out the Lynchburg Hillcats and super-prospect Pedro Alvarez tonight 2-0.  Starter Tom Milone went 5.1 and allowed just 3 hits while striking out 4.  P-Nats Center Fielder Francisco Plasencia launched a homer to put the Nats on the board.   Later, Chris Marrero scored from third on a stolen base attempt by Plasencia. 

Let’s just not talk about the big league Nationals.

I wanted to take a quick second to introduce a new We’ve Got Heart blogger…

We’ve known Danielle for over a year.  Her family attends almost every home Nationals game and often travels to see the Nationals in other cities.  Danielle is still in high school, but she’s a great writer whose quick wit always cracks us up at games.  Most importantly, Danielle loves the Nationals and we thought she’d be a great addition to this blog.   So, when she has something to say, you can find it here and she’ll be posting her first entry in just a few moments. 

Make sure to welcome her!

Sports Illustrated’s Gennaro Filice says it could happen, though most of their experts picked Cameron Maybin.

The last time a Zimmerman almost won a ROY in DC…well, that was a fun year, wasn’t it?

We’re excited to see what J. Zimmermann is capable of this season, but not ready to saddle him with Bowden-like, impossible expectations.   A solid rookie season is good enough for us.

Is it Opening Day yet??

The news from Sports Illustrated about Smiley Gonzalez this morning/last night is very troubling.

Esmailyn Gonzalez, who is listed as 19 years old on the team’s roster, is actually 23-year-old Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, four sources have told SI.com.

Gonzalez/Lugo signed a $1.4 million signing bonus on July 2, 2006.  His numbers were impressive in the GCL, but not for his newly revealed age.  So, what happens to him now? What happens to the contract money (and who really received it anyway)?  Was his work visa valid? Will he remain with the team?  Are Rijo and Bowden held accountable by the Lerner family for yet again dragging this team through the mud?  And where does the farm system stand without the fictional Smiley Gonzalez?

There are a lot of questions this morning and a lot of disappointed Nationals fans.

As a quick aside and somewhat bright point, the story was broken by Sports Illustrated’s Melissa Segura.  Last week, Selena Roberts famously broke the A-Rod news.  While it may be a sad week for liars and cheaters, it is a good week for female sportswriters.

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.

Justin Maxwell is slowly digging out of a slump in the Puerto Rican League.  He’s hitting just .177 but leads the league in home runs.  He has 6 in just 18 games, including 1 in each of his last three.

From the Nationals:

 The Washington Nationals today announced they have agreed to terms on professional contracts with three International prospects from the Dominican Republic: 16-year-old right-handed pitcher Pedro Encarnacion, 17-year-old infielder/outfielder Jairo Bernabel and 19-year-old outfielder Aridio Rodriguez. Nationals Director of Scouting Dana Brown made the announcement.

“These signings are a testament to our scouting efforts in the Dominican Republic, as we continue to bolster the ever-growing stable of International talent in our minor league system,” said Brown. “Encarnacion has the potential to develop into a solid fourth starter. At 16 years of age, he is already throwing his fastball in the upper 80s, low 90s. Bernabel is a quality two-way player with projectable power, and Rodriguez is a strong defensive outfielder with a quick left-handed stroke.”

Brown and Assistant Director of Scouting and National Crosschecker Kris Kline recently scouted all three players at the Loma del Sueno complex in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

The Nationals have had recent success recruiting and signing International prospects, evident by consecutive Dominican Summer League championships in 2007-08. They have signed 11 International free agents this year, 10 from the Dominican Republic and one from Venezuela.

Cory VanAllen will represent Washington in the Arizona Fall League’s third annual Rising Stars Showcase.  The game takes places on Friday night at Surprise Stadium at 7:15 p.m. MST.

This weekend, Luis Jimenez hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Cardenales their second straight win. Jimenez is hitting .357 in the Venezuelan League with 5 hits including a double and a homer in 14 at bats.  He also has 3 walks and 4 RBI.  The left-handed first baseman is 26.  In 2008, he spent most of his season at Harrisburg (.260 average in 77 games) before being promoted to Columbus (.330 average in 33 games).  Also in Venezuela, Nats prospect Frank Diaz hit his second homer in 5 games…a three run blast, lifting his average to .263.  

Though the Tigres del Licey aren’t off to the greatest start (1-3), Anderson Hernandez and Emilio Bonifacio are shining in the Dominican League.  Hernandez leads the team with a .412 average in 4 games (2 doubles, 2 triples).  Bonifacio is hitting .357 with a .500 OBP.  It’s so early but it’s nice to see them at the top of the pack.

In Arizona, Ross Detwiler has pitched 6 innings in 3 games without giving up a run.  Adam Carr has a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 innings.  Cory Van Allen got hit hard on the 13th (charged with 4 runs in 2 innings), so his ERA is still recovering.  In 7 innings and 3 games, he carries a 6.43 ERA.  Zechry Zinicola is looking sharp with a 1.59 in 5.2 innings.

Time to open up the checkbook, Mr. Lerner. Congrats Nats fans. Finally, something to be happy about this season.

AP Photo: Elaine Thompson