As part of We’ve Got Heart’s support of the Baseball Blogger Alliance Awards, we wanted to post the ballots submitted by the Washington Chapter.   Nats News Network and History’s Perspective at Nationals Pride submitted ballots this season.

History’s Perspective:
Manager of the Year: Monday, October 12
Jim Tracy - Colorado Rockies
Bruce Bochy - San Francisco Giants
Joe Torre - Los Angeles Dodgers

Rookie of the Year: Thursday, October 15
Chris Coglan - Florida Marlin
J.A. Happ - Philadelphia Phillies
Tommy Hanson - Atlanta Braves

Cy Young Award: Monday, October 19
Tim Lincecum - San Francisco Giants
Chris Carpenter - St. Louis Cardinals
Adam Wainwright - St. Louis Cardinals

Most Valuable Player: Monday, October 26
Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals
Prince Fielder - Milwaukee Brewers
Hanley Ramirez - Florida Marlins
Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers
Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies
Derrick Lee - Chicago Cubs
Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
Pablo Sandoval - San Francisco Giants
Adrian Gonzalez - San Diego Padres

Nats News Network:
N.L. MANAGER OF THE YEAR
3. Joe Torre, LAD
2. Bruce Bochy, SF
1. Jim Tracy, COL

N.L. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
3. Chris Coghlan, FL (.321/.390/.460, 9 HR—47 RBI—8 SB)
2. J.A. Happ, PHI (12-4, 2.93, 119 K in 166.0 IP)
1. Tommy Hanson, ATL (11-4, 2.89 ERA, 116 K in 127.2 IP)

N.L. CY YOUNG
3. Chris Carpenter, STL (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 K in 192.2 IP)
2. Adam Wainwright, STL (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K in 233.0 IP)
1. Tim Lincecum, SF (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 K in 225.1 IP)

N.L. MVP (AVE/OBP/SLG, HR/RBI/RUNS/SB)
10. Andre Ethier, LAD (.272/.361/.508, 31/106/92/6)
9. Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.292/.364/.525, 33/106/110/2)
8. Pablo Sandoval, SF (.330/.387/.556, 25/90/79/5)
7. Derrick Lee, CHC (.306/.393/.579, 35/111/91/1)
6. Ryan Braun, MIL (.320/.386/.551, 32/114/113/20)
5. Prince Fielder, MIL (.299/.412/.602, 46/141/103/2)
4. Ryan Howard, PHI (.279/.360/.571, 45/141/105/8)
3. Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.297/.377/.552, 32/92/101/20)
2. Hanley Ramirez, FL (.342/.410/.543, 24/106/101/27)
1. Albert Pujols, STL (.327/.443/.658, 47/135/124/16)

I don’t think many people know about the DC-IBWA just yet — it was created by a few pioneering Washington, DC bloggers who wanted to give more legitimacy to the news that bloggers report on the Washington Nationals to complement the information provided by more traditional sources.

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

Awhile back, I mentioned a girl from a small town near where I grew up who is battling a rare cancer.

Today, she was featured on The Today Show, along with Troy Polamalu.  You can watch it here.  You can also visit the website her family set up.

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

WTOP is reporting that the Potomac River Company will provide water taxis from the Alexandria waterfront to a dock at Nationals Park beginning Tuesday, September 8. It’s a 40 minute boat ride and costs $12 one way or $20 roundtrip. They will be offering the water taxi rides for seven Nationals home games in September (Sept. 8, 9, 10, 25, 28, 29, and 30).

For those wishing to water taxi their way over from National Harbor, a separate taxi can be taken over to Alexandria to catch the baseball water taxi, but this would be an additional $8 one way or $16 roundtrip.

According to the report, the company hopes to expand the water taxi service in time for baseball next season.

For More info, visit WTOP.com

MASN has just reminded me that some people like sports other than baseball! Due to a Ravens/Panthers pre-season football game (what’s football?), there is some shuffling going on at MASN to be able to broadcast the Ravens, the Os, and most importantly, the Nationals all at the same time on Saturday, August 29th.

Looks like the Nationals will be in HD for all of us DC area folks. Below is the announcement from MASN.

Saturday’s Channel Lineup for MASN’s Nationals, Orioles and Ravens Coverage

(Washington D.C.) — MASN will be carrying the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens simultaneously on Saturday evening, August 29th.

In the Washington, D.C. DMA, the Nationals game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals will appear on WDCW-50, as well as on WDCW-50’s HD channel and MASN HD. Nats Xtra begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Ravens preseason game against the Carolina Panthers will appear on MASN, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Orioles will host the Cleveland Indians on MASN 2 with O’s Xtra beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In the Baltimore DMA , the Orioles game will appear on WJZ. The Nationals game will air on MASN and MASN HD, while the Ravens game will be on MASN 2.

Exciting news for those who are Nationals fans and dog lovers!! The Washington Nationals will be hosting their first ever Pups in the Park days on Saturday and Sunday, September 5 & 6. You’ve probably been to a few games during which the Nationals had adoption events during which dogs in need of homes were paraded around the outside of the plaza. And perhaps you’ve seen ads for Pups in the Park recently and thought this was the same thing. Oh, but it is so much better…

This pilot program will enable fans to bring their favorite dog to the park with them! You heard me right: Your dog can watch the game with you from the Left Field Mezzanine area. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.nationals.com/pups and cost $20 for a human ticket and $5 for a dog ticket with proceeds from this event benefiting the Washington Humane Society. The entire $5 of the dog ticket, plus $2 from every human ticket purchased will go to WHS – that’s pretty dog gone good! That’s really like spending $18 on a seat in the LF Mezzanine and then donating $7 to WHS (and by the way, those seats cost $30 for regular games). Seats are limited, so please act fast!

This sounds pretty good, right? So how does it work? What’s the catch? First of all, tickets are only available for purchase online – no walk ups! Season Ticket Holders who already have tickets to this game must exchange their season tickets and then purchase a “Pups in the Park” ticket online from the site above in order to participate in the event.

On game day, you must enter through the Left Field Gate. After entering the gate, you must drop off a signed waiver indicating that your dog is up to date on all his/her shots and vaccinations. The waivers will be emailed to you after you purchase your tickets so you can fill them out ahead of time.

You might be asking yourself, “But what it if is a hot day and my dog is thirsty” (or my dog has to, you know, go)? For the comfort of all pooches, a water and relief area will be located on the landing of Section 201.

No dogs will be allowed at the concession areas! So now you are thinking, “But what if I want something from the concession areas?” Of course you can leave your dog with your guest, but what if you are alone? These Nationals event coordinators think of everything; you may leave your dog with Pet Sitters who will be located on the Section 201 landing area as well.

I can personally say that I love this idea, and I am completely disappointed that my dog Emma and I cannot attend this event. I will be out of town, and unless her grandma or her uncle offers to take her, she will have to miss out. But I can also say that I attended a Nationals game at Turner Field in Atlanta a few summers ago and it happened to be Pups in the Park day for The Braves. The event seemed to be very successful down there, and I have been hoping ever since that the Nationals would come through with a similar event.

The Nationals have provided me with some helpful hints for making Pups in the Park a success:

You are responsible for your dog’s behavior at the event

Keep your dog under control at all times

Watch for and immediately correct any warning signs of potential aggression (Carolyn’s added note here: These symptoms may also occur if the Marlins start to score runs)

o Tail straight up and stiff
o Hair raised on their backs
o Lips raised to snarl
o Growling

Dogs pick up on your energy – stay calm, assertive, and be the leader of your Pack!

When Humans Greet Dogs

o Greet the owner first and ask the owner if it is OK to greet their dog
o Avoid eye contact with the dog initially – they can interpret this as a challenge
o Do not offer food to a dog other than your own without the owner’s permission

When Dogs Greet Dogs

o Dogs sniff each other- this is a universal and appropriate way for them to greet
o Allow your dog to sniff and be sniffed by others – if they growl or snap, they are being rude – and you will need to keep them restrained

So I hope all you Nats fan/dog lovers reading this will go out there and have a great time with your best friend, while also raising money for the Washington Humane Society. After all, rescue dogs are awesome! Just ask my little Emma.

For any other information I may have missed or to purchase your tickets, please visit the Nationals online (www.nationals.com/pups).

Pups in the Park Release and Waiver

And the link on Facebook.

Another successful Ladies Night was had on the rooftop party deck at Nats Park last night. It was a hot and humid night, but that didn’t stop the party. The rooftop tent was packed right up until game time, with in fact, what seemed like a bigger turn out then the last couple of times. Everyone (including a lot of men as it turns out) looked to be having a good time eating some Hard Times nachos, relaxing with chair massages, doing some shopping, drinking from the sample table or the cash bar, hitting some balls at putt-putt, and of course getting their photos taken with Jim Riggleman, John Lannan, and J.D. Martin.

The Nationals usually try to provide giveaways for the first 1000 people to enter Ladies Night, and last night they did not fail to deliver, providing us with a really great Nationals picture frame. Thanks to Bree Parker and Katherine Mitchell of the Nationals for putting together a great event once again.

When the party was over, some of the participants gathered to watch the game from their Left Field seats. Seated next to me was a trio of women. One of them informed me that she wasn’t a big fan and didn’t follow baseball too much, but she couldn’t turn down a Ladies Night! The trio then told me that they had never been to a baseball game before. I assumed they meant that they had just never been to Nats Park before. Nope…Diana, Sydney, and Elaine each had never been to a professional baseball game anywhere before last night. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I was as a kid to be taken to games at Shea and now as an adult being able to go see The Nats whenever I want. I sometimes assume that everyone starts going to baseball from the time they are 2! As first timers, those three sure looked like they were having fun, and they definitely knew what was going on during the game. They asked me a couple of questions throughout, but really didn’t need to ask too much. They were pretty funny about two of the things they asked …

1. If one of them catches an important ball (someone’s milestone HR, let’s say) and the player wants it back, can they negotiate for free tickets to a future game?
2. If a hitter’s bat breaks on a hit, does he get some sort of ‘pass’ that allows him to get to first?

I loved it! I think they would need to work it out with The Nationals on that first one, but on that second question, given how often we see daggers of wood flying around, could you imagine how many bases would be earned if such a pass existed?! It was a pleasure sitting next to those three, and I hope they had a good time and come back to NatsTown for some more – even when it isn’t Ladies Night. It’s a shame the team couldn’t win for them.

But it was a ‘Win’ for those of us who attended the Ladies Night event. A good time was had by all (as seen here), and we look forward to next season’s events.

Well now that i have a life again and am not running from one task to the next from 6 AM until 11:30 PM I can get back to writing about baseball instead of just watching it and preparing for games. I have a new found respect for the people that clean Nationals Park after games; it really is terrible especially after an entire game on a humid day. I have been volunteering for the Bethesda Big Train, part of the Cal Ripken Sr, Collegiate Baseball League, and that in addition to Nats games, P-nats games, and a class I took has left me away from the computer but now that the 2009 CRSCBL champs have finished their season, I have more time to fill my baseball life with writing instead of cleaning. Now to move on to the Nationals…

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

Head over to ESPN Zone today for a Q&A with Craig Stammen.  Doors open at 11 a.m.; the event begins at noon.

Also, wanted to pass along this Q&A I did with Mets blogger, Kerel of Ontheblack.com.

I’m sorry things are kind of quiet here these days.  Stephanie is adjusting to her new life in Miami and everybody is trying to handle this season’s disappointments in their own way — without using this space to whine.  We did too much of that in 2008.
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Everyone will be back at it when there’s something to say.

MissChatter said it better.

I know that some of you may be getting a wee bit tired of my rah-rah attitude towards the Nationals. After all, they are the worse team in MLB, right? So why am I always defending them and seeing the positive side? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m going there again.

I was reading Dan Steinberg’s Sports Bog about the series versus the Yankees. He posted several quotes from NY area newspapers about the series, specifically about the Nationals (more specifically, about how pathetic it was for the Yankees to lose to the Nationals). The adjectives used by these papers to describe the Nationals just about killed me. Lowly, wretched, woeful, dismal were just a few of my favorites that I saw posted there as well as in other places I found myself.

Lowly: low in growth or position

Wretched: poor, sorry, or pitable

Woeful: of wretched quality; sorry; poor

Dismal: characterized by ineptness or lack of skill

Ouch! But I am going to throw this out there at the risk of being ridiculed and torn apart…Are the Washington Nationals really a “bad team”? Are they characterized by ineptness or lack of skill? Are they of wretched quality? Or are there two sides to the story, one of which seems to always get overlooked?

Based on our record, we are a bad team, right? Sure we are. It’s a terrible record. But let’s take another look, shall we? Bare with me here. There have been games when we’ve been winning into the 7th, 8th, 9th innings only to lose the game by our bullpen. That’s terrible! It’s unacceptable that our relievers should fail, and it should not happen. But does that make us a bad team? Some of those relievers actually have been praised for outstanding performances in other games. So again I ask, bad team? In my opinion, if we were such a bad team, we’d never have had the lead at all in those games.

Let’s move on… How about all the errors! Yikes! I mean, really, outfielders who misjudge balls, infielders overthrowing or missing a simple play. We certainly must be a terrible team, right? Lowly, wretched, etc., let’s add to the list! But what about the phenomenal plays by those guys in other games? Zim, Nick, Guz, Willie, Hernandez, have all made some fantastic, score-saving plays (look at Kearns last night). And these plays are not that uncommon; there’s a good play in almost every game. Does this make us a bad team?

How about some more… How about the games back in the beginning of the year? Back when I had more hope for this team, I admit. We were scoring so many runs - just not enough! And our hitting? We were on fire! We just didn’t seem to score enough (loop back to the point about our relievers for some of those losses as well). Does that make us a bad team? Can bad teams score that much, hit that well?

And finally, I was thinking about this recently…We’ve had games in which we did not hit at all. We just had some terrible at-bats. Does that make us untalented, just plain bad? Because when we face a team (let’s say the Yankees since it is fresh in our minds) and their hitters are struck down by our pitching, the pitcher gets the credit. The pitcher gets the credit. But when we face a team and don’t get on base, don’t walk, don’t score runs, well then we suck, we can’t hit, we have no talent, etc. Really? Sure, some nights we don’t hit well, but on other nights the opposing pitcher deserves the credit.

Hey, I know it doesn’t matter how well you’re doing in individual moments when all that really matters is your record. I know that winning is the goal. I know that winning brings in the fans and the money. And winning keeps the team in this town for many years to come. I get it. Winning brings respect. Winning ends the ridicule, blah blah blah. I want the team to win as well. I’ll be happier when the team wins, too. Heck, if the team starts winning, maybe I’ll be able to sell some of my unused tickets that I currently throw away when I can’t make it to a game. I get it!

But like I said above, I feel like there are always two sides to the story. And to say that the Washington Nationals are a ‘bad team’ just doesn’t always sit well with me. I’m not saying we don’t sometimes look and play like a bad team, I’m just saying that I don’t think we are one. So to those media outlets which choose to use those adjectives to describe the team, go ahead. But if you don’t mind, I am going to choose the definitions of those words for myself.

Lowly: humble in station, condition, or nature

Wretched: very unfortunate in circumstances

Woeful: full of woe; unhappy

Dismal: gloomy, dreary, cheerless*

*OK, maybe I’ll save “dismal” for describing the fans.