Nationals Make Pitching Changes – The Post
A whole lot of players got moved around yesterday, notably P Zach Day, who was demoted to AAA New Orleans. Claudio Vargas was designated for assignment, P Jon Rauch is a goner with a torn labrum (in the shoulder), and John Patterson was sent to the DL. Chris Needham’s Capitol Punishment has more.
More from The Wash. Times: Nats shake up roster & The Post: Injury Bug Is Biting Pretty Good
Thomas Boswell – These Are the Times That Try a Nats Fan’s Soul – The Post
Part of the fascination of a hometown baseball team is watching it suffer.
You know, if Ken Beatrice was still on the air, he might (in between rants about why he never touches the curly fries) say that is the kind of statement from the kind of person who goes to hockey for the fights or auto racing for the crashes. However, Ken was pushed off the air years ago, so I have to do it for him. I don’t like watching my team suffer, I like watching Peter Angelo$’s team suffer. Actually, I don’t like watching it, because somehow I think if I watch an Orioles broadcast, the terrorists win; so let me amend that to say I like reading about his team suffering. More like skimming actually, I cannot devote that much time to that enterprise.
I like watching my team win and hopefully they will again soon. Ryan Moore is right that if they win one this weekend, everyone will call them scrappy again.
Taking a healthy cut – The Wash. Times
While everyone else on the Nats are banged up, fragile Nick Johnson is healthy and having standout season, but it probably will be enough to get him to the Motor City for the All-Star game. We also learn he is Larry Bowa’s nephew.
Private stadium funding lacking – The Wash. Times
As of now, it looks like the District is going to pay for the whole ballpark with public financing after all because most private financing deals give up too much. Expect someone, like say, Linda Cropp to come up with something in the 11th hour that gums up the works.
MASN spars with Comcast – The Wash. Times
The more I read about MASN, the more convinced I am that they are an enterprise of pure evil, their tactics are pretty ugly. I have to say that Comcast is the lesser of two evils here and hope they prevail. I blame this all on Angelo$.
More from The Post: Cox Weighing Nationals’ TV Offer
Vagabond Nats flourishing in new home – USA Today
Some national press for our Nationals. There is not anything in here we don’t know, but perhaps it can be of service to others, like the guy on my elevator yesterday morning who asked, in thick southern drawl, if I was a “big President Bush fan” when he saw the Nats road cap on my head. I took it upon myself to educate this new arrivial on our new team.
The Post-Dispatch has the standard article about the Nats too.
History in the making for Nationals – nationals.com
In possibly the most anticipated TV sports show event since MAAD Sports visited Mike Greir, Anson Carter, and Jason Doig of the Capitals, Brad Wilkerson is hosting This Week in Baseball, Saturday at 12:30 on Ch. 5. I might have to learn how to program my VCR for this one. Wilkerson apparently does all the touristy D.C. stuff and gives us a tour of RFK too.
I haven’t watched TWIB since Mel Allen was host, so it will be intersting to see what has changed. For starters, it looks like Warner Fussell got, umm, replaced.
You can listen to the TWIB theme here, though it is not my favorite recording — I think the one from the late ’80s was better. I also liked the closing theme a lot, I wonder if the current one is the same one they had when I watched the show. That piece was featured in the NFL Films Super Bowl X movie too, but is not on The Power and The Glory CD. Hey, speaking of NFL Films, it turns out there is a box set of NFL Films music out there — why wasn’t I informed?! I wish I had known that last December, I would have asked St. Nick for it. Okay, I am getting off topic…
Back to baseball — seeing this TWIB article made me remember the other Saturday morning baseball show. So, I Googled that one and imagine my surprise when I saw that a new version of “The Baseball Bunch” is due out this month. TV Tome reports that it will have Harold Renoylds and the Phillie Phanatic. I have to wonder if Tommy Lasorda will return as the Dugout Wizard or whatever he was called. Maybe they will go with someone more contemporary like Lou Pinella, Larry Bowa, or even our own Frank Robinson to take Lasorda’s place. Oh the endless possibilities…