{"id":1760,"date":"2007-01-23T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2007-01-23T10:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten.html"},"modified":"2007-01-23T10:42:00","modified_gmt":"2007-01-23T10:42:00","slug":"nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/","title":{"rendered":"Nook, O’, FLop, caravan and Kasten"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Nats Outfielder Logan, a Familiar Position<\/b><\/a> – The Post<\/i>
I think I may be the only Nats blogger who has not specifically registered my concern with simply handing the centerfield job to Nook Logan<\/span>. That’s better.<\/p>\n

O’Connor doubtful for Opening Day<\/b><\/a> – The Wash. Times<\/i>
Mike O’Connor<\/span>, also known as “the Nats second best starter” probably won’t be ready for Opening Day because of elbow surgery in November.<\/p>\n
Lopez, Nationals avoid arbitration<\/b><\/a> – nationals.com<\/i>
FLop is getting $3.9 million instead of the $4.1 million he wanted and he avoids arbitration. Other Nats still eligible include P John Patterson<\/span>, closer Chad Cordero<\/span> and outfielders Austin Kearns<\/span> and Alex Escobar<\/span>. <\/p>\n
T(H)OM LOVERRO<\/b> – Nats’ caravan sputters<\/b><\/a> – The Wash. Times<\/i>
Loverro is a lot more impressed with the students of Kimball Elementary than the 2007 Nationals. The team is sponsoring the District school this year.<\/p>\n

Dan Steinberg<\/b> of DC Sports Bog<\/b> tagged<\/a> along<\/a> for<\/a> the<\/a> ride<\/a><\/b>. By the way, Manny Acta<\/span> is tied for lowest paid<\/b><\/a> among MLB managers.<\/p>\n

Ohka out of Pirates’ plan, but Armas in<\/b><\/a> – Post-Gazette<\/i>
Wait, Tony Armas Jr.<\/span> signed with Pittsburgh? I thought he resigned with the Nats annually. At least Tomo Ohka<\/span> is still available and only seeking one year deals.<\/p>\n
\n

Kasten’s note to the fans<\/h4>\n

Stan Kasten sent out an email to fans yesterday.<\/p>\n

To All Nats Fans: <\/p>\n

Happy New Year! With the holidays now behind us, we can look forward with great anticipation and excitement to spring training… which is just around the corner. I know you are as eager as I am. Pitchers and catchers report to our spring training complex in Viera, Florida on February 13th. The first full squad workout will take place on February 20, followed by the first game on March 2. Spring Training will conclude with an exhibition series against the Baltimore Orioles, including a double-header on March 29 at the home of our new AAA affiliate, The Columbus Clippers, in Columbus, Ohio. On March 31, we’ll return home to RFK for our final exhibition game against the Orioles. The Nationals Dream Foundation will host its first-ever black tie Welcome Home Gala fundraiser on the evening of March 31. Opening Day is Monday, April 2. I hope you’ll be on hand to welcome your team back to Washington.<\/p>\n

More than eight months have passed since I arrived on the Washington scene, yet my level of excitement remains as high as it was on Day One. I love DC, as I knew I would, and I see a future for this extraordinary city that shines brighter every single day. Since our new ownership group was named last May, we’ve experienced a time of great change. With that change, I am proud to say, has come enormous progress. Having bought ourselves a last place team that had been without dedicated ownership for several years, we faced significant hurdles both on and off the field. Nevertheless, with passionate leadership, a dedicated staff and, most importantly, a devoted, loyal fan base, we find ourselves on a sure-fire path to success, having an awful lot of fun along the way.<\/p>\n

First on our long To-Do list was a total reformation of our team. Building on a new foundation of young pitching and extraordinary coaching, our team has been transformed into one of youth, energy, enthusiasm, and determination. The amateur draft last June, in many ways, was an official new beginning. The evolution continued through the mid-season with trades for young stars like Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez, and prospects like Garrett Mock, Matt Chico, Jhonny Nunez, Shairon Martis, etc. It’s no surprise that Baseball America’s new rankings include 12 of our top 15 prospects — new additions who joined our organization last summer. It’s a clear sign of how far we’ve come in such a short time.<\/p>\n

Acta has managed in the Dominican Winter League, and he was also the Dominican Republic’s skipper in the inaugural World Baseball Classic last spring.
The next vital step taken was the hiring of Manny Acta. Manny will lead the Nats this year as the youngest manager in Major League Baseball, and the only one from the Dominican Republic. His experience, energy, work ethic and unyielding demand for maximum effort make him the perfect choice to lead this young team forward. I think that energy will be reflected by our players at every single game. Manny’s enthusiasm is infectious, and he will be making personal appearances throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia in the next weeks as the Nats conduct their pre-season caravan. I hope you take advantage of these opportunities to meet Manny personally. If you do, I’m sure you will share my confidence in our future. <\/p>\n

As I know you’ve heard me say in the past, the key to a successful baseball team is its player development system. Here again it’s been an offseason of many moves. The change in our affiliates from New Orleans and Savannah to Columbus, Ohio and Hagerstown, Maryland brings our whole system to a nearer and more efficient geographical structure. Manager and coaching changes accompanied these moves as well. And, our scouting department has undergone the most dramatic change of all. We’ve had a complete overhaul as we brought in proven veterans with decades of scouting success and world championships. In addition, we’ve increased our numbers to put us on track to achieve our goal of having the finest scouting operation in all of baseball.<\/p>\n

As we prepare for Spring Training, we recognize that we still have much work to do. But even though we are clearly still in a building phase, we also have some very important elements in place. From my standpoint, I believe our team is already very competitive offensively and defensively. In addition, we have the making of a very good, young and deep bullpen. We all acknowledge, though, that we will need to solidify our starting pitching if we hope to achieve our goals. <\/p>\n

As I’m sure you’ve followed our moves these past months, you know this has been a frustrating offseason for teams that had expectations of acquiring veteran starters through free agency. Frankly, some (though clearly not all) of these free agent signings were expected and we feel strongly that to pursue premium free agents or even second-tier pitchers in this year’s market would have been unwise. So for now, we have signed young free-agent Minor League pitchers with potential, and, together with some of our own young veterans, we expect to have the most robust competition for pitching staff openings that I’ve ever seen in a major league spring training camp. We can’t be sure who will emerge, but we’re certain with the number and quality of prospects we’re bringing in, the quality of our rotation as we begin the season will pleasantly surprise many observers. I think it will be great fun and I really can’t wait.<\/p>\n

As we continue our building process on the field during 2007, the news off the field is every bit as exciting. Construction progress on the new ballpark has been breathtaking. I hope each of you gets a chance to take a quick drive down South Capitol Street and see how far our new home has come along. They’re already into the upper deck and one can clearly see the outlines of the ballpark taking shape.<\/p>\n

In addition to construction, planning for the interior of the ballpark is moving forward every day. The Nats will be adding a slew of improvements to the basic stadium that the District is building. Please go online at www.nationals.com and click on the New Ballpark Page. I’m sure the latest renderings will have you as excited as I am. <\/p>\n

Many improvements were made at RFK in 2006, such as enhanced customer service, a new food court with better audio and video offerings, and of course, our ever popular President’s Race, and more are on the way for 2007. There will be plenty of places to eat, drink, watch video, play games, buy merchandise and, in general, have as good a customer experience at a ballgame as any fan can have in any city in this country. But by the time we get to the new ballpark in 2008, we expect the game experience to reach a whole new level. This will be a fitting complement to an ever improving team on the field that benefits from the increased revenues which accompany a new ballpark. That’s all just one short year from now.<\/p>\n

I know you’ve also heard a lot about parking and access to the new ballpark. I’m very pleased to report that all the work that the many concerned parties have been devoting to this effort has yielded very positive results. By Opening Day 2008, I am confident that there will be a number of parking lots within walking distance to go along with the 1200 plus spaces in parking decks adjacent to our grand entry plaza. Most exciting though is the news that plans for expanding the Navy Yard Metro are now in place. The groundbreaking this week for the new station ensures that when we open we will have a rapid transit system not simply closer than the current station is to RFK, but perhaps the closest of any baseball stadium in any city.<\/p>\n

This is such an exciting time to be a Nats fan. I believe we have all the elements in place to become a significant marquee franchise that can have sustained on-field success for many years. Personally, it’s why I came to town: To help build a world class team, in a world class ballpark, in the most important city in the world. At the Nationals, we pledge you our passion, a hard-working and exciting performance, and the kind of dedication to the national pastime that you would expect in our nation’s capital. Thanks for being part of this dream and a part of this effort. Together we’re going to have a lot of fun for a very long time. <\/p>\n

As always, if there’s anything we can do for you, please let us know. Contact your representative, or the Nats at 202.675.NATS (6287). And if you see me as I’m walking the concourse at RFK, please stop me and say hello.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think we have heard all of this before, haven’t we?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Nats Outfielder Logan, a Familiar Position – The PostI think I may be the only Nats blogger who has not specifically registered my concern with simply handing the centerfield job to Nook Logan. That’s better. O’Connor doubtful for Opening Day – The Wash. TimesMike O’Connor, also known as “the Nats second best starter” probably […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[1222,1224,1695],"class_list":["post-1760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-natsmlb-2007","tag-nats","tag-nats-front-office","tag-stan-kasten"],"yoast_head":"\nNook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Nats Outfielder Logan, a Familiar Position – The PostI think I may be the only Nats blogger who has not specifically registered my concern with simply handing the centerfield job to Nook Logan. That’s better. O’Connor doubtful for Opening Day – The Wash. TimesMike O’Connor, also known as “the Nats second best starter” probably […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"William F. Yurasko\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"wfyurasko\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"wfyurasko\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"wfyurasko\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773\"},\"headline\":\"Nook, O’, FLop, caravan and Kasten\",\"datePublished\":\"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1750,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"Nats\",\"Nats front office\",\"Stan Kasten\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Nats\\\/MLB 2007\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/\",\"name\":\"Nook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/2007\\\/01\\\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nook, O’, FLop, caravan and Kasten\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/\",\"name\":\"William F. Yurasko\",\"description\":\"Yet another Washingtonian pushing the ubiquitous Nats\\\/DC sports, Penn State, commuting, bicycling, kayaking, broomball, skiing, gin & tonic agenda.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773\",\"name\":\"wfyurasko\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"wfyurasko\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jus.tia.mybluehost.me\\\/website_3c1e0e40\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yurasko.net\\\/wfy\\\/author\\\/wfyurasko\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko","og_description":"For Nats Outfielder Logan, a Familiar Position – The PostI think I may be the only Nats blogger who has not specifically registered my concern with simply handing the centerfield job to Nook Logan. That’s better. O’Connor doubtful for Opening Day – The Wash. TimesMike O’Connor, also known as “the Nats second best starter” probably […]","og_url":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/","og_site_name":"William F. Yurasko","article_published_time":"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00","author":"wfyurasko","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"wfyurasko","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/"},"author":{"name":"wfyurasko","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773"},"headline":"Nook, O’, FLop, caravan and Kasten","datePublished":"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/"},"wordCount":1750,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["Nats","Nats front office","Stan Kasten"],"articleSection":["Nats\/MLB 2007"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/","url":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/","name":"Nook, O', FLop, caravan and Kasten - William F. Yurasko","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/#website"},"datePublished":"2007-01-23T10:42:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2007\/01\/nook-o-flop-caravan-and-kasten\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nook, O’, FLop, caravan and Kasten"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/#website","url":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/","name":"William F. Yurasko","description":"Yet another Washingtonian pushing the ubiquitous Nats\/DC sports, Penn State, commuting, bicycling, kayaking, broomball, skiing, gin & tonic agenda.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8cc411e132f659e3520b7aaf758773","name":"wfyurasko","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d848f90a00e30a5618468b70a0cf9639ad6175f078f9417858cef279ef96fe26?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"wfyurasko"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/jus.tia.mybluehost.me\/website_3c1e0e40"],"url":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/author\/wfyurasko\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}