The Nationals Enquirer

Bacsik to the future

"Mike Bacsik is excited to help the Nationals contend in the new stadium in 2008."
(Jonathan Maurer, Mike Bacsik's agent, via Nationals dot com, 10/30/2007)

Season ticket sales go through the roof as NAAAts announce signing of Mr. 756* himself -- Hey, it beats card shows!

$420,000 if he makes the big league club: that's a lot of autographs!

Meanwhile...

• Speaking of steroids: Seilg isn't worried about a backlash, but when will the Mitchell report see the light of day? Any current or former Nats on that list (*cough* *cough* Jamey Carroll *cough*)?
• If you can stomach all the Red Sox/Yankee talk, there were a few Nationals bits in Boz's Washington Post online chat yesterday afternoon. Boz hit the nail on the head regarding offseason acquisitions (he must not have heard the news about Bacsik):

"The Nats know that they absolutely cannot go into next season without adding a credible starting pitcher to the staff. Simply getting out of RFK will improve the hitting more than most fans will believe. But the Nats can't run the risk of having the rotation in '08 turn out to be the rotation they dreaded, but avoided, in '07."

• Don't forget to check out the photo tour of the New Nationals park over at Nats320. I think I see some parking spaces!
• Payroll's going up in '08: "But just $70 million? Seriously?"
• Free agent filing shocker: Batista, Jimenez, file for free agency!
• RIP, Robert Goulet.

(AP Photo)

Enquirer answers the mailbag!

Hey, it's time to tear into another edition of the Nationals dot com mailbag! As always, keep those e-mails coming to Nationals.com, and we'll keep copying and pasting your questions and giving our half-assed answers. Thanks a bunch.

In last week's mailbag, a reader asked if general manager Jim Bowden is enamored with former Reds. Don't you think the real story is that Bowden is enamored with players he was responsible for bringing to the team? Ryan Church was a member of the Expos, so he doesn't get the love because Bowden doesn't get any credit for bringing him to the team. Not saying that Bowden doesn't have an eye for talent, just that he favors players who will make him look good in the eyes of the media and the ownership group.
-- S.P., North Beach, Md.

Woah there, you covered two of the most tired Nationals story lines in one pop! Impressive. There was a question in there somewhere, but I must've dozed off. Can you repeat the question?

The only change Church needs is in the attitude of the GM. If he's another Paul O'Neill, we shouldn't let Bowden mess it up again. You're too easy on the GM.
-- B.N., Washington, D.C.

And you're an a-hole. How's that?

Chad Cordero had a good number of saves this year, but how he earned them were scary. Is there hope for improvement next year, or do we need to start looking for a new closer?
-- K.A., Chantilly, Va.

Time to start looking for a new closer...and his name is Eric Gagne!

Is Joel Hanrahan in the Nationals' plans in 2008?
-- R.B, Gainesville, Fla.

Gosh, I hope not!

What are the biggest goals for the Nats before they have a good chance at the playoffs?
-- E.W., Woodbridge, Va.

Biggest goals? Hard for us to say. Did you ever think the Rockies had even a remote chance at the playoffs this season? Did anyone? If we're talking about building a perennial playoff entrant, I guess it all starts down on the farm. In the short term, I'd really like to see them try to sign one of the old farts (Livo, Glavine, Schilling, etc.) this offseason to anchor the rotation and pass along some ancient wisdom to the kids. On Sunday, Ken Davidoff of NY Newsday called Washington "one of the three most likely landing points for Tom Glavine", behind Atlanta and Atlanta (no, that's not a typo). Schilling's looking for a one year deal; filed for free agency today. I don't think that answers your question. 

Do you think the Nationals will try to sign Andruw Jones?
-- C.G., Birmingham, Ala.

Try, yes.

I read the article about Bonneville International Corporation retaining the Nats' broadcast rights. Is there really some chance that Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler won't be back? Say it ain't so, Bill. Slowes and Jageler are the very best in all of baseball, and to lose them would be tragic. The Nats should pay Charlie and Dave whatever they need to stay.
-- W.S., Orlando, Fla.

We're with you on that. We love Chuck and Dave.

With all the players outrighted to Columbus and opting for free agency, I was most surprised about Tony Batista. He was a better pinch-hitter than Robert Fick. Although Batista doesn't play as many positions as Fick, I don't think that Nats need the versatility next year.
-- L.W., Washington, DC

You know your team really stinks when you're left debating the merits of Tony Batista vs. Robert Fick. Oh well.

Could you envision A-Rod at shortstop for the Nationals?
-- B.W., Ocean City, Md.

Yes. I could also envision cats and dogs living in perfect harmony and a snowball fight in hell.

(Photo of TV screen taken by The Nationals Enquirer)

Just a bit short (or, insert your short joke here)

"I knew I hit it well. I was thinking that hopefully it would go over his head...I was hoping something good could happen. It just came up a little short."
(Jamey Carroll, via Rocky Mountain News, 10/29/2007)

Beardless Jamey Carroll nearly went deep in the 9th......would have cleared the fence, tied the game, if Little ex-Nat hadn't shaved his Playoff Beard.

Red Sox win.

Too many days 'til Spring Training.

(Photo of TV set by The Nationals Enquirer)

Relive the magic...

...of Wily Mo's whiff to end the season in Philly.

The video: nearly unwatchable. Grainy, shaky, all those stupid towels waving. You can barely see Wily Mo.

In other news, sadly, WMP (a.k.a. "The Hulk") set his MySpace profile to private, and refused to add us as a friend. What gives, Wily Mo? Sounds like there was some interesting stuff up there earlier this summer...

Wake me up when it's over.

How many days 'til Spring Training?

Just a few more nights (hopefully) of getting screamed at by Eric Byrnes in the Fox pregame show...

Memo to Eric -- that thing in your hand? It's called a microphone; sometimes referred to as a "mic" or a "mike"...there's no need to shout...

(Photo of TV screen by The Nationals Enquirer)

Enquirer answers the mailbag!

Sure, we're a few days late responding to the latest edition of the Nationals dot com mailbag, but can you blame us? Let's try to get this over with quickly, so we can get back to whatever it was we were doing the last few weeks while trying not to think about where to park my car at the new stadium (because, you know, that problem has been solved, you know?), Jamey Carroll's playoff beard, and what life will be like in the post-Chuck LaMar era. As always, keep those e-mails coming to Nationals.com, and we'll keep copying and pasting them over here and giving our half-assed answers. Thanks a bunch.

With first baseman Nick Johnson expected to come back next year, where will Dmitri Young play?
-- DA., New Holland, Pa.

Lean in, son, and listen close: There's NO CHANCE Nick Johnson gets a sniff of a major league game before the All Star Break. Da Meathook is your first baseman in '08, get used to it!

Why don't the Nats think highly of outfielder Ryan Church? He played a good center field when needed. Is general manager Jim Bowden too in love with his former Reds players and not seeing the value of others on the team?
-- BK., Annapolis, Md.

Ah yes, it wouldn't be the off season in Washington without the incessant crying about Ryan Church getting disrespected or not getting a fair shake. Here's why the Nats don't think highly of Ryan Church: because he hates people who don't believe in Jesus. We're kidding! We like Ryan Church here at the Nationals Enquirer. Now that we've avoided your first question, on to your next one: Yes, Jim Bowden IS "too in love" with his former Reds players. Need more proof? Our sources tell us Jimbo extended an invitation to spring training to Roberto Kelly.

How good is the Nationals' farm system? You hear all this talk about the rebuilding process, however, it seems as though every time the Nationals have a good player, they send him to the Majors far too early.
-- AL., New York

Getting better. We'll ignore the second part there.

Did Mike O'Connor recover from elbow surgery, and does he have a shot at making the starting roster next year?
-- AS., Bethesda, Md.

As reported here last winter, Mike O'Connor was lost on one of the 2007 Winter Caravan Stops, apparently lost in a crowd of elementary school kids and supposedly last seen boarding a big yellow school bus somewhere in VA.

Do you think the relationship between Young and Torii Hunter gives the Nats an edge in acquiring the latter?
-- PG, Quebec

Good Lord, let's hope not.

Do you think the Nationals will try to bring back Livan Hernandez? He was pretty solid for them, and his style is best suited to a big ballpark.
-- JB., Anchorage, Alaska

Good Lord, let's hope so! 

In my opinion, the poll on nationals.com (asking for the season MVP) is invalid. I would choose Austin Kearns for his all-around contributions, but he's not even listed.
-- MH., Silver Spring, Md. 

Must be the booze talking.

I remember reading, when the new stadium was announced, that the Nationals planned on selling the naming rights. Since then I have only heard it referred to as either Nationals Park or New Nationals Park. Are there still plans to sell the naming rights, and if so, what is the status?
-- DC. Alexandria, Va.

Hello, Nationals Enquirer Park!

Not good.

Keeping our fingers crossed over here for Shawn Hill; left shoulder surgery earlier today...

(AP Photo)

Big, big game pitcher

"He's been through it...He's got that calm presence about him that nothing really bothers him."
(Bob Melvin, via The Arizona Republic, 10/06/2007)

Old friend Livo takes the hill against old friend Fonzi.

We've been reduced to rooting for ex-Nats. Loverro picks Livo. We're pulling for the Cubs (Bud Selig is, too):

Selig, MLB Suits, praying it won't be a Rockies/D-backs Ratings Nightmare NLCS.

Meanwhile...

Sounds like Manny will give Wily Mo a fair shot next season (via Fredericksburg Free Lance Star): "I'm willing to give Wily a full season, just like I did with Ryan Church, to see what Wily is capable of doing... He gives us a presence we didn't have. He comes up to the plate and in every at-bat everybody is expecting a home run. That's very important to have in your lineup."

Bob Carpenter on the possibility of returning to MASN (via St. Louis Post Dispatch): "I'd go back if it was the right situation for me and my family... It's a good-paying job and I like all the production people I worked with. I'd do it if it's the best thing. But right now I consider myself a free agent. If I don't work in Washington, I would like to find something closer to home.'' I'd like to see Bob return. Hey, how come he didn't mention Don Sutton?

When did the "stellar showing by closer Chad Cordero" happen this season? Did we miss something?

Gnats, Tribe, down Yankees.

Red Sox win, bet you a dollar Manny Ramirez gets drilled on Sunday for showboating after his 9th inning walkoff.

(AP Photo/Nam Y.Huh)

MASN in high-def in '08? Hmmm. Don't get yer hopes up.

After breaking new ground in cable TV broadcasting with the unveiling of the much ballyhooed "Super Slo Mo" replay last season, is it possible that Nationals fans will be treated to Don Sutton's white man's afro in glorious high-definition in 2008? Is this just too good to be true? Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says:

There might be good news for Orioles fans who want to be able to tell whether manager Dave Trembley cut himself shaving before a game. Next season, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network is planning to televise at least part of the schedule in high-definition, though it is contingent upon getting HD channels for MASN on the cable and satellite providers that carry the network, a MASN spokesman said. (This goes for the Washington Nationals, too.) This year, only the Orioles, Nationals and Kansas City Royals didn't broadcast regional games in HD.

We're gonna go out on a limb and predict that MASN will be able to work things out with every other cable provider except one. And who will be the lone holdout? Yup, you guessed it: Comcast. We won't get our hopes up. 

'Druw the right thing?

"I thought they'd at least give it a week after the season, to let things rest... It's weird to think he won't be with us next year, when you think about what a great teammate, what a fun guy he was."
(Jeff Francoeur, via Atlanta Journal Constitution, 10/03/2007)

Hey Stan, we know you hate free agency and all, but, come on: Think of all the season tickets you haven't sold yet...

The Braves and Andruw Jones are splitting up...time to start beating the AJ-to-DC drum a little louder?

Meanwhile...

In the spirit of accountability and trying to figure out where it all went wrong, now seems as good a time as any to debrief about our 2007 preseason predictions:

1. Nationals season record:
Predicted: 76-86. Actual: 73-89.
2. Nationals NL East division place and games back (if any):
Predicted: 4th (21 GB). Actual: 4th (16 GB)
3. Date on which Nick Johnson first appears in a Nationals game:
Predicted: Tuesday, Aug. 15 vs. Philly. Actual: See you in 2008, NJ!?
4. Date on which Nick Johnson suffers season-ending injury:
Predicted: n/a. Actual: n/a.
5. Nationals team leader in pitching starts, with number of starts:
Predicted: Jerome Williams (25). <insert laugh track here> Actual: Matt Chico (31).
6. Total number of starting pitchers used:
Predicted: 12. Actual: 13.
7. Number of ejections for Manny Acta:
Predicted: 0. Actual: 1.
8. Guzman's batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging average:
Predicted: .270/.365/.311. Actual: .328/.380/.466
9. Nationals home runs at RFK:
Predicted: 60. Actual: 48.
10. Paid attendance for the July 21 game against Colorado at RFK (Fox national broadcast):
Predicted: 21,252. Actual: 31,674.

Add it all up and what do you get? Predictions that were sometimes bad but not historically bad, were sometimes pretty damn good, but a lot of the time just blah. Sorta like your 2007 NAAAts, come to think of it.

(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)