The Nationals Enquirer

JAKE SNUB FIRST OF MANY?

Offseason shocker! 

Washington is not on Jake Peavy's no-trade clause wish-list.

Right, so the news that the Nats aren't one of maybe six teams Peavy would approve a trade to this offesason isn't all that surprising. But here's something to think about: even if by some miracle Tightfisted Ted Lerner becomes Freespending Ted Lerner and gives Jim Bowden the OK to pursue some of the bigger names on the FA market, would any of said big names ever consider signing with the Nationals? How bad is the perception out there about the "situation" in Washington?

In this morning's Boston Globe Baseball Notes column (sort of sad that we have to look outside the Beltway for interesting tidbits about the baseball team that plays inside the Beltway, isn't it?) there's this little snippet suggesting the Nationals are now having trouble replacing the coaching staff they shit-canned at the end of the season:

A couple of coaches the Nationals had set their sights on have rebuffed them, feeling there's an unsettled situation there with management. One was Al Pedrique, who elected to become the Astros' minor league field coordinator.

Ok, so who the hell cares, it's freaking Al Pedrique, right? Well, yeah, but it makes you us wonder how bad the perception is about the Nationals organization inside baseball; including the perception among players they'd be hoping to coax into playing here. Unless, of course, the plan is still The Plan; in that case, who cares how poorly they're perceived?

(AP Photo by Lenny Ignelzi)

DEADBEAT NATS FINALLY AGREE TO PAY RENT

 

"Rent-free" Ted agrees to pay up.

Substantially incomplete team still not substantially complete.

From WTOP News,  the District and the Nationals finalized an agreement over the millions in unpaid rent owed by the Nationals to the city for Nationals Park last night:

Acting Attorney General Peter Nickles says the Nationals will pay the District $3.5 million on Monday.

In exchange the city will return letters of credit to the Lerners, who own the team, extend the park's liquor license, and resolve 3-to-4-thousand unfinished items in the stadium.

Anonymous, unnamed sources with little or no knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Nationals Enquirer that this is the same $3.5 million the Lerner Family had earmarked for increasing team payroll in the offseason, effectively blowing the team's 2009 offseason budget. Family members unavailable for comment. 

(Photo by Reuters)

CLEARLY, MANNY'S NOT THEIR MAN.

"They've reached out to say, 'we're interested. This is just the early stages."
(Willie Randolph, via NY Daily News, 10/16/2008)

Nats set to hire Manny's replacement a few months early and call him a coach.

First, they didn't pick up the 2010 option at season's end. Now, another no-vote of confidence for Manny Acta: Nationals want Willie Randolph as manager in waiting bench coach.

NY Newsday's Ken Davidoff (who broke the story yesterday) says Jimbo has always had a "thing" for Willie, but Manny's already got his next job in the Big Apple on his mind anyway:

Washington GM Jim Bowden, like the Steinbrenners and Melvin, appears to be a Randolph ally. After the 2000 season, Bowden interviewed Randolph for the Reds' managerial opening and offered Randolph his first big-league managing job. Then the Yankees' third-base coach, Randolph turned down the opportunity, citing a lack of commitment in years (two), dollars (a total of $650,000) and coaching selections (only one or two). Bowden, handcuffed by Reds ownership at the time, apparently didn't take the rejection personally.
...

If Randolph were to indeed join the Nationals, it would be an awkward situation. But friends of Acta believe that he's so excited about eventually managing the Mets that he won't be bothered by any tension.

It's like we said a few weeks ago: just like Stan, Manny can't wait to get the hell out of Washington.

Meanwhile...

Farewell Charlie Manning. Good luck in Syracuse to Langerhans and Speigner.

(Photo by Getty Images)

BOOOOOOOOOO!

Go Rays?

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Maybe now "day-to-day" won't mean "trip to the DL" in 2009.

 

"I know I speak for the entire organization in recognizing Dr. Shaffer's invaluable contributions to our players' welfare and his orthopedic expertise. His departure is a real loss for our organization."
(Jim Bowden, via Washington Nationals Press Release, 10/14/2008)

Sayonara, Shaffer. Stan Kasten next?

The official word came down from the Nationals today that Dr. Ben Shaffer, Nationals Medical Director and Team Orthopedist, has resigned as team doctor.

Somewhere, tears are being shed by Chad Cordero's shoulder, Elijah Dukes' calf, Wily Mo Pena's shoulder, Nick Johnson's wrist, Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder, Ronnie Belliard's finger, and every other "day-to-day" diagnosis that turned into an extended trip to the DL.

Meanwhile...

• Finally, some interesting news about the Nationals this offseason:Ryan Wagner hit a hole in one at a golf tournament back home in Texas.

• Lots of people took Metro to Nationals Park this year. But Marc Fisher says the math doesn't add up: 1.8 million is not 53 percent of 2.32 million or something. The good news is, the parking situation didn't require any of our proposed solutions.

• Brevard County Florida officials are "prioritizing" a list of $557,000 in improvements to Space Coast Stadium requested by the Nationals. No word if Ted Lerner will pay rent if the county decides to not to pony up for things like the $25,000 to fix "fourth-floor window tint". Also, it appears that the special ball shagging area for Mark Lerner reported by Nationals Enquirer staff some weeks ago is not on the official punch list under consideration.

• Sadly, another Nats blog bites the dust: Misschatter is gone. End of an era. She'll be sorely missed. Hopefully, we're next!

(Photo of clown doctor by bbc.co.uk.)

Enquirer Answers the Mailbag!

Well, it's been a slow couple of weeks around these parts as we sit around trying to dream up all the ways Ted Lerner isn't going to spend his money this offseason, so why don't we break open the latest 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.

What do you think Austin Kearns's future is with the Nats?
-- R. S., Millersville, Md.

Maybe Kearns has a bright future with the Nationals as the guy who fires the t-shirt gun into the crowd at Nationals Park. Or security guard, take your pick.

Does Willie Harris have a shot as an everyday player?
-- T.T., Reston, Va.

No shot.

About a year ago, I asked if you thought a Chad Cordero trade for Jason Bay was a possibility. You said, "That would be a steal for the Pirates. I want to know why Bay slumped so badly for the Bucs last year." Do you think a player like Bay would have salvaged the poor offense and provided the extra power the Nationals needed throughout the season?
-- B. P., Bethesda, Md.

Hey, I never said that! But it definitely would've taken a lot more than Jason Bay to have salvaged the stinking, rotten carcass that was the 2008 season.

I have followed Levale Speigner since he was in high school. What are his prospects for next season?
-- T. S., Lisbon, Ohio

Know any good restaurants in Syracuse?

After the last four seasons, how can we view pitching as the one area not in need of a new coach? The Nationals rank near the bottom of every category in pitching as well as hitting, but we're not replacing the pitching coach during this major housecleaning?
-- B. W., Alexandria, Va.

Good question. A little something to do with the naked pictures Randy St. Claire has of Bud Selig that got him a 'job for life' clause in the deal when the Lerners bought the team from MLB.

What is Ryan Wagner's status with the team?
-- R. B., Highland, Va.

Great question. Wagner is Bowden's last hope for getting the last laugh on Wayne Krivsky, and his last hope for salvaging the 2006 "Blockbuster" that made us suffer through several seasons of Kearns and Lopez. So, as long as he's healthy, he'll be in the mix for a job in the bullpen.

Why do you keep saying that Lastings Milledge is a building block given his numbers in the Major Leagues? Compare his numbers to the center fielders on contending teams - Elijah Dukes and Justin Maxwell have shown much more potential.
-- K. G., Bethesda, Md.

You sure about that? (I mean, the Maxwell part?)

How safe is Manny Acta's job, and how long does his current contract run?
-- F. H., Northampton, UK

That the Nationals didn't pick up the 2010 option on Acta's contract at the end of 2008 speaks volumes. A big, fat, no-vote of confidence. Could be looking for work by the All Star Break.

WINDY CITY STAN LOVES MARK CUBAN?

 

But would a Stan Kasten-Mark Cuban marriage be as disastrous as a Stan Kasten-Ted Lerner marriage?

From yesterday's Boston Globe Baseball Notes, more whispers that Stan is on his way out of Washington, this time in the same breath as talk of Mark Cuban's attempt to structure a deal to buy the Cubbies:

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban politely declined to answer a few questions sent to him last week, as he desperately tries to avoid specifics in his bid to buy the Cubs.

...
One of the questions we wanted to ask Cuban was whether he has a team of baseball management people ready to come in and take control if he gets the team. We certainly know Cuban's NBA style, but would it be similar in baseball?

Already names are swirling as potential candidates for president or CEO. One is Stan Kasten, who by all accounts wants out of his CEO position with the Nationals, as he has clashed with the Lerner family, owners of the team.

Well, if nothing else, Stan certainly knows NBA style, if that's what Mark is looking for... 

(AP Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Aaron Crow now spends his days drinking beer, watching soap operas.

"I’m not used to not having to be anywhere."
(Aaron Crow, via Kansas City Star, 10/5/2008)

Bill Reiter of Kansas City Star catches up with Aaron Crow, who finds life without structure is a little boring:

...he’s not in college anymore, not playing baseball, not signed to a major-league team. Life is made up of staying up late, hanging out with friends, swinging by Missouri’s practices to feel like part of a team again, sleeping in and, yes, at times zoning out in front of the television and forgetting where he’s supposed to be.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster for a guy trying to stay in shape and stay healthy as he waits around for next June's draft, doesn't it? Best of luck to you, young man. Break a leg.

There isn't much new information in the story that you haven't heard a thousand times already, but there are some interesting quotes in there from Crow that *almost* sound like...regret?

"It was a long process. Sure there’s stuff I’d do differently now. For some reason the Nationals thought what I was saying was not what I was saying. They thought they were going to break me. That I’d fold and do whatever they wanted me to do. I wish I’d made it more clear that this is what I wanted. They tried to bully me...I know there’s a risk of getting hurt, but I don’t think that’s going to happen."

Is he wishing for a do-over? I know I am.

(AP Photo by Nick King)

Greene Around The Gills

With all the other missing pieces to fill in, why, for the love of Jesus (not Colome or Flores), would Jim Bowden be interested (again) in dealing for Khalil Greene?

A snippet from an article in yesterday's San Diego Union-Tribune about the various decisions Padres GM Kevin Towers has to make this offseason:

Keep or trade shortstop Khalil Greene, who again has drawn trade interest from the Washington Nationals.   

Khalil Greene?! What, is this December 2007 again***!? You mean, THE Khalil Greene, who's due to be paid $4.5 million in 2009, and broke his hand (thus, ending his complete bust of a 2008 season in July) by punching a storage cabinet after registering hit his 100th strikeout of the season (Padres are trying to get back ~$1.5 million of his 2008 paycheck)? Isn't shortstop one of the non-question marks going into 2009 (you know, given Guz's $16 million deal through 2010, with the former Attorney General backing up)?

Why, Jimbo, why?

***we're referring, of course, to the rumored Chief-or-Rauch to SD for Greene deal last December. 

(AP Photo by Al Behrman)

I'd rather be a Nats fan...

"I guess people just came to the ballpark, and when it went south a little bit, they probably were looking for doom and gloom."
(Jim Hendry, via Chicago Tribune, 10/3/2008)

100 years and counting. Or 36,514 days.

If you believe what Stan said yesterday, at least there's good reason for optimism in Washington (*gulp*)!

"I really like our roster. We have added youth and athleticism. We can already see for next year that we will have a young, athletic, speedy team to go along with an above-average defensive team. I think one or both of our cleanup hitters (Nick Johnson or Dmitri Young) will be back. We are a greatly improved team before we even make any moves, which I know we are going to try to do."

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)