news aggregator
Nats-Mets and Redding
- Scrouging for hits: 2 through 5!
Johnson status update
Inner Harbor Invasion
I would LOVE to see the reaction to this event. Our Washington Nationals are sending The Racing Presidents, My Best Friend SCREECH!! and The Nat Pack to The Baltimore Inner Harbor tomorrow for a Photo Op--and to promote Our Washington Nationals upcoming series against The Baltimore Orioles this coming weekend.
From 11:30AM to 12:30PM on Thursday May 15th--The Rushmores, Screech and The Nat Pack will be available for fans--just a few short blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Moving directly on to Baltimore's Turf--A Major Landmark of Charm City.
How will they be greeted? Will those lunching in and around the Inner Harbor embrace them? Jeer them? Or be indifferent?
This is interesting. Hopefully SCREECH!! will not come back with his feathers plucked. And Our Racing Presidents aren't forced to walk the plank off The USS CONSTITUTION.
The reaction should be good.
3-3, HR, 3B, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI
WHAT THE HECK ARE THE REDS WAITING FOR? BRING UP BRUCE!
Is this what it feels like when a kid gets coal for Christmas?
___
Game Thread: Washington Nationals at New York's "Hated Mets" - 2008 Game 41 of 162.
On The Hill...
Tim Redding(4-3, 3.83 ERA) takes the hill tonight for the Washington Nationals against a former Montreal Expo (on a team full of them), Claudio Vargas, (0-0, 0.00 ERA) who'll make his first start as a Met after being called up from New Orleans in a flurry of roster activity by New York yesterday, which saw them exchange Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa for Vargas and reliever Matt Wise.
Vargas got his start in the Majors with the Expos, making 34 starts in '03-'04 for Montreal and starting four games for the Nationals in 2005 before being claimed off waivers by Arizona in June '05, and eventually traded by the D-Backs to Milwaukee, where he pitched in 29 games for the Brewers, leaving as a free agent and signing with New York in early April '08. Vargas, 29 until June, is 43-38 in 110 career starts and 153 overall appearances, with a 4.95 ERA in 666.2 IP. Against his old team, Vargas is (0-0) in 2 starts with a 3.75 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched over which he's allowed 9 hits, 5 ER, 1 HR, and 8 walks with 9 K's.
Tim Redding's faced New York's other team 7 times in 7 years in the Bigs, 6 times as a starter, with a (1-1) record and 4.22 ERA to show for his efforts in his career, and 31 hits, 15 ER, 5 HR's, and 15 walks surrendered in 32.0 IP. Redding lost an April 23rd start against the Mets in Nationals Park, giving up 4 hits, 3 ER, and 3 walks in 5 innings, and the last time out pitching in NY, (on 7/28/07), Redding gave up just 5 hits and 1 ER in a 3-1 NY win, in which Redding again took the loss. In arguably his worst start of the season last time out, against the Marlins, Redding allowed 4 hits, 5 ER and 4 walks in 5.1 innings pitched, the most runs and walks he's allowed all season, so he'll be looking to bounce back...
Nationals' #'s Against Claudio Vargas...
Felipe Lopez - 4 for 8, .500 AVG, 3 HR's, 4 RBI's, 3 walks.
Ronnie Belliard - 1 for 1, 1.000 AVG, 1 2B, 1 RBI.
Redding Should Be Careful With...
Luis Castillo - 5 for 16, .313 AVG, 3 RBI's.
Jose Reyes - 4 for 11, .364 AVG, 1 3B, 2 RBI's.
David Wright - 2 for 7, .286 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI.
Carlos Beltran - 4 for 6, .667 AVG, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI's.
Thursday's StarterGATE Update...
Yahoosports.com has Matt Chico penciled in for a start against the Mets' Johan Santana, so we know they're wrong, since Santana's been moved to start against the NY Yankees in the Subway Series this weekend. MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes, in an article entitled, "Chico adjusting to relief work", that, "The Nationals need a starter for Thursday, and whether Chico makes that start is unknown." No word on a starter out of Chico Harlan, (as of 6:30 pm 4/13), who just took over the "Nationals Journal" from Barry Svrluga. Over at the Times...nothing...
Anyone got a scoop? Guess? Recommendation?
A Federalbaseball.com MYSTERY...(Update) - Federalbaseball.com will be going on assignment next week, not this week as previously reported, but that only means, the mystery will drag out a little longer, like the ending of Ben Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone." The baseball-related road trip I'll be taking will hopefully result in a thought-provoking article and discussion...and now another hint...
-Orange Triangles
7:10 pm EST again for the third of four in New York's Shea Stadium. Tim Redding's 4 wins are halfway to Jon Rauch's team-leading 8 from last season. Ryan Zimmerman's HR last night was his 3rd in 10 games in May, matching his total from the previous 28 games in March/April. Elijah Dukes double last night was his first hit in 15 at bats as a National. A win tonight guarantees a split of the road in New York..."Beat the Mets, Beat the Mets..."
Unabridged minor league report
Man down!
Now, though, a much worse thing has happened. Just when the Reds have finally started playing well and are finally hitting, their leading hitter goes down with a broken knee cap and is out indefinitely. This isn't just a 15 day thing. Back in 2005, Keppinger had the same injury and missed half the season. Poor guy.
Perhaps the gods will cut us a break and give a happy to be in the Majors Janish a bat made of lightening. How will we replace Keppinger's offense if Janish hits .245? (An obvious solution is to BRING UP BRUCE, who is hitting .352/.378/.613 for the season at AAA. Look at Tampa Bay! They are in first place in a division that includes the Bankees and Green $ox! Did they leave Longoria toiling in the minors? No!)
I'd hate to think that just when things have started to go well, we lose a critical piece to the puzzle.
Boo Bill!
Church is doing things that he never did with the Nationals. He’s hitting in the clutch and displaying power that general manager Jim Bowden was looking for during Church’s three-year tenure in Washington.
Boo, I say to you, Mr. Ladson! Boo!
Ryan 2008 RISP : .333 / .423 / .429
Ryan 2007 RISP: .282 / .387 / .492
Ryan 2006 RISP: .273 / .382 / . 564
Ryan is getting a few more hits, but hit pretty well before don’t you think?
As for power Ryan is slugging .561 right now, which is better than the best he did with the Nats (.526 in 2006). However his isoSLG is actually lower than that year (.250 in 2006, .237 in 2008, and if you must know .198 in 2007) meaning he’s actually slugging about as well as he did 2 years ago, but that fact is covered up by the one thing he IS doing differently than he did with the Nats. He’s getting more hits. Period.
Part of that is a high BABIP (.370 right now) , but he’s historically had a high BABIP, so we wouldn’t expect it to go down as much as we might for another player. Why then is he hitting better? Let’s let Ryan Zimmerman explain:
“We all know that he is talented. He is a good player,” Zimmerman said. “When he would play four or five games in a row, he would kind of get in a groove. It’s hard knowing you don’t play every day. He has a chance in New York, and he is taking advantage of it.”
Now actually Church played plenty of 4 or 5 games in a row in 2007, he was the starter until after the All-Star break, BUT I will say that if I were him I would have never felt secure in my position. After how they treated him in 2006 there was an axe over his head and it showed. Free from that - well you see how he can play. If he ends up hitting .320 with 30+ HRs I’ll be shocked, but he is a very solid #3 OF.
GAME
Nats lost. Lannan did what he did - spread out those hits as much as possible, though with 12 out there he couldn’t do much better than the 6 IP and 4 runs that he gave up. I don’t know how he does it - just that he does.
STOP PITCHING LUIS AYALA!
On May 6th, He came in to pitch at Houston. 1 IP, 3 Hits, 2 runs. He looked tired.
Two days later on May 8th he came in to pitch against Houston. 1 IP 2 Hits, 1BB, 2 runs. He looked spent
Three days later on May 11th, Marlins. 1 IP 3 Hits, 2 HRs, 3 runs. He looked dead.
Two days later, last night, Mets. He comes in and somehow, magically gives the Nats a perfect 7th. Somewhere in his youth or childhood, Manny Acta must have done something good. Then Ayala comes back out to pitch the 8th? Why tempt fate? More importantly, why tax an arm that has looked so horrible recently? I don’t get it. Is he expecting the worst from Redding today?
My Conversation With Barry Svrluga (Part Two)
The gained knowledge and experience of spending day after day following just one team--is what makes chatting with Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post special. He is familiar with the ebb and flow of Our Washington Nationals. And as we pick up with Part Two of My Conversation--Barry and I are discussing the bonding of teammates, both on and off the field--and whether that adds to victories in the win column.
Here with go:
(Team President) Stan Kasten once told me that chemistry means nothing, as long as you have good players. How do you feel about that? (SBF)
“I think he is right to a certain extent. If you win, chemistry takes care of itself. And if you have good players, you generally win. We have seen a chemistry transformation in this clubhouse in a two-week period, because they are not 5-15 anymore. Some people have started committing themselves more, because things were getting out of hand. But this is not basketball, where your chemistry involves reading a guys tendency of how he might cut on a certain play. This is not football, where there is a big timing thing involving two different people. Of all the team games, baseball is the most reliant on individual performance. So, chemistry in baseball is a little bit different than other sports.”
Do you find Brian Schneider being missed on this team, based on that chemistry? (SBF)
“This is an interesting thing. Game calling is something I am not smart enough to know myself. And I think it takes a lot of years in the game and a lot of catching to really understand it. So, I always go to people like Bob Boone (Assistant General Manager—Head of Player Development) and Pat Corrales (Bench Coach) or Randy St.Claire (Pitching Coach) or the pitching staff about that kind of stuff. They have always vouched for Schneider and his sticking to the game plan they come up with—and coaching the young pitchers through whatever struggles they might be having.”
It’s early in this season still and with (Paul) LoDuca missing a lot of time, we really don’t know how that is going to go, this might be a story down the road. How are the games being called? Are the guys sticking to the plan—like Schneider did? We know that John Lannan is raving about Wil Nieves and his abilities to call a game and kind of be fiery back there. There is something to it. I think if Schneider is missed, it’s in that regard more than anything else in the clubhouse.”
Seeing Matt Chico looking confused on the mound these days, reminds me of what Schneider told me late last year. On the final game that Chico pitched in 2007 at Citizens Bank Park, Matt personally came over to him and thanked him—for helping him and getting him through his rookie year. (SBF)
“And he’s probably right. For Livan Hernandez, it really didn’t matter that Schneider was back there, because Livo is going to dictate his own game. Even a guy like Tony Armas was like that. The younger guys relied on him (Schneider) more. And remember about Matt—he survived last year 31 starts with a 4.63 ERA—which was basically the league average for a starter. But, a lot of his starts were at RFK Stadium. He’s not pitching well right now, but his stats were bound to suffer a bit in this new park. This being a little smaller ballpark.”
Speaking of Livo—how big of role did he play on this team? (SBF)
“He is a really interesting personality. At some level, it’s all about Livo—his starts and how he’s doing and all that kind of stuff. But, he was also a very generous teammate. He would buy his teammates gifts and stuff like that. He’s just a strong person—a strong personality. And a strong personality tends to—whether in a positive way or negative way—influence stuff in the clubhouse. He was one of those.”
There was this game at RFK in early 2006 against The Mets. Livan gave up three home runs in the first two innings and was down big. But, there he was standing in the On-Deck Circle waiting to bat, chatting and laughing with fans in the stands like it was no big deal. (SBF)
“He is a weird personality. If you are Livan Hernandez you know you are going to give up some home runs. You can’t get too rattled by it.”
You been around the league a few times, you know all the beat writers from the other teams. How do they view The Washington Nationals Franchise? (SBF)
“Right now, I think they view The Nationals as an afterthought. In the last couple of weeks, I have received questions about whether Bowden is going to get fired? I don’t think there is a national understanding of what we have heard harped about since The Lerner’s took over: ‘Here is how we are going to build this and it’s going to take time and we are not going to spend $100 Million right out of the gate.’”
“This front office has spent a lot of time educating the local media, so they in turn can educate the local fans. But nationally, this franchise gets little recognition or credit. If or when they do turn it around—then the understanding of how they did it—will follow.”
Has this slower process of building the franchise—made it more difficult for you to do your job? (SBF)
“No—because I would be here whether they were winning, losing or in-between. The thing that has surprised me over the past four years has been the vast majority of days getting a good story to write about. There might be a tough loss, an exciting win, it might be an individual performance like Dmitri Young’s miraculous massage (chuckling). So we (the writers) can win in all sorts of ways. They lost eight in a row earlier in the year, or whatever it was. And it gets harder to come into the clubhouse and ask the same questions—since it’s obviously tougher for them to stand there. In that regard, it’s easier to cover a winning team. But otherwise, it really doesn’t have much impact.”
At times of late, when I hear Ryan Zimmerman speak to the media after a game, he sounds like he just wants to get it over with. (SBF)
“He is very accommodating and there are very few players on this team that are problematic in those type of situations. Zimmerman is certainly not. He does basically whatever the team asks of him.”
With you, Mark Zuckerman (Washington Times) and Bill Ladson (Nationals.com) at virtually every game, how difficult is it to get something fresh and exclusive? (SBF)
“Yes, but at the same time, it’s not like New York where it’s really a herd mentality. We are the three guys who have been here from 2005. The players know us better than other reporters. After games, it’s harder to get something of your own—because everyone is on deadline—and everyone is going from one person to the next. Before games, it’s easier, because you can say to a guy: ‘Hey, let’s go sit in the dugout so we can talk about X, Y, & Z.’ and people have different agendas before the game. I might be thinking about my notebook needs, while Mark or Bill might be thinking about something else.”
Do you really find the players very accommodating? (SBF)
“Yes, and this is why you have beat writers, so the players can be familiar with those covering them. It’s a lot harder for them to say no to someone they see every day--than someone just rolling in for a game. This group has been very, very good. And when I say this group, I mean since 2005. There have really been very few problematic people here for the media to cover. In fact, they have been better to deal with than I thought Major League Baseball Players could be—in terms of accessing.”
Which reminds me--many readers complain, not necessarily about the content, but the quantity of reporting by The Post. How do you respond to that? (SBF)
“I am very defensive about it. I grew up outside Boston. I delivered The Boston Globe. It’s a huge baseball town. They have several reporters at every Red Sox Game because every one is an event. Like it or not—baseball in DC is not at that level yet. What I will defend, is that what we are given for our game stories—960 words per night—is much, much more than most any paper in the country. So, I am able to not only tell about the play-by-play of the game, but a little bit of the back story, the decision, here is what this guy is going through. I can talk to more people. I can get more information out that way. Some people don’t like reading those long game stories. But, that is the format we have chosen. So, they will complain. Others want Tom Boswell to write more and only about baseball. And ‘Oh—he’s only writing about The Capitals, or The Orioles.’ He’s a columnist. He loves this game more than anyone that I know. And if they (Post Editors) would allow him to write six columns a week about The Nationals, he probably would. But, he’s got a lot on his plate.”
Are west coast games easier because of the early deadline? (SBF)
“No—actually harder. What I do is write a feature for the paper, then have it morph into a game story. And if the game finishes before our last deadline—which is 1AM—10PM out there—you end up writing twice as much for one space (in the paper). The West Coast Trips are a little stressful.”
So, you are going to the 2008 Olympics in China, then on to The Redskins Beat. When Spring Training begins for The Washington Nationals next February—what will you miss most about it? (SBF)
“The thing I like about baseball reporting is the access. Because you are around these guys so much, they know you; you know them. Worried might be an overstatement, but I am concerned about The NFL where your access during the week is a scheduled finite amount of time. You only have one game to write every seven days. So, you really need to maximize the hour you are given each day to get some useful stuff out of guys--who may or may not be willing to give you quotes that day.”
“This sport (baseball) gives you a fresh development basically every single day—win or loss—that involves several little fresh developments—someone is hot or someone is slumping—someone pitched well or someone pitched poorly. Then, the clubhouse opens at 3:30PM for a 7PM Game—you got three and one half hours to get to learn the participants and figure out what makes everything tick.”
“That everyday access I will really miss.”
But, probably not the travel? (SBF)
(Big Laugh)” Probably Not The Travel!! Houston in the middle of May is not exactly what I have in mind.”
Anything else? (SBF)
“I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I was leaving the job because I didn’t like it. There are a lot of factors involved.”
With that, My Conversation With Barry Svrluga of Washington Post concluded. For over three years, Barry's Coverage of Our Washington Nationals was a mainstay for many of Our Fans. A Daily Must Read. Hopefully,from time to time, Barry can return back to the baseball beat. I am sure he will be missed. Just like his presence each spring at Panera Bread in Viera, Florida. Which makes me wonder whether that particular franchise located near Space Coast Stadium will survive without Barry Svrluga's daily appearances for lunch??
Good Luck Barry!! Thanks for your excellent coverage of Our Washington Nationals.
Chat reminder
Across the Affiliates 05/14/08
Washington Nationals at New York's "Hated Mets": Game Report..."Who Does Ryan Church Think He Is?"
John Maine on the mound for the Mets at home in New York's Shea Stadium. Maine hits Felipe Lopez in the thigh with the first pitch of the evening. "That means the fix is in," My Brother Scout says, referring to the first pitch of the '19 Series. (I just think it means the Mets are still mad about Elijah Dukes' cheerleading.) Cristian Guzman grounds into a force that would have been a DP if Jose Reyes fields it cleanly. Maine gets Ryan Zimmerman swinging for the second out, and gets a weak grounder from Nick Johnson to end the top of the first. Jose Reyes grounds out to Guzman's backhand, Ryan Church flies into Lastings Milledge's glove, but David Wright ruins John Lannan's flow by singling to center with two down. Lannan pops Carlos Beltran out to the infield.
Austin Kearns beats Damion Easley to the hole with a one-out single into right. Elijah Dukes works a walk. Wil "The Thrill" Nieves grounds to Reyes who throws to third for a force. John Lannan hits like a pitcher, so he's back on the mound for the Mets' second. Moises Alou grounds deep into the hole at short, and Nick Johnson can't handle Guzman's throw. Carlos Delgado gets an awkward bunt down to beat the Dramatic Shift. Lannan walks Damion Easley to load'em up for Brian Schneider. Schneider grounds into a force at second, but a run scores. 1 out, 1-0 NY. Maine's sac bunt advances Schneider. Reyes grounds out to short. "Cool Hand" Lannan limits the damage.
Felipe Lopez flies out to the warning track in right for the first out of the third. Guzman reaches when Damion Easley throws away a gimme. 1-2 pitch to Ryan Zimmer...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Fastball on the outside of the plate, Zimmerman lifts it to left, Alou just watches it sail. 2-1 Nationals middle of three. Ryan Church leads off the Mets' third with a homer off the apple in the top hat. 2-2 ballgame. David Wright beats Nick Johnson to the line for a double inside the bag. Lannan gets Beltran, Alou and Delgado to leave Wright at second. 2-2 after three.
Maine pitches a scoreless fourth. Brian Schneider rips a one-out single up the middle. John Maine lines a single to left. Lannan starts Jose Reyes with two balls, but "Cool Hand" Lannan gets a DP grounder from the speedy Reyes to end the fourth. 1-2-3 fifth for Maine. Lannan almost takes his hanging slider in the grill after Carlos Beltran lines it back at the mound for a two-out single. Alou does the same. 2 on, 2 out for Delgado...Carlos Delgado gets hold of one and sends it deep to center and...Milledge makes the grab as he runs into the wall!! LASTO! LASTO!
Lastings Milledge reaches base with two down after Damion Easley boots a grounder that should have ended the Nationals' sixth. John Maine isn't shaken, and just strikes out Kearns to end the top of the inning. Brian Schneider hits a fastball from Lannan for a one-out single in the sixth. Fernando "Former Expo" Tatis pinch hits for Maine. Tatis line an outside fastball on one-hop to Kearns. Two on, one out for Reyes. Lannan fools Reyes and gets him swinging. Ryan Church gets a chance at revenge...Ryan Church lines it at Kearns...and over his HEAD! Two runs score on the misplay in right. 4-2 NY after six.
Matt Wise will pitch the seventh for NY. Elijah Dukes smacks a double "down the line in left" to start the Nationals' seventh. Dukes moves to third on Wil Nieves' groundout. Rob Mackowiak grounds out to score Dukes. 4-3 NY after six and a half. Stand up and stretch...Luis Ayala gets Beltran LOOKING! Ayala pops up Alou. Delgado grounds to first, and he can stay there, someone will bring the cap and glove.
Duaner Sanchez will pitch the eigth. Guzman works a leadoff walk. Ryan Zimmerman lines out to right. The Discerning Eye of Nick Johnson takes a 3-2 pitch for a ball. Lastings Milledge gets fooled badly by Sanchez. Austin Kearns with a shot at redemption...count's at 2-2...Kearns grounds into a force at second. 4-3 after seven and a half. Brian Schneider beats Zimmerman to the bag for a double to left with one down. Luis Ayala walks pinch hitter Marlon Anderson. Lastings Milledge tries to come up throwing on a ground ball to center from Jose Reyes, but Milledge loses it, out of his glove on the transfer, allowing Schneider to score. 5-3 NY. "Wild" Joel Hanrahan comes on to face Church. Sac fly to right. 6-3 NY.
Three outs to get three runs against Billy Wagner. Wright makes a sweet grab spins and fires to beat Dukes to first. Wagner blows a fastball by Belliard's bat. Aaron Boone singles to left. Felipe Lopez goes down swinging. 6-3 NY wins.
Nationals now 16-24.
Our Team Versus Our Former Players
Our Right Fielder misplays a liner right at him--letting two runners score.
Our Second Baseman throws to the wrong base.
Our Second Baseman also fails to cover the base with a slow runner coming to the bag--after an excellent throw from Our Leftfielder.
Our Centerfielder drops a hard hit grounder with a chance to throw out that slow runner at the plate. But, to be fair, makes a nice catch on a run to the wall in the bottom of the 5th inning.
One of Our Relievers throws a pitch out and Our Catcher drops it for a passed ball.
Our Former Centerfielder smacks a Home Run to Dead Center--that misplayed liner to right and a sacrifice fly--to knock in four runs.
Our Former Starting Catcher knocks in one run and scores another--when Our Centerfielder dropped that ball.
Our Former 2nd Baseman and Pinch Hitter scores on that sacrifice fly for the final run of the evening.
Our Centerfielder also strikes out on three straight pitches with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out and down one run. Our Centerfielder showing Zero Plate Discipline--with the game on the line.
Our Franchise Player hammers a nice Two Run Home Run.
But, Our Starting Pitcher gives up 12 hits in six innings.
Which must only leave Our Manager sullen over the night's effort.
Because tonight everyone witnessed, Our Former Washington Nationals simply beating Our Current Washington Nationals.
Final Score Tonight from Shea Stadium--Our Former Players--My Main Man!!, Schneiderman and Marlon Anderson helping to score six for The New York Mets. Our Team consisting of Zimmerman & everybody else--just three.
And to think--tomorrow Our Washington Nationals get to bat against one of Our Former Starters--Claudio Vargas.
Tonight's In Game Photo--(AP) Frank Franklin II
Thoughts from Manny, and a lineup
Honor Federal Employees
Life on the back pages
My Conversation With Barry Svrluga
Since virtually the very first days of Major League Baseball's return to Washington, DC--Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post has been on the beat--covering Our Washington Nationals. Whether through game stories, features or consistently updating his Nationals Journal Blog--Barry found a following among the many fans of DC's Team. Now--Mr. Svrluga is moving on. This summer he will travel to Beijing for The 2008 Summer Olympics and return to cover The Washington Redskins.
This past weekend, Barry handed over his coverage of Our Washington Nationals to his replacement--Chico Harlan. As Mr.Harlan settles in, Mr. Svrluga is traveling with Chico to assist in the handover.
Knowing this time was coming, I reached out to Barry a few weeks ago and asked whether he would be willing to sit down and chat with me for The Nats320 Blog. An exit interview, if you will, to discuss his time covering Our Washington Nationals.
Enthusiastically, he agreed to chat and we met on Friday, May 2 at 3PM in the afternoon--in the Press Box at New Nationals Park. Many thanks to Our Nats Media Relations Staff for allowing this location for the interview. Over the course of this two parter--Barry and I discussed his life as the beat writer, blogging, covering the team and some of the many personalities with whom he has crossed paths.
With that, here we go with My Conversation With Barry Svrluga.
How is it that you found so much time to put into your Nats Journal? I put a ton of time into mine— and I am totally for fun. Are you being paid extra for it? (SBF)
“It is a part of the job now. The best part about it is—take today (Reminder--Interview on May 2nd). They (The Nationals) made a move. A simple move this morning. Paul LoDuca activated with Chad Cordero put on the Disabled List. Not a big thing, not worth a separate story in the middle of the day. But, it’s an easy way to get news out to people immediately. So, if I get the email at 10:15AM, it’s up on the blog by 10:20AM. Just a really good way to get the information out.”
“Now, it can become a little consuming. You do feel an obligation to get fresh stuff up there as much as possible. And we (Post Correspondents) get a report every day on how many hits each of the sports blogs get. (Chuckling) So, you kind of attach your self-worth to the rankings.”
At times, I have read your posts where you stated you were sitting in an airport. And even on off days—you are doing stuff for your blog. (SBF)
“Yeah, Yes. We are encouraged every day to produce content. If you brand it as a place to come, and reliable information is there, and you can add new stuff a lot—people are going to check more often. We have actually had discussions at The Post on how to balance making sure stuff is fresh--without wearing out the beat writers. There may not be a right answer, but it’s just another part of the job now.”
How much of an effect has other Blogs—just look at all the ones surrounding The Nationals—had over The Post getting into the fray? There had to have been some realization by The Post that many other blogs have audiences. (SBF)
“I think that fact is the absolute genesis for Nationals Journal. There is a kind of balance. I can’t take the same opinions that some of the Nats Blogs take. But, I do have access to things that they do not have—the team, officials and those types of things. I wrote that story about blogs a year or two ago. A lot of those Nats Blogs fill different needs. (Wants? —SBF) Yes, absolutely. But, I think Nationals Journal fulfills the little more newsy need.”
I am always amazed at the immediate comments that show up—sometimes reaching into the hundreds—if some newsworthy item occurs. (SBF)
“Right. Those are the best days. Let’s take stuff surrounding the trade deadline. NJ is a great outlet while you are trying to figure out what’s going on. Things might be happening, might not be happening. Last year, we had a really big day on trade deadline day. People were interested. They wanted to know what the team was going to do--anything, or nothing at all. It teaches you that people want to know immediately.”
It’s a common thread on blogs—including yours. People can be very critical, even take you on personally. How do you deal with it? (SBF)
“It’s a little alarming. Before, you use to get maybe a phone call from someone who was irate over something. But, it took a step for the reader to get your number and call. You really had to be committed to lodge a complaint. Now, just click and you can say whatever you want. It’s just like the players—if they are criticized by a columnist or the media. You have to have a thick skin about it. You also have to think about what the criticism is. Is it valid and should you think about doing something in a different way? But, you also have to understand that some people are going to be upset about—whatever. And as long as you have handled the situation fairly—you just move on.”
Moving on—you knew this beat covering The Nationals was coming to an end. Are you going to miss it? (SBF)
“Absolutely. I have very mixed emotions about it. I love baseball and I love coming to the park. And these players have been—in general—very good to work with. I had never covered a Major League Baseball Team before I came here (to Washington). I did cover a few Minor League Teams. But, I never thought I would do it for twenty years. In large part, because it’s a hard lifestyle. You are away from home a lot and it wears on you, despite how much you love coming to the park each day.”
“There is a little bit of a toll. But, this is the right time. The Boss had always pitched it as a three-year thing. It also doesn’t mean I might not come back to baseball at some later point. Definitely though, there will be parts that I miss—parts that I won’t.”
As a baseball fan, do you find it difficult to sometimes NOT cheer for the players? (SBF)
“No. I covered college basketball for years—University of North Carolina first, then University of Maryland here. I am a Duke Grad. Obviously, I had rooted for Duke when I was in college. But, you can’t cover their two biggest rivals and root for Duke. You find yourself just stepping back and watching from a distance. It’s terrible in one sense, but it’s the only way you can handle it—by not being a fan—focusing on the story.”
“It’s amazing—and I don’t know if everyone can do it. But, it’s come naturally for me. If Gary Williams (UMD Basketball Coach) ever sensed from me that I was rooting for Duke—my credibility with him would be shot.”
“Covering The Nationals is a little bit different. I didn’t have any history with this franchise. Now, you can’t say you don’t like some players more than some other players. Or that you have trouble with some people you cover—all that type of stuff—that can color your vision. But, we always say: ‘We root for the best stories.’ And as long as they are interesting stories, I am fine.”
How interesting has it been for you to see this team basically start from nothing? (SBF)
“Yeah, it has been interesting, but at the same time this franchise has such a long way to go. The Ballpark (New Nationals Park) was a huge step. But, we are already seeing that the ballpark does not solve all your on-field problems. So, they are playing good baseball now (Reminder again—this interview took place on Friday May 2nd). I didn’t think they were a 5-15 team. I thought that was a very surprising start. The Franchise looks like it is now on solid footing. This is a real ballpark. It’s very, very nice. The players are immensely happy about it. But, it’s equally amazing how quickly you move on to what’s next? Who do they (The Team) bring in? How do they go about adding more star caliber players?”
Did RFK Stadium actually hinder the team’s development or was it just in their minds? (SBF)
“It depends. I think it could have, as RFK made it hard for the team to sign major free agents to come to Washington. But if you look at it, as we have seen, many, many times—that was not part of The Plan out of the gate—anyway. I think the way The Lerner’s and Jim Bowden were going to go about this—is by doing what they are doing right now. They are building the farm system and they really did ratchet up the scouting. And that development was immediately shown in the draft last year."
“When the team was still at RFK, I think that was used as a crutch. Now, the next step would be to use the revenues produced here, and they are going to make more money here, and put it back into (Team) payroll.”
The players bitched about RFK—fences too long, shoddy field. Have you heard any comments or complaints from the players of Nationals Park? (SBF)
“They haven’t because I don’t think you have seen the number of balls hit to the warning track. The obvious ones at RFK where you just say: ‘Well, that would have been out at Philly.’ I just don’t think they have hit the ball well enough to be complaining about the fences. But (Austin) Kearns did hit a ball to right center a few days ago that he hit pretty well—about as well as he could hit it the opposite way. But that is a 14-foot wall and it’s pretty deep. Everybody seems to think the ballpark plays fair—slightly in favor of the pitchers. But, I don’t believe this teams offensive start has anything to do with the dimensions here.”
I have asked Bowden this question, but either he doesn’t really address an answer or respond. Does he favor Cincinnati Players from his past? And, is it a fair question? (SBF)
“Yes, it is a fair question, because of the number of guys he has here—even on the coaching staff and front office. He also has Lenny Harris down in the dugout as Hitting Coach. Harris knew Jim from Cincinnati as well. Last spring, Barry Larkin—who played with Austin Kearns in Cincinnati said it best: ‘Let’s stop putting expectations of .300, 30 Homer and 100 RBI’s on the guy, because his record does not show that is what he does.’ His record also says he doesn’t hit .194 either. He usually hits around .260--.265 and he has a little bit of pop—but not 30 Homer Pop."
"Bowden will have that label because he made that big deal to get two guys he was very excited about getting (Kearns & Felipe Lopez) as well as the little pieces he has picked up. I don’t know if it’s favoring, but maybe just familiarity. He knows exactly what he is going to get. I just don’t know if I would call it favoring.”
Although some have stated if a player was already on the roster before he became General Manager—they may not be his favorites because he did not personally scout or draft them. (SBF)
“I don’t know if that is fair either because he loves Shawn Hill. He knows exactly what his potential is. He has no problem with Nick Johnson and his on base percentage. If Ryan Zimmerman had been here beforehand—Jim would have not been foolish enough to say ‘we don’t need him.'(Both of us chuckling) So, I understand where the criticism comes from, but I know Jim well enough to know that he doesn’t sit there saying: “Oh, Cincinnati—Yes! Cincinnati—Yes!”
Bowden does have a lot of detractors. You find him good at his role? (SBF)
“We are not into the opinion thing. But, we have chronicled his moves—move by move. They kind of speak for themselves. And I think you will see more moves as these draft classes get closer and closer to The Majors. But keep in mind—he is not in complete control of what he does with the roster. The Nationals are going by a very specific plan, step by step. Any General Manager of any team would want more payroll and more ability to pickup great players. People above him are preaching patience. It’s a little harder for him.”
How was Frank Robinson compared to Manny Acta as manager? (SBF)
“You know, I love dealing with both of them in different ways. Frank to those on the outside seemed like a hard ass—and he was. But, this is the part where you feel like a kid. You could show up to the park every single day (as a reporter) and sit down with a Hall of Famer. Frank was great—particularly on the road—sitting in his office and telling stories. And he was not afraid, and this was always good for writers, to criticize his own players and publicly—if he felt it was warranted. So, if you are rooting for good stories that make good copy. Frank was always good story.”
“Manny is younger, more vibrant, doesn’t have the history as a player. So, he has to establish his credentials in a different way—both with his players and the media. One super energetic guy and genuinely friendly person. He sets a real nice tone for this franchise and everybody who deals with him.”
I always got the impression from Frank Robinson that if he could help you in any way—he would—as long as you were willing to learn? (SBF)
“Yes, that is true. Like I said, his image as a hard ass was a little bit overplayed. I always found him approachable. He loved talking baseball. He LOVED TALKING BASEBALL.”
Obviously, you have seen many moments in this franchise’s history in Washington, and I would say Jose Guillen’s Home Run against The Angels in Anaheim the very night Frank and Mike Scioscia got into that great argument was one of the most memorable. (SBF)
“That one is right up there. I still have the tape of Guillen calling Mike Scioscia ‘A Piece of Garbage’ the next night—which is one of the BEST POSTGAME QUOTES EVER!! (Both of us laughing). Jose Guillen is perhaps not a good teammate, but he was great to cover because he was a story more often than not.”
“I would put that moment right up there with Zimmerman’s walkoff home run against The Yankees. The biggest baseball crowd in DC History, Father’s Day, against the most storied franchise in the game. And the one guy who is supposed to carry this team into the future—comes up with his first walk off hit as a National. It seems now like Ryan has had so many more. In fact, I remember telling people that day, there was enough juice in the park that Washington felt like a baseball town.”
“So, those two are almost a toss up in my mind of memories.”
Since you brought up his name—was Jose Guillen the diva player so many said he was? Was he difficult to deal with? (SBF)
“Absolutely yes. He’s a guy who spends a lot of time in the manager’s office, high maintenance. He is very interesting because he talks about guys being committed to winning, guys playing hurt and all that kind of stuff. But, he doesn’t always look inward and evaluate his own performance in that regard. People say this in this game and it’s true: ‘There is a reason guys have been on 10 different teams.’ I don’t even recall now how many Guillen has played for—as I have lost track—something like 10 teams in 11 years.”
“He was enormously fun to cover, but I don’t think he is enormously fun to manage. (Chuckling) And those are two different things.”
That concludes Part One. Tomorrow, Barry and I will chat about Livan Hernandez, Team Chemistry, covering a team full time--with your competition standing by your side, among other topics as My Conversation With Barry Svrluga concludes.
A win
1. DFA Patterson. I don't care if he had four hits last night - isn't that four more than he's had all week? Seems like it anyway. Looks like it isn't going to happen though, with Toothpick's man love for a career OBP under .300. Pathetic.
2. Bring up Bruce. I know the justification for leaving him toiling in the minors is that he doesn't walk enough and his OBP is lower than what they want, but how is he going to improve down there? He's only hitting .348/.375/.609. Last time I checked, a .375 OBP is higher than .276. PUT THE BEST TEAM ON THE FIELD.
3. DFA Belisle. Dude made his Major League debut in 2003. If he hasn't improved by now, he never will. Heck, I'd rather have Tom Shearn in that spot than Belisle or Fogg. Shearn's doing well in Louisville. He'd be a good place holder until Homer is ready, if Homer isn't brought up, that is.
4. Bring up Homer. He can't be worse than Belisle. He could be better, though.
5. Give Dusty Baker some Ritalin, because the guy doesn't seem to be paying attention...although batting out of order might be a good thing, because the team can't get any lower than that. The only way to go from there is up.
6. Trade Fogg. I know they are trying. They need to try harder.
7. DFA Todd Coffey. Yeah, I know he's in Louisville. And he's doing poorly down there. I'm afraid he's gonna get the call soon to come up.
Voltron tonight against Mark Hendrickson, a guy with a 4.93 career ERA. Isn't he the one who used to play in the NBA?
