Housekeeping

Odds and ends of interest to Nats fans:

Congratultions to Wilkie, who's expecting his second daughter at the end of September. Hopefully the kid will have her mother's plate discipline.

Congrats to Rick Short, who won the Pacific Coast League batting title handily with his .383 average. Nice to have a pinch hitter who can actually hit.

Welcome back Travis Hughes. All the guy does is throw shutout innings and he can't hold down a spot in the Nats bullpen. That's how scary good our pitching has been.

Welcome Keith Osik. Now that the Nats have nailed down the all-important 3rd catcher/backup utility infielder role, our wild card spot is assured. Osik's middle name is Richard, and he was born in 1968, so it's possible that his parents were going for a Stones tribute. Must check to see if he has a brother named Mick. Mick Osik, I like that. Sounds like an Irishman with a queasy stomach.

And finally, I have extra tickets to Saturday's Nats-Braves game if anyone is interested in filling in for Dave and Watson while they're off gambling in AC. Think of this as Nats Triple Play's version of September call-ups.