Ah, labor day weekend.

Friday night I had a quiet night at home, so I didn't catch the game.

Saturday I spent relaxing at home, and was supposed to take my parents to Saturday night's game. Dad ended up very sick, and didn't travel up to DC for the weekend, so Sharon and I went with Watson. A game Watson and I loved, and Sharon's most dreaded words -- "Extra Innings". The rare Cordero blown save was pulled out of the fire, and the game went the way we wanted and was a huge win.

Sunday the gang, led by Sharon, took me to Kings Dominion, and we heard about the big win on Sunday while waiting in line at the Grizzly.

And Monday, for my birthday, the Nats gave me a birthday present of another big win to open the series with the Fish. A game Sharon would have hated (as it was a pitching battle for most of it), but we ate it up. What a day.

And the train stays on the track and keeps rolling.

Birthday Ball

A big Triple Play shout out to Dave on the anniversary of his birth! Cake & ice cream (ok, beer and pretzels) will be served in Sec. 313 this afternoon in honor of Dave's nativity. And now, on with the show...

• Nationals 6, Phillies 1

It's Earl Weaver time! The Orioles skipper once said, "The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers." For months the Nats have been adept at the first two and abyssmal at the last one, but somebody in the clubhouse must have finally read Weaver's wisdom inscribed on a bathroom wall somewhere. Not one, but two 3-run homers keyed a must-win against our neighbors to the north. Oh, and another outstanding performance on short rest from Esteban "Stubby" Loaiza.

A Call to Arms

A bold prediction... if the Nats fail to make the playoffs it won't be because of the lack of offense, it will be because the starting rotation fell apart and we had no pitching depth to back it up. Double-A righty Darrell Rasner, doing his best Matt White impression, will get the call-up and the start against the Marlins this week, while Tony Armas has been banished to the bullpen.

This leaves Frank with just four starting pitchers (one of whom is John Halama), and serious thoughts about going with a four-man rotation down the stretch. Fans interested in joining a class action lawsuit against the team for mismanagement should contact the law firm of Ohka, Vargas, Kim & Day which has offices conveniently located in Milwaukee, Phoenix and Denver.

"W" Stands for Duck Snort

• Nationals 5, Phillies 4 (12 innings)

While Dave and Watson got to witness the magic of a comeback win live, I got to channel surf, thereby catching not only the Nats stirring comeback, but also UVA's opening-day pasting of Western Michigan (sure, I know... but a win's a win). Go Hoos!

Mad props to Preston "Duck Snort" Wilson for his game-winning cue shot that just got over the head of fat-but-powerful Phillies 1B Ryan Howard. A sympathetic pat on the head for The Chief, who is unaccustomed to pitching with a three run lead, and showed it by giving back all 3 runs in short order. Better now than in the NLDS Chad.

The injury train rolls on, with Nicky expected to join Vidro on the bench after aggravating his injured heel. And can we please get some help for the bullpen?

Victory in Extra Innings

Dave and I just watched the Nats beat the Phillies in 12 at RFK. It started out great with the Nats scoring 2 in the first. Unfortunately they didn't score again till the eigth. Patterson put in another fine performance only to be undone by an uncharacteristic blown save by Cordero. Thankfully the boys were able to hold on for a couple more innings until Preston Wilson could single to score Guillen. And finally the observation of the game from Dave:

"For the city of brotherly love Philly fans are assholes"

Return of the Goooz

• Braves 8, Nationals 7 (10 innings)

Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb in your bullpen. Once your starter goes 5 innings, the bomb is armed. If your starter leaves the game, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?

Answer: I dunno but it probably helps to have Andruw Jones in the lineup. The Nationals, despite looking more than a little bit like the Washington Generals, managed to batter the Braves bullpen for 4 runs and salvage a 7-7 tie heading into extra innings. And then there was Jones... A series split, a 1/2 lost in the wild card race, the treading of water continues.

Veni, Vidi, Vidro

Translation: I hit, I ran, I blew out my knee again. If it proves to be as serious as it looks Deivi Cruz will move to 2B and Goooz! will be back at short. You cannot bench Goooz, you can only hope to compensate for him.

The Fat Man Goeth

Sidney Ponson, 1998-2005

Goodnight sweet Prince, and flights of CH-47D Chinook transport helicopters haul thy fat ass off to jail.

Vital Signs

• Braves 5-3, Nationals 3-4

Stranded base runners for as far as the eye can see, but the fact that Nats are at least getting on base is encouraging. Less encouraging is the fact that Deivi Cruz was absent for both games of the double-header after missing not one but two flights from Frisco to Hotlanta. Now that's commitment to a playoff chase. Goooz responded to his last night as an everyday shortstop by going 2-4 with a double. Who knows, if Deivi gets lost on the way to the stadium, Goooz may be in the lineup again tonight.

Reinforcements

All Hail Zimmerman! Surely a 20-year old rookie third baseman with no major league experience will save us. Poor kid, the first time he goes 0-4 at the plate and boots one at the hot corner, the "Zimmerman for Savior" crowd will turn on him like rabid meerkats. The rest of the cavalry will be slightly delayed by the dreaded budget restraints that we were assured wouldn't be a problem this year. Oh, if only J.B. hadn't ordered that deluxe espresso machine for the clubhouse.