Closeout Sale

Everyone Must Go!

It would make me very happy to think that Mike Stanton is just the first of a veritable flood of free agents and role players the Nats will be jettisoning this weekend, but sadly he is likely the first and only. What, there's no trade market for Deivi Cruz? The devil you say! Oh, well. Thanks to Mike for a solid contribution, and for getting us something on his way out the door. Mike Stanton: The Anti-Junior Spivey.

Nationals Farm Authority has the lowdown on our two newest pitching prospects. The verdict? Eh, pitching depth is pitching depth.

March of the Smulyans

Maybe we should all start coming to terms with the idea that The Nats are going to be owned by a carpetbagging failed former owner. The Post is reporting that Jeff Smulyan's Emmis Communications Corp. is chipping in $100 million toward the price of the team. The Nationals would be a subsidiary of Emmis, run by Smulyan. Can you say undercapitalized, boys and girls? And the local luminaries that joined Smulyan's group? They'd still be there, as limited non-decisionmaking partners.

To his credit, Capitol Punishment picked up on this yesterday, ahead of the Post even.

Quote o' the Day

From Bill Ladson's Nats Mailbag: "[T]he top priority is re-signing Carrasco, who, next to Chad Cordero, was the best pitcher on the team." Ummm, Bill... you're the Nats beat reporter... you've met Livan Hernandez and John Patterson, right?

Sure, now you can hit . . .

While I'm happy to see the guys get some BP practice from the Marlins our little offensive burst might be a sign of why we're not going to be playing in October. When this team was predicted to finish in the basement at the beginning of the season there was zero pressure. Everyone was rightly saying that this year was a wash because we were just happy to have a team. Then the team started winning. There was still zero pressure because everyone said "the team is just playing over their head" and that "things will even out". Then came the All-Star break. The team had a five game lead in the division and an eleven game win streak under their belt. That's when the pressure started. If you're a contender at the All-Star break you really are a contender, not a pretender as they say.

At least that's what we were hoping for until they went into a tailspin. Once again the pressure was off. The team had returned to earth and they were no longer the wunderkind they were in the first half. With that expectation gone the Nats were free to get their act together and climb back into it. Another trip into the pressure cooker of being a contender. Two and a half games back of the wildcard with two weeks to play and six games against the teams they were fighting with. Once again the team crumbled, a victim of their inability to win games they should have.

Now with the elimination from the wildcard, they reel off back to back eleven run games. This team is obviously capable of producing, they smacked around Dontrelle Willis and he's a contender for the Cy Young and he has owned the Nats all year.

The baseball season is a long grueling march and it's a rare team that can go through the grind intact. This year the Nationals couldn't stand up to the challenge. Don't get me wrong, this is a successful season by any criteria but if this team wants to see the post season they're going to have to learn to thrive under the weight of being a contender. That's the really great thing about baseball, we get to start all over again in seven months to see if this team has learned anything, like maybe how to live up to great expectations.

Sweeping with the Fishes

• Nationals 11, Marlins 7

Back-to-back 11 run offensive outbursts. Too little, too late you say? Indubitably. But a good sign nonetheless from a team that looked simply incapable of generating that much offense. Ever. Against anyone. Nicky had a good night, 3-5 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Preston provided a on-his-way-out-the-door highlight with a 3-run homer and 5 RBI. But most importantly, the Nats secured a .500 season, and need to take only 1 of 3 from the Phillies to make their first season in DC a winning one.

The Post's Nats Notebook takes a look at Marlon Byrd's resurgence. Hitting .243 before his demotion and .306 since his return, one of the keys to Byrd's success seems to be his work with minor league hitting instructor Mitchell Page. Hmmm... a batting coach who actually improves players' batting... what a novel idea.

Oh Good, More Uncertainty

As if the whole ownership-stadium mess weren't convoluted enough, DC Mayor Anthony Williams is on the verge of announcing his decision not to seek a 3rd term. Tony's retirement is a serious blow to pro-baseball interests, and removes one of the Nats strongest supporters from city government. Of course, Tony Bowtie was no lock to win reelection, but he was the natural candidate of the city's business and development interests. It will be interesting to see what kind of monkey wrench this throws into the on-going stadium lease negotiations. With Williams a lame-duck, Council chair Linda Cropp becomes the point person for DC government, and she's no particular fan of Bud Selig and MLB. She is, however, opposed to carpet-bagging outside ownership groups, which is good.

Meanwhile, Bud assures us that an announcement on the new owners will be made as soon as possible. Even in the middle of the World Series, if necessary. On Capitol Hill for another round of steroids hearings, Selig said, "I understand why [a decision on the sale] should be made quickly. . . . We're trying to move as fast as possible." Now Bud, it's not nice to lie to Congress.

Fish Hate Byrds

• Nationals 11, Marlins 1

Marlins, meet Marlon. You can say the Fish are slumping, that their clubhouse is in disarray, that Jack McKeon makes Frank Robinson look like Dr. Phil, but the bottom line is, the Nats went out and thumped arguably the best pitcher in the league. Hit him hard and consistently over several innings. Our boys have outscored the Fish 15-1 in the last two games, and one more win guarantees a .500 season. Let's see some run support for Stubby!

See, now I'm going to have to go rip Tony Armas Jr.'s arm off. Jose Guillen, pontificating on his subpar season, listed a number of valid justifications for his slump, most notably the myriad injuries that have hounded him all season. (Being the league leader in HBPs probably didn't help either.) But then he had to go and mention the fences at RFK. Said Jose, "I don't want to make excuses. I just need to make sure people understand I'm not playing in Philadelphia or Cincinnati, in those ballparks. I was playing in a really tough ballpark. I wasn't able to put on a show for the home fans." Judging by all the Phillies fan at RFK lately, one could be forgiven for thinking Jose was playing in Citizens Bank Park.

Platoon Spells Doom for Wilkie?

Brad Wilkerson is arbitration eligible in the offseason, and will likely earn slightly more then the $3.05 million he's making this year. The Times is hinting that he might be trade bait instead. If Wilkie goes, Ryan Church and Marlon Byrd are the logical replacements. Here's a look at how Brad's 2005 stats line up against the aggregate Byrd/Church.

B. Wilkerson: 552 AB, .250 avg, 74 R, 138 H, 40 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 57 RBI, 82 BB, 145 K, 7 SB

Byrd/Church: 477 AB, .277 avg., 56 R, 132 H, 28 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 40 BB, 116 K, 6 SB

Even with all the Ks Wilkie produces a higher on-base percentage, but it's tough to argue that his numbers are dramatically better than the Byrd/Church platoon that would likely replace him.

A Time for Spoilers

• Nationals 4, Marlins 0

Say it with me people... Carrasco! It rolls smoothly off the tongue. I'm still not sure he's worth resigning to a multi-year guaranteed contract next season, but I have no problem with riding him till he collapses this year. El Matador's line as a starter: 1-0, 21.2 IP, 0.83 ERA, 23 K, 11 BB. But you say you need offense to go along with 6 shutout innings from your starter? No problem, we've got Goooz!

Cristian went 3-4 at the dish, drove in 3 of the Nats 4 runs, and raised his season average to .215. My boy Goooz is hitting .371 for September, with a .828 OPS. All of a sudden, an infield of Johnson, Vidro, Guzman and Zimmerman ain't looking so bad for next year.

An Open Letter to A.J. Burnett

Dear Allan,

Thank you for your interest in the Washington Nationals. We understand that you are one of the top free agent pitchers available this offseason. However, as much as we admire your 753 career strikeouts and your impressive 3.73 ERA we are unwilling to offer you a position with the club.

Our scouts have noticed that you have an unhealthy tendency to walk batters, almost 80 this season alone. Cap'n Hook does not approve of pitchers who issue walks. And while we're on the subject, Cap'n Hook does not approve of pitchers who bitch and moan to the media about how the manager never says anything nice to them. If you think Jack McKeon is a mean old man, you do not want to meet Frank Robinson.

We are also of the opinion that a guy with a 98 mph fastball ought to be able to do better than a 49-50 career record. And frankly, you're something of a softy, having missed games almost every year with various arm injuries. Livo and Stubby do not approve of softies, especially if they're scheduled to be the highest paid pitcher on the staff. Frankly, if we wanted another hospital case, we'd resign Tony Armas Jr.

In conclusion, we at Nats Triple Play wish you the best this offseason, and suggest you look slightly north of DC, where you will undoubtedly be outrageously overpaid, and no one will be the least bit surprised when your arm falls off in June.

Best Wishes,

Nate

P.S. If Jim Bowden is still the G.M. this offseason, we look forward to seeing you and your $60 million contract in spring training.

Some good news.

I swear, I haven't been posting because I'm busy, not because I don't care.

"They see the finish line and they don't want the season to slip away," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "They want to finish above .500. They have pride." (From ESPN's recap)

And that's how I feel. I know Watson's a little burned out right now, and Nate is watching the sinking, but you know, I have a little pride. I'm dwelling on some of the good. First off, we had baseball where we did not have baseball before. That's a good thing. The fact that we all have something to complain about and pick apart is better than last year.

Second, this year's showing is better than last. Last year's 67-95 season is a thing of the past. This morning, we're 79-78, and we're continuing to do battle.

Third, the Nats caught some of the imagination of this town. I had the distinct non-pleasure of driving through the city on Saturday, and saw more 'W' caps and Nats T-Shirts than I have ever seen. It's nice that the city cares.

Washington is 10th in total attendance. We beat Philly, Atlanta, Baltimore, Texas, and Florida in attendance. (It wasn't hard to beat the Fish in this one). And we notably are ahead of Boston in total attendance. Who are we looking upwards to? New York's teams, San Fran, Chicago, LA, San Diego, and one up from us Houston. (See this set of stats for attendance numbers.)

And finally, for those who say these games don't matter -- one more loss knocks the Marlins out of contention. I say Washington should be the ones to take them down.

I'm on the road Thursday and Friday, and looking forward to sitting in 313 on Sunday to catch the last game.

And We All Fall Down

• Mets 6, Nationals 5

Forget moving the fences in at RFK, maybe we ought to think seriously about moving them back. Unless Mike Piazza decides to go DH in Los Angeles of Anaheim next year... and takes Mike Jacobs and David Wright with him. If I hear so much as one word from Jose (0-15 and counting) Guillen in the offseason about the fences at RFK, I'm going to find him and beat him to death with Tony Armas Jr.'s right arm. You know, the one he's not using to pitch.

There was a time when this team was 50-31, I swear there was. Of course, that's easy to forget seeing as how we've gone 28-47 since then. If we play .500 ball from here on out (and I see no reason to think that's possible) we will have achieved a perfect inversion of our first half record. Pitiful. And oh by the way, we've also fallen behind the Mets into last place in the NL East. I'm not sure how many teams have gone from leading their division at the all-star break to finishing dead last, but I think there's about to be one more.

In Other News

Land acquisition for the new stadium has hit the first of what I'm sure will be many roadblocks. Learn to love RFK. And the Not-Jeff-Smulyan for owner campaign has picked up two more converts. T. Boz and DC Council chair Linda Cropp both have the same message for MLB. No more Bob Shorts.