Nats Enquirer

One Small Step for (Berg)Mann, One Giant Leap for Manny-kind

"We needed it."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 4/13/2007)

Holy crap! NAAAts don't fall behind in the first! NAAAts get a lead! NAAAts win a game!

Jason was the Mann, but Jesus got the win. Thank you, Ronnie Belliard.

It's official: NAAAts will not go 1-161 in '07. But Chief nearly gave us a heart attack in the 9th.

• Guess that closed door meeting worked.
• Hotstove heats up, and it's only April: Andruw Jones-to-Washington in '08 rumors get floated; one more reason for you to not care about '07.
• Ray King heads to 15-day DL.
• On to NY, Patterson starts things off tonight...

(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

I miss Jose Guillen

"Against these guys, I'm gonna tell you straightforward, the anger comes out of me. I want to kill all those guys. I love a lot of those guys I played with over there, but there's some guys I don't really love over there, and I want to show them something...The decision they made was a stupid one, and it should have been handled different. I (wish) we could play them 162 times. That's going to be my motivation. And trust me, that's not good when Jose Guillen gets motivated. I really step up to a really different level."
(Jose Guillen, via Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3/23/2007)

Guillen vs. Donnelly II yesterday in Boston:

Remember The Great Pine Tar Incident of 2005? Guillen vs. The Angels? Robinson vs. Scioscia? Ah, the good old days.

Wouldn't 2007 be a lot more fun with Jose around?

NAAAts don't hit, don't win, again.

(Photo by Charles Krupa/AP)

After a Long Winter, Big League Baseball Returns to Washington Area

 

"It's Opening Day, and you can't get better than that here in Baltimore."
(Sam Perlozzo, via Baltimore Sun, 4/10/2007)

Cabrera Tames Tigers! O's win home opener 6-2.

• Meanwhile, the "other" team in the Washington area hits the road for a six pack against Braves and Mets (In case you're wondering, we're feeling a 3-3 road trip, by the way).
• Svrluga says NAAAts are "downright putrid" with runners in scoring position, and has the numbers to prove it.
• See Dick invoke the Cleveland Spiders. Pssst...they're only one game off the pace from last season. Hell, Phily and SF are 1-6, too -- can we wait another week or two before completely burying our lowly NAAAts? Note that I am wearing my giant "We're #1" foam finger as I type this.   

(Photo by Tony Dejak/AP)

So far, so bad...

"We're going to be fine. We're not the only team that has started with one win in the first week of the season. Everybody goes through those stretches...We're going to reel off a few wins, too."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 4/9/2007)

...but only a little badder than last year.

Relax, Manny promises they'll win a few.

Off day today, time for a quick reality check:

Last year at this time, the Nationals were 2-5. Starters last year through 7 games (Livan, Patterson, Ortiz, Armas, Livan, Drese, Patterson) were 1-4, 5.75 ERA (36IP, 48H, 28R, 23ER, 11BB, 27K, 7HR);

This season through 7? Starters (Patterson, Hill, Chico, Bergmann, Williams, Patterson, Hill) are 0-6, 7.15 ERA (34IP, 41H, 31R, 27ER, 18BB, 18K, 6HR).

Check our math -- there's a really good chance that these #'s are all off --but the point of this exercise is that with the exception of the '07 rotation's penchant for digging big first inning holes, last year's model (rotation-wise) was almost as bad as this year's model 7-games in.

Repeat after Manny: "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine." "We're going to be fine."...

(Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)

A big, fat, disappointing weekend

"That's Livo being Livo."
(Ryan Church, via Washington Times, 4/9/2007)

Oh, and cold, too.

Easter Brunch: Livan Gobbles Up NAAAts in 7 inning, shutout performance.

Despite small crowds, Aramark runs out of hotdogs again at RFK Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Livan Hernandez? Coincidence?

Offense enjoys a holiday weekend.

Silver lining over the weekend: Is Hill the Ace? Nope, the Ace of the NAAAts is Jerome Williams, you wait. Is it me or does Patterson ("It was cold. It was really cold.") just always seem to have a good excuse?

Jesus rises from the dead, goes 0-1 with a walk in first major league start on Sunday.

(Photo by Lawrence Jackson/AP)

Stone Cold Losing

"It was pretty bad offensively.You got one hit going to the ninth, and no runs, that's unacceptable. We can't have that."
(Austin Kearns, via Washington Post, 4/7/2007)

Mistakes aplenty, lifeless offense, mar miracle 6 inning effort from Jerome Williams

Ice Berg: Jason Bergmann's bad start sinks The S.S. Acta Thursday night. Bowden rips into him, Acta moves him to #5 slot in rotation

(Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)

Three Cheers for Jorge Julio!

"Every one of my coaches felt like a big weight was lifted off their shoulders, and my shoulders, basically...It's kind of fun to see the players go out there. We just snapped a two-game losing and they're celebrating like they're clinching the [National League] East."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 4/5/2007)

NAAAts down Marlins 10-6 on Dmitri Young Walkoff Grandslam!!***

0-162 is now out of the question. 1-161, well, that's another story.

NAAAts notch first win with dramatic, feel-good, but somehow unsurprising (considering that, you know, Jorge Julio was involved) 9th inning comeback.

Is it possible for there to be a must-win game the third game of the season?

Congrats to Manny Acta on win #1.

So many positive things to say that we won't mention anything Matt Chico (and how burned out the bullpen will be by May if the starters keep it up at this rate).

***Gotta love MASN. Grandslam!!?? Dramatic win, yes, but do you think someone got a little carried away there in the production booth? I need to know if there's a button that accidently got pushed? What happened?

(Photo of TV screen by The Nationals Enquirer) 

Hill-acious D

"It's only two games. If we go play 10 games and I see this same result, then I'll get concerned. But it's only two games. We could go on a rampage starting tomorrow."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Times, 4/3/2007)

Another day, another nightmare first frame for a NAAAts starter. Hill done in by Josh Wilson and Da Meat Hook.

If that old saying "Pitching and defense win games" is true, there's a big problem in Washington. 0-162 still a possiblity.

• Svrluga tries to distract us from the misery by focusing on the glory of Corky Kasto Kory Casto's Major League debut.
• Nook Logan, Cristian Guzman, to the DL. So Corky Kasto Kory Casto got called up, and defensive help on it's way, too (gulp), with the purchase of D'Angelo Jimenez's contract.
• Matt Chico makes his Major League debut today at RFK (1:05 start). Guess the paid attendance: We say probably 14,307, give or take a dozen.

(Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Aceless

"I need that whip. I was talking to some other guys, and that was the same thing they were saying. They just didn't see that little boom at the end of my pitches like I've always had. It's almost like my arm was carrying the ball today."
(John Patterson, via Washington Post, 4/3/2007)

Dead Arm John Dooms NAAAts in Opener

Nook Logan & Cristian Guzman get banged up.

I'm still standing in line waiting for food up in section 441 as I write this. Send help.

(Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

2007: Over before it even started?

"What? Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell No! And it ain't over now. Cuz when the going gets tough, the tough get goin! Who's with me? Let's Go! Come on!"
(John 'Bluto' Blutarsky, via Animal House, 7/28/1978)

"I know that this team is better than what a lot of people think, and we're going to make it better."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 4/2/2007)

NAAAtionals Opening Day 2007: Play ball!*

Hope springs eternal for the NAAAts: Just don't mention the '62 Mets or '03 Tigers (at least for the first month), ok?

Repeat after me: They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad. They won't be that bad...

• Thom Loverro on Manny's first day jitters.
• Wash Post Nats Notebook: Manny's got butterflies; Don't call John P. "Ace", ok? Etc.
• Boswell on the O's & Nats: "At least the Nats have an excuse."
• Dontrelle Willis on the Nats: "They are going to be tough, man. I'm hearing they are going to lose 100 games. I don't think they are going to do that."
• Interesting history lesson on Presidential First Pitches in Washington.
• Mets win opener. Nationals assume the position in NL East basement.

(*Because you have to play the games. You can't simply punt an entire season, right?)