Nats Enquirer

Rizzo's Front Office Makeover Continues...

 

(AP Photo. MIke Rizzo has been keeping busy hiring and firing.)

"This was a tough decision to leave because of people like Craig Shipley (Boston's vice president of international operations) and [GM] Theo Epstein. But I'm getting older and I thought I should have tried this, to develop something from ground zero. ...I met with [ownership] and they're committed. They want to go forward and they thought I was the right guy."
(Johnny DiPuglia, via SI dot com, 10/14/2009)

Ted Lerner finally over Smileygate, ready to spend some money on International Operations again?

Sports Illustrated's Melissa Segura reported yesterday that Mike Rizzo has hired Red Sox Latin American Coordinator Johnny DiPuglia to be Nationals director of international operations.

And Kris Kline has replaced Dana Brown as Scouting Director. We're having trouble keeping up with all the reshuffling going on.

Meanwhile...

• Manny Acta is in the mix for the vacant Cleveland Indians managerial job. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he's already had a phone interview with Mark Shapiro; he's got an interview for the Houston job on Friday.
• Federal Baseball's "Ed Chigliak" is among the 520 lucky souls currently allowed to follow Jim Bowden on Twitter. (Just like Dibble, Jimbo has blocked The Nationals Enquirer from following his Tweets for some reason. Oh well.) Anyway, "Mr. Chigliak" has been keeping tabs on Jimbo,who has been Tweeting a running list of the Nationals managerial candidates, which as of yesterday morning looks like this: Don Mattingly, Bobby Valentine, Brad Mills, Bob Melvin, Joey Cora, Ned Yost, Larry Bowa, and Jim Riggleman. Wonder who's been feeding Jimbo his info? Boone? Galbraith? Surely not Rizzo, right?

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Miscellany

(Photo by Nationals Enquirer Staff. Here's a shot of Jim Riggleman on the JumboTron at Nationals Park, taken from an awkward angle, as he addresses the crowd at Nationals Park after the home finale. That might've been the first and last time Jim's name is followed by "Nationals Manager". It looks weird without the "Interim", doesn't it?)

Lots of Nats-related stories floating around yesterday:

• The Arizona Fall League kicked off yesterday. Chris "Don't Call Me Nationals First Baseman of the Future"Marrero homered for the Phoenix Desert Dogs in their AFL opener; but, the Dogs lost 10-6 to the Mesa Solar Sox. The Washington Post's Tracee Hamilton talked to Marrrero, who offered up firey soundbites like this when asked by Hamilton about being the Nats first baseman of the future:

"You don't really think about that. ...When it's your time to play it's your time to play. I just want to go out here and have a good month and get back home and get some rest."

   ZZZZZZ...wake us up on Friday when Strasburg takes the hill, okay?

• The Nationals front office makeover, a.k.a. Operation DeBowdenization rumbled on yesterday, with the announced hiring of former Braves Scouting Director Roy Clark, who assumes the position of assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel with the Nats. Nats Farm Authority asks:what happens to Bob Boone? Our sources with no knowledge of the situation say Bob will be receiving his pink slip from Mike Rizzo sometime this afternoon. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Roy Clark immediately started kissing Nats' ass:

"I don't know if you can teach old dogs new tricks, but with the ownership group they have, the plan they have, with [Nationals president] Stan [Kasten] and [general manager Mike] Rizzo, I have a feeling that place might be special."

• Mike MacDougal had hip surgery yesterday. Maybe that's why he stunk down the stretch? Washington Times' Ben Goessling says Mike should be ready by spring training.

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O No! Peter Angelos Continues to Rule D.C.?

 

(Photo by Baltimore Sun. Peter Angelos hates you, NatsTown.)

"We definitely want them to succeed. We're partners in the MASN baseball network, and we have an excellent relationship with the Lerner family and with Stan Kasten, who is an old friend of mine..."
(Peter Angelos, via Baltimore Sun, 4/10/2008)

O's beat Nats on MASN in D.C. homes?

Washington Business Journal's John Ourand reports that Orioles games on MASN outdrew Nationals games on MASN in D.C. homes in 2009:

Orioles games on MASN drew a 0.67 rating and 16,000 homes in D.C. during the 2009 season, a rating that is 12 percent higher and a household distribution that is 14 percent higher than the Nationals' 0.60 rating and 14,000 homes.

Dan Steinberg took another breather from his 24-7 Redskins autopsy earlier this afternoon to point out that the news isn't exactly good. But is anyone really surprised by this? Especially given the, what, 40?, games the O's played against the Red Sox and Yankees; and the little advantage the O's enjoyed between 1972 and 2005 serving as defacto hometown team? We'd be interested in comparing the 2009 O's/Nats D.C. household figure to 2008. Surely there's been progress there?

And you can be sure that Ted Lerner is unfazed with the arrangement with MASN for the time being: as long as Angelos keeps those annual ~$25 million checks coming for rights fees, Ted will be smiling all the way to the bank.

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The Rob Dibble Effect?

(Photo of TV by Nationals Enquirer Staff. Rob Dibble (center left) seen yucking it up with Bob Carpenter and Pirates mascot Captain Jolly Roger back in August.)

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

Dibble good for 66.7% jump in MASN's Nats ratings in 2009?

Over at the DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg takes a break from piling on the Redskins to breaking down Sports Business Journal's MLB regular-season TV ratings report. Dan highlights the good, and the bad:

The Nats regional TV ratings on MASN and MASN2 increased by 67 percent, to a 0.60. Their average audience increased 75 percent to 14,000 households. Both increases were easily the biggest in the Majors. ...

The .060 and 14,000 numbers, both remain the lowest numbers in MLB, by sort of a lot, with the exception of Oakland. ...Ten teams, for example, attracted an average audience of at least 95,000 households.

So, should we chalk up the ratings bump to The Rob Dibble Effect, or to a better job done by MASN to get the word out about how to find "tonight's game" on one of MASN, MASN2, MASNHD, MASNFU, etc.?

We'll put our money on MASN's marketing department.

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Go Dodgers.

 

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey. Phillies dump Rockies. Miguel Cairo dumps beer on Brett Myers.)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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Dana Brown to Toronto. Stan Kasten, Next?

 

(AP Photo. Bye, bye, Stan? The good news for Stan Kasten -if he takes over as Prez/COO in Toronto- is that, like Nats Fans, he won't have to worry about the big picture for the Nationals anymore, either.)

Nationals Director of scouting Dana Brown is leaving DC for Toronto. MLB dot com's Bill Ladson reports:

Dana Brown is leaving the Nationals as an amateur scouting director and will join the Blue Jays to become a special assistant to general manager Alexander Anthopoulos.

Next question: Will Stan Kasten be following close behind?

Stan's name continues to pop up in the papers from time-to-time as a potential replacement for Paul Beeston in Toronto. Heck, just yesterday, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo name-dropped Stan in reference to the Jays in the middle of his notes column:

The Blue Jays could be making a change at the top very soon, but who might take over for Paul Beeston as president/chief operating officer remains a mystery.

Over the past few months, there has been speculation about Nationals president Stan Kasten moving north of the border to run the team for his old buddy Beeston, but there seems to be some stickiness with Kasten leaving Washington, where he has a small ownership stake.

If not Kasten, then who?

We'd ask Stan the same question -- and also ask him how sticky that little ownership stake really is -- but he won't take our calls.

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Strasburg fails to walk on water, again.

 

(Photo by Getty Images. No pressure, Stephen. No pressure.)

The Savior strikes out six; yet

fails to perform any miracles.

Stephen Strasburg made his second start in the Florida instructional league yesterday; this time against the Houston Astros. His line, courtesy of the Washington Times/Chatter:

3 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 6K

Only 6 Ks? And what's with this 2 H, 1 ER bullshit? Like we said after his first instructional league start: Stephen Strasburg is looking like a total bust.

On to the Arizona Fall League...

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Phil Cuzzi Blew It

 

(Photo by Reuters Pictures. Makes you wonder what Phil Cuzzi was looking at. Joe Mauer's no-doubt ground rule double in the 11th was ruled a foul ball by umpire Phil Cuzzi, despite the fact that the ball landed at least a foot fair before bouncing into the stands. Ignore the fact that Mauer eventually singled and the Twins loaded the bases with no outs, but failed to score.)

"I wasn't the only one that blew one tonight."
(Joe Nathan, via MLB dot com, 10/9/2009)

Nah, no need to expand instant replay, right Bud?

Because, if there's a bad call to be made in the postseason, you can be sure it's going in favor of the Yankees.

Big Market Team 4, Small Market Team formerly known as the Washington Senators, 3: Joe Nathan in the 9th, Phil Cuzzi in the 11th, dooms Twinkies.

Also, go F yourself, Mark Teixeira.

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Manny Acta to Interview for Astros Job

 

(Photo by Getty Images. There's Manny Acta, keeping watch from his familiar perch on the top step of the dugout. Even during rain delays, Manny Acta hated to move from the top step of the dugout. Most of the time he just stood there, emotionless, while the rain poured down, or when he should've been arguing a bad call and/or standing up for his players. It was all very Zen.)

"They have contacted me. To interview with the Astros is very exciting. I can't comment on the process because it's too early."
(Manny Acta, myFOXHouston dot com, 10/9/2009)

Manny Happy Returns?

Houston Astros have contacted old friend Manny Acta about their managerial opening.

MLB dot com points out Manny's history in Houston:

Acta, 40, spent six years as a player and 10 years a coach and manager in the Houston system, leading the 1999 Kissimmee Cobras to the Gulf Coast League title.

Acta was signed by the Astros at age 17 as a first baseman and reached Double-A but never played in the Majors.

So, Manny's got that going for him.

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Another Jim Bowden Hire Bites the Dust

 

(AP Photo. Pre-Segway Era Jim Bowden at Spring Training with Stan Kasten back in 2007. )

"If you are a baseball person, you know that it's going to happen with the new GM coming up and them wanting to clean house. They knew I was close to Jim. I have nothing but positive things to say. The Lerner family treated me well."
(Jose Cardenal, via Nationals dot com, 10/8/2009)

Operation De-Bowdenization continues.

Mike Rizzo fires "special assistant to the GM" Jose Cardenal, hired by Jim Bowden in 2005. Turns out Cardenal was special to Jimbo, but not so special to Rizzo.

In case you're wondering, although Cardenal never played for the Reds, he served as first base coach for the team in the early 2000's.

That makes two Bowden guys given the axe by Rizzo since the beginning of September (Rizzo fired director of player development Bobby Williams on September 5th).

Bob Boone, next?

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