Cliff Lee 2011 Nationals Home Jersey

 

(All I want for Cliffmas*. Image doctored from MLB.com/shop.)

So are the Nationals in this Cliff Lee Sweepstakes madness, or are they out?

At the moment: out. No wait: in. Out? Seems to change every minute or so depending on who you follow on Twitter. Early Tuedsay morning, prior to the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore effectively dousing the Cliff-Lee-to-the-Nats rumors with a bucket of cold water , it certainly sounded like the Nats might be at the front of the pack, helping drive up the price and willing to go seven years.

As of 5:30 PM Tuesday, MLB.com's Bill Ladson had a source tell him the Nats are still in the running.

About a half hour before that, Mike Rizzo further put a damper the possibility of Cliffmas* in Washington, telling the media this:

"I still think we're a real long shot to acquire the player."
(Mike Rizzo, via NatsInsider, 12/7/2010)

Then reports around 7 PM of two seven year deals on the table for Lee from a couple of mystery teams; and not the Rangers or Yankees. And certainly not the  Nationals, right? Because I'm sure I just saw someone Tweet that a source told the Nats have given up, which was immediately followed up by someone saying the Nats offered Lee a 10 year deal and an ownership stake.

Head stopped spinning yet?

Anyway, we should probably just swap out that image above with a Pavano #48 to be safe (sorry, Ross Detwiler).

*props to Cheryl Nichols for coining the phrase, "Cliffmas" for NatsTown. Sadly, there's probably not much chance we'll be seeing Cliffmas in Washington.

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Comments

[Jenn Jenson]

With "feels like" temperatures in the teens tonight in DC, I'm thinking North Pole ...

[Shoshana]

Will we allow someone to wear #33 in DC? That was Hondo's number. Interestingly, it is also the number that Owen Wilson's character wears in "How Do You Know".

[The Nationals Enquirer]

@Shoshana: Yes. With all due respect to Hondo...if the Nationals pull off a miracle and sign Cliff Lee, he can have his 33 or choice of any other number besides: 11, 37, and 28 (he makes a lot of money afterall).

[WFY]

#33 has specifically not been issued by the Nats. Maybe they ought to make it official with a Frank Howard Day. BTW, Howard wore 9 for the Senators prior to Ted Williams arrival in '69. To bad that Owen Wilson wears it in that movie I won't see.