Nats Enquirer

One time, Henry Rodriguez threw three straight 100 MPH fastballs.

In case you haven't heard, one of the guys Mike Rizzo traded Josh Willingham to the A's for has a reputation for his power-arm. Henry Rodriguez throws gas. From the official Nats press release:

The hard-throwing right-hander ranked fourth in the big leagues last season with an average fastball velocity of 98.45 miles per hour, after his 98.96 mph average in 2009 trailed only Detroit’s Joel Zumaya (99.19 mph). Rodriguez touched 103.2 mph on the gun in 2010, a high that was topped only by Cincinnati’s Aroldis Chapman (105.1 mph) and Texas’ Neftali Feliz (103.4 mph).
(via Nationals press release, 12/17/2010)

In the above video clip, watch as Henry Rodriguez blows three straight 100 MPH fastballs by a fellow prospect during the 2008 All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

Meanwhile...Chien-Ming Wang is back on another incentive-laden deal with the Nats. At worst, Wang will have another opportunity to improve his golf game on Ted Lerner's dime.

...and the O's have a 3-year deal on the table for Adam LaRoche?

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Farewell, Hammer

 

(A frequent sight during the 2010 season: Josh Willingham as Silver Elvis. Screengrab of MASN/TV by Nationals Enquirer staff.)

Josh Willingham traded to the A's for prospects.

And Phase 2 rolls along with...a salary dump? Not so, says Mike Rizzo:

"The decision to trade Josh was not based on his salary or on money whatsoever."
(Mike Rizzo, via Nats Insider/Mark Zuckerman, 12/16/2010)

Welcome Henry Rodriguez and Corey Brown.

More Rizzo quotes (via Zuckerman), explaining the deal:

"There's a lot of things that went into the decision to trade Josh now instead of waiting until spring training or waiting until the trade deadline. We felt that this was an attractive package that we have right now. It was a better package than we got last year at the trade deadline for Josh. So we felt like this was an opportunity for us to really cement a big-armed relief pitcher at 23 years old and a toolsy outfielder that hits from the left side. It was more on the side of the return that we got for Josh now as opposed to what the returns were at the trade deadline last year."
(Mike Rizzo, via Nats Insider/Mark Zuckerman, 12/16/2010)

So, even though this deal was not based on money, just how will Mike Rizzo spend that $5-6 million saved from avoiding arbitration with Wilingham?

Okay, fine move. But what's next, Rizzo?

Farewell Josh Willingham, Silver Elvis will never be the same.

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"I've always been a big fan of an underdog."

 

(It's a good thing Jayson Werth likes underdogs and looks fantastic in a Curly W lid -- he's going to be around for a while. Screengrab via MLB.com)

"Anytime you play for a team, there is going to be pressure. I'm coming to this team and this city to be involved in something much greater that you have seen before. The owners are on board, Mike is on board, [manager] Jim [Riggleman] is on board. We are going in the same direction. I don't see any undue pressure. I will go out and play my game. I will come to the field ready to play. I look forward to going to war with the guys, who are in the clubhouse and get the job done."
(Jayson Werth, via MLB.com, 12/15/2010)

Welcome to Washington, Jayson Werth.

Okay, it all sounds good. Now what, Rizzo?

Oh, and a full no-trade clause? Really? Thank you Scott Boras. May the Lerners have another?

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Beardless Jayson Werth at Wizards-Lakers game

 

(Jayson Werth's beard has left the building. And no, that's not a beard, that's a soul patch. Screengrab of TV/ComcastSportsNet by Nationals Enquirer staff.)

The night before his introductory press conference at Nationals Park, Jayson Werth attended Tuesday night's Wizards-Lakers game at Verizon Center along with a who's who of DMV sports (Gary Williams, Alex Ovechkin, Donovan McNabb, etc.). But the big news is that Jayson Werth attended Tuesday night's Wizards-Lakers game without his beard. 

Sadly, it seems that the Nationals team policy on facial hair has resulted in a clean shave for Werth (save the soul patch). Or perhaps Jayson Werth misunderstood the policy? Here's Mike Rizzo explaining the Nats policy on facial hair via Big League Stew/David Brown back on Dec. 6:

"The team policy is, facial hair is OK, but it's got to be groomed. It's got to be nicely ... professionally groomed."
(Mike Rizzo, via BLS, 12/6/2010)

Paging Collin Balester and his mustache. Apparently, Werth took "groomed" to mean "eliminated". Jayson Werth's beard's Twitter account seems to be fairly despondent at this hour.

At least Werth got a nice ovation from the crowd when his beardless face appeared on the scoreboard, via @billgluvna:

At the #Lakers - #Wizards game. Nice to see DC give #Nationals OF Jayson Werth a nice reception during his appearance on scoreboard.
(via billgluvna, 12/6/2010)

Also on Tuesday night, Mike Rizzo emailed a letter to Nationals fans about "Phase 2". Rizzo didn't mention Werth's facial hair situation. Here it is:

 

Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Lambert, Matt Stairs, and Spider-Man

 

(Ryan Zimmerman took home some Spider-Man gear in New York. Pinstripes will have to wait until after 2013. Photo by Bruce Glikas/Broadway.com)

Apparently being the Face of the Franchise for the Washington Nationals has its perks. Ryan Zimmerman spent some time in New York City last weekend, taking in a performance of Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark on Broadway Friday -- Zim even got to rub elbows with the cast of the show and -- wait for it --  American Idol alumnus turned international rock superstar Adam Lambert!

Meanwhile...the balance of power in the NL East has shifted back to Washington from Philadelphia with the Nationals' signing of 80 year old softball player Matt Stairs.

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Ho-LEE Sh**!

(Fear not, Nationals fans: we hear Pedro Astachio is available. Photo via Newscom by UPI/Gary C. Caskey.)

Halladay and Lee and Oswalt and Hamels...and pray for rain?

Phillies get their man. Cliff Lee returning for 5 years, ~$100 million.

Start printing those World Series tickets, Philadelphia.

And if it's possible, the NL East just got more difficult for the Nationals?

Okay Mike Rizzo: time to load up with Zack Greinke AND Carl Pavano now -- or should we just chalk this one up as another lost offseason for the Nationals?

 

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Someone really needs to send Santana Moss a Nats cap

 

(Santana Moss in a Marlins cap, again. This one was ugly. Screengrab via CSNWashington.com)

Another week, another soul-draining loss by the Redskins; and another post-game interview by Santana Moss in a Florida Marlins cap. His latest number was an ugly (velvet?) golden one.

Again, it's not even nearly on the level of Clinton Portis in a Phillies cap during Philly week, and we understand that Moss is a Miami guy, but still...could someone from the Washington Nationals marketing department please send Santana Moss a crate filled with Nationals caps (and if necessary, in a wide variety of colors, but not that garish gold)?

Meanwhile, back in NatsTown...

Three items of note from MLB.com's Bill Ladson: Brandon Webb is excited about the Nats (but is anyone really excited about Brandon Webb?); the Nats are talking themselves into Derrek Lee in case things don't work out with Adam LaRoche (here's Phil Wood blogging about LaRoche and Lee at MASNSports.com); the Nats plan on talking to Carl Pavano again this week (Pavano or bust!).

How many days 'til pitchers and catchers report?

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Bryce Harper shall not want for baseball gloves for the next five years

(Bryce Harper takes flight. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.)

So Bryce Harper has apparently agreed to a deal with Akadema, a NJ-based sports equipment company, to provide him with baseball gloves for the next five years. Or so says this press release from Akadema:

"Bryce Harper joins Akadema’s stable of young talent including Cameron Maybin, Derek Holland, and Vin Mazzaro.  Harper’s game-day glove of choice is the Akadema ACM 39.  Akadema Vice President, Kris Totten remarked, “We’re ecstatic to have Bryce representing the brand.  He’s obviously a great talent and has the ability to do things in this game that only a handful of players can match.”  After excelling in the Arizona Fall League, there is great anticipation of Harper breaking camp next spring with the Nationals major league club.
(via Akadema Press Release, 12/09/2010)

What's that? Wait. Did that say there is "great anticipation of Harper breaking camp next spring with the Nationals major league club." Certainly that's a reference to spring 2012, right?

This much is clear: Bryce Harper will report to major league camp for spring training in February. Jim Riggleman talked about Harper when he met with the media on Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. Let's briefly copy and paste from the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore:

First overall pick Bryce Harper will begin spring training in major league camp, a starting point that owes to his spot on the Nationals' 40-man roster. "He'll get a lot of attention, I'm sure, just as Stephen Strasburg did last year," Riggleman said. "But he'll be in big league camp and get some at-bats. If the at-bats look like they are starting to get too infrequent, we will get him down to minor league camp where he's seeing pitching every day."
(via Nationals Journal, 12/06/2010)

Previously, we took an idiotic wild guess of June 17th, 2011, as the night of Bryce Harper's Major League debut. Is it too late to retract that and go with a September 2012 callup?

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Stan Kasten as Tony Robbins

In case you've been wondering what Stan Kasten's 3 Pillars to Success are, watch the above video clip of Stan doing his best Tony Robbins impression during the Winter Meetings, talking about success in a conference room at Disney World. Feeling motivated yet? No? Well, stick with it, because around the 2:00 mark, a person in a Donald Duck costume enters from Kasten's left and tackles him to the ground*.

Meanwhile, in his weekly chat on WashingtonPost.com today, Thomas Boswell offered an interesting peek inside the old Rizzo-Kasten-Lerner decision making process, specifically with the question of what to do with Adam Dunn at the trading deadline in '10. In a nutshell: Rizzo wasn't a Dunn guy, wanted to trade him for Edwin Jackson, Kasten was a Dunn guy and wanted to sign him to an extension immediately, Lerners waffled and decided not to do anything until late in the season. And the Nats ended up not with Adam Dunn or Edwin Jackson, but a couple of draft picks. Not exactly three pillars of success, you know? So we move on.

Hey, any news on that bank-breaking deal the Nats are about to make to Cliff Lee to blow the Yankees, Rangers, and Angels out of the water*?

*Okay, we made that up.

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Dear Mr. Lerner: How about one more batshit crazy offer for Cliff Lee?

(Hey Yankees, Ted Lerner sees your 6 year, ~140 million offer for Cliff Lee, and raises you 7 years and... Photo by UPI/Alexis C. Glenn via Newscom.)

Time to get your bids in, people. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday night that Cliff Lee will decide where he's going to pitch for the next 6-7 years by the end of this weekend. 

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

On Wednesday, the Yankees reportedly made an initial bid of 6 years, between $135-150 million for Lee. But that was before the Red Sox went out and signed Carl Crawford Wednesday night; and were revealed (by Ken Rosenthal) as being one of the two teams to make a seven year offer to Lee, in an attempt to drive up the price for the Yankees.

On Thursday morning, SI.com's Jon Heyman Tweeted that the Yankees upped their offer to Lee to seven years.

Are the Nationals the other seven year team? Who knows.

Regardless, it's hard to believe the Nats will be able to win a bidding war for Cliff Lee's services against the Yankees now. Right?

"I never have a problem knocking on Hal’s door and asking for more money. I know my title is general manager but I consider myself the director or spending for the New York Yankees."
(Brian Cashman, via NY Post, 12/9/2010)

Here's hoping Mike Rizzo knocks on Ted Lerner's door and gets the okay for one final batshit crazy 7 year, $160 million offer...just to make Cliff Lee's decision a little harder.

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