« November 2012 | Main | January 2013 »
Merry Christmorse?
And so, while you're sitting around waiting for Adam LaRoche to sign a three year deal with some other team not named the Washington Nationals, enjoy the magical Beast Mode Christmas light display at Michael Morse's house in Florida. At least, we're assuming this light show is at Morse's house. This much we know: based on a series of Tweets Friday night, it seems Michael Morse has Christmas Spirit.
(Pics via @Dc_BEAST38)
John Lannan signs one-year deal with the Phillies.
Farewell, John Lannan. Thanks for the memories.
Hope the Phillies fans finally forgive you now for that time you broke Chase Utley's hand in your big league debut in '07. Nah, they'll probably still boo ya.
And so, Denard Span's whirlwind tour or Washington D.C. continues. There he is with Colin Powell Friday night at the Wizards-Lakers game. Photo via @thisisdspan.
Span quickly becoming the greatest Tweeter in the brief history of the Washington Nationals; and he hasn't even played a game yet!
Denard Span spent last night in D.C. dining at the Chophouse, and spent today Tweeting his way around town: getting shots and visiting his new place of employment and eating at Ben's Chili Bowl, capping things off by taking in the Wizards-Lakers game.
There's Span above with Mike Rizzo in a pic via @Nationals. And one more below in a pic via @thisisdspan).
Welcome to D.C., Mr. Span.
Well, well, well, according to the Washington Post, MLB has enlisted the help of a private investment bank to find new owners for Nats and O's TV rights that are currently held in the cold dead hands of demonic Orioles owner Peter Angelos and his evil Mid Atlantic Sports Network. OK, maybe we went too far with the "demonic" thing. But still, MLB is totally f*cked.
The names of two potential buyers have been floated: Fox Sports (currently making a full court press for local TV rights deals everywhere), and Comcast.
We chatted with a person who knows stuff about the negotiations (and is usually right about stuff) who says the chances of Comcast securing Nationals rights are slim and none, mostly because Angelos still has hurt feelings about how he was treated when he tried to launch MASN on Comcast systems in the DMV when the Nationals first moved to town. For that reason alone he's more likely to do a deal with Fox Sports: "He's a stubborn guy."
Apparently Angelos is in a position where he thinks he has contract law on his side, and probably thinks he is standing on some moral high ground. According to a person who knows stuff, strict interpretation of the contract favors Angelos, not the Nats; and people who have done business with Angelos say that this is the type of situation where he digs in his heels. Bad news for Ted Lerner.
It doesn't help that Rob Manfred (the guy MLB has in place trying to work this out) has negligible TV experience and no cable experience to speak of. And that's why Bud Selig has gone running to Steve Greenberg to clean up the mess -- think of it as a Hail Mary. As an aside, Greenberg helped Ted Leonsis buy the Wizards, and Selig sell the Brewers.
Essentially MLB can either honor the Angelos contract as it was written (advantage O's); or it can give a nod to the billions of dollars being collected and spent by the Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, et al. It sounds like the two sides are entrenched, not close, and unwilling to compromise.
And who can blame them?
(Screencap of Peter Angelos via IBEWHourPower video.)
(Photo of Denard Span from the 2012 TwinsFest above via this FanHQStore video)
And so, new Nationals center fielder Denard Span arrived in D.C. on Thursday, and promptly went looking for a place to eat -- Span announced on Twitter that he'd settled on the District Chophouse on 7th; and started taking recommendations from fans.
Denard Span could become the most popular Nats player with a Tweeter...
The blurry photo above is Davey Johnson accepting a Hometown Hero Award from the D.C. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. Photo via @dcchamber.
Apparently Davey Johnson is still in the "The Nats will sign Adam LaRoche" camp, based on his comments during Wednesday's ceremony.
Oh, and apparently Davey thinks the Nats will win the World Series::
"Next year is going to be my last year and I’m going to go out with my fourth World Series ring."
In other news: Vegas agrees with Davey.
Players come and players go, but there's something about seeing Sean Burnett in this video of the Angels introducing Fat Joe Blanton, Tommy Hanson, Sean Burnett and Ryan "The Only Boras Client not on the Nationals Payroll" Madson today that seemed all wrong. Maybe it's the whole "breaking up the band" feel to the inevitable tinkering with the feel-good 2012 Nats formula; that feeling will probably be amplified once Adam LaRoche eventually signs his 3-year deal with some other team, but it'll be OK. Pretty sweet deal for Burnett; and according to the Washington Post, Rizzo "didn't compete" with the Angels offer.
So, Mike Rizzo, speaking of Sean Burnett: how are the J.P. Howell talks going anyway?
(Screen cap via MLB.com video)
And so, while you're sitting around waiting for Adam LaRoche to sign a 3-year deal with some team not named the Washington Nationals, enjoy the video above of Ian Desmond's walkoff home run against the Diamondbacks back on May 2. Doesn't get much better than a walkoff, right?
Not so, Tweeted Desmond today after his first ever hole in one today on hole #13 at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota:
Wait, > walk off!?
And so, while you're sitting around waiting for Adam LaRoche to sign his 3-year deal with the Orioles, enjoy the video above of the Racing Presidents keeping up with a newish Washington tradition: their annual appearance at the Washington Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker.
Spring is in the air.
