The first poll

Thanks to all 43 of you who voted in my first poll. Well, 42. I was one of them.
The results were overwhelming. Almost everyone (36) thinks the team will win between 70-79 games. Three are optimistic (80 plus). Four are pessimistic (60-69).

I was in the 70-79 camp. I wanted to pull the lever for 80-plus but don't have that kind of confidence.

Of course, 70-79 is a wide range. I think low 70s would qualify as a bad year. I think upper 70s would qualify as a decent year in most minds. My actual guess is 77 but I'm basing that on nothing but hope and prayer.

Here's the real question in all this: Let's say the team does hit the high 70s. Sure, after last season that would look great. But it is really good enough in the fifth year? In 2005, would any of us have said, yeah, that'd be OK? I think not.

Is it reasonable for us as fans to expect better than break even (or less) in the fifth year? I think so. Sure, there have been some unusual circumstances and I'll even agree that last year was an aberration with all the injuries. But I wanted more for season five and I don't think I'm out of line.

I have my season tickets. I'm setting up my datebook to make all my games and some extras. I have hats, t-shirts, jersies (no new ones yet), sweatshirts, jackets. I'm planning three road trips (Atlanta, Baltimore, Pittsburgh). I'm still way too invested in the fortunes of this team. Will be until I take the dirt nap, I suppose.

I just wanted more by this stage. Maybe this year, huh?

New poll up, by the way. Vote early and often.

A very sad day

I know I promised no more non-baseball posts. Sue me. I lied.
When I wrote that, I didn't anticipate this nonsense at my old newspaper.

Five of my former crew in sports - gone. Including one hard working team player who was months away from retirement. Called in and told thanks, see you down the road.

It sickens me. A day like today is something I feared was coming when I made the decision to leave that dying business behind.

I'll get back to baseball later. Right now, I'm communicating with dear friends and former colleagues who are dazed and confused. Some drinks may be consumed tonight.

I have some serious and deep thoughts on the newspaper business that I may share eventually, not that anyone comes here for that. In the meantime, they keep trimming and trimming and trimming and then they wonder why no one is reading anymore?

Lord. I may start drinking now.

Happy April Fool's Day

Not being much of a jokester, the hilarity of the day has always been lost on me. Besides, I have something way more important to celebrate. Twenty-three years and one day ago, while Louisville and Duke were battling for the NCAA men's basketball championship, my wife went into labor with our second child.

First labor was about 26 hours so I figured I had all day and then some. I started making a list of what I needed to get done in the morning. At halftime, she called back. NOW.

Courtney Suzanne Harris was a much easier delivery. She was born early in the morning of April 1, 1986. I wanted to name her Pervis Ellison Harris in honor of Louisville's young star but got vetoed. My little April Fool has grown into a marvelous and beautiful young woman. I'm very proud of her. Tonight, the Richmond crew will head north and celebrate her birthday with dinner in Fredericksburg (note to northern crew - it is NOT halfway). We'll have lots of fun.

I just hope I'm out of my funk by then, that the other news of the day doesn't overwhelm me. Major League Baseball has cleared JimBow of any wrongdoing and apologized profusely. He's asked the Nationals for his job back and they've agreed. I'm sure Chico and Zuckerman and the PR Arm that is Nats.com are all working furiously on the story as I type and they'll have something up soon. Check back often.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday Honey Bear Bear. Love you and see you tonight.

Because he asked so nicely

This blog generates more e-mail than I thought it would but much of it qualifies as spam. Every now and then, one of those e-mails actually resonates, as this one did. I don't want anyone to get the idea that I'm going to pimp everything sent to me. Not gonna happen. But my man Stephen here is writing about something near and dear to my heart - the 1969 Senators - and I will buy a copy of this book.
Be forewarned Stephen: I will review it, too, so it best not suck!

Dear Mr. Harris,
Despite the self-deprecating title of your blog, I like it's perspective and your comments on the Nats 320 blog as well.

I wanted to let you know that my first book, "A Whole New Ballgame: The 1969 Washington Senators", by Stephen J. Walker, published by Pocol Press, will be available for purchase from the publisher’s web site www.pocolpress.com-- in mid-April. It is not available from bookstores, but will eventually be listed on amazon.com.

Here is a direct link to the publisher’s ordering web page: http://pocolpress.com/getBookDetail.php?bookID=000040
Those interested may also order the book by mail. The publisher’s address is Pocol Press, Box 411, Clifton, VA, 20124-1333.
Pocol Press may be contacted by phone at 703-830-5852; e-mail is chrisandtom at erols.com.
More information on the book and the 1969 Senators is at my blog site www.stephenjwalker.com

I've attached a flier and press release with additional information.

I'd be grateful if you could mention the book on your site.

Yours in the love of the national pastime in the Nation' s Capital,

Steve

-
On another note, I read Chico the Writer's story today on Mike Rizzo and I like the fact that Rizzo sees himself as a GM and not one of the boys. The GM is not one of the boys. He/she is the GM. But of bigger note to me is that Joe Beimel's agent is Joe Sroba of good old Richmond, Va. Had many dealings with Joe S. over the years and those who think all agents are out of the Boras mold need to spend some time with Joe. A fine guy and Mr. Beimel is in good hands. I like him better already even if I still don't know much of anything about him.

Only a couple of days to vote on my first poll. Vote early and often. We'll discuss the results later this week.

Bullpen Stew

One week and it is April 6. One week. Can't get here fast enough.
One week.
Does anybody, including Manny Acta, have a clue who is going to be in the bullpen in one week? OK, I guess he has a clue. I'm going to try and guess what he's thinking. Besides the backup catcher - and I'm going to be very disappointed if it is not Nieves - the bullpen is only area where decisions still must be made (insert the 'barring a trade' disclaimer here).

Let's pretend it is a cafeteria. Manny is pushing his tray through the line, trying to pick seven courses from a mix of offerings that features everything from steak to mush.

Hanrahan, Rivera and Beimel are already on his plate.
Four more.

If Colome isn't on the team, why do they have spring training? He's earned a spot based on what he's done in Florida, unless I'm missing something.

Three more.

Shell. Hinckley. Mock.

No offense to Jason Bergmann, who seems like an OK guy. But how much better is he going to get at this point He is what he is - wildly inconsistent. I don't see that ever changing. He's one of the few guys who have played at least one game in every season of the Nationals, maybe the only one besides Zimmerman who remains (I'm drawing a blank, there may be someone else).

Mock over Ledzema. He can spot start, he allegedly has an upside though I didn't see anything to wow me in all the times I watched him last year. I can be talked out of that one without much difficulty. Ledzema barely registers on the excitement meter but it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen.

Was Young worth the Rule 5 money? My guess is he starts the season on the DL and is either sent down if a deal can be made or returned if it can't. You can't hide a guy in the bullpen.

Tavarez' weak apology won't save him. I didn't know the recorders were on? Please. You were talking to the media. As I told my students in the fall, follow a simple rule and you won't look like a dumbass: If you don't want it quoted, don't say it. He talks about wanting to "mentor" the young guys. If that's the best the Nats can offer as a mentor, heaven help us all.

Questions about this Dmitri Young thing

With Wily Mo gone (and I can't imagine anyone is surprised by that), it really isn't an issue since a spot opened up. But I am very curious about this 40-man spot JimBow allegedly promised Dmitri Young.

Isn't a guarantee only as good as its maker? Would the Nats have been wrong in telling Jack Be Nimble to take that up with JimBow, wherever the heck he is now?

Is there really a place, or a need for him on the final roster?

I think he needs to be added to the long list of bad JimBow contracts and sent out the door with Wily Mo.

I'm starting to think he'll get the two-week tryout until JZim makes his first start. I hate wasting even that spot on him.

What other roster decisions are left? Nieves or Bard? Is Julian Tavarez really going to be on the 25-man? That makes a Top 10 list for how you know your organization is weak as hell. You can do no better than Julian Tavarez.

I love Wily Mo and wish he was good. Oh well. My wife LOVED, absolutely LOVED, the way the P.A. guy said his name. One more of her favorites down the tubes. If Milledge goes, I'll have a 21-pack of tickets for sale.

Is it April 6 yet?

Diminished "AQ"

The morning reading provided by the folks at Nationals Journal is habit forming. Given that I've already accomplished the two things I wanted to get done today, I allowed myself some extra time to read all the links today. Some thoughts:

*So glad FLop is outta here, so glad. In my sports writing days, we used to talk about teams we covered and their AQs. That's Asshole Quotient. "They'd be a lot more fun to cover if the AQ wasn't so high" or "the AQ there is pretty low," that kind of inside stuff. I know when FLop was let go, the Nats' AQ improved very much for the better. I'm not a big fan of assholes, even being one myself.

*Paul Hagen of the Philly paper is generally pretty good. His piece listed there is boilerplate, a typical "visit the rest of the division and get some crap down on paper" type of story. But it chaps my fanny to read things like Zimmerman missing two months because of back problems. Unless my brain is shot, it was a shoulder deal, wasn't it? This is why God invented Google. Check that stuff out.

*I'm looking to trade in my old car sometime this summer. I wonder if Soriano would throw me a deal on his tricked-out ride? Seriously, would you be caught dead in something like that? TheBigLead is not everyone's cup of tea. I know the kid who runs the joint and he's a good and interesting dude. A little out there. He comes up with some weird stuff.

The Nats still haven't called me about doing a commercial and I'm getting a little bitter about that. I bought a new wide screen TV just so I'd fit on the thing.

Is it April 6 yet?