December 2006
More Year-End Stuff
Year End Stuff
I’ll be out of the loop this weekend. I am headed up to New Jersey with the Mrs and her family to ring in 2007! I hope everyone out in blogger land has a happy and safe holiday weekend.
This week, I’ve been the second one down from the top on the Mlblogs Active Roster located on the Mlblogs main page. Sweet! Even if there’s no rhyme or reason to the selection, it’s cool to see your site below Maestro Mark and his world famous mlblogosphere!
Baseball Resolutions for 2007!
a) Go to Nationals Opening Day on 4/2 (I think it’s 93 days away now).
b) Attend at least 11 Nationals games in 2007. Can’t do season tix and the 20 game plan is a little high. If I was single maybe. With trips, work and family obligations, 11 would be a great number and would make 2007 No. 2 on the all-time list of most games attended in one year (14-1989).
c) Watch or listen to all 162 Nationals games in 2007.
d) Blog at least once a day in 2007 (offseason or otherwise)
Updated Type List
For the past month or so, I’ve made it a point to visit the Nationals blogs. There’s a lot of great sites that drop solid information and I’m all the wiser for visiting them. Check the list of the left, the one that says InterNATIONAL House of Bloggers (okay the list title isn’t the best but blogosphere seems a little bland). If I’ve left one off, let me know and I’ll add it. If someone wants their blog removed, just let me know and it’s done. If I’m violating some MLB.com rule for linking other blogs, please advise.
New Year, New Predictions, Same Old Shtick
It’s that time again to make useless predictions for 2007. Enjoy!
The Washington Nationals will win fewer games than the speed limit on Maryland’s Interstate 95 (65).
The Nationals payroll will be below $45 million on Opening Day. That’s like saying I will have dinner sometime in 2007 or the sun will rise in the east.
The Nationals will retire Frank Robinson’s No. 20 in a summer ceremony for all that he has done for the organization and the game.
The lack of inclement weather during January 2007 and February 2007 will result in the new stadium being finished ahead of schedule and under budget. In a related story and weather shift, Satan’s town dips below freezing for the first time ever.
The Nationals will finish April with a winning record prompting every media outlet in the country to hype up Washington as the “Miracle Team.”
Major League Baseball Bloggers form their own association-The Baseball Bloggers Association of America. The group of 600 plus bloggers decides to give their own awards aka the Bloggies. Each blogger votes on Newcomer of the Year, Impact Player of the Year, Skipper of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year and Blooper of the Year.
Orange Julius will open up a stand at RFK Stadium. No word if Mike Damone will have Earth, Wind and Fire tickets for Jefferson and little brother.
Alfonso Soriano returns to RFK on July 2. To mark the event, some Nationals fans make a piñata with Soriano’s likeness and fill it with money and those gold chocolate coins. After five minutes and some minor bedlam in the parking lot, the fans take the $20 (in quarters and dimes) to a Nationals employee with hopes that the franchise can obtain some starting pitching. Instead, the Nationals invest the money in their minor league system by purchasing a coffeemaker.
Barry Bonds will break Hank Aaron’s home record during San Francisco’s 3-game series in Washington (August 31-Sept 1 and Sept 2). In an odd twist, no one will grab the record- breaking ball as it will sit for 756 days apparently backlash for Bonds breaking the record.
Ryan Zimmerman will hit 2 home runs on Opening Day lifting the Nationals to a 5-2 victory over the Florida Marlins. Hanley Ramirez will go 0 for 4 as Nationals fans drop snide chants about the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year balloting. Zimmerman highlights the day by giving Ramirez an RKO/Diamond Cutter while rounding second after his second home run of the day. He proceeds to stand over Ramirez and say “I’m the real Rookie of the Year” sending the hundreds of fans who get the above wrestling move into a tizzy culminating with chants of “Zimmer-man” and “ECW.” Major League Baseball isn’t laughing and suspends Zimmerman for 30 games. Zimmerman’s doppelganger, WWE superstar Randy Orton, takes the fall saying it was him who hit the two home runs on Opening Day not Zimmerman, who was wrestling John Cena that night on RAW. The switcheroo has everybody fooled and becomes one of the top stories of the year.
New Washington Stadium to replace seats with recliners
Could falling asleep at the game be en vogue by 2008?
A source has informed This Base for Rent that the new Washington stadium slated to open in April, 2008, will have recliners instead of regular stadium seats.
An employee of the ACME Recliners and Stuff disclosed the information Wednesday.
“I’ll get fired for leaking this information but it’s such a great concept,’’ said the employee. “People can come and relax on a recliner instead of a stadium seat that is hard on the tushy.”
The recliners will come in two colors-red and blue with a lever on the right side to extend the leg-rest out to kick back and enjoy the Washington baseball experience. The fabric will be whatever most recliners use and have course stain-resistant. Leather was discussed but quickly dismissed as sitting outside on a leather recliner during a hot summer day or night game will likely result in a decrease in customer satisfaction. Each recliner will have cup holders and trays.
If the recliner information is true, the seating capacity at the stadium will decrease from 41,000 to 30,000, as the recliners will take up a more space than regular stadium seats.
“It’s all about making our fans feel comfortable,’’ said a Washington official. “Extra legroom, and cup holders are great add-ons. We want to make the fan experience as enjoyable as possible in the new park. Who knows? Maybe some fans will catch a few winks if things don’t go well for the hometown fells.”
The ACME source said the company has an automatic recliner cover on the back of each recliner for rain delays. Poly-durable plastic will extend over the recliner to shield all precipitation. When asked what happens if the cover does not work and the recliners get soaking wet, the source could only say “that would not be good for business. We really didn’t think about that.” The source than asked this author for any ideas.
The placement of the recliners will be the last addition of the stadium and should start in February 2008. The installation should last 30 days (1000 recliners a day for 30 days).
One fan was optimistic
“That’s a new concept so many stadiums have been missing, “ said Jay Jocobazzi of Culpeper, Va. “My lower lumbar has been killing me for years. I said to the Mrs. ‘I’ll only go to that stadium when they put recliners in and when pigs fly. One out of two is good enough for me.”
This recliner development comes on the heels of news that the new stadium is 1/3 completed and on schedule and on budget.
ACME Recliners and Stuff reached this agreement with Washington management, as this will be a trade-in-kind agreement: Recliners for stadium naming rights. ACME Recliners and Stuff Stadium will make its debut in 2008! The estimated amount of recliners and installation is expected to total $28.5 million dollars.
Washington would not confirm how much extra this would add to future ticket prices but did confirm that it has spent as much money as it can for 2007 on the minor league system.
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays to everyone out there!
I will open gifts shortly. The Mrs. and I are old hats in opening gifts this year with two bridal showers and a wedding. We gave each other the big gifts before 12/25-she got an iPod Nano and I got a XM Pioneer Inno. We couldn’t wait. The rest of the gifts will be light. Gifts or no gifts, I hope everyone has a safe and joyful holiday season.
New stadium
Washington baseball’s Xanadu is almost 15 months away from its debut and optimism from the Nationals seems as high as the Washington Monument.
Saturday’s Washington Post had an A1 story, so you know it’s kind of a big deal, about the new stadium’s progress.
Want to know where the money the Nationals are saving on payroll is going? I’ll give you one guess.
The Lerners are expected to spend at least $30 million out of their own pockets in stadium upgrades according to Tom Boswell’s story. Such improvements include
doubling the size of the outfield restaurant, installing sliding doors and bathrooms in the club suites and upgrading the main scoreboard to feature highlight in HD.
Of course, the Lerner will make their money back through stadium advertising revenue. I also expect the fans to pay higher ticket prices and food prices as a result.
The DC City Government is pleased, obviously, because they don’t have to put anymore of their public funds into the new place ($611 million is enough).
The stadium is running on schedule and on budget. The stadium is one-third completed and includes a 100-foot high grandstand in right field. The stadium’s structure is slated to be completed by July 4.
A project director for the new stadium said that the stadium is “going to get finished on time. There’s no choice.” That line worries me. I hope this doesn’t translate into rushing the job or cutting corners to meet a deadline-that makes it worse.
If all goes right and the stadium looks nice, passes inspection and meets codes, then a tip of the hat is in order. When the stadium project started, I thought 2008 was a pipe dream especially with the whole trouble getting the stadium approved. I was expecting 2009. The only noticeable squabble about the stadium project came from the type of parking garages that were to be built and that’s been resolved.
Global warming might be helping the builders stay on schedule. Right now, the thought of a snowstorm is about as prevalent at a Nationals 2007 playoff berth.
“If we don’t get terrible snow or freezing rain in the next 70 days, we’re going to be in very, very good shape,” said Mark Lerner, son of principal owner Theodore N. Lerner, in the Post story.
Speaking of the 2007 Nationals, the following quote in the Post is all you need to know about next season’s priorities.
“The team’s ownership believes that spending on the new park and on player development should take almost complete priority over the 2007 payroll. ‘We’ll get through next season somehow. And we may not be as bad as people think,’ one team source said. ‘Then, ‘08 will be a whole new world.’”
I’d like to break down the above quote
a) We’ll get through next season somehow. Somehow? I’m bothered by that line. Somehow is vague. That sounds like a total phoning it in line. Sure, I know next year isn’t going to be too pretty on the field. Say “we’ll get through next season by concentrating on our younger players and continuing to grow the franchise through players such Ryan Zimmerman and Chad Cordero. We’ll continue to become more of a presence in the community in preparation for the 2008 season.” It might be lame line but it’s better than somehow.
b) We might not be as bad as people think. People are thinking the Nationals are going to be bad. Right now, I see no evidence to state otherwise. When Nationals fans are hoping that Chris Snelling stays healthy so he can finally have his breakout year, that’s not too good.
c) Whole new world. My concern is that the Nationals will try to get 2008 players at 2007 prices, which might be old news this time next year. This past offseason market has been a huge one for free agents and I expect salaries to increase in the future. The Nationals followers have sat back and bit their fingernails as free agents switched teams as “The Plan” unfolded. Will 2007’s “The Plan” be 2008’s “Forget about 2007?”
If the Nats offer a wild amount of money on average free agents then all talk of sitting by and developing younger players will be hogwash. Washington might have no choice on this front especially with the amount of money MLB has coming in because of record revenues, attendances, TV and XM Deals. If the bidding wars begin, Washington should make sure they have money ready to overspend if needed.
I can’t fault the Lerners for trying to pull out the stops for a great stadium. Every new stadium built should be the best stadium in baseball and maybe Walter Johnson Field at XMirius Stadium will be that one. I remember when Camden Yards opened in 1992. While that team was competitive but not playoff caliber, people did go to the stadium just for the newness and originality of the place. Will the Nationals new stadium have that effect? Time will tell.
Washington tenders minor league contract offer to Zito
Washington announced today that it has made a minor league contract offer to prized free agent Barry Zito.
Washington’s deal is supposed to be guaranteed provided Zito makes the opening day roster. If he does, Zito is expected to make $800,000 on a contract filled with incentives. Zito will make $10,000 for making the All-Star team, $15,000 for winning 20 games and $20,000 if he wins the Cy Young Award.
“Zito knows what it’s like to work for a frugal organization,’’ says a well-placed source with no knowledge of the negotiations. “All he needs is a ball, a mound and a catcher, not to mention a yoga mat and a guitar.”
Zito’s handlers will be mulling over the offer during the holiday break. The Mets and Rangers have been considered the front-runners in the Zito sweepstakes before Washington’s offer.
Zito won 102 games as an Athletic in six full major league seasons. He threw more than 200 innings in each of those seasons. Known as having one of the game’s best curveballs, the southpaw Zito also brings a changeup, slider and a four-seam fastball to the table.
Zito would certainly anchor Washington’s rotation.
“Don’t let the $100 million offers fool you. Zito is a practical guy who has done very well with his money. $800,000 or $100 million, it doesn’t matter,” says the source. “We’ve also heard that Washington is trying to market the game towards the ladies more by bringing in some more attractive players, literally and figuratively, which would explain why they haven’t signed Rich Garces to a deal.”
This story was written by This Base for Rent and not subject to approval by anyone, anywhere!
Fickle, Fickle, Fickle
Guess who’s back, back again
Fick is back tell a friend
Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back
I don’t which of these following items makes me laugh more:
a) Fick was an All-Star in 2002 (it was for the Tigers)
b) Reading the stories, he thinks he could be an option at first base if Nick Johnson doesn’t come back in time. What about Come Along and Listen to the Lullaby of
Larry Broadway, who seems like is an Acta favorite and who should be given every opportunity to play first base if Tricky Nick isn’t back in time? I expect to see Fick at first, at times, but not a a lot.
c) The Nats were 11-7 when he was behind the plate last year for the Nats. Screw sabremetrics! There’s your stat right there
d) He actually mentioned the left field vacancy. Geez, who isn’t being considered for that opening. Donald Rumsfield could be considered and it wouldn’t surprise me.
e) He had the chance to leave Washington. So did I after college! And I didn’t take that chance either!
Seriously, Fick comes cheap ($850M if he makes the Opening Day Roster). He provides a left-handed bat off the bench, which is where I expect to him to start most games. He does bring versatility playing first, catcher and the corner outfield positions.
(Cue the theme music from the 70s sitcom Soap) Will he get his targeted 300 at-bats? Will Broadway once again get denied a chance to play with the big boys again?
Fruto Loops is pitching well in the Venezuelan winter ball. Um, okay! Positive sign. Pitching for the Cardenales de Lara, the right-hander is 2-1 with five saves and a 2.61 ERA over 19 appearances. He has struck out 26 over 20 2/3 innings and has not yielded a hit over his last six outings. Save something for the states.
Random Thoughts:
On the first day of Xmas, my Nationals gave to me: One reliable anchor of the bullpen
On the second day of Xmas, my Nationals gave to me: Two sandwich picks in the 2007 draft.
On the second day of April 2007, my Nationals gave to me: An Opening Day that I can finally attend. Even better-they’re playing on my birthday this year! Maybe I’ll ask that my birthday be posted on the scoreboard! 34 well that’s not too good!
Less than two months until pitchers and catchers report. If I can only make it through January.
On August 31, September 1 and September 2, 2007, I will be bypassing my end of summer vacation to attend a certain 3-game set at RFK Stadium. I hear a money making possibility could be going on at the stadium. Yes, it’s Amway Hat Day! If you don’t get what I’m talking about, look at the Nationals schedule. Think No. 25, media scrutiny. It’s not illegal to dream! Knowing the Nationals luck, he’ll tie the record before the Nationals series and sit out with a muscle spasms or something. Honestly, he’ll probably break it beforehand but I might have to get three tickets to the series just in case!
Come on Down!
This week is moving slow.
The Vidro trade is a done deal. Congrats to Jimbo for unloading most of Vidro’s contract. Nice, Nice, very nice!
The Nationals signed two lower-tier free agents this week-pitchers Jason Simontacchi and Ray King. I like the Atlanta of the North theme the Nationals have going on here. King, a former Braves reliever, joins Kasten, Pat Corrales, maybe Don Sutton as well.
I can’t get into the statistical breakdown of the off-season acquisitions, situational hitting and pitching and stuff. These guys might work, they might not. Chris Snelling might pan out if he’s stay healthy. I know he was a highly touted M’s prospect at one time. King seems headed for the left-handed spot reliever role in the bullpen should he make the squad.
I’ve enjoyed the Manny Acta homecoming articles in the Post and mlb.com. Thought I should mention that. Good to see his countrymen (and women) celebrating his success.
Remember on “The Price Is Right” the Cliffhanger Game. It’s the one where a contestant has to guess the correct price on 3 items to win a new car/vacation/boat/furniture. If they’re wrong, the little mountain guy moves from one price to the next until he falls off the cliff. I thought the last number before falling was 25 or 36. What’s the point of all of this? I think the Nationals just might be able to get their payroll that low for the 2007 season. I’ve heard less than $40 million. It’s just like the limbo…how low can you go!
Friday in Miami and $12 million is at stake
There’s the Six Million Dollar Man, the $64,000 Question, the $100,000 Pyramid. Now, there’s the $12 million physical.
That’s how much Washington tends to save if Jose Vidro passes his physical Friday in Miami to complete the trade sending him to Seattle for outfielder Chris Snelling and reliever Emiliano Fruto, who also must pass physicals. Open up and say ahhhh!
If Vidro passes, tip of the cap must go to Jim Bowden for pulling this off. To get Seattle to take on $12 million for a player whose best days might be behind him is quite a nice pull. Washington is on the hook for $1.5 million in 2007 and $2.5 million in 2008, far beats $16 million.
Vidro’s pending departure clears up the logjam at second and short with Felipe Lopez moving over to second base. Christian Guzman will return to shortstop, which isn’t exactly cause for celebration. Hopefully Guzman’s time off in 2006 will result in a fresh 2007, one in which he can make Nationals fans forget about 2005 (.219 BA, .260 OBP, both career lows).
Last year, Vidro played in 125 games and hit .289 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs. Gone was his ability to hit doubles, which is what he known for in the past. Also, his range at second diminished to the point where he was moved to first later in the season. Vidro’s diminishing skills can attributed to knee and ankle injuries over the past couple of seasons.
Vidro is expected to be a designated hitter for the Mariners and serve as a backup infielder. He joins former Nationals teammate Jose Guillen, who signed a few weeks ago.
I’m not too jazzed about Snelling and Fruto. Snelling will be one of several players competing for the left field spot. Like Vidro, Snelling has been battling with injury bug with injuries every year from 2002 to 2005. Fruto had an unimpressive 5.50 ERA in 23 appearances last season and is expected to be contending for a bullpen spot next season.
Analysis: It’s no secret Washington has wanted to unload Vidro for a while. Now, the Nationals seem to be on the verge of doing so selling him for 25 cents on the dollar on his current contract which expires in 2008. Snelling and Fruto really don’t bring that much to the table which leads me to think this was more about unloading Vidro’s contract than anything else. Still, good move by the Nationals management on this one. Now if Guzman can perform like he did during his Twins days (or preferably better). Vidro will benefit from a DH role, giving his legs a rest. Seattle would be great place for comeback if healthy. A known doubles hitter, Vidro could benefit from the big gaps at Safeco.
Nats welcome an old, old, old, old friend; sign him to a 2-year deal!
Wonder what the Washington Nationals have been doing this offseason? The secret is out. Instead of spending millions on the current free agent market, the Nats went old school this week.
In a move that shocked the modern science world, the baseball world, the afterlife and mother Earth, the Nationals announced that they brought Walter Johnson back to life and signed him to a 2 year deal worth $60,000, including a $10,000 signing bonus. Johnson is expected to fill the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 spots in the rotation. John Patterson will be No. 2 starter and Mike O’Connor is slated to be the team’s No. 4 pitcher.
“After considering all of our options, we felt that there was no other choice but to bring the Big Train back to life,” said a Nats spokesperson. “People asked why we weren’t investing in this offseason market. We didn’t want to say we were investing in rejuvenation machines. That would be silly.”
The spokesperson added the move could save millions for the franchise.
“We feel Johnson is a great bargain at $60K. For him, that’s a lot of money.”
Not only did doctors and scientists bring Johnson back to life, they implanted in him time-specific muscles and talents. During the 46-hour surgery, 12 doctors fixed Johnson’s brain tumor that felled him on December 10, 1946, and surgically restructured his body to the way it was from 1912-1925 when he won most of his 417 games, second all-time behind Cy Young. A two-time AL MVP, Johnson led the Nats to its only World Series title in 1924.
In a 21-year career, Johnson had twelve 20-win seasons, including ten in a row. Twice he topped thirty wins (33 in 1912 and 36 in 1913). Johnson’s record includes 110 shutouts, the most in baseball history. Johnson held the all-time strikeout record for 55 years with 3,508 strikeouts (he holds the 9th spot currently)
Credit for bringing Johnson back to life goes to a Nats intern. During a brainstorming session, employees were challenged to come up with ideas on how to better the Nationals. One person suggested attacking the free agent market and quickly was fired. Someone suggested hiring Don Sutton to do Nats broadcasts that led to that person’s promotion.
In the back of the room, some wiseacre made some remark stating “the only way we’ll win in 2007 is if we bring Walter Johnson back to life.” That person was promoted and given a 2 percent raise.
The Nats went looking for a rejuvenation machine. The search ended in Montreal of all places, a couple blocks from Olympic Stadium. Given the current status of the Canadian dollar, the Nats jumped on the opportunity to bring back the Manolifer 9000. There were only two experts who knew how to operate the machine, both lived in the Northwest Territories. After securing their services, the Nats were able to barter with the doctors in exchange for front row seats for life to the new stadium. The doctors wanted that and $10 million dollars. The Nats hemmed and hawed but saw the long-term picture. Bringing one of the game’s greatest pitchers back to life would sell out RFK and be a marketing coup. They would earn back the $10 million quickly.
As a result of the surgery, Johnson, who is now the world’s oldest living person at 119, feels like a new man, 100 years younger.
Nats coaches have said they will try to leave Johnson’s workout regimen alone because they have no idea what his regimen is. They expect some shock from Johnson considering how the world, including baseball, has changed in 60 years.
“We’re working with Walter to bring him up to speed. He’s a very smart guy, a class act all the way. He’s picking things up quickly. We expect some information overload,” said a team official.
Johnson gives the Nats a much-needed leader in every since of the word. The Big Train was the franchise’s ace for 20 seasons and is a Washington baseball legend.
San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds reacted to the news in typical Bonds-like fashion.
“I’ve always wanted to hit a home run off someone who faced Babe Ruth. Now I’ll get my chance.”
Washington officials have said if this works out, they would consider rejuvenating additional players for future seasons.
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