Five Things to Fix

Another blown lead - something has to be done. Here's what I'd do with the Nats to make them ready to play in the big leagues:

1. Send Hanrahan, Mock to Syracuse or lower; promote Jason Bergmann to closer role; call up Jesus Colome: This move does a couple things. It gets rid of two of the biggest issues we have with the bullpen - the two guys who have blown the most games. Bergmann would be ideal for the role of closer because he has great stuff and his confidence is incredible; last season we saw his great ability to bounce back from poor showings to throw some great stuff on the mound. Colome can play mop up duty along with Rivera to get his/their confidence up before they can be promoted when the next meltdown happens.

2. Trade Nick Johnson for young starting pitching; demote Daniel Cabrera or Scott Olsen; move Adam Dunn to 1B: As much as I love Nick Johnson, this move does a couple of things for our organization. It allows us to get starting pitching to send one of Cabrera/Olsen (preferrably Cabrera) down to the minors or DFA one of them. This also gives more at bats to Josh Willingham, who has better outfield defense than Adam Dunn. Dunn would be less of a risk in the infield, I feel. Young, reliable starting pitching also gives us something to build on and a little more competition. Also waiting in the organizational wings is Chris Marrero - a young prospect with incredible upside who I hear has been tearing it up in the minors.

3. Draft Stephen Strasburg, demote other Cabrera/Olsen/Martis: Drafting Strasburg gets the starting ace that we can build the team around. Getting rid of the unreliable starting pitching makes the rotation a lot scarier, and if the entire starting five at that point (Lannan, Zimmermann, Strasburg, traded pitcher, other slot) is reliable, then they can go 6 or 7 innings and take pressure off a tired bullpen.

4. Switch Manny Acta's and Jim Riggleman's roles: Don't fire Manny Acta - he's a great personality to have around especially with so many negatives with this team. Instead, make him the bench coach - and promote Riggleman to the role of manager. This puts a more aggressive Riggleman into the role of manager, while still keeping Acta to coach the bench. I considered just making this a Fire Manny Acta/Promote Jim Riggleman thing, but I like Acta too much to completely get rid of him. Sometimes I like my thoughts too much.

5. DFA Alex Cintron; keep Alberto Gonzalez in majors: With Harris coming off the DL (and Guzman too), there's a little less space on the bench for pinch hitters. Cintron hasn't shown me anything and is not worthy of a spot in the major leagues. Alberto Gonzalez has shown me a lot and I think he can stick around in a 7 or 8 slot, or pinch hitting, unless the club would like him in the minor leagues to get every day at bats. In that case, still get rid of Cintron. He's terrible.

Note: While these five things probably won't turn the Nats into a World Series contender, they would certainly fix the club up a lot and make for a smarter and better team, more built for the future. Let's see how many of these come true in the coming weeks and months.

I Can't Believe It... But At the Same Time I Can

The pool is almost done. The $350,000 renovation that signals the reconstruction of an entire community - from its low point a few years ago when only 65 people were members of the pool - to now - the next page that we have turned. Moving on from the old can be tough, but this moving on has so much hope. Yes, we will miss the old house-shaped pool. Yes, we will miss the oversize baby pool. But this renovation says COME ON IN and enjoy Virginia Hills.

The pool is almost done! Apr. 26, 2009

Sure, other pools are nice. Other pools have the high member counts. But here, you leave your attitude at the door - you are a member of a family. This reconstruction signals the fact that families change sometimes. And sometimes other family members become more powerful and do what is good for the pool. Because having only 60 members and not telling anyone about the impending crash and burn of a community is NO WAY to handle that sort of crisis.

The low point. Feb. 7, 2009

Some people chose to be negative when this news broke - but others chose to take the positives and to look ahead at the bright future that this place holds. Those who took the positive direction planned for change. They knew the potential - and not only did they know it, but they actively went out and sought it. And succeeded. So now we stand at another crossroads - yes, we were taking a chance by not waiting to renovate - but we chose to do so, proactively. And now we have an even brighter future ahead of us.

Just wait 'til you see us in five years.

It's Only Two Games

Sure, two games is a lot of games... in the NFL. Going 0-2 in the National Football League means you had better start getting your act together, buddy... or else your next big thing will be the Draft in April. But in Major League Baseball, going 0-2 is nothing. The Phillies are 0-2... the World Series Champions of last season are 0-2. Nobody in Philadelphia seems to be pulling the plug just yet. The Phillies have also scored only one run in the 2009 campaign.

But when the Washington Media comes up with all kinds of problems with a team that finished with a lousy 59-102 record... that bugs me. Yeah, we knew Scott Olsen would struggle. Sure, nobody expected John Lannan to have that rough Opening Day start... but it's just one start for the both of these guys. Both of these pitchers have the potential to rebound - it's their first time pitching in a real situation - expectations are so high for this team this year because everyone is now under the microscope. Everyone is accountable after last season's terrible finish. Settle these young pitchers down and they have the chance to show their very best.

But boy does the Nationals offense look potent. Nine runs in two games... something that was unheard of in four or five games last season. 19 hits over the same span... and all of the sudden something is wrong. I think things are just fine offensively - most everyone looks to be sharp... plus it's only two games so I think everything will even out. So when you say Ryan Zimmerman is 0-9 and we need to start worrying about his season - that is just stupid.

Give these guys about a week and a half and then see where things have gone from there. There is no way that two games should ever be a litmus test for an entire season. Don't forget that two games into the 2008 campaign, the Nats had yet to lose. And what did people think about the team back then? Sure didn't align to what they finished out with.

So give these guys a chance. I still think that 70-75 wins are not out of reach. We have a long way to go for this season to be over with. As far as I seem to recall, the playoffs start in September.

The Best Game Ever

Tonight was one of the best sporting events I have ever been to... WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Buffalo vs. Washington - a team that's on the edge of the playoffs against a team that's already in and looking to improve their position in the conference standings. The atmosphere was absolutely electric when I sat down in the press box. Fans from each team were going at it, and you knew this had to be an epic showdown. Who would gain the momentum going into the last week of the regular season?

I'm an avid Buffalo fan so I found it tough throughout the game to keep neutral... but I found a way to do it. I had to. First it was Washington striking with the league's best player. But then Buffalo scored twice within a minute. Then Washington tied it and took the lead 9 seconds after the tying goal. Buffalo tied the game, then Washington went ahead, and then Buffalo tied it up a bit under 10 minutes out. The last ten minutes were so exciting... back and forth and back and forth but you could tell someone was grabbing the momentum going into the extra frame.

Then Pominville struck. Turnover by the Caps and he had a partial breakaway and deposited it behind Simeon Varlamov. It sent the home team packing (although the point gave them the division title) and gave the visitors from Buffalo extra momentum. I'm siked up. Not only did Buffalo win... but Atlanta beat Florida, keeping Florida's momentum back.

Now, Buffalo is 4 points out of the playoffs, Florida is 2, and it's going to be one heck of a race for 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Can Buffalo continue its hot finish towards the playoffs? Or will the Rangers shut the door on them? Or could Florida jump up and punish the Rangers and the Sabres? It's going to be a fun couple of weeks.

Oh, and there's that Opening Day thing on Monday.