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He never met a fastball he didn't like. But he never met a breaking ball he could hit.
It was never the same after those magical 37 games in 2007: .293/.352/.504 8 HR, 22RBI. It almost justified Jimbo's unrequited love.
"Whatever to help the team out."
(Dmitri Young, via Chatter/Washington Times, 3/31/2009)
A svelte Dmitri Young goes 2-4 with a HR in first appearance in forever.
We officially retract any and all shots taken at Da Meat Hook's fitness and complaints about him starting the season in Florida: Pencil him in as DH.
Meanwhile, Da Meat Hook's off-season training program revealed (via Nationals dot com). Those snack foods ARE a killer:
Young stayed away from fried food and food with sugar. He often worked hard on the treadmill and the elliptical machine. The hardest part was staying away from snack foods.
"We're going to take a look at him, because we haven't seen him since the beginning of spring training."
(Manny Acta, via Nationals Journal, 3/30/2009)
Dmitri Young won't open the season in the major leagues.
The Nationals first baseman will remain in Florida at the team's extended spring training for at least three weeks, getting more at-bats and getting himself into better playing shape, according to a club source.
But, at least the big lug will see his first major league action in almost a month with a start against the Tigers tomorrow...just so Manny can get a "look" at him, etc. etc.
"I want to apologize for the comments that I made. I didn't mean to make those comments. I want to apologize to my teammates, all the fans in Washington, my manager and the media. I wasn't serious. It was something I didn't think the media would write down. Things happen in life, and I can correct it. I won't let this happen again."
"I don't want to be on the Nationals' bad side. I just want to get along with everybody -- manager, pitching coach, Minor League guys. I don't want anybody to hate me. I have 16 years in the Major Leagues, and I want to play in this game. I want everybody to know the person that I am."
(Julian Tavarez, via Nationals dot com, 3/29/2009)
Julian Tavarez apologizes for the greatest quote by a player in the short history of the Washington Nationals. To recap (via Nationals dot com):
"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavarez said then. "When you go to a club until 4 a.m. and [are] just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And to me, this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It's four in the morning. Too much to drink. All the girls look hot. So the Nationals are Jennifer Lopez to me."
Apology accepted, Julian. Now, let's just hope you stick around long enough to keep us entertained for the rest of the summer.
"I think he needs to go down there to get his everyday at-bats and reps in the outfield. He needs to prove, not only to the Nationals but 29 other clubs, that he is a viable Major League force." (Mike Rizzo, via Nationals dot com, 3/28/2009)
More cuts, no surprises: Jose Castillo, Corey Patterson, Javier Valentin reassigned to the minors; Valentin, another ex-Red without a handshake agreement, decides to take his chances with Free Agency.
But the biggest news of all, of course:
Martis and Zimmermann make the rotation (ZNN will start in 'Cuse, join the big club on April 19th when Nats move to 5-man rotation.) It's like The Saint said: They earned it.
Balester is the odd man out for now, but anyone want to set the over/under on when Collin Balester replaces Daniel Cabrera in the rotation? We're feeling June 15th.
The gift that keeps on giving: Jimbo's inexplicable handshake agreement with Dmitri Young forces Stan's hand; Da MeatShake to be added to Nats' 40-man roster before Opening Day. Via Nationals Journal:
The Nationals intend to add Dmitri Young to the 40-man roster before Opening Day because of a handshake agreement that was made this winter between Young and then-General Manager Jim Bowden.
Good for the Nats for honoring the "agreement", as bizarre and inexplicable as it may be. But the obvious next questions get a little scary: How many other handshake agreements did Jimbo make with other embedded ex-Reds on the payroll, and will the Nats honor those handshakes, too? Don't be surprised when Javier Valentin is suddenly named starting catcher, and Wily Mo Pena is starting in left. We're only half-kidding about that.
Now, just for fun, let's revisit an ominous headline over at Nationals dot com from a little over a week ago, on the day Da MeatShake took batting practice, "marking the first time since early March that he was able to do any baseball activities." Seemed then like it was only a matter of time:
Young takes batting practice
Door slowly closing on vet's chances to make Nats' roster
Little did we know that door would be wrenched back open by Jim Bowden's hand.
Over at NTP, Nate explains his reasons for not being as ticked off as he probably should be.
It's a wrap as far as we're concerned! Nats rotation shapes up like this: Lannan, Olsen, Cabrera, Zimmermann, Martis.
Any questions?
As a service to Shairon Martis, The Nationals Enquirer would like to provide the following link to Apartments for rent in DC, via Craigslist:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/apa/
"We're certainly eager and planning to take the best player that we can, and we know what number-one picks get, and we intend to sign our number-one pick...The one thing I can say about the silly media hype is it will motivate both the owners and the players to fix the system. because this certainly isn't good news for any existing players"
(Stan Kasten, via Nationals Journal, 3/22/2009)
Kasten (on Sunday), threw a bucket of cold water on the "silly" frenzy surrounding the rumored $50 million/6 it'll take to sign Stephen Strasburg, a rumor that definitely wasn't floated by Scott Boras himself.
Hey, Stan is chatting over on Washington Post dot com tomorrow at noon: I'm sure he'd love to field questions on this very topic! Let's ask him!
Meanwhile, Thomas Boswell decides to rain on the Strasburg Parade, arguing that history should guide the Nationals in their choice with the #1 pick:
Pitching phenoms were born to break your heart. That's bad enough. Don't let them break the bank, too...
History is unequivocal. Strasburg, no matter how much he dominates college hitters, will probably either be a .500 pitcher with a 150-150 record. Or he'll be a bust.
Unless his price drops to the same general range as David Price ($8.8-million) in 2007 or Mark Prior (a record $10.5-million in 2001), the Nationals should pick somebody else with their top choice in the draft in three months.
Sorry Boz, but the Nationals have no choice but to draft the best player available with the #1 pick - and if June 9th rolls around and Strasburg hasn't blown out his arm, then he's the guy. And nobody in their right mind believes Boras will extract $50 million and a pound of flesh from the Nationals for his client, but the price will be well north of the David Price/Mark Prior range (think $15 million). Just ask Stan; he'll tell you the same thing.
Be warned Nationals fans: The Aaron Crow Debacle hurt. And (at least at the time) getting burned in the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes back in December felt every bit as painful. But what Scott Boras has in store for Stephen Strasburg could be pure hell.
U.S.S. Mariner, MLB Trade Rumors and FanHouse all pointed to comments by Peter Gammons on his blog earlier today about what it might take for the Nationals to sign Stephen Strasburg:
Some club officials think that if Washington takes San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick, Boras will ask for Daisuke Matsuzaka money (six years, approximately $50M) or take him to Japan for a year, a threat that may scare Stan Kasten into selecting a lesser prospect.
We all knew what we were getting when the Strasburg Watch began in earnest last summer while the Nationals chased down the worst record in baseball. And after sealing up the #1 pick in 2009 with loss #102 in 2008, we started to prepare ourselves for reality (via The Nationals Enquirer 9/28/2008):
Hello, Stephen Strasburg! Next question: will the cheapskate, penny-pinching, tight-fisted Lerner Family pay Scott Boras' obscene ransom for the services of Strasburg? The only acceptable answer is: Yes.
All kidding about the cheapskate owners aside, the question is: if Boras signals before the draft that the price for Strasburg will be completely insane and unreasonable -- is the only acceptable answer to draft him, and prepare to go toe to toe with The Devil Himself? Will the Nats really consider looking elsewhere if they believe the price for Strasburg will be too high?
Is the only acceptable answer for the Nationals: Strasburg?
Yes.
Meanwhile, just thinking about a 2010 rotation led by Strasburg, Lannan, and Zimmermann makes you wish you could simply push the fast-forward button on 2009, doesn't it?
