CHATTER
Only at The Washington Times: Mark Zuckerman and Ben Goessling blog on the Washington Nationals.
Latest Blog Entries
Sutton Back to Atlanta?
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves are seeking to bring back Don Sutton to the broadcast booth.
Nats single-game ticket prices announced
The Nationals have announced single-game ticket prices for 2009. They'll go on sale in early March. You'll notice that many seats have dropped in price (mostly in the outfield lower-deck sections that were frequently empty last season) but that the most expensive seats (including the frequently empty Presidents and Diamond clubs) remain the same.
Nats exchange arbitration figures with 4 players
Unable to come to terms on one-year contracts before today's deadline, the Nationals formally exchanged arbitration figures with four players: Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Olsen, Josh Willingham and Shawn Hill.
7 Nats in the WBC
Provisional rosters for the 2009 World Baseball Classic were announced this afternoon, rosters that include seven members of the Nationals organization.
Spring training roster set
The Nationals have invited 63 players to big-league spring training camp. Many of them are familiar names, some of them are new.
Court orders Dukes to pay child support
Elijah Dukes is in contempt of Hillsborough County Court for failure to pay more than $40,000 in child support and alimony he owes his estranged wife, NiShea Gilbert. If the Nationals outfielder doesn't pay by 5 p.m. next Friday, he faces a minimum of 90 days in jail.
Sad story on Nats prospect
Just wanted to pass along this story on Sean Rooney, who was a catcher at Class A Hagerstown last year. Rooney's father, Bill, and brother, Patrick, died in a plane crash outside Steamboat Springs, Colo. on Sunday.
Rickey, Rice elected to Hall
The Baseball Hall of Fame election was just announced, and there will be two inductees in 2009: Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice.
Nats To Air on DC50
The Nationals and MASN have a struck a new deal that puts 20 games on WDCW DC50 as well as on the MASN cable network.
Thoughts on John Patterson
Former Nationals pitcher John Patterson, his career ravaged by arm injuries, has decided to retire rather than attempt another comeback. It's a sad ending to what should have been a promising career, but it's not all that surprising for anyone who followed the right-hander over the years.
Examining the top 10 prospects
Jordan Zimmermann is now considered the Nats' top prospect, ahead of Ross Detwiler and Chris Marrero.
Unveiling the Nationals' Top 10 prospects
Here's a quick rundown of the newest rankings of the Washington Nationals' Top 10 prospects:
Cabrera signing official
The Nationals officialy annouced the signing of right-hander Daniel Cabrera to a one-year deal today, after Cabrera passed a physical that included an MRI of his right shoulder and right elbow.
So what now?
There are still plenty of big free agents left on the market, but whether the Nationals will land any of them depends on how much the recession has dropped their prices, according to a club source.
Teixeira picked Yankees to win now
According to a club source, the Nationals were "not beaten by anybody" on the amount of money or the number of years they offered Mark Teixeira. Rather, Teixeira picked the Yankees because he wanted to win now.