ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick's status update on free agent outfielder (1B?) Adam Dunn, this past Sunday in an "MLB Rumor Central" post -- For Insiders Only -- entitled, "Angels moving on Abreu", cited a "Tribune" article which claimed, as quoted by Mr. Crasnick:

"Dunn has multi-year offers on the table, including one from the Nationals, but clearly 'isn't crazy about them.'"

Well...gotta find that one, right? Mr. Crasnick lifts the quote directly from The Tribune, (with The Tribune, of course, being the Chicago Tribune, whose home town Cubs have, of course, been tied to Dunn by rumor of interest earlier/all winter), and the Tribune Sports column entitled, "Phil Rogers' Whispers", in which, uh, Mr. Rogers...reports on the Houston Astros' interest in Adam Dunn and cites no source for the claim of Dunn's disinterest in DC...other than the obvious fact that an offer's been extended by the Nationals and is thus far unaccepted by Dunn...

Of course, Washington Post writer Chico Harlan wrote the other day, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Kearns Discusses His Friend, His Competition For A Job" about Austin Kearns' past in Cincinnati with Adam Dunn, and Mr. Harlan asked Austin Kearns whether or not he's been recruiting his friend, with Mr. Kearns responding:

"'I mean, I don't feel like I have to give him a pitch,' Kearns said. 'He knows we could use him, and he's interested, but he's also got some other options... You, we talk quite a bit. You know, just like we always would, but it's different now. He's a free agent now, and he knows he's a wanted man in DC. Other than that, it's nothing out of the ordinary [that we talk about].'"

(ed. note - "Now that I read that again...Kearns doesn't seem to be conveying too much interest on Dunn's part, honestly, or maybe he thinks that's a question for Adam Dunn and his agent, but he isn't expressing the idea that Dunn, "...isn't crazy about them", as the Tribune's Mr. Rogers wrote either...But, of course, that's just Austin Kearns, a friend of Dunn's providing information about personal conversations with the free agent LF(1B?)...and Phil Rogers, he hears whispers...")

Ray Durham rejected an offer from the Washington Nationals.

Huh? Too Bad...Next...

Live Chat w/ Collin Balester at Washington Post.com...

Washington Nationals' right-hander Collin Balester will be online at The Washington Post.com today (2/11/09) at noon...you can submit questions for Balester before or during the chat through the link above according to the post announcing the event...But...

The Real Big Collin Balester News comes from his own blog, Bally's Blog, where Mr. Balester wrote last week, in a post entitled simply, "49",  about having changed his jersey number to the #49 to accommodate new Nationals' pitcher Daniel Cabrera after Cabrera had requested Balester's old number 40 through the team's clubhouse manager...(ed. note - "Wait a minute, I won't swear to this, but I remember Balester telling someone early on in the history of Bally's Blog that it was safe to buy a #40 Balester jersey")......Ugh...here it is...from an October 29, 2008 Bally's Blog post entitled, "Streak for cash", where a fan with the handle, "DJ" asks Balester:

Collin what up this is DJ. Are you sticking with the number 40 for next season? I want to get your jersey for Christmas and want to make sure you are keeping the number.

Thanks and enjoy the offseason.
DJ

To which Mr. Balester responds:

"Hey DJ, its Collin. Yes im gonna keep number 40. Theres something about that number i like .. so Bally will be Number 40."

Oh, come on, Collin? "DJ" got a #40 Balester jersey for Christmas!!!..Buy DJ a new jersey already, it's only right?...or make Daniel Cabrera buy him one...there's gonna be one angry Balester fan at Nationals Park this year...I think I know what my question for Balester in the Washington Post.com chat is going to be...("Collin, e chigliak from federalbaseball.com here, How could you do this to DJ?")

Some pitchers and catchers are already arriving...2009 officially starts Saturday...