After noting that the Nationals were interested in free agent center fielders Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand yesterday, mlb.com's Nationals writer Bill Ladson is reporting today that both Tom Glavine and Livan Hernandez are expressing interest in pitching for DC in 2008.
Team officials are quick to note that it would be one and not both pitchers if the Nationals were to acquire either of the free agent soft-tossers, who are being sought as possible mentors for the Nationals young pitching staff.
Known as Mr National Himself during his time in DC, Livan Hernandez, a thirty-two year old slow-motion trickster on the hill, pitched for Arizona in '07, going 11-11 in 33 starts, with a 4.93 ERA in 204.1 innings.
Tom Glavine will be forty-two next August, and will be pitching in his 22nd MLB season wherever he lands, but he would be a welcome addition to Washington roster after owning the franchise for the last two decades, going 33-23 with 10 complete games and a 3.37 ERA in 67 starts against the franchise.
THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM?
There are reports in an AP story the Washington Examiner and from Bill Ladson at washington.nationals.mlb.com that Ryan Zimmerman broke a bone in his wrist last week, and that Zimmerman will undergo surgery to repair the damage on Wednesday.
According to the AP article at the washingtonexaminer.com entitled "Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman breaks bone in left wrist, having surgery Wednesday":
"His (Zimmerman's) recovery is expected to take up to six
weeks, which still would be long before spring training
begins in February."
...and Zimmerman himself appears unconcerned in Bill Ladson's article, "Nationals' Zimmerman injures wrist" which quotes the Nationals third baseman saying:
"I think it's like a three-minute procedure. We are lucky in
the timing of when it happened. It shouldn't affect Spring
Training."
Broken bones and surgeries are never good things, but all things considered, this is the best bad news of the day. The worst bad news...
SI.com, yahoosports.com, espn.go.com, and mlb.com are all reporting that former Nationals right fielder Jose Guillen's name has surfaced in the records of a Florida clinic, where Guillen, Matt Williams and Ismael Valdez are said to have purchased steroids.
The time frame of concern with regards to Guillen does include his time in DC. As more and more of these stories come out, how many Nationals and Major Leaguers in general are going to end up being implicated in this controversy. I always thought Guillen was a little high-strung(I'm being nice.), but I don't think I suspected anything at the time...OH who am I kidding, I just assumed everyone was doing it after a while, but still...
Say it ain't so Jose?
Bill Ladson's washington.nationals.mlb.com article on Livan Hernandez and Tom Glavine:
Bill Ladson's washington.nationals.mlb.com article on Ryan Zimmerman:
AP article about Zimmerman from the Washington Examiner at examiner.com:
Just Google Guillen news, that has me too depressed...
*SB Nation Cy Young vote winners tomorrow 10/7/07*