Tonight's Starting PItchers Are Going To Stare At You Now...
DC Starting Lineup...
- The Guzzzzz - SS
- Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson - 1B
- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! - 3B
- The Big Slumpy - BACK IN LEFT!!!! - LF
- AK - RF
- TAWH - 2B
- The Bard - C
- J-Max - CF
- Rosswiler - SP
#10 Pick Update...
Washington Post writer Chico Harlan reported yesterday, in an article entitled, "Flores, Crow, Willingham", that "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo had, as Mr. Harlan writes, "...spoken with Randy and Alan Hendricks", Crow's representatives, about receiving permission to once again draft Aaron Crow, should the right-hander remain available when the Nationals' second 1st Round pick comes around, which is necessary since the Nationals drafted Crow but were unable to reach an agreement with the 22-year-old right-hander before last year's signing deadline.
Crow's currently pitching for the Independent Ft. Worth Cats, where he's (2-0) in two starts and 11.0 IP in which he's yet to allow a run, though he has surrendered 5 hits and 2 walks while collecting 13 K's. In his last start however, Aaron Crow was involved in an incident which might have had him questioning his decision to play a season in independent ball rather than sign with DC...
According to an article out of Ft. Worth by Star-Telegram.com writer Tobias Xavier Lopez entitled, "First-round draft pick Aaron Crow pitches Fort Worth Cats to victory":
"Things turned a bit interesting in Crow’s final inning when he hit Carlos Arroyo with a pitch. Arroyo didn’t take the plunking sportingly and threw a bat toward Crow. Cats catcher Kelley Gulledge immediately stepped in front of Arroyo as both teams wound up on the field. No punches were thrown."
Uh..."threw a bat toward Crow"? Crow's line in the start, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K's, 67 P, 39 strikes, 1 catastrophe averted.
Crow Available, Not Selected In MVN Mock Draft...
I wrote a little while back about the email I received from Evan Brunell at MVN.com about the Mock Draft they were conducting over at MVN Outsider, with the good folks at the DC Pro Sports Report doing the selecting for DC's Nationals. The first pick of the Mock Draft was of course, SDSU starter Stephen Strasburg, but with Aaron Crow still on the board, the DC Pro Sports Report writers chose a left-handed high school pitcher out of Texas, Matt Purke.
Who Said That?
The Washington Nationals got the front page treatment on ESPN.com yesterday with ESPN.com writer Tim Kurkjian's article entitled, "It's not all doom and gloom in D.C.", in which the ESPN.com scribe does actually paint a picture of an improving organization, but it wouldn't be the Washington Nationals if the article didn't contain something controversial and Mr. Kurkjian's piece doesn't disappoint as he writes about the Nationals still needing a center fielder since, "...it's difficult to depend," on Elijah Dukes, "...because of his disruptive nature in the clubhouse," and then Mr. Kurkjian quotes "one National" who says, "If he were gone...the clubhouse would be a much happier place."
(ed. note - "Really? That should help things in the clubhouse...")
Stick With Me On This One...
mlbtraderumors.com writer Ben Nicholson-Smith linked to an article yesterday afternoon by Boston Metro writer Ben Haggerty, who transcribed an interview on his Hacks With Haggs blog that ESPN.com's Peter Gammons conducted with ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning in which Mr. Gammons is quoted talking about the Washington Nationals attempts to make a trade to improve their bullpen. In Mr. Gammons' words:
"Washington with their 2-16 bullpen are trying to move Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns and some of their semi-attractive veteran players to get relief pitchers. I know they offered Nick Johnson to Boston for Manny Delcarmen."
By the end of the day, mlbtraderumors.com writer Steve Adams was reporting on an article by WEEI sports radio reporter Alex Speier, in which Mr. Speier reported that:
"Manny Delcarmen’s agent, Jim Masteralexis, was told by Red Sox officials that the Nationals approached Boston about a trade that would send reliever Manny Delcarmen to Washington in exchange for first baseman Nick Johnson. Masteralexis was told by the Sox that the trade proposal was 'immediately shot down.'”
(ed. note - "I'll say it one more time, 'DO NOT TRADE NICK JOHNSON!!!'" And what's with the Red Sox letting info like this get out on the internets?")
HERE's the audio from Mr. Gammons' appearance on Mike and Mike in the Morning if you want to hear it for yourself.
Get Inside The Mind Of The O's Fan at The SBN's Baltimore Orioles blog:
Check the NatCast if you're heading to Nationals Park...
• The Nationals and Orioles start the second of the three game weekend series in Nationals Park tonight at 7:05 pm EST.
Who's Watching The Nationals?