Washington Nationals Offer Press Credentials To Online-Only Media.

I've wanted to share this information for a few weeks now, but wanted to make sure it was a done deal before I did. The Washington Nationals made it official today, Federal Baseball is one of five Nats sites (along with The Nats News Network, Nationals Farm Authority, Nationals Daily News (formerly Nats Pride), and Nats320) being given full-season press credentials for all home games in Washington, D.C. this year. Starting today with the first of three games this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers, Federal Baseball.com will be given access to the pre and post game manager interviews with DC Skipper Jim Riggleman, we're allowed on the field during BP, (where we'll be able to talk directly to the Nats), and we're getting seats in the press box for the season so that we can follow the team alongside other members of the media covering the Nats beat. The Nationals have said no to clubhouse access to start, but acknowledged that's something that could change. The Nats are taking a big step here, (I think they're one of the first teams in Major League Baseball to do so), and I imagine other teams in other cities will follow. I've been writing about the Nationals here since August of '07, (the same week Barry Bonds hit his historic HR off the Nats' lefty Mike Bacsik, who grooved it according to Bacsik's old Nats teammate Tim Redding) and on my original site (DCDaily) since the 2006 season, and I've been a fan of this franchise since long before the move to the nation's capital, having grown up a fan of the late Montreal Expos, so as you can imagine I'm more than a little excited about the opportunity I'm being given by the Nationals and plan to make the most of it...

But I also recognize the role every one of you who visits Federal Baseball.com on a daily basis, (whether you add to the conversation or simply read other's thoughts on the team), have played in raising our profile to the point that the Nationals saw fit to extend the opportunity they have, so I've been thinking of the best ways to repay your loyalty, and thank you for the contributions you've made. The first idea I've come up with is to turn the questions for the Manager's Press Conferences over to you. Starting today, (below in the Comment section) and every afternoon that I'm able to be at Nationals Park, I'll put up a post here at Federal Baseball where you can offer any questions you have for the Nats' Skipper, and I'll ask Mr. Riggleman as many of your questions as I can. We can also request interviews with the Nats during BP, so if you let me know in advance, I'll try to ask the players any questions you have on a daily basis. One of the big questions yesterday after the news of the Nationals' decision to offer the credentials was made public, was how the coverage provided by internet writers would be different from that which is provided by the more traditional news sources...well, I have some ideas of things I'd like to do, but I'm also open to suggestions, so please let me know any ideas you have for what we can do differently in the comment section below. And thanks again to all of you who've been here from the start...We'll talk in the GameThread.

(ed. note - Dave from the NNN, aka the Voice of Doom and Gloom here in the gamethreads and comments, went into much more detail about the Nationals' decision to offer credentials and exactly what we as writers will and won't be able to do, you can check it out below. And thanks, Dave, and everyone with the Nationals for all the work I know you did to make this happen.")

LINK: 

• NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK: Dave Nichols - "Nationals to Credential 'On-line Only Media Outlets'"

"The Nats have invited five 'On-line Only Media Outlets' to apply for full-season media credentials to cover the team. The five are: Nats News Network, Nationals Daily News (formerly Nats Pride), Federal Baseball, Nats Farm Authority, and Nats 320."