Wire Taps: Washington Nationals In The News, Jim Riggleman? Mets?

• FINALLY A HIT!: The long Nationals nightmare is over. (Bet you never heard anyone use that line.) After starting his AFL campain 0 for 15, though that 15th AB resulted in a game-tying RBI groundout, Bryce Harper collected his first hit in his third at bat last night. Harper singled through the right side of the infield and stole second base before he was stranded. An intentional walk in his final at bat of the night left Harper 1 for 16 four games into Fall League action. Zach Walters was the Scottsdale Scorpions DH last night, and he went 0 for 4. No Nats' pitching prospects appeared in last night's game. 3:35 pm in the east, 12:35 pm MST in Arizona for the Scorpions' next game with the Mesa Solar Sox. Here are some Nats-related links...

• LINKS AND LINKS AND...

• The "Sign Yu Darvish" Movement. "Sign ダルビッシュ有!":

• "If [Yu Darvish] waits to become a free agent -- as Japanese predecessors Hideki Matsui and Hiroki Kuroda did -- he'll earn the right to negotiate with all 30 clubs, greatly driving up his price tag." - "Exchange Rate: Yu Darvish could change the free agent market" - Patrick Newman and Eno Sarris, ESPN

• "The Washington Nationals have hired a high-profile media consultant to increase their share of the rights fees produced by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network..." - "Nats hire media consultant to improve MASN deal" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "Another former member of Riggleman's coaching staff in D.C. -- John McLaren -- could also interview for the Mets job, according to sources." - "Riggleman to Mets? Nats to Taiwan?" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "The Brewers acquired Hairston from Washington on July 30 to provide coverage at second base after Rickie Weeks went down with a badly sprained left ankle." - "Hairston a pleasant postseason surprise for Brewers" - Tom Haudricourt and Todd Rosiak, JSOnline

• "[Jim] Riggleman is expected to head to New York to interview for the position mid-week, a source said, and is excited about the possible opportunity to join [Terry] Collins' staff." - "Mets to interview former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman for bench coach job" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "But Strasburg and Zimmermann still probably aren't going to be the workhorses of the Nationals' rotation, which underscores again why the team wants to add another veteran pitcher this winter." - "Don't expect Nationals to budge much on Strasburg's innings limit" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com

• "The Mets will begin interviewing candidates for the vacant bench coach job Wednesday, and the first is Jim Riggleman." - "Mets begin coach search" - Steve Popper, NorthJersey.com

• "[Mike] Rizzo really, really believes that they need a high quality No. 3 starter to get to the next level and to contend, not just a solid pitcher or a youngster who may develop someday into a No. 3." - "Ask Boswell" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

• "There hasn't been much talk about [B.J.] Upton, lately. However, a lot of people love his potential -- hitting for power and driving in a lot of runs. A person like manager Davey Johnson can fix him as a hitter." - "Inbox: Will the Nats push for outfield depth?" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "It would be Riggleman's third bench coach job in four years - and the last two of those (with the Mariners and Nationals) have led to interim or permanent managerial jobs." - "Former Nationals updates (Riggleman, Morgan)" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com

• "The Mets released bench coach Ken Oberkfell at the end of the season, and Mets Manager Terry Collins called [Jim] Riggleman last week to gauge his interest in the position." - "Jim Riggleman will interview to become the Mets’ bench coach" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Once your mind is calm and full of love, there is no room for hatred or fear. Others will trust you because of your open heart." 

• ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: 

• "After a passed ball advanced him to third, the 23-year-old third baseman [Will Middlebrooks] scored the tying run on a groundout by MLB.com's No. 2 prospect Bryce Harper." - "Middlebrooks, Scorpions sting Solar Sox" - Robert Emrich, MLB.com: News

• "[Bryce Harper] singled to right field in the sixth and stole second but was left on second base. The hit ended an 0-for-15 start to faIl play." - "Harper tallies first hit, RBI as Scottsdale comes back to win in Arizona" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• 'There may be hope for his career yet..." - "Bryce Harper notches first hit of 2011 Arizona Fall League campaign" - Nats Enquirer

• "Bryce Harper got his first hit of the 2011 Arizona Fall League season on Monday getting a single in the 6th inning as part of a 1-3 day with a walk." - "Bryce Harper Gets His First Arizona Fall League Hit" - HarperMania.com

• "AFL Update: October 11, 2011" - NationalsProspects.com

• NATSTOWN: 

• "Today is Part 1 of our 44 part series examining each player that suited up in a Curly W this year." - "A Few Good Men: 1 - Morse" - Mac, Capitol Baseball

• "John Lannan is going to make it difficult this offseason for GM Mike Rizzo." - "Next Season's Roster: On the Bubble - Pitchers Edition" - Joe Drugan, The Nats Blog

• "Yesterday I off-handedly mentioned Jonny Gomes might have lost his Free Agent B status.  I checked it out, and the reverse engineerer at MLB trade rumors seems to think so, too." - "No Gomeses and Dykstras in 2012, please." - Harper, Nationals Baseball

• "[Terry]Francona has said that he would like to manage next season. However, at the moment the only opening is that of the Nationals since, technically, they haven’t formally named [Davey] Johnson as the Manager." - "Assessing the Nationals' Managerial Options" - Aaron Sommers, District on Deck

• NL EAST UPDATES: 

• Braves: "Our first hitting coach rumor of the off-season. This one comes from a "source with knowledge of the situation," via ESPN..." - "Former ChiSox Hitting Coach Greg Walker To Interview With Braves" - gondeee, Talking Chop

• Mets: "Though Yu Darvish has great stuff and will likely be an exciting signing for one American team this offseason, he might not be a great fit for the Mets." - "Yu and the Mets" - Eno Sarris, Amazin' Avenue

• Phillies: "But, blame has to be put on the players who failed to perform in the series. We look at those who are guilty of falling short..." - "Playing the Blame Game After Early Playoff Exit" - Pat Gallen, Phillies Nation

• Marlins: "The Marlins have interest in acquiring pitcher Carlos Zambrano – whom the Cubs want to trade – if Chicago picks up a large chunk of his $18 million salary for 2012 and doesn’t expect a lot in return." - "Draft prospects for Dolfans to watch; Zambrano interests Marlins" - Barry Jackson, Miami Herald