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• The big news of the day was, of course, Bryce Harper's Viera debut, which had the beat writers covering the Washington Nationals sending out reports, tweets, pics and videos of the 18-year-old phenom's first swings of the Spring:
• Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP):
"Two homers, countless cell phone pictures for Harper through two rounds of BP."
"Bryce Harper is done. He hit about four homers in 40 swings. No oppo boppos. #Nats"
• MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling (@MASNBen):
"Bryce Harper has arrived. You could tell by the murmur in the crowd as he walked in.
"Little kid to Jim Riggleman: "Are you Bryce Harpie?" Riggleman signed for him anyway."
• CSN Washington/MASNSports.com's Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman):
"Man, Bryce Harper towers over a bunch of his big-league teammates. Pretty imposing figure."
The first reports this Spring on Harper, video of his first BP sessions and LINKS after the JUMP...
• Bryce Harper BP Reports:
• NatsInsider.com - Mark Zuckerman: "Bryce Harper arrives"
"Last summer's No. 1 draft pick out of the College of Southern Nevada, Harper is in big-league camp despite having never attended spring training before. He's all but certain to open the season at low-Class A Hagerstown, but team officials want him to get the experience playing alongside veteran major-leaguers this spring."
• MASNSports.com - Ben Goessling: The Goessling Game: "Bryce Harper arrives at Nationals camp"
"Harper hit four homers in about 40 swings, splashing a few of them into a pond behind the right field wall at one of the team's training fields, as assistant general manager Bob Boone, minor league operations director Doug Harris and special assistant Davey Johnson watched."
"Bryce Harper arrived at Nationals spring training today, and with him came the crowd. He walked to Field 4, a swarm of people inching toward him, watching. Harper warmed up, stretching with the rest of the Nationals' early-arriving position..."
• Bryce Harper BP Videos via @NationalsPR:
• Another Bryce Harper BP video via @NationalsPR:
• Non-Harper Links:
• Nationals Daily News: Mike Henderson, "Still a horse race: Updating the 2011 NL East projections."
"Having finally ground through all the numbers from various prediction sources, this writer is ready to update his predictions for the 2011 NL East. Over the next few weeks I'll unveil estimates for the rest of MLB."
• Racing Presidents Auditions Links:
LINK: Video: 2011 Presidents Race Auditions " Let Teddy Win!: Presidents Race Fan provides video from the Racing Presidents Auditions...
LINK: NYTimes.com - Juliet Macur, "Nationals’ Racing Presidents Tryouts No Laughing Matter":
"But that test of endurance and pain management was only part of the audition for the 43 people who made the cuts from the 150 to 200 people who applied this season."
• Non-Racing Presidents Links:
• LINK: Nationals Inquisition - Danger Nat: "So While The Nats Are Out Preparing For Disco Night…" - DangerNat at NatsInquisition wraps up the weekend news on Riggleman's comments about Alberto Gonzalez and Collin Balester's new drink of choice.
• MOAR BRYCE HARPER!!: The Nationals Enquirer: "When Bryce Harper took BP with the Gamecocks":
The Nats' 2010 no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper took BP in South Carolina before his brother Bryan's start for the Gamecocks....
• LINK: NationalsProspects.com - Sue Dinem, "Guessing The Rosters, Part One"
NationalsProspects.com's Sue Dinem with early predictions about which prospects will make up the Hagerstown Suns' roster in 2011.
• LIVAN LINK: Thomas Boswell - Washington Nationals spring training: "Livan Hernandez, 36, is in no rush to call it a career"
"'You've got to play with the game. You can't let the game play with you,'" Hernandez said. Somewhere, Satchel Paige is smiling."
• TWEET: Washington Post's Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) on RHP Cole Kimball:
"Cole Kimball just threw a fastball. You might have heard the catcher's mitt from D.C. Damn. #Nats"
IN CLEARWATER, FLA. The mourning period in Philadelphia over the loss of Jayson Werth lasted exactly nine days. On December 5, the 31-year-old slugger signed with the Washington Nationals, ending a productive four-year run for the Phillies that coincided precisely with the franchise's four straight..."