• Programming Note: Jordan Zimmermann and The Washington Nationals will be in Lakeland, Florida's Joker Marchant Stadium tonight at 6:05 pm EDT to take on the Detroit Tigers and Charlie and Dave will be on 106.7 the FAN in DC broadcasting live from the Grapefruit League. MLB.tv viewers can watch the game courtesy of FOX Sports Detroit, and if you're in the car and you have the Sirius/XM Charlie and Dave should be on ch. 184. 6:05 pm EDT start time, remember...
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• Must Read If You Were In Last Night's FB Fantasy Roto Draft: Federal Baseball Fantasy Draft: Roto... Bluelineswinger's Take - Bluelineswinger, Federal Baseball
• NATSBEAT:
• "When I can get that sinker low and in to lefties, it’s a tougher pitch for them to get the barrel to," Burnett said. "It opens up that slider to me on the outer half." - "What made Sean Burnett dominant last year" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'The past two starts I have been keeping the ball down in the zone early in counts,' [Tom] Milone said. 'Today they would see that and not swing at the first pitch. This team was a little more patient.'" - "Prospect Milone delivers best outing of spring" - MASN, Byron Kerr
• "Why on earth would the Nationals take a flyer on a guy who was such a bust in New York that the Mets were willing to eat his $12 million salary earlier this week just to rid themselves of his presence in camp?" - "Viera: Home to second chances" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider
• NatsTown: "The Nats Sign Oliver Perez, Hoping For Diamond In The Very Very Rough" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "There were a lot of veteran guys around here who taught me a lot. I'm looking forward to taking what they showed me toward the season and see how it pans out behind the plate compared to last year." - Derek Norris, no.5 of 10. - "Great catches in catchers highlight Nats' Top 10" - Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com
• "I can’t hit water if I fell out of a boat. I feel terrible at the plate. And it’s almost game time" for the regular season, Dunn said. "So perfect — I’m right where I need to be!" - Adam Dunn brings annual spring slump to the White Sox - Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post
• Washington Nationals: Current Value ($mil): 417, 1-Yr Value Change (%) 8, Debt/Value (%) 60, Revenue ($mil) 194, Operating Income ($mil) 36.6 - Forbes.com: "The Business Of Baseball, 2011" - Edited by Kurt Badenhausen, Michael K. Ozanian and Christina Settimi
• NatsTown: "Nationals rank Second in operating income" - David Lint, For Love of the Nationals
• Your Daily Mesage from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Overcoming negative tendencies and enhancing positive potential are the very essence of the spiritual path."
• "'I have to no choice [but to be patient]. I can't just wake up the next morning expecting to get on the mound.'" - Stephen Strasburg - "Nationals place Stephen Strasburg on DL; claim Lee Hyde off waivers" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• NatsTown: "Bring me the arm of Yu Darvish this offseason and we can’t forget all this." - "2011 Organizational Rankings: #24 – Washington | FanGraphs Baseball" – Traderkirk, Bang! Zoom!:
• New York On New Nat Oliver Perez:
• "The bidding war for Oliver Perez didn’t last long." - "Perez becomes National disgrace" - Dan Martin, NYPOST.com
• "If Perez makes the Nationals, they will be responsible for only $414,000." - LHP Oliver Perez, Nationals Get Minor League Deal - AP, NYTimes.com
• NatsTown: "But the Nats, in their desperation to win as many games as they can in 2011 to justify Jayson Werth's horrible contract, won't know what they have with Bernadina, if they retain his services at all." - "Questionable Decisions and Desperation" - Dave Nichols, Nats News Network
• "7. The rise of Bryce Harper." - "Top stories of spring around the National League" - Carroll Rogers, Atlanta Journal-Constitution ajc.com
• NatsTown: "So, the Nats are hoping to see some 2004 magic out of the 29-year old lefty." - "Now That the Ink Has Dried..." - Mac, Capitol Baseball
• NatsTown: "Yay! Nonsense!" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "Mike Rizzo spends afternoon combing through the scrap heap for spare parts, finds Ollie Perez" - The Nats Enquirer.com
• NatsFest Notes:
• "NatsFest news release" - Jenn, Nationals Fangirls.com
• "Nationals Buzz: New details and full schedule released for NatsFest" - Kristen Hudak, MASN
• NL EAST:
• Marlins: "After a bizarre injury ended his 2010 season, Florida Marlins center fielder Chris Coghlan isn't sweating a little tendinitis in his right shoulder." - "The Marlins are being cautious with Coghlan" - Bill Whitehead, TCPalm.com
• Mets: "Oh, good," said Terry Collins when he heard the news. "I'm not surprised. I'm surprised there weren't a couple of other clubs - a guy, left-handed, with his experience and with his background of getting lefthanded hitters out, I'm not surprised he got a shot and I wish him all the luck." - "Oliver Perez lands with NL East rival Washington Nationals after being cut by Mets" - Anthony McCarron, New York Daily News
• Phillies: "Comfort or Excitement: Choose Your Own Narrative" - Corey Seidman, Phillies Nation
• Phillies: "Knocked to the ground by a line drive to the neck, Roy Oswalt stayed down for nearly a minute. Then, he rose to his feet and walked off the mound on his own." - Baseball roundup: Phillies P Roy Oswalt OK after being hit by drive | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
• All-Time Braves: "'If he played a [full] season, he'd probably hit 35-40 home runs,' said Freddy Garcia, a teammate of Jones in Chicago.'" - "Andruw Jones comes full circle" - Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com
• And If You Read All The Rest, Enjoy: "The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum" - Joe Posnanski, SI.com