• Programming Note: It's back to the box scores this afternoon for the Grapefruit League finale between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets. You can follow the 12:05 pm EDT game which will feature Nats' right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on the mound against NY lefty Chris Capuano on MLB.com's Gameday box score or the MLB At Bat 11 app, but there's no audio or video avaiable...Thursday's game will be available.
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "'Mom,' Broderick said, 'I’m coming home to Phoenix.' 'What?' she replied. 'Why?' 'I’ll be there in June to play the Diamondbacks." - "Brian Broderick’s joy" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "John Dever, the Nationals' senior director of baseball media relations, will be involved in his 14th Opening Day this year, and while he's well practiced at the fanfare, each season opener brings new challenges." - "Dever runs tight ship for Opening Day" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• "'We still think that Roger's got a chance to be a 450-to-550 at-bat guy. So rather than start off the season with him getting four or five at-bats a week, we're going to send him down there and let him play.'" - Jim Riggleman on Roger Bernadina - "Nats finalize 25-man roster with cuts, trade" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• SharkNatsTown: "WHAT? WHY WOULD YOU SEND THE SHARK TO THE MINORS??!?! HE IS YOUNG, ATHLETIC, AND JAWESOME!" - "Syracuse Shark" - Sharkadina, Street Shark: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• "'He was probably a longshot,' manager Jim Riggleman said. 'He really opened a lot of eyes here.'" - Jim Riggleman on Brian Broderick - "Brian Broderick's dream comes true" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "It's somewhat unusual - shoot, it's almost unheard of - for a second division club that's trying to build a winner to actually get older in the off-season..." - "No green lights with this bunch" - Phil Wood, MASNSports.com
• NatsTown: "With the incumbent losing every position battle this spring, GM Mike Rizzo has taken complete ownership of the roster construction..." - "This Is Mike Rizzo's Team Now; Nats Make Cuts as Opening Day Approaches" - Dave Nichols, Nats News Network
• "At the time it hurt, but it was what I needed," Lannan said. "It helped. It’s not like I went down there and it didn’t do anything for me. . . . I’ll never forget what happened." - "John Lannan back, maybe better than ever after trip back to the minor leagues" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• NatsTown: "Nats UT Alberto Gonzalez dealt to Padres" - Mike Henderson, Hendo's Hutch - Washington Nationals Daily News
• Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama): "The most compassionate form of giving is done with no thought or expectation of reward, and grounded in genuine concern for others."
• "'It is amazing his ankle was never swollen after the injury,' [Nationals hitting coordinator Rick] Schu said. 'He got a double Sunday, scored on a sacrifice fly, looked good running today. He had hit three jacks before he hurt his ankle.'" - Rick Schu on Bryce Harper - "Prospects Harper and Taylor could patrol same outfield for Suns" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• NatsTown: "From Tony Plush to Angry Nyjer: The Confusing Journey of Nyjer Morgan" - Joe Drugan, Capitol Baseball
• "If the Nationals ran out of catchers in a game, who would be the emergency player behind the plate? According to manager Jim Riggleman, Alex Cora would be the catcher." - "Cora would be emergency catcher" - MLB.com's Bill Ladson
• NatsTown: "Nationals Pick Up Another Minor-League Pitcher" - Sue Dinem, Nationals Prospects.com
• "The only thing that's different is that I have a pretty cool story to tell," he says. "Other than that, I feel like everything's pretty much the same." - Erik Davis on line drive that struck his face. - Stanford ace makes miracle return to mound" - Mark Kreidler, ESPN.com College Sports
• "'Position player-wise I really like our bench over what we had last year,' Riggleman said. 'I like the athleticism we have.'" - "Nationals roster now set" - Mark DeCotis - floridatoday.com
• NatsTown: "2011 NatsFest Will Take Place Rain or Shine" - Cheryl Nichols, Nats News Network: Off the Field
• MLB News: "Five Teams to Watch in 2011 MLB Season" - Reuters, NYTimes.com
• He Writes, We Link To It: "I believe that we are in a bit of a golden age of writing in America." - "Who Am I To Argue?" - Joe Posnanski, SI.com
• NL East Updates:
• Braves: "'You play with the [Greg] Madduxes and [Tom] Glavines, you play with the McGriffs and Terry Pendletons, guys like that, it would be awfully brash to say you were the best player on the field.'" - "Chipper Q&A: His past and future, on and off field" - David O'Brien - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Phillies: "'Over the past few weeks I think we have made some progress,' Utley said on Monday. 'I’m optimistic at this point and we’ll continue to do what we’re doing.'" - "Utley progressing slowly, return still uncertain" - Jim Salisbury, CSNPhilly.com
• Mets: "The Mets continue to publicly praise their facilities and draw a strong local fan base. The team has been tied to the community for more than 20 years. But the threat of isolation might force team officials' hand." - "Spring training exodus raises concerns about Mets' future in Port St. Lucie" - Laurel Pfahler - TCPalm.com
• Marlins: "The Marlins are likely to fill their roster with a relief pitcher and a bench player, a spot Dewayne Wise seemed to have before an injury." - "Two spots left in Florida Marlins’ roster derby" - Clark Spencer, MiamiHerald.com