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Wire Taps: Denard Span's surgery, Nationals news, tweets, links and more

NatsFest is coming soon. Washington Nationals' center fielder Denard Span underwent surgery for a sports hernia. The Hagerstown Suns are selling the naming rights for their... field? All the Nats links we could find. All in one place...

By Patrick Reddington
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

While you're impatiently waiting for the latest episode of the Serial podcast to go up, why not catch up on the latest news about the Washington Nationals?

On Wednesday afternoon, Denard Span and then the Nats (on Twitter @Nationals) announced that the 30-year-old center fielder and leadoff man had undergone surgery for a sports hernia which first cropped up late last season and was reaggravated when the veteran outfielder began working out in preparation for his third season in D.C.

Span's unexpected announcement was definitely the biggest news out of NatsTown yesterday, but there was some other interesting writing about the Nationals elsewhere on the internet...

Let's get the Span stories out of the way:

• "Span tweeted out a photo of himself in the hospital bed on Wednesday morning." - "Denard Span has sports hernia surgery (updated)" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "Sports hernias, which are difficult to diagnose, are actually tears of the oblique abdominal muscles..." - "Span has surgery to repair sports hernia" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Span tweeted out a picture of himself in a hospital bed earlier this morning, sending off alarm bells among some Nats fans." - "Nationals Pastime: Span undergoes surgery to repair sports hernia" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "He's fine." - "Denard Span gives Nationals fans a scare with photo from hospital bed" - Scott Allen, The Washington Post

Harper vs the Nats [ed. note - "Still going with the 'sensational' title?"]:

• "In case you missed it in November 2013, The Washington Post reported on a potential contract dispute between the Nats and their blooming superstar." - "Battling Bryce Harper, Scott Boras makes Nationals look petty" - Deron Snyder, Washington Times

[ed. note - "Not all links are endorsements. This message is randomly placed."]:

• "Strasburg is now 26, following the 2016 season he can file for free agency. As of now, there's been very little talk of him signing a contract extension to stay in Washington longterm." - "MLB Hot Stove 2014-15: Washington Nationals, a lesson in how not to deal with young prospects" - Ben Shapiro, masslive.com

#RealPurkefansstillbelieve:

• "Left-hander Matt Purke has started his throwing program as he rehabilitates from Tommy John surgery." - "Matt Purke begins his throwing program" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

Who's going to NatsFest?:

• "The vast majority of the Nationals’ roster is scheduled to appear at next weekend’s NatsFest..." - "Vast majority of rostet set to appear at NatsFest" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

Where will the Nats' next second baseman come from?:

• "In previous years, however, general manager Mike Rizzo made blockbuster moves before the Winter Meetings started." - "Nats nearly set, but in market for second baseman" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

Hagerstown Suns stadium (field?) naming rights:

• "The Hagerstown Suns are seeking a business that wants to put its name on the field at Municipal Stadium for the upcoming season." - "Hagerstown Suns seek naming-rights sponsor for field at Municipal Stadium" - C.J. Lovelace, Herald Mail Media: Breaking

• "General Manager Chris Easom said Wednesday the naming rights would likely apply only to the playing field, and not to the city-owned stadium." - "Hagerstown Suns Shop Naming Rights for Field" - WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21

NatsTown building news:

• "Once excavation and cleanup is finished, the first phase of the development, located immediately south of Nationals Park, will be a 350-unit apartment building with 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail." - "Raze in Logan Circle, remediation at Florida Rock, Unleashed by Petco in Shaw" - Michael Neibauer, Washington Business Journal

NL EAST UPDATES: Keep Strasburg's name out of your mouth, Harvey; Braves add O to OF:

• Mets: "He brought up Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals pitcher who was shut down in 2012 because he had passed the innings limit the team had established for him in the off-season." - "After a Season of Pushing to Return, Mets’ Matt Harvey Details a Patient Plan for 2015" - Zach Schonburn, NYTimes.com

• Braves: "Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden have departed the Atlanta Braves. Nick Markakis and Shelby Miller have arrived." - "Hart isn't finished reshaping Braves" - Richard Justice, braves.com

• Marlins: "Miami's mission is pretty clear heading into the Winter Meetings on Monday in San Diego -- add another power bat and a front-line starting pitcher." - "Marlins looking to supplement Stanton at Winter Meetings" - Joe Frisaro, marlins.com

• Phillies: "Outfielders Ben Revere and Domonic Brown and reliever Antonio Bastardo were reportedly tendered contracts before Tuesday's 11:59 p.m. deadline." - "Phillies tender contracts for 2015 to three players" - Meghan Montemurro, Courier-Post Online

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