It looked pretty good there for a while. After dumping the dead weight that was Felipe Lopez, Paul Lo Duca, and Johnny Estrada, the re-invigorated Nationals promptly went 6-1, and were fun to watch. Unfortunately, the schedule then put the AAAA Nationals against good Major League baseball teams. This led to their current seven game losing streak, and continued position at the bottom of the Major League. The Nationals remain steadfast in their refusal to score runs, hit for average, get on base, or hit for power. I wish I knew what Lenny Harris had on the Lerners, because blackmail is the only thing the explains his continued employment.

Aaron Crow
Fans of the Nationals have been asked to overlook the team's performance because owners have a plan to build up the farm system. The team cites its recent draft successes as evidence that they are on the right path. A big test of their commitment comes today. The team has until midnight to sign their top draft pick of 2008, Aaron Crow. Crow was the 9th overall pick in the draft this year, and is considered a top pitching talent who could be in the Majors next year. Crow wants a major league contract, which will earn him more than the typical minor league contract that most draftees sign, and a signing bonus well above the MLB recommended $2.15 million. The team seems unwilling to meet these demands, and Crow has signed a deal with the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Crow's signing with the Fort Worth Cats doesn't mean that the he and the Nationals can't reach an agreement, but it doesn't look good.

Apparently Crow's agent made his demands clear to the Nationals before they drafted him. This may make one wonder why the Nationals would draft him if they were unwilling to meet those demands. Remember that the Nationals were able to sign Josh Smoker last year, when no other team thought that they could, so maybe they thought they could pull off a similar deal this year.

In many ways, the Nationals are in a bad position. Despite accusations that they are cheap, the Lerners have shown a willingness to spend money on draft picks and in the minor leagues. In Smokers' case, the team went way above the recommended slot signing bonus to secure him. In fact, they have been so willing to go above slot, that there is a fear that draftees could continue to demand high signing bonuses, and the team will be forced to pay them. At the same time, the team has the fifth lowest payroll in baseball and has asked their fans to be patient with the big league club's performance based on building the farm system. If they are not willing to spend at the big league level, fans are somewhat justified in demanding that they spend at the minor league level.

Regardless, the team has until midnight tonight to sign Crow. If he refuses to sign with the team, he will be put back in the draft next year, and the Nationals will get a compensation pick in the first round.

Photo by Chris a.k.a. Crush.

Ronnie Belliard
As we continue to look to the future, the big news is that the Dodgers may be interested in trading for Ronnie Belliard. The blog Fire Jim Bowden has some thoughts on the matter. While Belliard has added some spark to the team this year, he is clearly not part of the team's future. Trading him for youth is the kind of deal that the Nationals should be making.

Game of the Week
The game of the week is Saturday night, when the Nationals host the Colorado Rockies. The Nationals took three out of four games against the Rockies last week, which means that they have a decent chance of winning. The pitching match up puts John Lannan against former Nat Livan Hernandez. Lannan has been pitching great all year, and at least one person thinks he should be considered for the Rookie of the Year.

Briefly Noted... Kids under the age of 12 can compete to be the next Bob Carpenter at the ESPN Zone. I think they should have to design a scorebook as part of the competition... Abe has clinched the 2008 President Racing Title... The Washington Times noticed that Nick Johnson gets hurt a lot.

Meaningless Statistic of the Week: Nats second baseman Emilio Bonifacio is leading the Major Leagues in RBIs by a switch hitting rookie batting lead off, with 5. Congratulations, Emilio!