Even with the Bryce Harper drama all taken care of, the Nationals are about to be busy, busy bees. Starting tonight, the team will play games on 16 consecutive days before finally getting a day off on September 2. With the daily grind, extensive traveling (nine of the games are on the road), and manager Jim Riggleman's love of musical chairs, let's set the over/under for the number of different batting orders (minus the pitching spot) at 6.5. We'll even give you a freebie on September 1st, when the roster expands to 40 players. (Note: Your prize will either be the pride that comes with being right or the humility that comes with being incorrect...your perceived equivalent monetary value may vary.)
Hopefully the Nationals Enjoyed the Day Off
Nats Update: Building Blocks
I have a small confession. Months ago, when I agreed to take over Nats coverage for DCist, I was anticipating a historically bad season. The kind of season that I could tell my children about, and allow me to forever hold my head above future bandwagon fans. So imagine my surprise that on my inaugural post there are a staggering seven teams with worse records than the Nats, despite seven Washington losses in their last...
Livo Gets the Heave-Ho
Livan Hernandez is Frank Robinson’s kind of player: crafty, with dogged determination and competitive fire. He wants the ball in every situation. He's eaten innings in big chunks, leading the league in IP for three years straight. He’s loyal, perhaps to a fault. He’s been one of the faces of the franchise in recent years, and was the first player to throw a pitch for the Nationals last year. Despite not having the best...
Who's Crazy For The Nationals?
It was just over two weeks ago that the Washington Nationals, to great fanfare, took the field at RFK Stadium for the first Major League Baseball game in Washington in over three decades. Years of political bickering, backroom negotiating, and hoping were finally put to rest as the team defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of a capacity crowd.
Weekend Sports Roundup: Movin' On Up Edition
>> Wins on Friday against the free falling Cleveland Cavaliers and on Sunday against the Charlotte Bobcats coupled with an Indiana Pacers loss at Miami have moved the Wizards into 5th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race with just two games to go. The Wizards overall record now stands at 45-35 and the team has won four in a row since their five game losing streak. With the Pacers two games back with only...
'W' Stands For: 'Well, That Took Long Enough'
Thirty-four years after the last D.C. baseball team slunk out of town, the Washington Nationals play their first-ever home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:00 p.m. (TV: UPN 20). As if that isn't exciting enough, the Nats arrive with a stadium-warming surprise gift: a winning record (5-4) and a two-game win streak (all road games, no less (of course)). It'll be no small task to keep those winning ways going: The Diamondbacks, even shorn...
Random News on the Nats
Stadium Re-Naming Moves Forward: DCist reported last week that local pro-democracy activists are pushing to have RFK Stadium, currently searching for a $1.5-$2 million a year corporate sponsor, named the "Taxation Without Representation Field at RFK Stadium." The initiative's initial goal was $10,000 by April 3, but overwhelming support for the idea pushed them to up the ante to $20,000 and now $51,000 by April 14, the date of the Nationals home opener against the...
Mark Your Calendars
DC's baseball team may not have a name yet, but they do have a tentative game schedule lined up. According to the Post, the former Montreal Expos are scheduled to play their first game on April 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The last home game is against the New York Mets on September 25 at the new RFK Stadium. No word yet on when tickets for these games will actually go on sale. Baseball fans who can't for next season to start can find the entire schedule here.

