Photo by Flickr user Kevin H.

So here we are at the start of a new season for the Washington Nationals. For those going to the game today, it’s going to be cold and maybe rainy. Tickets are still available! Fire Jim Bowden has a good preview of the series.

If you have not been paying attention, the team remains uninterested in winning baseball games, and they still like to get injured. In many ways it is comforting. Watching the 2009 Nats brings back happy memories of 2008, when everyone had a job, you could stand to look at your investments, and the Phillies had not won the World Series in 28 years.

While the team has made upgrades offensively, the pitching staff remains a problem. The team’s era is 7.84, which is the worst in the NL, a full run per game more then the next lowest team and two runs more than the league average. The average age of the starting pitching staff is 24. The team hopes that the staff can develop quickly and keep the team competitive throughout the season. If they do, then this team will be blissfully mediocre. If not, well, having the first pick in the draft 2 years in a row has to count for something, right?

Sparky Anderson said that “every team wins 60 games and every team loses 60 games. It is what you do with the other games that counts.” Now, the 2008 Nats may have only won 59, but it should be pointed out that they only played 161 out of 162 games. The bottom line is that if this team gets to 72 wins, the season should be considered a triumph. This is the only season preview that I trust, and it correctly points out that the Nationals are a lot like G-Unit Records.

Briefly Noted: Obama doesn’t have time to throw out the first pitch, but is able to welcome the Phillies to the White House… The Nats are letting DC high school teams practice in Nationals Park… Clint is getting a co-host.

Meaningless Statistic of the Week: Former National Emilio Bonifacio is leading the Major Leagues with 14 hits.