Photo by Amberture.

Good morning, Washington. Well, the Nationals did it again. Just as they did with Stephen Strasburg last year, the team’s front office played chicken with their number one pick from last year. But despite cutting it very close before the midnight deadline — Nationals President Stan Kasten admitted that “with a full minute to go, [General Manager Mike Rizzo] and I both thought that we were not going to have a deal.” — the team signed next big thing Bryce Harper to a $9.9 million deal over five years, including a $6.25 million signing bonus, the most lucrative draft contract ever signed by a position player. Adam Kilgore and Mark Zuckerman have all the nitty-gritty details you might need. There’s a ton of hype surrounding Harper — Thomas Boswell already calls him a franchise player, while Jeff Passan rehashes the LeBron comparison. With apologies to Joe Strummer, a 17-year-old getting a ten million dollar contract before he ever plays a major league game better deliver guaranteed personality.

Howard University Students Robbed: It’s that time of the year: college students are beginning to filter into the District this week — though, I’m sure this isn’t the kind of welcome they’re hoping for. Fox 5 reports that two Howard University students were robbed at their off-campus Elm Street NW home, after two armed robbers, brandishing a gun and a taser, knocked on their door. The two suspects tased both students and pistol-whipped one before taking laptops, cell phones, shoes and $4,000 in cash which was stashed rather conspicuously in a shoebox in the living room.

Pepco Answers To Maryland: Has anyone had a rougher summer than Pepco? Repair crews seemingly always out on double shifts to clean up after storms, a PR group that’s working around the clock to try and maintain public perception, a scolding in front of the D.C. Council and, of course, thousands upon thousands of cranky customers. Today, the electric company will take its lumps from the Maryland Public Service Commission — according to the PSC, outages in just the last few weeks have affected nearly a half million Pepco customers.

Briefly Noted: Yarn store coming to Dupont Circle…Two Prince William teens killed in NoVa car accident…Clever: 2011 Crystal City outdoor film series will feature films with numbers in the title…Big fire ruins historic Arlington house this morning…D.C. ranked best metro area for job seekers…Construction worker critically hurt after fall…The University of Maryland has a new president…Wanna be in a Bollywood film?

This Day in DCist: Back in 2005, then-Mayor Anthony Williams started his own blog.