Clever Headline Here

Is Jayson really werth 7 years?  Werth while signing? 

There's got to be one that combines 'werth' and 'dunn,' right?  "Are Nats Dunn Increasing Their Net Werth?" or something like that.

I am not sure what I think about signing Jayson Werth, or anyone not named Pujols or Halladay, for 7 years - seven - years.  You know how long that is?  Uber fan Evan Manuel, who has known only baseball heartache with our hometown Nats, will be in college when Werth will come off the books.  

Most of all, I'm not sure I buy Mike Rizzo's line about this 'makes us look serious,' etc. especially in the wake of NOT giving Dunn a fourth year. Sure, he's a defensive upgrade, and he's a real corner outfielder and power hitter, a plus athlete who can run and steal bases and play center field, etc.  

But Werth has never been the man, the center of an offense. Not only was Adam Dunn good at that, he also seem to enjoy it and was never bothered by the pressure of hitting in the four hole.  Can Werth handle that responsibility?  Bottom line for me:  I'd rather have Dunn for four years than Werth for seven.

I am also not crazy about the Nationals courting Carlos Pena to replace Dunn.  Pena was productive last year despite hitting below - yes, below - the Mendoza line, mainly due to lots of walks and timely homers.  And he is a very good fielder.

However, Pena is no spring chicken (is there anything better than chicken in the spring?  I guess not since there is no other seasonal poultry phrase), and I fear that his .196 batting average (.732 OPS, with a .325 on-base percentage) this past season is an indication that his skills are starting to decline. 

Hope Rizzo only signs him to a six-year deal.

Whistling Past the Trade Deadline/Graveyard

The good news for Washington sports fans is the Nationals did not trade Adam Dunn.  Sure, the Nats aren't going to make a run at the wild card this season, but Dunn is a nice guy to have around while you rebuild your franchise and fan base.

Not only does he practically guarantee 35 to 40 homers every season, which is quite a luxury to have, but he appears to be a good club house guy, too.  Two great reasons to keep Dunn around.

And unlike the deals that dealt Matt Capps to the Twins and Christian Guzman (finally, the last of Jim Bowden's mistakes is erased) to the Rangers, trading Dunn would have demoralized an already demoralized fan base.

So Nats fans mad it past the trade deadline.

In Greece, things aren't as good.  I assume Greeks and Greek labor unions thought that they could whistle past the economic graveyard during this summer's tourist season.  I think every Greek hoped that despite all the negative economic news of the spring tourists would still visit the cradle of civilization this summer.  

But as usual, Greece is trying to slit its own throat.  First, the country saw massive and violent street protests in June over budget and spending cuts.  The nadir came when anarchists firebombed a bank and three employees died as a result.

The Greek public's disgust at the three deaths effectively stopped street protests.

However, some labor unions continue to take a razor to their country's neck.  First, in early July, dock workers in Pireas went on strike to protest new work rules and increased hours.  The strike lasted so long that Princess Cruise Lines decided to move their Mediterranean base from Greece to . . .  Istanbul.  Losing tourism jobs is bad enough, especially for a country that needs all the hard currency it can generate, but to lose it to Turkey?  Terrible.

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there.  This week, fuel truck drivers have gone on strike, crippling bus and plane service throughout the country.  The travel gridlock further damages Greece's tourism industry.  The strike lasted so long that today the Greek government authorized the police and army to seize fuel trucks in the national interest and deliver the fuel.

Labor has the right to strike, but do it wisely - not during tourist season and NOT when the country is broke.  Striking Greek workers remind me of the right wingers here in the U.S. - both groups assume someone is lying to them, and have trouble with fact-based reality.  When the Greek government says they are broke the unions don't believe them, or when Obama show his birth certificate or cuts taxes for 90% of Americans our right-wing boobs assume the media is colluding with the White House to fool the public.

Break Up the Nats!

How about our hometown Nats, winners of 6 of their last 10, 7 of 11, 9 out of 14, and three in a row including two come from behind wins. The last two wins were pretty exhilarating thanks to two 8th inning, opposite field bombs from clean up hitter Adam Dunn.

The recent streak gives a Nats fan some legitimate hope for the future. As Evan and I discussed this morning, with this core of Zimmerman, Dunn, Gonzalez, Willingham, Morgan and a hopefully healthy Flores behind the plate, and a maturing and talented pitching staff led by John Lannan, Craig Stamman, Jordan Zimmermann, the Nats could actually be a 500 team next year, or at least win a semi-respectable 75 to 80 games. Once you do that - and if the pitching continues to improve - in two years they could win 85 to 90 games, or better yet become the next Tampa Bay Rays and get really hot.

And I haven't even mentioned number one draft pick Steven Strasburg! Of course, the Nats will still need to sign or develop a closer. I can't imagine they think Macdougal is the solution there. But this kind of dreaming and scheming is just another great reason to follow and love sport.

Go Nats!

A Few Random Thoughts

• Good article today in the N&O on how much ol' Roy is enjoying the latest Tar Heel championship. As Heels fans, we need to step back and enjoy it too. This may be our golden age; the talent and results from the Dean Dome are spectacular and unparalleled in college hoopdom. And as great as watching a national championship team and guys like Hansbrough and Lawson on the court, I am giddy with anticipation for the upcoming season. The Noel team of 2006 was great fun to watch (it's funner to watch a team that is the defending national champ), and I expect this year's Ginyard team to be equally fun.
• One Greek soccer note: Panathinaikos defeated Sparta Prague 3-0 yesterday in Athens to advance to the round of 32 in the UEFA Champions League. The Greens lost the first game of the two-game series 1-3, but advanced due to away goals and aggregate goals scored. I was hoping to watch the game on the Dish Network, but we are having problems with our Greek sports channel (trouble that is supposed to be resolved today, a day late).

Nats To Repeat 102-loss Season?

Whatever good feeling the Nats could have possibly had entering the season - the signing of Adam Dunn, a new starting rotation - died over the weekend.  Though they've played less than a dozen games the three excruciating losses to the Marlins - games in which the Nats led heading into the 8th inning each game - are potential season killers.

Those losses highlighted that the Nats' bullpen is even weaker - weaker - than their anemic starting rotation. But against the Marlins the Nationals got good staring pitching from the top three in their rotation: Lannan, Olsen and Cabrera.  And they hit well in two of those games, and in their win against the Phillies.  Holding those three leads would have given the Nats a four-game winning streak.  

Those good feelings only lasted 8 innings each game as closer Joel Hanrahan blew the first two games, including a three-run lead on Saturday, before Saul Rivera gave up a one-run lead on Sunday.  

The only good news is the Nats' offense is much improved. Dunn is hitting and getting on base; his OBP is over 500 and he has two dingers so far.  Zimmerman has a 10-game hitting streak, Elijah Dukes is hitting over 300, and since moving up to the 2 spot in the order Nick Johnson is 10 for 19 so there is some hope on offense.

Unfortunately, the name of the game is still pitching.  Let's hope rookie starter Jordan ZImmerman and the revamped bullpen (Rivera was reassigned and Hanrahan is hopefully no longer the closer) offer some hope for the pitching staff and this team can go 500 the rest of the season.  That would mean the Nats finish around 75-76 wins, nothing to write home about but a big improvement over last season's 60-102 record.  

Maryland and ACC Basketball

The excellent and even-handed three-part series on the current state of Maryland basketball concluded today in the Washington Post.

It mainly focused on the way Gary Williams recruits with particular focus on Rudy Gay, and other local recruits who got away, and the AAU circuit.  The series concludes by theorizing that Maryland is so desperate to get back to the NCAA tournament that the Terps are willing to relax their usual high standards to lure talented players with considerable baggage to College Park.  

The series is generally sympathetic to Williams and touts his ethical recruiting (while leaving out his spotty graduation record). It's very well done and worth reading for any basketball fan.

I don't have anything to add really, other than it's odd to see Williams and the Maryland program in the doldrums. 

Ever since Phil Ford chose Carolina over Maryland the Tar Heels have been the gold standard in the ACC and the nation. Granted, the Doherty years were a major blow to the program's luster, but even with those three years in the mix Carolina is still the most consistently successful college basketball program in the country.

One thing to respect about Krzyzewski is that he is the only coach in the ACC to match Carolina's success.  He has hung with - and during the Guthridge/Doherty years surpassed - the Heels for 30 years.

Others have come and gone, and had momentary success, but no one else has ever hung with Carolina.  Very successful coaches like Bobby Cremins, Terry Holland, Jim Valvano, RIck Barnes, Dave Odom - even Pat Kennedy - eventually gave up trying to match Carolina and got out.  It's easy to imagine each of those coaches coming home one night after losing in the elite eight or the finals of the ACC tournament and proclaiming "I can't take it anymore; I've got to get out."  The stress of competing year in and year out with Carolina - and then against both the Heels and Duke - has driven many a coach to lesser jobs at South Carolina (twice actually, to Cremins and Odom), East Carolina (Terry Holland), DePaul? (Pat Kennedy), Texas (Barnes), etc.

And that brings me to Maryland. The exception to that group should be Gary Williams. Maryland should annually be one of the ACC's elite teams.  Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.  But you would assume a coach so accomplished and comfortably ensconced at his alma mater, nestled in one of America's true high school hoops hotbeds, would be perennially competing for ACC and national championships.   

The series in The Post explains why that hasn't happened, but it still does not make sense that instead of competing for championships someone like Gary Williams is defensively arguing his case for keeping his job.

Good Nats News

Finally some good news from the Nats as they signed slugger Adam Dunn this week. Despite amassing tons of strikeouts this guy is a primo slugger, averaging more than 40 home runs for the last 5 years.  He's an old fashioned power hitter who is naturally strong, not chemically enhanced.  And despite all the strikeouts Dunn had a nice .381 on-base percentage last year.

The Nats desperately needed a power hitter; their leaders in homers last year were Lastings Milledge and Ryan Zimmerman (in only 106 games) with all of 14 dingers so Dunn is a major upgrade.  Dunn is also reported to be a great club house guy.

Besides bringing 60+ homers to Washington the addition of Dunn and Josh Willingham, who came to DC in an earlier trade with Florida, gives the Nats a credible line up.  Assuming Dunn is shifted to first base the Nats could field the following:

2B: Willie Harris

SS: Christian Guzman

CF: Milledge

1B: Dunn

3B: Zimmerman

LF: Willingham

RF: Elijah Dukes

C: Jesus Flores

Not exactly the 2008 Phillies, but more than legit. And the Nats even have some tradable guys like Nick Johnson and Ronnie Belliard that could, maybe, be turned into some pitching help.

As it always is with baseball, pitching will be key.  The Post has a good overview of the potential rotation in today's paper.  The good news is the Nats have a number of good-to-decent young arms led by number one starter John Lannan; and the pitching can't be as bad as it was last year when retread Odalis Perez was the number one.  The bad news is historic underachiever and former Oriole Daniel Cabrera is penciled in as the number 3 starter, and the Nats do not have a closer other than Joel Hanrahan on their roster. 

But hey, spring training is starting and last time I checked the Nats were tied for first place in the 2009 National League East.

A Few Random Notes

• Heels are at Miami on Sunday night.  This will be a tough game; the U hung with the Heels for 15 minutes in Chapel Hill a month ago, and Carolina could be a little flat after the thrashing they dished out in Cameron.  But I find it hard to believe that Miami can stop Lawson, Hansbrough, Ellington and Green at the same time.  Plus, Deon Thompson and now Frasor has his groove back.  It will be close, but the Heels will pull it out.
• A number of big and intriguing games in the ACC this weekend, including an ascending Florida State at a descending Wake Forest, Virginia Tech at Maryland in a difficult must-win game for the Terps, and a game featuring teams who could use a confidence and resume-building win, respectively, with Duke at Boston College.  I think I'm going to set the TiVO for all three.
• It's NBA all star weekend, and though I'm a big NBA fan I have no interest in any of the festivities. I used to love the dunk contest and even the game, but now it's just a clownish hype-fest.  Give me the ACC any day.

GO HEELS!