Live in Just over TEN MINUTES!

Folks, Brian Kapur and I will be going on the air in just about ten minutes. Please listen in, today and every Thursday at five... here's a simple phrase to remember it by... Live at Five! Here's your link guys:

http://www.wmucsports.com/sports-high.m3u

New Desk Setup!

Wow, this makes me feel much more like I'm at home. At home, I have a desk setup where i can look out the window because i dont have the awkward shelves on top of them. But at Maryland, I had the shelves there and was facing the wall. But now I can see something else besides my boring old wall. The shelves have been removed and I am now facing the door. I can look outside and see people! But nobody comes in and talks any. I'm going to put up a sign encouraging people to be friendly. Also, my wall is blank. Pictures are necessary.

Oh and by the way, Ike is going to smack the Texas coast on Saturday. Going to take a break from this storm for a bit.

5pm Sat: Hanna Update

Wow... before I could even get time to put another update in, the storm exited the area with much less bite than the bark that they were calling for before it hit. Winds only gusted to 34 mph, which is 5 below the lower bound of Tropical Storm force. Sustained winds didn't pass 20 mph... which was a lot better than I expected. I was thinking that we could get close to sustained 40, but gusts didn't even approach that.

I'll put up my full post mortem tomorrow, including grading my forecast. TS Warnings do continue, so the winds will be decent. They could actually be stronger now than while it was raining. All in all, it was a pretty weak storm. Now our attention turns to Ike, which could make Mike Tidwell say I told you so. Louisiana had better watch out for this one. I'll be keeping an eye on that. Next update will be tomorrow's post mortem on Tropical Storm Hanna. That's all for today.

11 pm Thu: TS Hanna Update

There you can see it. The track has shifted west over the past few hours, and I'm still sticking with my guns... Charleston, SC will be the landfall point. I might have to revise that as things change. Tropical Storm Watch is still out... and I think this thing rolls up the I-95 corridor. The NHC is underplaying the 25% chance of TS winds in the DC area, because the storm will be closer and it is such a big storm. Those chances will rise tomorrow as the storm approaches the coast. Landfall tomorrow evening. Then we have to watch the effects approach the DC area. Live blogging will take place with embedded radars and what not. This is going to be a fun storm to follow, and it should be a rather quick blow. Get ready guys -- this is our big storm for now.

Next update will be post 8 am advisory... maybe holding off til post 11 am.

5 pm Thurs: Hanna Update

We're still at Tropical Storm intensity, but only just. And the DC area is just to the left of dead center in the cone. And there's going to be impacts. We're talking about winds 40-60 mph if not more... and heavy rains, on the order of 3-6 inches. On this side of the storm, tornadoes probably won't happen with any thunderstorms. But we'll have to keep an eye on that.

We're also under a Tropical Storm Watch. That means Tropical Storm force winds could be possible in 36 hours or less. There will have to be an eye kept on that as well. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued in case the rain gets really heavy. Again, I'm not letting any guard down at this point. We're in the cone, so we need to watch out. Anyone outside the cone but nearby needs to keep an eye out too. Next update will be after the 8 or 11 pm advisory, whichever one warrants an update.

11 am Wed: Hanna Update

The gods must be crazy! This thing is going everywhere, and I think a New Jersey driver must be behind it. Anyway, it's going all the heck over, and until the shear relaxes, we won't really know where it's going from here. I still think a landfall in South Carolina, racing northward through NC and VA and off into the Northeast. I-95 is going to get some high winds and much needed rain. The reliable models still follow yesterday's path, and I'm sticking with them. I think we're going to know a lot more after the 2 pm and 5 pm advisories today, once this thing starts moving again. It's moving north at 6 mph, and should start moving towards the northwest again and picking up its speed... moving away from the area of high wind shear... and strengthening. We should be at hurricane strength again tomorrow or Friday. All eyes should be on Hanna all over the Southeast coast. Keep it tuned here, and the next update will be after the 2 or 5 pm advisory.

11 pm Tue: Hanna Update

Here's your 11 pm update... we could be talking about a hurricane again on Wednesday or Thursday, and by then it will be moving through the central and northern Bahamas. Then it starts to accelerate, turn more to the north and make a landfall on the Southeast Coast probably on Friday. From there, it makes an impact on our area for late in the week and into the early part of the weekend. How much of an impact is still uncertain at this point... but should become more known in a day or two.

However, what we do know, or think we know, is from the 120 hours starting at 8 pm this evening, there is a 20-30% chance of tropical storm winds affecting our area through 8 pm Sunday. Then there's the possibility of (as of now) 5-6" of rain accompanying it. So it'll be important to keep a very close eye on this system. Next update is most likely going to be after the 8 am advisory tomorrow morning... but if I'm still up around 2 then I'll post one then. That's all for now.

5 pm Tue: Hanna Update

Okay it's a bit after the 5pm advisory, but now all the graphics have been updated by the Weather Channel. We still don't know exactly the full effects of this storm. Look at how wide the cone is. By Saturday afternoon, it could either be in the Ohio Valley weakened because of how much time it has spent over land, east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, or somewhere in between. What a spread. It should start heading to the northwest sometime today, and that should mean a better forecast confidence. My guess is a hit in South Carolina... that means right down the center of the cone... but the reason I'm saying that is because I've looked at the models, and it appears to be heading in that direction. I think it then goes through North Carolina and rips right through the center of Virginia. As for effects on us... it's too early to tell. But if history continues to be an example, it could be pretty decent. I'll keep everyone posted, and will have an update later this evening... probably after the 8 and/or 11 pm advisories.

11 am Hanna Update

Here's the very latest with now Tropical Storm Hanna. It weakened slightly overnight, meaning it may not hit the Southeast Coast with as much strength as previously thought. However, it looks like we're still going to feel some impacts. Saturday looks like the most likely day for the most impacts, as you can see by the projected path on your right, which was updated as of 11 am today.

I don't know what the full effects of this storm may be, considering it's still a few days out, but there's a 10-20% chance that we could see some TS strength winds with this system. Those chances could increase as it approaches a landfall sometime on Friday. Exact landfall is still unknown, but it could hit anywhere between Florida and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'll be tracking this storm throughout the day, and the next update will likely be after the 5 pm advisory... due to classes I probably won't be near a computer when the 2 pm one comes out. That's all for now.

Hanna Headed Toward Us?

Well apparently we could be under the gun by the end of the week... from Hurricane Hanna, which is currently hitting the Bahamas. As of the 11 pm advisory and projected path, we are officially in the "cone". What I'm hearing is there could be some decent rains and some fairly decent winds.

Every advisory (except for probably the 2 am and 5 am ones), I'll be updating on this storm, and highlighting the threats that we could see. I'm also hearing we could see close to 5 or 6 inches of rain, as well as some 35 to 40 mph winds... SUSTAINED. So we will see what happens, as this is a pretty decent threat to be a weekend spoiler. Hey, at the beginning of the year, the experts said the East Coast has gotten fairly lucky over the past few years... looks like things might be changing by the end of the week.

I'll post another update before class tomorrow. Probably after the 8 or 11 am advisory. That's all for tonight.

Maryland vs. Delaware

Okay, so I'll be trying my hand at live updates from the Maryland vs. Delaware football game today! Please check out my Twitter page which this blog links to. We'll see how it goes and make a decision on future updates.

That's all.

A Huge Change

Forget what I've said in the past about firing people. Forget that I mentioned Lenny Harris, forget that I named Jim Bowden, forget all of it. After taking a serious look at the team over the past few weeks, I'm convinced that Bowden is doing his job. Let's first start off with the question that will pull everyone into this argument: Did anyone else seriously expect to finish anywhere besides last place in the NL East? Didn't think so. Sure, I thought 85 wins were in the picture, but it was really more wishcasting than anything. There's now no possible way that 85 wins can happen by the way - 82 is the most that can happen, and that'd only be 2 games above .500. And it would have to take a perfect record the rest of the way to happen... and that's not happening. Even the best teams can't finish out the season 38-0 (except the 21 game winning streak that the Rockies had last year). Face it - there's probably going to be a couple more years left in the struggle, but I'd like to call out all the hypocrites.

Who got Lastings Milledge from New York? Who got Elijah Dukes and Ryan Zimmerman and Jesus Flores? How about our young pitching? Who started rebuilding that staff? That's right... Jim Bowden. Before you guys criticize a guy like Bowden... put yourself in his shoes. Try to do his job better... if you can, I'd honestly like to see you try and get a guy like Aaron Crow to sign for $4M... still too much for an unproven rookie. Do we really have the money to invest in a guy like that? He hasn't shown us anything on the major league level. What if he goes in and can't perform at anything above AA ball? 9 of 10 picks signed... and we get another pick in the first round next year... 9a, and if the season ended today, we'd also get 1.

On that note... I've decided I'm going to analyze each part of the Nats after September 1st callups for next year. A bit of an early preview, but it's never too late to start looking ahead. On another note, speaking of September, that signals the approach of the hockey season... and so to kick it off, I have launched a brand new blog about the Capitals... take a gander at it over at A Capitals Affair - and depending on what happens in the next couple of days, that blog could get quite exciting. I'll hint at this... if certain things fall into place, we could be talking about a Nats320 equivalent in the Capitals blogosphere. That is, not to get a big head or anything like that. SBF is a great journalist... and it'd be a very lot to ask to be able to compete at his level.

That's all for tonight.

SWEEP!

How do you like the infield now? Bonifacio and Gonzalez being acquired before the trade deadline, and providing STABILITY for a losing team. The Nationals, winning just five games in July, have played three games in August, and have won all three! It's quite exciting to see them doing so well and establishing the killer instinct that will be so necessary in the next few years as the rebulding process continues and the team starts to win (hopefully).

In other news, I pitched today, and it didn't look very good. Four earned runs in eight innings pitched, and hopefully better results are to come. The first inning looked excellent - I had three up, and three down. I will pitch again tomorrow and see if I can do better then.

Twitter

Taking a clue from a local blog, I decided to try Twitter. It's basically like a mini blog, but also like Facebook statuses. Basically I can update from my cell phone (for free!) and I can also use the web to update it. For example, this morning I posted the Nats score and welcomed the new players to the lineup. I have yet to update from my phone but probably will try that out later. Anyway, if you want to have a look, take a look at my Twitter page.

11 pm Update: Added my page to the blogroll and link sections on the right side of this blog. Plan on seeing me update Twitter for things that aren't newsworthy enough for blog posts, etc.

Rebranding the Tidal Wave

I've noticed while working with my swim team that there are a few different logos that the team uses... I counted a total of three. First you have the t-shirt design, then you have the car magnet design, and last you have the design on the banner. This needs to change, and in order to find a better team identity, I think one logo will work. I'm calling for brand new t-shirts, brand new caps, brand new EVERYTHING. We're the Virginia Hills Tidal Wave, and our colors are yellow and blue. However, I think for a logo package to really hit home, there needs to be a third color. Right now, I'm thinking red, but we'll have to see what comes of it. I'm working on it as we speak and hope to be done in the next few weeks. Once a rough design has been worked out, I'll see if we can get it cleaned up and maybe I'll upload something as soon as a rough sketch has been made. I'll keep you updated.

Another thing I want to mention on Virginia Hills -- I was SO proud of everyone at Divisionals. So many signs that the young ones on this team are ready to jump up and take control of this team. I think people are tired of being mediocre and are ready to assume control of this swim team. Go for it guys!

Estrada DFA'ed

That's right, Washington's fourth catcher has been designated for assignment! And what a jerk way to go out too... ungrateful for the chances that the Nats gave him. But I am still wondering why he was signed (and Lo Duca as well) when Flores and Nieves are both very capable catchers. This team really has been making some ridiculous moves lately. Maybe we can see the rebuilding process. Maybe someone had a talk with Jim Bowden. Whatever it is, the rebuilding process, this Plan that has been talked about so much, is starting to make some sense.

You can read more analysis on DCSportsFan.com.

Near Death Experience Prompts Blog Name Change?

Well last night was going to be a routine night... campout at Virginia Hills for the swim team. But things went horribly awry when water polo started. I was walking across the bottom of the pool to try and move around on defense... and I slipped and cut my toe on something... be it a rock or some tile, we do not know. This caused me quite a bit of pain, and I used some colorful language. Brought myself to the edge of the pool when I noticed it was bleeding quite profusely. So I went up to the side of the pool and sat down to see if it had stopped, and I realized that about three toes were now SOAKED in blood. Off to the guard shack when I didn't think it was that big of a problem. But then my queasiness kicked in and I was put on a bench where they took good care of me. An EXCELLENT job by board members, the lifeguard, and the parents who were there. Very quick reacting to call my dad and get him up to the pool to bring me home. When he got there he said we were going to have to go to the hospital. So we went into the car, and went home first so we could grab my health insurance card. When I was changing out of my wet swimsuit I bumped my toe on a snowglobe that was on the ground... and guess what... it started bleeding again. So I applied the pressure and we called for an appointment at Falls Church. Drove out there and checked in (via wheelchair!) and waited in the waiting room for a bit - then went in to the doc's office. He unwrapped it and took a look and then re-wrapped it, while stating I would probably need some stitches. So I got a bit worried knowing my history with blood and medical procedures! Then it was off into the "procedure room" where he cleaned the wound and let me wait for the nurses to come in with the stitches. Got the novocaine shots (which hurt a LOT!!!) and then got the stitches which I didn't feel. After that it was bandaged and then I was off. Quite the exciting night.

Then today I was thinking of blogging about the injury and remembered that I am considering a name change. Or maybe a second blog, one having to do with just the Nationals themselves. We'll see what comes of it. Could it be Nattily Attired? Or something else?

Dukes Hurt, Nats Lose Again

Left fielder Elijah Dukes injured... a strained patella as announced by Carpenter and Sutton on MASN this evening... thus begins the daily report...

One thing that I can not stand for is when athletes do not hustle. I can understand when athletes get injured, but when they don't try and just don't even show that they care is absolutely ridiculous. I see it all the time, and it's not just with the Nationals. When swimmers on my swim team show that they just don't care about the sport, their individual performances, it brings me down. What that tells me is that it doesn't even matter what I do, what I say to these swimmers, that they won't respond. I don't care if you're not the best, but if you are at least trying to get better, or trying to care, that is what I notice. And, it will translate to the meet results. Times will drop, and that's everyone's goal.

On the other hand, concerning the Nats, I noticed that in the bottom of the 9th in tonight's affair in Cincinnati, Willie Harris showed a lot of hustle. He played the ball well and fired a great throw to Jesus Flores. Unfortunately Flores could not handle the ball and the Reds won.

Anyway, the Ice Cream Social is scheduled for tomorrow evening, and I'd love to address the team on these concerns. It will all depend on certain factors, especially how many people show up.

On a different note about the blog, I'm considering a name change. It would come with a launch of a new link. This blog would become more of a personal blog, and the new blog would be completely Nationals. There are a few names that I'm considering, and we'll see if it happens. Name suggestions in the comments box would be greatly appreciated.

I'm Not Waiting Anymore

Normally, after I watch a game, I wait until I see Manny Acta's comments to make some reaction statements. However, today I feel as though I shouldn't.

This has gotten just ridiculous. NO runs scored. Scoring opportunities were thrown out. Here's what I think is wrong with this team. That is, here is what I would do if I were Jim Bowden. I know there's been a few of these posts already, but why not throw it down from a different slant? A different blogger, maybe some different thoughts.

Outfield:

LF: Keep Dukes exactly where he is. I like what this kid has, and I really wanted to see what he would have done had Guzman gotten on base in the top of the 9th.

CF: Get Bernadina out of there and make Willie Harris your everyday center-fielder. Harris has experience and can actually hit the broad side of a barn. Of course, when Lastings Milledge returns, he goes into center field.

RF: Continue using Austin Kearns. He has to be one of the best right fielders in the game. Sure, his hitting this year has been subpar, but the guy just got off the DL, so maybe he will improve as his health gets better.

Infield:

1B: It's gotta be Dmitri Young. He's been batting really well this year (2 for 2 today!). Yeah, you can question his defense, but you'll see why I put Young here at first and not Boone. I'd put Nick Johnson in here, but since he is unlucky and hurt yet again, I can't. However, when Zimmerman returns at third, platoon Young and Boone.

2B: Bench or trade Lopez. I'm sorry but when you go three for your last thirty-four (.088), that's not good enough for me. I'm putting Belliard in at second because he actually contributes something to the offense.  This is why Young is at first and not Boone, because Boone is more versatile and can play third.

SS: Guzman. No question.

3B: Boone for now, but when Zimmerman returns, you platoon Boone and Young at first so there is some competition.

Pitching:

I like the starting rotation as is. However, when Shawn Hill can return from the disabled list, I'd like to see someone go in favor of Collin Balester. My choice is Odalis Perez, because I'm concerned about how long he can keep up this very good season. His history has been shaky but I'd like to keep him around in case one of the other starters falters.

The relief pitching I really do hope gets better once Ryan Wagner returns to the bullpen. Not having Chad Cordero is a huge loss, but I hope Wagner can provide some stability. When Wagner comes back, I'm sending Ayala or Colome to the minors so they can get a wake-up call. I like what Rivera has been doing, I like this Shell guy, and Rauch has been a strong point.

Well, there you have it. Comment away. My FULL Tim Redding interview will be up on Monday, what with the day off and such.

Bullpen Blunders

Sorry if this blog does not seem very coherent - my thoughts are all over the place. So it'll be tough to get everything all together. With that, here's today's entry...

It seems as though every starting pitcher has given us the chance to win a game, but the bullpen just isn't doing it. The announcement of reliever Chad Cordero being DONE for the season is a huge dagger. It weighs on the rest of the bullpen. Today the job fell to Jesus Colome to keep the Nats in the game. But a huge error (that was MISTAKENLY charged to Dmitri Young) made the Nats lose it. They were tied and had a chance, but Colome let it go by the wayside. Loading up the bases with one out is no way to keep this game close.

One thing I noticed in watching this game - the offense looked okay. Better than it has been in the past couple weeks. Austin Kearns is back! And he got a hit, which brought in a run! Goodbyes were said to Kory Casto, who has not been performing lately, so we'll see what he does in AAA ball. What is with this Bernadina guy? Batting under .100, but I suppose we should give him some time. After all, Elijah Dukes started out the same way. Hopefully Lastings Milledge will make a speedy recovery.

By the way, my interview with Tim Redding is now up on DCSportsFan!!! Take a look at the link on the right bar there. PLEASE take a look at it -- the full interview will appear here shortly on the blog. Haven't decided when, but most likely about the time that the next ESPN Zone appearance will take place. That's July 9th at noon, and the player has not been announced yet.